Though they have not spotted An Xin from the South coast and only found the ghost with the pipa, the travels of cultivators Quan Neng and Junior Fu were not useless.
Young Master Quan had casted a seeking spell towards the creature that was used to claw out Princess Jinzhu's eyes. It still existed today, and its scent was still present even in this ethereal woman. Almost like sulfur mixed with the rancid stench of dried blood.
"The creature is still close by. We must go northwest. Follow the path of the Road of Silk." He said, boarding his sword Yan Tong again.
In mortal terms, the Road of Silk was not really 'close by'. The South coast and the nearest path to the Eurasian trading route was thousands of li* away. But it was easy enough for cultivators to travel, especially powerful ones like Young Master Quan and Junior Fu.
Soon, they have spotted a suspicious wooden cart going far westward past the Himalayas with the same smell of sulfur and blood.
With another spell, the immortal cultivators had turned themselves not only invisible, but also immaterial and virtually impossible to detect. Only another skilled cultivator from the Hei Xin sect can sense this technique, and the skills required would be at the level of a Sect Master.
They got inside the cart. It was simple and unassuming outside, pulled by a couple of black stallions.
But inside…..
It was filled with luxurious canopies, sleeping mats, and piles of silver coins scattered everywhere. In them were men in lavish clothing and finest quality robes, all bearing a symbol written in crimson at their backs.
It may be written with cinnabar or… well, even more blood. One of them was licking a broken bone after all.
"I thought we would never get to see the Western world again." One of them muttered as he picked his teeth with the sharp edge of the bone snapped in half.
They all had bizarre and uncommon features. The one that spoke had hair the color of a peach, and eyes that shone like those silver coins. The one he was talking to was a younger male who seemed to be his junior from the way he talks to him. This one had razor-sharp hair the color of clementines, and eyes that was the color of the sunset skies.
Junior Fu's lips parted from seeing these people that were like him, but he closed it again. Yet despite being invisible, Young Master Quan still sensed it. His surprise and conflicted feelings.
"It truly is a shame, since the Yaos of the Western world have it easy. No cultivators, only a handful of mages and sorcerers with their magic. A large hunting ground full of stupid humans that only knew how to wage wars with each other." Clementine-haired said.
Peach-haired agreed. "The last I heard from the West was when that king was trying to conquer and unite every one of them in his rule."
"Well I heard he died a century ago right after his second-in-command. Tragic, isn't it? They seemed close too, sharing the same sleeping quarters and all that." Clementine chuckled. "Heard they even had an incident where his general ended up wearing similar clothes and this captive Persian family thought he was the king and begged for their lives."
"Oh? And what happened then?"
"The king said that they did not make a mistake, because this man was him as well. They were considered to be 'one soul divided in two bodies' by their teacher."
"Well at least now that they have died perhaps their souls joined together. I do not understand much of the Greeks' belief in the afterlife, but I do know that there are simply things that are suited for each other, complementing one another. Yin and Yang, night and day. All that." Peach said.
"Ah, just like how you have great strength in the body, but I am the strength in the mind to suit your lack thereof." Clementine jested.
Peach punched him in the shoulder. "You won't have any strength left once I sucked out that soul of yours, though."
They continued bickering, while Young Master Quan and Junior Fu just listened in. They gathered that they were headed for this island called Albion at the north of Rome, and that they will be taking hostages from there to offer up to the kings of hell in exchange for something.
But that something remained vague during their conversation. The two could only barely follow what the demons were saying as they seemed to be partaking in smoking the hemp plant.
They placed it in their pipes and burned it like one would do with sage. The smell was even worse than sage, and Junior Fu had to be careful not to cough out loud.
The young master walked by his side, and placed a protective spell. He asked telepathically. 'Are you alright, shidi?"
'I am, young master.' He said.
Though they were technically martial art brothers, Junior Fu never seemed to be comfortable in calling him 'shixiong'. He insisted on calling him 'gongzi' or young master no matter what.
Quan Neng wished that out of all people, he would see him as a brother. Yet he can't even go by his side without Junior Fu flinching or stepping away in fear of corrupting his qi.
The carriage finally made its stop after days of travel. It should have been months, but this truly was not an ordinary carriage with ordinary passengers. Peach and Clementine stepped out, stretching their limbs.
"Ready for a race to the enclosure? We can grab a few bites on the way." Peach offered.
Clementine sighed. "I'd rather just walk and enjoy the surroundings. And I'm keeping my stomach empty for the feast after the ceremony."
Peach shrugged. "Suit yourself."
He then transformed into the beast that they have seen from Princess Jinzhu's memories. It was almost like a black dog or wolf, but it was also unclear what else it was. It was possibly a mixture of different creatures at once. It moved fast like a dark meteor and managed to slay hundreds of people at once.
It had also eaten them without leaving a drop of blood or any evidence behind. It kept on running deep into the cold winter forest faster than the eyes could blink.
Clementine just shook his head in disapproval for his companion's behavior, when—
"Tell us what the An Xin sect is plotting now here in Western soil." He felt a sword up to his neck. "Or I would send you to meet with King Yanlou* early."
There was a man behind him, materializing from nowhere. It was a large man, and he could smell the righteousness oozing from his veins.
"Immortal. What brings you here with one of our kind?" Clementine just smirked, turning his gaze into the other one that appeared in front of him.
Junior Fu was wearing a deep scowl. "If you do not tell us the truth, we can force it out of you."
He held out his hand over Clementine's forehead, ready to use the Soul-Searching Technique—
"Oh, so you want the truth? I will give you the truth." He smiled, and spat on the ground.
As he spat, magnificent wings of a crane burst out of his shoulder blades.
"You cannot escape from what you truly are. Though you wear their clothes, though you bear their name, though you learn how to act like them…. In the end, you are what you are. A monster through and through."
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A/N:
Li is a Chinese measurement that is more or less half a mile/kilometer
King Yanlou is the Chinese name for King Yama, god of death and ruler of Diyu (hell).
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