13: Strange things in Sirius City

A moment later, the Xiao Family's convoy rumbled towards the city gates.

Below the majestic, grey-green city walls, dozens of armored City Guards were setting up checkpoints for inspection.

The scent of sweat mixed with the strong smell of horse manure assailed them, as thousands of commoners crowded together, impatiently waiting for verification amidst shoves and pushes.

The Xiao Family members exchanged glances, their eyes filled with confusion.

Xiao Zhuo leaped off the carriage, pushed through the crowd, and grabbed a man in coarse linen clothes: "Brother, why such a fuss today?"

He exerted force with his fingertips, gripping the man's wrist, yet a spring-like smile adorned his face.

The man was about to shake him off, but glimpsed the youth's attire, which suggested he was a servant from a wealthy family. Moreover, the grip on his hand was firm, pinning him in place, so he had no choice but to swallow his curses: "They say they're afraid demons might be mixed in with the crowd entering the city, so they have to check everyone one by one."

"Thank you!" Xiao Zhuo released his hand and expressed his gratitude.

At the city gate, the Xuanjia soldiers stood grimly, two guards holding strange dark-purple crystals, scanning each passerby.

The crystal would emit a faint glow upon touching a person; only those without abnormalities were led to a wooden table at the back for registration.

The old scribe, trembling, dipped his brush in ink, and the queue became even more sluggish.

Xiao Zhuo relayed what he had seen and heard to Xiao Ningzhi.

Xiao Ningzhi lightly tapped the carriage shaft, and Li Zhen immediately understood.

He led eight burly bodyguards, forcing a path through the crowd.

Those blocking the way had almost no resistance against these nine men and were pushed aside.

Some wanted to curse, but upon recognizing them as members of the Xiao Family, they immediately fell silent—the Xiao Family of Peng City was a prominent and influential household even in Heavenly Wolf City; how could ordinary commoners dare to provoke them?

Li Zhen approached the city gate and cupped his fist towards a middle-aged man dressed as a Centurion: "General, we are from the Xiao Family of Peng City and have some businesses in the city. We wish to enter as soon as possible. Could you please facilitate this?"

The middle-aged Centurion looked up and scrutinized Li Zhen for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the Xiao Family's carriages and large entourage of servants. Just as he was about to speak, a person flashed out from beside Li Zhen.

It was Xiao Zhuo.

He quickly walked to the Centurion's side, his back to the crowd's view, and swiftly pulled a small pouch from his embrace, stealthily slipping it into the Centurion's hand.

The Centurion's palm felt a sudden weight; he weighed it in his hand and then discreetly tucked it into his embrace, a smile appearing on his face as he looked at Xiao Zhuo with approval.

The latter returned a knowing smile and quietly retreated behind Li Zhen.

Only then did the Centurion cup a fist towards the Xiao Family's direction: "So it is Old Master Xiao returning to the city. Of course, we can make an exception."

After speaking, he raised his right hand: "Let them pass!"

The soldiers who had been blocking the city gate, leaving only a single person's path, immediately cleared the way.

Li Zhen cupped his fist in thanks again and led the way.

The Xiao Family's convoy entered in an orderly fashion.

However, after entering the city, before they had even left the city gate area, they were stopped by another Centurion.

The other party had no intention of making things difficult; he merely used the dark-purple crystal to scan everyone again, and only after confirming everything was in order did he completely let them pass.

"Brother Zhen, what is that crystal?" Xiao Zhuo leaned closer to Li Zhen and asked in a low voice.

"I've only seen that thing a few times," Li Zhen replied, "I heard it's a creation of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion of Great Chen, specifically designed to counter possessing demons."

Xiao Zhuo nodded slightly, a look of sudden realization on his face.

So there was such a method to verify demons!

Peng City had never seen such a thing; Heavenly Wolf City truly lived up to its reputation as a medium-sized city.

Upon entering the city, the prosperity of Heavenly Wolf City immediately enveloped them.

The streets were bustling with people, a cacophony of noise far surpassing Peng City.

The convoy traveled through the city for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, arriving before an imposing residence.

A plaque bearing the characters "Xiao Residence" hung high above the lintel, with green tiles, red walls, and a vermilion main gate. Two stone lions, ten feet tall, stood majestically at the entrance.

However, the main gate was tightly shut at this moment, and no one was on guard outside.

Li Zhen stepped forward and knocked on the door.

A moment later, the door creaked open a crack, and a servant in green clothes poked his head out, looking puzzled: "What can I do for you, strong sir?"

"Is Steward Xue in?" Li Zhen pushed him aside directly, simultaneously exerting force to fully open both large doors.

The young man stumbled from the push. Just as he was about to lash out, he heard the other party asking for the steward and saw the considerable entourage outside the door, so he suppressed his anger and said, "Steward Xue is inside!"

"The Old Master has arrived! Quickly invite him out!" Li Zhen glared unhappily at the unobservant servant.

At this time, the Xiao Family father and son, Xiao Zhuo, Xiang Yanliu, and others had already stepped into the front courtyard.

This residence was an estate Xiao Ningzhi had acquired in Heavenly Wolf City in his early years.

Besides this large residence, there were also seventeen prime storefronts in the city, as well as two restaurants and three inns.

Before long, everyone was seated in the main hall.

A thin, capable old man with a walrus mustache hurried over.

"This old servant Xue Jiao greets the Old Master!" The old man bowed deeply to Xiao Ningzhi; he was indeed Xue Jiao, the trusted steward who had remained in Heavenly Wolf City to manage his businesses.

"That's enough, Old Xue," Xiao Ningzhi waved his hand and sat in the main seat, "First, settle the accompanying personnel. Then tell me about the recent situation in Heavenly Wolf City."

Xue Jiao acknowledged the order, quickly went out to give instructions, and then returned.

"Old Master, it has been arranged. However, many rooms have been unoccupied for a long time and will require some time to clean. Your main room and the principal rooms in the east and west wings have always been maintained and can be occupied immediately," Xue Jiao reported.

"Very good." Xiao Ningzhi nodded, "Old Xue, has anything unusual happened in Heavenly Wolf City recently? How are the businesses?"

"The city... has been quite unsettled recently," Xue Jiao's face showed worry, "For several consecutive days, people have gone missing without reason at night. The City Guards and the adults of the Demon Suppression Guard have investigated for many days but have not found the slightest clue." He paused, then added, "As for business, everything is as usual."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Shaoyou, whose plump face had regained some color after escaping Peng City, instantly paled a few shades again.

Xiao Zhuo saw it and knew that the young master was thinking of the demon matter again, so he quickly spoke up: "Old Master, the young master has been exhausted from continuous travel for days and is not in good spirits. I will take him back to his room to rest first."

Xiao Ningzhi glanced at his son, his eyes signaling Xue Jiao.

The latter understood: "Old Master, I will have someone lead the young master and Xiao Zhuo to the east wing right away."

Xue Jiao was an old retainer of the Xiao Family and naturally recognized Xiao Shaoyou and Xiao Zhuo.

Soon, the two were led to the east wing.

Xiao Shaoyou was indeed tired and went into the room to rest on his own, only asking Xiao Zhuo to sleep in the adjacent room for company.

Xiao Zhuo naturally had no objections and settled into the room next door.

The strict inspections at the city gate today were already suspicious, and as Xue Jiao said, something had indeed happened in the city.

A demon that could evade the Demon Suppression Guard for several days without leaving a trace was truly quite interesting.

Xiao Zhuo returned to his room, carefully closed the door, and opened the window.

He sat by the window, took out the Secret Manuals he had obtained from the City Lord's Mansion, and carefully read them page by page by the light of day.

For the next two days, Xiao Ningzhi was busy handling affairs.

Inside the Xiao Residence, it was peaceful.

However, news arrived daily from the streets that more people had gone missing.

As a medium-sized city, Heavenly Wolf City had a Demon Suppression Guard post: it was under the jurisdiction of one Centurion of the True Essence Realm, three General Flags, fifteen Small Flags, and one hundred and fifty ordinary Demon Suppression Guards.

It was said that even the Centurion himself personally investigated, but failed to find any clues; the missing persons seemed to have vanished into thin air.

The atmosphere in the city grew increasingly solemn and oppressive.

However, Xiao Zhuo paid no heed to this.

He was single-minded, fully immersing himself in Cultivation.

In just two days, besides the Nine Revolutions Profound Essence Art and the Blazing Blade Technique, the other five Secret Manuals, along with the Purple Extreme Burning True Method, had all been Cultivated by him to the 入門 Realm, and he could now use the panel's power to comprehend them.