Chapter Fifty-Two: The Quest for Treasures, The Bold Intruder
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Clearwater Hall
Main Hall
The Dragon King sat upon the throne at the head of the hall. His expression was still weary, but when he saw his fifth son enter with a demon-clan man following behind him, he forcibly roused his spirits.
“Greetings, Your Majesty the Dragon King.” Bai Yan bowed without revealing the slightest emotion.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Yue Li.”
“Yue Li?” The Dragon King was somewhat bewildered. He had never heard that name before.
Long Hai moved to the side and stood beside the Dragon King, openly eavesdropping on their conversation.
“Yes. I have come at the command of the Demon Lord.”
“Mo Yan?” The more the Dragon King listened, the more confused he became. Nothing had happened among the demons recently, so why had they sent someone here?
Knowing that the Dragon King would be suspicious, Bai Yan began to fabricate an explanation. “Yes. The demon clan recently lost a treasure, and the Demon Lord specifically dispatched me to search for it.”
“So you came to my Dragon Palace believing that your demon clan’s treasure might be hidden here?”
“I would not dare presume so. I merely seek an audience with Your Majesty and hope that you will grant me permission to search the Dragon Palace, so that I may complete my task and return to report.”
The Dragon King rubbed his temples and waved a hand. “Hai’er, take him.”
Long Hai lowered himself and bowed. “I obey, Father.”
The two of them left the main hall together.
There were not many guards stationed outside Clearwater Hall, and their departure attracted little attention.
Halfway there, Long Hai gradually slowed his pace and turned to look behind him.
When he stopped, Bai Yan stopped as well and smiled. “Fifth Highness?”
“May I ask what treasure the demon clan has lost that the Demon Lord considers it so important he sent you alone to find it?”
Long Hai stared directly into his eyes, as though afraid he might miss even the smallest detail in them.
Indeed, what kind of treasure would warrant sending only one person to search for it?
Even if they truly intended to look for it, would they not send an entire group?
Bai Yan knew he would be suspicious, but he had only come to find that fellow Han Mo. As long as Han Mo was not in the Dragon Palace, he would leave at once. He had no fear that Long Hai would discover his true identity.
“The Fifth Highness jests.” Bai Yan’s expression did not change in the slightest. There was even a trace of courteous amusement in his eyes. “This object is of the utmost importance. The Demon Lord feared that too many people knowing of it would draw the attention of those with ulterior motives, so he deliberately sent only me.”
“Oh?” Long Hai gave a soft laugh and leaned closer, speaking in a low, chilling voice beside his ear. “Was it lost only in the Dragon Palace?”
Had he realized something?
Bai Yan glanced sideways, but his expression remained calm and unruffled. “I have merely come to search this region. I only just arrived among the dragon clan.”
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“So after you finish searching the dragon clan’s territory, you intend to visit other places as well?”
“Of course.”
“And where do you intend to go?”
“The demon-beast clan.” His answer came without the slightest hesitation.
Long Hai increased the distance between them until they stood a step apart. He looked at Bai Yan. “The demon-beast clan?”
“Yes, Fifth Highness.”
“You will also pay your respects to the Fox King?”
“Of course.”
Long Hai curled his lips into a wicked smile and lightly patted Bai Yan on the shoulder. “Then I wish you good fortune and hope you find your treasure soon.”
Bai Yan lowered his head humbly and bowed. “Thank you for your kind words, Fifth Highness.”
It would be unwise to remain here much longer.
Long Hai had probably noticed something.
Long Hai withdrew his hand, turned neatly, and led the way forward as he introduced the surroundings. “Ahead lies the Crown Prince’s Heart of Chu Hall, its side hall, the Scripture Repository, the study, and the rear courtyard.”
“The Crown Prince is not here. Few people enter these grounds on ordinary days, and it is even less likely that your demon clan’s treasure would have been lost or hidden here.”
Bai Yan followed his pace and nodded. “I understand. Thank you, Fifth Highness.”
“Further ahead is the Scholars’ Pavilion. That is where my sixth, seventh, and eighth brothers study. Apart from their tutor and themselves, no one else enters.”
“I can take you inside to look.”
“Thank you, Fifth Highness.”
Bai Yan followed him inside and made a circuit of the pavilion, but he detected no trace of Han Mo’s presence.
He knitted his brows. A faint unease stirred within him, and he could not tell whether it came from his current predicament or from his failure to find Han Mo.
“Farther ahead is Third Brother’s Bright Mirror Hall. Because of the matter involving the human race, Father has confined Third Brother there as punishment. He has not left the hall for many days.”
“I assume you do not require me to take you inside?”
Bai Yan shook his head and readily agreed. “There is no need. I doubt the treasure would have been lost in the Third Highness’s residence either.”
“So you do possess some self-awareness?” Long Hai could not resist sneering at him.
Then why had he come to their Dragon Palace in search of some treasure belonging to the demon clan?
What an absurd joke.
Bai Yan said nothing. He merely bent his body a little farther. After all, one had to bow beneath another’s roof.
With Long Hai leading him, he continued to circle through the Dragon Palace. They passed through every kind of hall and residence, pavilions and scripture houses, then gardens, the Sea Pavilion, the Rear Waters, and countless other places.
One or two hours passed in this manner.
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Bai Yan had nearly turned the entire Dragon Palace upside down, yet he had not detected even the slightest trace of Han Mo.
He was nearly driven mad.
That damned brat—where in the world had he run off to?
“How was it?” Long Hai asked him from the bottom of his heart, his voice cold enough to freeze. “Did you see your demon clan’s treasure?”
Bai Yan lowered himself and bowed with utmost respect. “Thank you, Fifth Highness. I shall report to the Demon Lord at once that there is no trace of the treasure in the Dragon Palace.”
“Then should I thank you as well for clearing the Dragon Palace of suspicion?”
“The Fifth Highness jests.”
“I am not jesting.” A trace of coldness and oppression filled Long Hai’s eyes. “For the sake of this excuse of yours, I have spent quite some time accompanying you.”
Bai Yan looked up in surprise. “What do you mean, Fifth Highness?”
He appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly he was still somewhat flustered.
Long Hai had indeed seen through him.
Long Hai folded his arms before his chest and looked down at him condescendingly.
“First, the salute you offered was not the salute of the demon clan, but that of the celestial clan.”
“Even if you were an immortal banished by the celestial clan, once you entered the demon clan, you should have adopted the demon clan’s salute. What is more, you claim to be a trusted subordinate capable of acting on the Demon Lord’s behalf. How could you not know the proper salute?”
“Second, if my first point is correct, then you are not acting on the Demon Lord’s behalf.”
“I do not know whether you are even a member of the demon clan. Judging by your words alone, that excuse of yours was likely invented on the spot.”
“Third, I have already sent someone to question the two soldiers who stopped you. They said that you originally came looking for someone. Only after they refused to let you enter the hall did you change your story and claim that you had come to see my father.”
“Fourth, no one noticed you along the way. You were stopped only when you reached the Hall of Pure Mind.”
“From this, it is clear that you were concealing your movements and did not want anyone to know of your presence. Whatever you intended to do must likewise have been something you could not allow the light of day to touch, correct?”
“Fifth—and most importantly—you claimed to be searching for a treasure. Yet whenever you reached a new place, you showed no sign of looking for one. Instead, the source energy you were sensing with your hands continued to stir without pause.”
After saying all this, he paused and fixed Bai Yan with a frigid gaze.
“Well? Was everything I said correct?”
Bai Yan smiled, entirely free of embarrassment at having been exposed. “The Fifth Highness is truly perceptive. I am deeply impressed.”
“So you are no longer a subordinate of the demon clan?”
“In the presence of the Fifth Highness, I would not dare conceal my true abilities.”
“Heh.”
Long Hai let out a derisive laugh. His expression darkened, and he shouted coldly, “Guards! Seize this audacious trespasser and throw him into the dungeon beneath the palace. We will interrogate him later.”
A group of elite soldiers immediately appeared behind him. Carrying spears, they bowed and replied, “Yes, Highness. We obey.”
End of chapter.