Chapter 273

"Two mountains overlapping..."

Before Qi Bai could ask what the “key” was, Hu Xiao seemed to fall into a deep trance.

He opened his mouth with difficulty, cold sweat quickly beading on his forehead. His outstretched fingers trembled uncontrollably, as if he were using all his strength to describe the vision he was seeing.

"Two moons shining together... in black mist... the key... the key is there!"

Hu Xiao’s voice suddenly rose in pitch, and then he collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, falling straight down.

Qi Bai had noticed when Hu Xiao entered that he didn’t look well.

Now, Hu Xiao’s body felt as light as paper, his lips were completely colorless, and Qi Bai could’ve sworn that for a moment his hair turned silvery-white — but it quickly returned to its usual dark red, almost black, color.

Lang Ze picked Hu Xiao out of Qi Bai’s arms and tossed him into a chair. “Key? What key?”

The news that Qi Bai and Lang Ze were going to leave had not yet spread throughout the city. Aside from the few who attended the council meeting, no one else should know.

But Lang Ze couldn’t be bothered to ask where Hu Xiao had gotten his information — he just got straight to the point and asked about the “key.”

Qi Bai also found it odd. They weren’t heading out on a treasure hunt, so why was a “key” being mentioned?

Hu Xiao had now regained a bit of strength. He gulped down a large mouthful of water and weakly shook his head. “I don’t know what it is. The Beast God's oracle only let me see that image.”

Every act of prophecy drained a huge amount of energy. If he hadn’t wanted Qi Bai and Lang Ze to believe him, he wouldn’t have forced himself to come here in such a state.

Hu Xiao didn’t seem to be lying. He truly didn’t know the meaning of the “key.” Lang Ze’s eyes narrowed sharply. “Then how can you be sure that this prophecy concerns us and not yourself?”

Hu Xiao stiffened, silently cursing Lang Ze’s sharpness.

After learning Qi Bai and Lang Ze were headed south, Hu Xiao had performed a prophecy about their journey.

He hadn’t mastered prophecy arts — usually, even with a thousand attempts, it might not work once. This time, it was another one of those routine tries.

He figured it wouldn’t hurt to try, and if it worked, he might get some serious rewards.

Right now, Hu Xiao worked in a woodworking shop under the Construction Bureau. He’d long envied Hu Bu’s treatment. Though his imitation skills were excellent, he lacked creative ability — and the rewards for creators were far better than for manufacturers.

After thinking it through, Hu Xiao still felt that his foresight ability was the true key to wealth. That’s why he never gave up using it.

But he didn’t think there was any benefit in revealing his ability outright — especially letting Lang Ze know he could predict Lang Ze’s future. Hu Xiao suspected Lang Ze would just eliminate him as an unstable threat.

Just the thought gave him chills. He felt like he’d stepped into another trap.

“I was at the center of the vision,” Hu Xiao said vaguely, “and I saw the two of you there.”

He wasn’t exactly lying — the vision had shown a point of view from someone’s eyes, and judging by the height, Hu Xiao thought it must have been Qi Bai’s perspective.

Seeing that Qi Bai and Lang Ze were still skeptical, Hu Xiao grew anxious. “This is really important for you both. You have to take it seriously.”

The foresight ability of the Xianling tribe was actually divided into two types: precognition and prophecy. Hu Xiao had inherited both.

Precognition revealed events that were destined to happen — unchangeable no matter what. For example, Hu Xiao had foreseen the eventual founding of Heiyao City.

Prophecy, however, was different. It was not set in stone, but rather a possible path for an event’s development.

It was like climbing a mountain: some routes were smooth, others treacherous, even sheer cliffs — but all eventually led to the summit.

As long as the climber was strong enough, even the most dangerous cliff could be conquered. But if there was a safer road, why risk your life on a cliff path, especially when the base of that cliff was littered with the bones of those who’d tried and failed?

A prophecy only showed one of these countless “paths” — usually one favorable to the subject.

But the flip side was that if Qi Bai and Lang Ze chose a different path and still reached their goal, it would prove Hu Xiao’s prediction wasn’t necessary — and that didn’t serve his interests.

“You said before that your foresight visions were always blurry,” Lang Ze said in a low voice. “Why is it that this time, the location, timing, and even people appeared so clearly?”

Hu Xiao widened his eyes.

Yeah — why was it so clear this time?

“I... I don’t know. Maybe my prophetic ability has improved,” Hu Xiao replied uncertainly.

Qi Bai frowned. “You described it like a specific place. Do you know where it is?”

Hu Xiao shook his head. “Of course not. But aren’t you two headed to Wangu City? Maybe that place is in or near it.”

“Who said we’re going to Wangu City?”

“I guessed,” Hu Xiao said with a shrug. He had overheard nearly the entire conversation when Qi Bai and Lang Ze were baiting Ji, so when he heard they were heading out, his first thought was Wangu City.

“If not Wangu City, then where? Don’t tell me it’s that ‘Upper City’ the old man mentioned. If that’s your plan, you’d better think twice,” Hu Xiao said more seriously. “The people in those temples seem to have a way to detect divine blood. Don’t say I didn’t warn you — stay away from the temples and Beast God City.”

Qi Bai accepted the advice, but still reminded him: “No one knows where Lang Ze and I are headed. Fewer guesses would be better — for your own good.”

After seeing Hu Xiao off, Qi Bai and Lang Ze lost the mood to continue preparing supplies.

Qi Bai asked, “Do you think he was telling the truth?”

Lang Ze thought for a moment and said, “He has no reason to lie. But we can’t fully believe him either. He looked more anxious than we did when we doubted him — that’s strange.”

Qi Bai quietly repeated the prophecy: “Two mountains overlapping, two moons shining together, black mist... What could this ‘key’ be?”

Lang Ze said, “Whatever it is, we’ll handle it when the time comes.”

Qi Bai nodded.

Yes — whatever comes, they’d take it as it came and adapt.

---

Three days later, a grand safety-blessing ritual was held in the Hall of Sacrifice. As the whole city watched with reluctant eyes, a massive white wolf nearly four meters tall leapt into the air and disappeared into the distance.

Yang Luo sighed as he watched them leave.

If he had a choice, he didn’t want those two children risking themselves.

He would rather they stayed in the north, strengthening their fortress. Even if enemies came knocking, couldn’t Heiyao at least escape if not defeat them?

But no matter what he felt, Yang Luo never voiced any objection to Qi Bai and Lang Ze’s decision.

Heiyao City was no longer the tiny tribe of fifty-some people it once was. They no longer panicked over a single wolf pack or herd of wild cattle. But that also meant that their enemies — and allies — would be far more formidable.

Much had already changed. Lang Ze and Qi Bai each carried missions of their own — missions they couldn’t escape, even if they wanted to.

“Sigh...”

Behind him came another sigh. Yang Luo turned around to find Hu Xiao also staring at the horizon with a troubled expression.

Hu Xiao still wasn’t sure whether Qi Bai and Lang Ze believed him. It clearly bothered him.

“Hey!” Hu Xiao yelped as Yang Luo gave him a slap. “Why’d you hit me?!”

Grand Elder Yang Luo glared. “That was me going easy on you. What are you moping about? With the city lord and high priest gone, you’d better work extra hard. I’m not as merciful as the high priest. Let’s see who dares slack off now.”

Hu Xiao felt wronged. Who was slacking off?! Even if he had intended to, he hadn’t done it yet — what right did Yang Luo have to hit him now?

Yang Luo raised his bear-bone staff toward the workers. “Beastmen of Heiyao! Before the city lord and high priest return, we must finish the city walls and complete the mighty Heiyao City!”

“Build the wall!”
“Build the wall!”

The beastmen shouted in unison and quickly got to work under the team leaders’ orders.

Hu Xiao couldn’t help but roll his eyes. These brainless beastmen — like they had endless energy all day long.

“Hu Xiao! Let’s go!” A young sub-beastman wrapped an arm around Hu Xiao’s shoulder.

They were heading back to the workshop to produce more and bigger transport carts.

Though Hu Xiao grumbled inside, his body didn’t hesitate — he turned and followed the sub-beastman into the city.

---

The ground was cracked, dry, and barren — the entire landscape desolate.

Though Qi Bai and Lang Ze traveled steadily south, the temperature kept dropping. As deep winter set in, the land froze over.

Fortunately, without heavy snow

blocking the roads, their journey remained manageable.

They saw few wild animals, and those they did encounter were thin and skeletal, their eyes mad with hunger and cold.

Not that it mattered — even if Lang Ze didn’t step in, Qi Bai could handle them easily. They also brought plenty of food, enough to last a long stretch.

What unsettled Qi Bai wasn’t the beasts — it was the vast, empty land. It was the corpses they began to see more and more of — at first one or two, then in entire clusters.

These remains weren’t just beastmen, but also herds of dead animals.

Qi Bai didn’t know what had killed them. But judging from the few remaining withered trees, he could guess.

A once-in-a-millennium drought and bitter cold had killed the plants that beastmen and animals relied on. Starved and desperate, they had likely tried to flee — but in a scorched land with nowhere to run, how far could they have gotten?

Heiyao, isolated in the north, had never imagined that beyond Dongyi, the environment was even more brutal. Compared to this, even the Northern Wastes felt like paradise.

Luckily, Lang Ze had noticed signs in the soil and led them westward early on.

Still, finding water remained a constant struggle.

Lang Ze would carry Qi Bai up mountains several kilometers high just to search for hidden mountain springs — most of which were frozen solid.

They’d break the ice with bone knives, boil the water, and store it.

Since they had no idea how far until the next water source, they had to prepare enough for at least ten days each time.

Qi Bai had packed ten large bamboo canisters before setting out, thinking that would be plenty — but it still wasn’t enough.

Fortunately, water turned to ice quickly in winter. After boiling the water, Qi Bai would pour it into the bamboo tubes, then shift the frozen blocks into a large basket lined with clean furs.

That way, when they stopped to rest, they could melt ice blocks and drink.

Good thing Lang Ze’s beast form had grown much larger than last year. Otherwise, with their supplies, Qi Bai’s sleeping den, and dozens of kilograms of ice, any smaller beastman would’ve collapsed under the weight — let alone sprinted for thousands of li.

They endured these harsh water shortages for nearly two months — until at last, they saw muddy, soggy land in the distance.

Standing beside the giant white wolf, Qi Bai’s voice was hoarse from long dehydration.

“That should be the marshlands. We’ve finally reached Manghuang.”