AZI Volume 2 Chapter 40

"Really is surprising."

Getting off the ladder last, Long Hua takes in his surroundings with an intrigued expression on his face.

The walls of the sewers are covered by sheets of metal, while the grounds are covered by a layer of concrete—to prevent one from slipping when wet.

A bit of rust can be seen on the walls as a sign of old age, and dangling from the ceilings are lightbulbs—enclosed in a protective shell.

Just as Nian Yao Yao had mentioned before, the noxious scent that is to be expected of a sewer is almost nonexistent.

"Rather clean. I was expecting a bit more waste to be in there."

Looming over a guardrail, Long Hua looks to the flowing waters, which held tiny flakes of waste.

"Means the filtering system is doing its job. If you went further up, you'd probably see what you were expecting."

Hearing this from Nian Yao Yao, Long Hua asks—

"Well, are we going further up?"

"To hell with that, and why are you so keen on this?"

"Because it's the sewers. You're expected to see filth and the likes, so it just doesn't feel right—when it goes against my expectations."

"…Unbelievable."

Hearing this to be the reason, Nian Yao Yao heaves a sigh, prior to unfolding the map—that she had obtained from Zhou Chen.

"…"

Looking at the map from the side, Nian Tao Tao's eyes gave off a gleam of excitement, as she thought—

(Finally, this opportunity is at hand.)

"Tian Cheng."

Pointing towards a direction with his thumb, Long Hua and Tian Cheng distanced themselves from the group.

"Take it. And if we encounter anyone from that village—show some restraint."

Receiving Kun from Long Hua, Tian Cheng opens her magenta-colored eyes, and asks—

"So that negotiations will be smoother?"

"Correct. But if the other side doesn't show much restraint back—killing is allowed. Having a good footing on a negotiation table means nothing when you're six feet under."

"Understood. Shall I also keep a close eye on Madame Nian and her Moon Guard?"

Thinking for a bit, Long Hua shakes his head, and replies—

"I think, I'm more concerned about what this village has hidden in the shadows, instead of them."

"Because the village chief is a practitioner as well?"

Replying with a nod, Long Hua says—

"And because of that, it means having to be on the lookout for magic arrays and the likes. Although I don't exactly fear death, I'd rather not have another close call like last night. In any case, the five Moon Guards that are missing… I never did find out what happened to them, and asking the person in charge of them—will probably not yield any honest answers. Until everything is settled, it's best to be vigilant."

"Does master believe that Madame Nian will attempt to pull something at the very end?"

"The possibility is rather high when you think of last night. Perhaps, an ambush—just as we exit the sewers?"

Glancing towards the direction of the others, Long Hua constricts his eyes.

"Right, we're heading this way."

Declaring as such, Nian Yao Yao moves onwards, while the others follow.

The formation taken by the group has Nian Yao Yao, Nian Tao Tao and their two guards situated at the forefront, while positioning themselves at the back are Long Hua and Tian Cheng.

(…Somehow, I feel like there's something wrong with this formation. Shouldn't the almighty Immortal be at the front instead?)

While looking at the map, this thought crosses Nian Yao Yao's mind.

But deeming it to be too late to make any changes to their formation, Nian Yao Yao feels like it would be awkward to bring the matter up at this point.

Continuing to move along, Qing Yue asks—

"Just to be sure, we're not going to run into a situation where we get lost, are we?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Zhui Yun replies—

"Isn't that part of the fun when using a map?"

"As if! If anything, a person should be ashamed of themselves if they can get lost with a map in hand!"

"I'd watch your tongue, pipsqueak."

Perhaps having experienced this in the past, Zhui Yun's lips twitched—in response to Qing Yue's statement.

(Watching those two… It's as if they're siblings.)

Is the impression that Long Hua has, as he watches the two argue.

"…Uh."

Sensing Long Hua's eyes on her, Zhui Yun feels her own hair standing up on ends—causing her to face forward quickly.

"The monster shrouded in white fog," vaguely recalling her memories of this event, Zhui Yun finds it difficult to face Long Hua.

"Turn right here. After that a left, and a right again…"

As the group continues to move under Nian Yao Yao's guidance for an additional 15 minutes, they are eventually brought to their destination that consists of—

"…There's nothing here."

Aside from the walls having a different rust pattern, and the lack of a ladder that leads up to the surface, the place they're at right now wasn't any different from their point of entry.

Raising a frown, Nian Tao Tao says—

"As cliché as it may be, chances are they have some sort of hidden switches on these walls. Does the map mention anything about this?"

"The one we're at is labeled as door five, so it should be this panel…"

Glancing between the map, and one of the wall's metal panels, Nian Yao Yao presses her palm on five different parts of the chosen panel, however—

"Hm?"

Seeing Nian Yao Yao at a loss, her mother asks—

"Did you do it wrong, or did it simply not work?"

"Hmm…"

As Nian Yao Yao and the others attempt to figure out the hidden mechanism—

(Does the sewer network have something that I can use—to navigate my way there, without using the map that my employer has?)

(You'll know when you head down there.)

Long Hua thought back to his conversation with Bai Wen.

(Right, down, left, up, center—is the order she pressed the panel…)

Staring intently at the panel that Nian Yao Yao had touched—while thinking of the pattern that was used, Long Hua is quick to connect it to one of the most common methods of setting up a magic array.

"Is this what he meant?"