by Feng Yue
Fortunately, the two in the room were so engrossed in their conversation that they did not notice the small sound.
Ye Qingxuan felt a layer of aether the moment he pushed the door open quietly. It must have been from the enchantment that Puspotkata engraved in the room for defense. When touched by outsiders, it would activate and shred the invader to pieces. The ceiling was covered with dense scriptures. One could vaguely see some music scores. The notes were hid in ceilings, walls, and floors.
Thank god Ye Qingxuan had not used aether to unlock the door, otherwise he would have been caught immediately. In the smoke from the incense, a skinny man in a gorgeous silk robe sat cross-legged on a cushion.
Silo looked at his brother kneeling in front of him. “Are you sure about that, Po Sinai?”
“Yes, brother.” Po Sinai told him everything he had seen. “It’s just like what the robin had told us. Yesterday morning, the Professor was betrayed and attacked when he was meeting his agent. The scene is a mess, but I’m sure he’s hurt. Someone has destroyed an entire building to kill him.”
“An entire building?”
“Right, there were three musicians hidden outside. They performed a symphony,” Po Sinai said. “I saw the whole building crumble and collapse. The bodies did not evaporate, but they turned into mud. You couldn’t tell who’s who. We didn’t find the Professor’s body, but I’m sure he was seriously injured! Robin really did it.”
“Robin…” Silo murmured. “Po Sinai, he’s showing us his power. This is a warning. If we don’t listen to him, we’ll end up like the Professor.”
“He wants us to work for him?” Po Sinai’s expression changed. “He wants to use us? We can’t become his underlings.”
“You think that he just wants to use us?” Silo asked coldly. “He sent the warning to every gang in downtown. We’re just one of them. More than half of the people have pledged their loyalty to him. The rest of them don’t dare to offend him either.”
“That guy…what exactly is he?”
“Po Sinai, have you heard of the parliament?”
“The Parliament of Avalon?”
“Not the Westminster Palace. There’s a more secretive one.” Silo rubbed the hookah in his hands. His expression was troubled. “It is said that a few decades ago, Anglo elites were dissatisfied with the royal control, and secretly set up a new parliament in which almost all the great elites of Anglo are a part of. Those who govern the military and various departments gathered together. They’re enough to represent half of Anglo.
“Since there is no reason for them to pretend anymore, they use their power to benefit themselves. They enact laws and have many agents outside. The original Pyramid Scheme was one of the groups they had nurtured, but the Pyramid Scheme wasn’t careful enough, so they became angry when they the Pyramid Scheme was discovered.
“Like the thunder of a Shiva, the Pyramid Scheme was destroyed overnight” finishing, Silo sank into silence.
Po Sinai could not believe this. “You mean, this robin belongs to the parliament?”
“Most likely. Other than the parliament, who else could be powerful enough to force the Professor to flee like a street rat? The Professor had practically been in charge of downtown!”
“What do they want?”
“Maybe they are looking for clues about the Blood Path” said Silo, with a low voice. “I suspect that the disturbance a few days ago caused by the Eastern kid may have been provoked by them. Shahrukh, that fool, had thought himself a genius, but ended up without even a body.”
“Does that kid really have the key to Avalon?”
“I’m not sure.” Silo shook his head and began to tell a story from the past.
-
It is said that before the Shaman left Avalon, he spent a lot on asking the Trader three questions. According to their agreement, the Trader could choose not to answer, but could not lie.
Shaman’s first question was: how does one enter Avalon’s Shadow? The Trader told him that the only way was the Blood Path.
His second question was: who has ever entered it? The Trader told him that an Eastern man had.
The third question was: What did he take? The Trader said nothing. The Shaman then changed his question: How did he get in? The Trader still said nothing.
Then the Shaman asked his last question and the Trader answered. No one knew what the question or answer was, but then the Shaman disappeared for nine years.
“When the Shaman decided to return, his first order was to look for a white-haired Eastern kid. The parliament concluded that the clue must come from the kid, but now it seems like that old b*stard Shaman was just trying to confuse people.” Silo flattened the hookah in anger, his eyes cold. “We were tricked by that old b*stard.”
Seeing Silo’s anger, Po Sinai subconsciously shivered. He lowered his head, not daring to say anything.
Finally, Silo calmed down. He leaned back in his chair, seeming to still have some doubts. “And…anything new about that dark musician?”
Po Sinai shook his head. “Nothing new.”
“That vengeful evil spirit. Apparently he challenged the parliament. The robin wants us to track Sherlock Holmes.”
“Understood.” Po Sinai rose. He was about to leave politely, but Silo stopped him.
“Warn our people to be careful. Do not provoke him, understand?” Silo was full of prudence. “Sherlock Holmes is the dark musician that even Puspotkata thinks is a tough enemy. Just let the parliament deal with him. You don’t want to wake up in the middle of the night and see something standing in front of your bed, do you?”
Imagining it, Po Sinai shivered. He cautiously shook his head.
“Then go ahead.”
With the parliament and the robin in his mind, Ye Qingxuan quietly closed the door, and urged Bai Xi to leave.
-
“Vengeful evil spirit?” Once they were in a quiet place, Bai Xi finally could not help but speak, “Cousin, that’s a cool nickname!”
“Those are just rumors. Don’t mind them.” Ye Qingxuan shrugged. He was concentrating on controlling the melody and blocking the eyes around them, but in his mind, he was contemplating. Should he leave a note behind after taking the stuff, seeing as they had given him a nice nickname? He could not wait to plaster the warning onto Silo’s face! Those b*stards…
-
“Should be here.” Ye Qingxuan gazed at the entrance in the distance and frowned. Those Indians really sacrificed a lot in order to help Puspotkata break through!
Flames lit up the darkness like huge bonfire before the door. More than twenty brawny men with white turbans sat outside the door. They kept a sharp eye in all directions, preventing anyone from getting close. There were also a number of stout and fierce dogs looking around with their red eyes. They were some rare mixed breed. Maybe some strange creature’s blood flowed in them.
And in the middle, there was a very strange-looking man. Clad in rags, he looked like a beggar. The only decent thing on him was something that might be underwear, covering his crotch. His bare skin was rough and scarred.
He sat cross-legged on the ground. His smooth, rippling muscles were like twisted wire. It made him look as if he was made from scrap metal and iron pieces, his edges were sharp. His head was bare and his beard was scruffy. There was lice in there too. He was disgusting!
Ye Qingxuan put up his guard. This guy…could he be an ascetic monk? According to rumors, those monks were known for their extreme training and tribulations, and often had unbelievable powers.
Physical prowess was nothing to them. Some were even musicians at the Student level, and were experts in the mysterious Seven Note Chanting. When they became musicians, they would become Mahiraga, a mix of the School of Modifications and Choir. Really difficult to fight!
Ye Qingxuan could not tell just how powerful the man was, but the situation seemed tricky. Fortunately, the man was not a musician yet.
Ye Qingxuan took a deep breath and warned Bai Xi
to be careful. He activated Jiu Xiao Huan Pei.
Even though Ye Qingxuan had improved after the last run-in, it was still tough to use Black Friday on forty people. Luckily, he had his trump card: the Double Snake Time Meter.
He whispered gently, “All is dark. Only the Tree of Life is forever green.” With a small click, the second hand began to move. One minute.
—
In the stillness, the ascetic monk, sitting cross-legged on the stone steps, suddenly became alert. Amidst the messy breathing sounds, a faint melody suddenly rang. It sounded like a wail. It was hard to distinguish it from the moans coming from the brothel. It was like a black river from the bottom of the heart. The feeling of desolation surged in his heart. He could not help but sighed, feeling great loneliness.
A few decades ago, he had killed his junior fellow in order to be chosen. If that child was still alive, he might be beside him now. Having a companion would make the ascetic journey less lonely.
Recalling that boy’s smile, he became sad. But he quickly recovered, thanks to his training.
He looked up, as if nothing had happened, as if the illusionary melody had never existed. Beside him, the few drops of sweat on the stone steps gradually disappeared, leaving nothing behind.
-
In the tunnel, Ye Qingxuan staggered when he finally finished playing, and almost fell down. Bai Xi caught him and handed him a tube of the potion to restore his energy.
Ye waved it away. He rested for a few seconds and felt much better thanks to Jiu Xiao Huan Pei. Without it, he would have been sapped.
Cold wind blew in the tunnel. He looked up at the door up above. His expression turned serious.
At the end of the tunnel was a brass door. It was covered with engraved notes and music scores. It seemed to be high quality alchemy equipment. At a glance, he could see that it was reinforced, had an alarm and more. It would take a lot of effort to open it. But the door that should have been closed was now opened, revealing the faint shadow behind the door. A gleam of scarlet seeped out.
127 Despicable and Shameless
The two stood frozen in place in the silence. They gazed at the door that should have been closed, and exchanged glances.
Considering the situation for a moment, Ye Qingxuan turned around without hesitating and gestured for Bai Xi to leave. The situation was too weird. It was best to avoid risks.
But Bai Xi would not budge. She grabbed Ye Qingxuan’s sleeve, shaking her head.
Ye Qingxuan stared at Bai Xi and chuckled dryly. When did he become less brave than a little girl? Had he really been scared out of his mind by the chase a few days ago?
Sighing silently, he gestured for Bai Xi to get her weapon ready. He activated Jiu Xiao Huan Pei too. He was ready to grab Bai Xi and run at the slightest sign of trouble. One was in charge of fighting, the other in charge of escaping. They had distinctive roles which slightly overlapped.
In the stillness, they padded soundlessly to the open door. There was a vast space behind the door. Countless torches illuminated the mighty formation of mercury, gold, ancient silver, gems, and other alchemy material on the ground. It was the Resonance Ring that required invaluable material.
Amid the complex music score and notes, each node had a prayer flag. The flags were filled with runes and holy figures. They fluttered in the nonexistent wind, radiating aether like alchemy equipment from a school of music. They formed a structure with the Resonance Ring below. Huge amounts of aether flowed through the material, brewing power and radiating gloriously.
The glow illuminated the script on the flags. Countless runes floated in the air, transforming the world into something holy. But in this holy room there was a corpse with a slit throat.
All Ye Qingxuan felt was delayed fear.
The corpse was the musician who was supposed to guard this place and perform the ritual, but he had been attacked and his throat had been slit before he could fight back. Blood flowed.
In the stillness, Bai Xi tugged the corner of Ye Qingxuan’s shirt and pointed to the back of the Resonance Formation.
When the Resonance Ring broke apart, it would not self-destroy when outside forces entered. The material inside could be taken out too. That included the object all musicians were crazy for—the saint’s relic!
Maybe because of his absolute confidence in his plan, Ye Qingxuan was focused entirely on breaking through the formation and undoing the runes. He did not sense the two newcomers on the other side of the rippling aether. But when he saw them, he felt that they were extremely familiar.
Bai Xi pulled her bow out wordlessly. She mimed slicing one’s throat, as if asking for his opinion. “Cousin, his posture is so perfect. Should I give him some arrows?”
Before Ye Qingxuan could reply, his expression changed.
In the silence, even the slightest crinkling of clothing could be heard. The figure flinched and raised his head, looking over. His eyes were dark and sharp like an icicle in the darkness. They were filled with hair-raising coldness.
When he saw Ye Qingxuan’s outfit, he remembered something and shock appeared in his eyes. “…Holmes?” A hoarse voice came from the shadow under the hood, “The dark musician?”
Seeing those eyes and hearing that voice, Ye Qingxuan realized who the man was and sighed. “I can’t believe I’d run into you here…” He paused and narrowed his eyes. “Mr. Professor.”
Behind the formation, the Professor rose slowly. He sighed at fate’s arrangement. “And I to you, Mr. Vengeful Spirit.”
—
One was downtown’s criminal mastermind; the other was the new infamous dark musician. Neither had expected to meet under this situation, in the Indians’ cellar…
As if old friends had met coincidentally, they made small talk through the formation’s barrier.
“I heard you were injured?” Ye Qingxuan asked casually, leaning on his cane. “It doesn’t feel good to be chased after, right? Have you become weak without the Butcher’s help?”
“Sorry to disappoint you, but those worthless pieces of trash can’t hurt me. As for you though…” The Professor did not laugh, but his voice was full of mockery. “You used some low tricks on the Pyramid Scheme. You seemed to get cocky after fooling those idiots.”
“The human heart is a beautifully mysterious thing. No matter how many times you explore it, you still find something new.” Ye Qingxuan laughed with a hoarse voice as if he had not enjoyed enough. Staring at the Professor, his eyes hardened. “If I have the chance, I’d love to test your limits.”
“Oh? And I’d love to see how it feels to kill a dark musician.”
Both smiled at the same time. As if finding their soulmate, they began laughing loudly. But in the next moment, a silver flute dropped from the Professor’s sleeve and began to play a vague and chilling melody. He had attacked!
Ye Qingxuan moved too. He pressed the cane against the Resonance Formation, ready to attack. “If you’re not afraid of me activating the formation’s self-destruction, then we can die together or get the people outside to come fight too,” Ye Qingxuan thought.
The flute music stopped instantly. The Professor’s face darkened under the hood. He did not put down the silver flute, but instead repressed one of the melodies.
“Despicable!” he squeezed out between clenched teeth.
“Shameless!” Ye Qingxuan retorted without guilt. “You’re the one who moved first. Why are you yelling at me?” His hands were still on Jiu Xiao Huan Pei, ready to attack. Faint music hummed from the instrument. There was a hair’s breadth between it and the Resonance Formation.
Seeing him close to touching it, the Professor’s eyes became even colder. “You better stop…”
Ye Qingxuan scoffed, “Why don’t you let go?”
The Professor paused and finally gave up on fighting the youth here. He suggested, “I’ll count to three and we let go together.”
“Okay.” Ye Qingxuan nodded.
In the stillness, the two stared at
each other and said in unison, “One, two…three!”
The next moment, the Professor stopped the melody brewing in the flute. Ye Qingxuan retracted his cane as well. Good. They had both followed the rules and were true to their words. Very good.
But then a murderous glint flashed past the Professor’s eyes. The cold flute melody sounded again. He was going to take this opportunity to kill the d*mn b*stard! But he did not expect that after Ye Qingxuan put his cane away, that his agile partner would aim her bow at the formation! Like an experienced assassin, she pulled the bow back half an inch!
In the next moment, there would either be a shattering explosion or a fight to the death, but they halted once again. The flute music dissipated and the hand on the bow relaxed slowly.
“…”
“…”
The deadly silence was awkward as h*ll.
“Despicable!” the Professor cursed under his breath.
“Low-class!” Bai Xi had found the chance to cut in. If this were an insult competition, the points would be 1:2 now!
“Yay, we won!” Ye Qingxuan and Bai Xi high-fived each other, whistling, their eyes bright with joy.
For some reason, the Professor suddenly felt weak. It was an insult to his intelligence to fight with these two idiots.
“…” The stalemate continued.
The Professor finally broke the silence, “We can’t keep wasting time. Puspotkata might come back any time.”
“Right.” Ye Qingxuan nodded, not without mockery. “You make so much sense. I’m in awe.”
“How about we let go at the same time?” the Professor suggested.
Ye Qingxuan shook his head. He jutted his chin at the formation between them. “It’s easy to let go, but what about the stuff? How do we split it?”
The Professor sighed. “Undo the formation first…Whoever does it first gets the stuff.”
“I agree.” Ye Qingxuan nodded politely. “I have a partner. Do you mind if she helps me?”
The Professor glanced at Bai Xi. Seeing that she was just a student, he nodded.
“One, two…three!” both of them let go. But at the same time, they reflexively raised their hands. Sensing the other’s guard, they lowered their hands in regret again.