Chapter 80: Good Good Good

"The Grand Basin can absorb the vengeful spirits from the Dragon Winding Wasteland," He Lingchuan recalled. "Zhong Shengguang, who died by suicide after his defeat, was one of them. You wouldn't know, but when I first entered the mystic realm, Dragon Winding City was peaceful and prosperous, far more bustling than Blackwater City. Zhong Shengguang had just taken office there at that time. I guess that was the best period in his memory, which is why the illusion perfectly replicated Dragon Winding City during peacetime."

Life is too bitter; one can only counteract it with ephemeral beauty. This holds true for both the living and the dead.

"Later, Nian Songyu climbed the city gate, set up the ballista, fired cannons, and burned the city, primarily destroying Zhong's residence," He Lingchuan shrugged. "That act tore apart the illusory dream, which is what startled the Black Dragon. There was no way around it; everyone has a terrible temper when woken up."

"The Grand Basin had been in Dragon Winding City for over twenty years, and Zhong Shengguang had established a close connection with it long ago. It makes sense that his soul, after death, was absorbed into the Grand Basin and became its spirit," He Chunhua said while applying ointment to his eldest son's cheek. The skin around the wound was peeling back, and the special ointment would accelerate healing.

"If we can't take the Grand Basin with us, the Red Cliff Road will likely still experience mad sand seasons in the future." He paused, then asked, "By the way, I heard that the celestial being initially possessed you. Why did it leave afterward?"

"I don't know either," He Lingchuan replied blankly. "When the white light enveloped my face, my mind went completely blank. By the time I regained consciousness, it had already gone to find Nian Songyu."

"How long did that take?" He Chunhua turned to ask the other witnesses.

"Only about three to five breaths," Situ Han recalled.

"Did you experience headaches or dizziness?"

"Yes, yes! How did you know, Dad?" He Lingchuan asked, surprised. "My temples were throbbing constantly, and they still ache terribly."

He Chunhua considered, "We'll go back and have the Grand Shaman check if your spirit was damaged."

"Oh." He Lingchuan felt a slight unease. What did "again" mean? When had the Grand Shaman checked him before?

The conversation quickly returned to the Grand Basin.

"Is this divine artifact truly integrated with Dragon Winding City?"

"Perhaps it is," He Lingchuan mused in return. "Otherwise, if the Grand Basin could use the Three Corpse Worms to make enemies defect, and the Great Wind Army was invincible, why didn't Zhong Shengguang seize the opportunity to invade his home country? This suggests that there are restrictions on using this artifact."

"Things from celestial beings are not that easy to use," He Chunhua nodded. "What a pity, we can't use it to quell rebellions. Also, the Black Dragon said its mission was complete at the end. What do you think that means..."

Seeing the four men staring intently at him, He Chunhua gave a slight smile and trailed off.

What could he possibly learn by asking these four blunt individuals? It would be better to discuss it with He Yue back home.

He Chunhua was very reluctant to give up on acquiring the artifact. It was the first time He Lingchuan had seen his father so passionate about an item, to the point of sighing and lamenting its loss.

A surge of impulse made him willing to achieve it for his father, no matter the cost.

Of course, this was the original body's subjective emotion, not his own.

Fortunately, He Chunhua also understood that the expedition had to end. Merely opening the Pool Well passage had exhausted all their resources. The possibility of finding a second way to obtain the Grand Basin was remote.

Moreover, the heroic spirits of the Great Wind Army patrolled the entire city, ostensibly protecting it, but in reality, they were monitoring.

If living people wanted to undertake large-scale construction in the desolate Dragon Winding City, these spirits might not allow it.

They could only return obediently; they had no capital for recklessness.

At that moment, the food in the pot was ready.

Fried rice cakes, boiled with water, turned into rice porridge. It had a slightly grainy texture, not as smooth and comforting as specially cooked congee, but it was filling, especially when served with flatbread and salted meat.

Everyone slurped down their food. Sitting there in the desolate, isolated city, listening to the rain on the eaves while watching the heroic spirits of the Great Wind Army wander, felt like being transported to another world.

He Lingchuan also produced some good wine and shared it with everyone.

With full stomachs and a bit of wine, drowsiness quickly set in.

After more than ten hours of intense excitement, exhaustion took over. Zeng Feixiong called for his personal guards to stand watch, and everyone fell asleep as soon as they lay down.

He Yue had lain down early, tossing and turning until he finally managed to fall asleep around the second watch of the night.

The past few days had been the most difficult for the He family. During the day, he had to handle demanding county affairs, and in the evenings, he returned home to comfort his grieving mother. Each task was arduous.

When he finally lay back in bed, sleep completely eluded him. His mind was consumed with how he could support his mother and himself in the future. His father's death was a devastating blow to the family.

After several days, the energetic young man was utterly worn out.

However, at cockcrow that day, there seemed to be some commotion outside. Immediately, He Yue heard an urgent banging on the door: "Second Young Master, wake up quickly! The Master and Young Master have returned!"

The usually dignified old butler's voice was now altered with excitement.

He Yue scrambled out of bed, froze for a few seconds, then suddenly grabbed the long robe by his bed and rushed out.

The front courtyard was bustling, with everyone smiling broadly as if they had stumbled upon a large silver ingot.

The gloom that had hung over the He residence for the past two days suddenly vanished.

Who else could be surrounded by the crowd but He Chunhua and He Lingchuan, father and son? Although they were dusty and somewhat haggard.

The usually composed second young master of the He family disregarded all decorum, cried out, and embraced his father and elder brother.

He Chunhua stroked his head. "There, there, you've had a tough time these past days."

He Lingchuan chuckled, "You need to wag your tail to truly welcome us home."

He Yue rubbed his eyes, delighted yet disbelieving. "The mad sand season isn't over yet. How did you get back? Did you not pass through the desert?"

"It's a long story!" He Lingchuan rubbed his face. "First, let's get cleaned up and have a welcome meal. I must have two catties of dust to scrub off."

"I also have important news to report!" He Yue, understanding the urgency, gripped his father's arm and stated word for word, "Information from the east has finally arrived: the rebel army at Woling Pass has been subdued, but Grand Marshal Dong Haoming has raised a rebellion!"

This bombshell left the He father and son stunned.

He Chunhua suddenly burst into laughter, seemingly casting off all his worries and troubles. "Good! Excellent!"

At that moment, Madam Ying also arrived, her eyes teary as she looked at her husband. "You're finally back!"

It wasn't until dawn that He Lingchuan climbed out of the bathtub, stretching comfortably and feeling refreshed as if reborn.

Where could one find such luxury in the desert?

He soaked in two large tubs of hot water, and with the help of a scrubber hired specially by the He family, he finally managed to scrub off all the old dirt and grime.

He felt like he had come back to life.

The mad sand season was far from over. The group's safe passage out of the Dragon Winding Desert was due to the escort of the Great Wind Army's heroic spirits. Wherever these spirits went, the vengeful souls and Three Corpse Worms would automatically disperse, and even the sandstorms would subside, allowing humans to pass through.