Volume 9: Chapter 23 - Peeking Inside the Palace

Volume 9: Chapter 23 - Peeking Inside the Palace
Night had arrived again. The time of the day wasn’t bad for me, as it was completely dark and the moon didn’t appear tonight. This was great. I would infiltrate the palace tonight at all costs as I was already running out of time.
I took out an outfit suitable for night travels from my space pocket, before saying to Xiao Rou. “You should stay here. Don’t follow me tonight.”
Xiao Rou nodded. I saw signs of concern in her eyes so I said, “Don’t worry. Even if I can’t defeat them, can’t I just run away? I currently also didn’t have any misgivings that I had felt previously. You just have to wait for me here and also keep an eye on Uncle Firewood. If he makes any movements, tell me about them after I return.”
After giving her the task, I surged my magic power outwards, instantly leaping into the sky. My nightwear outfit was completely black, and under the protection of the pitch black sky, it would be impossible to spot me from the ground. I flew about a hundred metres in the sky, secretly heading towards the inner palace. The palace was still brightly lit. The pitch dark place behind the inner palace should be where the Dark Demon Dragon resides. The security of the outer perimeter in the inner palace was extremely tight, as there were guards everywhere. The interior was slightly better. I had picked the biggest building to land on, concealing my body by lying on the ridge of the roof.
The building seemed to be occupied as it gave out noisy clamours from time to time. I crawled lightly to a corner since there were were other buildings to conceal my figure. I stuck my ear to the roof ridge and listened attentively.
The sound that was coming from the interior of the building was chaotic. They seemed to be discussing a matter from what I had heard.
A deep voice said, “Your Majesty, now that the morale of the country’s soldiers are high, it’s the best time to attack the human race. Please pass down the order.”
There was another slightly hoarse voice that said, “Your Majesty, the Ström Fortress has been under the management of the human race for few hundred years already. The defense of the fortress is extremely prepared. If we were to attack them now, it may result in a huge loss in our forces so I disagree with Prince Satan’s suggestion.”
Demon King Satan was enraged and said, “Ha Yan Cha, why are you always going against what I do? From your words, we shouldn’t commence our attack, right? The alliance of my clan’s troops with the Valiant Mist Empire have reached beyond 200 thousand strong. We can tolerate a small amount of injuries and deaths, right?”
So, the first person who spoke was Demon King Satan, who was supporting the fight against the human race while the second person that talked was Ke Lun Duo’s father, county’s advisor, Ha Yan Cha.
Ha Yan Cha replied, “Your highness, I didn’t propose the idea of delaying the attack; rather, we should find a better opportunity to avoid needless casualties.”
Demon King Satan sneered, “A better opportunity? What better opportunity will we have? What about your previous rotten plan? Didn’t it fail terribly and lead to the death of countless elite warriors of my country? His Majesty hasn’t blamed you for that matter, and yet, you still dare to continue talking about finding opportunities now.”
A gentle and beautiful voice sounded out, “Uncle, you shouldn’t say it like that. The previous mistake isn’t completely due to Teacher.”
After hearing this voice, my entire body momentarily quaked, and my mind immediately flew beyond the topmost clouds.It wasn't a stranger; it was Mu Zi, who I had yearned for during the day and dreamt of at night. I was filled with intense longing for her. While I was thinking of my next move, I heard the Demon Emperor’s voice that sounded from below me, “Who are you to unexpectedly infiltrate my palace?” A strong power surged towards my location.
I recovered my consciousness before moving in a flash to the side. ‘Hong!’ The previous place I was at exploded, filling the air with dust. This wasn’t good; I had been discovered. I didn’t run but just hid my body under the eaves. “Sou!” There was a couple of people that leapt out from the hole on the roof.
Demon Emperor Satan voiced out, “Ke Lun Duo, what are you doing! As the leader of the Radiant Protectors, you actually let assassins infiltrate the palace? Everyone is to quickly spread out to search, we must find the infiltrator.” This old fellow didn’t even give a chance that would lead to the disorder of his team.
As I heard the gradually fading sounds, I heaved a sigh of relief before flipping back on the rooftop with my arms. Just as I wanted to find a way to escape, two figures suddenly appeared on either side of me, flanking me in the middle. The one that was in front of me, Ke Lun Duo, smiled and said, “Friend, you’re very clever but you’re still unable to escape from our hands.”
I hoarsely snorted, gathering magic in my hand, preparing to break out from this enclosement.
“Brother Wa Leng, don’t kill him, and catch him alive.”(Ke Lun Duo’s full name is Ke Lun Duo Wa Leng.) It was Mu Zi’s voice, so the one behind me was Mu Zi.
Ke Lun Duo respectfully replied, “As you wish, Your Highness.”
I used a short teleportation to escape the enclosement, but I didn’t run away as I wanted to look at Mu Zi, who I had yearned for all this time.
Mu Zi hadn't changed at all. She was still so beautiful, but she was slightly thinner and weaker as compared to before. The Princess attire that she wore had enhanced her elegance. When Mu Zi and the handsome Ke Lun Duo stood together, they looked like an ideal couple, looking extremely compatible together. My heart felt indescribable pain, making me grit my teeth as I stroked the scars on my face. Complicated feelings were expressed from my eyes.
Mu Zi stopped Ke Lun Duo, who was going to charge over. “He has just used teleportation and is giving off a familiar feeling. Who are you?” That question was asked towards me.
I mournfully laughed before replying hoarsely, “Don’t ask who I am. You want to catch me? It’s impossible.” I suppressed my stirred up mood, as I used short teleportation to escape.
Mu Zi shouted from behind. “Stop right there and explain what you mean by that!” She used her wind magic and chased after me with Ke Lun Duo.
I definitely couldn’t let them reach me. After using short teleportation to its limit, I was finally able to escape from them at a garden of the outer palace. I crouched down at a corner, holding onto my pain filled chest. ‘Heaven, why must you be so cruel, allowing me to meet with Mu Zi, but making it impossible for us to identify each other? Why?!’ The tears from unhappiness moistened the black cloth that was covering my face. I initially thought that I would be satisfied with just a glance at Mu Zi. However, after seeing her, my longing for her intensified. I couldn’t help but want to return to sneak another glance at her. (Author: Faint! Zhang Gong must be really sick of living.)
I withdrew my entire body’s aura as I sneaked back to the garden that was sparsely filled. Mu Zi and Ke Lun Duo hadn’t left, and were still talking.
Ke Lun Duo said, “Your Highness, let’s head back so that His Majesty won’t get too anxious from waiting for us. I can also employ the Radiant Protectors to catch the infiltrator that way.”
There was confusion in Mu Zi’s expression as she muttered, “Why did that person give me such a familiar feeling? I definitely know that person, but who is he?” I was touched. It couldn’t be that she was still able to distinguish my identity; even after my body shape and voice had completely changed, right? What I didn’t know was that even though my body shape had changed, the way I walked and used magic hadn’t changed at all. From my bearing and speech, how could Mu Zi easily forget after being so familiar with them?