TDU Chapter 289
Chapter 289 The Sovereign of Cats
Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin walked towards {Passage to Heaven} under the gradually dimming sky.
"Swindler lad... Didn't you say you knew who Celestial Goat was? Why not tell that Tiger lad?" Qiao Jiajin asked.
"Compared to that Terrestrial Tiger... I trust Chen Junnan more. There are some matters I need to confirm with him."
"Junnan lad?" Qiao Jiajin nodded slightly after hearing this.
As the two passed a street corner, they were met by an elderly woman leading a child. She kept a gentle smile on her face, yet her gaze on Qi Xia was rigid and unblinking.
Qiao Jiajin found it strange… There are actually old people here?
Just as he was about to speak, Qi Xia spoke first, "Fists, let's go."
Qiao Jiajin blinked in surprise, then gave a wordless nod.
The two of them passed by the elderly woman and child, completely ignoring their presence.
As they gradually walked further away, the child spoke up, "Grandma Horse, aren't you going to ask them?"
"No need." The elderly woman shook her head. “Neither one has {Reverberation} or {Dào}. We’d do better to speak with the {Earthly Branches} stationed here.”
"But that loud sound happened during the night, didn’t it?" the child asked. "Would the {Earthly Branches} even know about it?"
“Indeed, that is a valid point…” The elderly woman shook her head in resignation. "I suppose we’ll have to rely on the participants… Just as expected, no one from the train is reliable."
"So, which participant are we going to find?" The child asked, eyes wide with innocence.
"There is a particular place that comes to mind..."
The elderly woman thought for a moment, then reached out to grab the child's wrist. The next instant, they vanished, as though swallowed by the air itself.
…
Qi Xia glanced over his shoulder repeatedly, only relaxing when he was sure no one was following them.
"Swindler lad... what's going on?" Qiao Jiajin asked. "So there are also elderly people and toddlers here, huh?"
"I’m not sure, but there is undoubtedly something amiss," Qi Xia said, his voice quiet. "The ages of these two... it is simply too strange to disregard..."
"Yeah...it should be really hard for them to even make it out of the probation room..." Qiao Jiajin mused quietly.
"It is not simply that..." Qi Xia said, his voice tinged with doubt. "I cannot fathom what crime a child could possibly have committed... Perhaps...that was not their true form?"
"Y–You mean it’s a disguise?" Qiao Jiajin asked.
“It’s probably not that straightforward,” Qi Xia shook his head. “What is imperative now is to assess exactly how much Chen Junnan truly knows about {Celestials}...”
The two quickened their pace, heading straight toward {Passage to Heaven}.
…
In the blink of an eye, the elderly woman and the child arrived at the entrance of a prison at the edge of the city.
Despite the prison’s decrepit appearance, an oil lamp lit the sentry post, where a long-haired man clad in leather kept watch. He slightly raised his head and glanced at the elderly woman and the child before his expression quickly shifted to confusion.
Unfazed by his bewilderment, the elderly woman stepped forward, her gaze fixed on the long-haired man.
"Greetings," the long-haired man said cautiously. "I am {Flourishing Foliage} Liu Twenty-one. And you two are...?"
"Oh dear..." The elderly woman waved her hand. “Don’t be so anxious, I’ve come with a business proposition.”
"Business proposition?" The long-haired man surveyed the two before him, still unsure. "Are you two regulars?"
"Of course, of course. I’ve done business with your group a long time ago... Is there someone in charge available?" The elderly woman’s face was beaming with a kind smile, causing a chill to run down the long-haired man’s spine. "I’d like to have a word with the person in charge."
"Person in charge...?" The long-haired man nodded. "Please, follow me."
He turned and unlocked the heavy iron gate, leading the elderly woman and the child into the prison.
The three crossed the prison courtyard and entered the building.
The long-haired man methodically opened the internal security doors, leading the elderly woman and child straight toward the cells.
The power to the security doors had long been cut off, and most of the doors were now mere decorations, rusty and worn. One by one, the iron gates were opened, leading into the heart of the prison.
As they walked down the hallway lined with cells, the elderly woman casually glanced to either side. She noticed many individuals in black leather clothing sitting on the cell beds, all staring at her with wary eyes.
There were both men and women—dozens of them. The scale of this group was much larger than the elderly woman had remembered.
A man in leather, who was casually strolling through the corridor, quickly approached when he saw the long-haired man.
"Twenty-one, what's going on?" the man asked.
"Eleven ge, they want to meet the person in charge," the long-haired man replied.
The man known as Eleven ge nodded and turned to the elderly woman and the child. "Are you two guests? I am {Affliction Dismissal} Luo Eleven. If there is business to conduct, feel free to discuss it with me. From which year do you come?”
"Eleven?" The elderly woman furrowed her brows. "That’s not sufficient. Call for someone within the first ten ranks.”
"Not sufficient...?" Luo Eleven's expression darkened immediately. "You say I'm not qualified? Who do you think you are?"
Before he could finish his sentence, the elderly woman was already standing next to Luo Eleven. Her speed was so fast that none of the onlookers could even catch a glimpse of her movement.
She lifted her face, a broad smile spread across it, and asked in a hoarse voice, “Child, tell me—what do you think I am?”
Luo Eleven's eyes widened in shock, and he immediately stepped back two paces.
"Y–You two are..." Luo Eleven felt a chill run through his body. "Are you a {Celestial}?"
The atmosphere grew tense in an instant.
Just then, a particular voice echoed from nearby.
"Eleven, show some respect."
Upon hearing this, Luo Eleven and Liu Twenty-One promptly stepped aside, revealing a diminutive figure slowly making his way forward—a young dwarf of remarkably balanced proportions, with a strange scar marring the left side of his face, as though left by the fangs of some beast.
"Five ge." Both Luo Eleven and Liu Twenty-one lowered their heads in respect.
The elderly woman, upon seeing the dwarf man, revealed another smile. "Ah... Qian Five."
"Hello, Celestial Horse." The dwarf, named Qian Five, nodded without expression. “We seldom see {Earthly Branches} partake in any transactions with us.”
At the mention of {Celestial Horse}, the expressions of those nearby shifted noticeably.
“Well, here we are, aren’t we?” Celestial Horse lifted her head with a smile. “Little Tiger and I came precisely to do business with you.”
“But I still harbor some doubts,” Qian Five replied. “Will it come to fruition?”
"Xiao Qian, what kind of attitude is that… Clearly, you lack respect for your elders and kindness toward the young.” Celestial Horse patted her lower back and added, “Can’t you be a bit warmer toward us?”
“We concern ourselves only with the compensation,” Qian Five said. “What I fail to understand is how {Earthly Branches} intend to settle the payment.”
"Do we even need to settle payments?" Celestial Horse laughed. "Xiao Qian, we could always threaten you."
"Oh?" The dwarf man smiled faintly. "Perhaps I misheard just now—did you say you intend to {threaten me}?"
As the words left his lips, every prisoner in the cell rose to their feet, unlocking their cell doors and slowly stepping into the hallway.
TL Note: Rant goes here ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)
