Chapter 1211: "Be Good and Let Me Stroke You a Little (3)"
Jun Wu Xie who was disguised as a male youth looked at the pitiful looking little fellow. If it was at any other time, she wouldn't really have minded. But..... the corners of her eyes had swept over all the people with the little boy, and the carriages behind him.
Upon those horse carriages, hung the same banners, and the insignia upon those flags, was not unfamiliar to Jun Wu Xie. They belonged to a tiny little place called the Buckwheat Kingdom, and how tiny was tiny?
So tiny that even the Qi Kingdom could be declared as a big country in front of them!
The Buckwheat Kingdom was extremely small, it was the smallest kingdom throughout the lands. It was said that the lands the Buckwheat Kingdom's entire territory, was not even the size of the biggest county in the Fire Country and as the Buckwheat Kingdom was situated among a mountain range, its terrain was treacherous, and their resources lacking. As the terrain was highly unfriendly, it became a place that other countries became to lazy to even want to invade.
Jun Wu Xie did not miss the Jade Crown adorning the top of the little boy's head. Jade Crowns like this could only be worn by the Emperors of the various countries and looking at the guards around the little boy, she could see that they were men from the regimental military and not mere simple bodyguards from a common family.
Jun Wu Xie did not intend to come into contact with any rulers of other countries. Even when..... the other party was just a adorable and naive little kid.
Jun Wu Xie had no intentions of bothering herself with the little boy's request. The little boy's expression was sad and forlorn, his eyes brimming with tears. Grand Tutor He beside him finally could not hold himself back anymore and spoke out.
"Will the Young Master please hold your step?"
Jun Wu Xie glanced at the old man.
"We are all from the Buckwheat Kingdom and this boy here is our Emperor of the Buckwheat Kingdom. As His Majesty is still very young, he has a fondness for adorable little Spirit Beasts. Why don't..... our Young Master, see whether you can fulfil His Majesty's wish, and we will be highly generous with our gratitude." Having served three generations of the Buckwheat Kingdom's rulers, Grand Tutor He was feeling for the first time he felt surprised that he would be capable of doing something so shameless!
As an highly esteemed Grand Tutor, he had actually had to negotiate with a young youth just to satisfy His Majesty's desire to stroke some beast's fur, it was really..... just too embarrassing!
Jun Wu Xie looked at the little Emperor whose tears were about to fall from his eyes and then turned her eyes back to the highly earnest face of Grand Tutor He, before finally loosening her mouth.
"Alright."
Seeing that Jun Wu Xie had agreed, the little Emperor who had frozen in his spot then broke into smiles.
Jun Wu Xie released the Sacrificial Blood Rabbit from her arms and looked in the direction of the little Emperor. The Sacrificial Blood Rabbit immediately understood what its Mistress meant for it to do and immediately hopped into tiny leaps to go to the side of the little Emperor!
As he watched the big eared rabbit returning once again, the little Emperor's heart filled with delight, his small hand trembling slightly as he carefully stroked the soft fur of the big eared rabbit, quickly forgetting to continue to cover his behind.
Once his small hand moved away, it immediately revealed the little ball of fur on his behind that was wriggling incessantly.
That tiny ball of fur, no matter which way you looked at it, looked just like a rabbit's tail.....
Jun Wu Xie's gaze stared undisguised at it, as she watched the little Emperor plopped upon the ground to play with the Sacrificial Blood Rabbit, the rabbit's tail on his behind, wiggling even harder, making the little boy look just like a transformed rabbit spirit.
"Cough." Having already abandoned his pride, Grand Tutor He naturally noticed Jun Wu Xie's gaze and he said rather awkwardly: "That is His Majesty's ring spirit."
Jun Wu Xie's eyebrow raised up. She had never ever heard of anyone under the Heavens that had a ring spirit that was a ball of fur.....
That tail, beside being adorable, could it possibly have any other uses?
But she was at least kind enough not to say much about it but continued to watch the Sacrificial Blood Rabbit trying hard to act cute before the little Emperor. While the scheming rabbit tried to put forth its most endearing charms, it did not forget the carrot that had been dropped upon the ground and it scooped it up in its paws before chewing vigorously on it.
Chapter 1212: "Be Good and Let Me Stroke You a Little (4)"
Its eyes spying that the scheming rabbit's acts of endearment had earned it food, Lord Meh Meh's drool was almost dripping onto the ground, but it was however born a highly proud beast.
Its heart almost dying to eat that, it feigned indifference and turned its head away, bleating in indignant cries going: "Meh meh meh."
But the corner of its eyes, however involuntarily keeping floating over to the carrot held in the Sacrificial Blood Rabbit's paws.....
For Lord Meh Meh who held eating as its life's pursuit, although Jun Wu Xie provided it with the more delicious grass under the Heavens, still could not help itself but to seek more food to eat whenever possible.
Lord Meh Meh indignant bleating attracted the little Emperor's attention and he raised his head up, suddenly seeing a proud faced Lord Meh Meh by the youth's feet, his eyes immediately sparkling brightly once again.
He immediately raised his head up further and looked at Jun Wu Xie with a desperate and longing gaze, his face saying: [I really want to stroke..... really want to stroke..... really really want to stroke.....].
This time, Grand Tutor He could not find it within himself to ask out on His Majesty's behalf.
Jun Wu Xie nudged Lord Meh Meh on its behind with her foot, indicating that Lord Meh Meh should go over. Lord Meh Meh's pride made it pretend to be unhappy about it as it slowly trotted over, to stop beside the little Emperor, its eyes filled with the half eaten leftover stump of a carrot within the Sacrificial Blood Rabbit's paws.....
The little Emperor wanted to stroke Lord Meh Meh but Lord Meh Meh snorted twice and took a few steps backwards on its tiny hooves, looking highly unwilling to let the little Emperor touch it.
Seeing that the little Emperor was about to cry again, Grand Tutor He went into the horse carriage in helpless resignation to dig out another carrot to stuff it into the little Emperor's hand.
With that.....
Lord Meh Meh was finally willing to spare the boy some attention.
With dumb beasts on his left and right nibbling on a carrot each, the little Emperor would at one moment stroke the big eared rabbit gently, and at another moment, be rubbing Lord Meh Meh's thick wool, his face in absolute bliss, the tail on his behind becoming even happier, his pair of eyes almost stuck upon the two dumb beasts before him.
It went from just touching, to become getting not enough of stroking them.....
Grand Tutor He cleared his throat in embarrassment, knowing that His Majesty would not have his fill for quite a while more, as he turned to look at Jun Wu Xie sheepishly.
"If the Young Master does not mind, would you like to sit down together with us to have something to eat?"
Jun Wu Xie did not stand on ceremony in the slightest and plopped herself right down by the fireside. In order to shorten the time spent on the journey as much as possible, she had not gotten much proper rest throughout it. Even the campfire that would drive back the chill in this wintry weather, she had not lit even a single one on the trip.
Grand Tutor He brought some food over for Jun Wu Xie and it might be because they felt that His Majesty's silly antics had embarrassed them making all the soldiers drop their animosity against Jun Wu Xie, but to feel a little awkward instead.
"Is the Young Master from the Condor Country?" Grand Tutor He asked, trying not to appear so awkward, and had hence tried to find a topic to chat with Jun Wu Xie about.
Jun Wu Xie shook her head. "Just came here to tour the place a little."
Grand Tutor He nodded, agreeing that the Condor Country's views of their mountains and lakes were indeed rather nice. "May I ask where is the Young Master going after this? If we are going the same way, we can very well give you a lift."
The Buckwheat Kingdom was tiny, and they had a sparse population, hence they were not strict with the distinction between ruler and vassals, and from the Emperor at the top to the officers at the bottom, they were all highly friendly and close to the common people.
"Imperial Capital." Jun Wu Xie replied.
Grand Tutor He smiled. "That's such a coincidence. We are going to the Imperial Capital as well. Would the Young Master be willing to travel with us?" As he spoke, the Grand Tutor's eyes were looking at the little Emperor. The reason for the invitation was obvious. It was because their little Emperor could not bear to part with the two furry little things.
Jun Wu Xie was silent a moment before she nodded her head.
The Buckwheat Kingdom had always been upright and their reputation had been good. Besides the guarded wariness when they had initially just met, everyone there was rather cordial to her and Jun Wu Xie did not dislike them.
Chapter 1213: "Travelling Together (1)"
The Buckwheat Kingdom had always been upright and their reputation had been good. Besides the guarded wariness when they had initially just met, everyone there was rather cordial to her and Jun Wu Xie did not dislike them.
The little Emperor with the Sacrificial Blood Rabbit and Lord Meh Meh were playing very happily together and looking at the boy at that moment, he did not look like an Emperor, but more like a carefree prince. When Jun Wu Xie became the Fire Country's Emperor, it was already thought that it was already at an unprecedentedly young age, but no one had expected that the Buckwheat Country's Emperor was even younger than that.
Eight or nine years old, still unable to understand many things as yet, but already put into the throne of rulership and assume control over their lands, it was truly hard to believe.
"Grand Tutor! Grand Tutor! Look!" The little Emperor was getting excited as he played, now carrying Lord Meh Meh and the Sacrificial Blood Rabbit in each of his arms. Fortunately after morphing into their minute size they did not weigh all that much or with the little Emperor's tiny arms and legs, he would not be able to lift them at all.
The Sacrificial Blood Rabbit and Lord Meh Meh had no intentions of resisting at all and they allowed the little Emperor to carry them. The only thing they cared about at that moment was only the unfinished carrot they were still chewing voraciously on.
Grand Tutor He looked at the proud little Emperor with a laugh.
"Your Majesty likes these two Spirit Beasts very much?"
The little Emperor's eyes were sparkling brightly as he nodded his head vigorously.
"Our Young Master here is coincidentally going to the Imperial Capital as well. Shall we ask him to travel there together with us?" Grand Tutor He asked.
"Sure! !" The little Emperor nodded immediately, not hesitating in the slightest at all.
Jun Wu Xie raised up her head to look into the sky, thinking the people in the Buckwheat Kingdom from the Emperor at the top to the vassals at the bottom were too open hearted.
If she had harboured the slightest insidious intentions, they would all be dead now.
"Will you really?" The little Emperor asked, still looking a little worriedly at her, his eyes filled with longing and anticipation.
"....." Jun Wu Xie nodded silently.
The little Emperor was so happy he hopped around upon the grass with the two adorable beasts in his arms, while Jun Wu Xie's gaze was instead drawn to the little fluffy tail on his behind instead.
[Mm, he's human, not an animal.]
She had to tell herself many times in her heart. [This..... she cannot touch!]
When the little Emperor was done playing, he still could not let go of them but brought the two adorable little beasts to feed them more food and water, pulling out an endless supply of fruits and vegetables to feed them throughout the entire process.
The Sacrificial Blood Rabbit and Lord Meh Meh were satisfied and they showed no resistance against being touched, as they were already used to that anyway.
Jun Wu Xie's fondness for it had gotten them used to that and with Fan Zhuo occasionally coming over to stroke them as well, they had learnt to be calm.
After the convoy had rested for a while, they readied themselves to continue with the journey. As Jun Wu Xie needed to look out for the two adorable little beasts and the little Emperor was not willing to be separated from them, there was no other choice but to have her sit in the same carriage with the little Emperor and Grand Tutor He.
Jun Wu Xie was just about to get into the carriage when a pitiful wail broke out from the furthest end of the convoy!
Immediately, everyone's face changed, and even the little Emperor who had been smiling widely was shocked into putting the two little beasts down.
Jun Wu Xie looked in the direction the sound had come from. The sound seemed to have come from the last carriage in the convoy. The door on the carriage had been sealed shut but the sound had still exploded out from within the carriage though highly muffled, and the entire carriage was being rocked and shaken!
That sound had been like the roar from a wild beast, seemingly shocking and violent.
"Grand Tutor! Grand Tutor!" The little Emperor tugged at Grand Tutor He's sleeve looking highly flustered, his eyes filling up with panic and worry.
Grand Tutor He's brows furrowed together as he stared at the soldiers already surrounding the sides of the horse carriage, struggling to hold the shaking carriage steady, to prevent it from overturning.
It was not known what was within that carriage that would possess such strength, to shake the entire carriage to almost toppling, almost seeming like it would break all apart.
Chapter 1214: "Travelling Together (2)"
"Quick! Grab the chains and secure them around the carriage!" Grand Tutor He said immediately.
The soldiers moved quickly, immediately retrieving from another carriage a thick metal chain that was about two fingers' width, securing in around the front and back of the carriage where it now seemed it would break apart anymore.
But the roars continued to sound out from within the carriage intermittently.
The soldiers' expressions were solemn, seemingly not shocked by it. From the way it looked, they seem to be used to such a situation.
Jun Wu Xie listened to it quietly, the noise sounding like it came from a beast, but listening to it more carefully, one could just make out that the roar had come from a man.
[Inside that carriage, was imprisoned a man?]
The little Emperor bit on his lips as he stared at the horse carriage that had been tied up with chains, his eyes worried and nervous, but without the slightest sliver of fear and panic.
That made Jun Wu Xie think it rather strange.
She had already gotten a rough grasp of the little Emperor's personality and he did not seem to be one who would be bold and steady. Faced with such a situation, he still did not show the slightest fear, which could only mean he knew the person inside.
After that outburst, the person within that carriage finally quietened down, and the carriage did not shake anymore.
Grand Tutor He heaved a heavy sigh of relief and noticed the youth's gaze where he immediately said: "There is a patient inside that carriage, and he becomes rather terrifying when the illness acts up. We are afraid that he will harm himself and others around him and this was this only choice we had. I hope that had not startled our Young Master here."
Jun Wu Xie shook her head, her heart rather doubtful.
What kind of an illness would give a person afflicted with it such immense strength? Those soldiers earlier, had at least five men on each side pushing against the sides of the carriage but they had still not been able to stabilize the carriage's rocking. Such a display of strength, needless to mention a patient, even if it was a strong and brawny man, it might still not be possible to achieve.
But it was not difficult to see that Grand Tutor He was not willing to say much more about it and Jun Wu Xie was not a person who liked to poke her nose into other people people's affairs. Since they had their own misgivings, she didn't deem it appropriate to probe.
After that earlier episode, the little Emperor lost the mood to continue to fool around. After they got into the horse carriage, he continued to poke his head out the window many a time, repeatedly looking towards the last carriage at the back of the convoy, his big and innocent eyes sad and sorrowful.
"Your Majesty. Your Majesty must be tired by now, you should get some rest." Grand Tutor He said with a sigh. The little Emperor sat back down and lay upon the Grand Tutor's lap silently as he drifted off to sleep, but his brows remained slightly creased together.
Looking at the little Emperor fallen asleep, Grand Tutor He's face furrowed up with sorrow.
Jun Wu Xie did not ask him anything about it, and she knew that it wasn't something she should be asking them about.
For the next few days, Jun Wu Xie travelled together with the convoy from the Buckwheat Kingdom. Over the few days spent with them, she was able to see, instead of saying that the little Emperor was the ruler of the people in the entire convoy, it might as well be said that he was the precious little bundle of joy for the entire team of people.
From Grand Tutor He to any of the soldiers within the team, they all doted upon and indulged the little Emperor, like they would a precious little child.
Fortunately the little Emperor was a obedient and sensible little boy, and he never made any excessive requests. At most, it was asking the soldiers to pick a few more fruits, for him to feed them to Lord Meh Meh and the Sacrificial Blood Rabbit.
Over the past few days, the Sacrificial Blood Rabbit and Lord Meh Meh lived their lives like pigs. Besides eating and sleeping, their only other task was to allow the little Emperor to stroke them, and nothing else, every single day spent in perfect bliss.
During that time, the strange situation with the last carriage occurred another two times, but they passed without anything untoward happening.
After having over indulged on fruits and vegetables, the two naive beasts started to miss the taste of grass around Jun Wu Xie's feet, and they trotted over to her, unwittingly bringing together with them, the little Emperor who followed after the behinds of the two adorable beasts.
Chapter 1215: "Little Big Brother"
Watching Lord Meh Meh and the Sacrificial Blood Rabbit grazing upon the grass around Jun Wu Xie's feet, the little Emperor squatted quietly on one side, resting his chin upon both his palms as he watched intently. That quiet and obedient demeanor, made him really highly lovable. Even for someone as cold and indifferent as Jun Wu Xie, she could not help but praise the little Emperor in her heart.
[What an easygoing child, but that personality was not suited to be an Emperor.]
"Little Big Brother, are these two Spirit Beasts your pets?" The little Emperor asked, looking at Jun Wu Xie. Initially, he was slightly afraid of her, as Jun Wu Xie always had a cold and indifferent look on her face. But after a few days, he began to feel that it was not that difficult to get along with the little Big Brother.
"You can say that." Jun Wu Xie replied softly.
"Will they grow bigger in the future?" The little Emperor asked innocently of Jun Wu Xie.
"I guess so." Whether Lord Meh Meh was fully matured, she did not know, but the Sacrificial Blood Rabbit was just a Guardian Grade Spirit Beast in its infancy.
"It's so nice. I had wanted to keep one as well, but the Grand Tutor did not allow me to. The Grand Tutor said, I am the Buckwheat Kingdom's Emperor and I must maintain the image of an Emperor. But I think I do not like being the Emperor. I had a dream before, and that is to go to the Thousand Beast City! I heard that in the Thousand Beast City, Spirit Beasts are everywhere. If I can become a Spirit Beast Tamer, how great would that be....." The little Emperor looked at the two adorable little pets, his heart full of fondness for them. "Is little Big Brother a Spirit Beast Tamer?"
Jun Wu Xie shook her head.
"But I think little Big Brother is more awesome than a Beast Tamer. I heard that the people in the Thousand Beast City were only able to tame one Spirit Beast at a time but little Big Brother has two here. And Little One and Little Two are so obedient, little Big Brother has really trained them well." The little Emperor said with a laugh, the two deep dimples beside the edges of his mouth making him look so adorable.
[Little One..... Little Two.....]
Towards the names the little Emperor had given to the two naive little beasts, Jun Wu Xie was really feeling helplessly torn between laughter and tears.
"Little Big Brother, if you have the chance to go to the Buckwheat Kingdom in the future, will you come look for me? Teach me how to tame Spirit Beasts..... No..... Teach me how to be friends with Spirit Beasts will you?" The little Emperor asked, his big and innocent eyes looking at Jun Wu Xie earnestly. Imperial authourity and riches in his eyes, were incomparable to the two beasts whose heads were lowered as they chewed up the grass before them.
Jun Wu Xie did not reply. She knew nothing about Beast Taming as Lord Meh Meh and the Sacrificial Blood Rabbit had stuck to her on their own volition.
In the future, when Jun Wu Xie thought back to the words the little Emperor had said to her today, she couldn't help but feel, how great it would have been if only she had agreed to the little Emperor's request at this moment.
As the journey progressed, the little Emperor stuck to Jun Wu Xie more and more. Although Jun Wu Xie wasn't that grown up in age, but she had a firm and steady personality, which made the little Emperor like to hand around her, calling out "little Big Brother" constantly.
Soon, the Buckwheat Kingdom's convoy arrived at the Condor Country's Imperial Capital. After they entered the city, Jun Wu Xie would then be parting with the little Emperor and his men. She needed to go seek for Qiao Chu and the others.
When they parted, the little Emperor was highly reluctant, turning his head back with every step, unable to make himself part with the two adorable beasts, and unwilling to separate from his "little Big Brother".
Suddenly, he jumped down from the horse carriage, chasing after Jun Wu Xie's departing back.
Jun Wu Xie stopped in her tracks within the crowd, and turned around to see the little Emperor panting heavily from running.
"Little Big Brother, I want to give this jade pendant to you." The little Emperor said as he shoved a jade pendant carved with a character that read "Jue" into Jun Wu Xie's hand. (Translator Note from Cloud: The character on this jade piece is "珏" read as jue2 - loosely translated to mean two pieces of jade or gems set or joined together. Not to be confused with the similarly sounding Lord Jue, "爵" jue2 - translated to mean a rank of nobility like Duke or knight etc.)
"Little Big Brother, if you have the chance to come to the Buckwheat Kingdom, you must, really must come find me!" Finishing what he came to say, the little Emperor then turned around and ran off.
Jun Wu Xie watched the gradually diminishing back of the little Emperor as he went further away, the jade piece in her hand still a little warm.
However, with this parting, it.....
.....
Poppy: Where did you summon me out here?
A certain Authour Bei: Someone said they want to see you "strip" before they are willing to cast their votes with their monthly tickets. Hurry up, stri..... What the hell! ! ? I asked you to take off your top, why did you remove your pants! ! ? Stop that! You pervert! Don't take anything off anymore! ! !
[Another round of our little game fa la la~ Brother Hua when outside the Zephyr Academy, who did he impersonate to sell the elixirs?]
Chapter 1216: "Condor Country (1)"
The Condor Country's Imperial City when compared to the Fire Country was not much inferior. The city was bustling with activity and Jun Wu Xie walked within it as she discreetly searched for secret signs left by Qiao Chu and the others. Among the surging crowd of people, Jun Wu Xie noticed one strange thing. Some among the people carried swords that hung from their hips as they passed through the crowd on the wide street, tall and towering figures. Although they were dressed in simple and unadorned clothes, but it was not difficult to see that they were men with military background.
It was obvious that these men were not the Condor Country's soldiers.
Jun Wu Xie found a secret sign left by Qiao Chu and the others outside a little restaurant and inn, and she immediately walked in.
In the guest rooms on the second level, Jun Wu Xie saw Qiao Chu and the others huddled together as they chatted away.
"Hey! Little Xie! You're finally here at last!" Qiao Chu guffawed good naturedly as he patted Jun Wu Xie on the shoulder.
"Where's Rong Ruo?" Jun Wu Xie glanced around the room and did not see any sign of Rong Ruo.
Fei Yan on the side stood up to answer and said: "She said she's going back to her room to rest. I'll go get her to come." Upon saying that, Fei Yan turned to leave, the light blue skirt sweeping before everyone as he passed.
Qiao Chu rubbed at his chin, looking at Fei Yan's "seductive" back, as he shook his head and sighed.
"With Little Yan's looks and that lithe body, if she was really a girl, how many great youths will she have ruined?" Although the two of them usually quibbled with each other the most, but with Qiao Chu's almost zero resistance against beauties, occasionally at times like this when he saw Fei Yan looking "fair as a flower and beautiful as the moon", even he had to admit that that little rascal could sometimes be more girlish than real girls.....
"If these words of yours were heard by him, you'll surely get another thrashing." Fan Zhuo said with an audible laugh.
Qiao Chu gave an awkward smile and scratched at his head. "I wonder how he could possess such terrifying strength when he has a face that looks like that. That's just too incredibly insane."
Hua Yao cast a sideway glance at Qiao Chu and said: "How do you think his enormous ape ring spirit came about?"
Ring spirits are usually paired with owners who shared identical traits with them. Like the ring spirits in their Bone Shifters Tribe, almost all of them were related to bones. Fei Yan looked thin and weak on the outside, but he was actually just lean, and the explosive strength he held hidden inside was a power unstoppable by ordinary people. Fei Yan's ring spirit was the same, where strength was what the enormous ape was famed for.
"That sounds to be right. A pity my Rolly isn't the type known for its strength, but for its handsome looks. On that point, he truly takes after me." Qiao Chu bragged unashamedly.
Jun Wu Xie listened to them and suddenly thought about the little Emperor of the Buckwheat Kingdom. His personality was indeed quite similar to that of a rabbit, and it was not that strange for him to have a ring spirit like that. But as Jun Wu Xie thought of that, she suddenly noticed a loophole.
"Little Xie, what's wrong? Why are you looking so pale?" Qiao Chu noticed Jun Wu Xie's pale complexion, and asked in a hurry.
Jun Wu Xie shook her head. When she had suddenly thought about the little Emperor, she had remembered the little rabbit's tail on his behind. Grand Tutor He had said that it was his ring spirit and Jun Wu Xie had not thought much about it at that time. But she had suddenly realized something, and felt that it was all rather odd!
Since she had been reborn here, it had merely been about a year's time. Although she had tried to absorb everything she could about this world, but there were some things that got pushed into a corner of her mind and it wasn't that easy for her to remember them. And this time, she had missed out and made an obvious oversight!
And it was the little Emperor's ring spirit!
The little Emperor looked only to be about eight or nine years of age, so how could he have a ring spirit? Only at fourteen would one's ring spirit awaken, and based on that, the little Emperor's own ring spirit could not have awoken yet! !
Chapter 1217: "Condor Country (2)"
If that rabbit's tail was not a ring spirit, then what could that have been?
Why did Grand Tutor He try to hide it like that?
Although Jun Wu Xie held those doubts in her heart, she knew that this was not something she should ask about. Grand Tutor He was highly loyal to the little Emperor and that was a point that would be impossible for him to pretend to be. The reason that he had said that must have been for some special reason.
Jun Wu Xie could not help it but the image of the strange carriage at the back of the convoy came to her mind. Just what was really in that carriage, she did not know.
"Little Xie..... Are you alright?" Qiao Chu asked when out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed Jun Wu Xie's expression becoming darker and darker, and he became worried.
Jun Wu Xie snapped back to her senses. "It's nothing. Some things just came into my mind that's all."
"If there anything, you've got to tell us. Big Brother Wu Yao would surely avenge you!" Qiao Chu said, getting highly worked up.
The expression on Jun Wu Xie's face immediately changed subtly.
Fan Zhuo at the side was trying very hard not to laugh. He had thought that Qiao Chu would say he would definitely take revenge for Jun Wu Xie but in the end..... he had so shamefully thrown it all onto Jun Wu Yao.
Qiao Chu was not embarrassed but instead looking very proud as he said: "What? Have I said anything wrong? Big Brother Wu Yao just needs to wriggle his little finger and everything before him falls and dies. Just how much cooler can that be? !"
Jun Wu Xie turned her eyes away quietly, the cloud of suspicions that had filled her mind earlier suddenly dissipated into nothing by Qiao Chu's antics.
Fei Yan ambled over to seek out Rong Ruo, his highly "pretty" face garnering quite a bit of attention from the inn's guests as he passed along the walkway. He threw out a few atrocious winks towards the one of the mesmerized men, and a moment later, he heard a loud crash when that man on the stairs had missed a step and fell rolling down the staircase.
Based on their innate characters among the six of them, Fei Yan had the most deplorable personality.
Coming before Rong Ruo's room door, Fei Yan had most casually pushed the tightly shut door open, that tiny bolt on the door flimsy as noodles before his monstrous strength.
Fei Yan strutted inside blatantly and did not see any sign of Rong Ruo within the room. He looked around in puzzlement and then seemed to hear a faint sound from the side and he walked towards the source of it.
A faint mist permeated the place within the cold air, feeling slightly damp. In that thin fogginess, a tall and gracefully svelte figure was slowly revealed, the subdued rays of the sun strongly outlining a shapely and curvy figure in stark contrast.
The smile on Fei Yan's face immediately congealed, his eyes immensely wide as they stared, his entire body frozen in place.....
Rong Ruo who was taking a bath heard a noise and turned her head around. She saw Fei Yan standing there to stare blankly at her, as the warm smile upon her face remained in place.
"I think all the doors inside and outside here to you, are all just pieces of decoration and you really treat them as if they do not exist."
Fei Yan stood unmoving in his spot. In that instant that Rong Ruo had turned around earlier, he seemed to have seen.....
'Drip drip.....'
Two streaks of blood flowed out from Fei Yan's nose, dripping onto the ground.
That faint smell of blood made the two people freeze a moment, and Fei Yan turned around suddenly, running headlong outside in escape.
While Rong Ruo remained within the wooden tub, her eyes filled with puzzlement as she lowered her head belatedly, and saw the exposed allure on her chest.
"Dammit!" She then slapped her palm on her forehead, as she leaned back against the wooden tub suddenly feeling perplexed.
[How could she have forgotten.....]
"I'm sorry." Rong Ruo's brows furrowed together, and said those words that made no sense.
Fei Yan ran like he had gone mad, barging right into Qiao Chu's room. Qiao Chu who was singing his high praises for Jun Wu Yao turned his head in surprise to look at Fei Yan who had come crashing in while holding his nose, his face a blank expression, his eyes vacant.
"I'll say Little Yan, what's wrong with you?"
Chapter 1218: "I Will Take Responsibility"
Fei Yan completely ignored Qiao Chu and just held on to his nose furiously. He reached out a hand and grabbed a piece of Qiao Chu's clothes that had been cleaned to wipe off the nosebleed.
The instant the bright red blood was seen, Qiao Chu immediately exploded in rage!
"Your Old Grandmaster! Let go of my clothes! If you've got something against me, come straight at me instead!" He rushed right up and wanted to fight it out from Fei Yan's hands there and then. However..... Fei Yan pushed him back with just one hand.
Qiao Chu's heart was already crying a river.....
Under all that ruckus, Rong Ruo walked in slowly. When she came in, she immediately saw the two fighting with Fei Yan holding Qiao Chu back with one hand, but there wasn't the slightest bit of embarrassment or bashfulness upon her face.
Instead, it was the always wayward and wilful Fei Yan that turned bright red upon seeing Rong Ruo who let go of his hands and stood morosely quiet on one side, not daring to raise his eyes to look at her.
Rong Ruo on the other hand, leisurely and gracefully sat herself down upon a chair.
"Just got here?" Rong Ruo asked, looking at Jun Wu Xie.
Jun Wu Xie nodded.
"You should get some rest first. We'll all sit down and discuss about the things here slowly tonight." Rong Ruo said with a smile.
"Alright." Jun Wu Xie was not in a rush. Since she was already here in the Condor Country, and from the reactions of Rong Ruo and the others, things seemed to be going well here.
Jun Wu Xie went back to her room to rest. Hua Yao and Fan Zhuo looked at Qiao Chu who was crying tearlessly as he held the blood stained clothes in his hands and then turned to look at Fei Yan who was acting very strangely. The two of them had in a show of rapport, both chosen to remain silent, except for the glint of interest within their eyes that betrayed what they were feeling at that moment, while the two of them walked away shoulder to shoulder.
Rong Ruo had just walked out from the room when the coyly quiet Fei Yan suddenly went chasing after her.
"Little Ruo!"
Rong Ruo's steps slightly faltered and she turned to look at Fei Yan, but instead saw Fei Yan whose face was so red it looked like the colour of well cooked prawns. He was dressed in female clothes and standing there looking so "bashful" in front of her, in the eyes of others, he looked every inch like a budding young girl in love.
"I....." Fei Yan was at a loss, not knowing what he wanted to say. As sharp tongued as he always was usually, he suddenly couldn't find the words.
Rong Ruo looked at Fei Yan, her eyes looking slightly frustrated.
"Today, nothing ever happened. You do not have to take it to heart." She said with a smile, dressed elegantly in male clothes, looking like a distinguished and graceful Young Master.
Fei Yan was stunned. He had not thought that Rong Ruo would put it across so lightly. The two of them had ever since been picked up by Yan Bu Gui, been brought up within the Phoenix Academy. Hua Yao and Qiao Chu frequently went out on missions together, while he always moved around with Rong Ruo. Rong Ruo had always been this gentle from young and no matter what he did, she never once showed a sliver of anger or displeasure. Many a time, Fei Yan always felt that Rong Ruo was a person that was so nice and without a temper.
After saying that, Rong Ruo was going to turn and leave.
But Fei Yan found his heart fill with panic!
"I will take responsibility!"
Rong Ruo was stunned into stone. She froze in her spot not daring to turn her head back, completely unable to believe what her own ears had just heard.
"I..... will take responsibility. After we avenge our families, I will mar..... marry you....." Fei Yan summoned up every single ounce of his courage before he could finish saying those words. After saying that, he turned around and ran off, leaving Rong Ruo still stunned, as she stood staring blankly there.
Rong Ruo's attractive eyes were filled with incredulity. She couldn't help but feel that either Fei Yan had gone mad, or that she was just hearing things.
[Marry her?]
[But.....]
Rong Ruo's genteel face suddenly showed a rare moment of anxiety. Her brows creased up slightly as she stared at the highly flustered and escaping back of Fei Yan, her eyes filled with a conflicted and frustrated glint.
"What am I going to do with this now?" Rong Ruo whispered to herself with a bitter laugh.
She really didn't need Fei Yan to take responsibility for any of it.
Chapter 1219: "Strange"
After Jun Wu Xie woke up from her sleep, she was feeling much refreshed. The several companions then gathered together and everything seemed just like it was before, but at the same time a little different.....
The corners of Rong Ruo's lips were smiling, but they were tinged with a trace of bitterness, while Fei Yan's eyes were always fixed upon Rong Ruo today.
This point, was obvious even to the highly insensitive and dumb block that Qiao Chu usually was.
"Whatcha looking at? !" Qiao Chu asked, stretching out a hand and waving it before Fei Yan's eyes. Fei Yan was surprised and immediately shifted his gaze, showing a rare moment where he did not retaliate against Qiao Chu.
"Is there anything that all of you have managed to discover in your investigations throughout this period?" Jun Wu Xie asked, going straight to the point.
Fan Zhuo answered: "When we first came to the Condor Country, we had initially planned to investigate into the Imperial Palace right away. Rong Ruo had first released her Hell Butterflies to scout the place but then a strange thing happened. Rong Ruo's Hell Butterflies disappeared. Or to put it more accurately, they were crushed by an immensely powerful force."
Rong Ruo's Hell Butterflies were different from others, where they could fuse into one whole, or split and separate into many. After they spilt apart, the Hell Butterflies would become very small in size and would not be detected by people unless they possessed the powers of a Purple Spirit before they might possibly be able to notice the faint spirit energy emanating from them.
"We are guessing that someone from the All Dragon's Palace is definitely residing within Condor Country's Imperial Capital and we held ourselves back from making any rash moves. Over this period, we have been secretly observing the things here in the Imperial Capital and we have noticed some strange things. Over this period, there were often many convoys from other countries coming into the city and totaling them up, we have seen convoys from almost seven or eight other countries. Why have all these teams from differing countries all appeared here together which made us find it rather suspicious. Since the Condor Country's Imperial Palace has people from the All Dragons Palace residing within, we did not dare to infiltrate the place in fear of alerting them, But Rong Ruo secretly sent the Hell Butterflies to keep tabs on the people from the other countries and discovered even stranger things....."
The people from the various countries were arranged to stay within the city and they frequently went in and out of the Imperial Palace and another place. The companions were not able to go inside the Imperial Palace but for the other place, they sent out the Hell Butterflies and made sure that there wasn't any people from the All Dragons Palace before they secretly went in to investigate.
And what they found out made the several youths feel rather flustered.
"That place is in a far corner of the Imperial City and highly inconspicuous. But the things inside that place were rather terrifying though." Fan Zhuo said as his brows furrowed up together, like his mind had recalled a certain unpleasant memory.
"That place is filled with people who are imprisoned in there..... Or should I say they were people who did not possess any self awareness."
"What does that mean?" Jun Wu Xie's eyes were slightly startled.
"Those were all some young men, but it was strange that the muscles on all their bodies were developed to highly extreme extents, and they did not seem to possess any awareness but only to attack anyone they saw where even Qiao Chu had difficulty receiving an all out attack from them. They possess immense and terrifying strength that is only slightly weaker than Fei Yan."
Fan Zhuo did not know how to fully describe what they all saw. The people they saw were no longer humans but more like monsters which was nothing like anyone of them had ever seen.
Those people were imprisoned in a house and separately locked up in chains, frequently letting out bestial roars. They were loud and the neighbouring citizens have all been moved out from there with all the houses nearby sitting completely empty. Within the Imperial Capital, rumours were rife that the place was haunted and nobody dared to go near the place where even the Condor Country's soldiers had been sent there to have the place heavily surrounded to prevent anyone from going near it.
But it was exactly such a place that the dignitaries and delegations from various countries went to repeatedly, and with none returning. All of them were even led in there by the Condor Country's Emperor himself.
Chapter 1220: "Strange (2)"
Jun Wu Xie's brows creased up slightly. For no reason, Fan Zhuo's description made her subconsciously think about the Buckwheat Kingdom's last horse carriage in their convoy.
"I had once heard, in the Middle Realm, there exists an insidious method that could greatly alter an average person's body constitution. That method by manner of speaking, was invented by the Soul Return Palace. They used a person's spirit as the price in exchange for the physical body's might. The condition of those people in that place in the Condor Country seems rather similar to that." Fan Zhuo said.
"That method, although it can make one's body incomparably strong, but at the same time, those people who lose their spirits become just a mere shell and reacts only according to orders, unable to feel any pain and does not know fear. And as their bodies have been soaked in a kind of poisonous brew for a long time, those people develop a high resistance to poison their bodies turn very tough, their skin highly resilient. At the time when the Soul Return Palace just developed this method, the Dark Emperor rejected it and immediately crushed the person who developed it into minced meat. Now..... it seems the All Dragons Palace has somehow managed to get their hands on it and is using it here in the Lower Realm." Fan Zhuo said as his brows came together in a frown.
There are limits to a person's body, but such a malicious method uses the sacrifice of one's spirit as a foundation, to create a monster that breakthrough those limits. People who were put through such alteration, could no longer be termed as human, but pure war machines.
"For the All Dragons Palace to secretly introduce this into the Lower Realm, I'm afraid they would have more terrifying intentions behind this."
"Isn't the All Dragons Palace just completely devoid of conscience here? They are completely not treating the people of the Lower Realm as humans! Nobody in the Middle Realm dares to use this and they have instead come to stir up this storm in the Lower Realm." Qiao Chu harrumphed indignantly.
Having the Middle Realm not seeing the people of the Lower Realm as human, it was already a mentality deeply instilled into their consciousness. In the eyes of many in the Middle Realm, the people of the Lower Realm held less dignity than beasts. Whether it was to kill them or to undergo extreme alterations, they were all playthings that could be used to merely kill time as well.
Qiao Chu and the others had left the Middle Realm from a very young age and hence, such a mentality had not been inoculated into their minds. With deep blood vengeance upon their shoulders, they had long forgotten about such division between the realms.
Jun Wu Xie's eyes were narrowed. On this path in search of the human skin maps, she had seen too much of such instances. Regardless whether it was the Qing Yun Clan's Ke Cang Ju, or the Zephyr Academy's Gu Ying, or even Qu Xing Rui in the Thousand Beast City, in their eyes, people of the Lower Realm were not human. They killed whenever they wanted, without the slightest hesitation.
"One of these days, they will leave the Lower Realm." Jun Wu Xie said in a chilling voice. Although she never liked to poke her nose into other people's affairs, but in this matter where they forcibly altered a human body, she found she hated it to a new extreme.
Conducting such an evil kind of experiments, that went against the very grain of nature, the natural evolution of man, should not even exist in this world!
"Wait till we have finished we need to do, and we'll come here to the Lower Realm and do nothing but grab these scoundrels from the Twelve Palaces who come down here and bash them senseless. We'll then see if they still dare to stir up any more trouble here in the Lower Realm at that time." Qiao Chu said as he shook his fist in resentment.
"Dumb Qiao is right. In order to foil these plans of the Middle Realm, we need to hold absolute power over them. With the powers we possess right at this moment, if faced against the people of the Middle Realm, would only put us into a long bitter battle." Fan Zhuo said. Although he highly abhorred the fact that such a utterly heartless method was being used on people, he knew he had to keep a clear mind to think things through, and not get riled up.
"At present, our most important mission is to locate the map within the Condor Country. From what I have observed before, every time the Condor Country's Emperor comes out of the Imperial Palace to meet with the delegations from the other countries, a particular man is always with him. Although that man had always suppressed his spirit aura, but I could still feel it emanating out from his body, and know that he must be from the All Dragons Palace." Rong Ruo said with a slight frown. Her Hell Butterflies had always highly sensitive in perceiving one's powers.