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Chapter 73 Monsters Unleashed
Chapter 73 Monsters Unleashed (I'm done writing, guys, I can't go on)
When she saw the signs of battle in the courtyard and the lingering darkness, her face turned pale instantly, and her voice trembled with lingering fear.
"This—this is a Shadow Puppet?! How could such an evil creature appear in the General's Mansion! Are our benefactors injured? As soon as I received the servant's report of abnormal energy fluctuations, I immediately went to fetch the Cloud Cavalry, but I didn't expect to arrive too late—"
Her explanation was reasonable, and her worried expression was genuine.
However, everyone on the train had their eyes on her.
Walter's gaze behind his glasses was sharp as a knife: "Miss Tingyun, you've arrived just in time. Shadow Puppet? It seems you know a lot about these attackers?"
Tingyun seemed startled by Walter's tone, taking a half-step back, a hint of "grievance" flashing in her eyes.
"My benefactors—I've only heard about them from the Cloud Cavalry. They're said to be shadow monsters corrupted and controlled by the power of 'Void,' extremely rare and dangerous—I only know a little about them. It's so good that you're all alright, my benefactors!"
She patted her chest, looking like she was still in shock.
Chen Feng crossed his arms and strolled slowly to Ting Yun, a familiar, enigmatic smile on his face.
His gaze lingered on her seemingly panicked face for a moment, especially when it swept over her naturally alluring, yet now seemingly unfathomable, brown eyes, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly deeper.
"Oh? Is that so?" Chen Feng's voice held a hint of amusement. "That's quite a coincidence. We've just been settled in, and these 'rare' shadow puppets have come knocking on our door."
"Miss Tingyun, tell me—how did they know we were here? And how did they break through the Shence Palace's defenses and sneak in?"
His words were like invisible needles, gently piercing the loopholes in Tingyun's words.
Tingyun's smile froze slightly, but it vanished in an instant, replaced by deeper worry and a perfectly appropriate hint of confusion.
"This—I don't know either! Shence Prefecture is heavily fortified, so it shouldn't be like this—could it be that those evil creatures caused trouble, leading to a malfunction at some defensive point? General, you will surely investigate this matter thoroughly!"
She quickly shifted the blame to the chaotic situation.
Chen Feng didn't press further, but simply smiled meaningfully, his gaze seemingly piercing through Ting Yun's pitiful appearance to see something deeper.
He turned to Walter and Himeko and said, "It seems the security at this inn needs to be strengthened. Uncle Yang, Himeko, let's take turns keeping watch tonight, so that no more troublemakers will disturb our sleep."
Tingyun quickly replied, "This humble woman will immediately inform the general and have the defenses of this place strengthened! My benefactors have been frightened; please be sure to rest well!"
After she finished speaking, she bowed again and hurriedly left with the Cloud Cavalry. Her back view was still elegant, but it seemed to carry a hint of imperceptible haste.
Looking in the direction where Tingyun had disappeared, Xing's brows furrowed even more. She leaned close to Chen Feng and whispered, "Dad, there's definitely something wrong with her! When those shadow monsters appeared just now, I felt—I felt that thing in my chest beating even harder! Like—like she was a little 'excited'?"
A glint flashed in Chen Feng's eyes. He ruffled Xing's hair, his voice tinged with coldness: "Hmm, I sensed it. It seems 'it,' or 'them,' are quite interested in our little star. Tonight's show has only just begun." His gaze fell upon the deep, oppressive night sky above the immortal ship, as if waiting for something.
Tingyun led the Cloud Cavalry away in a hurry, and the courtyard of the post station returned to silence, leaving only the cold aura and traces of battle left after the Shadow Puppet dissipated.
Walter waved his hand, setting up several invisible gravity warning lines, while Himeko carefully examined the defensive runes in the courtyard.
"The power of 'Shadow Puppet - Void'—" Walter frowned, his gaze sharp behind his glasses, "This is far beyond what the Abundant Beast can compare to."
"They can silently infiltrate the heart of the Shence Mansion and attack us with clear objectives. The power behind them and the extent of their infiltration into the Immortal Ship are far beyond our imagination."
"That Tingyun," March 7th said, hugging his arms and shivering, "her appearance was just too coincidental! Every time something happens, she's always the first to arrive with people to 'save the day,' but she has no idea how those monsters got in!"
Xing clutched his chest, where the star core, which Chen Feng had calmed down, had throbbed violently when the shadow puppet appeared. Although it had subsided, a trembling feeling of being stared at by the abyss had not completely dissipated.
She looked at Chen Feng, her voice carrying a hint of dependence she herself didn't realize: "Dad, I feel—the way Ting Yun looks at me is like she's looking at something—something she really wants."
Chen Feng leaned against the pillar, the lingering dark gold ripples on his fingertips completely disappearing. The playful smile on his lips deepened, but his eyes turned cold, like quenched stars.
"It's not an illusion, Little Star." Chen Feng's voice deepened, carrying a sharp, all-knowing edge. "Her tail" was about to be revealed. Those shadow puppets were merely a test, an appetizer.
The "real main course" will probably only be served late at night, when you're confident everything is perfect. It—or rather, "she"—is drooling over that unruly little stone in your stomach.
His gaze swept over the crowd: "Uncle Yang's perimeter is well-laid, but it can't stop a thief from within." Everyone, stay alert, don't sleep too soundly tonight. The real show is just beginning.
The night was as dark as ink, and the "sky curtain" of the immortal ship sank completely into the deepest dark blue. Only a few lighting runes in the courtyard of the inn emitted a faint and constant soft light, which seemed particularly desolate in the oppressive silence.
Walter and Himeko took turns keeping watch, while Hoshi and March 7 also forced themselves to stay alert, each meditating in their rooms with their weapons within easy reach. Chen Feng sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, eyes closed, breathing deeply, seemingly blending into the surrounding tranquility.
Time passed slowly in the tense wait.
Just before dawn, in the darkest hour, as Walter, who was on night watch, had just finished handing over the duties to Himeko, a very subtle breeze, carrying a sweet and cloying fragrance, silently swept through the courtyard.
The fragrance initially soothes the mind, as if one were in a warm spring garden, but upon closer inspection, it reveals a chilling and decaying quality that penetrates to the bone!
"Watch out! The scent is off!" Walter shouted, his cane slamming into the ground. An invisible gravitational field tried to isolate the air, but the scent seemed to be able to penetrate energy, seeping in bit by bit!
Almost simultaneously, the shadows in the corner of the courtyard began to churn violently, like boiling ink!
This time, instead of shadow puppets, several thick, slippery, dark purple vines covered with suckers and sharp teeth appeared!
Thick, viscous sap, reeking of a strong, sweet, and rotten smell, flowed from the surface of the vines. Like living pythons, they hissed and groaned from all directions, their target the window of the room where Xing was!