Chapter 343: The Flying Ape Multitude

"Ugh!"

A Ping fell to the ground, kneeling, hands propped on the floor, and began vomiting desperately.

What he vomited was naturally not noodles, but clumps of hair, mixed with scalp.

Seeing what he had vomited, A Ping felt even more nauseous, retching even more violently; the corpse water he had just drunk mixed with the hair into a clump and came up.

Also mixed in were clots of his own blackish-red blood.

"You two, you wouldn't happen to have no money either, would you?" the boss looked at Tang Luo and Ao Yulie.

The fate of those with no money would likely be to become this noodle shop's "ingredients."

And A Ping's current condition should be the "viscera cleansing" work before processing ingredients?

"Father, can I eat directly? This one looks quite appetizing." The little girl — the little female ghost — said, looking at Ao Yulie.

At this moment, her belly was bulging high, looking as if it were stuffed with food that couldn't be digested in time, almost bursting her belly skin; her mouth split open to the roots of her ears.

A scarlet tongue writhed like a snake.

Saliva dripped onto the ground, corroding the floor like sulfur, sizzling, white smoke rising.

The corner of Ao Yulie's mouth twitched; the dignified Jade Dragon Third Prince, the most handsome and romantic dragon under heaven, was described as appetizing by a little ghost.

He couldn't feel the slightest bit happy about it.

On the street, the ghosts outside the shop also drew closer bit by bit, surrounding the shop watertight.

Greedy gazes looked at the three of them, like a pack of hungry wolves.

"Amitabha." Tang Luo pressed his palms together, intoned a Buddhist invocation, spread his right hand, and the Book of Life and Death appeared in his hand. "Benefactors, don't panic; this poor monk will send you to the West right now."

The moment the Book of Life and Death opened, a large number of chains released and spread out from within, like a trick clown doll jumping out of a jack-in-the-box.

But for the ghosts in the ghost market, what it brought was undoubtedly a calamity of annihilation.

The Soul-Hooking Chains rapidly wove into a net, conversely surrounding the shop and the space outside watertight.

With a burst of crisp metallic sounds.

The Soul-Hooking Chains began to interweave continuously, not bending and twisting like snakes, but going straight back and forth, like sharp long spears.

All the ghosts were pierced through the chest by the Soul-Hooking Chains and dragged into the Book of Life and Death.

Shrill ghost howls rang out incessantly, stopping the instant the last ghost was pulled into the Book of Life and Death; the surroundings fell completely silent.

Forming a stark contrast with the clamor from just now.

Only A Ping's intermittent dry heaves remained.

Tang Luo and the other still sat in the shop, two bowls of noodles even placed before them, but the noodles inside had already turned into a black unknown substance, who knew how long they had rotted.

The street stalls outside had also all disappeared, leaving behind a few empty makeshift stalls.

The dilapidation of the surrounding buildings had all increased to some degree.

Especially the table in front and the stools they sat on.

"I didn't notice at all, Master." Ao Yulie said, standing up; the stool directly snapped and fell to the ground.

Before that "little girl" pointed her finger, he hadn't the slightest awareness that he was already in a ghost market, surrounded by a multitude of ghosts.

"Never mind you, even Doggy didn't smell anything." Tang Luo glanced at Xiaotian Quan snoring asleep on his shoulder and closed the Book of Life and Death.

The Merit Jade Lotus trembled slightly, absorbing the merit power being born.

Tang Luo himself actually hadn't truly sensed anything abnormal either, merely feeling something was off; this was years of experience and intuition.

"It seems this world really is a bit bizarre." Ao Yulie said.

"Let's go, to Lake City." Tang Luo stood up, walked before A Ping. "Up."

A Ping's face was deathly pale; he struggled to his feet, using a grass fork taken from a companion to support his body, and walked out of the noodle shop swaying unsteadily.

Unexpectedly, he wouldn't eat any noodles for the rest of his life — if he even still had the chance to eat noodles.

Lake City lies to the northwest of here, about two days' journey from this place.

At least A Ping and the others fled for two days to reach this vicinity.

But with Tang Luo and Ao Yulie, A Ping's travel speed increased by more than a little; he was carried in Ao Yulie's hand.

His ears were filled with howling gales; the scenery before him rapidly receded.

Then it abruptly stopped, giving him a moment to adapt, to make out the surroundings, and continue pointing the way.

In half a day, the three had already arrived near Lake City.

Scattered wooden huts could be seen, and wooden fences, some corpses stripped extremely clean.

Also broken and fallen flags.

The flags bore a symbolic emblem, beside which were blurred characters like "Hundred Battles Death..."

According to A Ping, this symbolic emblem represents Lake City's rulers — the Yu Kong Clan.

Yu Kong is this clan's surname, and also represents the powerful and special ability of a Ghost-Driving Master.

Rumor has it that members of the Yu Kong Clan can all fly into the sky, racing birds; the clan head and city lord Yu Kong Xin bears the title "Azure Sky Eagle."

A Ping naturally had never seen Yu Kong Clan members flying in the sky.

But he had seen Yu Kong Clan retainer warriors leaping and weaving across rooftops in the main city, agile like monkeys.

Outside it was completely quiet; the main city side also didn't have much sound.

It seems this war between Lake City and Iron City — or rather campaign — has already ended; judging by the looks of it, most likely ending in Lake City's defeat.

"Why would Iron City attack Lake City?" Several people walked toward the direction of Lake City's main city; Tang Luo asked.

A Ping shook his head: "This... it's just that they want to fight, right?"

Does war need a reason? For A Ping and them, it actually isn't needed; they don't understand what those adults, those big shots above are thinking.

They tell them to go up, so they go up.

Anyway, during war, the ones like them who have to go up, their food and supplies are all better than usual.

A-Ping held a noncommittal attitude toward war. Some people, however, were enthusiastic about it, even giving rise to a special kind of group dedicated to fighting wars on behalf of others.

These people were called "Executioner Samurai," and a portion of them were descendants of declining Exorcist families.

Because some Exorcist families would cultivate fairly capable retainers, these people were weaker than Exorcists but stronger than ordinary people, gradually forming a stratum of their own, calling themselves "Samurai."

To distinguish the two, the title "Executioner" was added.

In the eyes of many, dying in battle, perishing in war, was noble, but it also had to be pure — fought for loyalty, fought for one's master.

Fighting for money, with no loyalty in one's heart, was base behavior; "Executioner Samurai" was a derogatory term.

A-Ping said that in this war, Iron City had found Executioner Samurai, and it was these people who had scattered them.

They even glorified their own flight a little.

In a fairly terrible, wretched living and survival environment, the concepts of morality and law obviously struggled to take shape and sink deep into hearts.

To better maintain their rule, the Exorcists all chose to emphasize "loyalty and righteousness."

Having an object of fealty, a master, was a matter of pride and honor — provided, of course, that the object of fealty was a big shot.

Pledging fealty to just any random nobody would only draw ridicule.

A-Ping wasn't a samurai, just an ordinary person; fleeing without fighting would likewise be mocked.

If it were the samurai class, such a situation would be more than ridicule — it would be a "crime"; once "exposed," they would face rejection and even pursuit by all Exorcist powers.

Only suicide or living in isolation remained.

The three were walking toward the main city.

Suddenly a whistle sounded from the direction of the main city; a patch of shadow projected onto the ground, sweeping across rapidly, like a large bird skimming the sky, and the shadow kept enlarging.

"Oh... is that a hang glider?" Ao Yulie looked up and let out an exclamation of admiration.

In the sky, something like a hang glider was flying closer, its altitude continuously dropping.

"It's the Flying Ape Retinue!" A-Ping said, immediately throwing himself to the side and flattening against the ground.

Attempting to use the lush weeds by the roadside to conceal his figure.

The Flying Ape Retinue were vassals of the Yu-Kong Clan, and also belonged to the samurai class.

If Lake City truly lost, and the Yu-Kong Clan chose not to surrender, the Flying Ape Retinue would all have to die in battle for their master.

Even if they surrendered, Iron City would not spare these people.

Yet now Flying Ape Retinue appeared in the sky — meaning the Yu-Kong Clan's Exorcists were no longer defending Lake City to the death, but had begun breaking out to escape?

These Flying Ape Retinue were either protecting their master's escape, or acting as decoys to buy the Yu-Kong Clan time and opportunity.

Whichever it was, A-Ping didn't want to be dragged into it.

He wasn't a samurai, had no master to serve; after Iron City took Lake City and returned to the city, he could still live and survive.

But dressed like a soldier, if he got caught up in it, he'd likely be killed on the spot.

A-Ping didn't believe the two high-and-mighty Exorcist lords behind him would kindly step in to save him.

After flattening himself, A-Ping stuck his butt up slightly and carefully inched along, trying to reach a big tree on the other side to avoid being seen, yet still refusing to discard the things he'd looted from corpses.

Hard to say whether it was fear of death, or wanting money more than life.

Too bad, A-Ping's actions were a classic waste of effort.

The Flying Ape Retinue in the sky came straight this way — not because Tang Luo and the others were too conspicuous.

But because the hang glider was already damaged and couldn't even control its direction, doomed to land around here.

Near the ground, the person beneath the hang glider decisively dropped down, scrambling on all fours like a monkey sprinting across the ground, posture agile, not falling.

But one could see the right arm was still snapped by the impact force at the moment of landing, and with the subsequent exertion and stress.

By the time he stopped, it was already bent at a strange angle.

Setting aside special powers, with the medical standards here, this arm was completely ruined; not only the arm wasted, but a high chance the person would be done for too.

The reason for landing in such a wretched way, not adopting a more stable posture, was that this Flying Ape Retinue still had a magnificently dressed child on his back.

Obviously someone of status.

Might even be the Yu-Kong Clan's young master or the like.

The Flying Ape Retinue stopped, panted a couple of times, adjusted the little girl strapped to his back, and with his good arm drew a dagger, pointing it at Tang Luo and the other not far off: "Flying Ape Warrior under the Yu-Kong Seat, Flying Ape Thirteen! Who are you, friend or foe?"

Ao Yulie stepped forward and declared loudly: "Jade Dragon Third Prince under the Victorious Fighting Buddha's Seat, Eight Tribes Heavenly Dragon Horse, Most Handsome in the Three Realms, Ao Yulie!"

Flying Ape Thirteen frowned in thought, never having heard of it; didn't sound like a renowned clan.

Why did the person opposite wear a face full of pride and arrogance?

"Friend, have you heard of the Scripture-Fetcher?" After announcing his lineage, Ao Yulie immediately asked.

"Scripture-Fetcher?" Flying Ape Thirteen froze, a puzzled expression appearing.

"Seems you have heard of it." Ao Yulie stepped forward — found it!

Flying Ape Thirteen's puzzled face changed; he retreated a step: "Why do you know..."

He didn't feel his performance just now had shown any flaw; how had these two detected it?

"Oh." Seeing Flying Ape Thirteen's reaction, Ao Yulie revealed a smile of a scheme succeeding: "As expected, you've heard of it."