"Ah, I seem to have been swept away by the river, and woke up in a farmer's house," He Lingchuan could only reply vaguely. "Time is hard to track in the mountains—how long has it been?"
"Almost a month now." The Panlong Wasteland was vast, so it was hardly surprising if He Lingchuan had been washed downstream and spent ten or twenty days somewhere, and Hu Min did not dwell on it. "We all thought you were gone and even burned paper money for you twice. If you hadn't shown up, we would have burned more for you on the fifteenth of next month."
He Lingchuan clapped him on the shoulder. "Thanks!"
"Did you hear it, then?"
"Hear what?"
"When I burned the paper money, I told you why Prefect Sun fled with those beast traps. Remember our agreement?" Hu Min chewed on a piece of pork crackling. "You didn't hear me?"
"No wonder I kept feeling like someone was droning on in my ear," He Lingchuan said with sudden realization. "So it was you! But honestly, I didn't catch a word."
Back then, when the Baling reinforcements arrived and their final wagon barrier was about to be breached, He Lingchuan and Hu Min had made a pact: whoever made it back alive would find out why Prefect Sun fled with the beast traps and burn paper money to inform the other.
It had been a spur-of-the-moment joke, yet Hu Min had earnestly followed through.
He Lingchuan was not sure what to feel, but it was certainly something he had never experienced in the Auxiliary Army. He picked up his wine cup and drained it in one gulp. "So why did Prefect Sun take them?"
Those two beast traps were anything but light—forged from pure wrought iron, each weighed several hundred jin. When the city fell, Prefect Sun had expended manpower and horsepower to haul those two giant lumps of iron along. What on earth was he after?
"It's truly ridiculous!" The wine-marinated goose legs were served, and Hu Min picked up a piece to gnaw on slowly. "When Prefect Sun reached Panlong City and took stock of his belongings, he threw a fit upon discovering the two traps were missing, and even demanded we go back to the river valley to fetch them for him!"
"Heh, Weicheng is gone, yet he thought this was still his domain where he could throw his weight around! Commander Xiao didn't pay him the slightest heed. Who knows whether Prefect Sun ended up sending his own men to look for those two iron lumps."
"Still, I asked around among his subordinates. Prefect Sun's family was originally of hunter stock. His grandfather used those two iron traps to catch two ferocious beasts. One was a wolf demon, and the other was even more absurd—the White Demon King that had roamed the western Panlong Wasteland for years!"
"The White Demon King?" He Lingchuan had no recollection of the name.
"Sixty years ago, the White Demon King was a bear king feared by everyone in the western Panlong Wasteland. Rumor has it that it was a fully fledged monster that loved eating humans, having devoured the living souls of several villages. Weicheng sent out demon-subduing squads three or four times, and only one or two people ever returned alive. When Prefect Sun's grandfather found the White Demon King, it had already breathed its last, covered in wounds from head to toe, and the beast trap had clearly dealt the final blow."
"The pelt, gall, paws, and teeth of the White Demon King were sold for a fortune. The Sun family struck it rich off that and began buying up land. The old man consulted a diviner, who said their family's good fortune was entirely thanks to those two iron beast traps, so they kept them safely enshrined in their ancestral temple. Later, Prefect Sun's father bought an abandoned mine discarded by the authorities, only for the iron ore from it to turn out remarkably high in purity. As you know, weapons and grain are hard currency in the Panlong Wasteland, so his family struck another fortune, without a doubt. By the time it came to Prefect Sun's generation, well, he became a prefect himself. Tell me, do you think those two iron traps brought prosperity or what?"
Seeing the mischievous glint in Hu Min's eyes, He Lingchuan held back the word 'prosperity' and merely chuckled. "They certainly are fine things. What's more, they ended up saving our lives."
Had those traps not proven effective and snapped Meng Shan's leg bone, holding back that fierce warrior would have cost them dearly.
"Yeah, that's why Prefect Sun hauled them along when fleeing, hoping the good luck would stay with their family." Hu Min slapped his thigh. "Aiya, maybe it's because he lost those two things that Prefect Sun's luck turned sour!"
"How so?"
"His family bought an impressive luxury mansion in the south of Panlong City, but only after moving in did they find out that the previous owner had put it up as collateral for a mountain of debt and skipped town! Now the creditors are coming to the door with IOUs demanding money from Prefect Sun, threatening a lawsuit if he doesn't pay." Hu Min took a sip of wine. "What's more, he arrived with three or four hundred city guards. Panlong City doesn't permit private citizens to retain that much armed force. They only allowed the Sun family ten estate guards, while the rest are being broken up and reorganized into the city garrison."
He Lingchuan shook his head. "Prefect Sun must have sent people scouring every river and valley for those two iron traps right now."
"He's been shouting about seeking Master Zhong to demand justice, but pity for him, this isn't Weicheng where his word was law," Hu Min said lazily. "Over the years, who knows how many wealthy nobles from the surrounding lands moved to Panlong City seeking a corner of peace, yet plenty still wanted to lord it over others. Heh, they're dreaming!"
"Housing in Panlong City must be very expensive, then?"
The tavern attendant brought over a plate of smoked, braised pig's head meat tossed with coriander. Hearing their conversation, he chimed in with great pride:
"Isn't that the truth? In the entire Panlong Wasteland, this is the safest place. Vast numbers of outsiders migrate here every year!"
Who did not yearn for a peaceful, stable life?
Since Panlong City was the safest, it naturally drew the largest population.
He Lingchuan asked out of curiosity, "Can all those people be settled?"
"For now, yes. The city itself filled up long ago, but the Chipa Plateau is vast. More people mean more hands to clear wildland and open mines. Master Zhong once said that Panlong City is in danger only when people are scarce."
The prime element of war was inevitably people.
Hu Min added, "Housing in Panlong City is divided into fifteen tiers. Among them, luxury mansions make up five tiers, but even a first-tier mansion cannot occupy more than ten mu. Common residences make up nine tiers. The above are basically provided for officials, soldiers, and commoners through official allocation. Only fourth- and fifth-tier mansions can be bought and sold freely."
"What about the other one?" He Lingchuan had only counted fourteen tiers.
"The remaining one is called snail dwellings—where slaves and prisoners of war live."
He Lingchuan understood. After all, Panlong City had always been in a state of war. Unlike ordinary regions where people, money, and goods flowed freely, the laws decreed here were mandatory and strictly regulated.
He sighed. Surviving was hard enough, yet Panlong City had been forced into playing on the highest difficulty.
Hearing his sigh, Hu Min glanced over. "I heard you're from Tusu?"
He had indeed told Commander Xiao as much, so He Lingchuan nodded.
"Will you settle down in Panlong City in the future?" From Hu Min's perspective, there was no reason to say no.
Taking a bite of meat and a sip of wine, He Lingchuan mumbled vaguely, "I've thought about it."
Entering just by having a dream—did that count as settling down?
"That's easy, then! You rendered great service helping the civilians of Weicheng retreat. Back then, Commander Xiao said so himself: a promotion in rank, extra rations, and granted land! Panlong City has always been a place where rewards and punishments are clear and fair. Those rewards are sitting right there waiting for you. I'll take you to claim them later!"
Having drunk quite a bit, the two grew familiar, and Hu Min patted his chest, taking charge of the matter.
He Lingchuan was stunned. "I'm going to have rank and property here too?"
Promotion, a raise, and land in one fell swoop? That was too fast, almost too good to be true, like a dream—in his past life, that had been the extent of his ambitions.
Oh, wait, he was in a dream right now.
Hu Min clapped his shoulder. "In Panlong City, military merit earns you everything!"
Merit earned at the risk of one's life naturally deserved generous rewards.
"If one wants to make a name and build a career, going to war is the fastest way?"
"Of course!"
The two toasted each other, and He Lingchuan remembered another person.
"By the way, how was Meng Shan handled?" That fellow had caused massive trouble for the Gale Army, but once the beast trap snapped his leg bone, he could no longer move. The Gale Army had stripped him of his weapons and paid him no further attention at the time, certainly because their hands were full, but who knew what happened afterward. "Chopped down with a single blade?"
"Eh, hardly that," Hu Min chuckled. "General Red took a look at him, judged him to be someone with potential, and had him locked up to nurse his injuries. His leg was clamped for so long it was nearly amputated, so his recovery will be rather slow."
"Will he surrender?"
"He's unwilling at present, but down the line, who can tell?" Hu Min said. "Panlong City has taken in quite a few surrendered generals; they have their own ways."
"None have rebelled again?" He Lingchuan wondered. "Human hearts are fickle. Someone might turn out to be a slave of three surnames."
Hu Min laughed. "None so far."
Speaking of which, He Lingchuan had another question he had harbored for a long time. "By the way, when I entered the city, I saw the gate guards were very relaxed, and people, goods, and wealth could pass through easily. Isn't Panlong City afraid of spies sneaking in?"
The strongest fortresses were often breached from within—a truth Woling Pass had proven at least twice.
Yet Panlong City had stood firm for thirty-two years without ever suffering such a mishap. Not just He Lingchuan, but later generations across the various nations were curious about how it accomplished this.
"They're not afraid." Hu Min picked up a slice of pig's head meat and chewed slowly. "Anyone harboring ill intent toward Panlong City shows their true colors the moment they step through the city gate. What method this relies on, nobody knows for sure. In any case, all you need to know is this: spies and scouts simply cannot walk in through the main gate."
He Lingchuan gave a drawn-out "oh," looking as though he only half-understood.
Of course, in his heart, he thought of three words:
Three Corpse Worms.
By this time, Zhong Shengguang had already completed the deity blood sacrifice, and Mitian had bestowed the Dafang Pot upon him. Thus, the Three Corpse Worms were an immensely potent tool with a wide variety of uses.
With proper application, Panlong City was like a tiger that had grown wings.
He Lingchuan's gaze shifted slightly. "Right, when did General Red appear?"
"Hmm... about three years ago."
Which meant the Panlong Wasteland had become an enclave once again three or four years ago. If time were measured separately from when Zhong Shengguang took charge of Panlong City and began resisting foreign aggression, it should now be roughly around year fifteen or sixteen of the Panlong calendar.
He Lingchuan shook his head inwardly. When the home country was too weak, it was truly immense pain and torment for the soldiers and civilians guarding the frontier.
Hu Min added, "Speaking of which, many of Panlong City's new regulations were only introduced three or four years ago. For instance, the housing tiers I just told you about—originally there were only three or four tiers, but now they've expanded to fifteen. Regulations like these are numerous and detailed; you'll learn them in time."
"I've always been curious—what kind of person is General Red?" He attentively topped up Hu Min's cup again, putting on the posture of an eager student.
Hu Min raised his cup and drank. "Hard to say. In any case, you'll understand once you see for yourself."
Chapter 155