Chapter 46: The Voice from the Fushang Sacred Tree
“My dear aunt! You call this a small favor? You’re trying to take my life!”
After hearing Jumeng’s plan, Mao Sanyou let out a wail, his face full of distress.
Although those fire crows were once his father’s subordinates and he had a faint influence over them due to some of his father’s powers, they no longer bore the mark of servitude and were now led by the Crow Slave. His ability to command them was very much in doubt.
Jumeng was asking him to wield a sword from the previous dynasty to strike down the current officials!
“Who is your dear aunt? The bl**d relation between me and your father is not that close, at most we are cousins,” Jumeng said, hands on her hips, her expression indifferent. “If you can do it, say you can; if you can’t, say you can’t.”
“You should know that if it’s successful, the paternal powers within you will be somewhat restored, and then…”
At this point, Jumeng paused, sizing up Mao Sanyou, and said, “I don’t know about anything else, but at least your appearance will become more handsome. You must be over fifty this year, right?”
“Being this old, still not knowing what a girl’s lips taste like?”
“…”
Mao Sanyou felt somewhat offended; although he indeed didn’t know, he had maintained his initial settings because he preferred to be selective about his partner, and it wasn’t a matter of unwillingness!
Moreover…
“Aunt, don’t you not know as well?”
Jumeng’s lips trembled slightly, and she instinctively glanced toward the theme park, feeling unwilling, “Do you think I’m like you? I want to know, and I’ll know once I go back!”
“It can’t be the same. Girls kissing each other isn’t unusual, is it?” Mao Sanyou frowned.
“Absolutely not…” A flush quickly appeared on Jumeng’s cold face, and she raised her hand, fiercely tapping Mao Sanyou’s head with the pipe in her hand. “You know nothing!”
“Let’s get to the point, hurry up! Can you do it or not? You wouldn’t want to see Tangcheng suffer because of this matter, right?”
“…” Mao Sanyou fell silent, pondered for a long time, and sighed silently, as if having made a significant decision, he said firmly, “Fine! I can only say I’ll try. If I fail, don’t blame me.”
Whether he could know the taste of a girl’s lips was secondary; the key was that he loved the city of Tangcheng deeply. Mao Sanyou thought.
Seeing that Mao Sanyou agreed, Jumeng let out a silent sigh of relief, the cloud of worry that hung over her seemed to dissipate significantly.
These past few days, her mindset had been unprecedentedly gloomy, not because she had spent all the New Year’s money given by Yuan Ye, nor because despite spending on dozens of attempts, she couldn’t draw the desired card and regretted missing out on games she liked that went on sale on the Steam platform, but rather because she was worried about dying under the bombardment of the barriers in Tangcheng.
Yuan Ye often handled matters; she usually felt at ease, especially with Shang Nanxing secretly helping her. It was almost impossible for anything to go wrong; the probability of withstanding the bombardment of the barriers in Tangcheng was over 80 percent, but that was only the beginning.
Just like the information Mao Sanyou had gathered through those illegal spiritual ability organizations before, after her plan succeeded, the barriers in Tangcheng would lose their defensive effect due to a change in form, allowing any spiritual ability users and urban legends to enter and exit freely.
The scale would probably rival that of a massive Hundred Demons Walk, or even surpass it.
At that time, Jumeng’s former enemies, spiritual ability users and urban legends that coveted her or Qunyang’s powers, and even those chaotic and evil factions wishing to cause destruction would flood into Tangcheng and Peach Source, behaving like wild dogs fighting for scraps.
In such a chaotic situation, if she hadn’t been stabbed twice in succession by the Crow Slave and couldn’t maintain her peak state of spiritual ability, she would still have the confidence to respond, but now…
She felt like a warrior from the land of light, looking great for only three minutes before her condition would signal a warning.
Handling Luxianbei would be fine, but wanting to manage thousands of spiritual ability users and urban legends was beyond her capability.
If Mao Sanyou could leverage the powers from Qunyang in his bloodline to control the fire crows within Peach Source, it would at least reduce part of the threat. Jumeng felt that, at the very least, it would raise her chances of survival in the chaos by a fraction.
Although with that added, it would only be less than 30 percent…
Those spiritual ability users and urban legends flooding into Tangcheng were the real threat.
Nevertheless, risking one-third odds was better than waiting decades, or even more than ten years, to decay and fall into ruin, having no chance of recovery, Jumeng thought.
Had it not been for being stabbed by the Crow Slave, awakening the immense spiritual energy of Qunyang that was sleeping within the Fushang Sacred Tree, and hastening her process of decay, she wouldn’t have had the resolution to make this decision.
“Alright, let’s do it this way!” Jumeng refocused her thoughts on Mao Sanyou, “I’ll rely on you to continue eliminating those clueless guys, I’ll take my leave first.”
Mao Sanyou was still immersed in the worry that Jumeng wanted him to go on an adventure. His mind momentarily blank, he asked in confusion, “Where are you going?”
Jumeng gently took a puff from her pipe, squinted as she exhaled a cloud of smoke, and smiled ambiguously, “Didn’t I just say it?”
While speaking, she glanced towards the theme park.
“I’m going to taste what a girl’s lips are like!”
As soon as the words fell, it transformed into a handkerchief. In the distance, the coat that had been secretly observing from behind a utility pole stirred slightly and then floated away, as if blown by the wind, heading towards the theme park.
In this situation, allowing Jumeng to act alone made Luxianbei somewhat uneasy. Although she knew that Mao Sanyou was hiding in the dark to counter those assassins, she decided to let the coat secretly follow her, ready to provide support in case of danger.
Little did she know, the coat ended up overhearing significant information.
Moments later, at the theme park.
Feeling the coat’s return through the mark of servitude, Luxianbei spent fifty yuan to hire a scalper to continue queuing, then quietly sneaked into a corner of the theme park, where she found the coat.
Through the mark of servitude, she vaguely sensed what the coat had overheard and fell into deep thought.
“I think I understand; what you mean is that Stinky Sister secretly ran off to discuss whether to kiss me, right?”
“…”
The coat stood silently for a moment, as if recalling and pondering earnestly, then began to move, mimicking human gestures and nodded at Luxianbei.
Exactly, she really wanted to kiss the witch!
(๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧
Other things were too complicated for it to comprehend; did it not understand this?
Luxianbei, “…”
Goodness, Stinky Sister actually had such thoughts. No wonder when she saw so many people lined up in front of the Ferris wheel, she relentlessly insisted on riding it…
The Ferris wheel was indeed an excellent kissing spot.
This is troublesome; I can’t do anything to betray Miaomiao Sauce! What if she kisses me suddenly? What should I do? Luxianbei thought anxiously.
————
At four in the afternoon, the sunlight had dimmed slightly.
The long-lost sunlight broke through the clouds and fell, beneath the sky where blue and rosy hues intertwined, the Ferris wheel spun quietly, gradually reaching the top, providing a magnificent view of the city bathed in a dreamlike glow.
As the Ferris wheel ascended continuously, Luxianbei kept her eyes glued to Jumeng, who was leaning against the glass, gazing outward, her heartbeat seemed to be gradually accelerating with the process.
In the small compartment, the silence was eerie; she could even hear her heart thumping.
I must resist; for Miaomiao Sauce, I must resist! If she suddenly leaps at me, I’ll use the Four Beasts Bright Sky Cannon to blow her away! Luxianbei thought.
Just then, Jumeng, who had been staring out the window, turned her head and softly called, “Luxianbei…”
“Huh? Ah?” Luxianbei was taken aback, a hint of panic flashed in her eyes, and she instinctively closed her eyes, crossing her arms around her slightly lowered head, shielding her lips.
After waiting in darkness and silence for a long time, Luxianbei did not experience the anticipated event; instead, she heard Jumeng’s puzzled inquiry, “What are you doing?”
Luxianbei opened her eyes a crack, stealing a glance at Jumeng and, seeing that she was not acting strangely, fell silent.
“…”
After a long while, she murmured, “Nothing, just, um, a bit afraid of heights.”
“Hmph, trash,” Jumeng chuckled contemptuously, turning back to look out the window, resuming her view of the scenery.
At the moment she turned, her peripheral vision lingered on the handkerchief on Luxianbei’s chest for an instant, and then, as if recalling something amusing, a meaningful smile flashed in her eyes.
————
In the evening, Huacheng.
In front of a derelict small factory that had been closed for a long time in the southern part of the city, the factory primarily dealt with feed production and was once the main supplier for the South Suburb Slaughterhouse.
However, after those incidents occurred at the South Suburb Slaughterhouse, the small factory lost a significant source of income and, due to mismanagement, ended up closing its doors for good.
In front of the small factory, on a patch of grass overgrown with weeds, Jiang Li sat in a car, quietly watching Ahua working outside.
Since Luxianbei became Huacheng’s Urban Legend King, and with Du Sixian’s efficient management, it had been a long time since any m*rder-type urban legend events had occurred in Huacheng. Observing the gathering sites of malicious urban legends, measuring spirit energy fluctuations, and reinforcing sealing had almost become the daily work of the Huacheng Siye Society.
After a long while, finishing the measurement of spirit energy fluctuations and reinforcing the seal, Ahua returned carrying her tools, stuffed them into the trunk, got into the car, and took the driver’s seat.
“Miss, it’s done. Shall we head back now?”
Jiang Li nodded slightly, “Mm, let’s go.”
The car started slowly, winding through the narrow road before getting onto the main road, heading towards the Amber Hall. As Jiang Li watched the scenery outside rapidly change, she suddenly seemed to think of something, pulled out her phone, opened a specific chat app, and then opened her messages.
Staring silently at the phone screen for a moment, she frowned.
It had been two days since Luxianbei last contacted her; he hadn’t sent any mushy messages to Miaomiao Sauce’s account, nor had he complained about how bad Tangcheng was to the Siye Society’s work account, hinting at wanting a raise. This was a bit unusual.
Two days ago, she would receive at least a hundred messages from Luxianbei each day.
Suddenly losing contact, did he encounter something troublesome?
But what could happen in Tangcheng that would be troublesome? He wouldn’t possibly do something reckless and provoke that entity from Peach Source, right? Jiang Li thought.
Through the rearview mirror, Ahua noticed Jiang Li’s furrowed brow and asked with concern, “Miss, you seem a bit unhappy. Is something on your mind?”
“No, it’s just that Luxianbei hasn’t contacted me for the past two days. I’m wondering if something went wrong with his work.” Jiang Li replied calmly.
Ahua slammed her hand on the steering wheel, indignantly speaking for Jiang Li, “Hmph! I’ve felt that little heart-thief was unreliable for a long time. He stole our lady’s heart and doesn’t know how to cherish it! If he dares to fool around out there, just wait until he comes back, I’ll deal with him!”
“Stole my heart…” Jiang Li slightly parted her lips, silently sighed, and said softly, “Ahua, you should read fewer weird books; what kind of talk is that?”
After a pause, she added, “I’m just worried that when he goes to assist with the work in Tangcheng, he might encounter some danger. After all, he’s already used up the benefits from the graveyard.”
While speaking, Jiang Li looked down at her phone and sent a message to Luxianbei.
Jiang Li: “Huacheng preparatory operative Luxianbei, according to regulations, you should report your work progress every three days when on a mission. It’s about time, so can you say something?”
After sending the message, Jiang Li waited for quite a while without receiving a reply from Luxianbei, and her mood suddenly grew heavy.
Could it be that he was assisting an operative investigating urban legend gathering sites in Tangcheng and couldn’t use his phone?
Then she would just have to wait and see.
Thinking this, Jiang Li put away her phone and looked out the window; at some point, it had started snowing again.
Since the heavy snowfall a few days ago, snow had been intermittently falling in Huacheng for several days, as if spring would never arrive.
————
At the same time, at the Tangcheng theme park, in the “Shooting and Winning” shop.
Jumeng held a g*n in both hands, aiming at the target with a practiced skill, then took a deep breath and held her breath before pulling the trigger.
“Bang—!”
A precise shot… missed the target, hitting the hat of the boss who was five meters away instead.
The boss twitched at the corner of his mouth and weakly said, “Little girl, if you really want that phone, just buy it directly. I’ll make it a bit cheaper for you this time.”
At this rate, I feel like you’ll eventually sh**t me.
With your shooting skills, the odds of hitting the target ten times consecutively to get the phone are no better than winning the lottery, right?
Making money is important, but where’s the safety in that? The boss thought to himself.
“No way! We have to play by the rules. I’m going to believe it today; if I can’t get that phone, I won’t leave! Boss, please load ten more bullets for me!” Jumeng straightened her back.
While Jumeng was tormenting the shop boss, Luxianbei, waiting beside her, finished reading the message from Jiang Li and struggled to suppress the urge to reply.
Miaomiao Sauce is so smart; if I don’t reply for a long time, she’ll definitely notice something is off.
By then, I might casually connect with other operatives who have come to assist Tangcheng or try contacting the Siye Society to inquire about the situation here, she should be able to guess that something serious has occurred in Tangcheng.
Luxianbei thought, silently putting away her phone and rolling her eyes before walking over to Jumeng.
“Stop shooting, let me do it!”
If you keep this up, my wallet won’t survive. Luxianbei added in her heart.
“Boss, please load me ten bullets.”
Jumeng glanced at Luxianbei dismissively, “You? If I can’t do it, how will you…”
“Bang—!”
Before Jumeng could finish her words, accompanied by a gunshot, the target signaled a perfect hit with a “ten rings” sound, “Ten rings, so impressive, keep it up!”
Jumeng looked at Luxianbei, her eyes wide open, mumbling, “It must be luck; it’s definitely luck!”
“Should we do it again?” Luxianbei said softly, and then pulled the trigger for nine consecutive shots, all hitting the target perfectly.
Putting down the g*n, Luxianbei smirked at the dumbfounded Jumeng, her eyebrows playfully raised, as if saying, “You impressed now, Stinky Sister? I can predict things!”
Thus, after Jumeng had tormented the “Shooting and Winning” shop boss to the brink of madness, she then tormented Luxianbei to the point of emptying her wallet. The reluctant boss brought out the latest flagship phone from Huami and watched the backs of the two sisters leave, feeling that tonight’s evening breeze was exceptionally cold and desolate.
————
As night fell, it was like a curtain being quietly drawn over the canyon where Peach Source was located, making mountains, hills, houses near and far, and trees crisp fade to a blur.
Along with the sunset, flocks of fire crows flew over the sky of Peach Source, like the evening glow falling to the earth, sweeping across the sky and then diving into the valley.
Their sunset prayer ceremony began.
“In the sun is Qunyang, called the three-legged crow; when Qunyang cries, the sun rises, and all the birds of the world sing; when Qunyang rests, the sun sets, and all the birds of the world cease…”
The Crow Slave knelt before the Fushang Sacred Tree, praying sincerely, while numerous fire crows danced madly behind him.
Suddenly, the surge of spirit energy within him, which had gradually awakened with Qunyang over the past few days, violently stirred within him, crashing around and causing a slight daze in his consciousness.
In that daze, he heard a low murmur in his ear, almost responding to his prayers and the power within him that rightfully belonged to Qunyang.
“Tang Valley… Fushang…”
The Crow Slave abruptly raised his head, eyes wide, staring in disbelief at the towering twin-trunked giant tree before him, his gaze gradually turning fervent, as excitement surged within him.
“Silence! Everyone be quiet and listen!”
He suddenly turned and shouted at the flock of fire crows behind him. When all the fire crows quieted down, he leaned in attentively to listen. In the faint flow of the air, he distinctly heard the clearer murmuring.
“Above Tang Valley is Fushang, the tree is towering, once a day it arrives, once a day it departs…”
The Crow Slave clearly heard that low singing came from the treetops. Following the sound’s direction, after searching for a long time, he finally spotted a lightly swaying dark green leaf.
“Aw—ah ah!”
What had been sought for centuries was finally realized. The Crow Slave was overwhelmed with excitement, uncontrollably bursting into tears, wailing heartbreakingly but undeniably filled with joy.
His master, had truly “awakened.”
