Chapter 72 - Chestnut City
Border of the Forest Kingdom with the Lake Kingdom, Chestnut City.
Chestnut City owed its name to the forest full of chestnut trees located not too far from the city. As with other cities, the name often derived from the name of the nearest forest.
Being a frontier city, Chestnut City was much visited as it was a link between the Forest Kingdom and the Lake Kingdom. Therefore, it was also very guarded for a city. But, despite the amount of guards, the significant presence of people coming and going made it easy for martial artists with hidden intent to infiltrate.
So, it often happened that the kingdom had to set up missions for the sects to deal with various issues that occurred in the city and neighboring territories to maintain peace and general security.
But, lately, the atmosphere inside the city was agitated. It was rumored that something had attacked the martial artists of various sects, even killing some coming from one of the five big sects - the Flower Sect.
The deaths of multiple martial artists had forced the guards to tighten controls and patrol more often, creating many inconveniences for visitors and inhabitants. But nothing could be done about it; even if in the external missions there was the risk of dying, the city authorities felt responsible for the death of so many martial artists.
They were afraid of suffering the consequences of any accusations of negligence in their city management. The fact that it had come to involve one of the five big sects wasn’t a good sign as well. They, therefore, hoped to capture the culprit as soon as possible.
And in this climate of tension that Hei arrived at Chestnut City.
To avoid being recognized, he asked his mother to put Shui in her dimensional pocket. After all, an adult albino buffalo would surely attract a lot of attention, not to mention a powerful specimen like Shui.
So, with Shui in his mother’s dimensional pocket and his little sisters, his mother, and Mi hiding on his body, they arrived at the city gates.
"Stop! Tell me your names and the reason for your visit. If you have documents that testify your background, it is best to take them out immediately. Unless you want to spend a period of strict surveillance during your stay."
The guards at the entrance were dividing those who wished to enter the city in various rows, all saying the same sentence.
When their turn came, Hei briefly replied as he took out the tokens with the emblem of the Flower Sect.
"We are disciples of the Flower Sect. Our name and the reason for our visit don’t concern you."
At his words, the faces of the guards twitched in anger. In this climate of tension, they were easily susceptible. But it wasn't as if Hei was deliberately trying to provoke them. He simply didn’t consider it necessary to report their names or why they had come here. After all, there might be someone nearby listening.
Indeed, by studying the little material available about the mission, Hei had guessed that if the culprit had really been a spirit beast, then it had to be a spirit beast led by a beast tamer.
The attacked groups hadn’t crept deeply into the Chestnut Forest, so it was unlikely that they had disturbed strong spirit beasts. Not to mention that such spiritual beasts always dwelt at the center of their territory, well protected on all sides.
Yet the various victims had been attacked by a powerful spirit beast. At least, according to the testimonies of those who had found the bodies. So, the hypothesis of the beast tamer had crept into Hei's head, although it couldn’t be excluded that it was a spirit beast with irregular behavior.
While the guards were about to lose their patience, one of the senior officers, stationed there for this time of emergency, intervened.
"Let them pass."
"But boss, how can we..." a guard tried to reply.
"Stupid! Didn't you see their tokens? They are part of the Flower Sect. If you believe you have the authority to get your hands on them, go ahead."
"Yes, I know. But..."
The guard interrupted his words after the glare of his superior and reluctantly allowed the two youths to enter.
As they passed, Hei could see the officer's eyes sticking on him and Lian.
‘What the guard was going to say was that there was no way of knowing if we were really from the Flower Sect only through our tokens. After all, several disciples of the sect died. It isn’t unlikely that someone could pass themselves off as one of them. The only reason they left me is to watch us, unaware of their presence. Even if we aren’t responsible, the person or persons behind the attacks may likely want to attack us secretly. Basically, we are no other than bait for their glory. I imagine they would obtain a good promotion if they saved two members of the Flower Sect and simultaneously solved the case.’
After analyzing the guards' behavior, Hei first led Lian to a tavern. Usually, these places also had the custom of renting rooms to travelers. They would, therefore, rent a room and rest a little before starting to act.
*
After several tours, they finally found a tavern with a free room. Hei booked it for a couple of nights using the money provided by the sect for travel expenses. After all, it was unthinkable to use spirit stones as payment with ordinary people. Therefore, the Flower Sect had a large reserve of copper, silver, and gold coins for any eventuality. Usually, however, they were given to members of the sect outside for the missions.
The room wasn’t bad and was spacious enough for two people. Hei asked to be brought something to eat in his room and waited until all the dishes arrived. Then, giving a generous tip to the waitress who had brought the dishes, he closed the door and for safety put one of the two beds in front of it to prevent someone from snapping it open.
"Well, you can go outside."
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At this sentence, Ye, Xing, and Mi, who had been hiding in his clothes all the time, came out, stretching their bodies. Bao Bei also came down with elegance from his head and landed on the ground.
"Mother, bring Shui out. Even if we are a little tight, it doesn’t matter."
Following her son's request, Bao Bei slowly brought Shui out of her dimensional pocket. The albino buffalo looked around and rested on the ground, lying down. It wanted to move a little, but it wasn’t the case to do it inside a tavern room.
"Don't worry Shui, later you will have a way to stretch your legs. All right, here is food and drink for you."
Hei put down bowls containing herbs and water he had brought for the journey. Then with Lian, his little sisters, Mi, and his mother sat down to eat with Shui.
"Ye, Xing. Since it is almost probable that we are going to face a beast tamer, I will let you fight against the spirit beasts of that person. It’s okay for you?” Hei asked at one point as he looked at his little sisters.
After the molt that happened about six months ago, their size had significantly increased, and now it reached about 1 meter in length. However, thanks to their mother's technique, they were able to maintain their size when they were small.
‘Sure, big brother. I can't wait to fight. We've been inactive for too long. I'll show you the results of our training.’ Ye cheerfully replied as she shook her tail.
She was, in fact, the most direct and warlike of the two. Not having fought for so long, it was normal for her to be excited. After all, spirit beasts were a species that respected strength above anything else, and fighting was normal for them.
Even Xing, who was the most reflective and calm, couldn’t hide her excitement.
‘I'm ready big brother. Don’t worry; everything will be fine, and we will defeat the enemy.’
Noticing their confidence, Hei smiled and turned to Mi.
"Mi, you just focused on revealing the enemies. There is no need for you to fight directly, okay?"
The little spirit bee issued a series of buzzing sounds to communicate that she had understood and returned to eating her honey that she had brought from home.
Once the meal was over, they all started to rest to be ready for the night. They decided to do so instead of going to investigate because investigations had already been carried out without being able to get something concrete. It was, therefore, useless to go and ask around. The only quicker way was to get ‘caught off guard’ by whoever was the culprit. And to do this, he had to go out at night, when the number of passers-by would decrease.
*
The sun had already set, and it was now evening. On the ground floor of the tavern, Hei and Lian were drinking beer sitting at a table while occasionally listening to the various conversations going on among the other customers. Unlike the other shops, taverns were a place that would be more active during the evening than during the day.
At one point, Hei tried to ask the waitress who was serving at the tables.
"Excuse me, can I stop you for a moment?"
"Yup? Do you need anything?"
"We wanted to ask you some information. Our sect sent us to investigate the series of martial artist murders. We just arrived, and I wanted to ask you if you had heard something. Working here at the tavern, I imagine you will know many things."
Hei's voice wasn’t high, but at the same time, it wasn’t so low. So, he could be heard by the various nearby customers who suspended their conversations and looked towards their direction. The incident concerning the death of those martial artists had become a hot topic of discussion. Still, with the worsening of the guards’ surveillance, it became better not to talk about it at all, in order not to give the impression of having something to do with it.
The waitress who was aware of the situation was surprised that someone had asked her about it. But, since Hei said they had just arrived, she didn't find it so strange. Furthermore, they were disciples of a sect. Being so young yet able to undertake external missions on behalf of their sect, it must surely have been a sect with a first-class background.
"Well, I don’t know so much. It is rumored to be the work of some spirit beast as the bodies were found torn apart near the forest, but I don’t know anything else. I'm sorry."
"Don't worry; you were helpful. Thank you.” Hei consoled her by giving her a silver coin as a tip.
At the sight of the silver coin, the woman opened her eyes wide. It had never happened for her to receive a silver coin just for answering a simple question. As was to be expected, sects’ martial artists lived in a world apart from ordinary mortals.
Hei and Lian finished their beer mugs and left the tavern. The streets were mostly empty, but you could see some buildings full of life like taverns or brothels.
"Come on, let's go for a stroll."
Hei took Lian by the hand and began to wander around the city. They didn't have a precise destination; their goal was nothing but to flush out any pursuers. And indeed some people were chasing them in secret.
Arriving on the city outskirts where there was less security, Hei and Lian entered a remote alley.
"Ye, Xing, I need your help."
‘Yes, big brother. We understood.'
The two little spirit beasts moved quickly. Ye bit Hei down his neck while Xing on his wrist. Immediately, the poison of the two little spirit beasts, although it had been diluted, ran into Hei's body.
"Good. Spider Hair, Snake Tongue. Activate."
At his command, Hei's body hair began to sway as he pulled his tongue out and dripped down his saliva on the ground.
"Ye, Xing. You also can sense them, right?"
‘Yes, there is a group of three people behind us, and then another person has hidden in a building ahead.’ (Ye)
‘It's not just them. Above us, there is a flying spirit beast. It is flying above us, trying not to be discovered. But from the vibrations of its wings, I can perceive that it isn’t moving away but is flying in a circle.’ (Xing)
"Okay. The people behind us should be the city guards. But just in case, Lian and I will go to them. Ye, I entrust the other person to you. Don't kill him; we need him alive. Xing, you instead take care of that flying spirit beast. There is no need to hold you back, take it down directly."
‘Yes, big brother.’ Ye and Xing answered in a chorus before disappearing into the darkness of the night towards their respective targets.
"Mi, go around and check if someone is hiding outside our range of perception. If you notice anyone suspiciously moving, follow him, and then report to me. Be careful, though. All right?"
Mi turned around Hei a couple of times before she disappeared as well.
"Good. Lian, let's go."
At Hei's command, Lian snapped with him at full speed toward the group of three behind them.
Those people who were watching the two youths from afar were surprised by the strange behavior of their targets. And when they saw that they had been spotted, they tried to escape.
But how could simple guards, despite possessing spirit power, escape two fifth stage like Hei and Lian?
Running on all fours on the roofs of the buildings, Hei suddenly appeared in front of them. While immediately after, Lian appeared behind, blocking the group of three in a vise.
"You'd better not fool around and identify yourself. Otherwise, I'll have to force you to do it. "
Hei released his spirit power as well as Lian. The pressure of two fifth stage spirit apprentice stage could be perceived by the trapped group who hastened to respond.
"We apologize for our behavior. We were instructed to monitor you because we thought we could pick up clues about the culprit in this series of killings. Since you were sent here to investigate, we believed that someone could follow you."
‘As I imagined.’ Hei thought to himself.
"Okay. Let us believe you. Did you find someone who was following us apart from you?"
"No. Since you arrived, we are following you, but we haven’t found anyone who was chasing you."
"Okay. Well, then, you can go and tell your supervisor to avoid these types of initiatives. We don't need your help. The sect has entrusted us with this task because we are more than qualified. If you keep watching us, don't blame us if we mistake you for enemies and use our strength."
At his words, the three guards shivered and nodded their heads. They had enlisted as city guards and not as military infantry to avoid risking their lives. This task was also reluctantly accepted. Now that they had been discovered and warned, there was no way that they would continue to watch the two youths, even if they were commanded.
The three quickly left with their tails between their legs to report to their superior. Hei then went to rejoin immediately with his two little sisters.