Chapter 688 - Castle in the Clouds
Chapter 688: Castle in the Clouds
Xia Fei looked up and saw a black and strangely shaped stone, covered in bright yellow flames.
Xia Fei did not see any sort of phoenix tail on this stone. Rather it seemed like a shark tail. The fanned out triangular fin was bursting with strength, and with those dim embers that flashed in and out of existence, it exuded a sense of indescribable power and awe.
The Phoenix Tail Stone moved with incredible speed. The moment the crystal doors opened, it shot out like a bolt of lightning and without the slightest pause!
Adviser Joey saw Xia Fei staring at that strange stone and laughed. “This is our Lord Qui’s precious treasure. It’s very powerful! Even Law Emperor warriors can’t hold out against this stone’s pursuit.”
Xia Fei was startled. “This illustrious individual is called Qui?”
Joey nodded. “Correct. We didn’t tell you before because we still hadn’t decided if we wanted you to treat Lord Qui’s illness. When you see him, you should call him Lord Qui.”
Xia Fei smiled and nodded. Qui had to be Quinn’s pseudonym. Xia Fei’s fingers could not help but clench as he prepared to strike at any moment.
When Seth saw the Phoenix Tail Stone, he was so scared that he started shivering. He dropped his head and stared at the ground with a pale complexion. It was clear from this that the Phoenix Tail Stone had once inflicted immense pain on him.
Xia Fei slightly pulled on Seth, indicating that he should not worry and just follow him.
If they truly got into a fight, Seth would be no match for Quinn, but Xia Fei felt that he was a good helper. With the Phoenix Tail Stone, Quinn was far more powerful than the average Great Law Emperor. Even though Xia Fei was concealing so many weapons, victory would still not be an easy task.
They entered the hall. The sun rays were magnified by the crystal dome, and the air here was extremely hot and dry. Quinn had gone to great expense and lengths to design this residence for the sake of his condition. Whenever those serious injuries of his flared up, he would be inflicted with so much pain that he did not want to live. Only in places with essentially no humidity could he be safe.
The round hall was spacious, and in the center of the hall was a spacious and comfortable throne. The masked Quinn was seated there.
The Lionheart Royalty had much larger bodies than ordinary Lionhearts. Quinn was only a little smaller than Lionheart King Oro. It was said that one could see the potential of a royal through their body, and from this, one could say that Quinn was undoubtedly an outstanding existence. If not for his greed, he might have already reached an unimaginable level.
As Oro’s disciple, if everything had gone as expected, the Law of Life would have been passed down onto him. Oro had even given him the precious Phoenix Tail Stone. There was no reason for him not to pass down the Law of Life to him eventually.
Alas, Quinn had been too impatient and sought to steal it. Trying to steal was one thing, but when his father discovered him, he actually killed his father!
This had utterly enraged Oro, making it so that he would not rest until Quinn was dead!
Juen and Joey immediately prostrated before Quinn, all sorts of praise issuing from their lips.
Xia Fei did nothing. He was currently a top-class apothecary, and he was revered just as much as Quinn. If Xia Fei had been too respectful, he would actually be exposing a weakness.
As for Seth, he was in such a panic that he almost prostrated alongside Juen, but Xia Fei used a sharp look to stop him. Seth was Xia Fei’s slave, so he naturally had to heed Xia Fei’s orders. No matter how afraid he was, he could not possibly prostrate in front of Quinn, as this would harm Xia Fei’s dignity.
‘Cowardly thing, truly good for nothing!’ Xia Fei mentally cursed Seth. As a Law Emperor, he ought to have the bearing of a Law Emperor, preferring to die standing rather than kneel to survive. Seth was clearly lacking when it came to guts. Let alone the incredibly daring Xia Fei, he was even inferior to an ordinary warrior.
“Guardian God, this is the Divine Doctor Ah Fei,” the chubby Juen struggled to his feet and introduced.
“Heh, please, be seated. This old man has grown accustomed to living a simple life alone, so I have put Master Ah Fei through much trouble by making you come to this place. It was truly impolite of me. Normally, it is I who should have paid you a personal visit.” Quinn spoke very courteously.
The guests were seated. Quinn did not have any servants, so Joey ended up becoming an impromptu servant, hurrying around to serve tea and fruits.
Xia Fei appeared very confident and relaxed, so he did not stir Quinn’s vigilance. It was just that Seth still seemed very afraid despite Xia Fei’s orders, and Xia Fei could not help but worry about what might happen if Quinn found out who he was. His plan to use the opportunity of examining Quinn’s condition so he could destroy the latter’s seventh brain region with mental energy might go up in smoke.
If possible, Xia Fei did not want to fight against Quinn directly. After all, this was an old monster who had lived for tens of thousands of years. When it came to cultivation and experience, he was far above Xia Fei. Using the moment of diagnosis to kill him instantly was undoubtedly the best choice.
The Phoenix Tail Stone was a loyal hunting dog. After making several circles in the air, it flew back to Quinn and hid behind him. This was one of its unique properties. After spending a long time with Quinn, the Phoenix Tail Stone had developed a mind of its own and its intelligence was comparable to an average sapient lifeform.
“Master Ah Fei, I have heard that you played around with Divine Doctor Chen Ziqiang in the Flame Imp village, a sign that your cultivation is truly unfathomable. I originally thought that you would be an elder. For you to be so young truly leaves me surprised,” Quinn loudly spoke. As he was wearing a mask, it was impossible to see the changes on his facial expression, but by observing his eyes, Xia Fei could tell that Quinn was still somewhat wary about him.
“Lord Qui praises me too much. Chen Ziqiang is a divine doctor, a level 6 apothecary. How could I compare to him? It was only a fluke that I was able to win against him.”
Quinn waved his hand. “Master Ah Fei, you humble yourself too much. Modesty is a very admirable trait, but there is no need for excess modesty. By now, your illustrious name has spread throughout the Exiled Grounds, but who did you learn your arts from? Why would you come to the Exiled Grounds?”
‘Probing me?’ Xia Fei inwardly muttered. Quinn was truly very cautious. Rather than mentioning his illness, he first tried to gather information about Xia Fei. It turned out that he was still rather wary.
In truth, this was quite normal. During the treatment, Xia Fei would have to approach Quinn and send mental energy into Quinn’s body. Thus, Quinn would have to let down all his defenses.
This was no different from placing himself on the execution platform for Xia Fei to take his head. Any smart warrior would have to first question an apothecary on their background before seeking their help. It would be a serious problem if someone with ill intentions used that moment to make a lethal strike.
Xia Fei bitterly chuckled. “Lord Qui, let’s not bring up the past. While Ah Fei doesn’t look down on the Exiled Grounds, who would abandon the Law Realm and come here to live unless they truly had nowhere to go? As for my master, I can’t speak of him. I hope that Lord Qui will forgive me.”
Quinn pondered what he had heard. Everything Xia Fei had said was right. There were only two kinds of people in the Exiled Grounds. The first were people who had been born here, the descendants of those who had been exiled, and the second were traitors or fugitives who had fled the Law Realm because it was no longer safe for them to stay there. Xia Fei was claiming that he was a traitor, so it made sense that he was unwilling to talk about his past.
Quinn casually asked Xia Fei a few more questions, but Xia Fei already had answers prepared and easily replied to them.
Quinn could not help but nod as his doubts slowly dissipated.
It had to be said that Xia Fei was truly a good actor. When lying, neither his expression nor pulse changed, and he also had a perfect grasp over the sort of attitude a high-ranking apothecary should have, that of someone who was often revered by others.
Geniuses were often arrogant, so if Xia Fei had been too humble or cautious, he would actually be doing himself a disservice. This sort of confident demeanor, breezily answering questions, was how a proper apothecary should act. Xia Fei had completely immersed himself in the role, working hard for that chance at a bloodless victory against Quinn.
“Why are you wasting words with this evil beast? Kill him! Kill him! He has the Phoenix Tail Stone and you have Peacock Blue. You don’t need to be afraid of him. You can do it!” From the moment he saw Quinn, Oro had been constantly howling, only willing to rest once Quinn was torn to shreds, but Xia Fei had a plan in mind and ignored him.
Oro’s anger was directly conveyed to Xia Fei through the radar system, and someone of weaker will might have easily been influenced by Oro’s emotions. Fortunately, Xia Fei was not so easily shaken. Not even the beautiful consort of the butterfly species, Qingyan, had been able to shake Xia Fei’s resolve, let alone the raving anger of some lion.
“There’s no point in being so frantic. I will kill him in your place but through my own methods,” Xia Fei said to Oro through the radar system. He was steadfast in his resolve. Putting aside the fact that Oro was only a toothless, declawed lion, even if he had his former strength, he would have still failed to change Xia Fei’s original intentions. Once Xia Fei made up his mind, he rarely allowed the opinions of others to change it.
Quinn gave a slight nod. He picked up his cup and took a sip of tea. He held his cup like a woman, his middle finger and thumb holding the cup while the rest of his fingers were extended.
Suddenly, his eyes exploded with cold sparks as he stared at Seth. His immemorial mystical armament instantly flew out, floating near the ceiling like a sentinel hawk.
This sudden shift in attitude caught Xia Fei and Seth off guard. They had been pleasantly talking a few moments ago, so why this abrupt change in attitude? Had he already seen through Seth’s disguise? That could not be, could it? Seth’s disguise was exquisite. Not only had his face changed, his voice and demeanor had well. There was no way it could be so easily seen through, right?
Far too many questions appeared in Xia Fei’s mind at this moment, but his eyes remained like placid pools of water. He stared straight at Seth, hoping that he would not break at this critical moment.
Seth felt these two extraordinary aura simultaneously. One was from Quinn, and it was a familiar pressure, suffused with frigid killing intent! The other was from Xia Fei. It was like a gentle hand that enclosed him, preventing all danger from creeping through his mind and giving him confidence.
‘Why are you afraid of him? I’m right here!’ This was the signal that Seth could read from Xia Fei’s eyes.
Seth was a very cowardly person, but for some reason, he suddenly had the strength to hold out against Quinn’s aura!
Juen and Joey bowed on the side with foolish smiles on their faces. They had no idea that an unseen battle of aura was taking place before them!
There were no weapons to be seen, but killing intent engulfed the area!
“This assistant of yours seems rather familiar?” Quinn spoke in a very grim tone. “Have we met before?”
*Zing~*
Xia Fei’s hands began to sweat, and he wondered to himself, ‘Why don’t I strike first?!’