Dungeons of the Divine (Blue Phoenix Book 2) (36 page)

His name was Yang Bai and he was a young man around twelve years of age. On one hand he seemed like your average teen looking at Hui Yue with great respect and amazement, but on the other was a slightly haughty when dealing with the others of the group. The only one whom he seemed to show respect and admiration toward was the white-haired genius.

The mercenaries on this mission were not the only ones around, it seemed as though the entire city had shown up at the Mercenary Guild headquarters to see the entourage off on their journey throughout the next many caves.

The pay for partaking in this endeavor was three hundred demon coins each while the mercenaries had to deal with their own food. Originally not many would take such a long ongoing mission for such a small sum of money but now it was different, and Hui Yue was celebrating the fact that they were being paid to travel the way they planned to go anyway.

As soon as everyone gathered up, the mercenaries were paid half their fee and without any ceremonies the entourage started their trip towards the west tunnels of Demon Dwelling Cave.

Unlike before, this caravan was far more elaborate than anything they had previously seen. Three carriages created from black iron were used to transport everyone that was assisting the young master. The young master and his personal servants along with a butler from the Yang family rode in the first carriage.

The second was filled with guards from the Yang family, and the final carriage was for the mercenaries to use on a shift schedule.

It was the job of the mercenaries to ensure that the caravan got through both the caves and the tunnels unscathed, something which was a lot harder than one would think.

It was early morning as the group departed. On one side was Hui Yue and his friends walking in together while the other side was being looked after by the guards. Whereas the guards were walking with straight backs and looking right in front of them, Hui Yue’s group was a lot more vigilant and their eyes constantly flickered from one side to the other, observing even the slightest movement made around them.

This was one of the most obvious differences between the mercenaries and the guards. Another was that while the mercenaries all wore robes the guards were wearing armor made from shiny reflective materials; their armor, although it looked very good, was not incredibly beneficial when it came to battle.

Their choice of weapons were also different. The mercenary group each had their own weapons and their own specialty, but every guard was using a halberd. A weapon which although it had a good aim was something which required a lot of practice. Practice which the guards did not have.

All in all, Hui Yue did not put much, if any, faith in the guards, and since he was already certain that they were going to be attacked by bandits, along with assassins along the way, not to mention the extra strong hordes of demon beasts, he doubted that these guards would be able to make it through.

While the group of mercenaries felt slight disdain towards the guards who were walking beside the carriage they felt even stronger disdain for the guards within the second carriage. To be a cultivator was the same as to be a warrior, and while it was sometimes nice to relax within a carriage, it would become a death trap should they be attacked. How did they expect to be able to exit the carriage and save their master when they were all inside, much less know what was going on around them.?

Sighing, Hui Yue stopped wondering about the guards and instead focused his entire attention towards the road ahead.

Leaving the city was a lot more nerve-wrecking than he expected. He was perfectly well aware that they were the target of various assassins and bandits, and he was quite certain that they would not hold back even within a city. Because of this the trip which only took around an hour felt like an eternity for Hui Yue and his friends as they were constantly on high alert. They were trying to observe everything which happened around them.

Now that they no longer were within the confinement of the city, the six friends were still vigilant, however, it was in a completely different way. Now they were capable of viewing anyone who approached them, even if it was done swiftly. The open plains allowing for a full visual of what was happening around them causing a strange feeling of safety to float inside their hearts.

Two days of rest in two larger cities were scheduled before the group would have to enter the tunnels. While the group was walking towards the first of those cities, Xu Piao spent the time explaining the two cities.

“The city we are on our way towards is led by an old family. The city was the first to be created within this Demon Dwelling Cave. In every aspect it is similar to that of the capital, except it is not under the control of the Dragon Corps, instead, the family who leads it are like kings and queens of the city. Not people to be trifled with so try to keep your tempers under control.”

Hearing that Hui Yue was about to comment saying that he never was the cause of drama, but drama came to find him; however, he quickly decided to hold his tongue as he saw the expression on Xu Piao’s face, and instead he laughed awkwardly.

The day slowly went from morning to noon then noon to afternoon without the caravan taking the slightest break. The guards who had been so lucky to get the final four slots in the mission were all raggedly breathing and their faces were flushed red, sweat trickling from their foreheads in steady streams.

While they were thoroughly exhausted, Hui Yue and his friends were all walking comfortably their robes fluttering in the slight wind and their faces healthy, not even the least amount of sweat visible on their skin.

As dusk crept up on them, the servant of the young master, Yang Bai, finally opened the door to the carriage and ordered them to hold for the night and make camp.

As soon as the order was given, the guards all instantly sat down and withdrew water from their memory stones to clench their thirst.

Hui Yue and his group had long since become specialists at setting up camp and within half an hour their campsite was finished. Tents having been erected, bonfire roaring splitting the dark sky, stew being cooked on top of the warm bonfire. They all sat still, chatting with one another about their expectations for the trip they were undertaking.

While Hui Yue and his friends were sitting still looking at the delicious food which Wang Ju Long was cooking, the rest of the group was not so lucky.

Although the young lord brought a lot of guards with him, no one knew how to cook proper food, nor were they aware of how to set up tents. All of them had lived within the capital their entire lives. Although the guards who belonged to the Yang family got food as a part of their salary, it was dried meat without vegetables very much unlike someone’s delicious smelling soup.

“Mister, mister!” A youthful voice sounded throughout the campsite where guards from various families were setting up tents. Their eyes instantly focusing on the young master, curious as to whom he was referring to.

The young master left the carriages behind and rushed towards the campsite where Hui Yue and his friends were sitting, enjoying their stew and discussion about how silly it had been to fear an ambush in the city as nothing happened.

“Mister! Can I sit with you?” The young master asked, his eyes almost sparkling with excitement as he looked at Hui Yue as though he was looking at a god.

Hui Yue was slightly taken aback unsure what to say, but after thinking for a bit the young man nodded his head and allowed for the child to sit down and join them.

“One day, I’ll be as strong as you.” Yang Bai said with longing in his voice, “I’m going to study at the Thousand Rivers’ Academy and I have to be better than my peers, or so says my father.” He continued, the mention of his father made Hui Yue smile wryly as he remembered his two fathers. First to enter his mind was the father he had in his old life who had been willing to do anything so the young man’s wishes could be fulfilled. He also remembered his other father, the father who was glowing with pride when he was told that Hui Yue was good enough to attend the Thousand Rivers’ Aacademy.

Only one thought was present in his mind and that was; Is this real?

Travelling through the entire day, the mood slowly turned better as nothing unexpected happened. But even still, Hui Yue kept feeling as though he was being observed, observed by someone who wished to kill him.

The four guards who walked the previous day stored away their armor as they had experienced the harsh reality. It was not possible to keep marching while wearing such a heavy armor although it looked good, it was far from practical.

The eight remaining guards from the Yang family did not understand that they would have trouble, however, as the time went on problems arose as they started panting and lagging behind.

Seeing them lagging behind, Hui Yue instantly stopped the caravan, ordering the guards to drop their armor then they all slowly made their way forward once again. Although they moved forward their speed was far inferior to that of the day before, and the group of mercenaries started to feel uncomfortable with the time it was taking, fearing that danger would approach them from every side.

Hui Yue was not the only one who felt as though there was someone behind them, Xu Piao shared this premonition and his eyes were flickering from side to side, his brow furrowed and his muscles taut.

Hui Yue could not help but hope that whomever it was that was behind them was unable to follow into the tunnels. The thought of having vicious killers following them in the lawless world of the tunnels where no light shone, a world where no one cared for what happened to others and one could pretend that a murder was done by a magical beast.

Thinking about this, Hui Yue’s eyes grew cold as he went to the back and decided to ensure that no one fell behind. He had already lost two men; he did not plan on losing more anytime soon.

As soon as the beautiful cave sky started turning dim, the group stopped their advance and unlike the previous evening did not set up three campfires, only one next to the carriage belonging to the young master Yang Bai.

Although the group of friends joined the mission as an excuse to travel towards the capital, and also partly for protection, Hui Yue had no intention of  doing a half assed job, instead, he was planning on working hard to deliver the young man to his academy and then slowly continue on towards the capital.

Looking at the darkness which had descended outside the campsite, Hui Yue once more looked towards the guards who no longer had a somewhat cheerful expression, but rather a dark and somber atmosphere overtook them. Even Deng Wu had a serious expression on his face, and Wang Ju Long’s beautiful features were twisted into a frown as she tried to strain her eyes peering into the darkness.

Sha Yun was the same as usual, seated on the ground her back leaning against the carriage wheel and her tail leisurely tapping the ground as her eyes were narrowed. She was looking at the guards with undisguised contempt.

Hui Yue sighed as he saw the snake-woman, Her feelings were always obvious and although she had good reason to dislike people like them, people who felt superior to magical beasts, and even though she felt wronged the snake-woman had long since learned not to act on every insult that was thrown her way. Instead she was seated there, clearly opposing the guards who had taken rest around the campfire.

Deng Wu, and Wang Ju Long quickly went towards Sha Yun and sat down next to her. The three friends were sitting next to each other, as Hui Yue made his way to them and sat down, none of them saying anything as everyone was vigilantly checking their surroundings, listening to even the slightest sound out of the ordinary.

Every hour, the four friends would search the perimeter of the camp only to find that everything was peaceful and quiet, nothing out of the ordinary. None of the guards dared to move away from the fire during the night either, and eventually the shining light from the rising sun could be seen in the distance. The young lord, his servant, and their butler finally woke up. Now that none of the guards were wearing their heavy armor it was possible start at a fast pace.

Although they were not traveling at their fastest speed, they no longer had people lagging behind and the pace was steady. The caravan moved the entire day and did not stopping until they reached a smaller town where they reserved a whole inn for the entourage to rest.

Being at the inn, Hui Yue ordered his friends to get a good night of sleep as he assumed that they would be safe. The guards all slept in a room of their own while the mercenaries, along with the four guards, slept in another room. A third room was prepared for the young master and his two servants.

While the others could go days on end without sleep, it would at some point affect their judgement and ability to control their bodies. Thiswhich was why he sent them off to bed, while he, himself, stayed awake. Having opened the Yin and Yang Qiao Mai meridians, Hui Yue no longer needed to sleep his body was capable of resting as long as it was within the essence of the heavens and the earth.

Walking around the closed off inn which was completely dark and silent, Hui Yue suddenly felt a killing intent so extreme that even his own red mist would not lose out.

Walking past a window, Hui Yue looked down into the courtyard only to see the shadow of a person, a person who had a demon beast by his side. The moonlight shone brightly down onto this person illuminating him in front of the white-haired young man, and the sight that was shown to him shocked him to the core.

The shadow on the ground raised his head looking straight at the window where Hui Yue was hidden, the silvery moonlight cascading onto his face revealed a disfigured face. A face which seemed to have been maimed by a beast.

His face had no skin at all on the lower half His nose was nothing but two holes, and his lips were gone as well. Looking at the man, his face seemed like that of a skeleton. Meat and bone were evident on the middle and lower face, but his eyes were filled with vitality and cruelty, but the moment their eyes locked together the terrifying looking man bowed deeply and the killing intent instantly vanished.

Having bowed to Hui Yue, the man turned around and with his giant red tiger by his side he left the courtyard. Leaving behind a worried young man, who still felt how his hair were standing on end.

The man, and his demon beast, were definitely the ones who had been following them since they left the capital of the Demon Dwelling Cave and his beast was obviously the one who disfigured the two guards from that night.

The demon beast was a giant tiger. It was easily seven metres long while counting the tail and almost three metres tall. Its claws were massive and looking at them they seemed to be the right size for the cuts on the corpses.

Seeing the human and beast leave the courtyard, the hairs on the back of the young man did not lay down, nor did he feel any comfort in knowing that it was not a group which was following them but only the one man. A man who clearly was not easy to deal with.

As soon as the man vanished out of sight, Hui Yue picked up a memory stone and used the stone to fill all memories and knowledge he had about the scarred man, before he rushed to the room where his friends were sleeping.

Rushing into the room, he finally settled down seeing that they all were asleep. He decided not to show them anything until morning. The man had already left for the night and it was somewhat obvious that he had no intentions of returning, allowing the party to have a whole night’s rest.

Seated on his bed Hui Yue entered meditation quickly, before he allowed for his body to turn light. He felt how his cultivation technique was working to its highest capacity, his body sucking in all the essence of the heavens and the earth and it was slowly being refined into Qi, which was in turn was being refined into spiritual energy.

He kept seated in this position for the rest of the night and did not open his eyes before the sunshine shone through the windows, reminding him that they needed to move as soon as possible. Opening his eyes, Hui Yue found that the others were already awake all of them working efficiently and getting ready to travel once again.

Breakfast was enjoyed at the restaurant which belonged to the inn and only after consuming a large quantity of food did they once more set out on the street, rushing towards the tunnels.

As soon as they were on the road, the memory stone which was filled the previous morning was passed along to the six mercenaries. As they saw it their faces turned grim.

“I know him,” Xu Piao said with a low voice, not wishing to inform the rest of the team about their follower of which, even now, Hui Yue could feel those eyes following them.

“He is a member of the Dragon Corps’ eradication section. Their official name is the Black Dragon Corps. This man has been within Demon Dwelling Cave for a very long time. There is no doubt that he has been sent after us by Zhou Long.” Having said the last sentence, an ugly expression was evident on Xu Piao’s face.

“The man is a King ranked expert. I don’t know if you will be able to deal with him because he is by far stronger than the last King ranked expert you met.”

“I won’t be able to deal with him,” Hui Yue said, an ugly expression flashing on his face, “The strength I can pull is limited, it does not work more than once every few years.”

Hearing that, Xu Piao looked stunned at the young man. “Every few years?” He asked as though something was blocking his ear, changing the words from what Hui Yue had originally said. Nodding his head, a black cloud was visible on the face of the white-haired boy and he almost regretted using the strength Lan Feng had painstakingly cultivated earlier. Currently he was stuck in a situation where he could see no exit.

Xu Piao was quiet for some time, however, after a few moments his eyes went cold. A sneer was visible on his face as he looked behind them, trying to locate scarface only to see nothing apart from normal citizens going about their everyday lives.

Nodding his head, he turned towards Hui Yue and patted the younger boy on the shoulders, “in situations like these, be happy that you have elders such as me and Xie Lan with you. If we join forces then we should be able to take him out.”

Hearing the older man saying those words, the young man felt eternal gratitude from within and he was truly unable to express how he felt. He knew that Zhou Long was here for his sake, and it was also for the sake of Hui Yue that one after another assassin appeared with their group. But no matter what, his friends were there to help him out, to deal with the trouble he brought along.

Returning the memory stone to his pocket, Hui Yue was grumbling for a short time while he wondered the possibilities he had. Although he no longer could draw on Lan Feng’s strength, Hui Yue was not the person to give up and his eyes gleamed a certain light, the light of persistence.

As the caravan made its way down the road, a cloaked figure stood in the shadows of two houses, his eyes radiating killing intent and by his side was a gigantic demon beast who was growling slightly. Looking at the caravan a smile appeared on the disfigured face and with a flick of his sleeves he vanish into the shadows, moving the same direction the caravan just drove.