Chapter 185: The Search

Just as the moon was rising to the middle of the sky, the huge trees that stood strong and tall started to wither rapidly. The tree branches and leaves dropped onto the ground, accompanied by the sounds of spluttering. It did not take long before the whole forest was a pile of green on the ground. With arms across each other’s shoulders, the Persians and Khmers walked out of the forest looking tired. Even though they were still bleeding from wounds on their bodies and brown-colored blood stains covered their faces, every one of them was laughing joyously. They had won!

The irritating smell of curry that had perfumed the small town vanished completely.

The young Persian warrior leader and the middle-aged Khmer captain walked shoulder-to-shoulder into Wen Leyang’s campsite. They laughed as they nodded towards Gu Xiaojun. They did not seem concerned for their own safety.

The Khmer translator that was skilled in just two verses of the Chinese language had survived the tangled warfare. He limped behind as he followed his leader. The expression between his brows showed that he was relaxed. He pointed to the surviving evil cult followers as he laughed and said to Gu Xiaojun, “We are seven, you are two..”

Xiao Sha felt that his words sounded a little sly. He muttered softly, “You two are one!”

Gu Xiaojun laughed as he nodded. Even though the Kayan evil cult followers of the Persian alliance had attached themselves to the right troop, but they did not manage to escape from being slaughtered and destroyed entirely by the strong Indian people back in the forest.

This incident solved two of the problems, that were not too serious, but was troublesome enough. Due to the evil cult followers’ disregard towards the Chinese, this had helped Tutatunte from the African grasslands to achieved his aim. At this point, there were only nine troops left, fulfilling the Tibetan people’s quota.

However, the African people knew that if more people from their own tribe had come, they would have followed suit and disregarded Wen Leyang’s group as well…

The evil cult followers that had schemed against each other and risked their lives in that desperate fight, surprisingly became like a family. Everyone was in complete harmony.

Fei Fei spoke to the group softly, “They are being genuine. This is not a pretense… perhaps they think that the remaining people have all been chosen by the nine-headed snake!”

Wen Leyang peered at Fei Fei once. His eyes were filled with heartfelt approval. Having a comrade who could see through the enemy’s mood at all times was truly a blessing.

Fei Fei roared with laughter in an extremely bold and forward manner. “I can see that you are praising me wholeheartedly!”

Tutatunte’s face was flushed. One could not tell whether he was excited or shy. He walked next to Gu Xiaojun and gestured, as if trying to say that if they were to fight, they had no fear of death.

Some of the evil cult leaders were giving Tutatunte the evil eye. They had all risked their lives in exchange for this promotion. While Wen Leyang and the rest had displayed extraordinary skills, this gang of African’s could only be described as having been lucky and gained the rewards without putting in the work. On the other hand, the young Persian leader patted Tutatunte’s shoulder in earnest. He laughed aloud as he said something.

What he said almost drove the amatuer Khmer translator into madness. It took him a long while, through a series of gestures and a whole lot of babbling, before Wen Leyang understood him. The Persian leader meant to say, “There is no need to blame yourself. Everything is as according to God’s plan. There is no need to blame yourself, the wise and farsighted God has a vision that is sharper than any knife or sword. There is no need to blame yourself, we will have the chance to display our remarkable supernatural powers in the future!”

Wen Leyang burst out laughing upon hearing this. He stretched out his hand and patted on his chest repeatedly as he spoke aloud to the Persian leader, “Wen Leyang!”

The Persian leader understood Wen Leyang’s intention. Using the same method, he laughed aloud and gave his name, “Wahid!”

The Khmer leader despised the Africans but he was filled with admiration for the Chinese. He patted on his chest as he gave his name, “Ji!”

When the foreign evil cult followers that worshipped the nine-headed monster had arrive in the small town of Tuer, there were a total of five hundred people at that point. However, there were only a little over a hundred of them left after the violent battle.

The remaining nine troops were made up of the Chinese, the Persians, the Khmers, the Canaanites from Asia, the Surinamese from South America, a group of indigenous Indians from North America, a pack of aboriginals from Austria, and a few Goths from Europe.

The two troops with the highest number of people amongst them were the Khmers and the Persians, with over twenty people. The rest of the troops were only survived by a dozen or so people. Wen Leyang’s group was still the smallest, which only consisted of five people.

Everyone there had a communication barrier. They gestured to each other as they gathered. The evil cult followers that fought side by side earlier were exceptionally affectionate towards one another and were excited. They were in high spirits because they believe they had been chosen by the nine-headed snake god. They roared and shouted in joy.

Despite all this, the Tibetan people barely acknowledged them. They had dispersed after the battle was over. They did not give the followers a departure date or even mention the next destination of their journey.

The remaining evil cult followers did not press the matter. They gathered their campsites together and started celebrating, offering up their prayers.

Wen Leyang tried to discern the true purpose of the nine-headed snake’s followers, why they had traveled such long distances to this mysterious little town of Tibet. He could not come up with anything. He tried to discuss this matter with his group on and off but their discussions did not bear any fruit. Also due to the communication barrier, it was difficult for them to gather any information from the other evil cult followers. Hence, he gave up. As long as he followed the troops, sooner or later, they would uncover the truth.

Over the next few days, Wen Leyang passed his time in extremely high spirits. He spent the afternoons eating medium rare roast meat with the Africans, the nights drinking alcohol with the Persians. Halfway through drinks, he would be pulled away by the Khmers to sing songs… everyone was in a elated mood. They spent the days and nights in enjoyment. Three days passed, before a few Tibetans entered their campsite at dusk.

The events happened similarly, back when they had announced the elimination match. A Tibetan man, with downcast eyes, spoke in soft tone. Upon giving his speech, not caring whether the evil cult followers could hear his clearly or if they had understand him, turned and walked away.

After the Tibetans left, the evil cult followers started bustling about. As Wen Leyang predicted, the evil cult followers that did not understand the Tibetan language could understand the words the messenger had said!

Perhaps it was because of high and pure power that came from their worship, or maybe it was because of some form of devilry, the communication barrier was overridden by the use of the Tibetan language as the carrier. This both shocked and frightened Wen Leyang. Fortunately, Gu Xiaojun and the siblings could understand the Tibetan language. Otherwise, they would truly be in great trouble.

Upon listening to the the Tibetan’s words, Gu Xiaojun had put on a long face. He translated to Wen Leyang softly, “They were saying that the other evil cult followers are to pack up and prepare to depart with them immediately.”

Xiao Sha could not speak a word to them but still went to every tent and bidded farewell to almost every troop leader.

Wen Leyang was astonished, “The other evil cults followers? What does that mean?”

Gu Xiaojun scoffed and said, “That means excluding us. They want the five of us to stay behind to fight an enemy!”

Wen Leyang’s expression was a combination of surprise and suspicion. The moment Qin Zhui heard about a fight, he was excited. His expression was of deep concern as he inquired intentently, “A enemy is coming? What sort of enemy is it?”

Fei Fei answered on behalf of Gu Xiaojun, “The Tibetan people said that the battle that took place a few days ago had startled the enemy, and as we speak, the enemies are rushing over to this town.” Upon saying that, she stopped for a moment. “Based on my predictions, the enemy the Tibetan people meant should be the Lamas. The people from the Tibetan Buddhism Sect have kept to themselves and refused to involve themselves in any matters relating to the magical realm. Hence, in the eyes of magic users, the Tibetan Buddhism Sect is considered to be an obscure magic sect.”

Wen Leyang gave out a forced laugh as he fished out a stick of carrot. He broke the carrot into two and gave Qin Zhui one half before asking Gu Xiaojun, “Do you have any friends in the Lama world?”

Gu Xiaojun was filled with uncertainty. He stared at Wen Leyang as he said, “I was just about to ask you the same thing!”

Wen Leyang laughed. He had high levels of magical powers, as long as the enemy was not on the level of some old demon, such as Chang Li or Tian Shu, he was not concerned about facing them. That was why he did not take the matter of fighting seriously but he continued to inquire lightly, “Then, where are the Tibetans bringing the evil cult followers to?”

Gu Xiaojun shook his head. He was not concerned with this. “The Tibetans did not say but as long as we have Xiao Sha here, that shouldn’t be a problem.” Upon saying that, his face filled with doubt. His expression was one of uncertainty as he asked Fei Fei softly, “Do you think that the Tibetans have realized that we…”

Fei Fei shook her head. She spoke with absolute certainty in her voice, “Impossible. The expression the Tibetan people had when they looked at us was exactly the same as when they looked upon the rest of the evil cult followers. If the Tibetans were truly suspicious of us, no matter how icy their expressions are, they would never be able to hide it from me.”

Gu Xiaojun let out a long sigh of relief. It was only then that he nodded, his expression relaxing slightly. Qin Zhui sniggered. “Leaving us behind to deal with the enemy. Surely it is because we are strong.”

Wen Leyang was not as optimistic. This matter may appear straightforward but he wondered about alternatives. Something did not sit right with him, there were too many holes. He shook his head as she spoke softly, “If that were the case, that would be the best case scenario. However, why not have everyone work together to kill the enemy? These evil cult followers have quite remarkable powers as well… the Tibetans want to lead eight troops forward first. Are they not afraid that we will be destroyed by the enemy? If it is alright for us to be sacrificed, then why did we have the elimination match to choose nine troops…”

Qin Zhui felt confused after listening to Wen Leyang. He pulled out the Tang knife from behind his back. With the sound of a swoosh, he plunged the knife into the ground. “Why do you bother with things that you cannot figure out just yet? Sooner or later, the truth will reveal itself!”

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Wen Leyang laughed as he shook his head. “It is true, there is no point in trying to figure out something we have no clue about. However, at the very least, we should acknowledge that this is rather odd, shouldn’t we?”

Qin Zhui looked astonished. He stared at Wen Leyang with his mouth hanging open, he could not understand…

Gu Xiaojun nodded and seconded, “What he just said is correct!” He looked towards Fei Fei. “When the Tibetan people were looking at the remaining nine troops of evil cult followers, what were their moods?”

Unexpectedly, Fei Fei, who had no problem looking into another person’s soul all this while, shook her head and spoke hesitantly, “I could not understand what I was seeing. Their mood was not within the category of happiness, anger, sorrow or joy… it was like their expression was not human!”

Now, Wen Leyang and Gu Xiaojun joined Qin Zhui, staring at Fei Fei with their mouths hanging open.

After a few moments, Xiao Sha entered the tent chuckling, proclaiming proudly to the group, “I have left behind tracking signals on all eight of the troops. We will not lose them within the next three hundred miles. However… are we really staying behind?”

Gu Xiaojun heaved a sigh. “We are staying. To be frank, it’s better for us to stay behind rather than any of them!”

Wen Leyang gave a forced laugh as he nodded. He understood what was on Gu Xiaojun’s mind. Of course, he was not referring to the level of their powers but trying to say that the people rushing over to fight the evil cult followers should be their friends. It would be better to have Wen Leyang and the rest ‘stop’ these ‘enemies’ rather than allowing the Lamas to be ambushed by the real evil cult followers.

However, even if Wen Leyang regarded the Lamas as friends, would the Lamas trust them?

He recalled then the process of him dealing with the Leyang family. Wen Leyang felt that that matter was still not fully settled.

Gu Xiaojun pondered for a moment. He suddenly jumped up and pulled Fei Fei along to visit each of the evil cult followers, who were busy breaking camp. They talked and and gestured to the other parties, trying to get them to stay behind and help fight the enemy together. Wen Leyang was confused. He did not understand why Old Gu was doing this.

Most of the evil cult leaders were reluctant. They dared not go against the Tibetan’s instructions. Only Tutatunte and the Persian leader agreed to discuss with the Tibetans, albeit after much persuading. Nevertheless, the results were as they had expected. The Tibetans reject the proposal with expressions as cold as ice.

Gu Xiaojun did not seem disappointed though. It was only then that Wen Leyang understood his actions. Old Gu was just trying to probe the Tibetans for more information.

The only explanation was that there was to be one troop at most that stayed behind to deal with the enemy. There would be eight troops that would follow the Tibetans to the next destination.

Gu Xiaojun was a cunning old fox. If Wen Leyang had understood the old fox’s true aim, he would no longer be a foolish young lad.

Not before long, the Tibetans and the remaining eight troops of evil cult followers left the small town. They walked towards in the direction of the sacred lake Namtso. When they left, the skies were completely dark.

There were a total of over one hundred evil cult followers, while the small town residents came up to about two to three hundred people. Counting all of them, the whole group was almost four to five hundred men strong. Their size was formidable but they barely made a sound, merely vanishing quietly over the edge of the horizon.

Wen Leyang then realized in astonishment, these Tibetans from the small town of Tuer did not own a single dog or cow. There seemed to be no other living creature in this town apart from its human residents!

Over the last few days, the small town of Tuer in Tibet had went through moments of iciness and silence, scheming and plotting, joy and celebration. Finally, it became desolated, appearing almost deserted apart from the five companions that were left behind.

Gu Xiaojun waited until the Tibetans and evil cult followers were out of sight before he gave his instructions. “Search the town! See if anyone else stayed behind. Also look out for things that the Tibetans used. Wen Leyang, Fei Fei, and Xiao Sha will make up one group. Qin Zhui, you’re with me.”

The rest of them did not waste anything in obeying, only Qin Zhui muttered, “I want to be in the same group as Wen Leyang…” Of course, his request was rejected.

Wen Leyang chuckled as he said, “There shouldn’t be anybody else here. Let’s look out for anything suspicious!” The town was very small. Wen Leyang’s psychic ability wrapped around the entire town like a thick fog. He could sense the siblings, Gu Xiaojun, and Qin Zhui within this fog. If any of his companions were to come across trouble, it would take him mere seconds to rush to their aid.

Any ordinary magic user could not escape from his psychic feelers. Besides, if a true first-rate master sorcerer was hiding in this town, it would be a futile effort to depend on their naked eyes in searching…

The five of them divided themselves into two groups and immediately spread out. Old Gu’s pair were in charge of searching from west to east. Wen Leyang’s trio were to scout north to south.

Hard winds blew through the highlands. The ice covered hills in the distance acted like ferocious sharp knives, slicing through the wind. By the time the sound reached the town, the wind sounded like cries…

The houses in the small town of Tuer were different from the stone houses of South Tibet, or the richly decorated tent houses of North Tibet. There was nothing special about these houses. The walls were a wash of greyish white, the roofs covered in greyish black slates. From the outside, the houses did not seem to be arranged in any pattern or style. The entire town was like rows upon rows of mahjong tiles, which had been flipped over and left on the ground in a mess.

Xiao Sha was in no rush to enter the houses, but instead produced his compass and star chart. He was consulting the array of stars in the sky. Fei Fei explained to Wen Leyang from the side, “No matter which sect, the geographical layout of their buildings should follow a pattern. The messier it appears, the more likely it is to hold a secret. Some want to use it as a way to control the fates of Heaven and Earth, some wanted to mimic celestial formations. Each and every sect is different, but once we have identified the town’s arrangement, we should be able to uncover more of these Tibetan’s backstory.”

Fei Fei spoke in almost a whisper. The silence in the town was deafening. Everyone could not help but lowered their voice, as if there were beasts that had been sleeping underneath their feets for millenniums and any slight movements would jolt the beasts awake.

Wen Leyang nodded. The entire town radiated with evil. Not only were the houses arranged in total disarray such that one house was in the east and the other in the west, the houses did not face one direction. Other than the patients of the Beijing Anding Hospital, who built their hostel in this manner, no other normal human being would build a small town this way.

A few minutes laters, Xiao Sha raised his head. His expression was filled with puzzlement. “This town does not seem to be built in any arrangement that I know of. It… it’s just a mess!”

Fei Fei chuckled, she not was nervous in the slightest. “I see, it is all natural!” As she said that, she strode towards the nearest house. She raised a hand and pushed open the wooden door of the house. She flipped on her torchlight and walked in. Wen Leyang and Xiao Sha followed behind closely.

The house was only a dozen square meters. There was only a mattress, a table, and a stove. Everything was tidy and spotless. Other than that, there did not seem to be anything of note in the house. Xiao Sha frowned. The Tibetan lands experienced strong winds and little rain, any ordinary Tibetan house would never be this clean.

With such simple furnishings, there was no need to search through anything. Everything seemed to lay out bare right in front of them. Fei Fei raised her nose and sniffed the air. She asked in a puzzled tone, “Can you smell that?”

Wen Leyang gave a slight nod. “Don’t worry, it isn’t poison!” He had picked up on the scent the moment they entered the house. A faint, distinct stench was floating in the air. It smelled like a failed attempt at fermented fish.

The walls were not covered in any tiles, and there were no hidden tunnels underneath the house. The house was just a house. All the houses were exactly the same. The furnishing and arrangement were exactly the same in all the houses.

The trio’s search progressed quickly. It did not take them long before they had searched the entire small town.

With over a hundred houses, there was no one to be found in that small town. There was utterly nothing that they could find in helping to reveal the identity of its residents. There was nothing there for them to go over. Every single house in this small town of Tuer only possessed the two suspicious qualities, the faint fishy stench and the strangely spotless furniture and rooms. However, Wen Leyang could make no sense of it.

Gu Xiaojun’s duo came back empty handed as well. Everyone was confused. At that moment, Wen Leyang’s psychic feelers, which had covered the entire small town, shook faintly. A group of people with agile footsteps were rushing towards the town!

To his surprise, Wen Leyang felt a sense of relief. The ‘enemies’ were approaching! At least, it meant that those Tibetans were telling the truth. He felt his spirits restore as he said to his companions softly. “The enemies are here!” After his bones and body had been remodeled by the Poison of Life and Death, his psychic abilities had heightened considerably. The area that he could cover with his psychic ability had increased by many folds as compared to before.

Gu Xiaojun behaved in the same way as Wen Leyang. He let out a long breathe. “If that is truly the enemy, then all is well!” As he saw Qin Zhui become excited and lifted his Tang knife, wanting to dash forward immediately to face the enemy. Gu Xiaojun hastily reminded him. “Don’t forget, these people are not really our enemies…”

Wen Leyang suddenly frowned. His psychic ability that swirled around like a fog had reflected to him the appearance of the intruders. He muttered to himself, “How can it be them…” As he said this, he suddenly thought of something. He pulled Qin Zhui to in front of Xiao Sha, he spoke in soft yet urgent tone, “Quick, smack him!”

Xiao Sha’s eyes were filled with confusion but Wen Leyang insisted, “Smack his face!” Xiao Sha understood then. He did not bother speaking as he raised his hands and slapped Qin Zhui’s face a few times. He was pretty rough with Qin Zhui’s face.

Qin Zhui was transformed with a new appearance in the blink of an eye. He was still unspeakably hideous but no one could tell he was Qin Zhui anymore.

Gu Xiaojun frowned, he asked Wen Leyang in a low tone, “The people who are coming know Qin Zhui?”

Wen Leyang gave a forced smiled as he shook his head. “More than that. They know me too!” The moment he finished his sentence, a streak of bright red lit up the night sky, filling it with a dazzling array of stars. It tainted everyone’s vision with the color of blood!

…

QIn Zhui watched the immortal radiance that had erupted in mid-air with his usual naive and innocent expression. He squinted his eyes as he asked Wen Leyang softly, “Who are these people? Oh! What’s wrong with you?” QIn Zhui suddenly realized that Wen Leyang’s face had drained of blood and was rather pale. Even his body was trembling in fear!

Wen Leyang took in a big gulp of air. He was trying to suppress the fear in heart desperately, before opening his mouth slowly, struggling to enunciate his words properly like he was using all his strength, “They… they are here for… for recommended votes!”