Chapter Eighty-Nine: A Nighttime Reconnaissance

Zhou Yi glanced at Sophia, startled by her reaction. They had all been together at the city gate just now; with his own senses, how could she have failed to notice anything at all?

“When the carriage from the Wu family passed by, I felt something on it. It wasn’t attraction, but a terrifying presence. I couldn’t tell what it was, only that as soon as the carriage went by, the feeling vanished.”

Sophia paused.

“A thing that inspires fear? How could I not sense it?”

Zhou Yi looked at her, for that was exactly what he wanted to ask as well.

Sophia rose and paced back and forth. After a long while, she bit her lip and looked at Zhou Yi.

“In the Five Elements Tomb, when you encountered that tomb keeper, did you feel something like this?”

Zhou Yi thought carefully, then shook his head slightly.

“Similar, but not the same. When the tomb keeper appeared, I sensed danger behind me. It was the terror of a power stronger than my own.

“But this was different. It made me feel chilled through and through, so much that I scarcely dared breathe. Yet that thing seemed to be injured, or perhaps still asleep; it wasn’t very alert. If it had been awake, I’m afraid we would have died on the spot.”

Sophia froze. She stepped closer to Zhou Yi and stared into his eyes.

“You can sense it, but I can’t. What on earth is it? It can’t be something left behind by the base. The Hunter Clan has never heard of such a thing either. Could there be some unknown species in this world?”

Zhou Yi shook his head.

“It came and went in a flash. There was no way to chase after it and see. We’ll eat dinner tonight and then go out to have a look. Didn’t they say the city lord’s youngest son was injured? Could that be the reason?”

Sophia fell silent. For a moment she truly could not make sense of it. A feeling that lay beyond all understanding left one tense all over, uncertain what to do. But she knew Zhou Yi was right: for now, they had to remain calm.

As she was thinking, the door opened.

The Fatty and Cheng Zhi hurried in. Seeing the two of them empty-handed, they were somewhat surprised.

“What’s wrong?”

The Fatty shook his head and wiped the sweat from his forehead, gasping as he said, “Good thing we ran fast. A lot of soldiers have appeared in the city, and nobody knows what they’re here for. The whole of Wandao City is full of government troops, and they seem to be searching house by house for some woman.”

Zhou Yi instinctively glanced at Sophia. Earlier, Uncle Peng had already said that the city lord’s son was a lecherous fellow, one who would stop at nothing to collect every pretty woman he could get his hands on.

“Why don’t you hide for now, or just go back?”

Sophia shook her head.

“If I go back and then come again, what then? Am I supposed to cross the mountain alone? Wouldn’t that be even more dangerous?”

Zhou Yi fell silent. Looking at the clothes Sophia wore, he remembered that the Fatty had seemed to have bought several extra sets. He waved to the Fatty.

“Give Sophia one of the men’s outfits we prepared earlier. It’s dangerous to go out now. Since she can’t dress as a man, make herself uglier. That’ll be safer.”

The Fatty nodded. After searching the room, he brought the clothes to Sophia.

“All the clothes are here. Oh, and I already told the innkeeper to have the little waiter order us a few dishes from the restaurant across the way. We’ll eat something simple. If we don’t eat, it’ll only make people suspicious.”

Sophia made no reply, simply clutching the clothes and looking at Zhou Yi. His sensing ability was already manifesting now, so it was safer to follow his lead.

Zhou Yi nodded.

“Go change. Once you’re done, we’ll call you Little Su. We’ll say we’re from the State of Wei, come to the State of Liang to do business, and that we hadn’t planned to come to Wandao City at all. We only came in because we ran into horse bandits. That story will do for all of us.”

They all nodded. Sophia left with the clothes. The Fatty came close, a mysterious look on his face as he said to Zhou Yi, “Boss, what do you think injured the city lord’s son? Why do I get the feeling it wasn’t some horse bandit stabbing him in the leg?”

Even Zhou Yi found that judgment a little surprising. He looked at the Fatty. Could he have sensed something as well?

“Tell me, what exactly did you notice?”

The Fatty glanced at Cheng Zhi. The fellow didn’t say a word, and he didn’t compete for favor either. He just stood there obediently, head bowed.

“Boss, so many soldiers suddenly appearing, all just to catch one woman? That brat came back half-dead, and the carriage was running faster than a rabbit. How bad must the injury have been? There’d hardly have been time to go around flirting. I think either they’re looking for someone who can treat the wound, or they’re looking for the culprit.”

Cheng Zhi nodded along.

“When we just went out and headed toward the city lord’s residence, I sensed a flash of wood-element spiritual power. I looked carefully, but saw nothing. The place is still barren, with no green plants at all.”

Zhou Yi narrowed his eyes. This was what interested him most.

Cheng Zhi was no longer a novice; being able to make dead wood come to life with a branch was all due to the abilities of the wood element.

For Cheng Zhi to sense even a fleeting trace of it meant that spiritual power was not weak, at the very least not weaker than Cheng Zhi himself.

“Eat first. Tonight I’ll go with Sophia to investigate. We’re not familiar with this place, and we’ve already sensed so many dangers before even leaving the inn. We must not be careless.”

The Fatty nodded. He knew exactly what he was worth. He was perfectly at home with errands, purchases, and outside contacts; but if it came to fighting, he could only serve as a cheerleader.

“They should be here soon.”

As soon as he finished speaking, footsteps sounded on the stairs. The Fatty hurried to open the door, and sure enough, the waiter came with several men, carrying two food boxes. They opened them, set out the dishes, and afterward the waiter happily took his silver and left.

Zhou Yi handed Sophia a pair of chopsticks.

“Hurry and eat, then rest a bit. We’ll set out again at midnight. As for here, let the Fatty and Cheng Zhi keep watch.”

Sophia stood up and set some option on the terminals of the Fatty and Cheng Zhi. After a bit of fiddling, the Fatty looked utterly baffled, but he did not rush to ask.

“All right. If danger comes, just press this emergency button immediately. We’ll return as fast as possible. It’s a summons through the control panel, though I’m afraid this world will only allow it to be used once.”

The Fatty grinned. Being able to use it once was a life saved; there was nothing to be dissatisfied about.

“Thank you, Miss Su.”

“All right, eat.”

...

At midnight.

The room was unlit. Zhou Yi had already changed back into his original one-piece suit, though he had wrapped his head and face in cloth.

At the sound of the door, Sophia and the others entered.

In the moonlight from outside the window, it was clear that Sophia had also changed into a one-piece suit. After all, it resisted tearing and scratching, and offered better elasticity and insulation.

“Let’s go. Though I can’t leap across rooftops, I can at least get close to the city lord’s residence and then sense what’s going on inside.”

Sophia smiled, then turned back and said something softly to the other two.

“Keep watch. At the very least, don’t let anyone come near these three rooms at random. And if there’s danger, don’t forget to sound the alarm.”

The Fatty nodded.

Sophia opened the window, looked outside, then glanced at Zhou Yi.

Though Zhou Yi did not understand, he still moved closer, thinking she wanted to say something to him.

Who would have thought that the moment he came over, Sophia would seize the safety belt at his waist. Zhou Yi stiffened.

“What is it?”

Sophia smiled.

“If you’re truly afraid, then close your eyes. Haven’t you forgotten my ability? Moving across rooftops is what I’m best at. My jumping power, speed, and agility have all been developed to the limit.”

With that, before Zhou Yi could react, she grabbed his belt and sprang out of the window.

He seemed to hear Zhou Yi give a muffled groan. The Fatty caught the windowsill at once, steadying his somewhat weak legs, wiped the sweat from his brow, and looked at Cheng Zhi.

“Good thing it wasn’t you or me. Being hauled around like a bundle, jumping up and down like that, is hardly an enjoyable experience.”

Cheng Zhi poked him, then quickly shut the window and pressed a hand to his chest. Watching Zhou Yi being carried away, the effect was far more shocking than seeing it on television.

Just as the Fatty had said, it was a good thing he was not the one being dragged along.

...

Zhou Yi kept his eyes closed.

The wind howled in his ears. Up and down, up and down they went, and the spot at his waist where she gripped him had been cinched so tightly that he felt waves of nausea. Still, he did not dare complain. After all, he lacked the skill; all he could do was endure.

He did not know how long had passed when the grip at his waist suddenly loosened.

“We’re here.”

Zhou Yi had no time to prepare. Once he was set down, his legs had no strength to support him. It was as if, after a sudden nosedive in an airplane, someone had abruptly told him to stand up and go to the bathroom; his legs no longer felt like his own.

His body tilted to one side and toppled over.

Panic surged through Zhou Yi. He grabbed wildly and at once found Sophia at his side. Both hands landed on her waist, and only then did he manage to steady himself. Opening his eyes, he drew in a sharp breath.

“This is the roof? Next time you stop, could you at least tell me first? I nearly fell off just now.”

Sophia shot him a look.

“Fine. But shouldn’t you let go of your hands? Comfortable, are they?”