“An alarm?” Xie Lian asked. Could Lord Wind Master and Qianqiu have shown their true selves here in Ghost City? Xie Lian rose too. “I’ll come with you.”
Hua Cheng gently pushed him back down. “Don’t worry, it’s not His Highness Tai Hua or the other one. Gege, just sit here. There’s no need for you to go.”
Since Hua Cheng made it that clear, Xie Lian couldn’t keep insisting on going along. Hua Cheng turned and left the main hall, waving from the doorway. The beaded curtain parted automatically as he approached, and once he exited, it let itself back down, clacking as it did.
Seated on the black jaded divan, Xie Lian relaxed briefly and thought about the bandaged boy. Remembering the objective of his trip, however, he rose to his feet. He passed through the small door the girls had left from and came to a small garden. The vermilion corridor cutting across the garden was empty of life.
Xie Lian was still wondering which way he should go when suddenly a black shadow flashed by.
That retreating silhouette—it was the Waning Moon Officer.
Xie Lian recalled the cursed shackle on the officer’s wrist; it had been on his mind. He was about to call out to him when the silhouette disappeared. From the way the man moved, it seemed he was wary of being discovered. Thus, Xie Lian soundlessly followed after him.
Making his way to the corner of the building behind which the officer disappeared, Xie Lian clung to the wall and stealthily gazed over. That youth moved swiftly and was constantly on the lookout around him, extremely cautious and indeed afraid to be seen.
Xie Lian wondered, The Waning Moon Officer should be one of San Lang’s subordinates, so why is he sneaking around inside San Lang’s territory?
Xie Lian suspected this man could possess ill intent, so he also hid himself and followed. The Waning Moon Officer made a number of turns through the hallways, but Xie Lian held his breath and was always within a dozen steps behind. They rounded a corner and came to a long hallway, and at the end there was a set of large, beautifully decorated doors.
If he turns around now, there won’t be anywhere to hide, Xie Lian thought.
Unexpectedly, just as the thought crossed his mind, the Waning Moon Officer stopped and turned his head.
Xie Lian knew he was in trouble the moment the Officer paused. Hastily, Ruoye flew out and wrapped itself several times around the wooden beam overhead, pulling Xie Lian up to the ceiling where he clung to the beam.
The Waning Moon Officer didn’t see anyone behind him and didn’t think to look up, so he turned around again and continued on his way.
Nonetheless, Xie Lian still didn’t dare to let himself down too soon. He remained pressed against the ceiling as he inched forward silently, thinking that he resembled a gecko as he moved. Good thing the other party didn’t go far and stopped before a set of doors. Xie Lian stopped too, to observe.
Before this door was a statue of a woman, wily and beautiful. Of course, from Xie Lian’s angle, all he could see clearly was her round head and a shallow, round jaded plate in her hands. The Waning Moon Officer didn’t move to open the door first but instead turned to the statue and tossed something into the jaded plate. It made a crisp, clacking sound.
Dice? Xie Lian guessed.
It was a sound he’d heard many times today, and not one he’d forget for a long time. Sure enough, when the masked youth removed his hand and Xie Lian looked, it was indeed two dice in the jaded plate, both revealing six red dots.
The Waning Moon Officer tucked the dice away before opening the door. It was surprisingly unlocked, and when he entered through the doors and closed them behind him, Xie Lian didn’t hear any sound of locks or latches either. He waited for a moment before he fluttered down to the ground as quietly as a piece of paper and crossed his arms as he examined the doors.
This room didn’t appear to be that big, and whatever the Waning Moon Officer was doing inside should make noise. Yet once he entered, there was not a sound from within. Xie Lian decisively raised a hand and pushed.
Sure enough, when he opened the door, there was not a soul inside. From the looks of it, this was a perfectly normal, if quite luxurious, little room. Everything inside was in order at a glance, and there was no possibility that there was a secret path.
Xie Lian closed the door and looked thoughtfully at the female statue and at the jaded plate in her hands. It seemed that the mechanism lay in that jaded plate and the two dice.
The room was still locked—not with a physical lock but a magic one. A key was required to open this lock, or an authorization incantation. The dice must roll two sixes in that plate for one to see the real destination behind those doors.