Chapter Seventeen

1

The start time of the Wanhua Hui Building was not specified; all that was required was for the first flower to bloom on the flower tower, and that would mark the beginning of the festival. It was because of this tradition that people thought about the flowers and the people here day and night.

"Why didn't you call?" Shi Xueqi, dressed in her cumbersome clothes, found it inconvenient to navigate through the crowd.

"My phone is dead."

"Are you kidding me? Can't you generate electricity yourself?"

I looked at the palm of my hand helplessly and said, "It will explode."

"What do you mean? Is the voltage too high?"

"I sense that Qin Ying is nearby. Let's split up and search. Bring the ring with you, it will notify me when you find the person." I took out the ring from under my arm and didn't understand why there were so many pockets under my sleeve.

After we separated, Nofice returned to my side again, looking somewhat worried.

"Master, I want to remind you that if we can't find Lan, we can be sure of something."

"Lan?"

"Eve Magic, a punishment gained after humans challenged the Demon tribe about ten thousand years ago. Plants and Monsters within the Magic were intensified like nightmares. According to records, humans fought bitterly for a hundred days. After a hundred days, one nation was wiped out, leaving behind only bones that had been consumed. Eve can designate a race as a target, and any race within the range of the Magic will relentlessly hunt the designated race until it no longer exists." Nofice had all the knowledge of the Magic formation in her mind, and if she could find the characteristics, she could accurately deduce the name of the Magic formation.

"Eve! It needs 'a virgin with an inseparable bond with nature'... Is that Lan?"

"Um... It seems so!" Nofice shuddered briefly and said somewhat coyly, presumably because the topic was not very healthy.

"I see. That never really mattered to me!"

"In any case, Master just needs to pay attention to where Lan is. Her 'Plant Harmony' is impossible to find within thousands of miles. She should be the only and most optimized sacrifice." After Nofice finished explaining her worries, she left again to search on her own.

"The most optimized sacrifice. If it's not the Eve Magic Formation, what other Magic could it be?"

2

I stood outside the Hua Lou Building. The Hua Lou was a pavilion, and every vacant space on the upper floor was filled with various flowers, except for one orchid that grew at the very top. This orchid had a rather peculiar name.

"Hey, have you seen if the 'Thousand Generations Orchid' has bloomed yet? It's so rare to see it bloom in a lifetime!"

"Is that really the 'Thousand Generations Orchid'? Are they just exaggerating?"

"Anyway, being able to see a bloom is a sign of good luck. Some people have lived their whole lives without seeing a flower bloom, although it seems to have bloomed once last year."

The Thousand Generations Orchid had a grand name, and its blooming time was indeed long. However, that was because the Thousand Generations Orchid was no longer suitable for cultivation in The Human Realm. This flower was not actually an orchid; it was a flower that looked very similar to an orchid but grew in The Demon Realm. The Demon Realm was a place steeped in blood, and this kind of flower bloomed by absorbing the smell of blood in the air. It needed enough blood scent to bloom. Jincheng was known as a harmonious place with only a faint smell of blood, and ordinary people would never see it bloom in their lifetime. Even if someone remembered seeing this flower in their previous life, who would remember it in the next life? The flower that hadn't bloomed for thousands of generations was just an exaggeration. But it was strange that it had bloomed this time. It must be because something bloody had happened beneath our feet; perhaps it was a duel between Monsters.

“It couldn't be those old guys..."

"They're not down here."

"Nana, I thought you couldn't find them."

"They weren't hard to find."

"The sniper was in your hands before I fell into the forest, right?"

"The sniper? Just a farsighted person who can only see far and not near." Nana threw an item from her hand.

"A necklace! Did you find it on her?"

"This person doesn't seem to be a too professional assassin. The necklace exposed her identity. She can't completely give up these things, which shows that she lacks firm determination."

"What about Lan?"

Nana and I have been getting close to Hua Lou. We feel Qin Ying inside Hua Lou. She is nearby. It is impossible for Qin Ying to persuade the Emperor to leave, because she is the Duke's heir after all. If I forcefully take him away, I need to consider talking to the Demon Dragon.

"Lan, your maid? I haven't paid attention to her."

"She's inside."

I stopped in front of a once redwood gate. It is also a large space inside because I can feel Qin Ying moving.

"Ah~~ a thief." Suddenly, a woman's scream came from a distance, and at the same time, a shadow flew past me.

"Did you see?"

"It seems interesting."

"If it's interesting, let me handle it. Nana, you keep an eye on the Emperor. I'll be back soon."

I quickly ran out and caught up with the shadow.

"Really, what's the point in the end."

3

"I've caught you. I've been wondering for a few hours if you didn't transform, would you still be so powerful."

I hung up a... monkey in the dark alley.

The monkey still didn't let go of its iron rod in its hand, but the other hand held a girl's accessory.

"A hairpin, a monkey doesn't need such a thing. Give it back."

I snatched the monkey's hairpin, but the monkey couldn't resist, what's the use of a hairpin for it?

"If a monkey wants to stand upright, it has to wear clothes." I picked up a piece of tattered cloth in the dark alley and wrapped it around the lower body of the monkey. The naked monkey walked on the street with two legs, it has to follow some rules.

"Monkey, you are strong. If you transform, you'd better leave here. Monkey, I know you can understand me."

The monkey suddenly stopped struggling and raised its head word by word, saying, "No...promise!"

"A talking monster, indeed an interesting guy. It must be the effect of Eve Magic. Don't waste time here, you might die."

"No..."

This monkey struggled and exerted force on its waist. Its hind legs were as agile as its forelimbs, and it scratched my arm.

"Ouch, it hurts. Nails are not trimmed, ordinary iron rods are not good enough, it will be even better with these."

The iron rod was hot all over, the feeling of being scalded made the monkey exceptionally excited. It refused to let go, what kind of special stick is this? After a burst of heat, uneven words appeared on the iron rod.

"A sentence in Dragon language, a divine artifact. Is it exaggerated? It depends on your ability."

The monkey's eyes seemed to see the vast sky and sea, it was going to step further. The monkey's eyes turned bloodshot, it broke free from the restraint, which surprised me.

"Snap!"

"Leave, monkey!" I quickly kicked the monkey's back and saw its struggling figure and said, "If you can consider coming to find me alive after the Magic starts, I have a talking cat. How about being friends, Monkey King!"

The monkey stood up, feet on the ground, punched through the wall beside it. It looked at the stick in its hand and left with great reluctance. Its movements of jumping on the roof were as skilled as moving through the forest.

"Dropping monkey hair all over the place would be perfect if it turned into a monkey."

"The flowers are blooming so vigorously this year that they're even blooming inside the houses." I heard people in the dark alley complaining about the lush vines creeping into their homes and filling them with flowers.

A sea of flowers? In the blink of an eye, what used to be a clear road when I first arrived, with flowers only blooming on the sides, has now disappeared entirely. This is no longer a natural phenomenon.

As I step into the sea of flowers, I wonder why there are fewer people. Where did the crowded scene go? I can already smell a hint of blood in the air. If the monkeys return below, there will surely be a racial conflict. In the initial stages of activation, Eve goes mad at everything in order to resist magic. Monsters tend to become aggressive and attack any living beings they encounter. This is just the prelude, like selecting the strongest warriors in the arena for the task of exterminating a clan.

"It seems like the Orchid of Ten Thousand Generations is moving. Is it growing?"

Passersby notice that the Orchid of Ten Thousand Generations on the flower tower is moving, and they are not mistaken. It's not just the Orchid of Ten Thousand Generations, all the flowers and plants are growing, and at a speed visible to the naked eye.

All these signs point to Eve's magic. The more this happens, the more it shows that the magic is still ongoing, and Lan still hasn't seen her.

4

Soon, this strange phenomenon caught people's attention. Gradually, some people became terrified. Those who were shouting to catch the thief have disappeared, and their hairpins were quite beautiful, so I felt no shame in taking on the role of preserving them.

"Your Majesty!"

I pushed open the door that I was supposed to push open and saw an awkward scene - Nana was using her long knife to threaten Zilietao.

"Qin Yang, is she your person?" Zilietao was wearing a water blue cheongsam this time, which made her look more reserved than usual.

"Yes, any problem?"

"Do you think there's no problem?"

The guards around the emperor were on high alert, just one command away from attacking.

"Is there a problem? Today, it's me who's taking the emperor away because you've caused trouble."

"I know it's the assassin 'Le', but Qin Yang, I can't leave here today."

Zilietao pointed to this place, the enchanting peach blossom forest. I don't know who has the ability to cultivate a peach blossom forest in this sealed space, and the trees are about to bloom.

"Peach blossoms bloom every year, but you care about this day because it has some special significance. But Emperor, your actions could involve the people in the 18 districts of Jincheng and hundreds of small villages."

I stood in front of everyone, with Zilietao followed by a few members of the royal family and officials. My way of speaking was not polite, and Zilietao didn't think there was a problem because she knew who the Demon Dragon was, but they didn't.

"Qin Yang, please show some respect..."

"What respect? Liu Zixu."

"I am a marquis and you..."

"Because I don't have a title, I can't call you by your full name?!"

"You..."

"Zixu, let him finish." Zilietao turned around to face me, her expression filled with a hint of sadness.

"There's a magic formation beneath your feet - Eve." I uttered the name of Eve's magic, making everyone feel uneasy.

"Eve is The Demon Realm..."

"What The Demon Realm did 1,300,000 years later has nothing to do with me. Don't ask me who created this magic, but the effect is death."

Full activation of the Eve Magic will inevitably lead to death. No one here can guarantee the safety within the city of Jincheng!