TVSIABAAF Chapter 64

Xu Xingchen, sensing Shen Liuxiang’s unusual expression and his uncharacteristic lack of sarcasm, suddenly realized that he had an overwhelming feeling of victory. He felt an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.

He straightened his back and thought even faster: “You’re saying all this to get us to rescue Wenren Qin, but I don’t think it’s necessary. As long as he hides tonight, his scent will disappear, and even if Su Baiche teams up with the former City Lord, it will be his word against Wenren Qin’s without any evidence.”

“The hiding place of the City Lord is known to no one,” Xiong You said with an unpleasant look on his face, “but that Zhu Yan is exceptionally confident. It’s as if he can find Wenren Qin effortlessly. That’s why I’m worried.”

Xu Xingchen furrowed his brows. “According to what you’re saying, that person must have incredible abilities. Not only does he know Wenren Qin’s identity, but he can also easily find his hiding place. Even if he uses divination, it’s unlikely that he’d be so precise.”

Shen Liuxiang contemplated for a moment. “Go to the City Lord’s residence. Let’s get the former City Lord out of there before Su Baiche does, and let him leave without anyone knowing.”

Xiong You’s face turned pale. “It might be too late.”

Just then, a commotion erupted outside.

On the night of the Blood Moon, all the demons were excited and didn’t rest. They were all out on the streets enjoying themselves. The sound coming from the City Lord’s residence quickly attracted many demons.

In less than half an incense stick’s time, the shocking news spread throughout the city, reaching every nook and cranny.

The entire Qilin City was in an uproar!

“The City Lord is actually a mixed-blood?! Impossible! It can’t be true! Don’t talk nonsense!”

“The former City Lord said it himself. He was imprisoned by Wenren Qin for years and just escaped!”

“The City Lord is the offspring of Queen An, right? Wasn’t Queen An a Snow Mountain Fox?”

“She’s from the Witch Clan!!! The former City Lord said An Qin used witchcraft to manipulate him, which led to the birth of Wenren Qin, that bastard!”

“Hurry to the City Lord’s residence. There’s even more shocking news. Miss Lan has also been imprisoned in the mansion for years, and they’ve also captured a mixed-blood who is said to be the offspring of the City Lord and a human woman!”

“What?! Hurry! Hurry!”

The demons rushed to the City Lord’s residence, some even revealing their true forms as they ran under the blood-red moonlight.

Shen Liuxiang stepped back into the room and furrowed his brows. “The child they’re talking about is probably A Mu. If he’s in their hands, his fate might be bleak. Let’s go save him and assess the situation.”

As the group mixed into the crowd and headed toward the City Lord’s residence, Shen Liuxiang suddenly caught sight of a high building. A black eyepatch was hanging under the eaves, swaying gently in the wind.

His steps paused. “You all go ahead. I’ll catch up later.”

The eyepatch looked somewhat similar to the one he gave Xiao Qi, with red thread embroidered in the shape of plum blossoms around its edges.

Shen Liuxiang jumped onto the high building, removed the eyepatch, and felt a thin layer of fresh blood that hadn’t dried yet. He stared at it for a moment before narrowing his phoenix eyes.

Standing on the rooftop, he could overlook a large part of Qilin City. Shen Liuxiang lowered his gaze and saw the city shrouded by the Blood Moon, the streets adorned with festive decorations. However, there was one place that remained eerily quiet, a corner of the city that seemed to emanate a heavy aura of gloom.

A small path extended into the depths of the forest, and Shen Liuxiang’s footsteps rustled the fallen leaves, creating a hushed sound. Before long, he came upon an abandoned cottage, neglected for a long time, with cobwebs covering the doors and windows. Inside lay a dusty coffin.

Shen Liuxiang held his breath and focused his gaze, eventually fixing it on a dark coffin in the corner. He walked over and stood beside it, tapping it lightly.

“Click.” The coffin lid shifted.

Shen Liuxiang held his breath. He removed the lid and felt a thin layer of blood on it, which hadn’t yet dried. And while he was at it, he took out a string of sugar-coated haws from his storage bag and started eating them to ease his tension.

Wenren Qin emerged from the coffin, his fiery red hair cascading behind him. He turned his head to look at Shen Liuxiang, asking, “Why did you come, and how did you find me?”

Shen Liuxiang lifted the eyepatch he had found and waved it. “This.”

Perhaps affected by the Blood Moon, Wenren Qin’s complexion was unusually pale. He smiled slightly at Shen Liuxiang’s words. “You figured it out.”

Shen Liuxiang took a bite of hawthorn candy. “To avoid the Blood Moon, you’d need to find a dark place. Judging by where I found the eyepatch, this is the only dark spot.”

After finishing the outer layer of the candy, he muttered with a sour expression, “Your subordinate, Xiong You, was controlled by Su Baiche and just regained consciousness.”

Wenren Qin’s gaze flickered slightly. Shen Liuxiang summarized the external situation concisely and ended with, “As long as Su Baiche can’t find you, you’ll be safe. Regaining control tomorrow is possible. But he’s quite aggressive; he’s already exposing your secrets. It might not be long before he tracks you down.”

Wenren Qin’s complexion darkened slightly, but he didn’t appear panicked. It wasn’t until Shen Liuxiang looked at him with a puzzled expression that he finally revealed a flustered look.

“My cultivation has been damaged. If he comes after me, I won’t have the power to fight back.”

Shen Liuxiang was puzzled. “Why didn’t you run outside the city? It’s remote and far away. Who could find you there? Besides, nobody can sense your aura.”

Wenren Qin fell silent for a moment. “I can’t bear to leave Qilin City. I’d rather die here.”

Shen Liuxiang raised an eyebrow. “?”

Wenren Qin looked at him, his eyes flashing slightly. “Since those people are coming, leave quickly. Otherwise, you’ll be dragged down by me.”

Shen Liuxiang’s face revealed his inner conflict. He ran his hand through his hair and said after a moment, “Actually, I have a way.”

Wenren Qin was taken aback.

Meanwhile, at the mansion of the Seventh Demon King, a sharp sword aura slashed through the air, causing cries of alarm.

Xu Xingchen lifted a small figure and leaped to a higher place, turning around with an angry expression. “You demons are truly unreasonable!”

If he had arrived just a moment later, the child would have become a lost soul under the blade.

A Mu’s young face was pale. Looking down at the crowd below shouting to kill the mixed-blood, he couldn’t hold back his fear any longer and burst into tears. “Uncle, please don’t kill me, uncle”

Xu Xingchen put him down. “Why are you crying? I stopped crying when I was your age!” A Mu timidly closed his mouth, hiccuping as he tried to stop crying.

Former City Lord Wenren Du stood on the ground and raised his head to look at the sword in Xu Xingchen’s hand. His hoarse voice trembled, “Who are you?”

Xu Xingchen coldly snorted, “No comment.”

Wenren Du’s expression darkened as he recognized the sword as a possession from the imperial palace. After hesitating for a while, he stopped his subordinates from moving forward and turned to the man beside him. “Mr. Che, where is that bastard now? Go capture him quickly; it’s for the best.”

Su Bai Che uttered two words, “Yi Zhuang.”

Among the Qilin City’s citizens present, some believed the former City Lord’s words without question, while others remained skeptical. Anxious to hear Wenren Qin’s side of the story, they all rushed toward Yi Zhuang.

Whether he was a mixed-blood or not, they would be able to tell by his scent.

Xu Xingchen handed A Mu over to Nan Xiang. She immediately covered her nose with a fragrant cloth, frowning in displeasure. “Don’t give him to me. The mixed-blood smell is too unbearable. I really can’t stand it!”

Xu Xingchen covered A Mu’s ears with his hand. “I can’t smell anything. Anyway, he’s in your care now.”

Nan Xiang looked at Xiong You with an unwilling expression on her face, but seeing his serious look and his eagerness to get to Yi Zhuang, she huffed lightly and pulled A Mu towards her. “Fine, little brother. Come to sister. I’ll put some fragrant powder on you.”

Xu Xingchen hurried to Yi Zhuang. When he arrived, the place was already in ruins.

Several figures stood in midair.

Among them was Wenren Qin, tall and slender, with his red hair cascading around him. He was surrounded by people, yet he remained calm and collected. He raised his hand, leisurely tying up his long hair.

The people on the ground showed expressions of shock.

They were all demons and had caught a whiff of the scent emanating from Wenren Qin. It was extremely foul and repugnant.

“The City Lord is indeed a mixed-blood.”

Those who had been hesitant and held a glimmer of hope in their hearts now abandoned that hope.

A fierce demonic pattern suddenly appeared on the Former City Lord’s face, and his lone eye fixed on the man before him. He wore a satisfied smile, but seeing the man’s calm and confident appearance, years of accumulated fear bubbled to the surface.

“Capture him! Kill him! Whoever brings me his head will be richly rewarded!”

Imprisoned in the water dungeon for many years, his cultivation had already been destroyed. At this moment, he relied on Su Baiche and the townspeople who had switched sides to support him.

However, as his command echoed, for a while, no one dared to move. Wenren Qin’s influence had been established over many years, and everyone hesitated to be the first to act. Instead, they vented their anger from below, cursing him as a deceitful hypocrite.

Amid the cacophony of insults, their City Lord raised his hand lightly, signaling for silence. “Shh, quiet down.”

The demons hesitated for a moment, and the clamor ceased.

“Have you all misunderstood something?” Wenren Qin’s lips curled into a sinister smile. “Who said I’m a mixed-blood?”

Wenren Du burst into laughter. “You can’t hide your aura. Why bother lying?”

Su Baiche stood by the side with a smile that seemed almost mocking.

Once Wenren Qin was dealt with, he would control the territory of two Demon Kings. After that, he could target another Demon King and, given time, he could unify the entire Demon realm.

Tong Xi couldn’t help but comment, “I heard your laughter. It’s seriously disgusting.”

Seeing that Tong Xi had exposed Wenren Qin’s mixed-blood secret and had even willingly disclosed his hiding place, Su Baiche refrained from retaliating, but he was puzzled. Why was Tong Xi suddenly cooperating?

Although Su Baiche had a hunch that there might be a trap, he couldn’t control his ambition and was eager to take action against Wenren Qin.

So far, everything had gone extremely smoothly.

“Don’t talk too much. Delays can lead to unexpected changes,” Su Baiche reminded, looking at the Blood Moon. “His cultivation has taken a significant hit. He’s just biding his time.”

Joy appeared on Wenren Du’s face; he didn’t know that Wenren Qin’s cultivation was still affected by the Blood Moon. Hearing this, he felt as if the heavens were on his side.

Just as he was about to issue the order to execute Wenren Qin and have the demons attack, he saw ‘Wenren Qin’ fumbling around in a storage bag. With his slender fingers, he held up a black pill calmly. “Mixed-blood scent? Nonsense. I merely ate a medicinal pill.”

A commotion broke out below.

“Because of a pill?”

“How’s that possible? There’s no such kind of pill. I’ve never heard of it.”

Just as the noise was growing, their city lord’s displeased voice rang out, “What’s there to doubt? Don’t be so narrow-minded. This black pill was crafted by Master Shen in our city.”

“Master Shen? Who’s that? There isn’t a renowned alchemist on the continent with the surname Shen.”

‘Wenren Qin’ raised an eyebrow and lifted the black pill higher. “Listen carefully. Don’t be ignorant. Master Shen resides at Cloud Pavilion. He’s a young talent with exceptional aptitude and incomparable talent in alchemy. He doesn’t produce any ordinary elixirs. If the continent has it, Master Shen won’t be unfamiliar with it. And the prices are very attractive too. A top-quality Spirit Pill is only a thousand spiritual stones. I assure you, I’m not deceiving you!”

In the midst of the crowd, Xiong You heard the exclamations around him, “A top-quality Spirit Pill for a thousand spiritual stones?! What kind of elixir can he not make? This person is amazing!”

He looked at Xu Xingchen and asked, “Is there such a figure in your sect?”

Alchemy masters were incredibly rare on the continent, making top-tier elixirs even more valuable. The fact that someone named Master Shen could craft anything was truly astonishing.

Xu Xingchen had been frowning since earlier, staring at Wenren Qin with an inexplicable look in his eyes. At this moment, seeing him talk incessantly and praise “Master Shen” so much, Xu Xingchen’s long eyelashes trembled suddenly.

“…”

Xu Xingchen suddenly realized something and was left speechless.

This cheap Wenren Qin was actually Shen Liuxiang in disguise, but apart from him, no one realized this.

As Shen Liuxiang continued to talk, he swallowed the black pill. “Later, the mixed-blood smell on my body will become stronger. If you want to try it, bring enough spiritual stones and go buy it at Cloud Pavilion.”

Soon, a commotion arose from the ground. “The foul scent has intensified! Every word the City Lord said is true!”

Seeing this, Wenren Du’s face changed dramatically, and his eyes turned bloodshot. “Stop pretending! You’re my son. Do you think I wouldn’t know? You’re the mixed-blood offspring of An!”

At this moment, Su Baiche stepped forward, holding something from his storage bag.

He approached with a cold smile and raised his voice. “This is a Demon Mirror. Any kind of demon under the mirror will transform into its true form. Wenren Qin, do you dare to try it?”

Luckily, they had a backup plan; otherwise, they could have easily been fooled.

“A Demon Mirror? Does such a thing really exist?”

“A mixed-blood under the Demon Mirror? Wouldn’t that make him half-human and half-demon?”

Xiong You’s face turned pale, and he was about to rush forward, even if it meant certain death, to save the city lord.

Xu Xingchen reached out to stop him. “Don’t worry, everything’s fine.”

Under the watchful gaze of the crowd, Shen Liuxiang smiled indifferently and walked up to the Demon Mirror. He flicked his hair playfully and smiled at Su Baiche. “What’s there to be afraid of?”

Su Baiche’s expression darkened, and a sense of unease suddenly washed over him. He didn’t say anything more and activated the Demon Mirror to reflect on Shen Liuxiang.

The scene grew quiet. The figure standing before the mirror suddenly moved, and everyone held their breath. However, they soon realized that he had stopped moving, seemingly frozen in front of the Demon Mirror.

“…”

It took an unexpectedly long time for the Demon Mirror to take effect and revert him to his true form.

Xu Xingchen had an inkling that something was amiss. After staring for a moment, a sudden realization struck him.

Shen Liuxiang’s Transformation Technique couldn’t precisely mimic a fire qilin, so he must have gotten stuck in this half-transformed state!

Xu Xingchen’s guess was mostly accurate. Shen Liuxiang found himself facing the Demon Mirror in silence, unable to remember what a qilin looked like. Even if he remembered, he couldn’t imitate a demon with such a challenging form.

After contemplating for a moment, a glint flashed through Xu Xingchen’s eyes. A gust of night wind blew by, and the figure in front of the mirror moved once again.

“Bang!”

In front of the Demon Mirror, a small fireball appeared.

It was about the size of a palm, covered in fluff, with a pair of small fiery wings on its back. The little demonic creature had sparkling, translucent eyes and slightly trembling whiskers.

It bared its teeth slightly, giving off a fierce roar, “Roar~”

For an instant, the scene fell silent, but then a tremendous uproar erupted. The first to boil over were the female demons, their screams almost reaching the sky.

“Ah ah ah! So cute! So cute! The City Lord’s true form is actually this adorable!”

“Is this the fearsome Fire Qilin that’s renowned and feared by all?”

“It’s so different from the City Lord’s usual appearance and temperament, but I love it! City lord, look at me! City lord, look at me!”

Amidst the chorus of astonishment and cheers.

Xu Xingchen: “…”

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T/N: One thing about Immortal Shen is that he will always give himself a shameless plug.