Leaving the Water-Sided Pavilion, a very eye-catching carriage came into view.
Not only was it much larger than other carriages, but even the horses looked as though they had been rubbed with oil, gleaming brightly.
At first glance, I assumed this was the right carriage, but seeing the person standing beside it made me somewhat unsure.
That person wore dark-colored fitted clothing and carried a bow and arrow on his back. Would a pageboy dress like this? Before I could figure it out, the person had already walked over in two or three steps and paid his respects:
“Young Lord.”
His features were handsome, but his pupils lacked the slightest ripple. Together with his tone and voice, he seemed more like a cold-blooded assassin than a pageboy.
Upon second thought, however, he was likely someone akin to a bodyguard.
“This is my junior martial brother Chen Xiaowu, who is traveling with me. This is A-Yun,” I introduced them to one another.
Chen Xiaowu called out:
“Elder Brother A-Yun.”
A-Yun gave a slight nod, glanced at Chen Xiaowu, and then turned around to guide us onto the carriage. It was rare to encounter someone even less talkative than myself.
In the original text, A-Yun had grown up in the prince’s estate, harboring deep gratitude and obeying the original owner’s every command.
However, later on, the original owner turned to the dark side and committed many evil deeds. A-Yun began to waver, and in the end, when the original owner imprisoned Duan Qianyue, it was A-Yun who helped him escape.
Therefore, although the original owner died a miserably tragic death, A-Yun, who served as his trusted confidant, came out unscathed. Fundamentally, this person was still trustworthy, his character was without fault, and his quiet demeanor happened to be to my liking.
The shaking of the carriage lulled me into a half-sleep, so I simply closed my eyes. Fortunately, Chen Xiaowu did not disturb me. Before long, I felt the carriage come to a halt, and a fur cloak was draped over me.
I forced my eyelids open a crack and saw that it was A-Yun. I muttered a word of thanks. His movements paused for a split second, he said nothing, and he went back to driving the carriage.
I probably startled him just now. After all, master and servant needn’t be so courteous, but I had just said it offhandedly without thinking much of it.
Vaguely, I heard the sound of people talking, which meant we must have arrived. I lifted the carriage curtain. Standing by the city gates were guards keeping watch, all of whom respectfully bowed and saluted when they saw me:
“Heir Apparent.”
They let us pass immediately. Seeing that Chen Xiaowu was uncharacteristically quiet, I asked him:
“What is the matter, Junior Brother?”
“I miss my father.”
This usually boisterous fellow was now acting pitiful and saying he missed his dad. I could not help but chuckle, and his expression grew even more aggrieved.
“Then where is Junior Brother’s home? Is it here within Luocheng, and do you wish to return home?”
He shook his head:
“My home is at Mount Fairy, very far from here.”
Mount Fairy was where the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion was located. Could Chen Xiaowu’s home be at the foot of Mount Fairy? If so, how did he end up joining the Starry Sky Sect?
A myriad of questions filled my mind, but before I could voice them, he added:
“Senior Brother, I am so hungry.”
So that was the real reason. I smiled and instructed A-Yun to stop and buy some food.
Entering the city, the streets were wide, with commercial shops selling goods on both sides. Then I gave instructions:
“We won’t return to the Prince’s Estate first. Let’s go to the Wang family estate first.”
A-Yun hesitated for a moment before finally uttering a single “Very well.”
The carriage turned around and headed into another street. Being within the city of Luoyang, the two streets were not too far apart from each other.
Yet the scene was a stark contrast. Lively as the previous street had been, this one was utterly desolate. Every household had its doors tightly shut, and not a single shadow of a person could be seen on the street.
Xiaowu poked his head out to look outside and voiced the same doubt as me:
“Brother A-Yun, do you know where everyone here has gone?”
Without even turning his head, A-Yun uttered:
“Unknown.”
Soon, the Wang family estate arrived. A-Yun reined in the horses and stepped forward to help me down, but I waved my hand to indicate it was unnecessary.
I leaped down from the carriage in a single bound, with Xiaowu following right behind me. A-Yun went up to knock on the door, but receiving no response, he returned to my side and shook his head.
Xiaowu and I exchanged glances. I instructed A-Yun to wait outside and prepared to step into the estate. A-Yun reached out to pull me back:
“Young Lord, it is dangerous.”
I told him it was fine, and then Xiaowu and I entered the Wang estate. The moment we landed, Xiaowu muttered in complaint:
“Brother A-Yun underestimates you way too much. You are our Starry Sky Sect’s Senior Brother! Although your internal energy has only just recovered, dealing with these small demons and monsters is nothing.”
Sensing something was amiss, I interrupted his idle chatter and made a gesture signaling him to be quiet.
It was one thing for every household to shut their doors tightly and not dare to venture outside, but why was there not the slightest sound inside the estate either?
Such a large Wang family estate, complete with domestic servants and guards, numbered dozens of people, and this was during broad daylight, to boot.
Chen Xiaowu also realized something was wrong. He cast out his spiritual sense to probe the surroundings, and then looked toward me:
“There is no one inside the estate, but…” He turned his head toward the entrance, and I followed his gaze.
The main gates opened automatically, and a dozen or so people entered. Aside from the person in the lead, the rest were youths of seventeen or eighteen years of age, dressed in dark garments with golden patterns, members of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion.
They spotted us as well, glanced at us once, and quickly looked away, appearing somewhat afraid of us.
In the original text, the relationship between the Starry Sky Sect and the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion was akin to that of competitors. Every time demons or monsters needed subduing or evil banished, both sects would dispatch personnel, and whoever solved the problem would win a good reputation.
Immortal sects contending over such trivial reputations was truly tedious.
Their steps were brisk. Amidst my thoughts, they had already entered the courtyard and headed toward the rooms.
“I searched the place already; there is literally no one. What are they even going inside for?” Chen Xiaowu mumbled.
“They must be looking for clues. With so many people, they cannot simply vanish into thin air. Let us follow them.” Soon, we arrived at the main hall.
Two cups of tea sat upon the table. I tested the temperature of the cups with my hand:
“They are warm.” Master told me to come to the Wang estate yesterday. The incident at the Wang estate should have happened yesterday or even earlier; why was the tea still warm?
“Senior Brother, come look. Is this you?”
Xiaowu excitedly ran up to me, unfurling a painting in his hands. The person depicted in the painting bore a striking resemblance to me in both facial features and face shape.
“Where did you find this?” I asked.
“Over there in Miss Wang’s boudoir. There are plenty more.”
I followed Chen Xiaowu to Miss Wang’s boudoir, and sure enough, there were numerous portraits. Judging by their appearance, Miss Wang must have painted them herself.
“Senior Brother, does this Miss Wang happen to fancy you?”
I shook my head, not knowing how to reply. The romantic plotline of a minor cannon-fodder character like Miss Wang was never written about in the original text.
In the original text, demonic entities frequently appeared within Luocheng, but they were all casually dealt with and brushed past by the protagonist along the way. The true storyline began only once they entered the secret realm.
I turned back toward the main hall we had just left. The temperature of the tea in the cups on the table remained unchanged. I stopped a Heavenly Mystery Pavilion disciple passing by the edge:
“Have you people touched the tea on the table?”
He shook his head in puzzlement. I walked outside to find A-Yun and asked him how long we had been inside.
He replied:
“Just now.” Yet, the time we had spent running back and forth inside amounted to at least the span of an incense stick. A-Yun claimed we had only just gone in; this was truly strange.