Chapter 428 - 225: "Time Demon

Chapter 428: Chapter 225: "Time Demon

At the mouth of the alley.

A plainly dressed young man had set up a small stool and was sitting on it peacefully.

A simple wooden cane leaned in the corner of the wall. Hanging from the cane was a Bird Cage, and inside lay a sickly crow. The crow’s feathers were a dark red, as if they had been soaked in blood and then left to dry.

The sickly crow would occasionally open its eyes and lifelessly observe the surrounding crowd, not making a single sound.

The young man’s face was covered in ugly, scorched scars that looked like flattened tumors. His eyes were milky white; he was clearly blind.

The people gathered around the young man were mostly youths and middle-aged adults.

The young asked about their futures, the middle-aged about their fortunes.

Occasionally, a bold and beautiful young woman, unafraid of the impropriety between men and women, would shyly sit at the stall to ask about her marriage prospects. The blind young man would then smile, take out a clean silk cloth, wrap it around her delicate hand, and read her bones through the fabric.

One coin was truly a bargain. Whether the people believed him or not, it was no great loss to pay for a bit of fun or to hear a few pleasantries.

Zheng Xiu and Feng Bei watched side-by-side for a while before exchanging a look and quietly departing.

Feng Bei looked puzzled. "Wei Chen?"

Clearly, even she wasn’t entirely certain.

Feng Bei’s only encounter with Wei Chen had been twenty years ago in Baili Village, when they were both trapped in the Ghostly Realm and ultimately rescued by Zheng Shan.

And Wei Chen, who should have been taken by Darkness, was instead saved by Wang Cangyun, who sacrificed himself without a second thought.

The thought of Wang Cangyun brought a sigh of wistful regret from Zheng Xiu.

"That Blood Crow... it must be him. To think he’s been right under the Emperor’s nose all this time."

"So you’re saying..."

Feng Bei glanced at Zheng Xiu.

"Zhu most likely knows about this. But Old Wei probably doesn’t. In Old Wei’s eyes, Wei Chen died twenty years ago. No one would ever suspect a ’dead man’ would show up here."

"Will you... tell the Great Emperor about this?"

Feng Bei asked.

Zheng Xiu let out a helpless laugh. "What would be the point of telling the Great Emperor?"

Feng Bei tilted her head, then understanding dawned. She smiled slightly, grasping his thoughts.

Zheng Xiu calmly explained, "We’ve had our grievances with the Incompleteness Tower in the past, but they were clearly at odds with Ye Weiyang. Now that Ye Weiyang is in disarray and Zhu’s whereabouts are unknown... well, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. The reason Wei Chen is behaving himself and running a stall here is probably related to Zhu’s disappearance."

"Until Wei Chen reveals his true purpose for being here, let’s just keep an eye on him. There’s no rush."

The Imperial City was, for all intents and purposes, the Zheng Clan’s home base. Within its walls, the Zheng Clan was a behemoth that could rival Ye Weiyang. Their wealth and number of Miracle Masters gave Zheng Xiu all the confidence he needed.

If this were anywhere else, that would be one thing. But in the Imperial City, if Wei Chen truly meant to cause trouble, how could Zheng Xiu possibly let him get far?

"It’s because of Senior Wang Cangyun, isn’t it?"

Feng Bei said with a knowing smile, cutting straight to Zheng Xiu’s true thoughts. "There are plenty of reasons to move against someone. But you only have one reason not to: because Senior Wang Cangyun wanted him to live, right?"

’That’s him alright.’

’So loyal and sentimental.’

In the past, Feng Bei couldn’t stand the sight of Zheng Xiu. But ever since escaping the Cannibal Painting, all she could see were his good qualities.

The more Feng Bei got to know Zheng Xiu, the more she understood why so many experts of the Zheng Clan enjoyed gathering around him, affectionately calling him "Master Zheng" with every other sentence.

The Zheng Clan had become what it was today not because of its "loyal and martyr" bloodline, nor because of Zheng Xiu’s empty title of "Marquis Zhonglie" which came with no real power. It was because of Zheng Xiu himself.

He was the one who had made the Zheng Clan what it is today.

"You talk too much."

Zheng Xiu put on a mischievous look, licked his lips, and grabbed Feng Bei’s small hand, squeezing it without a shred of decency.

Under the bright light of day, Feng Bei wasn’t used to being so intimate with Zheng Xiu in public. But struggling now would only draw more attention, so she could only move a little closer, hiding their joined hands inside her long sleeves.

Feng Bei had always dressed modestly, not like the daughters of wealthy families who practically wanted the words "succulently alluring" written on their clothes. For the moment, not many people noticed the little movements Zheng Xiu and Feng Bei were making beneath their sleeves.

As they walked, Feng Bei, lost in her thoughts, suddenly gasped. She turned to Zheng Xiu, her surprise-filled eyes ignoring her hand that was being teased. "I understand!"

"What do you understand?" Zheng Xiu was taken aback. ’Can holding hands lead to a sudden epiphany?’

Feng Bei pressed her lips together, her voice taking on a colder edge. "No wonder the Great Emperor has let you build your fortune all these years, even tacitly allowing you to gather a group of Miracle Masters under your command. He’s long had the idea of having your Zheng Clan replace Ye Weiyang."

Zheng Xiu was silent for a moment.

After a long pause, he sighed softly. "That’s an emperor for you."

Back at the Zheng Residence, after Zheng Xiu told Qing Shisan about Wei Chen, Qing Shisan smacked his forehead. "Incompleteness Tower! No wonder there were so many lame, blind, and deaf people in the city before the third of the third month!"

Zheng Xiu was startled. "Before the third of the third month?"

Qing Shisan replied, "Reporting to Master, it was just before the Royal Family’s ancestral worship ceremony on the third of the third month. Feng Bei and... ahem, Zheng Shan..." Qing Shisan blinked hard at Zheng Xiu, as if trying to hint at something, but Zheng Xiu acted as if he didn’t see it, feigning ignorance. After coughing for a moment and seeing the master give no reaction, Qing Shisan continued, "It was shortly after they headed south."

"I sensed something was off with the situation at the time, so I had people keep a secret watch on that group of ’incomplete’ ones. I was planning to report it in detail once you woke up in prison, Master. But unexpectedly, you later fell gravely ill and wouldn’t wake up, so the matter was put aside."

’That’s Qing Pi of the Brotherhood for you.’

’Meticulous down to the last detail.’