The Portal of Wonderland

Shi Mu left the martial arts practicing field, and walked straight in the direction of his residence. However, a thoughtful look hung on his face while he was walking.

He still needed to deal with some matters before embarking on this journey.

“Shi Tou, look ahead!” Cai whispered at this moment.

Shi Mu was taken aback. He raised his head to look in the front, and his facial expression changed. Then, he turned around, and entered a shop by the side of the street.

Several grey-robed people passed through the same street after a few moments. Their appearance didn’t look eye-catching, but they seemed to be in a hurry. They were led by a young woman who wore a hood on her head. Her half-exposed face was very beautiful.

Shi Mu waited for these people to pass. After that, he walked out of the shop. He then gazed at the receding silhouettes of those people, and his eyes brightened.

He had caught just a glimpse of them, but he was able to see everything clearly due to his exceptional eyesight.

The fact was that Shi Mu had seen this young girl before. She was that girl surnamed Zhen who would always follow Liu An at that time. In addition, he also had vague impressions of some of the other people among them. They were the disciples of the Eastern Dark Moon Cult who had boarded Gigantic Vast Sea Boat No.1.

“There was only Pang Yu at first. But now, so many people have popped up. How come all of them have arrived at a small city like the Peaceful Sun City?” Shi Mu muttered to himself.

“Shi Tou, do you think that they have some problem?” Cai said.

Shi Mu nodded in a slow manner.

“Then, why don’t we keep pace with them, and find out the situation? I’ll lead the way, and you follow behind,” Cai appeared rather thrilled. He spread his wings, and flew up.

“Be careful; those people must have seen you before!” Shi Mu hastily said.

“Don’t worry; I’ll follow them from afar. So, they won’t be able to spot me,” Cai’s words were brimming with confidence when he said. After that, he flew high up in the air.

Shi Mu watched Cai flying in the air, and an idea sprouted in his mind. He then activated the vision sharing link with Cai, and stepped forward to follow them.

Cai’s eyesight had again marked a great progress over the past year or so. Therefore, Cai could clearly see everything even though he was far behind those people; he was almost a few streets away from them.

Half-an-hour had passed. The girl named Zhen and her group members came to a remote courtyard in the outskirts of the city, and walked straight in.

There was a room at the top of a high and dilapidated tower; this tower was almost two streets away from that remote courtyard. Shi Mu and Cai stood in that room. They were gazing towards the courtyard through the window.

“These fellows look very furtive and sneaky in their movements. They are definitely trying to execute something,” Cai said. His eyes were brimming with excitement at the moment.

However, Shi Mu didn’t look as excited as Cai. Myriads of thoughts were whirling around in his mind at the moment. He was trying to figure out the purpose of these Eastern Dark Moon Cult’s people.

But then, his complexion changed again.

A grey-robed man suddenly emerged in his field of vision. This man’s entire body was wrapped in a grey-robe, and even his face wasn’t visible. He also walked toward the courtyard.

The grey-robed person looked very cautious, and was constantly paying attention to the surrounding movements. He soon arrived in front of the courtyard’s front door, and knocked on the door.

A small gap split open in the door, and the grey-robed person went in. After that, the door got closed again.

Shi Mu’s pupil shrank since he had caught a sight of the grey-robed person’s face under their hat the instant they had passed through the door; it was Pang Yu!

“That person is the Head of the Sub-altar,” Cai said in a low voice.

Shi Mu nodded, and a ray of light flashed across his eyes.

These people had gathered here one after another in a very stealthy manner. This clearly indicated that they were plotting something.

“Shi Tou, don’t you want to eavesdrop on these people’s conversation in order to find out what they are conspiring?” Cai’s eyes beamed spiritedly as if he was dying to give it a shot.

“I hadn’t expected that you like to poke your nose into other’s privacy?” Shi Mu was dumbfounded as he looked at Cai.

“Hehe, it’s rare to have such good eyesight. And, it would be a pity if I didn’t make efficient use of it,” Cai said.

Shi Mu burst into soft laughter. He was also very curious to know what the Eastern Dark Moon Cult was plotting inside the room. So, he also descended the tower along with Cai, and sneaked towards the courtyard.

He arrived in the vicinity of the courtyard in a few moments. Then, he directed Cai to stay at a high place nearby. He himself moved forward since he wanted to be even closer to that room. But then, he saw through Cai’s vision that a person was walking out of the courtyard’s room. That person was Pang Yu, and she was approaching the door.

Shi Mu’s heart skipped a beat. And, he hastily concealed himself.

Pang Yu walked out of the door, and observed both sides with an attentive gaze. Then, she turned around and walked away.

The front door opened again after a moment. And, the girl surnamed Zhen walked out of the room along with her group members. However, they had changed their attires this time. Also, they were no longer concealing their faces. They then left the courtyard, and went in the other direction.

An idea bubbled up in Shi Mu’s mind, and he decided to follow them once again. And so, he again went behind the girl surnamed Zhen and others.

The girl surnamed Zhen and her group arrived at a bustling street after some time. Then, they started to act as if they were just wandering around. They continued to loiter around for some time. They were drifting from one place to another in an aimless manner.

But, Shi Mu still continued to follow them. He had trailed them for around two or three hours. And, the color of the sky had darkened by now. The girl surnamed Zhen and her companion finally entered a large restaurant at this time. They were then led upstairs by a waiter.

Shi Mu’s eyes flickered. He asked Cai to stay outside, and he himself slowly walked into the restaurant.

“Respected Guest, please come in. What would you like to order?” another waiter came over, and greeted him.

“Take me to a private room. It’s too noisy here,” Shi Mu shot a glance at the first floor’s lobby, and said in a faint voice. Simultaneously, he threw a silver coin to the waiter.

“Okay, please come upstairs,” the waiter was delighted. He then led Shi Mu upstairs in a courteous manner.

“A group of people had just come to this restaurant. They were being led by a beautiful woman. Which box did they take?” Shi Mu asked. Simultaneously, he gave a brief description of the clothing of the girl surnamed Zhen.

The waiter was struck dumb. He turned around, and glanced at Shi Mu.

Shi Mu flicked his finger, and shot something. And, a fire-attribute spirit stone darted out of his hand. It streaked a red light across, and fell in the waiter’s hand.

The waiter was merely an ordinary barbarian man, but he had been working in this city for a long time. So, he was naturally aware of the value of a spirit stone. Therefore, his face brightened with a hint of exultation, and he received the spirit stone.

“They are in a room on the third floor,” the waiter said in a low voice.

“Take me to the nearest room,” Shi Mu instructed him.

The waiter nodded, and ushered him to the third floor. Then, they passed through a corridor, and arrived in front of a peaceful room.

“Dear Guest, please come inside,” the waiter’s eyes turned toward the next room, and made a meaningful glance while inviting Shi Mu in.

“Get some special dishes and drink,” Shi Mu understood his signal and responded accordingly.

The waiter complied, and took his leave.

Shi Mu walked into the room, and closed the door. Then, he bent his ear, and tried to listen attentively.

He listened for a moment, and his brows creased. The fact was that he couldn’t hear anything. It seemed as if the sound wasn’t spreading from the next room.

Then, a golden gleam flashed in Shi Mu’s eyes, and his pupils got smeared with a golden radiance. He then tried to look into the next room.

“They have set up a barrier…” Shi Mu could faintly see the layer of white light that had enveloped the whole room.

Shi Mu’s face creased into a wry smile since he had discovered that the opposite party had laid out the barrier in a very careful manner. Shi Mu wasn’t proficient in the Formula magic. So, he knew that he might get caught by the opposite party if he tried to probe into it.

Shi Mu’s five senses were extraordinary, but they hadn’t reached the point where they could see through the barrier.

“Shi Tou, how are things there? Did you discover anything?” Shi Mu was distressed since he had found himself at the limits of his capability. But then, Cai’s voice resounded in his mind at this crucial moment.

Shi Mu then gave Cai a rough idea of the present situation inside.

“Hurry up! Open the window, and let me get in. I have a way to resolve this problem,” Cai urged.

Cai’s words left Shi Mu awestruck for a moment. But, he still listened to his words, and opened the window of his private room. The window opened to the outside street.

Cai rushed through the window, and landed on the table. He was about to speak something when Shi Mu raised his hand, and stopped him. Shi Mu then moved closer to the front door.

Cai’s eyes dazzled with sparkling brilliance. He also flew over, and stood on Shi Mu’s shoulder. Then, his eyes looked outside through the crack in the door.

Shi Mu and Cai heard a sound of footsteps which was spreading from the walkway outside the door. Then, someone walked over, and stopped in front of the door of the next room.

Shi Mu’s eyes flashed. He could see through the crack in the door that two cyan-dressed people stood in front of the door next door.

Both of them wore a mask to cover their faces. One of them was tall, while the other had a short stature. Their eyes were radiating cold light as they looked around attentively.

Shi Mu immediately withdrew his gaze so as to avoid being noticed by the opposite party. He realized that these two were Xian Tian warriors judging by the aura that they were emanating. He could also tell that they were barbarians based on their aura.

The tall person knocked on the door. The door opened after a moment, and the two walked in.

Shi Mu’s eyes flickered. He then walked back to the table, and sat down.

“Shi Tou, it seems that these fellows are plotting a wicked scheme,” Cai said.

The white feather on Cai’s head flashed the next moment, and two streaks of white light emerged in his eyes. He then looked toward the room next door.

A gleam of pleasantly surprised look flashed though Shi Mu’s eyes as he saw this scene. His vision was linked with Cai’s vision at this time. So, the wall gradually became transparent in his field of vision. Simultaneously, the next room’s situation also began to appear in his eyes gradually.

The next room’s picture became clearer in his eyes as the white light projected by Cai’s eyes continued to grow brighter.

The girl surnamed Zhen was talking to the tall green-robed barbarian at the moment.

The two green-robed barbarians had taken off their masks by this time. So, their faces were visible now.

Shi Mu was surprised to see that these two men had a rather distinctive appearance; they had thin faces and deeply-sunken cheeks. The two were obviously not skinny, but they looked as if they were somewhat haggard.

The tips of their noses were slightly curved like an eagle’s hook. And, their piercing eyes gave a sense of a gruesome feeling.

Shi Mu looked at them once. Then, he withdrew his vision. His eyes they fell on the lips of the two people who were talking at the moment.

Shi Mu had studied the lip language even before he had attained exceptionally good eyesight.

“… some of our people have sneaked into the escort team. We’ll contact you ahead of time,” the girl surnamed Zhen said.

“… our Wing Crane Tribe has undertaken the mission. And, we’ll obviously keep our promise. So, you can rest assured…” the tall green-robed barbarian proudly said.

“Then, the best deal will be if both parties divide the share into fifty-fifty ratio after the success of this mission,” the girl surnamed Zhen said

The tall barbarian’s face revealed a hint of happiness as he heard these words, and he gave her a nod.

“Then, let’s execute everything according to the plan,” the girl surnamed Zhen stood up, turned around, and said to the other people behind her, “A few of you will follow Wei Du’s team from now on.”

“Yes!” the people complied in unison.

The girl surnamed Zhen waved her hand, and shot a white light. Then, a light shone on the wall, and the layer of white barrier dissipated.

She then opened the door, and stepped out.

A few moments later… the two green-robed barbarians once again covered their faces. They then walked out of the room along with a few subordinates of the girl surnamed Zhen.

In the adjacent room… the white light in Cai’s eyes finally dissipated. Cai’s facial expression looked a bit tired and dispirited.

Shi Mu bent his finger, and flicked out a pure fire-attribute Real Qi. It submerged in Cai’s body, and his drained energy suddenly got recovered to some extent.

“Shi Tou, are we still going to follow them?” Cai asked.

“There’s no need for that!” Shi Mu shook his head. He then turned his hand, and took out a thick ancient book. Then, he started to flip through its pages at a rapid pace.

“Wing Crane Tribe… Vicious Barbarian… as expected…” Shi Mu murmured.

He had spent plenty of spirit stones to purchase this book during this period of time. The peculiar habits and characteristics of each barbarian tribe of the Western Continent as well as their residential areas were recorded in this book.

The Wing Crane Tribe was a medium-sized tribe of the barbarian race. And, the beast souls that they used to seal in their bodies were of flying-class demon beasts. Therefore, most of the barbarian people in this tribe were able to grow wings and fly after undergoing totem body-transformation. Consequently, they were considered very special in the barbarian race.

However, the Wing Crane Tribe was also famous. In fact, they had an even greater feature. And, this feature made them extremely malicious and vicious… It was said that they would often plunder people using their advantage of having wings. And, this habit had stained their reputation in the community. Therefore, each big barbarian tribe had started to stay as far as possible from them.