In Youzhou City, the demonic aura was so strong that there was no need to check. They could feel it as soon as they entered. Almost half of the people in the city were humans and the other half were demons. The humans were the soldiers of Youzhou who wore armor and carried weapons, while the demons were the civilians in the city.
A strong resentment almost soared into the sky. The commoners living in Youzhou City had been gnawed by demons. Snake demons, pig demons, fox demons and tiger demons had replaced the natives of this city. They were fighting on the streets and looking around.
The city was like a huge monster standing on the plains. It opened its mouth wide and did not refuse anyone. As soon as merchants and travelers entered the city, they became food for the demons. Mo Rigen and Lu Xu did not go through the main gate. Instead, they climbed over the outer city wall and went directly to a remote part of the city.
"There are too many …" Lu Xu said, "We have to inform …"
"Inform who?" Mo Rigen and Lu Xu walked in the alley and observed the situation in Youzhou City. Before entering the city, they never expected to see such a scene.
Lu Xu was stunned. Inform who? Inform the Exorcism Department? Inform Li Jinglong? There were only seven exorcists in the whole of China. Four of them were in the Dragon Subduing Pagoda in Hangzhou. No one knew when they would come out.
A woman noticed them and walked towards them. Wolf hair appeared on both sides of Mo Rigen's face. His pupils turned into a line, revealing his grayish-blue wolf eyes and elongated canine teeth. His face changed into a demon. He stepped forward and blocked Lu Xu. He growled at the woman.
The woman said, "Yo!" and said, "Wolf? I've never seen you two before. Are you new? "
Mo Rigen looked at her warily and reached out his furry hand. Lu Xu understood and held his hand. The two passed by the alley and turned to look at the woman.
The woman raised her hand. There were no fingers on her hand. Spider hair appeared on one side of her arm. She pointed to the north and said, "Newcomers, go to the Wei Mansion and register yourself."
Mo Rigen didn't say anything and quickly led Lu Xu out of the alley.
Many demons came and went on the streets. Although they were in the form of commoners, they could not be bothered to disguise themselves. There was actually such a city in the human world that was filled with demons that ran amok everywhere. This was simply a miracle that Lu Xu could never have imagined even in his dreams.
"They seem to recognize each other," Lu Xu whispered to Mo Rigen.
Mo Rigen leaned close to Lu Xu's ear and whispered, "Foxes have good hearing. Stop talking nonsense."
Lu Xu didn't say anything else. He and Mo Rigen crossed the street and headed towards the Wei Manor, thinking about how to escape. If they were discovered by the demons in the city, as long as they didn't get surrounded, the Grey Wolf and the White Deer were extremely fast and Lu Xu could fly. At worst, they could just carry Mo Rigen and fly out of the city.
The problem was that he didn't know how much information Mo Rigen wanted before he was willing to leave. If the other side had powerful demons, it would be difficult to deal with them.
There was a long line outside the Youzhou Prefecture. When Mo Rigen reached the street, he immediately signaled Lu Xu to hide. The two of them hid behind a building and looked out.
"Where do you live? What's your name? What are you doing here? "The Carp Demon raised a pen and asked a weasel who had come to register his name.
"Changlin County," the weasel said. The weasel said, "I don't have a name. I heard that Lord Tianma wants to give us a good life, so I'm here."
Behind the weasel was a family of three. A woman was leading a half-grown child with a weasel's head and a human body. In her arms was a smelly little weasel. The little weasel stuck its head out and sized up the carp demon.
"Let's call you Wujiading!" The Carp Demon waved his pen and registered his name. "Go to the West City Barracks. Someone will make arrangements for your family of four."
The weasel received his name tag, bowed, and left. Behind him, a dark, burly man who looked like an iron tower came up and looked at the Carp Demon. The Carp Demon suddenly felt the terrifying aura of being stared at by its natural predator — the guy in front of it was a bear!
The bear demon looked past the Carp Demon and at the woman behind it. At this moment, the Carp Demon's master, Painted Skin Danho, was holding a mirror and drawing his eyebrows. He looked at the bear with an even more dangerous gaze.
The bear demon said, "Xianbei Mountain, Ah Zhuang. I heard that there's no shortage of food in Tianma?"
After the Carp Demon was registered, another demon came over and leaned over to whisper a few words in Danho's ear. Danho impatiently threw the mirror on the table and stood up. "I'm going back to the residence to take a look."
"Don't!" The Carp Demon was afraid that a cat demon would suddenly appear. Just by staring at it, it could scare it into fainting.
"Look at how scared you are." Danho said, "I'll be back soon. Be good."
The Carp Demon was speechless.
Danho turned around and left. The Carp Demon began to face the crowd of demons in fear. It thought to itself, I'm going to become a dragon, so I'm not afraid of you.
Fortunately, none of the demons registered next were its natural enemies. The Carp Demon had been with the Exorcism Division for a long time, so it had learned a little from Li Jinglong. Although its eyes were on both sides of its head, and it couldn't help but turn its head to look at the other demons from above, it still had an air of superiority when it slammed the table and wrote.
It wasn't until sunset that the number of demons in the city decreased. The Carp Demon put away its book and jumped down from its chair. Its legs were shivering from the cold wind, and it hopped back to the residence.
When it rounded the corner of an alley, two fingers suddenly poked the Carp Demon's mouth and lifted it up by its chin.
The Carp Demon's throat was restrained, and it couldn't shout "help!". It felt dizzy and waved its hands wildly. Suddenly, Mo Rigen's cold voice sounded in its ear. "Long time no see, Zhao Zilong."
Lu Xu said expressionlessly, "What a pleasant surprise."
The Carp Demon widened its eyes and immediately gave up struggling. It looked at Mo Rigen pitifully.
In winter, a cold wave from the south swept through Jiangdong and Jiangxi. At night, in the dusty file room of the Jiangzhou government, Trandol sat in front of the desk, bored. Atay flipped through the books one by one, looking for the records left by Di Renjie.
The files of Pengze county were all moved here 40 years ago. This file of the imperial clan had long been forgotten. Atay showed Li Jinglong's handwriting and some money, and was easily allowed to check the files.
"I have no clue." Atay muttered to himself. "The land around Pengze county was almost turned upside down. Where did Di Renjie find the sword?"
Trandol held a silver ring in his left hand. It rolled to his right hand, and then back again. He said lazily, "You all guessed wrong!"
"My intuition tells me that it can't be wrong." Atay said, "Do you remember the information you asked on the way here?"
Atay and Trandol had inquired about many people in Pengze county. Among them, there were many old men in their eighties. Some of them used to work in the county government. They did notice that Di Renjie had a sword, but they didn't know where it came from. In addition, there was one person who had welcomed Di Renjie when he was transferred to Pengze county.
"You better find it within three days. Otherwise, I'll teach you a lesson."
Trandol couldn't read Chinese, so she couldn't help Atay look for information. Atay frowned. "I asked you to go back to the inn to rest, but you refused."
Trandol insisted on following Atay. Atay was afraid that she would be bored, but he couldn't refuse her, so he had no choice but to take her with him.
"Yes, I'm not like Hongjun Kong, Lu Xu, or their wives." Trandol said. "I'm not a man yet. I can't fight with you."
"Look at what you're saying." Atay didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I don't like men."
Trandol didn't say anything. Atay threw the files he had flipped through into an empty vat. He stretched and said, "Why do you always say one thing and mean another? If you're bored, then go back and rest. Can't you be more obedient?"
These words seemed to poke Trandol's sore spot. She said angrily, "Obedient? Listen to who? Listen to you? If I wanted to, I would've been married long ago! It's not your turn! "
Trandol was about to whip him when Atay's expression changed. "Don't! I was wrong! Don't be rough! "
Trandol then glared at Atay and said, "Sing a song for me."
Atay was speechless.
Atay was busy. It was really crazy to have to sing for Trandol at this time. However, if he didn't sing, he would be whipped. He had no choice but to take the piano and sit in front of Trandol obediently.
"What do you want to sing?" Atay asked seriously.
"Anything." Trandol leaned against the desk and said lazily, "Sing 'The Birds Fly Away and Come Back'."
"I'm not sick of it." Atay said with a smile.
Trandol looked at Atay with dissatisfaction and said, "Can't I like this song?"
Atay plucked the strings and sang.
"The birds fly away and come back, the tide rises and falls …"
"The flowers bloom and wilt, the grass turns green and yellow …"
"The stars are born and die, the vows of eternal love are forgotten after uttering them …"
"Only your eyes are like the blue lake water, making me want to stay by your side all the time …"
As Atay sang, for some reason, he remembered the day he met Trandol.
It was a winter when he was twelve years old. He played the piano in the lonely temple and sang sadly. Trandol followed his uncle's caravan and passed by the temple. When they entered to worship the long extinguished divine fire, they passed through the garden and accidentally found Atay. At that time, he was singing behind a pillar.
He sang and looked at Trandol.
The soft snow of early winter fell on his piano strings. As he plucked, the strings vibrated and the snowflakes turned into crystal powder and disappeared between heaven and earth.
After that, she often came to see this young priest. Winter and summer, she came back and forth like a migrating bird. Every time autumn passed and winter came, he would wear a black robe and pray before the embers of the divine fire. She would always bring some money and food and put them in front of the altar.
When he was fourteen years old, his teacher was still alive. She looked at Atay expressionlessly in front of the altar and glanced at Trandol.
"The stars tell me that your fated wife will not be her." The Adoratrice's voice was still in his ears.
"If fate gives me separation, I will accept it. If fate gives me a happy reunion, I will gladly endure it."
When Atay set the Adoratrice's body on fire and the last successor of the temple turned into ashes, Trandol stood behind him.
"Father asked me to choose someone and marry him," Trandol said. "The first person I thought of was you."
Atay turned around and looked at Trandol without answering.
Trandol had a gentle smile on her face, like the flowers that were born in Ulmos Lake when spring came, blooming so brightly.
"I can't marry you," Atay said. "I'm too busy. Marry someone else."
"I can wait," Trandol answered. "When you're not busy, remember to come."
"If fate wants me to separate from you, I will accept it. If fate gives me a happy reunion, I will gladly endure it …" Atay sang in a low voice. "As long as I can see the lake in your eyes again …"
Trandol leaned on the table and looked at the courtyard outside the archive room. The plum blossoms were blooming in the winter night and it was snowing.
"Go and do your work." Trandol listened to the song and said with a smile. In her life, as long as she heard Atay sing, she would have no regrets.
"I can see the lake in your eyes, as deep as the night sky." Atay sang at the end. "In your eyes …"
Suddenly, Atay's music stopped.
Trandol: "???"
Atay frowned and vaguely caught a thought.
Trandol said, "Are you hungry? I'll go make you something to eat. "
Atay immediately raised his hand to signal Trandol not to interrupt his thoughts. Then, he stood up like a gust of wind and said, "I found it …"
"Found what?" Trandol said. "You can even think of that?"
Atay said, "We've checked the ground two hundred miles around Pengze, haven't we?"
Trandol said, "Yes, it's all fields. It used to be fields, and it's still fields now. There's nothing."
Atay said, "There's another place that we missed! Poyang Lake! Let me see … I've got it! "
Atay found the record on the shelf that stored the hydrographic data.
"In the autumn of the third year of Changshou, Poyang Lake was shallow and muddy. An ancient road appeared. Huaiying personally led the county guards to investigate and entered alone for a day and a half … It must be here! During the dry season, the ancient road appeared at the bottom of the lake! "
At night in Youzhou, the entire city was lit up with red lanterns. Wild laughter could be heard everywhere, as if a group of demons were dancing, adding to the eerie atmosphere. In an abandoned house, a few cold corpses were piled up under the bed. It was obvious that the demons didn't like the house after eating the people and left hastily without cleaning it up.
Mo Rigen and Lu Xu captured the Carp Demon and brought it here to avoid the demons' eyes and ears. At this moment, the two of them were sitting on one side of the table. The Carp Demon lay on the table, his mouth moving as he said, "That's the whole story. I didn't lie to you."
Lu Xu: "Why are you lying down? Can't you stand up and talk? "
Carp Demon: "Ever since I came to Youzhou, my heart hasn't been well. I can't take any stimulation."
Mo Rigen: "Don't play dumb! What's An Lushan's plan? "
The Carp Demon said, "He plans to swallow up the cities one by one. He'll send demons to each city to replace the living. First, it'll be Youzhou, then Jiangnan, then Jingzhou, and then Bingzhou. He'll surround the Central Plains and raise an army to rebel. He'll let the human soldiers take the lead, and the demons will follow behind."
"Isn't he afraid of the Exorcism Division at all?" Mo Rigen said.
The Carp Demon replied, "There are only a few people in the Exorcism Division. They can't deal with all the demons in the city."
Lu Xu said, "How much inside information did you tell them?"
The Carp Demon was furious. He jumped up and roared, "I didn't! I didn't say anything! "
Mo Rigen said to Lu Xu, "He didn't dare to say anything. He followed us before, and then he became one of Xie Yu's people … If An Lushan knew about this, he wouldn't let him go."
"That's not why I'm keeping my mouth shut — —!" The Carp Demon became even more furious and roared.
"Okay, okay, okay." Lu Xu was bored to death and comforted him, "You're doing this for the safety of your brothers."
Mo Rigen snorted. The Carp Demon was so angry that his whole body turned red. He was about to turn into a koi. Mo Rigen said coldly, "It seems like there are many demons, but they're just a mob. As long as we get rid of An Lushan, the rest of them will naturally scatter like birds and beasts."
"How do we get rid of them?" Lu Xu said, "Do we kill our way into the residence now?"
Mo Rigen said, "When do we attack?"
The Carp Demon replied, "I don't know. That's top secret."
Mo Rigen sized up the Carp Demon. The Carp Demon said, "How's Hongjun?"
The two of them said in unison, "I don't know."
Lu Xu asked, "Who's Hongjun?"
Mo Rigen said, "I don't know the person you're talking about."
The Carp Demon was a little disappointed and drooped his fish head. Lu Xu and Mo Rigen exchanged glances. Mo Rigen said, "Ah, I remember now. But it depends on your performance."
Lu Xu began to feel a little sorry for the Carp Demon, but when he thought about the intricacies of the situation, he couldn't say anything. After all, it wasn't up to him to decide whether to forgive the Carp Demon or not. He could only wait for Li Jinglong to say something.
"How should I perform?" The Carp Demon seemed to see a glimmer of hope and hurriedly asked.
"I'll leave it to you." Mo Rigen clearly didn't want to continue arguing with the Carp Demon. He replied, "If we meet them, I'll talk to them for you."
"Where's Hongjun?" the Carp Demon asked again.
Mo Rigen naturally couldn't tell the Carp Demon about the Exorcism Division's current plans and whereabouts. Otherwise, he would really be out of his mind. He only stood up and motioned to Lu Xu.
"I'll go with you!" the Carp Demon said. "I want to go home!"
Mo Rigen casually stopped the Carp Demon and went out with Lu Xu. Lu Xu couldn't help but look back at the Carp Demon.
The Carp Demon followed them out and chased after Mo Rigen relentlessly. Lu Xu said, "Fly out, otherwise it'll be too conspicuous." As he spoke, he transformed into the White Deer. The Carp Demon hurriedly went forward and hugged the White Deer's hind legs without letting go.
"Get down."
"Take me back, I'm begging you!"
"No." Mo Rigen said.
The White Deer was somewhat hesitant. Mo Rigen said, "Hurry up and go! We're in a hurry! "
The White Deer could only raise its hooves and kick backwards. The Carp Demon was instantly flung out and fell to the ground.
"Old Three, you've changed!" the Carp Demon said.
"Behave well." Mo Rigen didn't even turn his head. "Hongjun will forgive you."
The White Deer soared into the air and stepped on the roof. The Carp Demon hurriedly got up and shouted, "Wait! That day outside the Exorcism Division … "
However, the White Deer had already flown into the sky and disappeared without a trace.