HIDDEN EVIL [XIAO SHUXIANG THE SERIES]

HIDDEN EVIL [XIAO SHUXIANG THE SERIES]
34 - The Border of the Two Sky Empires

The border area of the Middle Sky Empire with the Northern Sky Empire was a vast field that should be quiet. A rather rocky place and sometimes a battlefield.


The wind blew slowly from the east of Xiao Shuxiang and toyed with his hair and waved his clothes. He and Hu Li nodded at each other before then walking over to take a look at the circumstances before them.


"......"


Hu Li noticed some cultivators who seemed busy preparing firewood and building tents as resting places. He continued to look carefully at the circumstances around him.


Hu Li did not carry a sword or any other weapon. That's why people only see it briefly before returning to continue their respective work. That said, Hu Li was trying not to be the center of attention.


It is different with this Young Master.


Xiao Shuxiang did not carry a sword in hand, his White Jade Flute was even tucked into the waist belt he had - right at the back of his body until it was not visible from the front. It's just that, the attention of the people was long enough on him.


Hu Li did have a sweet face that was pleasing to the eye, but compared to her-aura that radiated on Xiao Shuxiang's body was much more alluring. While being silent, the Alchemist Chef had an undeniable authority. Moreover, the appearance especially her hair was very attention-grabbing.


"......"


"Hu Li...?" Xiao Shuxiang said softly, "Is it just my feeling or is it true that these people are watching us?"


"Young Master Xiao. In my opinion, they're just watching you."


"Mn? Me? Is there something strange on my face?"


Hu Li turned his head and looked at his Young Master's face. He nodded, "There is nothing strange. You just look so handsome,"


Xiao Shuxiang blinked, he coughed softly. "If you already know, then it's okay. I do have a handsome and amazingly charming face. I often flutter when I see my own face. Haiyan... It's amazing,"


Hu Li gave a smile, only his Young Master would behave like that. Undoubtedly the confidence of this Alchemist Chef, he gave up because of it.


Xiao Shuxiang flicked his sleeves, "Alright, it has been quite a session praising my good looks. Let's look around, maybe there's someone we know."


Hu Li nodded slowly and followed his Young Master.


There were some times where Hu Li often compared the nature of his present Master to that of the past. Xiao Shuxiang who was currently walking beside him had a person who was not only pleasant, but also more lively than the former.


Over a hundred years ago and before his Young Master Xiao befriended Immortal Zhou Yuan, Hu Li had never dared to walk this close. Xiao Shuxiang in the past was like a poisonous lotus and no one even Hu Li had the courage to look at his face.


The former Xiao Shuxiang looked like a carrier of death. It was very difficult to see her hands clean of blood, including witnessing how beautiful her charming smile was.


The change in Xiao Shuxiang's self was only slightly noticeable when befriending Immortal Zhou Yuan and living in the environment of the two streams which unfortunately only lasted for 6 months until the great war was fought.


"Young Master Xiao.." Hu Li's voice sounded soft and somewhat quivering.


"Mn? What's?" Xiao Shuxiang turned his head, he looked at the young man beside him who was like he wanted to talk about something.


"I..."


"Brother Xiao...?! Is that you?!"


!!


Just now Hu Li wanted to talk, but suddenly a foreign voice sounded that made him and Xiao Shuxiang flinch. They then turned their heads and saw a young man dressed in green who also appeared to be carrying a fan with matching colors.


The young man had a clean face and his appearance resembled that of a rich merchant's son. The smile never faded from his face, let alone the current color of his eyes brightened as he walked ever closer to them.


"Brother Xiao, it really is you! What happened to your hair?!"


"Nie Shang?!" Xiao Shuxiang blinked and was shocked to find out that this young man who had approached him was none other than Nie Shang.


"Young Master Nie? What are you doing here?" Hu Li was astonished. He knew Nie Shang well. This clean-faced young man was 29 years old now, but Nie Shang still looked younger than his age.


Nie Shang gently waved his fan, "Hu Li. I'm glad to see you again. You rarely come to the inn. You two are very hard to find. I came here to take Mo Huai. Somehow he got an invitation from the Upper-!!" Cultivation Realm!!"


"What?!"


Nie Shang was blown away in shock by Hu Li and Xiao Shuxiang's almost simultaneous exclamation. The two young men could not hide their surprise when they heard what Nie Shang said.


Hu Li, "You said young master Mo also got an invitation?!"


Xiao Shuxiang, "Wait! How is that possible? Where is Mo Huai now?"


Nie Shang gasped with the reaction of these two young men, the look on the faces of Xiao Shuxiang and Hu Li seemed to contain disbelief. He also invited them to his tent to meet Mo Huai himself.


Along the way, several cultivators watched Xiao Shuxiang intently. Their forehead shriveled and seemed to be trying to remember the face of the young man who somehow felt familiar.


Xiao Shuxiang's name was actually famous, let alone his title which was Ling Qing Zhu's 'Protective Guardian. But most people only knew his name, without knowing the appearance of Xiao Shuxiang. 


This was not unusual, as there were many reports that Ling Qing Zhu's 'Protective Guardian' was a large, muscular man with an old face and a scar on his body. A monstrous expression and incompatible with Xiao Shuxiang's true look.


Nie Shang's tent was quite large. He was carrying eight bodyguards and three female servants. There are two well-guarded private horse carriages on one side of the outer tent. 


As he got closer, Xiao Shuxiang and Hu Li heard a faint voice from inside the tent, one of which seemed to speak in a tone. Both were convinced that it was the voice of Siu Yixin.


"Can't I just be replaced...?"


"♬♪ Yo, yo! If that's possible, then I'll go. Compared to you, I'm a better yo! ♪♬"


"I'll definitely die in that place... Can't I just ask permission? Tell them I'm afraid of heights, fever of new places, or whatever. Please help me..."


"What's this?" Xiao Shuxiang waltzed in and made Mo Huai jump in shock. "Even until there is a pleading event all,"


Mo Huai was very surprised, he long noticed the handsome young man before him before finally knowing that the one who had just interrupted his remark was Xiao Shuxiang.


Mo Huai, "Young Master Xiao? You're..."


Siu Yixin, "♬♩ Yo yo! I didn't recognize you for a moment either, you have a new hairstyle yo! ♬♪"


Xiao Shuxiang smiled, Siu Yixin still looks like a 39-year-old man. Her clothes were bright red, she had eye makeup that attracted attention and even the adornment attached to her body was very lively.


Hu Li who had now been inside the tent would not forget about that person. Siu Yixin is really a guy who likes to look flashy.


Mo Huai himself was the opposite of Siu Yixin. The young man looked to be 21 years old, his clothes were white and simple. His good looks were standard, but he had extremely sweet canines when smiling. 


It was just that both then and now, Mo Huai's personality had always been the same. He is timid, weak and remains the most ordinary among his friends. Mo Huai could be said to be the definition of a normal human in general.


"Young Master Xiao, how did you come here?" Mo Huai got up from his seat and allowed Xiao Shuxiang to sit down. 


He saw Nie Shang and finally found out the answer to his question just now. It was Nie Shang who brought Xiao Shuxiang and Hu Li here. Mo Huai felt that they might meet on the road.


Xiao Shuxiang sat down while asking Mo Huai a question, "I heard you got an invitation from the Upper Cultivation Realm, is that true?"


Mo Huai nodded, he confirmed Xiao Shuxiang's remark. "I don't really know anything. Suddenly someone came to the Thousand Year Inn and delivered an invitation. But now it seems I know... They want victims. That's why I was chosen. If not... How could a weak and burdened human like me possibly get an invitation from a realm hailed as the 'Nature of the Gods'?"


Nie Shang exhaled and then shook his head, "That very pessimistic mind of yours is what makes you never get stronger. Didn't I tell you getting an invitation like that was luck? You should be happy. Among the many, you are the chosen."


"But I don't want to." Mo Huai's voice softly. "I know very well the lives of warriors. Ordinary people like me wouldn't fit in with them. If I don't die today, I will die tomorrow. I'm just a figurehead. A character who would die without anyone caring,"


******