Chapter 44: Finding the Breakthrough

If the Panlong Desert were to become ordinary, would the borders of Yuan remain peaceful? That's a significant question, given that its neighbors are not to be underestimated.

Fortune and misfortune are intertwined. If the Grand Marshal hadn't offered such generous terms, He Chunhua wouldn't have wished for the Panlong Desert to disappear.

He paused for a moment, then said softly, "Chuan'er, do you think Commander Zhong's thirty-two years of unwavering dedication were worth it?"

He Lingchuan thought, since you're asking me, you must already believe in your heart that it wasn't worth it.

"Not at all worth it," he said bluntly, feigning forthrightness. "Panlong City still fell, and the Kingdom of Xiluo was still destroyed. After thirty-two more years, he changed nothing."

"For the first twelve years, the Kingdom of Xiluo was too weak to advance west and reclaim lost territory; it didn't even know that a million soldiers and civilians were still holding out in the Panlong Wasteland. For the next twenty years, the Kingdom of Xiluo repeatedly tried to cede the Panlong Wasteland to the Kingdom of Xianyuan in exchange for temporary survival. If I were Zhong Shengguang, I'd be furious enough to drop dead if my own country, unsupportive and constantly hindering, treated me that way!"

The Kingdom of Xiluo once enjoyed immense prestige, its reign lasting two hundred and seventeen years, which was remarkably long for a nation in this realm. This continent was rarely peaceful; the shortest-lived regimes lasted only a few decades, and most small states went through their entire cycle of rise, decline, and collapse within twenty or thirty years. Thus, Xiluo had proven remarkably resilient. However, by the time Zhong Shengguang defended Panlong City, the Kingdom of Xiluo was beset by internal strife and external threats. While its nobles indulged in revelry, its starving populace was displaced, and foreign enemies launched relentless assaults. The death knell for its demise had already rung. He Chunhua said no more after this, stroking Zhong Shengguang's tombstone with a sigh.

His father must have been thinking of himself, and He Lingchuan didn't point it out. Indeed, the current Grand Yuan Kingdom and the former Xiluo bore striking similarities.

Just then, the clouds parted, and the moon emerged, casting its light on the desolate city.

"Commander Zhong, it must be lonely here by yourself, mustn't it? I'll join you for a couple more drinks." He Lingchuan couldn't resist pouring two more cups for Zhong Shengguang. "It's a pity I couldn't pay my respects to General Hong, nor witness his venerable heroism!"

Both Zhong Shengguang and General Hong were figures of legend. He Lingchuan himself was more curious about the mysterious General Hong.

He asked He Chunhua, "There's a shrine for General Hong in the city, but no tomb, not even a cenotaph. Is it possible... he didn't actually die in the final battle?"

"General Hong was struck by seven consecutive bolts of heavenly lightning, summoned by the Xianyuan National Master at the cost of his own life, and was instantly reduced to ashes. Soldiers from both sides witnessed it, so there should be no mistake; otherwise, the morale of Panlong City would not have suddenly collapsed." He Chunhua shook his head. "You are still young and don't realize the limits of human power."

He Lingchuan was about to respond when two whistling sounds suddenly came from the northeast.

Two fireworks shot into the sky and burst into colorful displays.

It was a pre-arranged signal. He Chunhua looked at them and declared, "They've found it. Let's go!"

Within half an hour, everyone had gathered at the Mita Temple.

The temple stood at the very heart of Panlong City, spanning ten acres, with multiple courtyards and numerous pavilions and halls.

It must once have been a bustling place, with ancient trees providing shade and a constant stream of worshippers, when its incense burned brightly. Now, however, it was a vast desolate ruin, left shattered and burned for over a century. Its clear springs and lotus ponds had long since dried up, and the once-lush ancient trees stood withered, never again sprouting new green.

At least half of the exquisite buildings lay in ruins, especially the magnificent main hall dedicated to Mita, which was utterly destroyed, first torn down and then set ablaze. As they approached the original site, they saw only a few charred wooden stakes lying scattered.

He lifted a hand and snapped one, and it crumbled.

The Mita statue, a stone carving, had a forearm alone as long as He Lingchuan's height, but unfortunately, no one could discern its original form. The entire stone statue had been toppled and then cut into seven or eight sections, each one hacked apart with knives and axes and then smeared with ink.

The allied forces detested Panlong City and the Da Feng Army so deeply that they even reviled their beliefs to the core.

Once everyone had assembled, Nian Songyu, holding a glass jar, stated solemnly, "This is the place!"

He walked around the pool directly in front of the main hall, and the three-corpse worms in the glass jar changed direction accordingly. No matter which way he moved, they always pointed towards the side wall furthest from the pool!

"The pool?" Situ Han asked, puzzled. "Are you sure it's this specific pool? If we're wrong, we won't be able to acquire any more fresh water."

The Chapa Plateau had ample water, and the water features within Mita Temple were meticulously crafted, with springs, small streams, and as many as six pools.

The particular pool Nian Songyu indicated was located outside the main hall. It was irregularly shaped, much like a wishing well where people would toss coins. Its area was estimated at twenty-six or twenty-seven square meters.

Of course, it was now empty, devoid of both koi and coins.

Sun Fuping walked around the pool and pressed his hand along its edge several times, remarking, "There are several color variations in the masonry layers of the pool's edge, suggesting they were filled in later."

Everyone looked and saw that it was indeed true. There were several patched sections along the pool's edge, with rough and uneven workmanship, a stark contrast to the original skilled craftsmanship. Evidently, these later repairs were merely perfunctory patch-ups.

"There's a significant time difference between the old and the new sections. And the repairs are crude, not matching the craftsmanship of Panlong City's Mita worshippers, nor that of the Xianba Allied Forces." He Chunhua mused, "Could this be the work of the final team sent by the Kingdom of Baliang?"

Surely, the esteemed grand-disciples sent by Grandmaster Zhu Heng didn't travel thousands of miles just to become masons?

If this pool was indeed repaired by them, then they must have known exactly what they were doing.

What He Lingchuan was more concerned about was why the pool had been dug up in the first place.

Sun Fuping stated gravely, "More importantly, why was the pool dug up, and by whom?"

Zeng Feixiong pointed to the scattered stones, large and small, on the ground. "Perhaps it was accidentally damaged by falling rocks when the main hall was destroyed," he suggested.

The temple was devastated; when such a magnificent building and statue collapsed with a rumble, even the ground was left with large craters. What's so strange about a mere small pool being smashed through?

"Perhaps this is the effect the perpetrator intended to create?" He Chunhua pondered. "When Panlong City fell, the allied soldiers undoubtedly entered and plundered extensively, and their officers would have been powerless to stop them. Whatever these soldiers destroyed would have been considered utterly normal. If this pool appeared to have been destroyed during the plunder, the allied forces wouldn't have investigated it closely, and its hidden secret could have been concealed."

"Amidst such panic, with Panlong on the verge of collapse, who could have made such calm arrangements?"

The answer was self-evident, Nian Songyu murmured, "Zhong Shengguang, or his trusted confidant. He would have wanted to open the pool and release the water before the city fell."

If their deduction was correct, the deeper meaning behind this action would be worth exploring.

Decades later, the exploration team from the Kingdom of Baliang likely reached a similar conclusion and then repaired the pool once more.

Situ Han came closer and examined it, a troubled expression on his face. "Are you suggesting we fill this pool with water? But even if we poured in all the spare water from our two hundred-plus people, I doubt it would even cover the bottom."