Aside from a bit of trouble when the chunks of cured meat tossed by the He father and son were intercepted twice by other earth dragons beneath the sand, everything went smoothly.
The three walnut boats cruised across the sea of sand. Their speed was roughly half that of a galloping horse, but the ride made up for it by being steady, enduring, and relatively safe.
Whenever the walnut boats encountered bizarre creatures along the way, those beasts were initially eager to pounce, but the overpowering stench of the cured meat was simply too dominating. After trailing the boats for just a short while, they fled in terror, wishing they had sprouted two extra legs to run away faster. How could they spare any thought for the humans aboard?
Although most of the men here had grown up on the edge of the desert, none had ever taken in the sea of sand from such a vantage point, and their eyes were wide with wonder.
He Lingchuan muttered under his breath, "You can even do it like this?"
Sailing across a desert of sand—the first time in two lifetimes. Truly an eye-opener.
The only flaw in the arrangement was the foul stench drifting from up front, hanging thick and refusing to dissipate, making it hard to breathe.
The helmsmen of the three walnut boats steered with extreme care, trying their best to steer clear of towering sand dunes.
The more magnificent a dune, the larger the shadow it cast.
And every native of Blackwater City knew that the shadows in the Panlong Desert were to be avoided at all costs. The scorching sun, blistering winds, dehydration, sand bandits, and attacks by strange beasts—added all together, they were still nowhere near as terrifying as the shadows of the Panlong Desert.
Yet no matter how skilled the helmsmen were, after more than a shichen, structures began to poke out bit by bit along the distant horizon.
Drawing closer, they could clearly make out ruined, towering walls and a city gate.
This was none other than the satellite city situated to the southwest of Panlong City, which had once formed a flanking defense with the main city.
Of course, it had been abandoned for a century, and only the wind and sand were frequent visitors here now.
Yet the walls still stood tall, and the city gate was engulfed in deep shadow.
Peering inward through the gate, one would find several dilapidated multi-story buildings within, refusing to be entirely swallowed by the yellow sands.
Silhouetted against the light, shadows sprawled everywhere.
Reaching this point, there was no longer any way to steer clear; the only path forward was to pass through the city gate and cross the ruined city.
Standing at the helm of the foremost walnut boat, Nian Songyu turned around and blew three long whistles toward the rear.
This was the secret signal they had agreed upon back at the desert post station.
It was time to enact the next phase of their plan.
Standing at the prow, the He father and son shouted to their men, "Light your life flames!"
Though called "lighting," everyone in truth reached into their robes, pulled out a small red pill, and swallowed it down.
Immediately afterward, a sour, spicy sensation surged up from their bellies, churning like an upturned sea.
Yet this burp had to be suppressed; it could not be let out.
Everyone felt their eyes burning and noses swelling, sour water rising into their mouths, while waves of cold rippled through their bodies. Even with the sun beating down mercilessly overhead, many soldiers began to shiver violently.
Fortunately, these symptoms lasted for only a dozen-odd breaths before subsiding.
Glancing at one another, they discovered that a ghostly flame had ignited atop everyone's head and upon each shoulder.
Most of their flames shared a pale green base tone—some darker, some brighter, some tending toward yellow, others toward blue—yet all were small flickers the height of a pinky finger, hovering trembling in midair, looking as if the slightest breeze might blow them out.
Yet the desert wind blew so fiercely it stung like slaps against their faces, and still it could not extinguish those three ghostly flames.
In fact, once the three flames were lit, everyone felt the ambient temperature drop several degrees, and the oncoming heat wave no longer felt so scorching.
This was the life flame, also known as the life lamp, normally concealed within a human's spiritual stove—commonly referred to as the fire of life. While the flame endured, the person lived; if the flame died, the person perished.
The saying "a man's death is like an extinguished lamp" came from precisely this.
Once the life flames were lit, each squad leader turned their back to the bow to face their men and roared, "Do not look back!"
From across all three walnut boats, the soldiers' voices rang out in unison:
"Do not look back!"
They chanted it three times.
This was a warning repeated again and again to others, as well as to themselves.
Remember it well, remember it well, remember it well!
He Chunhua stood to He Lingchuan's front-right. The latter asked, "Old Man, did you know the color of your life flame leans toward yellow?"
Commandery Governor He was just about to shake his head when he suddenly recalled how dangerous that motion was. He froze his head in place at once, shooting his eldest son a sharp glare instead. "You little brat!"
He Lingchuan grinned. "Just practicing ahead of time, better than slipping up when danger hits."
In truth, what he said made a great deal of sense.
"Yours is tinged with red over yellow," He Chunhua said with a smile. "Youth truly is a blessing."
The life flame was a direct reflection of its master's physical condition. The sturdier the body and the more vigorous the blood and qi, the deeper the hue of the flame naturally was.
Young men, after all, possessed plenty of fiery vigor.
By now, turning one's head side to side was strictly forbidden; otherwise, He Lingchuan would have loved to see what color Nian Songyu and National Preceptor Sun's life flames were.
As the boats drew beneath the city wall, He Chunhua took a deep breath and roared, "Don't move! Nobody move!"
The same warning echoed from the other two boats.
The three helmsmen cast their poles one last time, directing the earth dragons to swim straight toward the city gate.
The smoke and fire of past wars, followed by the wind and sand erosion of today, had caused the once-perpendicular walls to lean forward, looking as though they might collapse at any moment.
Yet it had stood here for a hundred years—resolute, silent, refusing to yield.
Closer and closer they came. The cavernous gateway resembled the silent, gaping maw of a monstrous beast. He Lingchuan could even see the faint stains flanking the city gate.
Perhaps they were layers upon layers of repeatedly spattered blood—bright red at first, turning blackish-purple with time, and finally, under the scouring of wind and sand across countless years, losing their fierce, terrifying color, leaving behind only faint ghostly traces.
All clamor and fervor ultimately faded into stillness.
Darkness fell before everyone's eyes as the walnut boats finally sailed into the shadow beneath the city gate.
Chilling yin qi rushed at their faces.
Because the soldiers had lit their life flames, they could now see wisps of light smoke rising one after another from the gloom, lunging toward the walnut boats.
Only up close could one discern that these wisps of smoke resembled human silhouettes, possessing torsos and limbs, but no faces.
They paid no heed to the earth dragons pulling the boats, yet they were intensely curious about everything aboard the walnut boats, including every single human and every piece of wood.
In the span of a single blink, four or five wisps of smoke encircled every person. They drifted before the humans' eyes and behind their backs, peering with malicious intent. Though they had no eyes, everyone felt as if they were being stared down unblinkingly, goosebumps breaking out across their skin.
These things were Three Corpse Worms!
In the legends of the Panlong Desert, they were also known as resentful spirits lurking under any shadow; even if travelers managed to evade the desert beasts, the moment they stepped into the shadow of a sand dune, they would fall prey to its attack.
In truth, humans who had not revealed their life flames could not see these entities with the naked eye, leaving them with no way to defend themselves.
After Panlong City vanished, the humans it loved most were gone, forcing the Three Corpse Worms to invade all manner of other creatures instead. Though ill-suited, they made do. Every living creature in the desert fell under their influence, gradually undergoing bizarre mutations—such as the earth dragons hauling the boats ahead.
Sun Fuping and Nian Songyu were pleased rather than worried. The presence of these creatures served as indirect proof of the Dafang Pot's existence; their journey had not been in vain.
Beside the ears of every soldier, soft, urgent whispers began to sound, as though someone were speaking directly to them.
Chapter 28