vrcanaries Chapter 143 One after another
Chapter 143 One after another
Strange things are happening more and more often. On a perfectly normal stormy day, the Thunder God actually fell down from the sky. Mystery solved! That dragon in the sky might really have been fighting with the Thunder God and Lightning Goddess. Look, it even knocked the Thunder God down.
Combining that deafening clap of thunder we just heard, we can now add another description to the sound of thunder: You ask how loud the thunder is? It's huge! Louder than thunder itself, loud enough to shake the Thunder God down from the sky.
"Are even the appearances of deities this unique now?"
Yue Wuque even put down his pipe. The last time he saw such an unconventional entrance was when the Earth God suddenly popped out of the ground.
"...Should we go and help them?"
Meng Danqing made this suggestion, since the other party was falling straight down from the sky. The force of the impact looked painful, and the figure on the ground hadn't even gotten up yet, probably still dizzy from the fall.
At that height, if it were someone else, they probably wouldn't just feel dizzy and lightheaded; they would likely be torn to pieces.
"You can go ahead, Yuren has no interest."
He admitted that the other party's entrance was very refreshing and unconventional, and it looked like he had fallen quite hard, but with such heavy rain, Yue Wuque had no intention of leaving the pavilion.
"Don't go yet, let's see what he's up to."
In fact, the heavy rain outside the pavilion had already blurred the surrounding scenery, and the two sides were not close. The person opposite, who looked like the Thunder God, might not have noticed them and didn't even know what was happening. It was not a good choice to rush forward.
Looking at the other party's classic "thunder god" image, it just doesn't make sense that such a person would fall from the sky, especially in a thunderstorm, in his own area of expertise.
So everyone in the pavilion remained still, silently watching Lei Gong fall and observing the situation.
Lei Gong got up from the ground, cursing incessantly. Yue Wuque and the others couldn't hear what he was cursing. When the other party's voice reached their ears, it turned into a continuous rumble of thunder. They could feel the other party's anger, but they couldn't make out the specific words.
The other party didn't notice that there were still people in the pavilion in the distance. The first thing it did after getting up was to flap its wings and jump, trying to fly back to the sky. Immediately afterward, as soon as Lei Gong's feet left the ground, it fell down as if it had tripped over something. It tried many times but couldn't get off the ground.
Then came even more intense cursing, accompanied by booming thunder, and you could see him constantly patting himself, as if something had gotten on him.
"...It's so noisy."
I've seen people with built-in speakers, and I've seen people whose voices have reverberation, but this is the first time I've seen someone whose voice turns into thunder. It's incredibly noisy; even if the two people are far apart, the booming thunder can still be heard.
Rather than trying to figure out how the Thunder God fell down, they now just want him to leave quickly; he's nothing but a noise-generating machine.
Their voices were accompanied by a considerable amount of thunder. The group suspected that the other party hadn't noticed them, perhaps because the thunder had completely drowned out their voices, and therefore the other party couldn't hear anything and hadn't realized there were people nearby.
"What's wrong with him? He can't fly anymore?"
"Is there something stuck to him that's making him stick?"
Are the dark clouds descending?
Perhaps something had stuck to the Thunder God that prevented him from flying. The dark clouds in the sky began to press down, gathering above his head. From the heavy clouds came a neighing sound like a horse, echoing the Thunder God's voice below.
Then, the rain on the spot where Lei Gong was standing suddenly intensified several times over. The torrential rain around him was just a figure of speech; the water on his head was so heavy it was as if water was being poured down on him.
After the rain stopped, the Thunder God seemed to have been washed clean. He shook his wings, soared into the sky, and disappeared into the clouds. This time he didn't fall down again, and the people in the pavilion couldn't hear any more thunder. He must have really left.
This rain might really be related to the thunder god falling down and the dragon in the sky. As soon as the thunder god left, the thunder stopped, the rain lessened, and after a while, the clouds dispersed and the heavy rain stopped.
Why Lei Gong fell from the sky, whether he fought with the dragon that Yue Wuque saw in the sky, is all unknown. No matter how good their eyesight is, it is impossible for them to see through the layers of dark clouds to see what is happening above the clouds.
The rain stopped, but the group didn't leave; they stayed in the pavilion. The heavy rain had just passed, the road was difficult to traverse, and neither people nor animals had emerged yet. Wandering around aimlessly was pointless; they might as well rest here.
"Brother, do you really think this is believable?"
On the road not far from the pavilion, two people were walking towards this side. Judging from their appearance, they should be brothers, both dressed as if they were about to embark on a long journey.
"Whether you can believe it or not, you'll only know once you see it for yourself."
"But that message came from the White Lotus Sect, a heretical cult!"
"It is precisely because they come from the White Lotus Sect that they have the possibility of believing."
The older brother walked ahead, answering his younger brother's questions while observing the road ahead. After the heavy rain, the road was muddy and difficult to walk on, but there was nowhere to rest, so the two could not stop.
"I've heard that the White Lotus Sect can command Rakshasa and turn beans into soldiers. If my little sister is really there, I can accept it."
"But our little sister has been gone for a long time... Even if she really was in the White Lotus Sect, how did she get there?"
The man walking behind couldn't understand it. Even though he had followed his brother south in search of the White Lotus Sect, he still harbored doubts about the news he had heard.
The White Lotus Sect was such a bizarre organization that many strange and supernatural events in folklore were attributed to its members, which led to the sect being portrayed as incredibly powerful and omnipotent.
Whether others believe it or not is their business. The two brothers were proper scholars and would not have believed in such supernatural and bizarre things.
This time, however, it involves their younger sister. No matter what, the fire has already spread to their own family. Whether it's true or false, they have to find out the truth.
“I heard that Brother Ding is also going to find the White Lotus Sect that worships the Asura King. Once we enter the city, we’ll meet up with him and go find them together.”
"Brother Ding...the one who passed the imperial examination and became a scholar? Why is he going too?"
"It's still unclear. It might be... related to the girl he's always thinking about."
It sounds like a peculiar story about three scholars searching for the headquarters of the White Lotus Sect: two for their younger sisters and one for their beloved.
"The White Lotus Sect is truly captivating."
The people in the pavilion could hear the two brothers' conversation clearly. Because of the limited view, the two people walking towards this place could not see Yue Wuque and the others, but could only vaguely see a pavilion until there was a place to rest in front.
"You could also say it's because of the great charm of 'Asura King'."
They didn't just randomly invest; they specifically targeted the White Lotus Sect, which worships the Asura King, with a clear objective.
As the others complained, the two brothers arrived at the pavilion. They vaguely saw several figures and assumed they were travelers resting. The older brother, who was in front, stepped in first and asked a question.
"Excuse me... Excuse me, Ali, let's go."
Before he could even utter a question, he had already seen who was sitting in the pavilion. One glance, and good heavens! Golden hair and white hair, gold and jewels, fur collars and silk, swords and pipes, handsome men and beautiful women—where did all this come from? Is this still the human world?
He was shocked by the scene inside the pavilion, especially when the people inside looked over after hearing the noise. Good heavens, there were several different colored eyes, none of them looked like normal people. Monsters? Immortals? Anyway, they were all obviously not to be trifled with, so running away was the best option.
"Don't rush off, come sit with me for a bit?"
Seeing the fear in the other person's eyes, Shu Longqin took the initiative to greet them, as they were very interested in what the other person had just said about his sister and the White Lotus Sect.
"I just overheard the two gentlemen mentioning the White Lotus Sect. What a coincidence, we're also looking for the White Lotus Sect led by King Asura."
Shu Longqin emphasized the words "Asura King" in her pronunciation, hoping that the two brothers opposite her could understand.
The men in the pavilion looked menacing, and since the people opposite them had asked them to stay, the two brothers dared not disobey. Upon hearing the familiar words, only one thought crossed their minds.
I heard that the Asura King doesn't look human. Could he really not be human? After all, these people in the pavilion who say they're looking for the Asura King don't seem to be from the same species as us mortals.
Under pressure, they obediently sat down in the pavilion, but the distance between them was quite far, right next to the edge, as if they were about to run away at any moment.
"Don't be so nervous, we don't eat people."
Seeing the two brothers' helpless expressions, Shu Longqin chuckled to herself. Did they look like villains? Why were they so scared?
The two brothers' surname was Shang; the elder brother was named Shang Chen, and the younger brother was named Shang Li. They also had a younger sister named Sanguan. The reason they were looking for the White Lotus Sect, which was under the control of the Asura King, was because not long ago, a merchant friend of theirs returned and told them that he had seen a woman in the White Lotus Sect who looked almost exactly like their sister, Shang Sanguan.
There's a story behind their sister. About two years ago, their father offended a local tycoon while drunk and was beaten to death by the tycoon's servants. At the time, their sister, Shang Sanguan, was sixteen years old and about to get married. However, their father was beaten to death, and the wedding was delayed. The two brothers went to the authorities to report the case, but the lawsuit dragged on for a year without any results.
San Guan's in-laws couldn't wait any longer and sent someone to discuss with the three siblings' mother, hoping that San Guan would make some concessions and quickly have a simple wedding. However, San Guan angrily rebuked them and sent them back, saying that it was really inappropriate to hold a wedding when their father's body was still warm.
Across from them was a local tycoon. After a year-long legal battle, they finally lost. The Shang brothers, Shang Cheng and Shang Li, wanted to keep their father's remains as evidence to report to the authorities later, but their sister stopped them, and they were eventually buried.
But after the funeral, the younger sister, Shang Sanguan, disappeared. They couldn't find her anywhere. Her mother and two brothers searched for half a year but couldn't find a single hair on her head.
People suspected that San Guan had been abducted, because his sister was a well-known beauty in the area, and it was possible that she had been targeted by kidnappers. The two brothers never gave up looking for their sister, and eventually they received news that there was a woman in the White Lotus Sect who looked exactly like Shang San Guan.
Could there be two strangers in the world who look exactly alike? The two brothers didn't know. They only felt that the other person must be related to their missing sister. If the disappearance of Shang Sanguan was the work of the White Lotus Sect, then all the strange things could be explained.
The White Lotus Sect has many strange spells, and I've heard a lot about White Lotus Sect sorcerers abducting people. They can make children follow them by ringing a bell, turn people into animals and lead them away, or summon giants to kidnap them. In short, there are many different methods, all of which are ways to abduct people without making a sound.
With their father beaten to death and their sister missing, the two brothers have no interest in studying anymore. After finding out which branch of the White Lotus Sect they belong to, they packed up and set off, hoping to find the legendary Asura King and see the woman who supposedly looks almost exactly like their sister.
“Our friend’s family has been in business for generations, and they also specialize in buying and selling all sorts of strange and unusual things, from rare and precious natural treasures to yellow talismans and cinnabar. They’ve dealt with many extraordinary people and events.”
The reason the other party would get involved with the White Lotus Sect was because the White Lotus Sect had been making a lot of moves recently, buying up large quantities of things used for rituals, such as cinnabar talismans and paper. While they were discussing the price of the goods, he saw a strangely dressed woman whose face looked very much like the merchant's missing daughter; it was practically her!
Unfortunately, the White Lotus Sect was xenophobic, and it wasn't a pleasant place to stay. After finishing his business, he left the White Lotus Sect in a hurry, without being able to speak with the woman.
But he would never mistake that face. Shang Sanguan was a well-known girl in the area. She came from a scholarly family, was smart and beautiful. When Shang Chen and Shang Li acted impulsively and wanted to keep their father's body as evidence in the case, she was able to calmly persuade her two brothers to let their father be laid to rest.
The only difference was that the merchant felt the other person was slightly taller than the Shang Sanguan he remembered. This was not a problem, as Shang Sanguan was only seventeen years old when she disappeared. Girls of that age would actually grow taller, and as long as they lived well and had no worries about food and clothing, it was normal for them to grow taller.
The main thing was that face; it looked so much like the missing merchant ship's daughter. And then, thinking about all the rumors surrounding the White Lotus Sect, he told the two merchant brothers about it after returning home.
"Once we see her, we can confirm whether she is Sanguan."
If she really is their own sister, they must bring her back no matter what, and not let her stay in the White Lotus Sect. If she isn't... they must find out why the other person looks so much like their sister.
"Only his appearance is known, but his name is not?"
"…….No."
The merchants couldn't get a word in edgewise, and when they asked the White Lotus sect members who were making the handover, they didn't answer either. Therefore, they didn't know the woman's name, only that she looked just like their sister.
They alone couldn't find the White Lotus Sect's headquarters, and even if they wanted to join, the other side probably wouldn't be interested. But coincidentally, one of their classmates also wanted to go to the White Lotus Sect, and the other person knew people who were members of the White Lotus Sect, specifically the part directly led by the Asura King.
Since they shared a similar goal, they agreed on a meeting place and, under the pretext of joining the Asura King's forces, went together to find the White Lotus Sect's headquarters.
"You did this for your sister, but who did Brother Ding, with whom you made the promise, do it for?"
Is it just my imagination? It seems like the White Lotus Sect's positioning is getting more and more off track, all of them are hooking up with young women. Is this a legitimate cult?
"It is said that there is a girl named Xiao Er who is Brother Ding's sweetheart. Her family has joined the White Lotus Sect, and he wants to persuade her to come out."
"That waiter..."
Meng Danqing lowered his head in thought; he felt the name sounded somewhat familiar.
Is your family name Zhao?
"Yes, that family's surname is Zhao!"
"...Zhao Wang."
Zhao Wang called his daughter "Xiao Er".