Chapter 51: City of Sin
Khaleno's whole body shook violently at the sound, and then, as if he didn't dare to believe his ears, he swiftly turned his head around...
Only a short distance behind him was a very crude horse carriage, but it was unknown when it appeared. The two high-headed horses seemed to be stimulated by the intense bloody smell here, and they were quite frantic, constantly using their hooves to scratch the ground forcefully. However, no matter how hard they struggled, they could not leave the spot because a pair of thin but powerful small hands tightly grasped the reins. Following these hands, a dark and thin boy was looking at Helianuo who was lying on the ground with a red face.
"What the...?!" Helianthus was shocked to the point of almost shouting out loud, but a strange feeling suddenly blocked his throat, and even this feeling tightly bound his heartbeat. This feeling pressed down on Helianthus until he could hardly breathe.
Yes, standing in front of Helian was the returning Sang Xiao! At this moment, he was tightly holding onto two frantically struggling fine horses. His thin and pale face was flushed red, either from exertion or some other reason. His large eyes seemed to be avoiding direct eye contact with Helian, constantly shifting around, yet couldn't help but steal glances at him with concern.
When he saw this scene, Helian Nuo felt a warmth in his chest, and the heavy stone in his heart suddenly disappeared. Previously, he thought that Sang Xiao was afraid of death and had abandoned him and Leino to escape on their own. Thinking that he had inexplicably become a scapegoat, Helian Nuo couldn't help but feel extremely resentful. So, while he was crazily killing the enemy, he secretly cursed Sang Xiao for being ungrateful and disloyal, and felt that it wasn't worth saving such an unfeeling person. Who would have thought that just when he had almost given up hope on Sang Xiao, Sang Xiao suddenly appeared before his eyes again? Although he came a bit late, Helian Nuo still felt extremely excited, after all, he hadn't misjudged the person, and he hadn't been betrayed!
Sang Xiao, who had been standing still and didn't dare to move forward, couldn't see any joy or sorrow on Helian'no's face. In his heart, he secretly speculated that the other was still resentful about his sudden disappearance earlier. Suddenly feeling ashamed, he lowered his head and muttered in a voice that might not even be audible to himself: "Sorry, I know my skills are not as good as yours, and staying here wouldn't make much of a difference anyway. So I found an ownerless warhorse and rushed to a nearby farm, using the remaining gold coins to buy a group of oxen, poured oil on them, set up a fire-ox formation, and came back to rescue you all. Fortunately, I didn't mess things up; otherwise...otherwise, I'd probably have to live with the guilt of abandoning my friends for the rest of my life..."
He Lianuo smiled ambiguously, but didn't continue to entangle Sang Xiaoshu's actions. Instead, she said lightly: "Alright, no matter what, the three of us are still alive and well now, that's the best news! However, this place isn't suitable for reminiscing, we shouldn't linger here for long. Although Tuoba Tao is dead, once the panic caused by the Fire Ox Array subsides, we'll likely be pursued again by the people of Lan Yue City. After all, we killed their city lord, and that tyrannical Fire Ox Array also brought significant losses to the innocent civilians of Lan Yue City. It's better for us to leave quickly and find a safe place to hide."
Sang Xiao repeatedly nodded, busily tying the reins tightly to a tree by the road. He then carefully lifted Helian Nu, who was unable to move, onto the carriage. Next, he wanted to lift Lei Shuo, but Lei Shuo's body was too massive. Although only thirteen or fourteen years old, his weight surpassed that of an adult. Despite Sang Xiao having some spiritual training, he was still just a twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy with normal development but slightly weak physique. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't lift Lei Shuo onto the carriage. In the end, it was Xiaolong, who had already jumped onto the carriage and was waiting to depart, that couldn't bear to watch anymore. With a huff, Xiaolong jumped down from the carriage, pushed Sang Xiao aside with its head, and then used its mouth to grip Lei Shuo's waistband, effortlessly jumping back onto the carriage.
Xiao Xiao helplessly looked at the disdainful little wolf, who had an expression of not caring in the least. He Lian Nu lightly patted the little wolf's head and then said to Xiao Xiao, who was looking gloomy: "Don't mind it, let alone you, even my strength is far inferior to Little Wolf's. You also heard that the commotion in the city has already subsided compared to earlier, I suppose the Fire Ox Formation has been brought under control. We must set off immediately and find a safe place to rest and recover."
Xiang Xiao heard Helian Nuo's urging but didn't immediately act, instead he suddenly seemed to think of something and quickly drew out his short sword and rushed towards Tuoba Tao's corpse. Helian Nuo was puzzled in his heart, turned his head to look back and saw Xiang Xiao using his short sword to cut off the long-dead Tuoba Tao's head. Then he stripped off Tuoba Tao's clothes and carefully wrapped up the head. After doing all this, Xiang Xiao walked back, untied the reins, jumped onto the front seat of the horse carriage, drove the horses while turning his head to say to Helian Nuo who had a face full of confusion: "I just remembered that less than 100 li east of Luan Yue City there is a city called Yun Xing City. According to what I know, the lord of that city has some grudges against Tuoba Tao. Luan Yue and Yun Xing have always been sworn enemies, so we might as well go there to temporarily avoid the storm. And as long as we bring Tuoba Tao's head as a gift, the lord of Yun Xing City will certainly treat us as honored guests and entertain us generously. More importantly, once we get there, we won't have to worry about being pursued by Luan Yue City anymore!"
He Lian Nu nodded, according to Sang Xiao's words, that fallen star city was indeed the best place for people in this line to take refuge, only hoping that the pursuers from Lan Yue City would not come too quickly.
Fortunately, Helian's worries did not come true, and for some reason, the journey was quite smooth. It was so smooth that even Sang Xiao felt a bit eerie. They didn't see any pursuers from Lan Yue City, nor did they see any ordinary merchants. A lone horse carriage traveled on the empty road, making it seem extremely quiet. For some reason, Helian vaguely felt that their trip to Xingxing City might not be too smooth after all, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was off.
Just as he was lost in thought, Sang Xiao suddenly turned around excitedly and said: "He Lian big brother, the front is Meteorite City, we arrived!"
In fact, Sang Xiao is already twelve years old this year, two years older than He Lian Nuo who is ten years old. However, he said that his life was saved by He Lian Nuo and out of gratitude, he insisted on calling him "Big Brother". Despite He Lian Nuo correcting him several times, it had no effect, and in the end, he could only acquiesce.
He Lian Nu, who had been feeling uneasy in her heart, was interrupted by Sang Xiao's excited voice. She rubbed the corners of her sore eyes and looked up to see a very tall city standing toweringly, with arrow towers and military flags all over the city wall, and large numbers of soldiers patrolling back and forth on the city wall, looking more heavily guarded than Lang Yue City.
Keh Lianuo soon discovered a very strange phenomenon, the city was heavily guarded, but the city gate was empty and there were no defensive facilities in sight. There were only two soldiers who were not paying attention to the people entering and leaving, they did not ask any questions or check anyone's identity. Moreover, although this place is only a hundred miles away from the prosperous commercial town of Lan Yue City, it does not show any signs of prosperity like Lan Yue City. What's even stranger is that after observing for half a day, Keh Lianuo did not see anyone else waiting to enter or leave the city except himself. There were many people leaving the city, but they all looked shabby and their faces were filled with despair, making them look like a group of beggars.
"Could it be that this Meteorite City is the headquarters of the Beggars' Sect?" He Lianuo was about to ask, but Sang Xiao, who was sitting in front, had already begun to explain: "He Lian big brother, are you wondering why we only see people leaving and not entering Meteorite City? Actually, it's not strange at all. The city of Lan Yue and the city of Meteorite have been sworn enemies for generations, and almost no merchants from Lan Yue dare to enter Meteorite City through this road. We chose this small path just now, and I'm afraid it hasn't been walked on in a long time. As for why people leaving the city are all so downcast, hehe, I understand the inside story very well. You see, although Meteorite City and Lan Yue City are only a hundred miles apart, they have extremely huge differences. Lan Yue is a commercial hub that has developed rapidly relying on the Demon Moon Forest, and most of the country's wood, medicine, and animal hide transactions take place in Lan Yue City. If we say that Lan Yue City is the world of merchants, then Meteorite City is the paradise of the super rich! Don't look at the people coming and going now, who are all dressed in tattered clothes and appear to be down on their luck - in fact, if you go back a few hours, they were all incredibly wealthy!"
"What?" Helianuo was taken aback by the words, turned his head to take a closer look, and indeed found that the skin exposed under the tattered clothes of those who left the city was extremely fair, not at all like the vagrants who had been wind-swept and rain-soaked every day. Obviously, they were all dignitaries who were used to being pampered, but why did they become what they are now?
Xiang Xiao continued with a deep feeling: "Actually, they are just like me, experiencing major changes in life in an instant. The only difference is that I was harmed by scoundrels, while they brought it upon themselves because they came to a place they shouldn't have come to and did things they shouldn't have done. This Meteorite City also has another name - the Capital of Sin!"
Shan Xiao's words suddenly pained Helian Nuo, wasn't he also a victim of unexpected misfortune? Just a moment ago, he was still the treasured grandson of the Military God's household, but in the blink of an eye, he became a pitiful child lost in the forest. A dignified and kind grandfather was instantly reduced from being the Military God to a treasonous minister. A loving and gentle mother didn't even get to hear her child call her "mom" before she was forced to drown herself in a lake. A heavenly wolf who had been by his side for nine years, closer than his own mother, died suddenly at the hands of an enemy. Who could compare with him in terms of having a tumultuous fate?
