Chapter 24 - The King's Audience.

A battle ultimately lasted until dawn, and as the sky brightened, Xu Xuan once again used his sword to send the bizarre Red-clothed Little Girl flying. However, this time the little girl did not dissipate, but stood in the shadows, staring at him coldly.

"What are you looking at? Come at me if you dare!!" Staring at the little girl looking straight at him from the darkness, Xu Xuan felt an inexplicable discomfort. But Xu Xuan did not want to lose in terms of momentum.

However, what Xu Xuan did not expect was that the little girl actually flipped him the middle finger from the darkness...

Just as Xu Xuan watched in shock, she then crooked her middle finger at him, as if saying: "Come at me if you dare!!"

Xu Xuan never dreamed that the gesture he occasionally used to taunt opponents during battle had been learned by this strange Cursed Child. In fact, under normal circumstances, when encountering a terrifying curse like the little girl, one would either be killed in a short time or gradually be tormented into a mental breakdown. Only Xu Xuan had not suffered any spiritual damage and could even use her to refine his swordsmanship. Over time, he and the curse had fallen into a strange state of mutual torment, like a kind of bug or glitch. And the originally non-sentient curse, in order to torment and kill Xu Xuan, began to mutate and adjust little by little...

Of course, that was another story. What truly puzzled Xu Xuan was that the little girl had not disappeared even though the sky was bright. Instead, she stood in the shadows, looking at him coldly, as if ready to kill him at any moment.

It was then that Xu Xuan noticed a layer of mist had risen in the courtyard at some point. When he looked up at the sky, he noticed that it was overcast, with no sign of the sun that should accompany the morning. Above the sky, grey snowflakes began to drift down.

However, when the 'snowflakes' landed, Xu Xuan noticed that they only looked like snowflakes; in reality, they were sticky, ash-like fragments, similar to incense ash.

Gently wiping a piece of incense ash in his palm, aside from the grey of the ash, there was a subtle dark red residue visible in his hand.

"Oh dear, has Jianxuan already awakened?" At this moment, Xiao Liu appeared behind Xu Xuan in the courtyard at some point, saying to Xu Xuan in a fawning tone: "It seems you didn't sleep very soundly last night. Not sleeping properly is not a good habit. Although a Qi Practitioner's body is strong, prolonged lack of sleep will eventually wear them out."

"Never mind that for now, Xiao Liu, what's with this mist and the incense ash floating from the sky?" Hearing Xiao Liu's voice, Xu Xuan ignored the fact that Xiao Liu had appeared silently and asked. As he spoke, he saw some huge, at least dozens of meters tall, strange shadows slowly moving in the mist outside the courtyard, disappearing into the fog again in just a few seconds: "Hey, hey! Did you see that shadow? There are Demon-Ghosts causing trouble in the city!!!"

"This is the capital of the Eastern Chu State. Rest assured, how could there be Demon-Ghosts?"

"I just saw a huge shadow in the fog."

"I am also standing with you, why didn't I see it? Sir, you must have been mistaken," Xiao Liu replied with a standard smile, then added: "It's understandable. I hear that the place you came from had a mist-realm, a place where even a Saint might not survive. It is inevitable to have a certain fear of the fog."

"No... then what about this sky full of incense ash?"

"That is not strange. The Eastern Chu State often has strong winds, and as you know, every family in the Chu state worships the Chitu God. The Imperial Palace even has a massive altar. It just so happens that a whirlwind passed through these days, sweeping up a large amount of incense ash into the sky. This happened the day before you arrived in the Chu state. The ash must have only started to fall after the whirlwind stopped," Xiao Liu explained with a smile.

"Something's not right. I feel like the atmosphere is like Silent Hill." As Xu Xuan spoke, he noticed a tentacle seemed to emerge over the courtyard wall. However, as Xu Xuan's gaze fell upon it, the tentacle quickly retracted.

"Silent Hill? Where is that?" Xiao Liu maintained his smile, and casually brushed his robe. As he did so, some dark red marks, like bloodstains, appeared on his robe.

"It's not a good place."

"Since everything is fine, why don't you come and dine with me? Standing here is not very proper." Xiao Liu spoke to Xu Xuan in his usual respectful tone. After entering the corridor, Xu Xuan glanced into the dark corner. The little girl was still hiding there, expressionless, staring straight at him...

When Xu Xuan arrived at the inn's dining hall, Mo Li was already seated there. Unlike usual, one of the two Automatons by her side was missing, likely because Xiaoyu had been sent away overnight.

Mo Li did not speak, appearing to be working on her puppet. The meal beside her had already been finished. Xu Xuan looked at the dishes; they were still of a very simple kind, seemingly requested specifically. This made Xu Xuan admire her; she could stick to her beliefs at all times.

"You're here, Jianxuan." While adjusting her Automaton, Mo Li turned and looked seriously at Xu Xuan: "Gongshu will also be coming today. We have never gotten along, so there will likely be a struggle. I will ask you one last time, are you truly determined to follow?"

"Yes, I said I would go, and I certainly will." Inexplicably, the corner of Xu Xuan's mouth involuntarily curled up again. If he had been a little hesitant before, after hearing that Mo Li was going to clash with Gongshu, Xu Xuan immediately firmed up his resolve. After all, not everyone gets the chance to watch a confrontation between two Automaton masters. Xu Xuan was entering this bizarre Chu Royal Palace today for no other reason than to witness this great Automaton duel. Thinking of this, Xu Xuan felt a strange sense of anticipation.

"I understand." Seeing Xu Xuan's expression, Mo Li inexplicably frowned. She could not see any tension or fear in Xu Xuan's face. Although he seemed to have moments of shock like being scared, that feeling was more of surprise than fear. Even after seeing today's strange weather and the fog outside, he, who had just experienced the mist-realm a few months ago, showed no sign of tension or fear. What Mo Li saw in Xu Xuan's eyes was mostly excitement and anticipation.

At this moment, a certain thought emerged in Mo Li's mind: this person seems incapable of experiencing fear...

About an hour later, Xiao Liu reappeared before Xu Xuan and Mo Li in a fresh change of clothes.

"Gentlemen, please. The time for the council has arrived. The King and the civil and military officials are now holding court in the Royal Palace. We may now proceed to the Royal Palace to meet the King and the officials." With that, Xiao Liu led the way out of the room. This time, Xiao Liu was accompanied by several palace maids, who were holding two large ceremonial umbrellas. They were obviously prepared specifically for Xu Xuan and Mo Li, as the entire Chu capital was now covered in this snow-like incense ash.

The two followed the group's pace and left the inn, heading towards the Royal Palace. Along the way, Xu Xuan occasionally saw figures walking through the mist. However, those figures all looked inexplicably distorted. Their manner of walking felt very strange. Due to the dense fog, Xu Xuan couldn't clearly see the true state of those figures. Furthermore, as they walked, the figures gradually disappeared.

However, traces of incense burning and sacrifices could be seen everywhere along the road. Read at Novels Haven (novelshaven.com)

The entire journey was eerily quiet. Xiao Liu did not speak. Xu Xuan looked at the two maids holding umbrellas beside him. The two maids were also expressionless. Xu Xuan noticed that their eyes did not even blink. They looked as if they were sleepwalking.

Curiously, Xu Xuan even touched them twice, but the two maids still showed no reaction.

Just as Xu Xuan wanted to study the two maids more closely, Xiao Liu's voice suddenly rang out.

"We have arrived." Only then did Xu Xuan notice that they seemed to have passed through a palace gate and entered a large area of the Royal Palace at some point. In the dense fog along the way, Xu Xuan vaguely saw rows of figures. These figures stood silently and ramrod straight. Their faces were obscured by the mist, but their armor confirmed them to be the guards posted at the Royal Palace.

"This army looks really well-disciplined," Xu Xuan finally couldn't help but say, looking at the rows of motionless soldiers around him. At that moment, Xiao Liu suddenly turned back and made a shushing gesture at Xu Xuan, then whispered next to Xu Xuan: "This is already outside the main hall. Do not speak loudly."

"Sorry," Xu Xuan whispered back, then remained silent. A short while later, they entered a side hall outside the main hall.

"You two will wait here for the King's summons."

Xiao Liu said this and then walked out through a door in the side hall. Xu Xuan and Mo Li looked out at the mist through the window. Vaguely, Xu Xuan once again saw a massive shadow in the fog outside the window, its shape indistinct, as if the entire exterior wall of the Royal Palace had come to life. However, it immediately reverted to looking like a city wall.

Before Xu Xuan could say anything to Mo Li, Xiao Liu reappeared in their room: "I apologize for the wait. Please follow me."

With that, Xiao Liu led the way out of the side door he had used to enter, and Xu Xuan and Mo Li followed. After passing through a short corridor, the two once again arrived outside the main hall. Led by Xiao Liu, Xu Xuan and Mo Li entered the great hall.

Inside the great hall of the King of Chu, the officials knelt on both sides of the hall. At the very top sat a man in his thirties with a pale face. He was dressed in very luxurious clothing and sat at the desk at the head of the hall. Beside him sat another person. This person had long, disheveled hair that looked as if it hadn't been cared for in a long time, paired with a body covered in wooden slats. He looked completely out of place among the officials in the hall.