Chapter 119: A Sword Sealing the Throat
Lu Xianbei silently followed Nanling Yaohua, the surroundings were quiet, and all that could be heard was the soft sound of wind blowing sand and gravel in the air.
Uncertain if it was a psychological effect, after listening for a long time, she even discerned faint human voices from that rustling sound.
It was unclear, as if it was the chaotic mutterings of someone half-dreaming, with no concrete meaning to be distinguished.
However, this did not stop Lu Xianbei from imagining.
“Why don’t you just confess to Xiao Hua? Seek leniency.”
That voice whispered to her, like a devil’s murmur.
“Didn’t Brother Shui say that one of the things girls dislike most is when the person they like lies to them? If you confess now, she might be angry at first, but once she cools down, she’ll forgive you.”
Brother Shui? Can Brother Shui’s words be trusted? Lu Xianbei thought doubtfully.
She had seen with her own eyes when Bai Kai made a vow with Xing Yuan, playing a confession game, sharing their emotional histories during their separation. She didn’t know what they specifically said, as she was kicked out before it started; however, she did know the outcome.
Brother Shui was in a terrible state the next day, pale, with hollow eyes, dark circles under his eyes, trembling while walking, with purple and red bite marks on his neck and bruises on his wrists.
He had clearly been “tortured” all night!
Though Lu Xianbei could endure that kind of torture, the most urgent matter now was to track Dailin, with no time for anything else.
After pondering for a moment, she turned to Nanling Yaohua and finally broke the silence, “Miss Yaohua, you just said those shadows are projections within Yumen Pass?”
At such a time, saying something was always better than silence.
Moreover, Lu Xianbei was genuinely interested in why the projections of Yumen Pass suddenly appeared on the wilderness.
Most importantly, regarding the origin of that bell, if it were brought up by Nanling Yaohua, the question would become simpler.
“Mm.” Nanling Yaohua responded, turning her head to look at Lu Xianbei, explaining, “You must have heard the legend of Yumen Pass, right? It’s said that the real Yumen Pass is hidden in the yellow sands, and grabbing a handful of gravel might be a part of the city wall of Yumen Pass.”
Lu Xianbei nodded.
She had indeed heard it, while eavesdropping on various groups chatting the night she arrived at Hole Ridge Base.
“That legend is true.”
Nanling Yaohua said, raising her gaze to the sky filled with yellow sand, stretching out her hand toward the sky as if trying to grab something, gently making a fist, and then turning back to Lu Xianbei, slowly opening her palm.
In her hand were a few light gray grains of gravel, jumping around like captured little insects.
Unsure if it was an illusion, when the grains of gravel were lifted by the wind and flew into the sky, Lu Xianbei seemed to vaguely see a glimmer of light on those grains.
“However, the reality is somewhat different from the legend. These grains of gravel that make up Yumen Pass only appear on windy days like today.”
“My grandfather said that these gravel that make up Yumen Pass fall from the sky, and he once saw it—like rain, a stream of them falling from places unseen in the sky, then carried by the wind to a specific location, gathering together to form Yumen Pass.”
At this point, Nanling Yaohua paused, her gaze slowly lowering to Lu Xianbei’s chest covered by heavy armor, “This pair of Wind Chime Bells is made from the gravel that makes up Yumen Pass.”
“So that’s why they suddenly rang earlier; they want to return, to merge back with Yumen Pass.”
She mentioned the bell! Lu Xianbei’s heart raced at her words, and she instantly became nervous, her delicate fists clenching slightly.
However, just as she prepared to make an excuse, Nanling Yaohua withdrew her gaze from her chest, smiled gently, and continued, “Sorry, I got a bit off-topic.”
Lu Xianbei, “…”
“In fact, Yumen Pass is a God Realm. The projections you just saw have their true bodies within the God Realm; only on windy days do they occasionally flicker like that.” Nanling Yaohua said.
“Perhaps you could consider them as projections of the God Realm?”
“By the way, what about those tornado pillars? They gather enough gravel that makes up Yumen Pass, and sometimes spatial distortions even appear around, resembling a maze. Many who cross the Gobi Desert inexplicably disappear by accidentally entering and losing their way.”
Hearing this, Lu Xianbei frowned and asked, “Do those people who lose their way end up inside Yumen Pass?”
Nanling Yaohua shot Lu Xianbei a look, “Is it that easy to get in? If I had to say, they probably end up inside the city walls of Yumen Pass, and their next fate is to be ground to pieces, merging into the city walls. Yumen Pass uses this method to suppress urban legends.”
“In other words, now the entire Gobi Desert has turned into a massive maze, filled with various misleading illusions. If you chase after them like just now, you might even lose your life.”
After saying this, before Lu Xianbei could respond, a meaningful smile suddenly appeared on Nanling Yaohua’s face as she shifted the topic, asking, “By the way, speaking of projections of the God Realm, the Qingyi Girl should be very familiar with them, right?”
How could she not be familiar? If you were Lu Xianbei… Nanling Yaohua thought as she observed the girl standing there in a daze.
When she caught up with Lu Qingyi earlier, she almost couldn’t restrain the impulse in her heart and pressed Lu Qingyi to the ground, demanding to know the origin of the bell, but…
Lu Qingyi’s ironclad strength was truly astonishing. Even with the power to deform steel in an instant, she only made a sharp sound without leaving a mark.
How to press for answers in such a case?
It was hard to even break defense, employing various strategies against Lu Qingyi probably wouldn’t be effective… of course, she could only induce her to speak!
Our Yumen Sands Sea Branch has always been gentle and amiable.
Nanling Yaohua intentionally avoided the topic of the bell, and just as Lu Xianbei breathed a sigh of relief, she suddenly brought up the projection of the God Realm again, causing the stone that had just landed in her heart to fly up and hit her head.
Her mind ached.
Nanling Yaohua’s actions were akin to casually chatting with a girlfriend on the street and suddenly asking out of the blue, “The girl who just walked past has such long and white legs!”
It was a verbal assassination!
If one were to instinctively respond, the outcome would likely not be good.
After pondering for a few seconds, Lu Xianbei sighed and, with a blank expression, said, “Miss Yaohua, since you already know, I’ll stop beating around the bush.”
“Indeed! I have seen the projection of the God Realm, and it was in Huacheng.”
Thank you for still sending rockets despite putting on a tough front.JPG
“That anchoring point of the God Realm prototype was originally set up by my Dachunyang Palace’s Chief Priest. A few months ago, the Chief Priest sensed that the anchoring was being compromised and became unstable, so I was ordered to go to Huacheng for repairs.”
My apologies, Turtle Girl!
Now is not the time to reveal my identity to Xiao Hua; I can only borrow your experience for now, otherwise, she might cause some trouble, affecting the progress of rescuing the leader and investigating the traitor.
Consider it a debt to you; when I go to Dachunyang Palace to see you, I will definitely remember to bring you some good food, Lu Xianbei thought silently.
The entire incident she described was basically the truth, aside from the protagonist being a little different; she was not afraid of being exposed.
Hua Sang hadn’t officially joined the Siye Society, and with Fu Xinyi helping her “take the blame,” there was no record of her in the Siye Society, nor did she have much presence. Even if Nanling Yaohua had someone familiar in the Siye Society inquire, the answer would only be, “Indeed, there was a Dachunyang Palace disciple who went to Huacheng during that time.”
So, this was quite stable!
Upon hearing an unexpected response, Nanling Yaohua frowned, her eyes looking at “Lu Qingyi” with a complex expression, contemplating for a few seconds before asking, “So, you actually know Lu Xianbei?”
“Mm.” Lu Xianbei nodded, unable to look her in the eyes.
“And the bell…”
“He gave it to me! Said it could provide an early warning of danger, it’s a precious item…” Lu Xianbei blurted out, “I initially didn’t want it, but he insisted I take it, so… I had no choice but to reluctantly accept it.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know why he’s so nice to me, but he’s truly too enthusiastic. I didn’t know how to refuse.”
“Before, I noticed you had quite the opinion of him, seeming like you wanted to tear him apart, so I didn’t dare to speak.”
Hearing this, Nanling Yaohua’s lips twitched slightly, her fists clenched, and her breathing quickened.
Look at how upset the girl is.
Although she didn’t fully believe Lu Qingyi’s words and planned to verify with the Siye Society operatives from Dachunyang Palace at Hole Ridge Base later, even if it was a lie, it was truly infuriating.
The Wind Chime Bells were a significant symbol for the Yumen Sands Sea Branch, aside from being a token of authority, it was the most important item. That guy just carelessly gave it away?
What kind of behavior was that?
This could almost be seen as gifting a family heirloom-level token of affection from one girl to another.
How heartless could one be to do such a thing?
“……” Nanling Yaohua’s lips parted slightly, taking a deep breath after a long moment, looking ahead and saying, “Qingyi girl, the two people you want to track seem to be quite extraordinary!”
She was no longer interested in discussing Lu Xianbei with Lu Qingyi, too lazy to mention that scumbag!
Seeing that Nanling Yaohua had taken the initiative to change the subject, Lu Xianbei quickly seized the opportunity to ask, “What’s so extraordinary about them? Aren’t they just members of the Solar Eclipse Society?”
I’ve even seen that man, been burned by the Black Sun embers, and am a trusted confidant of the Elders’ Council’s fourth seat; he habitually beats Miss Rabbit and Shuo E, testing combat strength…
Other members of the Solar Eclipse Society, how could they be any different? Lu Xianbei thought.
“Members of the Solar Eclipse Society? I don’t think so.” Nanling Yaohua shook her head, “I just used a unique spell from the Yumen Sands Sea Branch to track them, and found that although they seemed to be moving slowly, as if spinning in place, they were actually avoiding spatial distortions.”
“Mm… It’s like they’re following the trajectory of a maze, going around and around. They might not have gone far in a short time, but as long as the path is correct, they will eventually find their way out. If they manage to circle out, for others, it would likely be very difficult to catch up.”
“As far as I know, only those from the Yumen Sands Sea Branch with Wind Chime Bells and semi-urban legends with generational experience possess such abilities, or the members of the Miracle Cult who were once active in the Gobi Desert.”
“You mean they are members of the Miracle Cult?” Lu Xianbei asked, puzzled.
What the hell? Is the Miracle Cult also starting to play both sides here?
Is this even a lack of belief in miracles?
Tsk, not one with the spirit of miracles!
After grumbling a bit, Lu Xianbei instinctively asked, “By the way, how does the Miracle Cult get through those mazes?”
“Miracles!” Nanling Yaohua shrugged, “Just determine a direction and keep moving forward; as long as you don’t d*e, you’ll eventually find your way out, right?”
“Huh?” Lu Xianbei tilted her head, surprised, “Isn’t that just charging through?”
“What else?” Nanling Yaohua said, “They’re members of the Miracle Cult, and even if it means charging through, with the protection of the Miracle Flower, the chances of successfully finding their way out are much higher than others.”
Lu Xianbei, “…”
I take back what I just said; this is indeed not something ordinary members of the Solar Eclipse Society can do.
Their spirit of miracles is burning fiercely!
———
Furongluo · Zhanbu initially didn’t want to go to Devil City after receiving a message from a member of the Tuo Wuali Lei tribe.
Because it was utterly meaningless.
The Zhanbu Tribe, being a small tribe, always lingered on the fringes of semi-urban legend power; even if they went to Devil City to participate in the rescue of the Shaman Queen, all they could do was watch as those major tribes divided the benefits, and finally, they would get captured as cannon fodder.
With the changing times, many small to medium-sized tribes in similar situations as the Zhanbu Tribe had long lost the desire to rescue the Shaman Queen. Instead, they became closer to humans, making numerous attempts to blend into human society without being detected.
Isn’t it good to be alive?
Why fight for an ethereal existence that no one has ever seen?
Most importantly, now that Bai Kai was back, Furongluo was even less inclined to take risks.
Although she vaguely sensed that Bai Kai was deceiving her and wouldn’t stay with the Zhanbu Tribe for long, she just wanted to spend every moment of this limited time together with Bai Kai.
Every extra minute, every extra second was a profit!
Unfortunately, she forgot that aside from being an infatuated admirer of Bai Kai, she was also the chieftain of the Zhanbu Tribe and could not completely disregard her clansmen’s safety for her personal feelings.
The member of the Tuo Wuali Lei tribe delivered the message and quickly left, and then returned again after two hours, bringing new news to Furongluo.
“Chieftain Furongluo, the three major tribes and our chieftain have decided to set out towards Yumen Pass to rescue His Majesty the Shaman Queen. Please bring the brave warriors of our tribe and immediately follow me.”
“What if I refuse to go?” Furongluo frowned.
The entire Zhanbu Tribe had declined to the point of having only eleven combat-capable warriors left. If they were to go, just returning even one would be quite nice.
At that point, the Zhanbu Tribe would be utterly finished.
“Hah!” The member of the Tuo Wuali Lei tribe sneered, “Our chieftain said that if you don’t go, it’s equivalent to opposing all tribes.”
Did he still think the Zhanbu Tribe was the major tribe of decades ago?
Obediently heading to Yumen Pass might allow them to hang on for a while; opposing all tribes would immediately lead to the annihilation of the Zhanbu Tribe, the member of the Tuo Wuali Lei tribe thought.
“Chieftain, you wouldn’t want your recklessness to lead to…”
Before the semi-urban legend could finish speaking, a metallic buzzing sound suddenly came from behind. Turning around sharply, he saw a dazzling silver light burst forth from the corner of his eye. He didn’t even see what it was before losing consciousness.
It was a sword that came with a thunderous roar…
A sword sealing the throat!
