Free Web NovelChapter 196: Chapter 186: Original Blood 2
Lin Hui stood by the side of the Moth Car, looking out and down.
The ground of the Inner City below—with its small mountains, plains, streams, and roads—was rapidly shrinking. fгeewebnovёl.com
This meant they were ascending at a tremendous speed.
They climbed higher and higher.
Soon, the details on the ground blurred, and the thin mist in the air veiled everything.
"Brace yourself," Hong Ling warned.
Before Lin Hui could react—
Poof!
With a muffled sound, the Moth Car plunged into the sea of mist high in the sky.
Everything around them turned a pristine white; the dense fog obscured all vision.
After a few breaths of this...
With another poof, the Moth Car burst out of the sea of mist and into an open sky, bathed in brilliant golden sunlight.
The vast, white sea of mist churned below their feet, its surface gilded in places with a faint golden light.
In the distant sky, a golden sun—a sight he hadn’t seen for too long—quietly and peacefully radiated its warm light.
Below the sun, a cluster of snow-white Moon Towers stood like a forest of white bamboo growing from the sea of mist. Tiny gray Moth Cars continuously flew in and out from around them.
"What do you think? How does it feel?" Hong Ling said with a smile, patting the dazed Lin Hui.
"It’s incredible, incredible... Is that sunlight? The sun?" Lin Hui stared at the golden orb, no bigger than a fist, a faint, long-lost emotion stirring inexplicably in his heart.
For most people living in this world, sunlight was something that simply filtered down from beyond the mist. They didn’t know what the sun truly looked like, able to glimpse only a faint outline through the haze.
But now, after so many years, he was finally seeing a star once again....
A profound sense of wonder, sprouting from the depths of his heart, began to emanate from Lin Hui.
Inexplicably, his comprehension of the Typhoon Swordsmanship was also pushed forward in this very moment.
He had only just broken through to the Fifth Grade of swordsmanship, yet now his progress instantly leaped forward by half, directly reaching the mid-tier of the Fifth Grade.
Countless pieces of information flowed and interwove in his mind—about stars, about atmospheres, about planetary gravity, about typhoons....
He suddenly had a glimmer of understanding as to why the realm beyond Typhoon Swordsmanship was called the Star Breath Sword Manual.
The breath of the stars... Breath of the Stars....
Watching this from the side, the smile on Hong Ling’s face slowly faded, replaced by thick envy.
Only a fellow Martial Artist could know just how precious a state of enlightenment like Lin Hui’s was.
It wasn’t just him. Beside them, Hong Lingxiang, who had been resting with her eyes closed, now opened them and stared at Lin Hui with a strange expression.
"Is this what a true genius is like?" Hong Ling sent a mental transmission. "Lingxiang, you should share a room with him tonight."
"...He’s very impressive, but not my type," Hong Lingxiang refused.
After a pause, she continued.
"Besides, isn’t he already engaged? To that monster...."
"You’re afraid?" Hong Ling chuckled.
"Who isn’t?" Hong Lingxiang retorted.
"True. Everyone’s afraid."
The two said no more, instead watching as the Moth Car rapidly approached the Moon Towers.
The portion of the Moon Towers above the sea of mist was completely different from the part below.
The upper sections were designed in a completely open-air courtyard style.
From the outside, one could see the layers of exquisite, ornate white decorations on the tower, as well as get a general sense of the scenery within.
One level was entirely filled with pools, rivers, and waterfalls—dominated by water.
Another was filled with tall, empty stone pillars, where pairs of figures strolled and rested.
There was also a bustling market level for trade, a beautiful garden level planted with all kinds of flowers, and more.
Looking from a distance, Lin Hui noticed that most of the people here wore simple, moon-white robes with silver trim. Their faces were delicate and perfect, and every one of them wore a relaxed, pleasant expression.
As the Moth Car flew closer, he saw even more.
Before he could make out the details, the moth decelerated, flew into a middle level of one of the Moon Towers, and slowly descended.
This level was at least a hundred meters high. Between enormous stone pillars, the ground was filled with white pavilions of various sizes.
The pavilions had all sorts of signs hanging outside.
Things like Hundred Flavors Residence, Food is Heaven, Xiang Ling Pavilion, Xin Wei Manor, and so on.
They were all food establishments.
In and out of the shops went men and women in white robes, all with delicate features.
The Moth Car came to a stop in an open space at the edge of the level, lining up with the other Moth Cars. Hong Ling led the two of them out.
"It’s just about time for dinner, so instead of heading back first, we’ll go straight to the gourmet level," Hong Ling explained with a smile.
"Why are there so few people?" Hong Lingxiang asked from the side, puzzled. "Usually, this place would have at least twice as many people at this hour."
"It’s because of that Purgatory business. The Qinghe Sect was wiped out, and their Sect Leader was corrupted by Purgatory. Now, Extreme Desire Heaven is furious and has sent many people down to handle it. The Taixu Origin Disc speculates that there might be a problem with the seal on the Gate of Purgatory. So now they’ve sent one group to purify it and another to investigate the Black Army. You know the Black Army has always been responsible for sealing those corrupted gates," Hong Ling said casually.
"I see.... Then what about Mother? As one of the elders of Extreme Desire Heaven, she’s always been in charge of security supervision... This time..."
"Oh, right. Mother is probably busy with this too. We might not get to see her when we get back," Hong Ling said, clapping his hands in mock regret.
"Wait, don’t tell me you planned to take Lin Hui to see Mother from the very beginning?" Hong Lingxiang suddenly realized. She glanced at Lin Hui, who was looking around with curiosity, and sent a mental transmission to her brother.
"Of course," Hong Ling nodded.
"Why?" Hong Lingxiang looked shocked. "Aren’t you afraid Mother will take a fancy to his potential and comprehension, and give us another sibling? Mother is an elder of Extreme Desire Heaven. While re-condensing Original Blood is difficult, she can still do it."
"That was the plan," Hong Ling said nonchalantly.
"!!!" Hong Lingxiang was utterly speechless.
After two seconds, she sent another transmission, her voice strained.
"But I really... don’t want another stepfather...."
"It would be best if she gets pregnant. If not, knowing Mother’s personality, it doesn’t matter. It’s just her usual way of ’welcoming’ a guest from afar. What do we have to worry about? That’s Mother’s business," Hong Ling said dismissively.
"...Alright..." Hong Lingxiang nodded.
At that moment, Lin Hui had no idea that the difference in views regarding matters between men and women between the Moon Tower and the world outside was so vast it could completely shatter his imagination.
He was currently pretending to observe his surroundings, but inwardly he was feeling relieved. He hadn’t expected the Moon Tower to take Purgatory so seriously. It was a good thing his Extreme Cold Heaven Ginseng King had evolved in time to suppress and seal his Purgatory Aura. Otherwise, on this trip to the Moon Tower, if even a trace of it leaked out, it would be no different than walking into a lion’s den.
By now, Hong Ling had led the two of them to a pavilion named Qian Xun Lou.
Two beautiful young women standing at the pavilion’s entrance stepped forward to greet them.
"Welcome, guests. Would you like hot pot, stir-fry, steamed dishes, or raw food?" one of the girls asked in a gentle voice.
"A private room for stir-fry," Hong Ling said, clearly a regular. "By the way, can’t I just eat you first?"
He chuckled, pulling the girl closer. He gently pinched her cheek.
And then...
With a tearing sound.
Before Lin Hui’s shocked eyes, he tore off the girl’s cheek, stuffed it into his mouth, and began to chew slowly.
"Plum-flavored this time? Tastes good."
"Yes, the master adopted the suggestion from the second-place vote last time and changed us to plum flavor," the girl replied with a smile. The wound on her face didn’t bleed at all. Instead, the torn flesh was a milky white, like pastry, and emitted a faint, sweet aroma. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
Very quickly, Lin Hui saw the wound on the girl’s face rapidly heal and regenerate, returning to its original state in less than two seconds.
"Brother Lin, care to try some? Don’t worry, they aren’t real people. They’re humanoid pastries created by the shop’s owner with his special Divine Decision." Hong Ling could tell what Lin Hui was thinking just by looking at him—this was one of the great pleasures of bringing newcomers here.
He immediately burst into loud laughter.
"This...." Lin Hui studied the two girls carefully. He couldn’t see any indication they were made of pastry, but he had just witnessed Hong Ling’s actions with his own eyes.
"An eye-opener.... truly an eye-opener," he sighed.
"Actually, it’s not just them." Hong Ling reached out, snapped off a piece of the white stone from the pavilion’s doorframe, and popped it into his mouth.
"This is a food level, meaning a level made entirely of food. Everything you can see here, except for the guests, is edible. This door is made of sticky rice cake. It’s very sweet, and the flavor is a bit simple, but it’s something to nibble on when you’re bored."
Astonished, Lin Hui also reached out, crumbled off a small piece, and put it in his mouth to try.
It was indeed sticky and sweet, with a rich aroma of glutinous rice. Other than being a little hard, there was nothing wrong with it.
This posed no issue for Martial Artists like them. With their strength, they could snack on the hardest of cow bones like they were small biscuits.
"Everything here regenerates after being eaten, so feel free to eat your fill." Following the girl’s lead, Hong Ling took his sister and Lin Hui into the pavilion.
Inside, they passed through a main hall where a few other patrons were sparsely seated, eating just like them.
The vast majority were people in white robes, dressed similarly to Hong Ling and his sister. They were probably Original Bloods.
A small minority, like Lin Hui, seemed to be guests who had been brought here.
He even saw a tall guest with a dragon’s head and a human body who, having finished his meal, was now playing cards with a friend.
After the shock wore off, Lin Hui found the Moon Tower’s design completely unexpected. He also began to worry again that his Purgatory secret would be discovered here, and he started to regret his rash decision to accept the invitation.
However, if he missed this chance, he had no idea how long it would be before he could enter the Moon Tower again.
Only an invitation from an Original Blood could grant such easy access, so taking a small risk was worth it.
The three of them entered a private room.
They sat down to wait for their food.
Hong Ling once again brought up the recent troubles in the Inner City.
"Lin Hui, you probably don’t know what the Gate of Purgatory is, right? You must be careful when you go out these days. If you see people or monsters with red eyes, high body temperatures, and covered in blisters, like they’ve been scalded by fire, remember not to touch them. It’s best to get away immediately."
"Why is that?" Lin Hui’s heart stirred as he asked sincerely.
"Because those are the characteristics of Purgatory Transformation," Hong Ling sighed.
At that moment, three beautiful young women dressed in thin gauze glided into the room.
"Your juice has arrived. Please enjoy."
Lin Hui looked at the three of them but didn’t see them carrying anything. He was just about to ask.
Suddenly, he saw Hong Lingxiang pull one of the girls onto her lap, press her mouth against the girl’s, and begin to suck.
She took a long drink, pulled back, and swallowed with a gulp.
"This batch is good. Yam and bayberry juice is still the best classic." She once again latched onto the girl’s small mouth and repeated the action.
On the other side, Hong Ling did the exact same thing, pulling a girl onto his lap and starting to drink from her mouth.
"Go on, drink up. They’re juice girls, filled entirely with juice. They’re not living people, so drink your fill."
Lin Hui looked at the last girl, who was staring at him with wide eyes, and for a moment, he didn’t know what to do....
"Don’t be afraid. I was even involved in designing their appearance. The exterior is just a canvas made of edible materials, and the inside is full of juice. A relic was simply used to give them sound and movement," Hong Lingxiang explained with a smile, noticing Lin Hui’s hesitation.
Lin Hui was speechless. Even knowing the truth, he couldn’t get over the mental block.
Soon, he watched as the bodies of the two girls rapidly deflated, finally becoming two thin, colorful canvases. The Hong siblings casually folded them and placed them on a nearby chair.
