Chapter 34: Pear City Part 6

At the City Lord’s Mansion, both backed up, ran, and vaulted the wall in sync. They landed on the outer wall, but post-rain slipperiness nearly made Xiang Xian slide. Xiao Kun quickly pulled him up.

“Consequence of laziness—poor agility.”

“Come on, you’re so agile. Do a whirling dance?”

Xiao Kun laughed and leaped into the garden. Xiang Xian followed.

“You’re sure there’s really Demonic Aura?” Xiang Xian said.

“Not sure.” Though Xiao Kun couldn’t sense Demonic Qi, Exorcists were sensitive to Demonic Aura, as demons disrupted the flow of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy—like dropping a heavy object on a taut cloth, distorting the whole thing. The flow of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy was the cloth; demonic power, the deforming weight.

As for demonic power, Exorcists still hadn’t figured its dispersion and mechanism. Perhaps Shen Kuo’s Demon Shaking Bell was the world’s only treasure to detect Demonic Qi.

Thinking of this, Xiao Kun greatly admired Shen Kuo, wondering what the Grand Demon-Exorcist had been like in his prime.

Even his disciple Xiang Xian, who learned only a fraction, made Echoing Voice Insects with ease.

Xiang Xian: “I didn’t notice any Demonic Qi the other day either.”

Xiao Kun: “Yes, yes, I’m overly suspicious. You check the rear hall. A Huang, help me find someone who looks like the City Lord.”

Xiao Kun handed his Gem Dragonfly to A Huang, who took it in his beak, flapped his wings, and flew toward the heights of the Kucha Royal Palace.

The City Lord’s Mansion was remodeled from the palace, but even with all of Lierful’s men, it couldn’t fill it—most areas stood empty.

Xiao Kun stood under an eave as light rain pattered and distant thunder rumbled faintly.

Xiang Xian yawned. “The Liao Kingdom’s Imperial Palace…”

“Shh.” Xiao Kun signaled silence. Xiang Xian was getting sleepy—rousted in the dead of night by Xiao Kun for wall-running, now he just wanted to sleep.

“……Their target is Kizil. They want to find the Heart Lamp there,” one voice said.

Instantly, both of them shivered. Xiao Kun mouthed: “Mr. Ying!”

Xiang Xian immediately became fully alert!

“How does he know we’re looking for the Heart Lamp?” Xiang Xian mouthed in response.

Xiao Kun grabbed Xiang Xian’s wrist and leaped with him toward a higher spot, silently approaching the third floor of the City Lord’s Mansion. Numerous stone buildings stood in clusters, with a faint light glowing from the attic.

“……The Heavenly Sovereign has already grasped all the movements of these two exorcists from the Central Plains.”

“Time is drawing very near,” Mr. Ying’s voice continued. “You must make all preparations in advance. Once the exorcists arrive at the Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves, ‘he’ will naturally appear, and the Heart Lamp will briefly manifest. After I obtain the Heart Lamp, this place will be yours.”

“But I’ve been searching south of the Tianshan Mountains for eight years, and ‘he’ has never appeared,” replied another man’s voice, completely unfamiliar. “The Heart Lamp is Mr. Liu’s target. Mr. Liu specifically instructed me to stay here and wait for the exorcists. Moreover, we haven’t obtained the Zenggu Drum yet. In Mr. Liu’s hands, there is only the Great Si Ming Flute.”

Mr. Ying said lightly, “The Heavenly Sovereign ordered me to retrieve it. Will you listen to Mr. Liu, or to the Heavenly Sovereign?”

The man fell silent.

“Mr. Liu is arrogant and underestimates his enemies, unaware that the greatest threat is not those two exorcists, but ‘him.’ Mr. Liu will eventually perish at the enemy’s hands. Once we obtain the Heart Lamp, the Great Si Ming Flute will empower Zong Shi, which is no different from handing him to you to command. Elevating him to Ghost King—isn’t that exactly what you desire?”

“Very well.” From the man’s voice, it seemed he had truly made up his mind.

Mr. Ying added, “They should have come to the Western Regions long ago. For some reason, their path deviated from the Heavenly Sovereign’s predictions, causing Mr. Qin’s scheme in Kaifeng to fail completely due to a single misstep. You must act with caution.”

“Yes,” the man replied.

A strand of Demonic Qi swirled around, and Mr. Ying shot out the window and flew away.

Xiao Kun gestured to Xiang Xian, meaning: See? It’s just as I thought.

Xiang Xian could only make an admiring fist-clasping gesture.

Then came the sound of a door opening. The man emerged from the attic, went downstairs along the stone steps, returned to the hall on the first floor, and passed through the corridor to exit. Xiao Kun and Xiang Xian leaped down from the eaves simultaneously. Xiao Kun wanted to tail him, but Xiang Xian placed a hand on his shoulder.

It would be too easy for the enemy to discover them. If they were detected and realized their secrets had leaked, their entire night reconnaissance would be for naught.

Xiao Kun raised a single finger, however. Xiang Xian hesitated for a moment, weighed the risks, and decided it was worth the gamble.

Atop the corridor, Xiao Kun’s eyes faintly glowed with a beautiful blue light in the darkness.

A man of about the same height as Xiang Xian approached. He wore a dark blue martial robe, carried no weapons, and his walking posture differed slightly from that of an ordinary person. Under the light at the end of the corridor, Xiang Xian clearly saw his appearance.

His skin was grayish-white! Utterly inhuman! His eyes were murky, as if devoid of pupils, and blackish-brown markings covered the backs of his hands, his neck, and his face.

What kind of demon was this? Xiang Xian couldn’t even tell if the thing was a demon or something worse.

Soon, a flash of light came, and as the man walked, he transformed into an ordinary human form. The markings vanished, but only his murky eyes remained undisguised.

He suddenly stopped, as if sensing someone spying nearby. He turned his head, and Xiao Kun immediately concealed the glow in his eyes, hiding in the darkness with Xiang Xian. They maintained absolute silence, not even daring to breathe.

A Huang hopped along, passing behind the man.

The man turned to look. A Huang flapped its wings and flew off with a whoosh. The man pushed open another door at the end of the corridor and returned to the main building of the City Lord’s Mansion.