Chương 44: Slight complication.
Hazy orange light surrounded Yin Long's group as they were transported to Sunsong Capital, the second to last stop they planned on their journey. Yin Long felt as comfortable as ever, as if he was surrounded by a stream of warm water. But Lan Yun and Jin Wang seemed to fare a bit worse than him, their expressions a bit strained as beads of sweat started to seep out of Lan Yun's forehead. Sunsong Capital was quite far away from Bluelord city so the spatial array had to be strengthened quite a bit so that the spatial tunnel didn't shatter, which resulted in the tunnel inevitably radiating a certain amount of spatial pressure that affected those within it.
But the pressure had yet to reach a level that the two couldn't bear, Jin Wang resisting it with a prideful expression while Lan Yun resisted it with grit teeth and blazing determination, unwilling to be too much worse than Yin Long. The two had to endure the pressure for a full eight minutes before the hazy light started to fade, signifying that they had reached Sunsong Capital.
The light fully vanished and revealed the splendour of the city around them, dark orange or white marble and granite buildings spreading out in a slightly chaotic manner all around them. Plum trees and some trees that had dark violet leaves were scattered throughout the area, planted between the buildings and filling the city with a pleasant fragrance. Winter was supposed to have just recently ended, but a faint drizzle of snow still fell from the sky here, giving the entire city a rather ethereal and peaceful atmosphere.
The spatial array where they found themselves was located in a sunflower-shaped plaza, a one-kilometre wide stretch of earth covered in sunflowers of various colours running around the entire plaza. The plaza itself wasn't too crowded, it was mainly filled with couples enjoying the peaceful atmosphere while they wandered around the large fountain filled with lush green plants, a large obelisk spouting out clear streams of water.
Yin Long swept his gaze over the surroundings and couldn't help but let out a soft sigh in appreciation at the beauty all around him. As the main city of a force that once ruled three provinces, Wolfsoul city was actually quite a bit larger than Sunsong Capital, nearly two or three times as large. But it was more militaristic and simple in its appearance and architecture, it couldn't be compared to the polished marble and granite buildings all around him, each one engraved with faint images depicting various events that had taken place within the province.
Jin Wang was a bit more disregarding towards the beauty around them, even scoffing at the people who were walking and flirting so frivolously without a care for their surroundings. Lan Yun was even more appreciative of the beauty than Yin Long, letting out a long sigh and then glancing at Yin Long, pushing her own shoulder against his.
"Isn't that a nice atmosphere? Doesn't it just get you going and in the mood for romance? Isn't it a good thing that you've got such a marvellous beauty at your side so that you can use to fully enjoy the scenery?"
Lan Yun winked charmingly at Yin Long, not showing the slightest trace of humility. But if Yin Long had to say one thing about Lan Yun's appearance then it was that she didn't have to be humble about it. She was a delicate beauty when he first met her, and she had only grown more beautiful in the years since, reaching what could be considered peak beauty now at 22 years of age.
Her amber hair was cut short, just barely reaching below her ears, she had delicate and soft features that were accentuated by two small dimples on the side of her mouth. Her brown eyes were powerful, deep, and contained a heart-robbing charm and gentleness. Looking at her appearance and temperament Yin Long felt confident that 99 out of 100 men would look at him with a dumbfounded expression upon learning that he actually hadn't fallen for her.
But that was just how Yin Long was, his experiences and thoughts were not something he expected others to understand or agree with, nor did he need others to understand and agree with them. As such, he rolled his eyes at Lan Yun's actions and flicked her forehead, resulting in her letting out a cute yelp while covering her forehead. Yin Long took this chance to gesture towards a large board that seemed to be made from transparent crystal, thin blue veins running through the entire board while the word 'Directions' was carved into a wooden sign placed next to the board.
"Let's go check out that one, it should show us where the spatial arrays to the other provinces are, we can compare our own map with what's shown there at the same time."
Lan Yun puffed her cheeks out slightly and clicked her tongue when Yin Long completely ignored her seduction attempt and just walked off. A soft sound from the side caught her attention, her gaze landing on Jin Wang, who was looking at her as if he was trying to mimic a laugh. She nearly blew her top off and lashed out with her foot, Jin Wang nimbly dashing forward and avoiding her while forming the best imitation of a grin his feline face could produce. Lan Yun let out a puff of air and stamped after the man and the cat, grumbling to herself all the while.
Yin Long reached the crystal board and placed his hand on the somewhat cool surface of it, closing his eyes as he sank part of his mind into it. The lines within the board were actually an array that one could sink their mind into to see a map of the city as well as directions to some of the more common locations that people would look for. Lan Yun copied his actions, the two people comparing the map within the board to the map that they had gotten when they left the Lang clan.
And just like it had been in Bluelord city and the territory of the Deshi clan, the things they saw lined up perfectly with the somewhat old map that was in their possession. Once or twice could be a coincidence, but with it happening this often it was clear that their map was still perfectly viable despite its age. The map showed the surrounding eight provinces so this meant it would still be a great help to them even after they left the provinces once ruled by the Lang clan, which was good news for them.
The two removed their minds from the map and locked eyes for a second to make sure that the other had understood the same thing, neither of them seeing a need for words. They then simultaneously turned toward the north-western exit of the plaza, the spatial array used to travel between provinces was located a few tens of kilometres in that direction. There was also a pawnshop right next to the array, specifically prepared for people who needed to sell something to afford the journey.
The group moved rather slowly through the flowing and winding streets of the city, Yin Long and Lan Yun taking this chance to at least get a good look at the parts of the gorgeous city that stretched out around them. The buildings were mostly square or rectangular, but the engravings covering their outside made even their shapes feel quite unique and distinct, it was a simple yet intriguing concept to Yin Long, something that seemed so small altering something so greatly.
They spent nearly six hours wandering before they finally reached the triangular plaza where the spatial array was located, they had stopped for some food and drinks at some vendors along the way. The plaza was mostly empty, the flowers and trees lining it seeming even more lush and colourful than the ones within the plaza they had first arrived in. Other than the spatial array itself, the pawnshop could be considered to be the only thing actually present within the plaza, the emptiness making it feel larger than it actually was.
The spatial array itself was actually smaller than the one they had used to reach Bluelord city, which had been nearly 300 metres wide and long. This array was only about 50 metres wide and long, and just by looking at it Yin Long could figure out why it was smaller despite having to cover larger distances, the material was of a higher quality. The entire array radiated a fearsome amount of power, the crimson blood used to draw it radiating with the awe-inspiring presence of the beast that once contained the blood.
The array was only surrounded by six guards clad in metal armour and one older man who had a neatly groomed white beard and a polished bald scalp. None of the seven people had even entered the realm of the 9 Doors of the Immortal Heart, the realm above Yin Long's own, so it was clear that guarding this array was not of great importance to Province Emperor Sunsong. Or it could be that he simply wasn't worried about anyone attacking the city through the array, with him living here it would be too hard to achieve that.
Yin Long's group walked up to the array, Yin Long's gaze drifting over the various indents within the array. These indents were made to hold Spirit Stones to power the array, you could determine where it would take you by inserting Spirit Stones into the correct indents and only powering certain parts of the array.
Some of the indents had slight traces of white dust within them, showing that they had likely been used rather recently. And looking at the fact that the Spirit Stones had turned to such fine dust, the teleportation must have taken whoever activated the array to a rather distant province. The older man greeted Yin Long and Lan Yun, smiling somewhat blandly.
"Good evening, my young friends, which province would you like to be transported to? The fee for travelling depends on the distance, within three provinces will cost you 100 Low-grade Spirit Stones per person, within six provinces will cost 200 Low-grade ones per person, and anything beyond that will cost 1 Medium-grade stone, but 1 Medium-grade Spirit Stone can pay for two people."
The old man's eyes roamed over the group as he spoke, lingering on Lan Yun and Jin Wang for a bit longer before he retracted his gaze. Medium grade Spirit Stones were crystals that were both larger and contained purer energy than a low-grade Spirit Stone, the conversion range was about 500 Low-grade stones to 1 Medium-grade stone.
Yin Long and his group only had 100 Low-grade Spirit Stones on them after having to pay for the other spatial arrays that took them to the capital, it was quite lacking compared to what they needed. Luckily, their interspatial rings contained a fair bit of treasures that they could sell, Lang Ru had given them as many things as she could before they left, doing her best to prepare for every possible situation.
They informed the old man about their plans and turned to head to the pawnshop, but the old man's eyes landed on Lan Yun's left hand as they turned. Or rather, his eyes landed on the two rings she wore on her left hand, one on her thumb and one on her pinky finger. Wearing two rings on these fingers on her left hand had become a habit to her after doing it for so many years while working for the Lang clan, but their position actually carried a certain meaning. As such, the old man called out to them to stop them, grabbing hold of Lan Yun's wrist while speaking with a calm smile.
"Wait, I can waive the fee for you, there's no need for you to pay the Spirit Stones. I'll just take two hours with her, I feel like that is worth enough to waive the fee. Don't worry, I'll use protection and be gentle, I won't leave any marks that might reduce her value or make her keeper force you to pay for her."
The soldiers around the array could only roll their eyes at the behaviour of their supervisor, turning a blind eye to it. Yin Long's expression dropped slightly, his right arm reaching out and freeing Lan Yun's wrist from the old man's grasp. His own gaze also landed on the two rings on Lan Yun's left hand, the mark of a prostitute, but he had been with her for so long that he had long since disregarded the mark. He outright voiced his refusal, his voice a bit cold due to the way the man spoke.
"No can do, she's not a prostitute."
Yin Long held her wrist and turned to walk away again, Lan Yun looking at him with a slight bit of splendour in her eyes. But their steps came to a halt almost immediately as the old man grabbed hold of Lan Yun's other wrist, giving another somewhat bland smile.
"But since she's wearing those rings like that, she must have been one before, right? Probably up until very recently even since she hasn't removed them, no? Looking at her gorgeous appearance she was definitely very popular, it must have cost you quite a pretty penny to buy her from her keeper. And so it won't matter much if it's just one last time, especially since it can save you quite a bit of money, money which you don't seem to have right now. It's a rather fair deal, no? But I'll relent, one hour, maybe even just half an hour. That's more than fair considering how much the fee usually is."
The old man could be called unrelenting as he kept pushing, his gaze roaming over Lan Yun out of the corner of his eye. Lan Yun could push him away with her strength but she actually wanted to see how Yin Long would react, she wanted to see if he would get even angrier for her. And he didn't disappoint her, his gaze dropping even further as he turned to look at the old man, coldly giving his response.
"I said no. She is not a prostitue and is a friend of mine, so I won't let you talk about her like that. Now, please unhand her."
Yin Long didn't like the way the man spoke about Lan Yun, as if she was an object that could be passed around as he pleased, each word was grating and annoying. He made his statement clearly, but his words only caused the bland smile to vanish from the old man's face, a slightly sinister expression replacing it as he leaned forward a bit to whisper.
"Listen here, kiddo, I am the supervisor here. If I say no, then you don't get to go anywhere even if you manage to pay up, are we clear? So, I'll spend a good hour with her and then I'll waive all your fees, otherwise you can forget about using the spatial array. Now come here, darling."
The old man stretched out his other arm to wrap it around Lan Yun's waist, the hand grabbing onto her wrist sliding up her arm so that he could squeeze her arm, and his hand as a result, against her ample bosom when he finished wrapping his arm around her waist. Lan Yun frowned at his actions and was going to push him away forcefully, but Yin Long moved before she could even mobilize her strength.
His other arm flashed forward, a sharp glint passing through the air as the law of the sword coated his fingers. Blood spurt through the air as Yin Long's fingers sliced through the arm that was trying to wrap around Lan Yun's waist, severing it at the elbow. Some of the blood splashed onto Yin Long, running down his face and adding a somewhat evil aura to his icy gaze. Jin Wang grinned in glee at the scene, this was the sharp sword that had bested him and made him submit wholeheartedly. He quickly jumped up and opened his mouth, swallowing the severed arm whole as a tiny snack.
The old man shrieked in pain, but Yin Long's gaze remained cold and merciless, Lan Yun's passionately burning eyes landing on him. To Yin Long, his family and friends were the most important thing in the world. It was for them that he could endure any pain, even going as far as to smother and crush his first twinkling feelings of love when he noticed that his sister started to fall for the same person as him. It was for them that he could willingly lay down his own life and bear the title of the Lang clan's great sinner.
And Lan Yun had spent practically her entire life fighting for the Lang clan, she had used her skills to help him protect his sisters time and time again, even fighting at his side. She was already more than a friend to him, she was practically family. And he would not allow a filthy old man like this to speak of his family like that, he would not let anyone treat his family like that. His actions might be considered somewhat impulsive but that was a fact that didn't matter to him, if he couldn't be impulsive to protect his greatest treasures then when could he be impulsive.
The six remaining guards were utterly shocked at the blood-curdling screech of the old man as he stumbled back, clutching the stump that remained of his arm. His expression distorted viciously as the veins on his neck bulged due to pain, his remaining arm pointing at Yin Long's group.
"SEIZE THEM! I want him captured and crippled before we bring him before the Emperor, and bring the whore to m...!"
Yin Long cut off the old man's words before he could finish them, a translucent rapier forming in his grasp and stabbing forth. A piercing sound rang out as a hole appeared on the old man's throat, allowing one to see directly through him. His words were distorted by the sound of blood bubbling up his throat, his face turning white as he fell to his knees and used his remaining hand to clutch at his throat. But it was already too late, life left his body and he fell forward, no longer anything more than a warm corpse.
Most people would be shocked or somewhat worried in such a situation, but Lan Yun could only smile brilliantly in the face of Yin Long's netherworld-like chill. This was anger for her, rage born just for her and her dignity. And to her, this rage felt like the sweetest honey and music to her ears.
A piercing alarm rang out suddenly, one of the six guards having crushed a grape-sized orb that seemed to contain an array used to sound an emergency alarm. Yin Long looked at the six guards with a gloomy expression, casting a swift sideways glance at Jin Wang before dashing forward at full speed. He wrapped his arm around Lan Yun's waist so that she wouldn't lag behind, the rapier in his grasp turning into a two-metre-long and blunt greatsword that he swung at the guards with all his might.
The greatsword hit them like a hammer and sent them all flying away like ragdolls, blood spurting from their mouths as their organs felt like they were on fire. Yin Long stepped into the array and let go of Lan Yun's waist, an action she quickly undid by wrapping her arms around Yin Long's neck and smiling sweetly at him.
Jin Wang ran into the array at this time, traces of blood around his mouth as he spat out the finger carrying the old man's interspatial ring, the rest of his body already swallowed down. Yin Long sank his mind into the interspatial ring and quickly took out the largest Spirit Stones he could find, stuffing them into the indents containing fine white dust. He could already hear the sounds of countless people rushing over, they couldn't afford to waste a single second, much less several minutes to figure out which indents had to be activated to take them to the various provinces.
So he simply used the traces remaining from the previous activation, one that seemed like it would take them quite far away. The Spirit Stones sank into the indents and caused the entire array to glow with a blinding light, a weightless feeling overtaking them as they were teleported away in a much hastier manner than originally planned. Yin Long couldn't help but wonder if he had a knack for causing slight complications like this, it was already the second time in a row that they left a city like this. But as this teleportation would take them to a different province he could only hope that it would also be the last time.
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