Suffering in Luofu City 1
All the corpses thrown out of the brothel would be dumped in the charnel ground.
The loser Huaiwen's body was now left here. About two hours later, Huaiwen's "body" began to move. First his fingers, then his face, and finally his eyes opened, and he "came to life."
Huaiwen sat up, twisting her neck, which was a little sore. She thought that if she hadn't used the feigned death technique in an emergency, she would have really been killed.
This feigned death spell requires the blood of the killer as a catalyst for its success, so when Huaiwen slashed Jiaren's arm, she had a 40% chance of escaping. Of course, this was Huaiwen's first successful attempt at feigning death. In a way, it could be considered a victory in a certain sense.
But she was really curious now. Wasn't she on her way to the Jiang clan's homeland? How did she end up in a place like that? What on earth happened? And where did Demon Slayer go?
Just then, Huaiwen moved his stiff legs, only to have the bones clatter and fall downwards. Huaiwen then realized he was sitting on a pile of bones, and quickly climbed down.
Before leaving the mass grave, Huaiwen looked at the mountain of bones and felt a slight sense of fear. What kind of person could be so cruel as to gamble with slaughter?
After leaving the abandoned mass grave, Huaiwen walked for a while, passing through a gloomy, deep forest, and then saw a city in the distance. For safety, Huaiwen first used a talisman to protect herself, then took out a white talisman, wrote a spell on it, and sent the talisman to find the Demon Slayer. Only then did she cautiously walk towards the city.
Upon entering, they discovered that the city gate was completely unguarded. Huaiwen looked up, but unlike Baidi City, the plaque on the gate wasn't directly hung on the city wall.
She couldn't even see what the city was called. It wasn't a good time to fly up and see, but she couldn't leave the city uninvited, so Huaiwen decided to be decisive and strode inside.
Upon entering, Huaiwen doubted his eyes. If the imperial city was a solemn, imposing place paved with bluestone slabs, then this place was a carefree paradise. Various flowers, trees, pavilions, and towers dotted the city.
A small bridge spans a stream, which glitters in the sunlight. A gentle breeze blows, swaying the cherry blossoms and filling the air with their fragrance. Huaiwen follows the scenery along the stream, up the steps, and walks step by step towards the tree covered in cherry blossoms.
She tilted her head back, watching the falling cherry blossoms, and unconsciously reached out to catch a petal that had drifted down in front of her. Holding it in her palm, a look of joy spread across her face. Time seemed to stand still at that moment; the falling blossoms were mesmerizing, and a sense of intoxication welled up within her. It was as if this scene had happened before.
"Thump—"
The long chime of the bell broke the silence, bringing Huaiwen back to her senses. When she looked again, the beautiful scene had quietly faded into the night, replaced by many pillars rising up, lined up in order, and hanging many eternal lamps, illuminating the entire city.
Gradually, the tall buildings that had been hidden were revealed, and footsteps came from not far away on the street, accompanied by their voices, the sound of gongs, and the sound of betting... getting closer and closer. Huaiwen could see clearly this time. This was not the human world. This was Luofu.
Under the setting sun, the floating lanterns swayed gently.
It was that third one; meeting him meant certain doom in Lingshan Xuanye's territory.
Luofu is not only home to demons, but also to humans and monsters; it is a place full of endless possibilities.
The four characters "Lingshan Xuanye" flashed into Huaiwen's mind. She hadn't thought this demon was dangerous before, but now she felt a little afraid, but more than that, she was puzzled and curious.
The mass grave filled with bones, the daytime paradise garden, and the brightly lit Luofu City at dusk—the two places are not far apart, yet their scenes are worlds apart.
That day at the temple, Huaiwen recalled the evaluation of Lingshan Xuanye from ancient books and scrolls about demons and humans. Although it was only a few words, it was thought-provoking: This demon is evil and will bring chaos to the world. But if there is an opportunity, he can still be used.
At that time, Huaiwen pressed Liuxi for the story behind Liuxi's words. Liuxi frankly admitted that he didn't know either, since it happened hundreds of years ago.
Since he's a menace, what kind of twist of fate allowed him to become one of her subordinates? Huaiwen felt a slight headache coming on. Although she didn't understand why she was here, she was already here, saving herself the trouble of traveling. That was a kind of good luck.
Naturally, she couldn't just sit and wait for her fate. She had to find a way to make the infamous demon king submit to her.
Of course, it was also because Huaiwen remembered that Lingshan Xuanye had already changed its image in people's minds and the story had been passed down. When Huaiwen heard it, he already believed that Lingshan Xuanye was a demon with a sense of justice.
According to legend, a tree does not grow without roots; there must be a cause for it to bear fruit.
Will the city lord come to Drunken Dream Pavilion today?
"That's necessary; it's a newly arrived batch of aged wine."
"Then a few of us will go too. Who knows, if the city lord is in a good mood, he might reward us with a drink."
"Let's hurry up, we need to squeeze to the front."
Huaiwen's thoughts were interrupted by their conversation. She hid to the side and listened attentively. Since it was a place that Lingshan Xuanye would go, she had to follow him now!
Huaiwen followed behind the few little demons, not even having time to notice the hustle and bustle on the road. He could only sense that the people doing business, arguing, and enjoying themselves were all very happy.
After walking for a while, they arrived at the Drunken Dream Pavilion.
The Drunken Dream Tower is situated at both low and high points. Standing at the lower level and looking up, the tower appears majestic and imposing. The tower rises layer upon layer, with colorful glass lanterns hanging from the eaves, and wind chimes hanging at the four corners. When the wind blows, the chimes are crisp and melodious, like a song that lingers in the air.
Upon reaching the entrance, one is first greeted by the majestic, towering golden nanmu wood, followed by wisps of smoke. Then, a red carpet appears at one's feet, welcoming its guests.
Whether it was solemn and sacred or magnificent and opulent, Huaiwen found it difficult to describe the effort and care put into this building; it must have been extremely cherished. Huaiwen sighed for a moment, then strode inside.
Upon entering, one is immediately surrounded by crowds, listening to their conversations, but Xuan Ye is nowhere to be seen.
Huaiwen thought that this was Lingshan Xuanye's territory, where she couldn't use any immortal magic. Besides, let alone Lingshan Xuanye, any random demon here was probably more powerful than her. Thinking this way, she decided to devise a little scheme.
Huaiwen thought to herself that Xuan Ye was a good drinker, so he must have a high alcohol tolerance and an excellent palate. If she wanted to stand out, she had to win in this category.
This was a huge pool of wine. Huaiwen first used the most foolish method: she took out a white talisman, wrote the words "Pin Jia" on it, and stuck it on her body. Then, she remembered Liu Xi's story about the drunkard, so she quietly appeared in the center of the crowd and lit a pot of wine.
Seeing Huaiwen's clear eyes and fair complexion, the little wine demon smiled and said, "Is this your first time here? If you want a pot of clear or cloudy wine, it will cost one string of cash in the human realm; if you want a pot of fine wine, it will cost ten strings of cash in the human realm; if you want the special wine for today, that's another matter."
"Oh?" Huaiwen rested his chin on his hand and asked again, "Please explain in detail, tavern owner."
The little wine demon nodded and said, "The special wine of the day is not available every day, but when it is, it is certainly very expensive. So it cannot be simply exchanged with money. If you want to taste this special wine, why not participate in today's betting game? If you win, you can drink it for free without spending any money."
Huaiwen covered her mouth and coughed lightly twice. Sure enough, the old wine demon had discovered that she didn't have money for alcohol. Fortunately, the other party gave her face and offered a solution for drinking. Moreover, judging from these words, she had no choice but to drink this "final drink" if she wanted to see Xuan Ye.
Huaiwen nodded in agreement.
Not long after, they heard Qingye, dressed in gorgeous clothes, speaking on the second-floor central stage of Zuimengliu: "Esteemed guests, the dream has begun and preparations are complete. Please take your seats."
After speaking, several people and several demons went up, and Huaiwen followed them. Under Qingye's arrangement, they sat down at a round table.
"Thump—"
After the sound subsided, Aoba began to explain the rules of today's game: "Today's game is with face cards! Red is the best, followed by yellow, black, and purple. The player with the highest-ranking cards of the same color who can form a 'straight flush' wins!"
Huaiwen had seen people play this game in the City of Transgender People before. Although she was slightly nervous, the game was still within her capabilities, so she was able to remain calm. When she received five cards from the Wine Demon, she silently chanted "Red, red" in her mind.
The crowd around them was cheering and watching the spectacle, but Huaiwen was terrified. When she took the flower cards, she was instantly horrified! These were not flower cards she had ever seen before. The usual flower cards had numbers, but these were blank.
She panicked instantly. The surrounding voices, noises, and clinking of glasses seemed to be blocked out by her; she couldn't hear anything.
After a while, she realized that the die was cast and she had to force herself to calm down.
She picked up the flower cards to cover half her face, her remaining gaze sweeping over the others at the table. Their eyes conveyed regret, trouble, and a sense of dread about the cards, but not panic. Huaiwen, his face grim, wondered if they had cast a spell to see the cards.
So she moved her right hand slightly, but the cards didn't change.
Soon, Aoba had the cards played. The first round was blind, with ten people at the table, each pair choosing one card and playing one card at a time. The player with the higher suit won, and if they played the same suit, the player with the higher rank won.
Soon, someone had already paired up and played their cards. Without a word, the pair roared at each other, angrily slamming their face cards onto the table. With a crisp "smack," the cards flipped over, yellow against black, the yellow winning. Before Huaiwen could even see how the colors changed, he heard the loser suddenly vanish.
When the other pair also had a winner, Huaiwen looked at the loser next to him and saw that the spot where he had been sitting was now hollowed out, and he had fallen into a black hole. The table and chairs were overturned so quickly that the loser's scream didn't even have time to escape.
"Calm down!" Huaiwen told herself! She didn't have time to react, because the other person was already holding up a sign and shouting at her, "Play your card!"
Huaiwen had only one thought in her mind: run! So she could only stare intently at the empty flower cards in her hand, throw them forcefully into the air to slow their descent, and prepare to escape. But in that instant, she saw the flower cards she had thrown into the air flash with four colors.
She silently murmured, "Red!"
The flower cards are black!
Her face darkened, and she quickly repeated, "Purple!"
The flower cards landed, red against yellow! She won!
The Drunken Dream Pavilion erupted in cheers; now only five remained! Amidst the commotion, Huaiwen remained frighteningly calm. Were these so-called "empty flower" cards subject to her will? Or did the cards simply appear if the person who received them shared her desire for a particular color?
Before Huaiwen could think, the table suddenly shrank, turning the original ten-person table into a five-person table, and the game immediately entered the second round.
The second round is drawing cards! The five people draw face cards from the adjacent cards. The card drawn must have the same rank as another card in their hand, regardless of color. If they do not draw a card with the same rank, they are eliminated.
Huaiwen looked at the remaining humans and demons at the table, then carefully observed the expressions of those around her. Everyone seemed to be hoping for good luck, and she could also sense that they could see the colors and numbers of the flower cards. Huaiwen's heart sank further; why did she always run into such bad luck?
The person before Huaiwen took her cards, and their face instantly froze. Huaiwen's face froze even more. Sure enough, empty suit cards—any person or even a demon would be terrified!
Huaiwen was the last person to draw a card. She watched the little demon's expression, probing the cards in his hand. The little demon's expression was easily read; when Huaiwen got good cards, his face darkened, and when he got bad cards, he smiled...
Left with no other choice, Huaiwen didn't want the little demon to lose his life, so she took the so-called bad card from his hand. But when Huaiwen flipped it over, she was stunned again—it was another empty suit card! So what was going on?!
"Please play your card!" Aoba said slowly.
The other people or demons at the table threw out their cards. Huaiwen, heartbroken, casually tossed out two flower cards, silently chanting, "Pairs!" The cards were revealed, and Huaiwen was the only one at the table with a pair of flower cards, even a double-yellow eight-point flower card. The people present gasped in astonishment!
Again, people or demons vanished from their seats in a flash. Huaiwen's gaze darted around, then suddenly met that of the wine demon. She asked timidly, "Where did all these vanished people go?"
Qingye smiled slightly: "Flower Pavilion."
For Huaiwen, it was like a bolt from the blue—the place where she had narrowly escaped death!
She's not playing this game anymore, and she's not drinking anymore. Her master said that her life is more important!
And why does this Lingshan Xuanye love taking people's lives so much!
So she stood up, and Qingye said with a smile, "Sir, wait a minute. Although you are the only one who can successfully form a pair of flower cards, there is still one more round before you can drink the farewell drink."
Huaiwen held her breath, her eyes burning: "I'm not playing anymore!"
"Oh—" Qingye hummed lightly, "Does Your Excellency know the consequences of not playing?"
Huaiwen pretended to hesitate, then touched his sleeve, suddenly pulled out a white talisman and jumped out: "Then I can't let myself jump into the fire pit."
As Huaiwen cast her spell, thick white smoke swept through the entire hall, and Huaiwen turned to run! But she was frozen in place the next second! She couldn't run at all! She couldn't escape!
A deep yet resonant voice rang out from the chaotic Drunken Dream Pavilion.
"That's not good—"
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