Dual Sword God: Book 7: The Crimson Devil of the Redlands

by Shadows Finger

  'The Black Dunes...' The fat merchant thought as he recalled quite a few strange hearsays, he was about to say something else, but suddenly, the carriage halted as Tao Shen's voice sounded from the outside.

  "Fellow guest, we have arrived at the main house. Please disembark; I shall guide you to the place you shall stay until the date of the exchange."

  The two merchants looked at each other before nodding as they hurried out of the carriage; Tao Shen looked at his men and gave them a signal; the men promptly started to unload a few items from the carriage.

  After doing this, Tao Shen looked at Feng Yu and spoke, "Again, I apologize for the wait; my companion here shall take you to the resting quarters, we should be finished with our matters by late afternoon."

  Feng Yu looked at Tao Shen and spoke in a calm tone, "No problem, take your time, we aren't really in that much of rush; my team and I could use the rest."

  Tao Shen laughed and replied, "Great, thanks for your understanding."

  As he said this, he looked at one of his comrades that had his face covered in wrappings as he spoke, "Hey Bai Li, do me this favor and guide them to the resting quarters for special guests."

  Bai Li bowed and replied, "As Leader Tao commands."

  Following this, Tao Shen then led the two merchants towards a different area of the House of Weavers. Bai Li then looked at Feng Yu's party and gestured for them to follow him as he spoke while turning and leaving, "Come with me."

  Feng Yu didn't dally and followed along; they rode their mounts directly into the large building, which was spacious enough to hold more than a few dozens of individuals riding large beasts.

  The ground was paved with a hard sand-colored stone and lined by the long carpet, which led to a series of counters located at various corners. A few men and women of various skin tones garbed in a similar clothing style to Tao Shen's group stood behind the counters, processing items or registering different parties gathered around them.

  Feng Yu looked at this with curiosity as he spoke, "There are quite a lot of people here; it seems that you guys are preparing for a grand event."

  Dai Lin and the others also noticed this; they looked at the Bai Li waiting for his reply.

  Bai Li looked at the scene and spoke, "Your right; it's the start of the month. We usually hold our Grand Exchange around this time. Our enclave is quite special, for you see, the clothes and trinkets that we weave can provide a myriad of special effects. Not only that, but they can also be customized to give one a greater degree of protection against the various desert storms, even the most dreaded Element Storm."

  When Feng Yu and the others heard this, they were alarmed; they looked at each other before staring at the scene with even more interest.

  Feng Yu thought for a moment with flashing eyes, ‘Wait, I didn't notice it before, but he mentioned that they can weave clothes and trinkets. If it’s so, then could it be that the person I'm searching for—’

  When Feng Yu thought to here, his mind suddenly felt as if he had awakened as he recalled He Xiu and her unique abilities. He concluded, ‘He Xiu, He Wuhan, could it be that they related? Would she have anything to do with the Weavers Enclave? If possible, then I might not even need to venture to Easthaven so quickly; I could solve the most pressing issue for Dai Lin and the others right here.’

  After wrapping up his thoughts, Feng Yu looked at Bai Li, who was leading them towards what seemed like a large entrance to an outdoor space as he spoke, "Sir Bai, there's something I would like to inquire?"

  Bai Li made a puzzled look as he turned to Feng Yu and spoke, "Oh, what's that?"

  Feng Yu stared at him before asking, "I want to know if there’s anyone in the Weavers Enclave by the name of He Wuhan?"

  When Bai Li heard this, his eyes showed surprise, but that vanished in a flash. He gave Feng Yu a good look before he spoke, "And might I ask why you'd like that information?"

  Feng Yu hearing his reply, felt a bit excited as he knew that he was right on the mark; he calmed himself down and stared at Bai Li, who was looking at him a bit suspiciously.

  After organizing his thoughts, he pointed at his mask and spoke, "I want to commission a job, which is to make a few items with similar effects to my current mask."

  Bai Li narrowed his eyes, he was about to reject Feng Yu, but as if he noticed something, his eyes keenly stared at Feng Yu's mask before glowing in dim lights.

  Following this change, the mask on Feng Yu's face began to show a series of tiny complicated runic symbols etched within its surface to the finest of details.

  Shocked by this, Bai Li's eyes returned to normal as he looked at Feng Yu for a moment before he sent him a mental message, "You... how did you get that mask?"

  Feng Yu smiled as he knew that his gamble had worked; he stared at Bai Li and replied in a mental message, "It's simple, I bought it from a very interesting shop keeper in the Southern Pass."

  Bai Li made a thoughtful look as he heard Feng Yu's words; Feng Yu looked at him in silence as he awaited his next words.

  Dai Lin, the others, said nothing; they knew that both Feng Yu and Bai Li were more or likely having a mental discussion; as such, they kept their attention on those in the surroundings.

  As if he made up his mind, Bai Li glanced at Feng Yu and answered with a mental message.

  "Fine, it's as you've guessed, there is a person within enclave by that name, and that very mask that you've so luckily purchased was one of her past works. However—"

  When Bai Li spoke to here, he paused, causing Feng Yu to knit his brows as he knew that things might just be more troublesome than he thought. As expected, Bai Lin once more spoke again in a regretful tone.

  "While the person who you're looking for is indeed none other than the master of our enclave, it would appear that you've come at a bad time for the master went missing a few months ago."

  As Feng Yu heard those words, he frowned as he didn't like the looks of things; she was the primary reason he had traveled here as he was hoping to inquire about her details from He Xiu and Old Yang. However, even after discovering that she was a master of this special region, it turned out that his travel was still in vain.

  'Shit! Since she's not here, then what do I now? With their master missing it will hinder a lot of things, should I travel to that Five Element Zone myself?' Feng Yu thought for a moment, but after a short, while he shook his head as a determined look came into his eyes as he once more looked at Bai Li.

  Bai Li also noted his change; he calmly awaited his words, and as expected, Feng Yu spoke once more.

  "Do you know exactly what's happened?"

  Bai Li sighed as his eyes flashed with a complex look when he spoke, "I'm not sure, the details are still unclear to us; we only heard that she vanished a little over a month ago. Maybe the other core disciples and He Xiu would have already learned of more details. I suggest asking them later."

  Feng Yu looked at Bai Li and nodded, no longer asking any questions; the others looked at them with curious looks, but no one asked; they knew that Feng Yu would fill them in later.

  By now, Bai Li had guided Feng Yu's party towards the massive entrance of the open door space. After showing the guards a unique emblem, he then led them beyond it. Here, they could see a series of pens used to store animals.

  "Sir Crimson Mask, and company, you can rest your mounts here and pick them up again once you're ready to leave. Your rooms are on the other side; please do take care and enjoy your stay in the Oasis.”

  Feng Yu gave Bai Li a look and nodded before he replied, "We'll do."

  Bai Li nodded before turning around and leaving the area; Feng Yu, Dai Lin, and the others didn't waste another moment as they placed their mounts in the separate pens before moving towards the other side, used for temporary housing.

  While walking by, they couldn't help but notice a variety of mounts, even a few dark-skinned horses along with other unique breeds. Tiana looked at them with shining eyes as she spoke, "Wow! There are so ma
ny creatures; it reminds me of home."

  Tiana smiled and rubbed her head as Toram looked over with a smile, Lang Kuang wanted to tease the little rascal, but he thought against it; he knew this wasn't the time.

  The group continued along until they found a spacious hallway, one with many different large doors with various individuals sitting on chairs on the outside.

  Looking at these groups, one would recall that they were the very same parties belonging to the Desert Hunters and Shaolin Temple with a few other random forces. They each looked at Feng Yu's newly arrived group with varying expressions, some having coldness but none of them did anything in the end.

  Feng Yu looked at this with a calm expression as he thought to himself, 'Well now, these must be the core troublemakers.'

  As Feng Yu thought such words, Dai Lin and the others had similar thoughts as they stared at them keenly, a light tension filling the air, but that soon after faded as Feng Yu's group chose a distant area to rest for the day.

  Chapter 297

  Qiu Yu, A Familiar Face

  After settling down, Feng Yu sent Dai Lin to gather a bit more information before meeting with the others. After checking around for a bit, Dai Lin then gathered with everyone in one of the large rooms to discuss the current proceedings.

  "As you've all figured out by now, things within the Oasis are about to change in entirety, forces from all walks have gathered here, and from what I could gather. The more prominent names among them are the Southern Revolution Faction's Desert Shaolin Temple and the forces from the unofficially recorded regions known as the Black Dunes. These are the Bandit Factions Desert Hunter unit from their branch in the Bandit Town, the Burning Totem Palace, and the even stranger group that titles themselves as Corpse Sorcerers. Rumors say that after hearing the details of He Wuhan's disappearance, these groups are ready to start making trouble to acquire her secrets."

  Dai Lin said as he stared at everyone in the room; Feng Yu, Lang Kuang, and the others remained silent for a moment, but soon, Feng Yu asked.

  "Good, I know about the Desert Hunters and a bit about those Desert Shaolin, but the two groups here that have got me a bit stumped are those of the Burning Totem Palace and Corpse Sorcerers; I've never even heard of such powers. Did you learn any about them?"

  Dai Lin organized his thoughts for a short while before he answered, "I've heard that the Burning Totem Palace is a force comparable to the Southern Revolution Faction's Sand Palace. But not much is truly known about them, other than that they have a long-standing vendetta with the Weaver's Enclave. As for those Corpse Sorcerers, they are even more mystical than any other groups in the south; nothing is known about them other than their names, with few persons bearing witness to their abilities. I'm not certain why they've chosen to make themselves visible at this time."

  Feng Yu narrowed his eyes as he spoke, "Odd, from this, I can understand not only the Burning Totem Palace's agenda but even the Desert Hunters and those Desert Shaolin. However, as for the Corpse Sorcerers, it is indeed, as you've said, they are a bit too vague; I have a feeling that the forces in the south are a bit more complex when compared to other regions; there are far too many secrets hidden beneath these dunes..."

  The others also nodded in agreement with Feng Yu's words; Leon's eyes flashed when he spoke, "Huhu... indeed, but isn't that what makes it more interesting, Chosen Yu? Unearthing treasures and bits of history should make for a good pass time; who knows what we'll find?"

  Feng Yu smiled at this as he spoke with a sharp glint in his eyes, "Indeed, it could either be fortune, or disaster..."

  Everyone had peculiar glints in their eyes at those words; they smirked with looks of confidence on their faces as, like all practitioners, they all know that fortune could only be acquired through risks. No one here was fearful of death but preferred to ride along its boundaries.

  As if he made up his mind, Feng Yu looked at everyone and spoke again, "Alright, I've decided, we’ll be taking part in this Grand Exchange of the Weavers Enclave. As I've mentioned earlier, the Enclave Mistress is none other than the person I'm seeking, but for us to find her, we'll at least need to help out with a few of these matters. Like this, it could be considered as a kind of payment from us to acquire her services; otherwise, who knows just how much an item like my mask and special martial robes would cost to produce? Plus, once we're finished here, even if she doesn't return, we can have her disciples use her methods to make our items with similar effects, solving our most pressing concern for the south."

  Dai Lin, hearing this nodded as he spoke, "The young master speaks wisely; we'll do as you say."

  "Me too," Miren Fei added with a smile.

  Myria gave Miren Fei a peek but said nothing; it seemed that her thoughts were a bit preoccupied with other matters.

  "Haha, it looks like our stay in these lands will be more fun than I thought; we should make the best of it," Lang Kuang said with a smile, his eyes having a slight amount of blood-red light at its corners.

  'Such a brute as always...' Tuzi Baoli thought as she stealthily pinched his side.

  Toram and Tira remained silent, but their expressions showed their acknowledgment of Feng Yu's choice. The only person with a frown on their face was none other than Tiana, who jumped down from Tira's lap and spoke.

  "I'm bored; I want to go shopping."

  The instant Miren Fei heard those words, her face turned red as Tuzi Baoli made a slightly embarrassed look when she looked at Tiana; the two both believed that Tiana was about to rat them out. However, luckily for them, Tiana was still a smart little girl; she said nothing more but only showed an adorable look.

  Feng Yu, Dai Lin, and the others laughed at this scene; Feng Yu then looked at everyone and replied, "Alright, let's end it here, we've pretty much gone over everything, you guys can go do whatever you want, I'm going to take a walk myself."

  "Right," The others replied as they stood up from their seats and left the room in abundance.

  Feng Yu watched as everyone left the room with a smile but showed a strange look as he caught sight of Miren Fei glancing at him. Not daring to respond in kind, he hurriedly left the room and moved towards a different area.

  A good while passed as while walking, Feng Yu soon bypassed the different major parties once more, he was about to reach the outdoor space that held the mounts, but he noticed an individual seated before his path.

  It was a Desert Shaolin with typical attire; his head completely shaved, with a mark of yin and yang at the center of his forehead and red-colored beds around his neck. He sat perfectly balanced metallic pole belongs to his body in a vertical matter.

  If one looked closely around this individual's body, they would feel as if he wasn't a person, but rather a part of his surroundings, the pole, and his flesh would seem no different from a part of the earth.

  'Pure balance... so the Shaolin Temple does have talents aside from that friend of mine,' Feng Yu thought as he recalled Heise Linghun, but as he had already seen this method, he didn't pay too much attention as he continued on his way.

  Oddly enough, when Feng Yu walked, the area soon began to change, as if heaven and earth had turned upside down, making it seemed that he was walking without any direction appearing in the air or at some remote corner.

  Feng Yu's eyes flashed as he smirked while muttering, 'Interesting.'

  As if he wasn't affected, Feng Yu continued walking once more, but this time, his eyes had changed to become transparent as they flashed in a bright light before returning to normal.

  Once this happened, Feng Yu's steps caused his figure to vanish and arrive behind the Desert Shaolin as he continued his way, unperturbed by the previous scene.

  Suddenly, the Desert Shaolin opened his closed eyes that shone in white light before showing his sharp pupils as he spoke in a curious tone.

  "They say talent can be found in all regions, but as for you, Fellow Practitioner... you are a talent that I've never seen before; I wonder, where does your lim
it truly reside? Can you truly disrupt the perfect balance?"

  As the Desert Shaolin said this, his eyes shone in a sharp ray as his entire manner changed as if it was ready to erupt at a moment's notice.

  Feng Yu chuckled at this as he replied, "True Balance has now flaws, while imperfection will always perceive itself as superior. Your strength is good, but you lack true focus... your battle lies not with me, but yourself."

  Feng Yu's words resounded at the depths of the Desert Shaolin's mind, causing him to widen his eyes in shock. At this moment, he found himself in a state of enlightenment as he stared at the direction Feng Yu was walking and spoke after a short while.

  "Fellow Practitioner is truly wise, this bout was I, Qiu Yu's loss, I shall remember this day, Mr. Crimson Mask."

  As the Qiu Yu's voice sounded, his figure soon vanished from this area as if he was nothing more than an illusion.

  Feng Yu halted his steps as he heard this name, his eyes flickering as he recalled something he read while in thought, 'Qiu Yu... so he is the previous generations Shaolin Supreme Prodigy. It's no wonder his strength was so fearful...'

  When Feng Yu thought to here, he couldn't help but recall the dreadful amount of Warrior realm battle qi that was constantly surging at the depths of his body.

  With a light chuckle, he made a faint smile as the look in his eyes grew even sharper when he walked on his way, his thoughts right now unknown to anyone in the world.

  ***

  Far away from the Oasis, within a desert of unusual red sands and plateaus that spanned across the horizon, a crisp gale sent dust across the hot air obscuring most of the surroundings.