It was dusk. The last bit sunlight slowly faded away, but the basement light was still on. Charles studied the leather robe on the hanger, mending the tears and holes. The design had been perfect enough, but now he could see that once something was actually put in use, there would be problems. Many problems had arisen in just one night.
Charles opened the lining, checking the ‘steel bone’ structure inside. He muttered to himself, “The shoulder’s shock absorbance isn’t good enough. There might be metal fatigue as time goes on. There are problems with the force guidance too, but it should be easy to fix. Its own stability… junior’s really good at coming up with hard questions. I have to make it lighter, but still strong…”
“Still working?” a voice sounded behind him.
“Professor?” Charles turned around in shock, “Shouldn’t you be teaching?”
Abraham shrugged, “The only student who’s willing to come also ditched today.”
“What about junior?”
“Still sleeping. Maybe he’s tired.”
“He can get tired too? Sounds like a joke.” Charles shook his head, “Sometimes I feel like he’s made of steel. But even if he’s steel, he shouldn’t put so much pressure on himself. He can get metal fatigue too. He’s already reached the Rhythm level in one month…”
“It’s already been one month? It feels like only a few days have passed.” Abraham sighed, “I had worried that you two wouldn’t get along, but now it seems like you two are good friends.”
“Good friends?” Thinking of something, Charles laughed.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, I just heard a joke a few days ago,” Charles said. “Good friends are like stars. No matter how often you see them, you know that if you look up, you’ll see them watching you from afar, not doing anything.”
“…Charles, why do I find you more and more annoying?”
“Professor, I try not to be,” Charles said helplessly. “Once I dreamed of a really interesting comic about a bat knight. He would fight against the evils in his city and had many powerful enemies. While he was fighting for justice, he met a group of powerful friends.
“Some of them were able to fly, and their eyes could shoot lasers. Some were female warriors in bikinis, others had green light, and another one could talk with fish. They united and even became members of a tight-clothing club together. But no matter how many friends he had, the bat knight always fought by himself. When he faced powerful enemies, his good friends were useless…just like Yezi.”
Looking back at the robe, Charles’ eyes darkened. “Professor, look, I want to be a superhero that can shoot lasers with my eyes too, but sadly, I’m just a pile of useless trash. Sometimes, I really feel like I’ll become the useless friend too.”
Abraham was silent for a long time. Finally, he patted Charles’s shoulders, saying, “Some people are not destined to receive help.”
Charles shrugged.
—
“But anyway, I feel like Junior is a little weird these days.”
“Maybe he grew up?” Abraham nodded, “You were like this too. You’d always hide under the bed to look at porn.”
“Uh, I’m not talking about that,” Charles quickly explained, almost choking on his spit. “I mean that he looks the same as before but he looks scared of something.”
“Oh.” Abraham nodded.
“Professor, do you have any solutions?”
Abraham shook his head.
“You can’t do anything either?”
“From what I see, just let him be scared. Why should you force yourself to stop being scared?” Abraham looked at him, “Charles, didn’t you have many nightmares when you were little?”
Charles’s smile froze and he looked away, “That’s all in the past.”
“Yes, everything will pass,” Abraham said. The room fell silent again.
Charles studied the steel bone structure in the long silence. He suddenly asked, “Professor, are you scared of anything?”
“Yes, many things.” Abraham nodded calmly, though his eyes were bitter. “A few days ago, I was scared the academy wouldn’t pay me… You know, you owe too much money. If you can’t pay them back, it’ll be hard for you to stay here.”
“Uh…”
Seeing his expression, Abraham laughed, “The older you get, the more things you worry about, and the more things you fear. When I was young, I kept thinking how great it would be if wasn’t scared of anything, but is that really better? Do you really have to force yourself?”
As Charles thought, Abraham reached over and lifted the robe. “Did you make this? It’s good.”
Charles shrugged, “I can’t be a musician, so I can just make these small things.”
“There’s nothing regretful about not becoming a musician. If you are a renowned artisan, you can be respected too. There’s no problem as long as you can live well. There aren’t any rules about what you must do. I had wanted to train Yezi to become a scholar, but sadly, it seems like he probably doesn’t want to. I can only help him in a different way.”
With that, Abraham reached into the air, slowing opening his prosthetic fingers as if grasping something. Then the “Requiem” enchantment over the academy cracked open.
The omnipresent enchantment in the air began turning secretly. Thick and solid aether rushed through the crack, flowing into the basement. It shimmered with a beautiful glow. A black violin appeared in the black metal hand. The strings vibrated, playing a graceful and quiet melody. The entire world seemed to hush.
Everything stopped rushing around, entering an indescribable peace, as if falling into a beautiful dream. There was no more death, no more uncertainty, no more confusion. Everything returned to a calm state.
This was a fragment of the legendary Wyrmrest Kekkai. It came from the calming Requiem and could make all Musician level scores ineffective—Resonance level music score: Tranquility!
The aether rippled with the melody. Everything in its path fell asleep. Abraham stood within the ripples, conducting the melody. He guided the aether onto the black robe, transforming into music notes.
Layers of complex music scores shimmered on the steel bone structure before dimming. In the end, they disappeared with the melody, reverting back to its original appearance. The music score of Tranquility had been sealed within.
Abraham was not an alchemist from the School of Modifications, but he had used his studies in the School of Abstinence to turn the score into a seal implanted into the robe to become alchemy equipment.
“Compared to professional alchemists, the seal I’ve made can only be used once.” Abraham shook his head regretfully, putting the robe back on the hanger, “But it should be enough for now.”
Charles felt the power within the robe, discerning it, “Once the Tranquility Enchantment is activated, everything within ten meters will become a silent aether zone. It’s only for half a minute, but all music scores under the Resonance level, and musicians who haven’t gone past the Barrier of Knowledge will be unable to manipulate aether. No matter what, he can at least stay alive with it.”
Abraham remained silent, glancing at his steel arm. The constantly flashing rune on his inner arm seemed to be reminding him of something. He reached over, feeling the easily-activated rune and the power it held. The ‘music score’ was enough to turn the entire building into ash—that was his shackle.
Abraham looked away, sighing, “That is all I can do.”
—
Ye Qingxuan awoke from his dream, his entire body sore. The over-manipulation of aether made him nauseous. Jiu Xiao Huan Pei could help him with precise manipulation, but performing complex notes still exhausted him. Even if his father had made Black Friday just for him, he needed to create each interval by himself.
He needed to overlap the music notes and put them into the structure of an interval. It was like putting words into a phrase, phrases into a sentence, and then making a paragraph—that was the ‘measure’ of a music piece. Each measure needed his total focus. If he had not hid in the coffin beforehand in the graveyard, he would have been found easily.
“Hopefully it won’t be so tiring today.” Rubbing his face, Ye Qingxuan climbed out of bed and went to the bathroom for a shower. When he saw himself in the mirror, he almost freaked out.
—
Under the dim light, a white-haired youth stood silently in the shadows, staring at the mirror. There were dark circles under his eyes as if he had a lack of sleep, but his gaze was sharp, like a sword becoming sharper with use.
He no longer looked at the forgotten friendships and indifferences. He was no longer full of enthusiasm. He had received some things and lost others.
Maybe Charles was right. The classroom was where one learned by shedding blood and tears. The best way to learn was pain. Downtown was a good school, even if he learned things he did not want to.
Ye Qingxuan looked at the mirror. After a long time, he sighed.
“Junior, do you think you’ve gotten so attractive that you can’t even recognize yourself?” a voice came from the side.
Ye Qingxuan shook subconsciously. “Senior, can you not scare me like that?” he sighed.
“I know, I know. It’s annoying to get interrupted when you’re drunk on your own beauty.” Charles came closer. He fixed his hair, his eyes full of adoration. “To be honest, I get that feeling a lot. How can the handsome man in the mirror be me? Whenever I see that someone can be so handsome, my knees get weak. When I looked at the mirror a few days ago, I almost kneeled down to myself!”
“Senior!” Ye Qingxuan seriously wanted to slap this guy.
“Okay, I know. Shut up, right?” Charles shrugged and patted Ye Qingxuan’s shoulders. “But Junior…”
“Huh?” Charles played with the soap by the sink and whistled, “You’ve been out of the shower for so long. Haven’t you noticed that you’re not wearing pants?”
“…” Ye Qingxuan looked up into the sky, sighing. He did not care who was listening to his prayers, but he just wanted someone to strike this guy with lightning.
In a remote tavern in downtown, a bedraggled man drank wine with large gulps under the dim yellow light. His eyes were dazed and his hair was messy. His clothing was originally clean, but had become dirty with its owner’s “care.” Failures like him could be seen everywhere in downtown, getting drunk and escaping from reality. But he seemed to be rich, and could afford the expensive wines.
“F*ck, a bunch of bullsh*t!” Lestrade spat. He downed the wine and snapped his fingers, calling the bartender for another bottle.
The bartender seemed not to have heard and did not reply. Angry, Lestrade moved to flip the table over, but a bottle was placed before him. He was already wasted, but he could still see that it was black market whiskey from Burgundy. Thirty bottles were produced annually. It was a rare luxury.
A figure sat before him. One could see from the contours that the man was dressed well and was full of grace. Voice gentle, he asked, “Hey, friend, mind if I sit here? I’ve had a good harvest recently, and I want to celebrate. I need a friend to share with.”
Lestrade opened his eyes, but he was drunk and could not see clearly. The newcomer took off his hat, and placed it on the table. Then he opened the bottle smoothly and poured two glasses, “Cheers to the mighty Avalon.”
The gentlemanly figure raised his glass. Lestrade hesitated. Pursing his lips, he raised his as well. “F*ck Avalon.”
Downing the glass in one shot, the sweet liquor rolled down his throat, waking his drowsy senses. Pursing his lips, he tossed the glass and stuck up his middle finger, “Okay, you can scram now.”
“So uncivilized,” the newcomer sighed. He finished the glass and set it down. “Friend, why must you drink by yourself? Life is short. You need a friend to talk about your worries with. You need a good listener.”
“You f*cking lunatic…” Rolling his eyes, Lestrade slammed his hand onto the table and stood up, ready to leave.
“Sit,” the elegant voice said behind him.
For some reason, Lestrade’s vision blurred, his knees buckled, and he sat in the chair again.
“Very good. This is the basis of a conversation. You must be polite and open your heart.” As Lestrade’s eyes widened in shock, the newcomer laughed quietly. “Let me introduce myself. My name is Holmes, Sherlock Holmes. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Inspector Lestrade. I’ve heard much about you…”
Lestrade was awake instantly. He opened his eyes, finally seeing the man clearly. A chill ran down his spine.
The man who called himself Holmes sat in the shadow under the swaying light. Dim light illuminated his robe, but the robe was beastly—menacing and terrifying. The candlelight danced across his face but could not illuminate his features. It was all a blur. And in the blurriness, two dark orbs reflected the light like burning flames.
The rest of the bar seemed to fade with the man’s appearance. They seemed to be in a different world. People passed by, but no one spared them a glance.
Holmes laughed, his voice hoarse. “Seems that you’re still drunk. Why don’t we play a game?” He pulled a marble from his pocket and tossed it into the glass before him. Then he flipped the two glasses over and moved them around at a dizzying speed. When the short but fast movements ended, Sherlock let go and pointed at the two glasses. “Guess where the marble is.”
Lestrade studied him cautiously, but the man just smiled, waiting patiently. Lestrade wanted to leave but the chill in his body made him hesitate. After a long time, he pointed to the glass on the right.
“Beep! Beep! Wrong!” The man flipped the glass, revealing the emptiness. “There’s a punishment for choosing wrong.”
Crack!
Before Lestrade could react, his face started burning in pain. It was a slap. A slap that was full of disdain and mockery, taunting him.
“F*ck…” Lestrade slammed his fist down in anger, ready to punch the man hard, but he saw the man look up and order, “I told you, sit down!”
Thud!
Lestrade fell into his seat, unable to control his own body. Biting coldness shot from his feet to the back of his skull. A chill known as fear pierced his mind, jolting him from his drunken haze, but he would have rather been drunk.
“Okay, let’s continue our game.” The two glasses started moving again. Quickly, they stopped. The man chuckled, “It’s time to choose again.”
“What do you want?!” Lestrade glared at the figure before him. “Behave yourself, *sshole, or else you’ll be in jail getting ‘loved’ by all of the men!”
“Ha, are you finally awake?” The ghostly man chuckled, “How unfortunate. I wanted to play some more, but now it seems that we can start conversing happily.”
“Converse? In your dreams!” Lestrade spat. He had seen through this guy’s nature. Sneering, he said, “Wait until tomorrow morning and we’ll have a nice conversation in prison. Then you’ll know what regret means.” He jabbed the man’s chest, his expression dark. “Best if you find out who I am!”
“So unfriendly,” The man sighed, gripping Lestrade’s finger. “Just so unfriendly.”
Lestrade flinched. He tried yanking his hand back, but the man’s grip was like a clamp around his finger! He could not budge at all.
“I know who you are. But you don’t know,” there was hoarse laughter, “…who I am.”
Crack! There was a crisp noise. It was the sound of bone shattering.
Lestrade’s face twisted and he opened his mouth to scream, but his voice was stuck in his throat. Pain attacked his nerves in waves, pushing him to the brink of sanity. He shook, holding his broken finger and screaming silently. His body twisted and trembled in pain. His eyes practically bulged out of their sockets.
“You can calm down now, right? Mr. Lestrade, I came to find you so we could have a friendly conversation. Why must you be so rude?” The man smiled. He lowered his eyes, looking at Lestrade. “Or has your argument with that rich lady made you lose all reason?”
In extreme pain and fury, Lestrade finally understood one thing: the man before him was…a complete lunatic!
Glaring, he forced out, “You stalked me!”
“Stalk? You?” The man who called himself Holmes was taken aback, as if he had heard a joke. He gazed at Lestrade’s face and shook his head seriously. His nonchalant reply was full of scorn and coldness.
Lestrade’s humiliation multiplied. He panted heavily, his face red and his eyes murderous. “I don’t care how you found out, *sshole, but I will get rid of you. Understood? Get rid of you! You and everything you inquired about will be thrown into the sewer!”
“Inquire? Haha, look at yourself, sir. Everything’s written on your face.” The d*mned fellow laughed. He suddenly rose, stepping onto the table to look down. He used is cane to lift Lestrade’s chin, gazing at his pale face. “Do you know the method of deduction? Should I demonstrate it for you?” He paused and let out a hearty laugh, “Now, it’s time for reasoning.”
“It’s midnight and you, an inspector with a promising career, didn’t go home but let yourself get drunk as a pig. I suppose that you must be in a very bad mood, and maybe saw some terrible things, so I shall give you my sympathy!
“But I still can’t imagine that you would pick such a dirty downtown tavern to buy a drink, even to relax. Are you strapped for cash?
“What a surprise! If you go to midtown, I’m sure those kiss-up men would know who you are, and would give you a discount. No doubt something happened, so you can’t have a drink for free anymore, not at least now.
“Hmm… pale face, red neck, and dilated pupils…you smoked opiates! Interesting! A cop smoking opiates!Have you always had such a special hobby?”
Lestrade froze, his pupils constricted out of fear—his secret had been discovered! He tried to say something, but the hoarse laughter did not wait for his words.
“Oh, sorry to digress! Let’s get back on topic. Oh, look at those scratches on the neck and arms. Must’ve been from someone’s sharp nails. Look at the pink nail polish left on the wound. Was it a prostitute?
“No, prostitutes would choose a brighter and more charming color. What’s more, they know who you are. They wouldn’t dare to harm a hair, even if you beat them up.
“There is obvious ring-shaped mark, but no ring. Where did the ring go? Well, from your look, you didn’t lose it. You just took it off, didn’t you?
“Your sleeves, oh, they’re turning black. You’re well-dressed, but a gentleman would never wear dirty clothes! And look at your nails. Is there dirt underneath them? Terrible! You’d better go home right now and take a nice bath. You haven’t been home these past two days, right?
“Your hands caught my attention too. They’re full of calluses. It tells me that you must have worked very hard before. Are you a craftsman? No, everyone knows that you’re an inspector. The only explanation is that you’ve worked at a workshop before.
“According to your age, let me guess, it was family workshop, wasn’t it? You must have been in charge of tanning the leather, right? Your fingers and palms don’t have the same skin color, which proves that your fingers must have been soaked in some kind of agent for a long time. The agents for tanning leather can corrode things to some degree. This explains why red marks appear whenever you drink.
“Then, my next question is, how can the son of a leather workshop owner occupy such an important position in a national police agency where there are so many elites and noblemen? The only explanation is that you have a good wife and a father-in-law in parliament.
“But it seems that her father doesn’t really like you, and always finds fault with you. Otherwise, he wouldn’t give you his old clothing as gifts. I can tell that you really like this coat, but it’s a pity that this coat was fashionable ten years ago.
“Maybe you have made a name for yourself, but you just can’t be acknowledged by those elites and become one of them. My advice for you is to find a mannerism teacher, or you will not even be able to correct your abnormal knees.
“In conclusion, there must have been some conflicts between the gloomy inspector Lestrade, and his elite wife who regrets to have married such a poor man.”
There was deathly silence.
The cane lifting Lestrade’s chin was lowered, but Lestrade could not move at all. In the silence, Lestrade felt that even the air had solidified. Something like an invisible boa twined around him, restricting him. He even felt the cold and wet scales on his skin, slowly dragging him into the chasm of fear. As if he was standing in front of his father-in-law again, he felt long-gone humiliation and fear. No, it was worse than that. He had no secrets that this man did not already know.
“You…you…” Lestrade opened his mouth but had no idea what to say. It was like he was naked walking over the snow. Blazing sun shone on his body, but it gave him no warmth, only cruelly revealing his secrets. The whole world was laughing at him, laughing at this over-confident downtown redneck. He shook with great humiliation.
“Don’t be afraid. Aren’t I your friend?” A cold hand stroked his hair, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. You help me and I will help you.”
“You, what?” Gathering his courage, he glared at the man, “What do you want from me?”
“We can talk about it later. As your good friend, I care about your situation right now.” This man named Sherlock Holmes shook his head and sighed, “You’ve been down on your luck ever since the Shaman came back. First, those downtown cases made you almost lose your job. You were a competent employee to your boss, but now you’re just useless waste. Then your ways of earning money were cut off. Those big guys who used to pay you disappeared one by one, and I’m afraid that the last rat willing to give you money disappeared last night too.
“You’re used to indulging, but you’ve run out of money, haven’t you? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have quarreled with your wife because you can’t afford the expenses of holding dinner parties and luxuries any more, right?”
Silent for a long time, Lestrade finally nodded slowly. He surrendered.
A friendly hand grabbed Lestrade’s, clenching it tightly. A hoarse voice said, “There is still a chance, Lestrade, there is a chance, do not give up!” The man hummed a motivational song and said passionately, “No matter what, please don’t forget that you still have friends behind you…You have me!”
What Lestrade felt was just a great chill from head to toe. His hands trembled, but he did not have the courage to break away from the ‘friendship.’ He did not dare to. He was afraid that something would be waiting for him if he refused. “…What do you want?”
“I want to help you.” The sound seemed to come from a demon, with a vicious ‘ friendliness.’”You will prove that you are not a waste, that you are a young and promising detective—the nemesis of downtown’s criminals! In the eyes of your father-in-law, you will be the perfect son-in-law! As long as you provide some insignificant information, I will provide you with the power to rise up.”
Lestrade was speechless. In the silence, his breaths became heavy at times, stopping at others. His pupils dilated and constricted. His mind was struggling and hesitating.
In his hesitation, Holmes took out a thick paper bag and pushed it slowly against Lestrade’s face. “The Pyramid Scheme is over, you know. Here is the Pyramid King’s contacts, and his secret channels for smuggling. Imagine what your future would be like when you catch him…”
At that moment, Lestrade almost subconsciously reached out for the paper bag.
When a child gives in to the temptation of sweets, a whip will teach his hand a stern lesson. The cane cruelly swept Lestrade’s hand, pushing the lamp on the table to the paper bag. Bit by bit, the oil lamp tilted. The oil spilled, each drop spreading and reflecting the impending flames.
Just as the oil lamp was about to topple over, Lestrade moved. He swept the oil lamp aside like a madman and grabbed the paper bag. He forgot the pain of his broken finger and the shame he had just endured. His eyes were full of fanaticism and greed, “Deal!” He clung to the thing greedily. “I can tell you everything you want to know!”
On the ground, the overturned light jumped one last time, vaguely illuminating the side of the man’s face in the shadow, as well as his lips, curled into a cheerful smile.
Maybe he really had made a deal with demon. Lestrade stared at the eyes of the demon in a daze. The demon’s eyes…were black.
–
Ten minutes later, Ye Qingxuan opened the door of the tavern and walked into the night.
Soon after, the sober Lestrade ran out, clutching the paper bag. He glanced around. Seeing that no one was following him, he ran to the police station like a mad dog. Starting tomorrow, he would be the nemesis of downtown’s villains. Congratulations to him.
In the shadows, Ye Qingxuan looked away and smiled, high-fiving the girl beside him.
“I didn’t expect you to be that talented, Cousin.” Bai Xi gave him a thumbs up, “I give you a ten out of ten for that act!”
Ye Qingxuan shrugged, “For soft men like that, you just have to frighten them a little and they’ll tell you everything!”
Bai Xi smirked and imitated his hoarse voice, “Your neck, your palm, your ring! Oh, you smoked mandala! Did you and your wife fight with each other? It was so real that I almost believed you!”
“Well, it was just acting. It was all because of you.” Ye Qingxuan did not dare to take credit. After all, the nonsense that he had made up was based on information from Bai Xi. Everything he had pretended to analyze came from BaiXi’s research! He just searched for a reason, and then read the script…
“Psh, of course! What do you think I used to do in the Downtown District? The servants all have big mouths. If you ask them a few questions when shopping, you can even figure out the eight generations of his master’s ancestors.” She hummed with pride, but suddenly paused and asked, “Wait, how did you know his father-in-law actually despises him?”
“Well …” Ye Qingxuan smiled mysteriously, “That’s what’s great about deduction.”
The girl rolled her eyes and looked in the direction where Lestrade had gone. She looked disgusted. “Even I can tell that guy is soft and completely unreliable. Cousin, what did you put in all that effort for? Even if you get him, he’s going to sell us out just like he did to the others if something happens to us.”
“Don’t look down on that guy, Bai Xi,” Ye Qingxuan murmured. “Even if he is soft, don’t forget that he has the entire Avalon police force behind him. As soon as that guy can turn over, he will definitely be very useful.
“With him, we’ll have eyes in Avalon. With him, even the confidential files in the police department will be transparent to us, let alone the actions of the gangs.”
“Why are you so confident in him? What did he tell you?”
“Well, I was just going to inquire about the situation in downtown, but I didn’t expect to get such a good bargain…”
“Bargain?” Bai Xi’s eyes lit up. “How much of a bargain?”
Ye Qingxuan thought for a while, and smiled mysteriously, “That depends on how much those Indians are willing pay.”
In Ganlu City’s downtown, heavy incense burned in the fire. Smoke rose, snaking into the air of the hall, along with the sound of drums and the singing of dancers. Bare-chested men rested on the couch smoking hookah, their eyes drunk. Beautiful performing girls laid in their arms, rubbing against the mens’ chests. They were dazzling and intoxicating. Tanned servants in turbans shuttled through the hall with wooden platters, working fervently to provide each guest with wine, piper betel, betel nuts, and oyster powder.
“My esteemed guests, please enjoy these delicacies from my home.” The servants poured wine for the guests. Then they cut the betel nuts, dipped them into oyster powder, and used piper betel to wrap them into triangular shapes. The servants practically hand-fed the guests.
Two young men stood behind the table, one tall and one short. They looked like brothers. Both were dark-skinned and clad in a long robe. Their black curly hair was wrapped in a turban, and a gold pendant hung from their necks. They looked just like every other Indian in Avalon, and complemented this Indian brothel.
Yes, this was an Indian brothel. Ganlu City, also known as the sea of milk and drugs, was the biggest goldmine for Indians in Avalon. It apparently made one bushel of gold per day. Other than the women, they also had other more aggressive businesses in the beneath the surface, such as dealing opiates and soma wine. All of them were connected to Ganlu City.
The elder brother smiled, tossing a piper betel wrap into his mouth. Patting his brother’s shoulder, he said in a heavy Indian accent, “Shah, try one and stop being so down. We’re here to entertain ourselves! Ladies, come and sing for this unhappy boy!” With that, he threw a handful of money onto the table.
The performers giggled sweetly and began dancing and singing before the table.
‘Shah’s’ expression twisted instantly. He asked in a low voice, “Hey, cousin, your so-called bargain is to bring me here to look at prostitutes?”
“Patience. The good stuff hasn’t come yet,”‘cousin’ patted his shoulder and waved for the steward. He gave the man a thick wad of money and leered, “My brother Shah can’t wait any longer. Please send the girls over.”
Seeing the cash, the steward smiled instantly, “Of course, of course.”
In a blink of the eye, the smell of heavy perfume rushed in from all directions. Bai Xi could hardly breathe. Amidst sweet and delicate voices, dozens of haughty and sexy girls appeared out of nowhere. The enthusiastic girls practically squeezed onto Bai Xi’s lap, hugging her arms and cooing.
Bai Xi just wanted to throw up. Thankfully the dark oil on her skin hid the greenness.
“Master, are you satisfied?” the steward asked Ye Qingxuan, rubbing his hands together. Ye Qingxuan glanced at the girls and furrowed his brows. “My cousin, Shah, doesn’t like them. Give me another group!”
Bai Xi’s expression changed quickly. Seeing more girls rushing over, she cried in panic, “I like them! I really like them! No need to change!”
“Tsk,” Ye Qingxuan shook his head and stated in the Indian accent, “Shah, this place is blessed by the gods. You’ll be able to find your type of girl. If you’re shy, let me look for you…”
Before Bai Xi could refuse, Ye Qingxuan turned to the steward and said sternly, “He likes girls like this, this, and this…”
He gestured with his hands. The steward’s face practically turned green, “Isn’t that a f*cking ball?”
“Oh?!” Ye Qingxuan pretended to be furious.
“No, no, no, beautiful! Beautiful!” the steward lied through his teeth.
“Do you have this type?”
“Yes!” the steward replied, clenching his teeth. “But…your request is a bit unique. The person might not be able to serve you well.”
Ye Qingxuan shrugged, “It’s okay as long you have it!”
Soon, the floorboards began trembling. A fat and dark woman appeared. She shook her butt and smiled, and opened her giant mouth. Two splotches of blush had been applied to her cheeks. She looked as terrifying as the Black Bull King of Indian myths! After asking who her client was, the ball smiled and rushed forward.
Bai Xi’s face was practically green with terror.
“Cousin!” Ye Qingxuan coughed. Things would really get out of hand if they kept playing, so he reached out to stop the Indian ball.
He grabbed Bai Xi, who had almost passed out in the woman’s arms, and laughed. “They’re all beauties. My brother likes them a lot. Where’s the room…we can’t wait!”
The steward froze. Studying them, his facial muscles twitched, “The two of you want to be together?”
“My relationship with Shah is as close as the sacred mountain and the sacred woods. We’ve sworn to never part. We eat together, sleep together, and of course we have to be pleasured together!” Ye Qingxuan laughed weirdly, looking at the steward aggressively, “What, is it not allowed?”
“No, no, it is!” The steward felt his shattered worldviews crumble to powder. Peering at the ball that had been washing plates in the kitchen a few moments ago, he felt like he had really run into the devil today. Watching the drunken man walk away, one hand on his cousin, the other on the ball, he shook his head. He sighed, “Young people nowadays really know how to have fun!”
—
In the room, Bai Xi stared at the dancing ball. She had never felt the need to wash her eyes so strongly before. In fact, she had the urge to perform Pomp and Circumstances and wash the entire room with blood.
“Cousin, how much longer are you going to play for?” she grit out between clenched teeth as she pinched Ye Qingxuan’s waist. The corner of Ye Qingxuan’s lips twitched in pain.
“Don’t worry, don’t worry…soon!” With that, he clapped his hands, telling the ball to stop bouncing on the ground. Smiling, he pulled out a rope from his pockets. “My lady, would you like to play something new?”
“…” The ball froze. She collapsed before she could reply.
Behind her, Bai Xi put her hands down coldly. “Why a rope? Just get it done like this.”
“Cousin, you’ve totally ruined the atmosphere.” Shaking his head, Ye Qingxuan sighed and tied the ball up. Then he poured anesthetics into her and finally let go.
“Okay, she’ll sleep until morning.”
Bai Xi kicked him fiercely, “Where’s the great bargain? Is it this ball? Did Old Phil eat your conscience? You took an underage girl to a brothel!”
“You were the one who wanted to come so badly,” Ye Qingxuan replied helplessly. “And Cousin, you don’t count as underage. In a few years, you’ll be the young master of downtown! Don’t tell me you’ve never seen this stuff…”
Bai Xi kicked him again, “I don’t care. I’m angry!”
“Don’t be so impatient.” Ye Qingxuan took off his long robe, revealing the tight black robe inside. He took off his wig as well and wiped off the oil on his face. Putting on his hunting hat and opening Jiu Xiao Pei Huan, he transformed back into the man who stirred trouble in downtown—the dark gentleman, Holmes.
Bai Xi did the same, but she put on a cloth over her face. Then she pulled a bunch of stuff from her pocket, finally turning it into a bow—it was her reward from the Pyramid Scheme, along with Medusa’s Mirror.
“Okay, where do we start?” Bai Xi projected her anger of being harassed by the Indian women. She spat out, “I want to empty these currys’ treasure storage!”
“Very good, very powerful.” Ye Qingxuan snickered behind his hand.
—
In the giant commotion that swept through downtown a few days ago, the group that suffered the most losses was not only the Pyramid Scheme. There was also the Indians who had thought themselves to be clever. They had wanted to catch Ye Qingxuan and use him as bait, but did not expect the Black Hands to be even dirtier. They hired a musician from a criminal family, chopped up their leader and a bunch of skilled men, and threw them into the sewer.
The Indians’ power consisted of several illegal trade systems. Shahrukh dying itself did not have much effect, but the other gangs had taken advantage of their momentary weakness and took over one-third of their business and territory. It was a giant loss.
To make a comeback, the merchants who traveled between India and Avalon decided to increase their strength. They spent a fortune to buy ninety percent of the alchemy material and precious items on the black market. They even transported am important treasure from India: the saint’s relic.
According to the police force’s hypotheses, they collected all the items such as rune stones and ancient silver so the Indian musician in their care could enter the Resonance level.
The old Pusoptkata had been stuck on the third Musician level for decades. He was close to death, but still could not make a breakthrough. Due to various reasons, he decided to take a risk and perform the Resonance Ceremony. He planned to sign an agreement with the Holy Spirit and forcefully break through the Barrier of Knowledge.
According to the estimates of other musicians, the saint’s relic that Puspotkata had found matched well. He had more than a ninety percent chance of success at a breakthrough.
The Indians kept this secret well. If not for the police force’s spy, this plan would still be unknown. And according to the news Ye Qingxuan had received, the ceremony would either be tonight or tomorrow.
But there was a problem. Should he wait for Puspotkata to be bathing and fasting, take advantage of his weakest moment, and…do something major? Only an idiot would not! Ye Qingxuan loved to bear grudges, and he had amazing memory! He would never let his enemies become stronger. After calculating that he had more than a seventy percent chance of succeeding, Ye Qingxuan slapped his thigh, and exclaimed, “Let’s do it!”
He had spent the entire day collecting information. Lestrade had also gotten some intelligence on the Indians. Using all this, Ye Qingxuan hatched an entirely new plan called “Empty Room.”
“So basically you just want to act cool.” Bai Xi rolled her eyes with expertise, expressing her scorn, “Why don’t you just call it ‘Research of Blood Words’?”
“But there aren’t any words written in blood, and there isn’t research,” Ye Qingxuan shrugged in regret. “But that’s a good name. Save it for the Professor.”
“Wow, cousin, you have great fantasies.”
“You flatter me. I need to work on them more.” Ye Qingxuan acted shamelessly, just like how he had learned from Charles. “Wait a second.” He pulled out a thick stack of white paper onto the table, as well as an aether ball. After gazing around, he brought a chair over and pushed Jiu Xiao Huan Pei to the ceiling. “Wait for me to make a map.”
Clang!
The zither’s strings twanged, shattering the silence, spreading like flowing water. The clear and crisp sound echoed through the room, bouncing against the walls without fading. The echoes snaked up the beams in the ceiling…yes, the echoes went up the beams!
As the strings thrummed, invisible strength poured into the beams. It spread instantly along the entire structure of Ganlu City like water. For a moment, the entire building trembled as if the illusionary music went through the beams, ceiling, walls, and foundation. The entire structure resonated softly. It seemed to be responding to the instrument’s calls. The distant and lonely music transformed into dreamy murmurs, echoing throughout the building.
The music was like chimes but also the roaring of a dragon. It was a weapon which could control life and death.
This was the reason why the Jiu Xiao Huan Pei had been hidden by the Ye family for thousands of years. No matter if one looked at its specifications or shape, this instrument could be regarded as a very rare zither, a treasure. There was only one string left, but its sense of aether remained unchanged.
Ye Qingxuan had never played any instrument before, but he could feel that no other instrument could be compared to Jiu Xiao Huan Pei. After all, the Ye family’s reputation of being experts at aether was not just an exaggeration.
With the zither’s ringing, the aether ball began to light up. Then the ball heated up in the young man’s hand like fire. Silver dust rippled violently in the ball.
Like a conductor, Ye Qingxuan used Jiu Xiao Huan Pei as a signal amplifier, magnifying the aether ball’s detection accuracy hundred-fold. Large amounts of information poured into it, practically making the ball explode, but Jiu Xiao Huan Pei cleverly controlled the brink of collapse, maintaining the ball at the junction between overclocking operation and complete collapse, ruthlessly squeezing out each function to work at its peak.
A brilliant light illuminated the room. The ball in Ye Qingxuan’s hand rose up slowly, suspended and revolving in the air. The silver dust inside shook along with Ye Qingxuan’s thoughts, faint images flashed through the ball.
A crack appeared.
The youth sighed. It was a basic piece of equipment after all. It could not manage much. If it was the legendary palace of the sacred city—the biggest aether ball in the world, it could detect the aether tide in any corner of the world. According to rumors, countless scholars would gather in the palace all any given moment to observe every aether movement in the world.
Whenever a musician broke the Barrier of Knowledge and resonated with the world, the aether waves set off would create a rising star in the palace. Each musician’s data was recorded in the star field. All the powerful musicians in the world were under the observation of the sacred city. Even those who had seen some grandeur before would finally realize what ‘divine power’ truly was. It was a point of view that only the gods had.
Compared with this legendary ball, the one in Ye Qingxuan’s hand was nothing. Even so, it was enough to display the entire structure of Ganlu City.
Gradually, more and more fractures appeared on the ball in his hands. Finally, it shattered with a snap, crumbling to dust. This luxury item had cost Ye Qingxuan half a year’s wage, and it burned to ashes with one use.
Ye Qingxuan’s heart hurt. If he could not get the money back from the Indians, this trip would be a total loss! He took out a pen and leaned over to scribble on the paper. The structure of Ganlu City gradually appeared amongst his scrawls.
As the largest brothel downtown, it had hundreds of rooms and countless corridors. There were also dozens of private rooms for distinguished guests, as well as secret doors, secret passages, basements, and more structures needed for dirty work. Most of these structures appeared on the paper as the youth sketched.
“Wow cousin, you’re really good at this. Where did you learn it?” Bai Xi took some sweets from the table.
“My father taught me in a place called Hawaii.”
“…It seems that your dad knows everything!” Bai Xi muttered. “What else did he teach you?”
Ye Qingxuan shrugged, “Too much to count.”
As the girl glared, Ye Qingxuan finally sighed, “Alright, I studied some mechanical engineering by myself. Architectural drawings and mechanical drawings are pretty much the same, so I just learned both at the same time. Done!”
Ye Qingxuan put down his pen and gazed at the map that took up the whole table. He nodded in satisfaction, “The general structure is here. There are still many details I remember, but there’s no time to draw them all.”
Bai Xi’s eyes lit up. “Where’s the treasure?”
Ye Qingxuan pointed at three blanks on the map. “There are total of three places that the Jiu Xiao Huan Pei can’t get through. There’s either something interfering or there is an enchantment covering this area. The treasures should be hidden there.”
“We’re going to go through it all?”
“No, at least one can be ruled out…the most dangerous one.” Ye Qingxuan pointed at the blank in the center, “Of the three, there’s one in the very center of Ganlu City, one in a secluded courtyard in the back, and one in the basement.
“I suspect that the one in the back should be the place where the Puspotkata lives. He is a musician of the Indian School of Asceticism and does not like noise. Besides, he’s old, and probably tries to avoid the prostitutes, so the treasure can’t be here.”
“What if he put those things in his room?”
“Not possible.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head, “The essence of the resonance ceremony is to let the Holy Spirit’s consciousness temporarily enter the body, then break the Barrier of Knowledge.
“So he requires absolute purity, which must be established in absolute silence, isolated from the outer world. There can be no interference before summoning the Holy Spirit.
“During this process, the musician himself must be bathing and fasting to remove all distractions. Puspotkata is probably deep in meditation now. He’s probably not even wearing underpants. For the sake of our eyes and safety, let’s rule out this possibility.”
Ye Qingxuan crossed out the blank on the back of the paper and pointed to the central blank area of the city, “We’re close to this area. We can start here.”
“Awesome!” Bai Xi nodded and looked out the window. “We need to walk on the roof?”
“Not the roof,” Ye Qingxuan shook his head. “That’s the fastest way but it’s also the most heavily guarded. If I had a lair, I’d start with putting beast traps all over the roof, and then have people guard it twenty four hours every day. I’m afraid we’ll be caught within five minutes.”
“So where do we go?”
“The main entrance.” Ye Qingxuan twirled his cane and grinned, “I know how to make them blind to us.”
Thinking of Black Friday, Bai Xi immediately understood.
But just as she was about to leave, Ye Qingxuan stopped her. “Still remember what we agreed on before we came?” he asked gravely. “No matter what, don’t make things more complicated! We take what we need and leave as soon as we can. Don’t touch anything outside of our plan.”
“I know. You’ve said it hundreds of times!” Bai Xi pouted.
“You promise?”
“I promise. I swear.” Her face fell. “You don’t trust me?”
“I trust you more than anyone else.” Ye Qingxuan smiled and pinched her cheeks. “My music score requires full attention to block other people’s senses. If anything happens, I probably won’t even have the ability to fight, you know?” He paused and whispered, “So now my life is yours.”
“…” Bai Xi paused for a second. She looked up at him then lowered her head. Standing on her tiptoes, she patted Ye Qingxuan’s head, “Yeah, I’ll protect you.”
“That’s great.” Ye Qingxuan smiled and opened the door. Soon he heard someone coming through the corridor.
—
In the corridor, the steward Salman paced in worry. He hesitated to knock the door. What if those two brothers were having fun and would blame him for disturbing them? It was rare to have such big spenders, but the two still confused him a little. He had worked here for so many years and had seen a lot, but he had never seen perverts like them. There must be something wrong with them.
After a long time, he gritted his teeth and went to the door. For some reason, his mind went blank when he set foot in the corridor. He vaguely heard a plaintive melody, like a river flowing.
The oil lamp on the wall flickered at just the right moment. He shook his head and could not hear the faint melody anymore. He stood outside the door, ear pressed to the door, eavesdropping on the room.
Behind him a vague figure frowned and gripped his cane. The second measure of Black Friday—auditory interference.
Salman’s expression suddenly changed. He heard heavy breathing behind the door and the sound of a whip. “These two kids know how to play,” he murmured. Knocking on the door, he called out, “Sirs?”
“Don’t bother us!” came a voice of disgust from behind the door.
“No, no, sir!” Salman pursed his lip and his suspicion dissipated. It seemed that there were all sorts of fetishes these days. He turned to leave, not seeing the two shadows following behind him. They walked toward the atrium under his lead.
On another corridor, Salman saw a dark, sturdy youth on the steps. He rushed over hurriedly with a smile. “Master Po Sinai, long time no see. You’re looking more and more chivalrous.”
The youth covered in gold jewelry hurried past. With no time to bother with Salman, he asked, “Where is my brother?”
“Master Sila is in the atrium room. He has already been waiting for a long time.”
“Tell the servants to not disturb my brother and I. We have important matters to discuss.” Po Sinai went past Salman to the atrium.
After hesitating for a bit, Ye Qingxuan followed after Po Sinai. Soon, he found that Po Sinai was heading toward the atrium that he had planned to go to. But after getting closer, he realized he could not use the rune Blur.
There was heavy aether interference there. It was probably in defense against musician assassins. Notes would go out of control there. Only a more stable measure could work. Ye Qing Xuan motioned at Bai Xi to be cautious, then he woke Jiu Xiao Huan Pei and began to play “Black Friday.”
Soon the black river began to flow through the mind again. A gloomy, despairing melody followed, spreading. The first measure was visual interference.
Ye Qingxuan caught up quickly after making sure that the people around him were influenced by the melody. It seemed that the Indians had really spent a lot for the Puspotkata’s breakthrough. No one was even left to guard Ganlu City’s enchantment. None of the search and defense measures Ye Qingxuan had expected were there.
They passed a few transfixed guards and came to the fortified door, but he heard a faint voice behind the door before he could unlock it.
That strange and shrill voice was full of astonishment. “The Professor is being hunted? Are you sure?”
“The Professor is being hunted? Are you sure?”
Hearing the words, Ye Qingxuan sped up while still keeping watch. He did not directly use the aether to unlock the door from the inside, but used Bai Xi’s hairpin instead. The door opened with a click.
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.
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.
“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?!”
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 covered 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!
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!
“You give me the Eye of Indrah and I will let you go!” Puspotkata said through clenched teeth, “It is a holy item from my religion. It’s no use to you.”
“So this is the Eye of Indrah?” Ye Qingxuan looked at the relic and suddenly, everything became clear. This relic belonged to Indrah, an Indian saint also known as the king of thunder. No wonder there was an electric shock!
“Why is it useless?” Ye Qingxuan shrugged nonchalantly. “My chair broke a few days ago. It looks about the right size for padding. How about you let me keep it as a gift? Oh, and I’ve just calculated that this thing is my toilet’s reincarnation, and it’s destiny for me to have stumbled across it. Just let me have it.”
Puspotkata’s face turned beet red. His lips opened and closed, at a loss for words. At last, he crossed his hands before his chest, and the drum beats sounded again. “Holmes, you are courting death!”
“Be nice or I will throw it!” Ye Qingxuan lowered his hand an inch while Puspotkata licked his lips, his eyes ruthless. “I dare you!”
“Okay.” Ye Qingxuan nodded and loosened his grip.
Puspotkata’s features twisted, his eyes opened wide. As if it were in slow motion, his face distorted into a look of shock, then anger, then extreme grief. He really threw it? The b*stard seriously threw it?! It was a f*cking sacred relic!
“No!” Forgetting what he had said, Puspotkata dove at the relic without even caring about the aether. But it was too late.
A few meters away, the ball spun in the air, then fell into the muddy drain. Puspotkata could not bear to look. His eyes were full of despair.
At the last moment, a small, delicate hand stretched out from the side, and caught the Eye of Indrah.
“Yay!” Bai Xi made a peace sign with her hand and threw the relic to Ye Qingxuan. The youth posed as well, and glanced at Puspotkata who was on the ground, close to tears.
“You b*stard! You son of a b*tch!”
“It was just a joke. Take it easy!” Ye Qingxuan teased in high spirits. “I don’t think you’ve had enough fun. Why don’t we try again?”
“Good idea!” Bai Xi clapped. “I promise I will catch it again. Old man, you have to trust me!”
“Trust you? No way!” Puspotkata stood up in resentment and shame, his eyes hardened. He had finally calmed down enough to understand that the two b*stards were just playing a trick on him. But if one wanted to play with fire…one needed to be prepared to get burned.
“What do you want?” Puspotkata asked coldly.
“That’s right, let’s have a talk. Talking is better than anything.” Ye Qingxuan slowly retracted the Eye of Indrah and demanded, “Now you have an idea of what it’s like for a man to be hunted when he can’t even explain himself, right?”
Puspotkata was furious but he repressed his anger. “You can have the Eye. All you have to do is promise me one thing, and I’ll tell you the spell to activate it.”
Ye Qingxuan paused for a second with his eyebrow arched. Suddenly understanding something, he chuckled. “What promise?” he asked in a bargaining tone. “Tell me.”
“Kill the Shaman.” Something murderous flashed through Puspotkata’s eyes. “Join us, kill the Shaman, then I’ll voluntarily give this to you. We can even ask Silo to hire you as our sacrifice master. You can enjoy Ganlu City’s yearly profits too…”
“Are you kidding?” Ye Qingxuan scoffed. “You think too highly of me. I’m just a nameless musician. How can I kill the Dark King?”
“I don’t know about others, but it shouldn’t be too hard for a dark musician who could stay under the radar for so long,” Puspotkata said seriously. “Mr. Holmes, I suppose that you must be here for the Blood Path. The Shaman will not allow you to find it. When he was here nine years ago, all those who dared to look for it were killed.
“Now that the Shaman had made a comeback, he’ll go after you first. If you join us, it’s a win-win situation. Besides, don’t dark musicians always pursue power?”
“Well, that makes sense.” Ye Qingxuan frowned slightly. “However, you’re really not too sincere if you’re just using something ornamental to lure me in.”
Puspotkata kept silence for a moment before setting down his determination. “As long as you promise to deal with the Shaman, I’ll tell you the spell like I said before.”
Ye Qingxuan smiled as if he had expected it. “Since you’re so sincere, it’s a deal!”
Beside him, Bai Xi tugged at his sleeve, warning him that this old man was not reliable!
The youth waved, telling her to be patient. He gazed at the Eye of Indrah happily. “What’s the spell?”
Puspotkata’s face twisted again. After hesitating, he recited a paragraph in an Indian dialect. Ye Qingxuan was surprised, but he immediately processed it after repeating it mentally. “Do not turn three realms into ashes?”
Puspotkata was shocked, his eyes showed a hint of fear. Who would have guessed that this guy could understand Indian dialects as well?
In Indian legends, the demons created three metallic cities—gold, silver, and iron. Melded together, they created immense strength and an indescribable image. The gods were furious at this, and shot three arrows at the cities. Where the arrows fell, gold rusted, silver crumbled, and iron melted. The destructive fire killed all demons. Coldly watching as the earth burned to ash, the gods finally extinguished their destructive fire.
The phrase had been left behind by the God of Destruction. Using this to awaken the Eye of Indrah proved it to be an important treasure of the School of Modifications!
With this thought in mind, Ye Qingxuan tightened his hold on the orb. He was oblivious to Puspotkata’s faint sneer. “Then let me try it. Who knows if you’re lying?” As Puspotkata had expected, Ye Qingxuan grasped the Eye of Indrah and chanted, “Do not turn the three realms into ashes!”
The moment the words left Ye Qingxuan’s mouth, his palm went numb, and the Eye crackled with a bolt of lightning. As if a layer of dust had been wiped off, a crack appeared in the carved orb, revealing angry light. It shed layers of rock until it looked like a gemstone. Within it, eternal lightning flashed.
Faint rumbling of thunder came from the rock. Ye Qingxuan’s vision spun as a tidal wave of aether rushed from all direction into his control. Then, sapping Ye Qingxuan’s energy, it began to move on its own accord like a group of horses out of control. Countless silver light spots appeared around the youth.
For a moment, all color disappeared from Ye Qingxuan’s world. All that remained was the black and white of aether. As if it was the end of the world, the clean air above the crack fell and putrid gas from hell rose. Two types of ineffable power existed in one spot. They rubbed and crashed against each other, sparking destructive light.
“It—it’s moving on its own…” Under the light, Ye Qingxuan began to panic. He frantically tried to control the music score that was way beyond his abilities.
The Eye of Indrah suddenly shook and blood seeped into the gem. Ye Qingxuan’s panic intensified. “Help! It’s taking my blood…the power…I’m gonna…”
Stunned, Bai Xi tried to take the d*mned thing from Ye Qingxuan, forgetting that the electricity would burn her to ashes.
Puspotkata cackled. “Go die, Holmes!”
The drum beats sounded once again. Manipulating the aether, he created the shadow of Vidyā-rāja, the God of Light. The god opened his eyes, furious!
Puspotkata had said everything before to trick Holmes into reciting the spell. There was nothing wrong with the spell, but not everyone could use the power of the Eye! It was a destructive item that called forth the power of the Indrah, the God of Thunder! Otherwise, he would not use this relic as the medium to call forth the Holy Spirit.
The destructive thunder was definitely powerful, but not even a Resonance level musician could control unless he was very careful. The smallest distraction would cause the musician to burn to a crisp.
Now, Holmes was standing at the edge of the cliff. Puspotkata no longer had to battle with this d*mn dark musician. He just had to give the man a light shove, and he would fall down the bottomless abyss.
“Do you feel the cost of greed now?” Puspotkata cackled, focusing the God of Light’s image at Ye Qingxuan. “Die from Indrah’s uncontrollable greed!” The God of Light attacked, but then someone snickered.
Puspotkata froze. Behind the God of Light, he saw the dark musician raise his head, his eyes full of mockery.
With a smile, Holmes said, “…I was lying.” He opened his hand. The ruby stone that seemed to be embedded in his hand lit up with destructive light! The wild electric current transformed into a dragon. It leapt into the night, and roared with mighty power. The electricity instantly shattered the God of Light’s image and landed on Puspotkata, swallowing him whole.
With a painful cry, the charred Puspotkata collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain. The holy-looking white hair and beard were all burnt now. His skin had cracked, and his body was numb.
Ye Qingxuan walked over slowly and looked down at him.
“Why?” Puspotkata sputtered his eyes lost. “Why…can you control…”
“Yeah, why?” The youth shrugged. Slowly, he put the Eye of Indrah into a groove on his cane. It fit snugly onto Jiu Xiao Huan Pei with a click. Without a doubt, this thing was his from now on.
Ye Qingxuan bet that Puspotkata had never thought there would be an instrument that could control Indrah’s thunder, or that Holmes had such an instrument.
He had guessed Puspotkata’s dirty trick the moment he was willing to hand the Eye over. At first, he was worried that Puspotkata would keep chasing him. He had planned on parting with his beloved, and throwing the Eye in the other direction while he and Bai Xi ran for their lives in the sewer. It wouldn’t be the first time, after all. But who knew that this b*stard had ran out without bringing his instrument or defensive weapons and was struck by lightning?
Seeing that Ye Qingxuan was unharmed, Puspotkata’s eyes filled with anger. If not for his own injuries, he would do anything to kill the man, even willing to tear him up with his own teeth. “I-I won’t give up!” he howled. “That’s supposed to be mine!”
“Yeah,” Ye Qingxuan snickered. “And I’m not supposed to be chased by you all for no reason. If the world operated on ‘supposed to be’s,’ there would be no market for the medicine of regret. Oh, you’re a monk, right?” With that, he put the cane on Puspotkata’s head. “Have you counted how many sins you’ve committed after going against the creeds of your religion?”
Puspotkata froze, his eyes filled with despair. “Don’t kill me! I can give you the secrets of our School. I have six movements of Mahabharata. You can have them all! My uncle has the right Eye of Indrah too! I can trick him into giving it to you!”
Ye Qingxuan just laughed. “Since you believe in reincarnation, try to be a better person in your next life.”
Puspotkata tried to say something but his words were caught in his throat. A wailing melody sounded in his ear. The despair and frustration dug into his brain, and transformed into a dark river that practically drove him crazy.
“Sinful, sinful, sinful!” He seemed to hear Asura’s welcoming cheers from Hell. Painful wails sounded in his memory as faces flashed by, drowning him in the dark river. They drowned him bit by bit. He struggled with all his might, but ultimately drowned in his own evil doings. Under the cane, Puspotaka trembled and then stopped.
“Is he dead?” Bai Xi asked, stunned.
“Of course not.” Ye Qingxuan knocked the side of her head. “I may be underage, but I don’t break laws.” He paused, and gazed at Puspotkata’s blank eyes without pity. “I’m just sending him to the Arkham Asylum so he can make more friends.”
With that, he turned to leave, but his legs wobbled and he fell, almost landing beside Puspotkata. Bai Xi quickly caught him. “What’s wrong?”
“I think I lost too much blood.” His face as white as paper, Ye Qingxuan looked at the stone in his hands. “This stupid thing really does use the musician’s blood for electricity…I can’t use this too much.”
Bai Xi pursed her lips. “He should be glad he’s from the dragon bloodline,” she thought. “Otherwise, he’d be sapped dry.”
With Bai Xi supporting Ye Qingxuan, they started on the way home. But when they left the alley, Ye Qingxuan halted. He looked up at the end of the street…A figure stood under the cold moonlight—The Professor.
He did not seem to be waiting to attack Ye Qingxuan. He just watched them silently. Seeing Ye Qingxuan, he scoffed. “Listen, I don’t care who you are, but stay away from the Blood Path,” he warned. “Or else you’ll regret it.”
Ye Qingxuan laughed and shrugged carelessly. “To be honest, I don’t want to get into the mess…but sadly, I’ve been forced into it.”
The Professor did not reply. As if too tired to fight, he gave one last glance and turned around.
Ye Qingxuan watched him leave, and turned in the opposite direction.
Bai Xi looked at his eyes, then turned to look at the Professor’s silhouette. For some reason, her eyes became confused. “Hey, Cousin, you two are really similar.”
“Really?” Ye Qingxuan was taken aback.
“Yeah.” The girl nodded, her expression troubled. “You said you’ll follow me. Don’t run off with that guy, alright?”
Ye Qingxuan could not help but laugh and hit her lightly. “Bai Xi, you know who we all hate the most?”
Bai Xi shook her head after thinking for a bit.
“Ourselves.” Ye Qingxuan looked back in the darkness. “The more similar they are to ourselves, the more we hate them.”
—
In the backyard of Ganlu City, Silo looked at the charred old man on the rack, his eyes cold. The servants and slaves knelt on the ground, too scared to even breathe.
“He’s a retard now.” The choir musician checked Puspotkata’s vitals and shook his head. “His physical injuries aren’t too bad. They can heal with treatment, but his brain is unfortunately gone. Even if he wakes, he’ll be a lunatic.”
“Is there still hope?”
The musician shrugged. “It’s harder than creating a new body. You can’t afford it.”
Silo fell silent. After a long time, he waved. A servant cautiously pulled out three bars of gold for the musician and led him out.
Po Sinai stumbled from the basement, face pale. He shook his head at Silo. “They’re all dead.”
“How did they die?”
Hesitating, Po Sinai replied quietly, “They’ve all turned into shriveled up corpses, as if mummified by wind. The martial monks that Puspotkata had invited from India died too. All that remains is bones.”
“Isn’t the Professor also injured?” Silo asked coldly. “They deserved to die if they couldn’t fight against an injured man.”
“Yes.” Po Sinai could only lower his head.
“Get rid of all guards tonight. There’s no point in keeping these failures,” Silo ordered. “Doesn’t the opiate factory need slaves? Send them all there. The dead ones can be used as fertilizer.”
Po Sinai lowered his head, sweat rolling down. “Yes.”
“Contact the robin,” Silo said as he turned. “Tell him about the Professor and the Vengeful Spirit. Tell him that if he wants us to work for him, to bring us Moriarty and Holmes’ heads!”
