Ch.41: At the Paradise Manor; Questions of Xianle 3
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That boy didn’t seem to know who the ‘White No-Face’ was, and only watched Xie Lian with a blank expression. Xie Lian couldn’t tell whether if the boy didn’t understand or couldn’t understand, but he suddenly shouted, “AH!” Turns out it was Xie Lian who grabbed onto his shoulders and unconsciously gripped them too tight. It wasn’t until he shouted that Xie Lian came to, and hurriedly released his hands. “I’m sorry.”
Hua Cheng spoke up in a low voice, “You’re tired. Go rest.”
As soon as he said those words, a small door on the side walls of the hall opened, and two dainty girls entered to take away the boy. He looked back at Xie Lian as he was led away. Xie Lian told him, “Don’t worry. I’ll go find you again in a bit.”
After the boy was taken away, Hua Cheng turned to Xie Lian, “Sit down and relax, and don’t see him for now. If you have any questions for him I have my ways of prying open his lips.”
‘Prying open his lips’ sounded rather horrifying, and Xie Lian replied, “No, that’s alright.
If he couldn’t say anything then let it go. We’ll take this slow.”
Hua Cheng sat down next to Xie Lian, “What are your plans for the boy?”
Xie Lian, looking exhausted, gave the question some thought, “I think, I’ll keep him by my side, and bring him along with me first.”
“He’s a ghost, not a human.” Hua Cheng said, “Why don’t you leave him here in the Ghost City? I’ve no trouble feeding another mouth.”
Xie Lian watched him, and said earnestly, “San Lang, truly, thank you. But…” He sighed,
“I want to bring him along not just for raising him.”
The Ghost City certainly belonged to Hua Cheng; if he was willing to protect the boy, then no one could harm him and he wouldn’t go hungry. But other than that, the most important thing for the boy was more so guidance, to help him organize his mind and speech, and return him to normal. The Ghost City is a bustling place, chaotic and wild, not ideal for counseling. Other than himself, Xie Lian couldn’t think of anyone else who would have the patience to undertake that task.
Xie Lian replied slowly, “I’m already immensely grateful that you found him for me. I can’t trouble you further with the aftermath.”
Hua Cheng appeared to disagree, but didn’t push any more. He said plainly, “It’s really no trouble. When you’re here, if you need anything just let me know; and you’re free to go wherever you want.’
Suddenly, Xie Lian noticed the scimitar on Hua Cheng’s waist had changed all of a sudden.
Xie Lian looked down and his curiosity was instantly piqued. Turns out, on the hilt of that scimitar had a silver eye crafted upon it. The patterns of the eye was formed by a few rough silver strokes, but although simple, it looked mythical as if alive. He didn’t see it at first because the eye was closed into a thin line, but just then, the eye fluttered open and revealed a crimson gem-like eyeball, and within the socket it twirled once.
Hua Cheng noticed it too, and spoke up solemnly, “Gege, I need to leave for a bit. I’ll be right back.
“An alarm?” Xie Lian asked. Could it be that Lord Wind Master and Qian Qiu showed their true selves here in the Ghost City? Xie Lian rose too, “I’ll come with you.”
Hua Cheng gently pushed him back down, “Don’t worry, it’s not His Highness Tai Hua.
It’s just some useless trash that shows up every month. You don’t have to go.”
Since Hua Cheng made it this clear, Xie Lian couldn’t keep insisting on going along.
Hua Cheng turned and left the main hall, waving as he walked away. The beaded curtain parted automatically as he approached, and after he exited, the beaded curtain let itself down, clacking, its sound crisp and clear.
Xie Lian relaxed a bit on the black jaded divan and thought about the bandaged boy.
Recalling that he was scared of strangers and emotionally unstable, Xie Lian couldn’t sit still and rose again, determined to go and see the boy. He passed through the small door the girls had left from and came to a small garden. The garden was the colour of vermillion, and cutting through it was a small path, empty of life, and Xie Lian was still wondering which way he should go when suddenly a black shadow flashed by.
It was the silhouette of that XiaXianYue Officer.
Xie Lian recalled the cursed shackle on his wrist and it’s been on his mind. He was about to call out to the other when that silhouette disappeared. The way he behaved was like he was afraid to be discovered, so Xie Lian closed his mouth, and soundlessly followed him.
Turning to the corner of a building where the officer disappeared, Xie Lian fixed himself to the wall and stealthily looked around. That youth moved swiftly and was constantly on the lookout around him, extremely cautious and indeed afraid to be found. That XiaXianYue Officer is is one of San Lang’s subordinates, and working under him in his territory, so why the sneaking around?
The more Xie Lian thought, the more he was suspicious that the officer possessed malintent, so he hid himself and followed. The masked officer made a number of turns through the hallways, and Xie Lian followed closely within fifty steps behind, holding his breath and watching closely. Finally, they rounded a corner and came to a long hallway, and at the end of the hallway was a set of large, beautifully decorated door.
Still following behind, Xie Lian thought, ‘If he turns around now there won’t be anywhere to hide.’ But just as the thought crossed his mind, the XiaXianYue Officer stopped and turned his head.
The moment he stopped Xie Lian was alert and extended his arm in a hurry. RuoYe flew out and wrapped itself around the wooden beam overhead, pulling Xie Lian up to the ceiling, and he clung onto the beam.
The officer didn’t see anyone behind him and didn’t think to look up, so he turned around again and continued in his path. Xie Lian on the other hand, didn’t dare to let himself down so soon and stayed put on the ceiling, silently inching forward. He thought he rather resembled a gecko. Good thing the other didn’t go far, and stopped before that set of doors. Xie Lian stopped too to observe.
In front of this door there was a statue of a woman, wile and beautiful, but of course from Xie Lian`s angle he only saw a circular head and a shallow, round jaded plate in her hands. The masked youth didn’t move from where he stood and didn’t move to open the door. Instead, he turned to the woman statue and raised a hand, tossing something into the jaded plate. The clacking sound was crisp and Xie Lian saw, ‘dice?’ he thought to himself.
It was a sound that he’d heard too many times earlier, and not one he’d forget in a long time. It was the sound of dice hitting the bottom of a gambling cup. Just as he suspected, when the masked youth removed his hand and Xie Lian looked, it was indeed two dice in the jaded plate, both revealing six red dots.
After tossing dice, the masked youth removed them from the plate and put them away before opening the door. The door wasn’t even locked. When he entered through the doors and closed them behind him, Xie Lian didn’t hear any sounds of locks activating either. After waiting a moment, Xie Lian gently lowered himself to the ground like a piece of paper, and crossed his arms to examine the set of doors.
Technically, this building didn’t seem that big, and whatever that XiaXianYue Officer was doing inside should make noise. Yet, after he closed the doors behind him, there was no more sounds coming from within. Xie Lian contemplated and raised a hand to push.
As he suspected, after pushing open the door, there was nothing and no one inside, only a small table and two chairs. It appeared to be only a normal and luxurious bedchamber. By the looks of this setup, there was no possibility of there being a hidden path.
Xie Lian closed the door and looked to the woman statue, and moved his gaze to the jaded plate in her hands. No doubt the mechanism lay in that jaded plate and the dice.
‘So the building is still locked,’ Xie Lian thought, ‘Just not with physical locks but with magical locks. To open this lock there needs to be a key or a password. The dice must roll two sixes in order to see the real interior behind the doors.’
But, for Xie Lian to throw out two sixes right then and there, was something that would never happen in this world. He could only watch the door and sigh. He paced in front of the doors, his eyes glued on them, but still turned around to leave in the end. After walking for a bit, he stopped abruptly. From the other end of the path came a tall, red-clad figure, a slender and long silver scimitar hung from the waist. It was Hua Cheng.
He walked over with his arms crossed, “Gege, I’ve been looking for you.”
He looked exactly as he did when he left, only the scimitar on his waist was out of its scabbard, clattering against him along with the scabbard, clanking as he walked, painting a picture of arrogance. That silver eye on the hilt of E-Ming was closed. Xie Lian steadied himself and said, “I was going to go see that child, but your house is too big and I got lost.”
Xie Lian was originally going to tell Hua Cheng about what had just happened, but when the words came to his lips, they turned around and he swallowed them.
Xie Lian hadn’t forgotten the goal of this visit to the Ghost City was to investigate the missing heavenly official. Any signs of fishiness couldn’t be ignored, thus, he decided not to ring alarm and see if he could go through those doors first. If Hua Cheng had nothing to do with it, then Xie Lian would report his suspicious subordinate at once, but if Hua Cheng was involved…
Xie Lian was deep in thought but Hua Cheng took no notice and spoke as he led Xie Lian back to the main hall, “If you wanted to see that boy, I can send for someone to bring him to you, and you’d only need to wait at the Paradise Hall.”
It was probably because he was hiding something, when Xie Lian heard Hua Cheng’s tone of voice, he couldn’t help but become more docile, “You finished your business that fast?”
Hua Cheng snorted, his lips curling in disdain, “It’s finished. It was just another band of useless trash embarrassing themselves, that’s all.”
Hearing him say ‘useless trash’, tone familiar, Xie Lian guessed, “Was it the Green Ghost Qi Rong?”
Hua Cheng smiled, “That’s right. Didn’t I tell you, many have their eyes on this place of mine. Qi Rong had wanted the Ghost City for himself for years now, but the most he could do was want and burn with envy, so every so often he’d send some equally useless underlings to stir up trouble. Nothing worth mentioning. Actually, I have a place I want to show gege, but I don’t know if gege would grant me the pleasure?”
“Of course.” Xie Lian replied happily.
Traversing through the long hallways, Hua Cheng led Xie Lian to another large hall.
The doors of the hall seemed to be made of steel with violent beasts carved upon them, horrible and terrifying. The moment Hua Cheng approached the beasts parted ways and opened the doors. A blast of killing intent blew at Xie Lian before he even stepped foot into the hall, and he tensed, veins popping on his hands, prepared to face anything.
However, after seeing clearly what was inside the hall, he blinked. His defenses melted away in an instant, and his legs moved on their own, bringing him into the hall.
Within the hall, all manners of weapons were hung on all four walls. There were scimitars, swords, spears, shields, whips, axes… it was an armoury!
Anyone, as long as they’re a man, when situated in an armoury such as this, surrounded by all kinds of weaponry, would feel as if they were in heaven, and their blood boil with excitement. Xie Lian was no exception; his eyes were widened and his face lit. The last time he had shown such excitement was in Jun Wu’s armoury.
Although his face remained schooled, his heart was already battering in his chest, and his speech stammered, “May… may I touch?”
Hua Cheng smiled, “As you like.”
Xie Lian’s hands instantly flew out to feel the many treasures hung on the walls, caressing them as if drunken, “These… All of these are masterpieces! This sword is splendid, it must be a sight to behold on the battlefield! This one too! Wait, and that sabre…”
Hua Cheng was leaning on the wall near the door, watching Xie Lian’s face go red with thrill and obsession, “Gege, what do you think?”
Xie Lian was examining each piece so intently he was reluctant to turn his head around.
“What do I think, what?”
“Do you like it?” Hua Cheng asked.
“I do!” Xie Lian replied.
“Do you really like it?” Hua Cheng asked again.
“I really do!” Xie Lian exclaimed.
Hua Cheng seemed to have snickered but Xie Lian didn’t notice. His heart was busy racing as he unsheathed a shimmering four feet verdant blade, marveling as he did so.
“Are any of them good enough for you?” Hua Cheng spoke up again.
Xie Lian’s entire face was bright and glowing, unable to stop his marveling, “Good!
Good! They’re all good!”
“Originally I was thinking gege didn’t have any useful weapons on hand, so if there was anything here good enough, you can just pick something for yourself,” Hua Cheng said,
“But since gege likes them all, I’ll give them all to you.”
“No, no, no, there’s no need.” Xie Lian said hurriedly, “I have no use for any handy weapons anyway.”
“Really?” Hua Cheng said, “But it’s obvious gege really likes swords?”
“Liking doesn’t mean I have to own it,” Xie Lian said, “I haven’t used one in years. Just looking makes me happy. Besides, I’d have nowhere to put them if you give them all to me.”
“That’s easy to solve.” Hua Cheng replied, “I’ll give this entire armoury to you.”
Xie Lian took that as a joke and grinned, “There’s no way I can take away a room this big.”
“No need to take it away,” Hua Cheng said, “I’ll give you the property too. Just come visit when you’re free.”
“No, it’s ok.” XIe Lian said, “An armoury requires constant maintenance. I’d hate to see the weapons suffer.”
Xie Lian placed the sword carefully back onto its hold, and said nostalgically, “Once upon a time I owned an armoury like this too, but it was burnt down. All of these weapons are precious devices to be desired, you have to cherish them, San Lang.”
“That’s easy too,” Hua Cheng said, “If I’m free I can help gege maintain the armoury.”
Xie Lian laughed, “Well I certainly don’t have the face to ask My Lord the Ghost King to do chores for me.”
Suddenly, Xie Lian remembered Jun Wu’s warning right before he left for the mission:
“The wicked scimitar E-Ming is a cursed blade of misfortune. A weapon of such evil can only be forged by an exceedingly cruel sacrifice and a bloody will. Do not touch it, and do not let it touch you, lest the consequences be unimaginable.”
Xie Lian contemplated but still decided to ask in the end, “But San Lang, all of these weapons don’t even come close to your scimitar E-Ming, right?”
Hua Cheng cocked his left brow, “Oh? Has gege heard of my scimitar too?”
“Only some hearsays.” Xie Lian replied.
Hua Cheng snickered, “I bet they’re not nice hearsays. Did someone tell you that my scimitar was forged by an evil, bloody ritual? That I sacrificed live humans?”
Sharp as always. Xie Lian responded, “Not too horrible. Everyone has their own bad rumours, but not everyone would believe them. Don’t know if I might have the honour of seeing the legendary scimitar E-Ming?”
“You’ve actually already seen it, gege.” Hua Cheng said.
He took a few steps closer to Xie Lian and said in a low voice, “Look, gege, this is E-Ming.”
The eye upon the scimitar hung at his waist twirled in Xie Lian’s direction. It might be Xie Lian’s imagination but he thought that silver eye started squinting into a crescent shape.
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