Heaven Official's Blessing: After Story

12 - Following

Mu Qing, Feng Xin, Xie Lian and Pei Ming entered the Ghost realm.

„Where can we find Hua Cheng now?", Feng Xin asked the other gods.

„He's probably at his palace in Ghost Town", Pei Ming answered him sounding as if he was really sure of Hua Cheng being there.

Xie Lian wondered why Mu Qing was so sure that Hua Cheng was at his palace but thought it was probably just a guess spoken out with a strong sense of tone.

„Yes, he is probably there", he then confirmed.

The gods entered Ghost Town. To hide their faces they wore masks with animal faces.

„We look ridiculous...", Mu Qing said.

„I feel like my rank just shrug about ten steps", Feng Xin said seriously.

„Don't bleat around. We are here for an important reason and we don't want the demons around here to notice us. Righ?", Pei Ming told them and Xie Lian agreed nutant.

Then they entered Hua Cheng's palace where they met Yin Yu (Hua Cheng's servant).

Xie Lian recognized him immediately and approached him.

„Uhm, hello! Could you tell us where Hua Cheng is right now?", Xie Lian asked.

Yin Yu shook his head.

„I can't. He said he's going out of town for a while. Nobody should go near the Mountains. That's all the lord told me."

„What a beautiful face this servant has... but
it's forgettable", Pei Ming seemed to shift away from the actual reason which they where there for.

„Ehem", Feng Xin interrupted. „The demon lord must already have started his journey. And as I hear I believe he went into these Mountains."

„True, I agree", Mu Qing confirmed.

Xie Lian nodded. When Hua Cheng told his citizens to not go there there was a big chance that he went there himself. He must have winded there something.

„Then we are going to follow him there",

Pei Ming said.

-Mountains of Ghost Town-

„What a weird smell these trees have", Feng Xin said.

The other noticed too.

„Yes, very intense", Pei Ming admitted.

Mu Qing rolled his eyes and started to complain: „I don't want to know how long we are going to search for Hua Cheng. This could get very troublesome. It's so dark, I can't even see right."

„Oh, shut up", Feng Xin answered. „At least, we don't have to wear these childish masks here to hide our faces. They look ridiculous."

„Both of you quiet. Something dangerous could be near. And if you can't see why don't you hold hands? At least, then you won't get lost", Pei Ming whispered.

„Hold hands??? Are you stupid???", Mu Qing said in a lower but bustling voice.

Feng Xin was quite out of embarrassment.

„Shhht and hold hands!", was all Pei Ming answered.

„Stupid", Mu Qing refused.

Xie Lian didn't know wether to laugh or cry. That was a rarely weird group that he lended in. He knew that Mu Qing and Feng Xin never got along but with Pei Ming in the group, they seemed to have even more conflicts now.

„I heard something", Xie Lian said quietly.

„What? What was it, your majesty?", Pei Ming asked quietly.

„I don't know. Just a random noise."

„Maybe it was just a bush in the wind", Mu Qing guessed.

„I am not sure", Xie Lian said.

„Let's keep going but be more careful."

They went on and soon arrived the top of one of the smaller mountain which was more a hill than a mountain. Now, they could see the whole mountainous are better.

„Wow, wait. Are these all the mountains we have to climb? Hua Cheng could be anywhere! Look, there are so many mountains!"
Mu Qing looked indeed impressed.

„Indeed, but they don't all belong to Ghost Town. The border is somewhere in the middle of the forest. So it's only the half of the mountains", Pei Ming said because he knew from reading books about the Ghost realm.

„Still, that's pretty much", Feng Xin admitted.

„We don't have a choice. With which mountain shall we begin? Your, majesty, do you have any preferences?", Pei Ming asked Xie Lian.

„Me? Oh... I don't really know", Xie Lian answered.

„Hmm, I thought maybe you could feel Hua Cheng's present a bit because of the red string that connects you. Don't you?", Pei Ming asked a bit conservative.

„I don't. I can only see that he is safe through the knot of the string. When it loosens he is not safe anymore. I also tried earlier to reach him through the private array but he did not answer. When he is busy he always does answer later on."

„I see."

„But I would climb on that mountain first."

Xie Lian pointed on the big mountain in front of them.

„I believe Hua Cheng would climb that one first too. It's outstanding and near. If he didn't have any other cues he would climb on that one",
Xie Lian said firmly.

„Alright. Then this will be our first."

-on some other mountain in a big cave-

Hua Cheng steps were really quiet now. He neared to the person/thing which was causing the spells on his demons. He could see the pig and the frog demon shivering. Chains that were  attached to the walls of the cave hold them in there place. Why did the warlock demon call for these pitiful demons? They were one from the weakest kind of. Hua Cheng could't solve that puzzle until now. He already found out that the warlock demon doubled his demons into 100 or more. They all were copies but with the same amount of strength. As Hua Cheng heard from the wild pig before in Ghost Town 5 of the demons from Hua Cheng's town went missing. So the warlock had already made 500 soldiers. But to attack the Heaven realm he truly needed more. So he must also have copied demons from the whole ghost realm. Hua Cheng gritted his teeth. The original demons who had been copied must be in the cave. When they died their copies must die too. Hua Cheng only had to kill them or even better: the person who had caused the spell on them.