9. Xiqi City

Xiqi city is located around 300 miles from Suotuo City. Although it is just a small city near Star Dou Forest, Xiqi City has become an important transit city because merchants from the north need to pass through this city if they want to enter the Star Luo Empire. Spirit Hall, who knew about this, established a new small branch in this town around half a year ago.

Yue Guan: "*sigh* Why do I need to be here?"

Wang Li: "Sir, you always ask the same question everyday. but unfortunately I can only answer it with the same answer. It was Your Majesty's decision, Sir."

Yue Guan: "I know that! Can you do something?! You are my secretary, right?!"

Wang Li: "Sir, I was just a lowly priest from Suotuo City before I came here. Now I have become a lowly priest in a small branch city. With my position now, how could I help you?"

Yue Guan: *sigh* Why do I need to be here with someone who has a 'deadpan' face? Can you just make your face become a little bit beautiful?"

Wang Li: "Please forgive me, Sir. But I was born with this face."

Yue Guan: "Then can you just smile a little bit?"

Wang Li: "Like this, Sir? *weird smile*"

Yue Guan: "Okay, stop it! Your 'deadpan' face is a hundred times better than that."

Yue Guan spent his days doing paper work with Wang Li. Everytime Yue Guan finishes his work, a new task always comes from the elders. It looks like everyone wants him to live in this small city forever.

Wang Li: "Sir, we have a new task. *read letter* The elders want us to investigate the earthquake again."

Yue Guan: "*sigh* Why did they always ask me to do the same task again? I already investigate not just the earthquake but every natural disaster that happened in the Star Dou Forest!"

Wang Li: "I see. May I know when you investigated them?"

Yue Guan: "Around 4 or 5 years ago."

Wang Li: "So it seems like a serious matter."

Yue Guan: "Hmm.. Why?"

Wang Li: "Sir, you already investigated every natural disaster 4-5 years ago but you still couldn't find the disaster's cause. The high echelon may think that you are not competent enough and will punish us if we can't find the cause of the disaster this time. *thinking*"

Yue Guan: "*stab* (This deadpan ugly guy! If not because of Your Majesty order to keep my identity in secret, I already blast him in pieces!)"

*knock*

Servant: "Head Priest, please excuse me."

Yue Guan; "What is it?"

Servant: "A local hunter found 'this' book in the forest around a month ago."

The servant gave a tattered book to Yue Guan. According to the hunter that found the book, he tried to read the book but surprisingly the book contained a weird doodle. He already shows the book to the city elder but unfortunately no one can understand it.

Wang Li: "I see. So after he found that the book is not worthy, he came here to sell this book."

Yue Guan: "*sigh* Does he think that our Spirit Hall is an antique shop? Give it back to him. Tell him to bring a story book next time. My grandchild loves story books, I will give them to her when I go home."

Servant: "Ple-please forgive me but I already bought this book for 50 coins.."

Yue Guan, Wang Li: "... (How could you bought something like this that even higher than your monthly salary??)"

Yue Guan: "*sigh* Fine, just leave it here. You can ask Wang Li to reimburse it later."

Servant: "Yes! Thank you sir! Then please excuse me! *leave*"

Wang Li: "You are so generous, sir."

Yue Guan: "What do you mean? I just use our branch money to reimburse him."

Wang Li: "Sir, I can't just write '50 coins for a tattered book' in our accounting report. It's far too expensive even for a brand new story book."

Yue Guan: "(Nothing good comes to me since I stay in this town!) *sigh* Fine, just give it to him later. *take out money*"

*knock* *knock*

Servant: "Head Priest!"

Yue Guan: "What is it now?!"

Servant: "I received a report from one of our spies! He said that someone found a large crater in the forest!"

Yue Guan: "Crater?"

Yue Guan and Wang Li depart to the forest after they receive the report. They hire a local hunter to guide them. After walking for around 2 hours, finally they arrive in front of a big cave.

Hunter: "The crater is on the other side of this cave. *enter the cave*"

Yue Guan: "(What a strange cave!)"

Wang Li: "What kind of cave is this? Is it a beast cave?"

Hunter: "Maybe it was a beast cave. Actually this area was condensed and full of beasts. Only a group of veteran hunters dare to enter this area."

Yue Guan: "*surprised* (I see! So that's why I feel something is missing since I entered this place! This place was too quiet!)"

Wang Li: "Has something happened in this area before?"

Hunter: "Actually around 2-3 years ago, there was a strong earthquake. The earthquake made some beast run into the city. Fortunately, Zhu clan elders arrived at the right time and we were saved by them."

Yue Guan: "(Hmm.. Their timing was too good.) Were there many earthquakes before that strong earthquake?"

Hunter: "Yes, but it was just a small earthquake. Ah, but before that there was a very strange phenomenon in the sky! The sky became dark suddenly although it was sunny before! Then a strong wind blew up and the rain started falling heavily! The thunder also very scary!"

Yue Guan: "It's weird. Why have I never heard it before? Are you exaggerating your story?"

Hunter: "Of course not! This 'disaster' happened around 9-10 hours! Don't you see that more than half of building in the city is a new building?! That disaster was swept everything below it!"

Yue Guan: "*surprised* (My mind is full of Xue-er so I couldn't realize it before..)"

Wang Li: "So. that disaster swept out half of the city. But why have we never heard it before.."

Hunter: "*scratch his hair*"

Yue Guan: "What is it? If you want to go to the toilet, do it far away from me!"

Wang Li: "Please forgive the Head Priest, he is a freak when it comes to 'cleanliness' and 'appearance'."

Hunter: "(*sigh* They are really 'weird' for someone who comes from Spirit Hall. They don't look dangerous like the merchant said. They look more than a 'comedy duo' performer..) No, I just want to tell you a 'top secret'. *low voice*"

Yue Guan: "What is it?"

Hunter: "Around 100 people from the Zhu clan arrived at Xiqi city when the disaster happened. Some people saw them enter the forest and come back with only 2 people full of wounds!"

Yue Guan: "*surprised* (*** Zhu clan! How dare they hide something serious like this!)"

Wang Li: "I see. Then did they ask Xiqi city people to hide this disaster?"

Hunter: "*sigh* No, but another elder from the Zhu clan came and brought an Emperor's decree! The Emperor wants us to not talk about this disaster."

Wang Li: "Then why did you talk?"

Hunter: "*scratch his hair* Look, that's the crater that we found around one year ago!"

Wang Li: "(He change the subject quickly.)"

Yue Guan: "(Hmm.. The Star Luo kingdom is really hiding this secret well. Why they want to hide it?)"

The hunter guides them until they arrive in front of a big crater. Yue Guan tried to measure the crater deep but unfortunately he even couldn't see the bottom. Yue Guan and Wang Li walk around the crater and find that the crater is not outside the cave. It looks more like a half of the cave was blown up until nothing left except for a deep crater.

Yue Guan brings Wang Li and the hunter across the crater. They can see clearly the crater shape from above. The crater was in circle shape. It looks like a very big sphere fell down from sky.

Hunter: "What a frightening crater!"

Wang Li: "*sigh* The one who made this crater is more frightening."

Yue Guan: "(I don't feel any qi residue at all! It seems that the one who made this crater was a god-level being or maybe it was just a normal earthquake! Finally I found a perfect chance. I can use this chance to report it back to your majesty and meet my cute little princess!)"

Yue Guan didn't realize that not far away from the crater was the place he met Xue Li. When Yue Guan and the others were walking back to the city, a small light particle came out from the hole. The small light particles follow Yue Guan in secret.