usatvline Chapter 182 The Imposter's True Identity
Chapter 182 The Imposter's True Identity
Neither human nor ghost—that was Chang Dayong's impression of the "Asura King." The other party wore a mask so his face couldn't be seen, and his other features were extremely exaggerated, completely unlike what a human should have. He was always appearing and disappearing mysteriously, so wasn't he just a monster that was neither human nor ghost?
Chang Dayong didn't delve into how the other party knew about the two brothers' past, nor did he dare to. Whether it was a monster or a ghost, it was not something two mortals could fight against.
"Send them to the capital, at least they can be raised in a large compound and taken care of by special people..."
Chang Dayong himself couldn't be sure about these words, and no one could be sure whether that nobleman in the capital would be fickle or not, nor could they guarantee that the flowers wouldn't cause any more problems after being transplanted. The two brothers had always transplanted the flowers from the edge of the flower bed, and they dared not touch the two plants in the middle.
Sometimes, Chang Dayong didn't even dare to go over and look at the two tallest and largest peonies in the very center. Whenever he saw the flowers, he would think of his former wife's face, the Lady Cao he had sought out out of curiosity, and the scene of his child being thrown to the ground and disappearing.
"Are you crazy?"
After receiving an affirmative answer, Chang Daqi looked at his older brother in disbelief, as if he were meeting him for the first time. Even though he had expected it beforehand, he still couldn't accept it after actually hearing it.
"boom!"
Chang Dayong, who was sitting down, was grabbed by the collar and pulled up. The teacup on the table next to him was swept off by his sleeve, fell to the ground and shattered.
"That's a child from the Chang family!"
“But a child like that can’t be the heir of the Chang family.”
When the two brothers' children were born, they did look like normal babies, and they were both sons. But now they have turned into two peonies, and no one is sure if they can turn back. The Chang family cannot just end up in the hands of the two brothers.
The peony business is still not very stable. The Chang family's business is actually very unstable. All the flowers they sell are transplanted from the flower bushes in the yard. If something happens to the one in the very center, it is impossible to know what will happen to the other flowers.
However, if they could establish connections with the powerful and influential in the capital and enter the circle of the elite, they would have far fewer worries. If they could also secure an official position, the two brothers could leave Luoyang, and then neither monsters nor bandits would be of any concern to the Chang family.
He started out as just an ordinary scholar; compared to becoming a wealthy merchant here, he...
Chang Dayong still preferred being an official. Years ago, he unexpectedly met Ge Jin, a flower fairy who was as beautiful as a celestial being. His admiration for the beauty overwhelmed his previous desire to pass the imperial examinations. After all these years, he has now set his sights on becoming an examiner.
“Our family has become wealthy too quickly. There are plenty of people outside who have ulterior motives. Not long ago, there were robbers who came. That time, Ge Jin and my sister-in-law were there. What about this time?”
Chang Dayong pressed down the hand that was grabbing his collar. Back then, when that group of bandits came to cause trouble, it was Ge Jin and Yu Ban who sent them away. Now that they were gone, another group of people came to cause trouble. As a result, Chang Dayong and Chang Daqi could do nothing. They were afraid that reporting to the authorities would not be explained clearly, and they were afraid that consulting a sorcerer would expose their past marriage to a flower fairy. They were also troubled by the special nature of the items being demanded, which led to their current dilemma.
“...You’re afraid of them? Fine, I’ll go.”
Knowing that his elder brother had decided to curry favor with the powerful, Chang Daqi knew he couldn't persuade him otherwise, so he turned and left.
Where are you going?
"Go to Caozhou and find Lady Cao. Even if Yuban is not here, my sister-in-law must be in Caozhou."
"They are monsters!"
Because of his suspicions about his wife's identity, Chang Dayong discovered that she was a flower fairy. In order to develop his family business, he used the flower bushes that his children had transformed into as the source of his goods. Chang Dayong stopped going to Caozhou because he was afraid of seeing his wife again and was afraid that she would get angry again because of this.
After all, it was a peony flower that had transformed into a monster. It's normal for mortals to be afraid of monsters, but Chang Daqi felt that it was precisely his brother's suspicious nature that led to this tragedy for the Chang family.
"Heh, back then you said your sister-in-law and the others were fairies descended from heaven."
Before Chang Dayong went to Caozhou, Ge Jin and Yu Ban had already shown their extraordinary abilities. At that time, Chang Dayong said they were immortals and admired them more. But after discovering the truth, they became monsters that needed to be carefully tested.
As the younger brother, Chang Daqi always obeyed his elder brother's orders. When his brother suddenly brought back a beautiful woman, he didn't ask any questions. When his brother wanted to match him with Yu Ban, he followed his instructions. After his wife left, Chang Dayong suggested turning the child into a peony to sell for money. Although he felt it was inappropriate, he didn't say anything in the end and listened to his brother's wishes.
But this time he didn't want to listen. Recalling the extraordinary qualities of Ge Jin and Yu Ban in the past, his daughter was already so powerful, so Lady Cao must be no ordinary flower fairy. The two peonies in the courtyard were, after all, Lady Cao's grandsons, so it was impossible for her to really ignore them.
The White Lotus Sect and that strange-looking Asura King are not people that ordinary people can fight against. He might as well try to find a demon; maybe he can save the child.
"Caozhou is too far away; you won't be able to solve the problem even if you go!"
"Do you really think currying favor with powerful figures in the capital will solve your problems?!"
"Dong dong."
Just as the two brothers were about to start arguing again, there was a knock on the Chang family's front door. The two brothers were not close to the door, but the knocks were clearly heard by them.
Because the peonies withered for no apparent reason, no one came to do business with them recently. In addition, due to the threat from the White Lotus Sect, the neighbors were unwilling to associate with the Chang family. At this time, who would come to visit the Chang family?
Chang Daqi was relatively close to the door. He first glanced at his brother and realized that Chang Dayong didn't know who was outside either. Since the person knocking didn't behave rudely and didn't seem to be there to cause trouble, Chang Daqi opened the door with some doubt.
Upon opening the gate, Chang Dayong saw a handsome young Taoist priest standing outside. He was certain he did not recognize him, as he had always avoided contact with Taoist priests and monks for fear that the scandal of his past marriage to a flower fairy would escalate and affect the Chang family.
"Who is this Taoist priest?"
"I am a wandering Taoist priest. After arriving in Luoyang and hearing about your esteemed residence, I encountered some trouble. Those two little flower fairies in your courtyard..."
"and many more!"
Upon hearing the words "flower demon," Chang Dayong rushed over and interrupted the Taoist priest.
"Please come in, Taoist priest."
Chang Dayong didn't have time to think about how the other party knew these things. He just hurriedly welcomed the people in. Nowadays, most people in the city only thought that the White Lotus Sect had their eyes on the Chang family's wealth and that the matter of demanding the peony was just a pretext. The matter of the flower demon must not be heard by others.
The Taoist priest wasn't annoyed by being interrupted. He followed Chang Dayong's instructions and walked through the gate. After the Taoist priest entered the courtyard, Chang Dayong, under the disapproving gaze of Chang Daqi, first looked around outside the gate to make sure no one was there, and then immediately closed the gate.
The relationship between the Chang family and the Flower Fairy must never be known to outsiders.
……
"Tianji sent a message, let's go!"
"Wow!"
"Did the Tianji brothers find a clue?"
In Yan Chixia's opinion, Tianji had only been gone a short while before sending word back that he had found a crucial clue; his efficiency was truly extraordinary.
When he was exorcising demons, even if he was fast, he could only wait until night when the spirits were active. Tianji was following an ordinary person, and the reason for the follow was just a guess based on a few petals. How could he have gone straight to the heart of the matter?
"He found the counterfeit product and told us to go there right away."
"So fast?"
Tianji tracked down the fake Asura King in just one trip? That's incredibly fast.
After sending the message to Xing Tianshi and the others, Tianji hid in the shadows and observed the people in the courtyard. The White Lotus Sect members were all mediocre, with weak strength, and could be dealt with by anyone. The flower fairy wearing a mask seemed to be of decent strength, but she was still far inferior to a Xiantian person.
"How is the Chang family?"
After listening to the visitor's description of Xing Tianshi and the others, the masked flower fairy asked this question. Upon hearing the flower fairy's voice, Tian Ji tilted his head slightly. Judging from the other party's figure, he was indeed male, but the voice was relatively high-pitched for a man, and while it was neutral, it also had a slightly feminine quality.
However, whether it is a monster or a monster that imitates others based on some of their characteristics, its gender and appearance cannot be determined arbitrarily.
"The two Chang brothers haven't left the house for several days, but I heard that someone else's peony suddenly withered, and they bought it back from the Chang family at a high price."
"Keep staring."
The flower fairy raised her hand and conjured several golden leaves out of thin air, which flew into the hands of the person opposite her. Tianji watched the person leave with gratitude and understood why the other party had been so eager to come and deliver the message.
However, you can't just accept the gold and silver given by the spirit. If the other party is skilled in illusion, who can guarantee that the spirit is giving you real gold? What you see as real gold and silver may actually be some leaves, pebbles, or even trash thrown away by someone else.
Having found the real target, Tianji did not leave with the people who had been following him. Instead, he considered how to capture the group. However, before he could come up with a plan, the other side took action first.
Several objects resembling hidden weapons flew towards Tianji's hiding place. Tianji easily dodged them, but the weapons eventually struck the wall behind him, adding more scratches to the already dilapidated surface.
The attack itself was nothing special; what was surprising was that this flower fairy had actually discovered the Heavenly Taboo. Her insight was truly remarkable.
Now that he had been discovered, Tianji stopped hiding and appeared directly from the shadows. Instead of attacking the flower demon who had launched the hidden weapon, he first knocked down several members of the White Lotus Cult to the ground to prevent them from escaping in the chaos.
In just a few breaths, the fragrance of the flowers in the courtyard doubled in intensity; it could no longer be called a fragrance, it was practically a drug-inducing smoke.
"who are you?"
The flower fairy could tell that the person was not simple, and she was also certain that she did not know him. Judging from his appearance, he was very similar to the taciturn swordsman in the new intelligence.
Calling him a swordsman might not be entirely accurate. The flower fairy could tell that the person opposite her also possessed cultivation and magical power, but she couldn't discern their strength. Such a person was either extremely weak or extremely strong, and judging from their reaction just now, they were most likely the latter.
"Let's see who's impersonating King Asura."
As he spoke, Tianji drew his sword and thrust it at the ground beside his feet. A purple flower bud immediately appeared where the sword had pierced through it.
He had already been ambushed twice. He clearly saw that the other party had a knife on his waist, but it turned out to be either a hidden weapon or a sneak attack.
After the flower bud was pierced, it scattered automatically. Tianji glanced at it casually and found that it looked very similar to the petals that Yedai had found before. They were probably the same kind, and it might even be the original form of the flower demon on the other side.
Having already been ambushed twice, the one being ambushed had no reason to wait for a third. Thinking that the opponent was a monster and wouldn't be too fragile, Tianji slashed with his sword. The flower demon also drew her sword to block. However, when their swords clashed, Tianji's sword actually passed right through the flower demon's sword.
Immediately following, the sharp blade fell in front of the flower fairy, and then the person opposite her was cleaved in two by Tian Ji, just like a canvas being sliced open. The next second, the humanoid figure in front of her turned into a pair of purple petals that exploded and instantly engulfed Tian Ji.
This was actually a "smokescreen." Tianji's vision was filled with purple petals. These petals seemed to have their own consciousness, flying around the person inside and trapping Tianji in this cocoon made of petals.
"go with!"
At the sound of a loud shout, the petals were ignited by flames that appeared out of nowhere, quickly burning a hole in them. Tianji inserted his sword into the hole, and with a wave of his arm, the sword light and flames moved in parallel, and he used the flames to "cut open" the cocoon made of petals.
When they looked again, the flower fairy had disappeared, leaving only a group of White Lotus Sect members who were unable to move, and Xing Tianshi and others who had rushed over after receiving the news.
The flames just now were a fire talisman thrown by Xing Tianshi.
"How strange! You, who are usually so quiet, have actually learned to 'flirt' with other women."
"..."
Tianji didn't play pranks on Xing Tianshi. He calmly brushed off the remaining flower petals from his body and then looked at Yan Chixia.
"Give it to me."
This "smoke bomb" tactic is indeed effective, but simply blocking vision is useless against Tianji. He has experience with blindness and thinks that he can escape by just blocking his eyes, which is rather naive.
"I can't tell his cultivation level. Who is this person?"
The escaped flower demon stopped on a secluded path where no one could be seen. If it were an ordinary Taoist priest, the flower demon could fight him, but Tianji could not see through his cultivation level, and rashly engaging in battle would only result in losses.
"We need to notify...what?!"
Sensing the sharp sword intent behind her, as well as several unfamiliar auras, the flower demon knew that Tian Ji had caught up. She couldn't help but be shocked. This was too fast. Her move just now couldn't even trap the opponent.
The pursuers were close, and the flower demon tried to escape, but this time, in addition to Tian Ji, there were also Yan Chixia and Xing Tianshi. With this lineup, there was no way to escape. After several unsuccessful counterattacks, the flower demon planned to use the petal explosion again. Xing Tianshi was prepared and threw a talisman. Although it exploded, the petals did not fly out. Instead, they scattered all over the ground, and the flower demon fell to the ground.
This time, however, the other person's appearance had changed. Before, they were wearing a mask and dressed in red, imitating the legendary "Asura King." The person who fell to the ground was now dressed in purple, smaller in size, and clearly a woman.
"hateful……!"
The woman tumbled out from the petals that had been protecting her. Just as she was about to get up, two sharp swords were crossed in front of her. The swordsmen were Tian Ji and Yan Chixia. Very well, now she really couldn't escape.
Judging from her demonic aura, this woman in purple is clearly the fake Asura King from before; this is her true form. And judging from the pile of petals earlier, she is also a peony flower demon.
...Could this really be the "family affair" of the peony flower spirit?