Xiang Xian raised his hands to signal him not to get mad. He searched around and found a few shriveled but still edible ones. He broke off small pieces and started stuffing his belly. The buns were dry and choking; he had to tilt his head back to swallow them.
Mr. Liu seemed to be waiting for something, and the palace fell into a long silence.
Xiang Xian broke off a small crumb of bun and flicked it out, hitting Mr. Liu on the side of the face.
Mr. Liu: “…”
Xiang Xian said, “This junior is bold enough to ask: what exactly are you, sir?”
“You’ll find out one day,” Mr. Liu answered coldly.
Xiang Xian asked curiously, “Are you Liu Bang or Liu Xiu? Or perhaps Liu Che?”
Such words would have taken effect immediately on ordinary people or the Yao Clan, but the faces of War Dead Corpse Ghosts were rigid and showed no expression.
Even so, Xiang Xian had achieved his goal. Mr. Liu immediately turned his head and looked toward him.
“So Mr. Qin is Shimin?” Xiang Xian muttered to himself in confusion. “Mr. Ying… must be the First Emperor, then. Yan Yan is Xiao Chuo. How many more of you are there, Zhier?”
The moment “Zhier” left his mouth, Xiang Xian knew he had guessed right because Mr. Liu stood up directly and reached for his weapon.
“Let’s talk this out!” Xiang Xian said. “Don’t strike!”
Xiang Xian had been eating rations and nearly choked. He got up and looked for a place to hide. Mr. Liu stood silently for a long time before sitting back down.
Xiang Xian began to think. Xiao Kun’s initial speculation had been correct. From “Yan Yan,” he keenly realized that these Demon People had once been famous sovereigns of the Shenzhou Great Land! But their ages didn’t match… According to historical records, Liu Che had lived nearly seventy years, and Empress Dowager Xiao had been nearly sixty when she died. Could a sixty-year-old lady wield a sword and fight Xiao Kun back and forth on Mount Song?
Xiang Xian recalled what Mr. Qin had done to Zhao Ji—they seemed to have implanted some kind of mysterious “seed” in him, and after extracting it, they lost all interest in Zhao Ji.
They used the extracted seed to cultivate another identical Demon Person?! That explained everything!
“Indeed,” Mr. Liu said, as if he knew what Xiang Xian was thinking. “I am the master of this eternal dynasty. King Mu reforged my body for me. One day, when the Heavenly Demon descends, all the kings will return to the mortal world!”
Xiang Xian looked at Mr. Liu with a strange expression.
Mr. Liu said, “You’re clever. What more do you have to say now?”
Xiang Xian furrowed his brows deeply and said, “To be honest, Your Majesty, my stomach hurts a bit. Maybe the water I just drank wasn’t clean, or perhaps these rations have gone bad. Could you find me a place to…”
Mr. Liu: “……………”
“Have we shaken them off?!” Chaosheng shouted from the shoulder of the Giant Ape, glancing back repeatedly.
The Giant Ape’s breathing grew heavier, its steps lagging. Corpse Poison was spreading from its thigh toward its chest and abdomen. Chaosheng said, “Stop now and treat the wound first.”
“It’s fine,” the Giant Ape replied, looking back. They had lost the pursuers. This place was a vast expanse of red terrestrial rock layers, with jagged rock mountains, crisscrossing deep ravines, and rugged terrain blocking the view.
Camel thorns grew thickly on the rust-red rock layers and sandy soil, like mottled spots across the land.
“Put me down,” Chaosheng said, patting the Giant Ape’s head. “Don’t run anymore.”
The Giant Ape held Chaosheng with one arm and climbed higher using hands and feet. No more pursuers could be seen.
Once they confirmed they had escaped danger, Wu Yingzong reverted to human form. He looked down at his bitten thigh; the wound on his left leg had spread to the groin. Chaosheng cast a spell on the wound and asked softly, “Does it hurt?”
“It doesn’t,” Wu Yingzong whispered back.
“I’ll give it a try,” Chaosheng said. “If it doesn’t work, we’ll have to ask Zheng Yong.”
They exchanged glances. Green light shimmered, transforming into vitality. Immortal aura flowed before them, and the wound began to heal. Chaosheng hadn’t known if he could dispel the Corpse Poison, as he’d never tried before. Now that Wu Yingzong’s injury had healed, both breathed a sigh of relief.
“All good,” Chaosheng said. “I need to rest a bit too.”
Chaosheng didn’t actually need rest; he was only considering Wu Yingzong, or else he would have kept carrying him and running.
He stood up and looked into the distance. Southwest from this towering red rock mountain lay the Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves. Earlier that day, Xiang Xian and Xiao Kun must have passed through this area.
Wu Yingzong was drenched in sweat from running. Though the temperature wasn’t high, under the midday sun, his thick Ape Body fur made the nearly fifty li sprint exhausting, leaving him dizzy and bloated.
“Are you overheated?” Chaosheng asked worriedly.
“I’ll be fine after a short rest,” Wu Yingzong said, forcing himself to perk up and waving it off. Chaosheng touched his chest and found his body temperature alarmingly high. He undid Wu Yingzong’s upper garments to let him cool off and gave him water to drink.
“Lord Xiao and Master must have run into enemies at the Wuzat River,” Wu Yingzong said. “Should we go help, or head back to the city?”
Chaosheng looked southwest with concern. “I think we should go. What if they’re hurt?”
“Give me the time it takes for a cup of tea,” Wu Yingzong said, regulating his breathing. Though he had centuries of Cultivation Base, he had no famous master to teach him. Only after following Xiang Xian and Shen Kuo did he learn some basic spells sporadically. Even so, lacking confidence, he still relied on brute force against Monsters.
“You need a weapon,” Chaosheng said.
