Chapter 53: The City of the Undead

"This must be what Dragon City looked like before its destruction, right?" Given that the other three outranked him, Maotao spoke softly. "The Young Master and I haven't encountered a single person since we got here."

"There's no one in the city either, at least we walked around nearby and didn't find anyone," Sun Fuping said slowly. "I was teleported into the well, while Marshal Nian landed directly in the moat."

The four passed through the city gate, which opened onto a large square. It seemed that at this point in time, Dragon City did not yet have its triple walls.

"It appears the year we're in is even earlier than when Dragon City fell," He Lingchuan said, looking around. "There aren't as many fortifications yet."

The Dragon City they had seen in the desert was armed to the teeth, constantly displaying its might to the outside world; this version of Dragon City looked quite gentle.

The same city presented differently in different times and spaces.

They crossed the square, where there was no pool like in the desert's Dragon City, but fortunately, the Black Flood Dragon totem was still there.

Nearby was a row of buildings, with an inn and post station at the front, and various residential houses behind.

"The layout of the buildings is also different," Nian Songyu said, leading the way into a tavern. "When I came in, the stove was still warm."

The tavern door was open, with two hanging cloths. Inside, there were six or seven tables, and the chairs were somewhat disorderly. He Lingchuan noticed three tables with wine jars, some leftover wine in the cups, and a dozen or so peanuts on a dish.

Behind the counter lay an account book. The character for "wine" was only half-written, just "sa," with the brush tossed aside, its ink freshly dried.

Nian Songyu walked to a table and tapped it with his knuckles, producing a dull thud.

"These are all real objects; it's incredibly lifelike," he said, picking up a wine cup and handing it to Maotao. "Drink it."

Maotao jumped in surprise. "Huh, drink it?" Who would dare consume something so unknown?

Nian Songyu's gaze was not joking.

Maotao had no choice but to tilt his head back and take a small sip, carefully smacking his lips.

"It's wine, but the flavor is very faint. In Blackwater City, this small amount would be worth at most three coins."

"Drink it down," Nian Songyu insisted, meaning more than just a taste.

He Lingchuan remained silent, so Maotao, under the gaze of the three, had no choice but to swallow the wine.

"I've finished it. Now what do we… Ah, my stomach hurts so much!" Before he could finish, Maotao let out a cry, dropped the cup, and ran toward the back.

The latrines were at the back.

After waiting for a while, Nian Songyu gestured with his chin towards He Lingchuan. "Go, see if he's dead." His attitude was extremely arrogant.

Since He Chunhua and the Blackwater City army weren't present, he felt no need to be polite to He Lingchuan.

In fact, if the young man dared to put on airs, Nian Songyu planned to beat him until he was picking up his teeth from the ground, letting out the frustration of the past few days.

To Nian Songyu's surprise, He Lingchuan neither got angry nor made excuses; he simply turned and walked to the back, giving Nian Songyu no opportunity to flare up.

Nian Songyu was instead taken aback. This young man was quite pragmatic.

Halfway there, a gust of wind blew, making the leaves rustle.

He also felt a strong gust of wind behind him and instinctively dodged, drawing his blade.

It was only a branch swaying in the wind, almost scratching his back.

He Lingchuan didn't rush to sheath his sword.

Ever since entering this city, he had felt something strange, as if he was constantly being watched.

That constant feeling of being followed was extremely annoying.

Just then, Maotao approached, still holding up his trousers. Seeing He Lingchuan with his drawn blade, he paused, startled. "Young Master, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," He Lingchuan said, sheathing his sword and stepping back half a pace. The young man not only had a dark complexion, but also reeked, indicating a truly dramatic event. "How about you?"

"I'm not dead, just very empty in my stomach." Maotao rubbed his belly and walked out with him.

They returned to the tavern. Sun Fuping carefully observed Maotao's complexion, then checked his eyelids and tongue, and finally said, "You've been poisoned."

Maotao nearly jumped out of his skin in fright. Fortunately, the Imperial Preceptor continued, "The poison is weak; it won't kill you, but you'll probably have to make several more trips to the latrines."

Wasn't it because Nian had forced him to drink? Maotao inwardly cursed the ancestors of these people for eighteen generations but forced a smile on his face. "That's good, that's good."

"You ate something meant for the dead," Sun Fuping said, picking up a peanut, crushing it, and rubbing it until his hand was covered in dust. "These things aren't prepared for the living, which explains why the city is empty."

Nian Songyu also understood. "Are you saying the city's residents are those vengeful spirits that rushed out of the pool?"

"Very likely. After they left, this place became an empty city."

"Those vengeful spirits are the residents of this city?" He Lingchuan asked, puzzled. "That can't be right; they all seemed quite mad. How could they become law-abiding citizens here?"

Although the current Dragon City was empty, everything was orderly, simply lacking people. The vengeful spirits he had encountered outside were filled with deep resentment and looked as if they wanted to tear the world apart. If they had lived here permanently, how could the city be so tidy?

"It's likely the Grand Square Pot at work," Nian Songyu said. "Dragon City was destroyed long ago, so this place is the most abnormal."

Maotao whispered, "How do we find the Grand Square Pot?" He had thought jumping into the well would provide a clue, but it turned out the well contained another city. What now?

He Lingchuan suggested, "Let's go to the Mitian Temple. We found the entrance there before, and perhaps we can find new clues now."

"We've already been there. There's no temple," Nian Songyu immediately rejected.

He Lingchuan paused. "No temple? What do you mean?"

"There just isn't this temple, don't you understand?" Nian Songyu said flatly. "In that location, there are two taverns, a theater troupe, and two large shops – one selling jewelry, and one selling silk."

Right, if clues were that easy to find, would these two have waited for him? He Lingchuan thought for a moment. "General Hong's mansion?"

"We've looked, and it's not there either."

"No mansion, or no clues about it?" He Lingchuan grew more patient.

"Neither," Sun Fuping interjected smoothly. "General Hong is a demigod body bestowed by the Mitian deity. If there's no temple, then naturally there's no General Hong."

No General Hong, no General Hong's mansion.

"Then there's only one place left?" He Lingchuan scratched his head. "Zhong Shengguang's residence?"

Sun Fuping stood up. "Let's go."

The illusion recreated Dragon City's appearance perfectly. He Lingchuan had never imagined he would one day tour the legendary city in such a way. Judging by the markets, buildings, lakes, and rivers he passed, as well as the various utensils and tools used in the city and by the river, Dragon City, before being consumed by war, must have been exceptionally prosperous, densely populated, and boasted thriving commerce.

He even saw water wheels by the river, not for irrigating fields, but for supplying water to nearby shops, eliminating the need for manual carrying. To support this, specialized bamboo pipelines even connected from the river to the shops' water troughs.