sinovels #138 - Hesitant to speak
#138 - Hesitant to speak
Hearing this, Lu Jing's expression shifted slightly, "So that mural was also left behind more than four hundred years ago?"
"That's right, but only half of that mural remains now. The later part was added by painters afterwards, trying to maintain a consistent style, but the content is definitely different from the original," the female shopkeeper translated, then added a sentence herself.
"He's telling the truth. When I saw that mural before, I also felt something was strange. The first half was painted in great detail, but the second half was much worse."
Lu Jing nodded. The three of them, escorted by the guards, arrived at the palace gate.
Yazdan bowed and gestured for them to enter, his posture impeccable, at least in appearance.
Lu Jing, on the other hand, didn't stand on ceremony and walked straight in.
However, the moment his front foot crossed the threshold, he felt a cold and venomous gaze sweep over his body.
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Lu Jing immediately looked in the direction of the gaze, but only saw a wall.
On the wall, in the most conspicuous place, was a bizarre and evil-looking pattern painted in blood.
The moment Lu Jing saw the pattern, it looked somewhat familiar.
Then, after a moment of recollection, he realized that the three iron-clad warriors he had just fought seemed to have similar patterns engraved on the hilts of their scimitars.
Seeing Lu Jing staring at the ghostly symbols on the wall, Yazdan's expression became very awkward.
"This… this was painted by the Vulture. He is a black magician my father brought in, who said that this secret纹 (mì wén, secret pattern) can protect us from the monsters in the sandstorms."
"And then?"
"Ishaq was the commander of the guard. He led thirty brave guards, guarding this hall, with the Vulture's red secret纹 (mì wén, secret pattern) accompanying them. They tried to open the palace gate in the sandstorm, and all thirty-one of them died without a single survivor.
Yazdan's voice was somewhat low, "Afterwards, I told my father that the secret纹 (mì wén, secret pattern) that the Vulture painted on the wall was useless, but my father immediately refuted me, saying that Ishaq and the others must not have believed the Vulture's words and had secretly blocked the secret纹 (mì wén, secret pattern), which is why they were killed.
"After that, he wanted to find another team of guards to try, but no one was willing to risk it anymore."
"You seem very dissatisfied with the Vulture."
Lu Jing originally thought that political figures like Yazdan would not directly admit that they disliked someone, but to his surprise, Yazdan readily admitted it when he heard this.
"That's right, he is a liar. Everyone in the palace knows it. If you ask the people in the city, most of them will say the same. The expulsion of foreigners is just a farce.
"For hundreds of years, Marasár Khan has been known for its openness and inclusiveness. The Shifting Sands Desert is too brutal and unforgiving. We can't get out, and it's difficult for people from the outside to come in. Almost all oasis cities regard these foreigners as honored guests. The new knowledge and technology they bring are more precious than gold.
"In fact, Marasár Khan's ability to develop to its current state is inseparable from these foreigners. Nada's mother was warmly welcomed when she first came to Marasár Khan. She discovered the refreshing soup, and she also brought arithmetic, spinning wheels, and even astrology…
"As a result, the Vulture told my father that the strange sandstorms and the monsters in the sandstorms were caused by foreigners angering the sleeping ancestral spirits, and he persuaded my father to drive out the foreigners in the city. This is absurd.
"If Marasár Khan no longer welcomes foreigners, then we will gradually be abandoned by the world," Yazdan's face was full of worry.
Lu Jing remained noncommittal, and only asked again, "You said that the thirty-one people who opened the door earlier all died, so inside the palace, including the black magician named Vulture, you haven't actually seen anything in the desert, have you?"
"That's right," Yazdan said.
"I have no more questions," Lu Jing nodded, "Let's go see the mural."
Hearing this, Yazdan led the two to a side hall. Lu Jing indeed saw the painting that Nada mentioned on the ceiling.
The place depicted in the mural seemed to be a mausoleum. The mausoleum was very large, filled with those iron-clad warriors, densely packed, estimated to be more than three hundred, guarding the rest of this place's master.
Lu Jing also noticed that the colors of the pigments used on the left and right sides of the mural were indeed somewhat different.
The left side looked darker, while the right side was much newer, obviously not having experienced the ravages of time as much.
Therefore, Lu Jing only glanced at it a few times before focusing his attention on the left half.
"You two can take your time to look. I will have refreshments and fruit prepared and sent over later."
After Yazdan finished speaking, he bowed again and tactfully left the room.
After he left, Nada hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't help but say, "The way he looked just now, it seemed like he had something he wanted to say to you in private."
"Mm," Lu Jing responded casually, his gaze not leaving the mural above his head, especially the top of the mausoleum. Lu Jing discovered something resembling stars there, which could perhaps be used for positioning to help him find the mausoleum in the mural.
"Uh… don't you want to chat with him more? He is the number two figure in this city, and may also have some information that we don't know," Nada reminded him tactfully.
Hearing this, Lu Jing finally withdrew his gaze and looked at the female shopkeeper, "I can chat with him more, but it certainly won't be me going to him, but him coming to me."
"What?"
"Don't underestimate these guys who can manage a country and a city. Did you notice that he hesitated earlier, just because he wanted you to notice his hesitation," Lu Jing said lightly.
Nada felt like she was almost dizzy, but fortunately, she finally came back to her senses, "You mean he did this to get you to go to him? Instead of him coming to you… but what's the difference?"
"The difference is huge," Lu Jing said, "If I'm not mistaken, what he wants to talk to me about is definitely about dealing with that black magician named Vulture, otherwise he wouldn't have deliberately revealed his hostility towards the Vulture in front of me earlier, and the Vulture is now obviously a favorite in front of his father.
"If he takes the initiative to ask me to deal with the Vulture, whether the matter succeeds or fails, he will definitely have to bear the wrath of his father in the end, but if I go to him… then he will have a lot of room for explanation afterwards, and can push most of the responsibility onto my head."
"Is that so," Nada was stunned, then asked cautiously, "Then you don't want to help him deal with the Vulture?"
"Not necessarily, I don't really care about being used, as long as I can achieve my goals in the process. The key is that I haven't figured out what's going on here yet, so I don't plan to start choosing my position so quickly."