Chapter 123 — Section 124: Bing's Suggestion

Bing took the flight paths and studied them for a long while, then shook his head. "The position is wrong."

"The position is wrong?" Tang Tang blinked.

"Crux is off," Bing said seriously. "Star gates do shift, but the positions of the constellations themselves shouldn't change much."

"Really?" Tang Yi looked at Bing with open disbelief.

Bing's eyes went wide, and his tone turned unfriendly. "Are you questioning a veteran member of the Legion's familiarity with Legion headquarters?"

Tang Tang immediately looked sheepish. "Ah, ah, ah—look, Qianhui said it too, didn't she? Plenty of places are inaccurate."

Bing ignored Tang Tang and mused aloud, "The star gates can indeed change, and I've never been to Perseus before. Still, if you want to get back to Legion headquarters, it's not as though there's no way."

Tang Tang perked up at that. "What way?"

"From the Soul Shrine, into the Soul Region. There's a road in the Soul Region that leads straight to Legion headquarters. People used to take it all the time—though it isn't an easy road." Bing explained.

"Wonderful!" Tang Yu cheered, throwing up his arms. "Let's go, let's go!"

Bing rolled his eyes. "I said it isn't an easy road."

"How not-easy are we talking?" Tang Tang asked.

"Back in the day, only veterans had any chance of getting through that road." Bing looked Tang Tang up and down twice and raised an eyebrow. "Kid, you're still a long way off!"

"Veterans?" Tang Yi's brows knitted at once. In the past he would have dismissed such talk out of hand, but the Tang Tang who had been struggling again and again in the Eighteen Bronze Men Chamber now understood exactly how formidable the so-called veterans were.

Bing tipped his face skyward, wearing a thoughtful expression, then said suddenly, "Then again, who knows? So many years have passed. Maybe those star soul beasts from before are gone now. We'll have to go and see for ourselves."

Tang Lun nodded eagerly. "Right, right!"

"You'd better go say your farewells to them, then," Bing advised Tang Tang. "This time we could be in the Soul Region for a very long while."

Tang Cheng agreed Bing had a point and went to take his leave of Uncle Qian. Uncle Qian had guessed Tang Tang was surely going to find the young lady, so he did not press him to stay; he simply stuffed a few star stones and some soul cores into Tang Yan's hands.

Tang Tang's flat, empty purse was suddenly full again.

After leaving the Shangguan family, Tang Tang found a remote, deserted corner, entered the Soul Shrine, and from there went into Xuan City.

Xuan Shu City was much the same as when he had left it, though the great upheaval in the Lin family had left the city's markets looking somewhat blighted. Even the pedestrians in the streets seemed far fewer, and Tang Tang drew no one's notice as he first made his way back to the armory.

Tang Tang found Sai Lei at the armory.

But the Sai Lei before him was hardly recognizable as human—hair in wild disarray, clothes filthy and torn, a match for Wu Guang at his worst.

Sai Lei looked at Tang Tang as though she had not seen him at all, muttering ceaselessly under her breath.

"This woman isn't going to go mad, is she?" Tang Tang asked Bing with some concern.

Bing, being a man of the world, was unsurprised. "That's how their kind are. Once they get obsessed with something, they'll work themselves to death. Tch, tch. The mechanists of a few thousand years ago were just the same, and mechanists today are still just the same."

From Bing's tone, Tang Xuan gathered that some mechanist back in the day must have offended the fellow.

"Hey, Sai Lei!" Tang Tang called out. Sai Lei seemed not to hear, so Tang Yan had no choice but to raise his voice and call again.

Only then did Sai Lei hear him. Her eyes slowly regained their focus, and at the sight of Tang Tang she said, "Oh. You're here." With that she turned to leave.

Tang Tang frowned at the sight, and without another word stepped forward in one stride, hoisted Sai Lei up, and turned to Bing. "Where's there a water pool?"

Sai Lei cursed furiously. "What are you doing? Don't waste my time!"

Bing put on an expression that said 'this has nothing to do with me,' but his hand pointed behind Tang Tang. "Go back two hundred meters, then turn right."

Tang Xiao said nothing, hauled Sai Lei along, and set off in the direction Bing had indicated.

Sai Lei struggled desperately in Tang Tang's grip, but Tang Tang paid her no mind at all. This woman was simply too careless with her life! One look at the bloodshot veins webbing Sai Lei's eyes told him she had not slept in many days.

There was indeed a pool, fed by living water; a bronze channel poured water burbling into the basin.

Tang Tang swung his arm. Sai Lei shrieked and went flying into the pool.

Splash—countless droplets flew up.

"Wash yourself properly, and if you make another fuss, you can forget about ever touching those mechanism locks again!"

With that, Tang Tang turned and walked off.

Sai Lei, her mouth open to curse, fell silent at once. Tang Tang's words had struck her dead center; to forbid her from touching the mechanism locks again would be worse than killing her.

When you live under another's roof, you must bow your head.

Sai Lei immediately became docile.

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"Kid, I couldn't tell before, but you've got some real dominance about you!" Bing was somewhat surprised.

Tang Yi's face was full of self-assurance. "Naturally. You should know who you're looking at—a godlike youth. What can't he handle?"

He selectively ignored the losses he had suffered at Sai Lei's hands in the past.

Tang Tang looked at the scattered mechanism-lock parts on the ground. In this stretch of time Sai Lei had taken apart countless locks, and the components lay everywhere.

This woman was truly insane!

Tang Tang clicked his tongue inwardly, and felt a touch of admiration as well.

He did not have long to wait before Sai Lei finished washing.

She had changed her clothes, clean and fresh. Her damp hair hung loose, and a layer of moisture seemed still to cling to her face, lending her already stunning features an indescribable softness. And her somewhat timid expression made her look all the more delicate and pitiable.

"Don't put on an act!" Tang Yi raised a hand as if to stop her the moment he saw Sai Lei's expression.

He knew firsthand just how vicious this woman could be.

"Now go and get a good sleep." Tang Tang raised his other hand as well, cutting off the anxious Sai Lei before she could speak, his tone brooking no argument. "Don't haggle with me. If you work yourself to death, I'm the one who loses out!"

Seeing Sai Lei open her mouth to speak again, he glared and raised his voice. "No more nonsense from you! Go—now!"

Sai Lei jumped in fright and at once went off obediently to sleep.

She was, in truth, exhausted beyond measure, her mind in a haze. How had this fellow become so fierce?

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Once Sai Lei had gone to sleep, Tang Tang went with Bing to scout the terrain.

Emerging from the base, and guided by Bing, Tang Tang began advancing deep into the Soul Region. Perhaps because it had returned to its old haunts, Yaya became unusually lively, chirping incessantly the whole way.

Yaya had not changed much in size, but the patterns on its armor had grown clearer, and the most striking change was a small banner that had appeared on its back.

"Careful—star soul beasts used to roam this area in great numbers," Bing warned Tang Tang. "I've checked. This is hunting ground territory now too. Keep an eye on Yaya. A bud-soul general may be weak, but it's very alert."

Hunting grounds were perilous places, and now and then one came across martial artists out hunting soul cores, but the direction Bing indicated was so remote that Tang Tang did not encounter a single one.