Chapter 55: The Master of Meteorite City

  Just as Helian Nuo was full of doubts, the considerate shopkeeper had already quickly served fragrant hot water for the two to bathe and refresh themselves. After they finished washing up and changing their clothes, he again attentively served several exquisite small dishes. No matter how hard Helian Nuo racked his brains, he couldn't guess what sinister plot Ling Xiao was harboring. He simply started eating and drinking lavishly, thinking that since he had just narrowly escaped with his life, what else was there to fear?

  After eating and drinking, Helian'nuo carefully examined Lei Shuo's injuries. Although there were only a few sword wounds on the surface of his body that weren't too serious, his internal organs were in disarray due to using the extremely damaging technique "Crazy Thunder Whirlwind Slash" twice in a short period of time. As a result, various muscles throughout Lei Shuo's body had suffered different degrees of damage. Helian'nuo took out two Soul Origin Sacred Fruits and squeezed out their juice to feed him, thinking that if Jiubao were here, these injuries would be completely healed overnight. Unfortunately, Jiubao was missing along with Qiuqiu, so she could only use the spiritual medicine brought from the depths of Youyue to treat Lei Shuo's wounds. Although the effects of the spiritual medicine were astonishing, Lei Shuo's injuries were too severe, and he would likely need to rest patiently for a period of time to fully recover.

  Xiang Xiao had been pacing back and forth in the room, seemingly wanting to say something. Now that He Lian Nu An had finished setting up Lei Shuo, she hurried over and said: "He Lian big brother, I don't know why, but I keep feeling like Ling Xuan is being too enthusiastic towards us. Could it be... could there be some hidden scheme?"

  He Lian nodded and thought to himself, "Now you've realized something is off. Didn't you have a good impression of Ling Xiao before? You even sincerely told him the purpose of this trip. Probably more than half of what we're experiencing now is because of your doing!" But it wasn't the time to be angry, so he honestly replied: "Yeah, I have that feeling too. Although I don't know what Ling Xiao's intentions are, at least I can confirm that he definitely won't treat two people he just met with such enthusiasm for no reason. He must have some motive, but what does he want to get from us?"

  "Why don't we go to the City Lord's mansion early tomorrow morning and present Taoba Tao's head to the City Lord? It would be good for us to find a backer in this unfamiliar Falling Star City as soon as possible. What do you think, He Lian big brother?" Although Sang Xiao was not stupid, he couldn't figure out what Ling Xiang wanted from his two ordinary children, so he suggested going to see the City Lord early on, no matter what, first stabilizing their position in Falling Star City before doing anything else.

  He Lian nodded, tacitly agreeing to Sang Xiao's suggestion. Indeed, at present, it seemed that his side was unknowingly in a completely passive situation. He extremely disliked the feeling of being led by others, and it was time to take back the initiative!

  The morning of Meteor City was exceptionally lively, with the sounds of peddlers calling out, horseshoes clattering, and carriage wheels rumbling over the ground, all blending together in a cacophony. There were no birds chirping or insects buzzing to be heard here, only a tapestry of prosperity.

  Ling Xiao wore a black robe, his eyes slightly closed as he sat leisurely in a bamboo chair, fiddling with an exquisitely crafted snuff bottle in his hand. He was still hiding in the shadows beneath the city gate, seemingly having merged with the darkness itself.

  There aren't many people in this world who enjoy darkness, Ling Xiao is one of them.

  Softly, a cat-like gentle footsteps came, Ling Xiao's eyelids moved slightly, but still didn't open, only asked in a low voice: "Is there any news about those two little ghosts?"

  The footsteps suddenly stopped, and a similarly gentle voice replied: "Yes, Master Tang, Mr. Sang just had the pigeon group send over a message that those two kids left early in the morning, driving a horse carriage seemingly heading towards the City Lord's Mansion!"

  "Get the City Lord's Manor? Immediately have the pigeon team notify the City Lord, I don't care what important matters he has today, in any case, he must take out time to see those two little devils!", Ling Xiao slowly opened his eyes and issued a decisive command.

  "Yes, I'll go and take care of it!" The soft footsteps quickly faded away into the distance. In the darkness, only Ling Xiao's muttering voice was left: "It's really getting more and more interesting. Those two little ghosts, are they going to the City Master's mansion to cash in on their promised big gift?"

  He Lianuo and Sang Xiao naturally did not know that their every move was being monitored. At this moment, they had already driven the dilapidated horse carriage to the front of the city master's mansion. However, for some reason, the building in front of them, which should be the center of the city, looked extremely shabby. Not only could it not compare to the Yue Lai Inn they saw yesterday, but even ordinary luxurious residences looked more majestic than it. Was this really the City Master's Mansion of Xing Chen City?

  He Lianuo and Sang Xiao stood stupidly in front of the dilapidated building, considering whether to enter or not. Just then, a middle-aged man wearing a gray long shirt came out of the city master's mansion and rushed towards them, laughing and saying: "You two are noble guests from Lan Yue City, please come quickly! The city master has been waiting for you inside for a long time!"

  "Uh, this...", Xiang Xiao's eyes widened in shock as he turned his head to look at He Lianuo, only to find that the latter also had an incredulous expression. Was it really the tradition of this Starfall City to be so enthusiastic and hospitable? First, there was the lavish treatment of having all their needs taken care of, and now even the city lord himself wanted to personally receive them. Was the city lord's manor here really that easy to enter? In Lanyue City, unless you were a high-ranking official or noble, you wouldn't even be able to get past the gates of the city lord's manor. But here, in Starfall City, someone from the city lord's manor had actually come out to welcome them, two powerless and insignificant children, and judging from his tone, the city lord himself was waiting for them inside... when did guests from Lanyue become so welcomed?

  He Lianuo and Sang Xiaopi were stunned, standing still on the spot without moving. The man who came to greet them finished speaking and turned around to lead the way forward. After walking for half a day, he looked back and saw that the two children had not followed up, so he returned again and repeated: "Please come in, my lord is waiting for you inside!"

  He Lianuo and Sang Xiao exchanged a glance, nodded slightly, indicating that the man in gray should lead the way forward. He himself trailed behind, secretly hiding the Tian Lang dagger in his sleeve. Sang Xiao also pinched several flying darts in her hand, ready to take the initiative to attack at any moment, no matter what, she couldn't be trapped in this city lord's mansion.

  The two had long expected that this trip would not be too easy, so they left Lei Shuo, who was seriously injured and unconscious, at the Yue Lai Inn beforehand. To prevent any unexpected events, they also asked Xiao Lang to stay behind and protect him. Although everything seemed calm and peaceful for now, who knew what kind of deadly crisis was hidden beneath this tranquil surface? Neither of them dared to be careless, and they were both on high alert.

  The castle's main hall wasn't very large to begin with, and in the blink of an eye, the man in gray had led Helian and No. 2 to a grand hall. The man in gray stopped in his tracks, turned around, and said, "Please enter, the city lord is inside the grand hall!" After finishing speaking, he walked off in the opposite direction.

  Xiang Xiao said in a low voice, "He Lian big brother, don't you feel that something is off about this city lord's mansion? I'm saying, could it be that... could there be some ambush hidden in this great hall?"

  Khaleno nodded, indeed, as soon as he entered the city lord's mansion, he had a strange feeling, before that he was walking and didn't feel it, now that he stopped, he finally understood what was wrong, here, it was too quiet!

  Unlike the hustle and bustle of the streets outside, the castle was eerily quiet, with no sound of human voices, not even a bird chirping or an insect buzzing. It seemed as if there was no sign of life here, and Helianthus even suspected that except for the gray-clad man who had led the way earlier, there might not be a single living soul in this dilapidated castle.

  Xiang Xiao swallowed hard, the atmosphere here was really too oppressive, he desperately hoped that there would be a third person besides them two appearing in front of him now, even if it was an enemy!

  "Now that you're here, why not come in and take a look?" Suddenly, an old voice rang out in this quiet courtyard, with no vitality at all, dry and harsh like a ghost.

  Khaleno was startled by the sudden sound, then gritted her teeth, gripped the dagger in her hand tightly and walked into the hall following the direction of the sound.

  Xiang Xiao hastily followed him, he didn't want to be left alone in this eerie courtyard, even if the great hall was a den of dragons and tigers!

  Compared to the decline outside, the furnishings in the hall seem much richer, with several long benches, several tables, more than a dozen tea bowls, and several ancient-colored paintings hanging on the walls. The surfaces of these things are all covered with a thick layer of dust, as if they haven't been swept for a long time.

  In the center of the room, an emaciated old man sat upright in a worn-out armchair. His cheekbones were high and protruding, his dull eyes stared blankly ahead without focus. The intricately designed long gown he wore seemed to have been around for years, although it was clean, the layers of patches on it revealed the difficulties of the old man's life. Strangely, a hint of pride still lingered on his face, but this expression clashed with everything in the grand hall.

  He Lianuo looked at the old man for a long time, then took a step forward and bowed his head to say: "I am He Lianuo from Lan Yue City, paying respects to the master of Yun Xing City!"

  "What? You said he... He is... He is the master of Meteorite City?", Sang Xiao looked at the shabby old man and asked in surprise.

  The old man sitting in the taishi chair smiled self-deprecatingly and then said with difficulty: "I didn't expect that nowadays I can still receive visits from others, well, I am indeed the lord of this fallen star city, Lingyun!"