by Feng Yue
“He will be a strong opponent in the future.” For some reason, the thought appeared in both Ye Qingxuan’s and the Professor’s mind. They retreated in unison, showing that they had no bad intentions.
Watching them exchange glances and their troubled expressions, Bai Xi could not help but shake her head. “…You’re both so boring.”
—
When both were certain that the other would uphold the agreement, and that they themselves had no chance to make the first move, they gave up on attacking. The most important task at hand was to get the treasure. Everything would be lost if they did all the work and someone else took the reward.
The Professor was focused on breaking through the formation on his side. He did not think about helping Ye Qingxuan at all. Sometimes he would glance over to observe what Ye Qingxuan was doing, as if trying to calculate his mysterious enemy’s skill and technique…
But Ye Qingxuan obviously could not let that happen. It was just breaking through a formation under a spell. He just had to reverse the steps and create it again. It should be easy with the deciphering method…yeah right!
If Abraham, who could perform the Requiem enchantment, could do it, breathing through the Resonance Ring would be easy as pie. But Ye Qingxuan had only studied for a little over a month! He had not even finished the book! He could only manage to decipher single notes. He was completely at a loss when faced with a measure…
But no problem. He did not have the skills…but he had Bai Xi!
He glanced at the girl, his eyes saying, “Cousin, it’s your time to shine!”
“Watch me!” Excited, Bai Xi moved over. Rolling up her sleeves, she pointed and looked at a point in the distance. Right before her finger, the aether above the Resonance Ring instantly scattered. Talent: Zhaodang!
At its full power, Zhaodang could create a dark zone where the aether would be uncontrollably powerful, but when it was on her finger, it was like a knife that could slice through all enchantments and aether structures!
Under Hermes’s guidance, she had learned how to control the terrifying power within her a few days ago. She no longer had to worry about using up all her energy.
The little girl who loved to show off had performed it for Ye Qingxuan, winning the youth’s praise and satisfying herself. She had also erased all help from Hermes and credited the huge success to her own talent.
As for the Professor on the other side of the formation, his eyes practically fell out of their sockets. He rubbed his eyes, scared that he had gone crazy. “What the f*ck?!”
128 An Arrow to the Clouds
In all these years, the Professor had seen monsters, geniuses, and strange creatures but he had never seen…an illusion like this. Holmes and his assistant worked together using a method he could not understand, undoing the Resonance Ring at an unprecedented speed!
The two *ssholes seemed to have planned this out beforehand. Instead of trying to undo the spell, they were ‘digging a hole’ directly on the ring. They went straight for the core rune, then stuffed the material on top into their pockets without hesitation.
First they grabbed important rune stones, then the most expensive gold and precious gems. “Cousin, what kind of bone is this? Let’s bring it back for Old Phil…” Like two starved souls rushing into a restaurant, they did not leave anything that had any sort of value. They broke off anything they could carry and stuffed it in their pocket them. They broke things they could not carry either, crushing them after breaking them off!
The big and small b*stards were like robbers, happily stealing the Indians’ treasures. Material goods worth hundreds of thousands of pounds had been taken in just a few minutes! Everything good would be gone if they continued like this!
Clenching his jaw, the Professor gave up on trying to hurt Holmes, and began focusing on speeding up. Using his original process and proper methods, he caught up to Ye Qingxuan and Bai Xi even though they were cheating! He was not hesitant either. He took anything that could help him recover from his injuries, and everything else he could get his hands on.
In the tense atmosphere, the two would nervously look up every now and then to see the other’s progress, and they would feel the same sense of bitterness. “That’s supposed to be mine!” The same pain filled their eyes…
As they decoded nervously, Ye Qingxuan exchanged glances with Bai Xi. They jumped over what they had undone to the center of the formation. Hovering in the air amongst the aether glow shrouding the formation was the most important material—the saint’s relic!
Sensing their movement, the Professor looked up in shock. He reached out to stop them, but Ye Qingxuan was faster. Grasping the small fist-sized ball, Ye pulled it from the formation.
With the ball in his hands, Ye Qingxuan’s palm went numb. His hair sizzled too. But holding it, his mind woke up. The weakness that he had tried to disguise went away too. He was spirited now, as if well rested. Shocked by the electricity, his body radiated with energy! This was undoubtedly a good object.
On the other side of the formation, the Professor said eerily, “I wouldn’t take it if I were you.”
Ye Qingxuan shrugged. “If I don’t take the saint’s relic when it’s right in front of me, wouldn’t that make me stupid?”
The Professor scoffed. “That is a relic from an Indian saint, but it’s also a giant bomb. If you aren’t able to perform precise manipulation, it’ll kill you when it’s activated. Hot potatoes aren’t that easy to use.”
Precise manipulation? Ye Qingxuan glanced at the Jiu Xiao Pei Huan in his hands and grinned. “I love potatoes. The hotter the better.”
The Professor glared at him and then looked away.
Both sides sped up. Soon, they had undone the entire formation. Nothing was left behind as if a tornado had swept through the entire place. If the Indians saw this, they would probably shed tears of blood.
As if he felt bad, Ye Qingxuan stopped at the last portion, giving away the material. The Professor took it without hesitation.
“Time flies when you’re having fun. It’s time to say goodbye now.” Pulling Bai Xi, Ye Qingxuan took a giant step backward. His expression was unwilling, but his feet retreated quickly. “Meeting you here today, we should have a great talk together, but sadly there is no wine here. But the days are long and we might meet again. At that time, we shall drink together and discuss the heroes of the world…” He ran as he spouted farewells.
Unfortunately, the Professor was still close behind. “Friend, you can just see me off. You don’t have to follow me!” Ye Qingxuan waved, wishing that the man would stop.
The Professor sneered. “You seemed to have forgotten something, Mr. Holmes.” His eyes flashed murderously. “The formation has been completely undone. What are you going to use as a shield?” He gripped his silver flute as he spoke and sighed, “What a pity. You would have become a great opponent if you had more time to develop…”
Ye Qingxuan froze, but he began laughing quickly. “Oh, Professor, but do you know something?” Puffing up his chest, he stepped in front of Bai Xi. “We have something you’ll never be able to guess! Don’t underestimate us!”
“Oh?” The Professor scoffed as he closed in. “Then tell me. Is it the spirit of justice? Is it hot blood?”
“No.” Shaking his head, Ye Qingxuan said with a smile, “It’s calling for help.’”
The Professor’s expression darkened immediately. Before he could move, Ye Qingxuan and Bai Xi began screaming in an Indian dialect as if someone had murdered their child, “Help! The Professor is here!!”
The Professor quickly began playing his flute, cutting off their screams, but the brawny guards at the entrance instantly moved in.
The ascetic monk sitting on the steps suddenly opened his eyes. They were bloodshot and full of murderous intent. He sprang from the ground and rushed down, leaving behind damp footprints on the steps. If one looked closely, one would realize that the footsteps had been imprinted deeply into the stone. They were c
overed in pores, as if they had been pierced by millions of silver needles.
“Mou!” The monk yelled a sacred rune that represented realization. His body transformed from a withered old man to a three meter tall giant with green skin. He ran down with thunderous steps.
A black river rushed out from thin air. It was not an attack nor was it defense. It was the turn of victory and escape!
“Goodbye to you!” Ye Qingxuan thought as he waved at the figure. He saw the Professor’s angry face. Fury filled his eyes, as well as a flash of…confusion?
—
When Ye Qingxuan and Bai Xi brushed shoulders with the dark giant, the strong Indian men wielding swords and countless canines, they finally relaxed a little. Then, exchanging glances, they began sprinting.
Running for their lives, they finally returned to their original room in the brothel before the effect of Black Friday ended. But they did not stop there. First, they stuffed everything they had stolen into their bags. Then they put on their disguises—the robe, wig and turban. Finally, they pulled out a small container and applied the dark oil onto each other’s skin. The oil dried quickly, leaving behind a dark color that appeared natural. Then, they finally rolled the fat unconscious ball onto the bed, and messed up the blankets as if they had been working at it all night.
Bang! The door was kicked open. The two brothers walked out, arms around each other. Whispering amongst themselves, they walked quickly toward the main entrance.
In the lobby, Salman watched as they came forward. Shocked, he ran over. “It’s only been half an hour and they’re already done?” he thought. “Who would’ve thought that two people together were faster than one!”
“Sirs, sirs, are you done?” Salman rubbed his hands together. “Are you leaving? Are you not satisfied with our service?”
“Your people are too weak. They faint with just a touch,” Ye Qingxuan said in the Indian lingua franca. Throwing a wad of cash into Salman’s arms, he pushed the man aside. “Move. We need to go to the bathroom.”
“You go to the bathroom together too?” Salman asked, taken aback.
“We are brothers. We eat together, drink together, get pleasured together, and go to the bathroom together. Do you have a problem with that?” They walked through the lobby and toward the main entrance without stopping.
“But the bathroom—the bathroom is inside…”
“We like to piss outside. What’s it to you?!” Ye Qingxuan waved his hand impatiently. “Move, move, move…”
Pushed aside, Salman was stunned. Feeling that his shirt was damp, he touched it. His hand came away with dark oil. How come these sirs lost color as they walked?
While he was still in a daze, Ye Qingxuan and Bai Xi made their way out of Ganlu City. Ye Qingxuan was finally able to smile. It had been such a fruitful harvest! One million pounds worth of rune stones, gold, and the priceless saint’s relic were all his now! His!
Starting today, he could live the luxurious life of using rune stones to learn music notes, and exchanging gold for music scores! He decided to first use thirty-thousand pounds to make Charles wash his underwear for one week! Yes, then he would toss out his old underwear and buy silk ones!
Ye Qingxuan was deep in his dreams and fantasies of hitting the gold mine, but then he heard a painful cry from the backyard.
“The relic! Where’s the relic?” the scratchy voice screamed. “Where’s my relic?” People who knew the situation would know that the saint’s relic had been stolen. Outsiders probably thought that a ghost had climbed out of its grave!
Ye Qingxuan sped up, but felt a ripple spread from the backyard and brush past him. The ball in his arms vibrated, responding to the ripple. F*ck! He had forgotten to undo the tracking rune!
Behind him, it sounded as if a wall had crashed. In the next moment, a holy-looking old man burst through the wall. Mighty drum beats radiated from him. It was awe-inspiring. Or would have been if he was not naked, of course.
This was Puspotkata. He had broken through as soon as he had heard the news! “You cannot leave!” Furious, he glared at the youth at the entrance with red eyes. “Give me back my relic! My relic!”
What other reaction could Ye Qingxuan have? There was only solution before him…Run!
Before anyone could react, Ye Qingxuan picked up Bai Xi and bolted. With the support of the steel structure inside the robe, he flew. A single step carried him more than five meters, and he quickly disappeared into the night. All that he left behind was an annoying cackle and his last words, “Catch me if you can!”
In the lobby, Puspotkata’s face turned from green to red, red to black, and finally settled on a bruised green. He had thought that the musician who had stolen his relic would say something after being discovered. He had planned on distracting the musician to awaken his drum and perform the movement of god’s wrath from “Mahabharata,” but he never imagined that the two b*stards would run without saying anything!
When he finally processed this, he roared in anger. Without waiting for his instrument to wake, he jumped into the darkness and chased after them!
129 The Eye of Indrah
In the night, two gangs were caught in a fierce fight on the chaotic streets in downtown. But suddenly, a giggling shadow passed through the scene like the wind, disappearing before anyone could react. Both sides paused at the same time. The two bosses could not help but exchange glances. “Was that a…hallucination?”
While both were still stunned. Then another shadow flashed by. This time, they were both prepared and saw it clearly…It was a naked white-bearded old man?!
In that short moment, one could see clearly his two rows of lean ribs, his naked body passing through the wind in a sultry posture, as well as that vague thing dangling between his legs. The whole picture was carved into the eyes of the two, scarring them for life. In the bizarre silence, the two looked to each other. They could see grievance and disgust in each other’s eyes.
After a long silence, one tentatively asked, “Then…Shall we continue?”
“F*ck! Let’s just stop here.” The other man threw his weapon down. He spat and covered his eyes saying, “Today is absolutely cursed!”
The two gangs nodded violently, their hearts beat wildly. That night, the two sides decided to give up the fight and have a drink to calm down. They coincidentally met at the same pub.
After getting drunk, the two bosses who had been fighting fiercely hours ago began talking about the naked old man. They ended up crying in fear. Finally, they felt the beauty of peace. They beheaded a rooster and burned some yellow papers to become sworn brothers…but that was just a legend.
Now, on the streets of downtown, Mr. Holmes was facing the greatest crisis he had ever met since his debut!
-
On Ye Qingxuan’s shoulder, Bai Xi looked back as they ran. Seeing that the ferocious old man was still chasing them, her face immediately clouded. “Cousin, you were too obnoxious when we left!” She turned Ye Qingxuan’s face to make him look behind them. “That old turtle is catching up! What do we do?”
Ye Qingxuan broke out in goosebumps as he looked back. He immediately sped up and comforted Bai XI, “Don’t be afraid! An old man like that can’t catch up with us. After a few kilometers, he’ll be exhausted to death!”
The boy’s vicious curse turned Puspotkata’s face green. “You bastard! I…I won’t let you slip through my fingers!”
Ferocity flashed past Puspotkata’s face. He crossed his hands in front of his chest in a heart-like seal. As he thumped his hands, the ‘heart’ started beating quickly like a faint drum! That heart seal seemed to drive his heart, and his energy rebounded. He began to sing with the drumming, “God is like the moon gazing at the sun, showering light! The flames kindled by his energy are like the occasional lightning in the clouds and thousands of suns above the clear sky!
“He sits above the bull, brilliant and bright …” As he spoke, a golden halo appeared behind the old man, like sunshine. He sped up
again as if he were driving an invisible chariot!
It was a hymn about Shiva’s divinity extracted from the Mahabharata. Puspotkata was reciting it quickly while rushing, but his rapid breathing did not disturb the effect. He had also sacrificed much of his remaining energy to keep up the intensity as well. It seemed that the years he had spent before the Barrier of Knowledge had not gone to waste. At least now he could recite all of the music scores smoothly, regardless of what else he was doing.
When Ye Qingxuan turned and saw that Puspotkata was getting closer and closer, he freaked out. He tried to speed up again by slapping Flow runes onto his body without any hesitation.
Suddenly, the old man rose up in the sky like a beam of light and jumped, and landed before them. Illuminated by the halo, his old face seemed majestic and great.
“What a pity he’s a naked freak,” Ye Qingxuan sighed, shaking his head. Bai Xi nodded.
Puspotkata practically spat out blood. His face was full of ferocity, furious like an angry Buddha. He could not wait to end their lives! “Sherlock Holmes!” he spat out the name, one word at a time. He roared, “I’m going to rip you to shreds!”
Just as he was about to recite the music and chant to call forth divine fire, electric arrows, and even God’s dung to fight the d*mned dark musician, he saw Ye Qingxuan jump back with the saint’s relic raised high above his head.
“Back off!” Ye Qingxuan cried. He stomped with his right foot, crushing the sewer’s rotten wooden lid. “Or else I’ll throw your relic into the sewer!”
One could hear the ceaseless flow of the Thames River. Puspotkata’s expression faltered.
“No!” Puspotkata’s eyes were as red as a rabbit’s. The aether in his hand dispersed, and he stepped back frantically. “Calm down! If it’s gone, I will kill you!” He stared at the relic with worry, fearing that Ye Qingxuan would actually throw his last thread of hope into the sewer. He had put in so much effort in convincing Silo to help him get this holy relic! If it was thrown into the sewer, everything would be over!