Chapter 35: CH 34.1

The ones with an even stronger reaction than Wu Xingxue were Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu.

At the time, they were lifting the felt curtains, just about to dismount the carriage. Upon hearing Xiao Fuxuan say “calamity period,” however, their heads erupted in question marks, and they tripped over their feet—

A pair of tumbling sounds issued out; the two little demons nearly fell down and face-planted on their homeland. 

Ning Huaishan clutched the carriage door with one hand to halt his stumbling. After a beat, he pushed the curtain aside and poked his head in: “…How did you know?!” 

His eyes were big to begin with, and now they were so bugged they looked about ready to fall out, staring unblinkingly with incredulity at Xiao Fuxuan. 

Before long, Fang Chu’s head also poked in, frowning in bewilderment: “How would Tianxiu know the term ‘calamity period’?!” 

Nearby, Yi Wusheng queried: “Calamity period? What does ‘calamity period’ mean? This is the first time I’m hearing about it.”

Ning Huaishan snapped back: “Well no shit! D’ya think we’d just easily let you cultivators hear about it?” 

Yi Wusheng: “?”

When on their calamity periods, devils could be easily taken advantage of and infiltrated if they weren’t careful. So, Zhaoye City’s devils and evildoers maintained a tacit understanding to conceal it by any means possible when leaving the city. No devil would let outsiders, especially people from cultivation sects, to know about this detail, as it would put their own weak spot on display.

Not to mention, the phrase “calamity period” was also an intra-community term for devils; they thought that resentful souls backlashing was a calamity, so they used this name. Were a cultivator to learn of it, they’d probably pat themselves on the back and call it “retribution.” 

As they babbled out their questions for a while, if nothing else, Wu Xingxue could at least get the point—this phrase “calamity period” should not have under any circumstances come out of Xiao Fuxuan’s mouth. 

As for why he would have known…

Now that was the real question. 

Grasping the woolen blanket, Wu Xingxue thought back to those vague fragments in his dream, especially the ambiguous tone Sang Yu used when mentioning the “Tianxiu Immortal”…

In short, there was perhaps no more place in this carriage for him to hide.

Yet those two idiots kept braying on: “No wayyy, Tianxiu… how the hell do you know? Who leaked it out?” 

Xiao Fuxuan didn’t immediately respond to their words, but used his sword to prop open the felt door curtain and turned his head to Wu Xingxue to say: “Let’s dismount.”

Wu Xingxue glanced at him, lifted the thick blanket, and went toward the carriage door.

He lowered his head to pass through the door curtain Xiao Fuxuan’s sword propped up, and was just about to dismount.

From the corner of his eyes, Xiao Fuxuan shot him a glance, then abruptly addressed the question Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu had been waiting on an answer for. 

Ever so close, his deep voice said: “I just happen to know.” 

Wu Xingxue’s heart jumped.

Immediately after, that voice emanated again: “Put on an overcoat.”

Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu: “?”  

He just blurted such a statement out of the blue without any context, startling everyone who heard. After a beat, the pair realized that this statement was directed toward their city lord. 

Umm…………..

Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu had originally been planning to say a little more, but were now rendered speechless.  

They just watched as their City Lord froze and shot an unfathomable look at Xiao Fuxuan before at last turning back into the carriage.  

Yi Wusheng pulled out a carriage-furnished overcoat and handed it over, saying: “I don’t understand what this calamity period thing is about, but if it’s an unbearable bodily chill, then wearing a bit more should do well. Perhaps… young master, if you don’t mind, you could describe the calamity period’s symptoms and what means are able to suppress it. If nothing else, I’m carrying all sorts of pills, perhaps they could be of use.”

“……”

After he spoke, the horse carriage went momentarily silent, enough to hear a pin drop.

Yi Wusheng was at a loss, showing puzzlement on his face: “What’s wrong?”

Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu’s faces silently contorted, not daring to interrupt rashly this time. They withdrew in tacit understanding for a while before suddenly realizing a problem—

Tianxiu Immortal Xiao Fuxuan had suddenly gone just as silent.

Of course, Tianxiu was originally a quiet fellow to begin with, who cherished his words like gold. But at that moment, they got the subtle feeling that the Tianxiu Immortal’s reaction wasn’t his normal silence, but like theirs, with a bit of an ineffable meaning to it.

It seemed like he not only knew what the calamity period was, but even knew the symptoms of the calamity period, as well as how to suppress it. 

Umm????

Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu exchanged a glance. 

But, before they could ponder, they heard their City Lord saying: “To tell the truth, I don’t remember anything at all about the calamity period. No need for medicine, I don’t like taking it. But I appreciate your kindness mister.”

After he finished speaking, Wu Xingxue got off the carriage wearing the overcoat, almost hurrying a bit.

Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu rapidly caught up and whispered to him: “City Lord, it’s so weird, that Tianxiu Immortal seems to know everything, even how to suppress a calamity perio—”

Before they could finish, they heard City Lord speaking in an incredibly faint voice: “Please shut up guys.”

The two of them were most fearful of this sort of tone. Scalps numb, they shut their mouths. 

Wu Xingxue finally got a moment’s peace. 

Within the night’s chill, a wind laden with freezing rain whipped straight over, so strong it whistled past his ears. It was only now that Wu Xingxue realized that in the horse carriage, a bit of heat had just risen to the base of his ears and neck.

Behind him was the light sound of a sword as Xiao Fuxuan also dismounted.

As Wu Xingxue swept a glimpse over his surroundings, he saw that, after landing, Xiao Fuxuan stood a few paces away from the horse carriage. He met his gaze, but didn’t appear to want to come over. 

“Sss… How come there are so many people by the relay station?” Ning Huaishan abruptly asked in vexation. 

“Hm?” Wu Xingxue turned to look. 

The place their carriage had stopped was an expanse of hitching posts with a canopy overhead. A place not far behind ought to have been Zhaoye City’s entrance.

There, he saw a lofty, imperious wall, flanked on either side by minarets, the borders of which appeared to suspend bells and chimes that swayed in the freezing wind, their sound emanating through the misty fog.

In the center of the high wall was a large gate of black iron, the left and right of which were festooned with dozens of greenish lights.  

At first, Wu Xingxue thought they were lanterns hanging from the wall. But, after focusing his eyes for a moment, he realized they were ghost fires suspended in the rainy mist. 

And between the ghost fires, human silhouettes flickered about. 

Wu Xingxue asked: “Who are they? Guards?”

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He thought to himself, wasn’t Zhaoye City the devil’s lair, what would the devil’s lair need guards for?

On cue, he heard Ning Huaishan reply: “Before, our Zhaoye City didn’t have guards. Those otherworld lights were all put there by City Lord, along with the black bells hanging from the towers—in case someone from Immortal Capital tried to enter Zhaoye City, the black bells would ring, and the otherworld lights would form a wall of fire that go on for thousands of miles.

“But later, some guards were placed here.” Ning Huaishan added.

“Why?” Wu Xingxue asked. 

Ning Huaishan beat around the bush: “Uhh, because City Lord was locked up in that awful Northern Frontiers place, and nobody knew when you could come back. A lot of people were worried the otherworld lights and black bells wouldn’t hold up after a few years, so…” 

This was already euphemistic wording.

Wu Xingxue tacitly understood. Presumably, those devils in Zhaoye City thought he’d met certain death, and no longer trusted these things.

Moreover, arranging guards meant that there was someone calling the shots in Zhaoye City.

Wu Xingxue waved a hand at Ning Huaishan, asking: “Come, tell me, who is the current City Lord of Zhaoye City?”

Curling his lip unreconciled, Ning Huaishan subconsciously said: “Xueli.”

After saying this, he was pushed heavily by Fang Chu. 

Ning Huaishan came back to himself immediately, “City Lord…” 

Wu Xingxue wasn’t surprised in the least. Since he’d entered the Northern Frontiers, all the world thought him dead. It would have been impossible that the position of City Lord of devils’ lair Zhaoye City had remained empty. With so many devils and demons, there’d always be someone striving for the top seat. That there was a new City Lord was a matter of course. 

He again recalled how back when he’d just gotten out of the Northern Frontiers, Ning Huaishan had borne an expression of hurriedly getting him back to Zhaoye City, likely because of this.  

“Xueli?” Yi Wusheng blurted out, “Xueli…”

Possessed by a devil, he’d been muddleheaded for over twenty years. Before he awoke, he had no idea who the new City Lord of Zhaoye City had become. Now hearing the name, he repeated it a few times, saying: “This name is the same as that of a former acquaintance of mine.”  

Fang Chu: “Was your former acquaintance from the Feng family?”

Yi Wusheng nodded: “Yes, the Feng family had a good relationship with my Hua family for generations. The previous family head had two sons and a daughter. Eldest son Feng Feishi, precious daughter Feng Juyan, and youngest son Feng Xueli.” 

Fang Chu: “That’s right, it’s him.”  

Yi Wusheng went pale with shock: “What’s the meaning of this?!” 

Fang Chu: “It’s that Feng Xueli. I don’t know how he fell out with his family or how he began cultivating the devil’s path. When he came to Zhaoye City, he abandoned his family name and only kept Xueli. The past few years our Zhaoye City hadn’t produced any great devils, just let him take it over for cheap, and he became the new City Lord.”  

“Not only that!” Ning Huaishan’s temper flared up, his face pulled longer than a horse’s: “When he came to Zhaoye City, he didn’t make a manor for himself. He had his heart set on occupying City Lord’s No Sparrow’s Landing. If it weren’t for No Sparrow’s Landing sealing itself off after City Lord left, he might’ve already moved all his family property in there!”  

Because of this, he looked upon Xueli with extreme disdain.  

Before, he and Fang Chu were eager for Wu Xingxue to return to the city as soon as possible and kill off that dog’s mighty air. Just based on his City Lord’s skill, as soon as he came back, what would become of Xueli’s domineering behavior then?  

But now he’d changed his mind. Their City Lord didn’t remember anything, and was just getting on his calamity period. Best to wait for his memory to be reinstated and his calamity period to be crossed, and then take on Xueli before he knew what hit him.  

So, right now was not a good time for identity reveals.  

As Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu were thinking as much, they called Wu Xingxue, wanting to change his appearance a little before crossing the relay station. 

But before they opened their mouths, they heard a gust of wind from behind.

It was a dark, corpse-qi-laden wind. Upon smelling it, Wu Xingxue suddenly recalled Sang Yu’s manor in the dream—people on the corpse refining path would always have this odor about them. 

Wu Xingxue pinched his nose. As he was about to lift his gaze again, he saw that the flickering figures beside the city wall were nowhere to be seen. Instead, the dozens of black-robed people had flashed right before them. 

Their skin was pale white, and across their necks was an extremely noticeable black line. At first glance, it was evident that they’d been decapitated and then sewn back together by force. 

Upon looking closer, he discovered that those lines weren’t an even stitchwork of black thread, but a circle of coffin nails driven into the neck.  

“These are the new City Lord’s guards?” Wu Xingxue studied them. Cocking his head to the side, he murmured, “They’re so ugly.”

As he finished talking, he encountered a rare moment when he didn’t hear an echo. He thought to himself, so there are times when Ning Huaishan has some sense of reservation. 

But soon, he heard Ning Huaishan’s voice elsewhere: “We’ve only been gone from the city for a few days, how come there are so many extra people at the relay station?”

Wu Xingxue: “……”

Before, Ning Huaishan had still been close by his side, but at some point, he’d gone a few steps away. So who was the person standing at his side and listening to his mouthing off now?

Wu Xingxue turned his head, seeing Xiao Fuxuan carrying his sword.  

Wu Xingxue was startled: “…Weren’t you just standing over by the carriage, how’d you end up here?”

Xiao Fuxuan: “If you hadn’t turned your head to look, how would you know I was standing by the carriage?”

Wu Xingxue moved his lips, but didn’t issue any sound. That subtle, ineffable feeling from before came floating back up. 

He faintly sensed that the Tianxiu Immortal seemed a bit unhappy. Clearly, he hadn’t been like this when Wu Xingxue had just woken up. Thinking back, it seemed that he’d been like this ever since he’d told Yi Wusheng “I don’t remember the calamity period” and then hurried out of the carriage. 

Wu Xingxue: “……”

Um….

He was but a devil, presumably he’d never cared whether others were happy or unhappy. Besides, he truly didn’t know whether, under these circumstances, if he were to say something, what should he say.

Better to just act as if he hadn’t noticed. 

As the Devil Lord thought, he pursed his lips.

After a second, he again moved them again, “Why did you come over?”  

Xiao Fuxuan lifted his eyelids: “Came to help someone change faces.” 

Wu Xingxue: “?”

He gaped for a moment, hearing Xiao Fuxuan’s low voice saying: “Stand still.”

The next moment, he understood Xiao Fuxuan’s meaning—just to hear the leader of Zhaoye City’s guards advancing a few paces while explaining to Ning Huaishan: “Falling Flower Terrace is exhibiting strange phenomena. To keep from drawing people over, City Lord ordered an increase in the city’s defense. Of course you guys can enter the city with no problem. As for these three…”

That pack of guards ignited a fire on their palms to illuminate their way. Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu were Wu Xingxue’s trusted aides; practically no one in Zhaoye City wouldn’t recognize them. But the other three, they still had to examine.

They’d gotten very close. Under these circumstances, if Xiao Fuxuan lifted his hand to change anyone’s face it’d be too conspicuous. 

Wu Xingxue thought to himself, too late, it’s over.

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