Sand Boat Seeks Horse

Sun Fuping signaled for Nian Songyu to wait a while longer.

This wait lasted for nearly a quarter of an hour.

The creatures beneath the sand had all been driven away by the stench; within a radius of several yards, there was no movement at all, save for the whistling wind.

"Still not here?" Nian Songyu said impatiently. "Time is precious." Night fell quickly in the Coiling Dragon Desert, and they had less than two hours before darkness set in. They could not afford to waste much more time here.

"Not yet." Situ Han's forehead was drenched in sweat, though it was unclear if it was from the heat or his anxiety. "It might be very far away; it takes time to travel here."

He Lingchuan did not forget to speak up for Situ Han at this moment: "I have seen it before. It is a massive creature. It might truly be able to carry us across the desert, saving us both time and effort."

"Might?" Upon hearing this word, Nian Songyu's tone turned sinister. "You dare waste our time on something you aren't even certain of?"

Another two incense sticks of time passed, and the end of Red Cliff Road remained calm.

A gust of wind swept through the silent crowd, whistling as it raced into the distance.

Nian Songyu's index finger tapped lightly against his scabbard—tap, tap-tap—a sign of his growing impatience.

As time dragged on, he became increasingly convinced that the sand bandits were acting on He Lingchuan's instructions to play a prank on his men. The so-called "Scented Dumpling" had also been He Lingchuan's suggestion.

Nian Songyu's gaze grew increasingly hostile, but He Lingchuan pretended not to notice, though he too felt a twinge of anxiety.

Seeing the sun sinking further toward the west, even Sun Fuping finally lost his patience: "No more waiting. Everyone, board the boats..."

During this interval, he had already divided everyone into three groups, each assigned to a Walnut Boat.

Time was precious; they could wait no longer and had to set off immediately.

However, Situ Han pressed a finger to his lips and hissed loudly: "It's here!"

It was highly disrespectful to make such a gesture toward so many high-ranking figures, but he was too tense to care.

No sooner had he spoken than a loud crash erupted. The desert seemed to split like the surface of water, yellow sand spraying everywhere as if a sandstorm had been conjured on the spot.

A gargantuan creature surged nearly ten feet out of the ground, snatched the cured meat in its maw, and crashed back down with a heavy thud.

Another cloud of dust billowed into the air.

The creature dove back down with a nimbleness that belied its size, vanishing into the sea of sand in the blink of an eye.

Situ Han, ignoring the sand splattered across his face, cheered: "It's here, it's here! It really came! Ptooey, ptooey!" He hurriedly spat out several mouthfuls of sand.

Except for State Preceptor Sun and a few others who had promptly erected protective auras, the rest of the group were left covered in dust and grit.

However, everyone finally saw exactly what kind of thing Situ Han had lured with his long-line fishing.

The creature looked like a cross between an eel and an earthworm—round, long, and limbless—but its body was segmented, and its color was nearly identical to the yellow sand. If it lay buried silently, even someone with the sharpest eyesight would struggle to distinguish it.

Unlike an eel, however, its mouth was shockingly large, stretching wider than the diameter of its body and filled with dense, needle-like teeth. Two long whiskers trailed from its mouth, seemingly used to detect the movement of the shifting sands.

Zeng Feixiong gasped: "Such a massive Earth Dragon!"

The thing was at least eight zhang (twenty-six meters) long!

The soldiers nearby also instinctively took half a step back. The sense of oppression brought by such a size could not be dismissed by mere logic.

This type of Earth Dragon was not a sea conger eel, but a creature unique to the desert. In truth, whether living in the desert or the sea, some animals seemed to have no need for legs.

Yet, in other parts of the desert, this creature usually did not exceed one zhang in length, and experienced travelers would even catch them for food. But this one before them... Zeng Feixiong had led patrols back and forth along Red Cliff Road, yet he had never seen an Earth Dragon of this magnitude!

Situ Han sighed in relief: "This isn't even an Earth Dragon King... We've seen the largest ones, and they exceed twelve zhang in length."

"Since it's a big one, a small piece of meat won't be enough to satisfy it." He Lingchuan pointed to the three Walnut Boats. "Earth Dragons are incredibly strong; pulling a boat shouldn't be a problem. And, well, they usually travel in groups."

In other words, the foul-smelling meat had attracted more than just one Earth Dragon.

Children by the sea knew how to fish, and the original owner of He Lingchuan's body, having grown up beside the Coiling Dragon Desert, had fished for Earth Dragons many times before.

Of course, he had never used such heavy bait, and thus had never seen such a massive catch.

Situ Han nodded: "Everyone, please board the boats. We'll repeat the process, and we can use them as horses to pull our carriages."

The soldiers split into three groups and boarded. The boatmen at the bows of the Walnut Boats grabbed the towlines, tied slipknots, and stood ready.

This time, everyone had covered their noses and mouths, so when the sand bandits brought out large chunks of cured meat doused in the foul liquid, no one was caught off guard. Nian Songyu took charge himself, skewering the specially-treated meat onto a pole and standing at the bow, holding it high.

The boatman's pole was part of the Walnut Boat, its length adjustable at will.

The sand bandits' special foul liquid could repel most creatures in the desert and was their trump card for emergency escapes; however, every advantage had its drawback, and this substance was the Earth Dragon's favorite.

Strictly speaking, what the Earth Dragons loved was the "stench."

They were scavengers, and the putrid rot that other creatures found unbearable was, to an Earth Dragon, the aroma of a feast. When a stench of this intensity drifted by, it was like the dinner bell for the annual forty-eight-dish banquet in the village—they would arrive, no matter how far away they were.

Situ Han reminded them: "They are quite dim-witted. As long as we dangle the stinking meat, the boat will move!"

Since these creatures had traveled thousands of miles to get here, they wouldn't disperse in a short time.

Sure enough, the moment the meat was raised, a massive Earth Dragon burst through the sand, lunging for the bait.

Judging by its size, it was even larger than its companion from moments ago.

Nian Songyu was quick-witted and nimble; with a flick of his wrist, he jerked the meat away, and the Earth Dragon lunged at empty air.

The boatman standing nearby threw the towline, looping it with pinpoint accuracy around the Earth Dragon's neck.

Though it was round and limbless, the rings on its body were deep. The knot slid over two segments and locked firmly into the third.

Caught off guard by the snare, the Earth Dragon was startled, darting forward over thirty yards in a flash. Only when the knot tightened and held fast did Nian Songyu lower the pole, letting the piece of cured meat hang just above and in front of the Earth Dragon.

The fragrance was intoxicating, and with the Earth Dragon's tiny brain, it immediately forgot the fact that it had been snared, drooling as it swam toward the cured meat.

Possessing immense strength, it dragged the boat and its passengers forward with surprising ease.

And so, the boat set sail.

Nian Songyu only needed to flick the pole, and the Earth Dragon pulling the boat would trot along happily in pursuit. Below, a hissing sound echoed—the friction of sand against the bottom of the Walnut Boat—a testament to the creature's powerful drive.

The most important task for the helmsman was actually to adjust the bow in time, ensuring both the Earth Dragon and the boat traveled with the wind so that the stinking meat hanging overhead wouldn't suffocate the passengers.

For now, there was no matter more critical than this.

In the blink of an eye, Nian Songyu's boat had sailed over a hundred yards away.

"It's our turn." With a successful example before them, the rest of the group was greatly encouraged. Sun Fuping and Zeng Feixiong led their team onto one boat, while the He father and son and the sand bandits boarded the last one, all following the same method.