bookrandom Chapter 1287 Little Loach
Chapter 1287 Little Loach
Upon hearing Xiao Ce's words, Yin Weiyong smiled and nodded: "Your Highness, I know... the presidential decree I gave you before was a special envoy decree. As long as you present this token, you can obtain the highest level of authority..."
After hearing Yin Weiyong's words, Xiao Ce smiled and nodded...
Yin Weiyong nodded and then said, "Your Highness, I have reported any news to Empress Nanxi..."
Xiao Ce nodded, then said to Yin Weiyong, "Okay, remember to encrypt it..."
Seeing this, Yin Weiyong nodded, then said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, don't worry... it's just..."
Seeing Yin Weiyong's hesitant expression, Xiao Ce pressed, "Your Highness, what's wrong? Is there something you want to say?"
Yin Weiyong said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, why did you choose to go to the Western Regions instead of India..."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ce naturally understood Yin Weiyong's intention in sending him to India.
"Are you asking me to go see Eva? Or is there some problem in India?"
When Yin Weiyong heard Xiao Ce say this, he first nodded, then shook his head.
"Indeed, Your Highness, although Pan'er is your legal wife and also my daughter, Eva is also your woman, and she bears your child... a boy, your eldest son... Therefore, regardless of the circumstances, you can go there... and then bring him back. Your child is most suitable in Dragon Capital..."
After hearing Yin Weiyong's words, Xiao Ce finally understood what Yin Weiyong meant...
He was more worried about Xiao Ce's child...
Upon hearing Yin Weiyong's words, Xiao Ce smiled and then said, "Father-in-law, you must have gone to find Eva to ask for the child back..."
Upon hearing Xiao Ce's words, Yin Weiyong gave an awkward smile and then said, "That's right, but Your Highness... I have no other thoughts. I just thought that this is your first child, and it would be safer here no matter what... However, President Eva has not agreed either..."
Xiao Ce nodded, then said to Yin Weiyong, "Doesn't this show that Eva has protected the child very well..."
Yin Weiyong nodded after hearing Xiao Ce's words.
Yin Pan'er said to Yin Weiyong, "Father, the Prince has his own plans... and he doesn't seem to want to act like an emperor... If his child isn't with him, it's naturally best for him to stay with Mother..."
After hearing Yin Pan'er's words, Yin Weiyong wore a hesitant expression, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't...
He actually wanted his daughter to be pregnant with Xiao Ce's child.
But this kind of thing can't be resolved with just a few words...
Xiao Ce then said to Yin Weiyong, "Alright, father-in-law, let us know once you have news about the Hidden Dragon Tomb..."
Upon hearing Xiao Ce's words, Yin Weiyong naturally nodded respectfully.
"Should we continue investigating those reports?"
Xiao Ce smiled at Yin Weiyong and then said, "Let nature take its course..."
Yin Weiyong nodded after hearing Xiao Ce's words...
After leaving Yin Weiyong, Xiao Ce did not immediately leave for the Western Regions.
Before going, Xiao Ce still wanted to see the Dragon Guardian Ghost City.
Xiao Ce said to Yin Pan'er, "Pan'er, if you don't want to go... you don't have to... after all, that place is completely different from here..."
Upon hearing Xiao Ce's words, Yin Pan'er quickly said, "Your Highness... I want to go, of course I want to go..."
"I want to see that Scarface Wolf, and that place that almost sent us all to our deaths. What's it like now?" Yin Pan'er asked, her voice light and tinged with curiosity as she linked arms with Xiao Ce's.
Sunlight streamed onto the bustling streets of Kyoto, creating a stark contrast with the eerie atmosphere of the Dragon's Ghost Castle.
"Hmm!" Xiao Ce nodded after hearing Yin Pan'er's words, and said with a deep look in his eyes:
“I want to see the changes my father-in-law talks about with my own eyes; it’s much more real than just hearing reports. Besides, that Scarface… after all that he’s been through, I really want to know what he’s thinking now.”
He paused, then added, "We're traveling incognito, just the two of us."
Yin Pan'er nodded.
Then, the two changed into the simple clothes of ordinary merchants and stepped into the Dragon Guard City again. Unlike the tense and solemn atmosphere of their previous nighttime exploration, the entrance to the Dragon Guard City was still noisy and bustling with people during the day.
Entering the boardwalk leading to the giant sinkhole, the familiar stench of decay, sweat, and various strange smells hit you, but upon closer inspection, it seemed to have lost some of the despair and resentment of the past, and gained a bit more... a sense of everyday life.
Sunlight struggled to penetrate the gaps between the towering buildings in the new urban area of Dragon City, casting dappled shadows at the entrance to the giant sinkhole.
In stark contrast to the tense and somber atmosphere of the previous nighttime exploration, the entrance to the plank road was even more bustling during the day, with a constant flow of people. The sounds of vendors hawking their wares in various accents, haggling over prices, and children playing mingled together, creating a noisy yet vibrant soundscape.
The familiar, pungent smell in the air, a mixture of rotten mustiness, sweat, cheap grease, rust, and various unknown chemicals, was still strong, but upon closer inspection, Yin Pan'er keenly noticed a slight difference.
"Your Highness, look..."
She took Xiao Ce's arm, her voice hushed so low that only the two of them could hear her. Her gaze swept over the rows of stalls lining both sides of the walkway. "The hostility seems to have lessened considerably."
Xiao Ce nodded slightly, his gaze calm and composed.
He was dressed in the simple blue-gray cloth shirt of an ordinary merchant, while Yin Pan'er wore a dark cotton dress that was easy to move in. The two of them blended in with all kinds of merchants, laborers, and vagrants, and were inconspicuous.
He followed Yin Pan'er's gaze.
Those stalls still sell all sorts of bizarre and wonderful things: "antiques" covered in mud and claiming to have been used by the imperial court in the previous dynasty, dried insects and plant roots that exude a strange medicinal smell, red-hot iron bars in the clanging blacksmith's shop, and even in some relatively hidden corners, you can still see old flintlock guns and crossbows.
However, the vendors' shouts and calls lacked the ruthlessness and sinister edge characteristic of outlaws, and instead conveyed the weariness, calculation, and...almost numbness of everyday life of ordinary street vendors struggling to make a living.
Although the environment was still dirty and dilapidated, the suffocating, oppressive, fanatical, and cold atmosphere unique to the core area of a cult's lair had indeed faded considerably, like a tattered cloth faded by the sun.
Seeing Yin Pan'er's words, Xiao Ce smiled and then said, "Pan'er, some of these people are natives... but some are members of the Restoration Church..."
As Xiao Ce spoke, he recounted his father's methods regarding the Dragon Guardian Ghost City.
Yin Pan'er said to Xiao Ce, "So, the people here don't actually want to leave...they are actually loyal to the court?"
After hearing Yin Pan'er's words, Xiao Ce nodded: "That's right...at least on the surface..."
Yin Pan'er asked疑惑地, "Then how come they didn't notice anything last time..."
Xiao Ce said, "Isn't that about controlling the overall environment, not controlling the Restoration Church?"
Yin Pan'er nodded.
"However, we can see changes; Scarface's subordinate did a good job... and Wang Shui did a good job too..."
Xiao Ce's voice was also lowered, carrying a hint of barely perceptible approval...
“Order is hardest to establish and maintain in chaos. It’s already quite an achievement that he could get these people to stop thinking about the Holy Arrival and purification all the time and settle down to make a living by doing small business.”
The two followed the flow of people, slowly descending the massive spiral walkway. The walkway remained treacherous; where there were no railings on the outer side, the bottomless darkness below was still unsettling.
But the cave shops and platform areas inside the walkway seemed more...normal than when I last visited. There were more stalls selling cheap food, and the aroma of steaming coarse grain pancakes and murky meat broth somewhat diluted the musty smell.
You can even see a few neatly dressed women playing with timid children on the edge of the platform, which was almost unimaginable before.
"This place... is like a ferocious beast whose fangs have been pulled out. Although it is still ferocious and ugly, at least it no longer has the intention to harm people."
Yin Pan'er sighed softly, her gaze falling on an old man who was mending a tattered fishing net. His focused expression carried a kind of instinctive persistence in life.
Xiao Ce did not answer; his gaze swept over the open platforms that had once been preaching sites for the Restoration Church.
Now, the place was deserted, with only a few idle men squatting in the corner basking in the sun, occasionally exchanging a few words in hushed tones. The long-robed man who once fervently preached "the usurpation of power by false gods," "the glory of the true god," and "the purification of the holy fire," along with his inflammatory roars, had all vanished without a trace.
Xiao Ce even noticed that several distorted True God symbols, painted with inferior pigments, that remained on the rock walls had been roughly scratched off.
“Scarface has been captured, and ‘the Lord’ has been brought to justice. Back then, Xiao Ce disguised himself as Scarface and instructed Wang Shui to follow a strategy of recuperation and avoiding trouble. These symbols are an eyesore; it’s better to scrape them off.” Xiao Ce thought to himself…
They walked slowly, deliberately blending into their surroundings and observing every detail.
Xiao Ce casually glanced at the crowd, but in reality, he was assessing Scar Wolf and Wang Shui's control and potential risks after losing those so-called true masters.
Yin Pan'er, on the other hand, is more like a curious traveler, observing the unique customs and culture of this underground kingdom and marveling at the tenacious vitality that humans have shown in such a harsh environment.
Just as they reached a relatively crowded platform where several side paths converged, Xiao Ce paused almost imperceptibly.
A slender figure, as agile as an eel, skillfully weaved through the gaps in the crowd, approaching them with a clear objective.
The figure wore a tattered cotton-padded jacket covered in patches, its original color almost unrecognizable. Its face was stained with dirt, but its eyes shone brightly, like stars in the dark night, fixed firmly on Xiao Ce.
It's a small loach!
Xiao Ce felt a slight chill run down his spine.
The last time they met, he appeared as the "outsider in blue," but now he had reverted to his original appearance, and his clothes were completely different. How could this child, struggling to survive at the bottom of the ghost town, possibly recognize him at a glance?
Although this child had previously displayed a maturity and age beyond his years...
Yin Pan'er also noticed that gaze. She moved closer to Xiao Ce without making a sound, her fingers lightly touching the pistol hidden in her sleeve.
In such a place, any unusual occurrence should raise suspicion.
The little loach moved extremely fast, and in a few flashes it was right in front of us.
He didn't flash his signature big white smile like last time; instead, his young face carried a tension and caution that seemed out of place for his age.
He first glanced around warily to make sure no one was paying attention before moving closer to Xiao Ce, his voice low and slightly breathless:
"Sir! Mr. Blue... Mr. Blue Shirt!"
Xiao Ce's pupils contracted slightly.
The other party not only recognized him, but also accurately pointed out his previous disguised identity! This was no coincidence!
He didn't respond immediately, but simply lowered his eyelids slightly and calmly looked at the dirty but sharp-eyed child in front of him.
His gaze was deep and scrutinizing, as if it could penetrate the skin and see into the depths of the soul. An invisible pressure spread out.
The little mudskipper felt a little intimidated by the gaze and instinctively shrank back. But instead of backing down, he took a step closer and said in a breathy voice, "Sir, don't worry! It's me, Little Mudskipper! The one who led you the way last time! I... I recognize you! You're the gentleman in the blue shirt who fought against Scarface and his gang!"
He took a breath, as if to encourage himself, his voice lower, filled with an almost devout excitement and cautious reverence: "And...and...I...I know who you are! You are...you are God Xiao! The god of the Xiao Kingdom!"
The moment the words "Xiao Shen" left her lips, Yin Pan'er's fingertips tightened instantly! This child not only recognized the disguise but also directly exposed Xiao Ce's core identity! This was too dangerous!
Xiao Ce's calm expression was finally broken, and a hint of genuine surprise flashed across his eyes.
The last time he revealed his true form here was after subduing Scarface, deep within an extremely secluded sewer junction! How did this little mudskipper know that?
"Oh?" Xiao Ce finally spoke, his voice not loud, but with a peculiar penetrating power and a sense of oppression, clearly reaching the little mudfish's ears even in this noisy environment!
"Little mudfish, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. Do you recognize me? Do you know who I am?"
Little Mudskipper nodded vigorously, his dirty little face full of seriousness and urgency: "I'm not lying! Sir, oh no... Your Highness! No... it's Xiao Shen! It really is me! You changed last time, you became exactly like Scarface Wolf, but I recognized your eyes! And... and the way you walk, the way you talk... I can't describe it, but I just remember! It's... it's right here..."