WangXian Forever 7

Chapter 111 City

Hui Gai brought back the three children and Oge, and then they set off.

The nights were still warm as they had travelled further south from Gusu, so it was a pleasant walk. As the stars came out one by one, the whole of the night sky was illuminated with their light, and Chang'e glowed luminous and bright, a half moon curved in a crescent.

"So according to the blue fire map, we are on the right path, but we have to pass through a major city. This is when things will get complicated." Wei Ying was explaining. "It will take at least four nights of travelling through the city, risking the exposure, or if we shadow the city on the outskirts, then six. The Broken Tree will come after the west gate of the city. That's when we have to take a right."

"Shall we vote on it?" Hongse suggested.

"Sure. But for my part, I think straight ahead will be easiest, and at night, there will be less people milling about. The problem as always is shelter for Dunshi." Wei Ying thought hard about that particular problem.

"There might be tunnels or sewers we can rest in, during the day. If we have to keep a low profile." Xinghong said.

"I think I'm looking forward to seeing actual people, ones who are going about their normal tasks, you know what I mean?" Wei Ying sighed. "There's only so much newness you can find in this..." He waved a hand towards the indigo scenery in front of them.

Their nights had passed much the same, with the same washed out colours greeting them wherever they went, and it was getting on his nerves now. But Wei Ying hated complaining too, and he wondered why he was feeling antsy.

"Once we reach the city, we can stay in a hotel." Lan Zhan promised.

"Hot baths..." Wei Ying was almost moaning with the thoughts. "And no offence but something to eat other than congee...not that it isn't tasty..." He quickly added, sincerely looking contrite.

Hongbaoshi spluttered out a disbelieving laugh.

"If you had a super power Master Wei, I would say it was your charming personality..."

"Mn." Lan Zhan agreed, looking at him fondly with a whole lot of affection.

Li XiWang was holding Rumi's hand and walking in front, but she looked immensely pleased at the praise her father was receiving.

"What did you three get up to, when Hui Gai took you away?" Wei Ying asked her, smiling at them. They looked so cute together, and his little rabbit had fully taken on the role of elder sister to Rumi.

"Auntie Oge let us play hide and seek and then we helped her cook and there was a party..." Li XiWang told them all about it.

"Thank you, Auntie Oge." Wei Ying told her.

She was walking beside Hui Gai who was carrying Klem, and she gave him a thumbs up in return.

"Has Klem gotten bigger?" Wei Ying asked.

"Yeah...growth spurt. I won't be able to carry her soon, I think." Hui Gai replied proudly. "Demons grow differently to humans."

"I didn't know that." Wei Ying told him, appreciatingly. "Then you should take advantage of her size now..." He giggled. "Is there any way to predict how much she's going to grow?"

"I don't think so...why?" Hui Gai raised a brow.

"Well, I was just thinking, maybe you should find a way to...you know, sell her noxious gas..." He was full on laughing now. "Weedkiller?"

"Bio-weapon..." Chihong added.

"Corporal punishment."

"Confession aid..."

The suggestions were many and by different voices.

Hui Gai snickered. "We'll think about it. It's not like she needs the money."

"Oh, I wasn't thinking about the monetary value at all, but now that you've mentioned it, I think she'd be wealthier than you, if it ever came to that." Wei Ying patted her bald head, and she beamed up at him.

They were walking through more and more buildings now.

"So...let's vote. In or out?" Wei Ying asked, when they paused to take a break.

In the end, there was a majority for going through the city.

"Alright, but then we'll have to be much more vigilant." Wei Ying cautioned.

Dunshi was already walking behind them, so they devised a signal that could be sent to Xiao Zei to warn him to hang back, if it came to that. But for the most part, the streets were empty, and the only ones still out and about were the local drunks.

It looked like everyone was completely asleep behind closed doors. The city had extended past its gates, because they came to a great wall with a gate that signalled the entrance to the city of NanLing.

"NanLing...do you think it's because we're close and this city was named because the NanLing mountains are supposed to be nearby?" Wei Ying became a little more serious now.

"Mn. Possible." Lan Zhan agreed as they walked through the imposing gates.

Inside the city walls, it was immediately easy to see that NanLing was a prosperous city. The buildings were of a better quality, and more potted plants were visible, obviously well-looked after and cared for. The warmer climate made for more exotic type plants, and flowers some of which they had never seen before, though it was harder to see clearly by the light of the moon and her stars.

The roads were cleaner, with paved stones making their journey faster and on the whole, more pleasant because they did not have to be on the lookout for stones and small debris. Even the shop fronts looked clean and immaculate, and Wei Ying wondered what their prices were like. Not likely to be cheap, though.

"We should be looking for a place for Dunshi to rest soon." Hongse said, looking up towards the sky a few hours into their walk.

"How long do we have?" Wei Ying asked.

They were in a built up area now, full of large buildings but none of them looked tall or wide enough to house a giant. Now what?

Wei Ying looked this way and that, searching with his eyes for anywhere they could find, because the sky was already lightening and it would not be long before people would start waking up and going about their business.

"Let me ask for help." Hongse said, kneeling on one leg as she placed her hand on the ground.

"What are you doing?" Wei Ying asked her, curiously.

"The density of the earth can be mapped out using vibrations, like what tunnelling animals can do. I am searching... for a gap, if you like. A gap in the waves would signify a change, possibly a waterway which may lead us to a bridge or a tunnel...maybe their sewers are connected to a local river." She answered, closing her eyes to concentrate.

"You're right! It stands to reason that a big city like this would need water, maybe it even sprung up in its early days right next to a river. Then it just grew and grew." Wei Ying hummed, thinking.

"Found it!" She stood up. "If we're right, the old parts of this city might not so congested, and then we might be able to find shelter. It's this way." Hongse took the next left.

They all followed, hoping she was correct.