Chapter 32#
Chapter Thirty-Two#
The room was silent until the sound of the night watchman’s clapper penetrated the morning mist, and only then did the two wake up together.
After eating breakfast, they headed to the Buddha hall at the time previously agreed upon with everyone. Just after 9 AM, Lin Su’s figure appeared.
Jiang Chengyi went up to meet him and asked, “How is it? Does the demon race still intend to attack the city from the Chasm Cliff?”
Lin Su nodded. “Same as what was said last time.”
With this restart, everyone had already known the demon race’s plan to attack the city in advance and had made ample preparations from the first day.
To prevent sudden changes, other city defense plans were also prepared. Now hearing that everything was as before, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and immediately set out to act.
Pei Huang stared at Lin Su for a while and suddenly spoke up, “Wait a bit more.”
Lin Su asked, “Wait for what?”
Pei Huang looked up at him. “We cannot know the demon race’s plan out of thin air, otherwise it would be irrational. I’m afraid we must first arrest and interrogate you.”
Lin Su looked directly at Pei Huang, and his expression gradually changed.
Pei Huang knew his words were unpleasant, but this was the simplest method.
The atmosphere was a bit stagnant for a moment, but then Lin Su suddenly slapped Pei Huang’s shoulder heavily.
“Brother Pei is indeed smart. Last time it was me exposing my identity that caused everything to restart. If it’s done through strict torture and I confess because I can’t hold out, wouldn’t that be rational?”
Pei Huang rubbed his shoulder, and his words of persuasion were instantly swallowed back into his stomach.
“No time to lose.”
Lin Su was an impatient person and immediately stepped out of the Buddha hall, leaving behind a sentence: “I’ll go back to the residence first; you guys come quickly to arrest me!”
Jiang Chengyi withdrew his gaze, took a deep breath, and said, “As for the interrogation, I’ll be the one to go.”
The three left the temple, and Jiang Chengyi’s figure disappeared.
For a time the two were idle and relaxed for once. Pei Huang originally intended to take him for a stroll on the streets, but just then, a cold wind suddenly arose.
A guard ran over hurriedly and said urgently, “City Lord, the jailer says he wants to see you.”
Xue Jingci had previously given his identity token to Jiang Chengyi to allow him to arrest people. Now it seemed some change had occurred.
He and Pei Huang hurried back to the City Lord’s residence. Just as they entered the dark corridor of the dungeon, the two smelled a thick scent of blood.
Many torches were lit on both sides of the corridor. The air was scorching and dry, making it hard to breathe.
Piercing wails came from different cells; listening closely, they sounded like ghosts weeping, which was very hair-raising.
“The yin energy is heavy here; be careful.”
Xue Jingci’s voice was still cold, but had gained a few more degrees of solemnity.
Inside the prison, it was damp and dark. Candles lit on both sides flickered from the draft, making this filthy place look even more eerie.
Only after walking to the cell at the very end did Xue Jingci see Jiang Chengyi’s figure. He was currently confronting the jailer, saying he had received the City Lord’s command to use torture on Lin Su.
But the jailer said the two usually didn’t get along, and Jiang Chengyi was clearly using a public office to settle a private grudge; he must see the City Lord before allowing torture.
Hearing the movement, the jailer suddenly turned his head, which unexpectedly twisted to a strange angle.
His eyeballs stared fixedly at Xue Jingci, and he opened his mouth to ask, “I wonder why the City Lord suspects him of being a spy?”
A violent wind blew in the corridor. In an instant, the torches flickered, blowing the shadows of the prisoners in the cells on both sides onto the walls.
Those figures were hideous, their physical bodies trapped in the cages, yet their shadows crawled outward along the bars, leaving a trail of blood wherever they went.
Jiang Chengyi clenched his fists nervously, but saw Xue Jingci glance at the jailer and say calmly, “Take a look at this document.”
The jailer stared at him fixedly and held the document in front of his face.
This document was about how street vendors in the city were crowding and occupying the roads, and Lin Su’s suggestion to move their stalls away.
The jailer’s eyes darted around, revealing a large amount of the whites of his eyes, and he asked coldly, “What’s wrong with this document?”
As soon as he spoke, the candlelight flickered even more violently. Xue Jingci pointed to the words on the document and read, “As far as I know, these two brothers grew up in a scholarly family in the south since childhood, yet recently they have purchased more ‘red-horn incense’ transported from the north.”
“That stuff has a pungent smell and is used by ordinary families for stewing meat to cover the fishy and gamy smell.”
“The demon race is different. Many demon tribes in the north use it to produce incense powder to cover the scent on their bodies. I suspect they deliberately hid their identities to enter the residence; this isn’t strange, right?”
The jailer was stunned for a moment, and his throat gulped.
Only after a long time did he stiffly move his body aside and open the cell with a key.
The firelight in the corridor returned to normal. Xue Jingci knew they had passed the test and hurried in with Pei Huang.
In the center of the cell was a wooden frame. At this moment, Lin Su was entirely tied to it, with countless terrifying torture devices at his feet.
He had heard the conversation between Xue Jingci and the jailer just now clearly. He hadn’t expected Xue Jingci to be prepared and explain so logically.
He cast a look toward Jiang Chengyi, signaling him to act quickly.
Jiang Chengyi bent down to select the one with the smallest lethality from among the torture devices and swung it toward Lin Su.
He knew where to hit to avoid vital points; his strikes looked heavy but actually didn’t hurt much.
Lin Su also cooperated by screaming “ah ah” and confessed in less than fifteen minutes.
Seeing him confess so quickly, a trace of disdain flashed in the jailer’s gaze, and he curled his lips coldly. “And I thought he was a tough one.”
Jiang Chengyi threw the blood-stained torture device onto the ground, looked toward Xue Jingci, performed a salute, and said, “City Lord, this matter is of great importance; it’s better to go to the study to discuss.”
The three returned to the study. Xue Jingci immediately picked up a pen to send a message to Young General Yan Xing, telling him to quickly lead his troops back to the Chasm Cliff.
After everything was arranged, Jiang Chengyi suddenly looked toward Xue Jingci and said with pointed meaning, “Steward Xu’s medical skills are only half-baked; I wonder where the City Lord heard that his skills are not bad?”
Xue Jingci knew Jiang Chengyi had already found out that Steward Xu was the one who administered the poison, and pointed to Pei Huang.
Jiang Chengyi was somewhat surprised.
Although Pei Huang’s actions were subtle, it could be considered as betraying the demon race to help them. Could it be that he truly stood on the City Lord’s side?
Jiang Chengyi’s gaze was somewhat complicated, but at the same time, another worry arose in his heart.
Pei Huang being willing to help the human side was a good thing. But if the city were protected, the demon side would be heavily defeated.
And quite a few of them were assigned to their camp.
What if in the end only half of the people can live?
He was about to speak, but saw Pei Huang leaning over to Xue Jingci’s side, asking for the reward for winning the bet.
Xue Jingci had long been prepared, fished out a sacrificial fruit from his sleeve, and handed it to Pei Huang.
Pei Huang’s face was full of joy. He tried his best to suppress the corners of his mouth and asked, “You were prepared long ago; did you know I would definitely win?”
Xue Jingci perversely didn’t answer and turned his head. “Going back to rest.”
Seeing the two walk far away, Jiang Chengyi’s lips moved, but in the end he remained silent.
Inside the Buddha hall, two silent people were also standing in the lingering incense smoke.
Feng Yi was the first to break the silence, looking toward Chen Zhao and asking, “Senior Brother Chen, why do you have to avoid others every time you come to the Buddha hall to check messages?”
Chen Zhao sighed and said, “I just feel that being a demon race spy…”
Mentioning the spy identity, Feng Yi also stopped speaking.
Now the cultivators were all trying every means to resist the demon race; their status was truly somewhat awkward.
Chen Zhao looked out the window, and the faces of the Young Master of the Medicine Sect and Xue Jingci suddenly surfaced in his mind. These two were lucky: one became the City Lord, giving orders in the City Lord’s residence.
The other became the owner of Jishan Hall, only needing to give out hot porridge to the poor commoners at the city gate every day.
Unlike them, who were driven by the demon side every day and did all the dirty and tiring work.
The more he thought about it, the more indignant he became. He suddenly looked toward Feng Yi and said, “Actually I’ve always had a worry. Now that the cultivators are split into two camps, what if only half the people can get out…”
As he said this, he realized he spoke out of turn, covered his mouth, and said, “I’m just saying; maybe it’s not right. Don’t take it to heart.”
The Skanda Bodhisattva statue standing behind the two was looking down compassionately with its eyes.
But the demon-subduing pestle in its hand was heavily plunged into the ground.
The sun moved westward, lengthening the shadows of the two, which happened to be cast under the demon-subduing pestle.
Feng Yi also seemed to be pinned down by something, his body stiff and unmoving.
He had never thought about this point; having understood it now, he suddenly felt a chill all over his body.
Thinking of these days when he had left much information about the demon race on the incense table in the Buddha hall, his expression immediately became unpleasant, alternating between shock and fear.
Indeed, if the demon race were defeated, could they, these spies, have a good ending?
That Jiang Chengyi had said that dead is truly dead!
Perhaps after the city is protected, the demon race would first take them, these spies, to task, and they wouldn’t have a chance to live until leaving the city at all.
Feng Yi stopped speaking, and a terrifying thought surfaced in his heart.
Since he could put information in the Buddha hall, why couldn’t he pass information to the demon race?
He was unable to leave the city to intercept family letters, but the demon race definitely had a way!
He took a deep breath, stood up abruptly, and walked out of the Buddha hall.
Shortly after, a member of the demon race flew out of the city silently and intercepted the carrier pigeon.
Front Sand Pass.
Yan Xing was currently holding a water ladle, washing his warhorse.
Having washed the mud and sand off the horse’s body, the youth followed the hair of the reddish-brown horse, pulled out a topknot, and tied it with a red string.
“Little Flower.”
The youth handed over the water bucket and smiled. “I’ve combed a braid for you; do you like it?”
The horse intelligently lowered its head to look into the water bucket. The swaying ripples reflected its current appearance: a tuft of hair on the top of its head was tied up, bursting out like a flower.
Its pupils shook violently, and it lifted its hoof to kick toward the youth.
The two chased each other in the sand until the sun moved westward and fell into the horizon.
“Wrong, I was wrong.”
The youth held his buttocks, which had been lightly kicked by the warhorse, and laughed while pleading for mercy.
He stroked the horse’s head and said softly, “Don’t be angry anymore. You know I’m not Sister; I can’t comb those beautiful braids.”
“I know you miss her too, right?”
The horse obediently lowered its body. The youth stepped on the saddle and leaped up. His silver spear drew a silver flash in the sunset.
He galloped toward the camp, leaving a trail of low-pitched laughter in the desert.
“When this battle is over, we’re going home!”
Returning to the camp, from afar he saw the lieutenant waving to him. “Young General, your family letter!”
Yan Xing jumped off the horse in surprise, took the rolled-up letter, and conveniently stroked the white pigeon perched on the fence. “Fatter again; be careful not to be caught by the residence’s cook to make soup.”
He had thought the white pigeon would coo in protest, but unexpectedly it was listless now, its eyes lacking any luster.
Yan Xing stopped teasing it, thinking in his heart that perhaps it was tired from flying.
He quickly opened the letter to check. At just one glance, his expression became cold.
—Sister is in trouble!
The youth clenched the token hidden in the letter tightly, his gaze flickering continuously. Finally he made a decision, performed a teleportation art to return to the residence, and finally arrived at the city gate at dawn.
However, he was stopped by a person in the appearance of a physician.
This physician was Song Jue. Seeing the youth carrying a long spear identical to the City Lord’s, he instantly recognized his identity.
But this was wrong!
Xue Jingci had clearly sent a letter asking Yan Xing to lead his troops back to the Chasm Cliff; why did Yan Xing appear here!
Seeing Yan Xing was about to leave, Song Jue hurriedly grabbed his arm.
The youth turned his head. Although not old, his expression was extremely cold, and his gaze looking at him was like a hunter staring at prey.
“Let go.”
Song Jue said urgently, “You must be looking for the City Lord. She’s not at the residence; she’s currently training troops in the military camp!”
“Training troops? Isn’t she…” poisoned?
The youth’s face was full of suspicion, but a sound of footsteps came from behind.
“Yan Xing.”
Xue Jingci saw from afar that Song Jue was being restrained by someone. Just as he was about to come over to help, he saw the silver spear on the youth.
At this moment, the youth turned around hurriedly, ran over in two or three steps, grasped his wrist tightly, and said, “Sister, it’s so good that you’re fine.”
Yan Xing had been stationed at the frontier year-round, so his skin had become dark, but those eyes were very bright, and a dimple showed on one side when he smiled.
When their eyes met, Xue Jingci rarely widened his eyes.
He hadn’t expected that he would actually see the shopkeeper of “Return to This Place” in this secret realm!