Land of Exile

In all the descriptions heard over the years, the very meaning of the City of Iniquity was the absence of morality. It harbored all filth and evil, betrayal and greed, chaotic lawlessness, and bloody cruelty. It was a city belonging to sin and exile. Built in a vast desert, it possessed neither city walls nor guards or fortifications. To all appearances, anyone could arrive at any moment, and leave just as freely. "Yet in truth, every arrival and departure unfolds under watchful eyes," Liu Yiwu said, his tone carrying an uncharacteristic weight and formality. "It's just that the eyes hidden behind the scenes rarely ever react." "Alphonse wouldn't dare set foot there. Because living in that city is someone who might want to hack him to pieces even more than you do," he added. If someone merely wanted to hack Alphonse to pieces, that meant nothing by itself. Thus, He Tangtang asked, "Is he really that strong?" "That year, when the Corps Commander was passing by the City of Iniquity on his way to a meeting, he stepped off the plane to kill someone. That man came forward and took a direct slash from the Corps Commander... and stayed on his feet," Liu Yiwu said. So he was indeed very strong. In the world of source energy, where impact force served as the primary yardstick for strength, "taking a blade and staying on one's feet" was a concept never to be taken lightly. Even if Chen Buer hadn't unleashed his full power, taking a frontal slash from him and remaining upright was still an astounding feat. Especially now, after people had either witnessed or heard of that slash atop Xilang Peak. "We don't know if he's stronger than Alphonse—maybe he falls a bit short—but that place is his turf," Liu Yiwu continued. The City of Iniquity had no nominal master, but people were accustomed to regarding the number one figure on its assassin rankings as its underground ruler. It was the assassin rankings that maintained whatever order existed in that city of sin, in their own way. "Then why does he want to kill Alphonse?" Rusty Sister asked, both concerned and a little expectant. "No one knows. There's plenty of speculation, but the most widely accepted theory is that he's the sole survivor from the steamship Pioneer. Back then, that ship sailed with Alphonse's fleet to Antarctica to explore the existence of source energy, only to strike a reef and sink. Not a single person returned. Later, rumors suggested there was a hidden story behind it, but it's impossible to trace now," Liu Yiwu explained. Continuing that discussion seemed pointless and unnecessary. For Han Qingyu and the others, all they needed to know was that this man had indeed attempted to assassinate Alphonse twice. "So what's his name?" Rusty Sister asked curiously. "Shu You." "A woman?" "No, a man." "Huaxian?" "No, a Westerner. Based on the original pronunciation, it should properly be Saulieu, though of course that certainly isn't his real name either. The Huaxians there gradually took to calling him Shu You. Aside from rolling easily off the tongue, it might also be because, according to legend, he's a very beautiful man." When Liu Yiwu used "beautiful" to describe a man, he cast a glance toward Han Qingyu... Han Qingyu wasn't beautiful; he was disfigured. "I'll keep it for now." Han Qingyu pointed to the scar across his face. On the surface, he meant he wouldn't seek treatment, but in truth, it was a matter of his skin molting and healing. Even if he did shed his skin, Zhe Qiuhong should have a way to preserve the scar for the time being. He had already decided to go to the City of Iniquity. There were plenty of metal blocks and source energy blocks there to plunder. The holders of the Bones of Eternal Life whose whereabouts Zhu Jiaming couldn't account for were very likely there. There... There, they would either die or grow stronger. Furthermore, judging by how Liu Yiwu could recite so much intelligence about the City of Iniquity off the cuff, higher-ups had undoubtedly prepared for this well in advance. As for themselves, the most recognizable person was definitely Han Qingyu, once the target of a massive bounty—except he was now disfigured. Rusty Sister had also altered her armor, and full-plate warriors existed in the City of Iniquity as well. Then came their weapons. As long as they put away signature armaments like the Binggu Spear, the blue light column sword, and the knight broadsword without using them for the time being, they should have enough time to conceal their identities and navigate the transition period. "All right," Liu Yiwu nodded. "Though I must remind you of one thing: Shu You isn't an ally. He's just as likely to kill you." They hadn't even gone yet, and they were already tangling with the number one on the assassin rankings?! He Tangtang jumped up on the spot. "Why?!" Liu Yiwu: "No reason. I was just using him as an offhand example." He Tangtang: "..." Inwardly, he thought: Screw you, man. You pick an example at random and go straight for the strongest one possible? No wonder that Red Shoulder got scared to death by you. "If you insist on a reason, it's simply because it's the City of Iniquity. Anyone there could strike at you for any reason under the sun. Especially now that Marshal Hua has left and the Huaxian faction in the city has shifted to a vulnerable, defensive posture, your situation won't be great." As Liu Yiwu reached this point, his tone dripped with suspense. Everyone waited for him to go on. "General Jiang will be going with you! For one thing, he can provide you with some protection. For another, our forces over there have been getting pushed around terribly of late, so they badly need an expert to hold the fort." When Liu Yiwu revealed this, his eyes shone with the predatory excitement of a bandit—like someone driving a tank with a rocket launcher slung over his shoulder on his way to rob a bank. Yet the room responded with: "..." "Why aren't any of you excited in the least?" After waiting a few seconds, Liu Yiwu asked in confusion. He Tangtang: "We're afraid we won't be able to keep an eye on him. We can't shadow him every single second, can we? What about when we sleep at night? Post sentries in shifts?" Shen Yixiu: "Yeah, if we lose him, do we have to pay compensation? If we do, would any random old man do? My grandpa doesn't have anything to do anyway." "I'm not calling anyone grandpa," Han Qingyu mumbled under his breath. "And what if General Jiang's condition worsens, and one day he suddenly forgets who we are, gets up in the middle of the night to take a piss, and hacks every last one of us to death?" Wen Jifei said, trembling with mock dread. "You're taking this too far!" a voice came from the side. Jiang Longchi was right there; they had simply forgotten about him... Stepping forward, he cuffed each of them upside the head—smack, smack, smack, clang—and said with a bitter smile: "People I see every day, I definitely won't get mixed up. And I don't have a habit of indiscriminately butchering people, either. Besides, don't worry—as long as there's food and shelter, I can stay quietly in one place for a very long time." He glanced at Han Qingyu. This was a moment of mental clarity, and Jiang Longchi knew full well this boy wasn't his grandson; he didn't have a grandson. Even so, a certain inexplicable affection lingered. After all, he had even bestowed the lad's name, and he had heard that back when the boy was little and farm work kept his family busy, they would often dump him in the temple to play. As for the old man being able to stay put in one place, Han Qingyu believed that. "I'm just afraid we'll lose you on the road," he muttered under his breath. "Get lost! We're taking a boat. A boat! You think I'll go wandering off into the ocean?!" the old man bellowed, smacking him upside the head once more. Since that was settled, Han Qingyu said, "Then we'll go pack our bags." "No rush. First head to headquarters to spend the New Year, and take the chance to recover from your wounds—you, and Wu Xu as well." Just as Liu Yiwu was speaking, Wu Xu walked in from outside the doorway. He was able to get out of bed now and had come out to look for them. Please don't scream. Don't hug me... Wu Xu was terrified they would get emotional and start shouting or hugging him. That would be terribly awkward, and he wouldn't know how to handle it. Worrying over this, Wu Xu silently glanced at the people in the room and stepped inside—splat! He took a tumble onto the floor, calmly pushed himself back up, and acted as though nothing had happened, continuing forward to sit down beside Han Qingyu and the others. Do they really care so little about me? he wondered. ... "Qingzi, I thought of a possibility," Rusty Sister said suddenly. The sight of the suit of iron armor standing there folding a red cloak was amusing. Han Qingyu tilted his head to look at her and asked, "What?" "Do you think it's possible that when you were little, one day your grandpa picked up a giant snake egg on the mountain and fed it to you for nutrition... and you ate the source beast Doctor Zhe was talking about? You're a snake..." Clang! Han Qingyu smacked her helmet. "Cut the crap." The mental image behind this guess was childish, yet the logic was unnervingly sound—for instance, he happened to molt, and his family had dealt with snakes for generations... But Han Qingyu couldn't accept it. How could he, a man who caught snakes, ate snakes, and sold snakes, view himself as a snake? "You're crossing the line, Rusty Sister!" Wen Jifei chimed in from the side. "The Snake Spirit and us Calabash Brothers are sworn enemies, you know." "If I'd known, we really should've called ourselves the Blood Calabash Squad. Suddenly it really does feel a bit like the Calabash Brothers—I mean going this time, the few of us plus General Jiang." Adding that off the cuff, Wen Jifei grinned, folded his clothes, and stuffed them into his bag. The people in the room laughed for a bit, remarking that it really was a lot like that. Han Qingyu bore it in silence. After counting his metal blocks and stowing them away, he turned to Zhu Jiaming, who had just stepped in from outside. "By the way, Little Prince, are you sure the people we're looking for are over there?" "Certain. They have nowhere else to go," Zhu Jiaming said, handing over several sheets of paper. "I wrote down their names and general characteristics on these. You can also refer to the portraits I sketched; they shouldn't be far off." "Whoa, overflowing with talent, Little Prince!" Wen Jifei leaned over, inspecting the brush calligraphy and the ink portraits... They were remarkably lifelike. "You flatter me," Zhu Jiaming said modestly, grinning brazenly. "Well, uh... so I won't be joining you this time. My wounds haven't healed yet, so going along would only burden you with taking care of me. Besides, I get seasick." In the room, Rusty Sister snickered quietly as she packed. Zhu Jiaming's reluctance to go to the City of Iniquity had been blatantly obvious lately. In contrast, Zhe Qiuhong was desperate to go. Whenever they refused to take her, she would come squat outside every day. When asked for her reason, she said it was because Han Qingyu or Wu Xu would very likely die there. "I'll take these." Han Qingyu folded the sheets of paper and carefully tucked them away. Zhu Jiaming nodded eagerly. "That way, if you die on the way, at least we'll have a backup." Zhu Jiaming: "..." "Go pack your bags." Inside the room, packing and idle chatter continued in this manner. Until— "Time for dumplings!" A soldier called out from outside. "All right, coming right now!" After answering, Wen Jifei checked his watch, then turned to the others in the room. "It's New Year's. Let's go eat dumplings first." "Okay." Once they finished the dumplings, it would be time to set out.