Dance Of The Dragons
Chapter 197 : The Ghost Island (1)

Chapter 197: Chapter 197 : The Ghost Island (1)

"No."

Zhang Fengxi put his hands over Xie Jianyu’s, shielding the latter’s hands like tiny flowers in a thunderstorm. "Did the Emperor ask you to investigate his disappearance?"

"En."

Xie Jianyu scanned Zhang Fengxi’s face, looking for any sign of betrayal. Anything at all. If he had to suffer from one last disappointment, then better sooner than later. And yet, Zhang Fengxi’s body language did not indicate anything amiss.

Instead, he appeared like a gentle and doting lover. The kind that Xie Jianyu did not even encounter in his wildest dreams.

"Are you allowed to take help?"

"... En."

"Let me come with you, then."

Zhang Fengxi took Xie Jianyu’s hands and showered his knuckles with kisses.

"I promise that I will not be an obstacle."

Xie Jianyu’s heart fluttered at Zhang Fengxi’s words.

He offered to help. The question was rather -- who was he trying to help, Xie Jianyu or Liu Wenyuan?

Zhang Fengxi mistook Xie Jianyu’s restlessness for insecurity about this upcoming investigation. Oh, the sweet omega he was about to marry was always focused on his performance as the Crown Prince. He never stopped for a second to allow himself any sign of weakness, let alone give himself a pat on the back.

"Don’t worry," Zhang Fengxi bumped their foreheads together affectionately. "We will find him, I promise."

Xie Jianyu made a miserable face.

And when they found Liu Wenyuan, then what?

Xie Jianyu lowered his eyelashes.

One last heartbreak.

Xie Jianyu, what’s another one? You can do it.

"Jianbao?"

"Mm. Come then."

Xie Jianyu pushed the door open.

Zhang Fengxi smiled happily as he followed Xie Jianyu outside.

"It is my honor to serve Your Majesty."

They rode on their mounts and descended to the Human Realm, close to their destination.

As they walked together side by side, with Wangshu posing as a normal horse and Xiao Huang posing as an overactive tiger cub, they talked about the case on hand.

"I don’t think that it is a kidnapping case," Xie Jianyu mused.

"Neither do I. Liu Yichen’s behavior is unnatural for someone whose beloved son got kidnapped."

"Father already sent an order to search the entire Heavenly Realm for Liu Wenyuan. Wherever he is hiding, he will be found out pretty soon..."

"Unless of course, he is hiding in the Human Realm," Zhang Fengxi completed Xie Jianyu’s train of thought.

"He might be hiding in the Demonic Realm too," Xie Jianyu suggested.

Zhang Fengxi disagreed.

"He won’t. He doesn’t have any trustworthy allies in the Demonic Realm. Going there is practically asking for death."

"Except for, the First Demon King."

The two men exchanged grim looks.

"What do you know about the relationship between Liu Wenyuan and the First Demon King?" Xie Jianyu asked.

"According to Liu Wenyuan, the First Demon King forced him to deliver you into his hands. Otherwise, that demon was going to kill him."

"I don’t think that it was that simple."

Zhang Fengxi nodded.

"Agreed. Then again, do you remember how easily we recovered him when he first got kidnapped?"

Xie Jianyu hummed while rubbing his chin.

Indeed, they spent a lot of time finding a way to sneak into the Demonic Realm and stage a riot. The rescue itself was suspiciously rather quick and straightforward. Too easy.

The First Demon King saw them when they were leaving.

Sure, he might be busy dealing with the two other demon kings who sought to steal his throne, but he was not that busy. He even had the time to glance up and grin at Xie Jianyu.

A cold shiver ran down Xie Jianyu’s spine when he recalled his past interaction with the obnoxious demon.

"The First Demon King is cruel enough to decapitate the former Third and Fourth Demon King for rioting against him," Xie Jianyu mused. "It is a very poor decision to ask for the demon’s help."

"Not that we know where the First Demon King currently is," Zhang Fengxi added. "Isn’t the Demonic Realm in a havoc right now? I heard that the remaining demon kings are fighting for the Dark Moon Throne right now."

"En. A lot of demonic blood has been shed recently, all for the privilege to sit on the throne for a moment before another comes to claim it."

Zhang Fengxi scoffed.

The Demonic Realm was full of ambitious creatures, but none of them could match the First Demon King in terms of strength and cruelty.

"Sooner or later, the First Demon King will show up," Zhang Fengxi remarked.

"If we are lucky and Liu Wenyuan really went to find the First Demon King for help, then we might just hit two birds with one stone."

Zhang Fengxi smiled.

"Of course. That’s what we are here for."

The two men stopped their conversation as soon as they arrived at the edge of Ghost Island Lake.

Xie Jianyu patted Wangshu’s body and told his horse, "Wangshu, I will be back soon. Stay put."

Zhang Fengxi put Xiao Huang on Wangshu’s back.

"Xiao Huang, don’t be naughty. Get along well with Wangshu, alright?"

"Zhang Fengxi."

Xie Jianyu took out two Ghost Badges and handed one to Zhang Fengxi. He pressed a finger against his lips with a grim expression.

"Do not talk. Breathe shallowly."

They put the badges around their neck and waited. Soon, the sky was tainted with the dark color of the night. Stars lit up in the sky, and a humongous ship suddenly manifested itself out of thin air.

Every night, the Ghost Ship appeared to take ghosts in and out of Ghost Island. When the ship docked at a long wooden pier that extended into the water, translucent forms poured out of the Ghost Ship.

At the same time, ghosts all over the Human Realm gathered, waiting to board the ship.

The ghosts floated past Xie Jianyu and Zhang Fengxi.

"Aaah, Ghost Island... I have always wanted to come to visit," an old male ghost sighed.

"So true, so true... I finally had enough ghost money to buy a ticket," another replied.

Zhang Fengxi held out a hand at Xie Jianyu, who silently handed him a ticket.

Zhang Fengxi was interested to know how he, a living person with warm blood coursing his body, could get ahold of two tickets, but he decided to ask another time.

The two men lined up with the boarding ghosts and handed their tickets to a waiting ship attendant, a tentacled ghost that looked like a mix of an octopus and a very fat human being.

"Tickets... tickets please..."

When Xie Jianyu’s turn came, the attendant leaned closer to him and took a deep breath.

"You smell lovely," he remarked.