I Have a Golden Crow-Chapter 597 - 429 Stone and Wind

It's said that the more prosperous and splendid a city is, the filthier its sewers are deep down.

Yeah, or so they say.

Du Yu gripped both sides of the airplane window, gazing at the flourishing metropolis below, his mind drifting off.

So, the ruined city within the East Persian Realm should've looked like this once upon a time.

As the plane steadily descended, Du Yu straightened his clothes and pulled the brim of his baseball cap down further still.

Not until the transport plane came to a halt and the rear hatch slowly lowered.

At first glance, Du Yu immediately spotted the man and woman sent to meet him.

Unlike the other military-uniformed locals, these two were obviously Great Xia people.

He Changfeng and Shi Hua.

The two of them were colleagues in Team Two, as well as a couple, both in their early thirties.

Previously, Du Yu had crossed paths with them during the Mountain and Sea Bell mission, though they hadn't interacted much.

"You're here, Xiaodu." Shi Hua greeted cheerfully, striding over.

Though the woman wore her hair in a ponytail, it was clear that in everyday life she probably let her long, wavy hair down.

She wore a brown coat, matching pants, and knee-high leather boots.

When the icy wind picked up and fluttered her coat aside, Du Yu could see she had a coiled whip strapped to her waist.

Du Yu knew that was a Demon Soldier Whip—and not just that.

This whip could also serve as the vessel for the Ancient Spiritual Artifact· God-Breaking Whip.

Since its formation, Team Two had carried out a number of spiritual artifact missions, God-Breaking Whip being one of them.

When the Spiritual Artifact· God-Breaking Whip strikes a person, the physical pain it causes is just regular damage.

But the true terror is that God-Breaking Whip can bypass the body's defenses and lash straight at the Spiritual Po inside!

And now that the God-Breaking Whip has changed properties and resurfaced, of course it can whip at a Demon Soul, too.

"Sister Shi Hua." Du Yu smiled and nodded.

"Where's Director Yang?"

Du Yu replied quietly, "Bell. Find me a secluded spot, I'll bring her out."

"Alright." Shi Hua threw her arm around Du Yu's shoulder, leading him toward the jeep. "Let's head out first then."

Shi Hua was outgoing by nature, a true northerner from Great Xia's Icefield Province, brimming with that region's trademark boldness.

Her partner, on the other hand, was completely different in temperament.

He Changfeng wasn't much of a talker, his handsome features befitting his poetic, classical name.

He was clearly one of those "immortal" types among Demon Tamers.

Like Yang Qingqing and Fu Jianzhou's crowd.

Even wearing a modern woolen overcoat, He Changfeng still couldn't hide his elegant, unrestrained aura.

Du Yu knew the man wielded an Ancient Spiritual Artifact as well: Wind Osmanthus Flute.

Team Two had gathered two spiritual artifacts in total, both in the hands of this couple.

It was said that when Wind Osmanthus Flute was played, it could summon dense Demon Breath from the land—or clear away all Demon Breath in an area.

Strictly speaking, Wind Osmanthus Flute was meant to attract or disperse Spiritual Qi.

Unfortunately, there's so little Spiritual Qi left in the world that it barely matters.

Try to summon it all you want—not going to happen.

Disperse... Well, folks barely have enough to go around anyway.

As for attracting or dispersing Demon Breath, that function's got a hint of "hurting the enemy by a thousand, hurting yourself by a thousand" as well.

After all, these spells affect an area, so both allies and enemies there get the same positive or negative buff.

Awkward~

The true value of this artifact lies in aiding cultivation, in stoking or calming the flames of war.

Want the battle to get bloodier?

Bring in the Demon Breath!

Everyone toss Demon Skills around, throw them like your life depends on it, the logistics will keep up!

Want the fighting to die down?

Demon Breath, hear my command—withdraw at once!

In this scenario, everyone's Demon Breath reserves instantly become consumables.

Come to think of it, Du Yu plus He Changfeng might be able to make some fun plays with this~

Other people's Demon Breath gets used up once and it's gone.

But Du Yu brings his own Shadow Gu Tower, his own Demon Breath supply machine!

So…in theory, this tactic could work.

But in practice, the higher the level of combatant, the more Demon Breath they've got stashed inside.

Basically, before anyone runs out of Demon Breath, the battle's already over: someone's won, lost, died, or run.

"Brother Changfeng, you're not much of a talker, huh?" In the back of the jeep, Du Yu looked toward He Changfeng in the passenger seat, breaking the silence first.

He Changfeng turned his head, his smile gentle and refined: "I've heard a lot of stories about you. You're outstanding."

Du Yu: "..."

I'm nineteen, not nine. 'You're outstanding'? What kind of comment is that?

"Heh." At the wheel, Shi Hua chuckled, glancing at the rearview mirror. "The whole first team came?"

Du Yu: "Yeah, Master Qing takes this seriously."

Shi Hua sighed softly. "Once again having you all clean up our mess."

Du Yu, adjusting to her straightforward boldness, could also sense the older sister's frustration inside.

Honestly, Team Two's overall strength is much higher than Team One's!

At least on paper, that's the case.

Their leader, Professor Hu Yihua, and his top disciple, Qi Tian, are both at Demon Taming General·Peak Stage!

The Wind–Stone duo here in the car are both at Demon Taming General·Initial Stage.

The little junior brother, Zhang Tianxiao, is at Great Demon Tamer·Minor Success Stage.

As a squad personally selected and recruited by Director Shu Qinghe after rigorous vetting for the Twenty-Ninth Bureau,

Who'd have thought that not even half a year later, this was already the second time Team One had come to bail out Team Two.

After a pause, Du Yu said, "According to the file, the bandits' strength ranged from Great Demon Tamer to Demon Taming General Level?"

"Correct." Shi Hua fished around in her coat pocket, pulling out a cigarette pack.

She was practiced at it, flipping open the lid and pressing a slender cigarette to her lips.

All of these motions looked partly habitual, almost subconscious.

Because once she realized, she glanced up at the rearview mirror, then promptly set the cigarette aside.

Du Yu: "Don't mind me, Sister Shi Hua, go ahead."

"Mmm…" Shi Hua hesitated, but tossed the cigarette to He Changfeng anyway.

He Changfeng picked up the pack, slid the slim cigarette back in, and quietly put it away.

Shi Hua spoke: "The leader should be at Demon Taming General·Initial—or Minor—Achievement.

But with the boost from the Purple Gold Dragon Pattern Bracelet, his strength attribute spiked to peak level.

Qi Tian had a showdown with him, and both were knocked back more than a hundred meters."

Hearing this, Du Yu felt a bit heavy inside.

Qi Tian is a Demon Taming General·Peak Stage—his strength attribute needs no introduction.

This Purple Gold Dragon Pattern Bracelet really packs a punch?

Du Yu asked, "According to the file, the Purple Gold Dragon Pattern Bracelet can boost the strength of others too?"

"Right." Shi Hua nodded, "At least five. That leading Demon Taming General got his strength attribute boosted by a teammate.

The one who actually made a contract with the Purple Gold Dragon Pattern Bracelet is a guy in his mid-twenties."

Shi Hua sighed again. "A skinny, utterly unremarkable young man."

During the incident and transfer of the bracelet, Team Two had already figured out the temper of the Purple Gold Dragon Pattern Bracelet.

That's exactly why it's so surprising it was charmed by someone so slight and frail.

Face to face, you never see the heart beneath.

Plainly, that seemingly ordinary Golden Lion youth harbors a heart utterly mismatched to his plain exterior.

Du Yu asked with interest, "I've met Brother Qi Tian before—was he not qualified?"

"Senior Brother Qi?" Shi Hua thought for a moment, then shook her head. "At most, he's just wild and unruly. But the bracelet has its own standards, not quite the same."

"We're here," He Changfeng suddenly announced.

Du Yu looked out the window and saw rows of buildings oozing exotic flair.

The conversation had gotten so engrossing, the car had been rolling through the busy streets for ages—Du Yu barely noticed.

When the jeep pulled up in front of one such building, the three promptly got out.

Looking around, Du Yu noticed with interest that most shops had both Gossoxone and Great Xia language signage.

No surprise, really—Great Xia and Gossoxone do business constantly.

People heading to East Persia are mostly Demon Tamers.

But Gossoxone is the vacation spot of choice for regular Great Xia citizens: prosperous, peaceful, packed with exotic flavor—a land made for fun.

"Uh." Du Yu was still gawking when Shi Hua hooked his shoulders again and herded him into the building.

Pushing open a metal door, he was met by a huge warehouse.

It had already been converted into an office, fitted out with desks, computers, and—wait, was that a clue wall?

"Du Yu." From behind a desk, Zhang Tianxiao stood up in greeting.

The file had called Zhang Tianxiao's personality sunny and lively, someone who smiled all the time.

Yet this was only Du Yu's second time meeting him, and he's hardly ever seen the guy actually smile…

Think about it.

Last time was out in Grassland Province—at the Mountain and Sea Bell case.

Zhang Tianxiao's whole team had gotten trapped in the bell, leaving him as the only one on the outside, anxiously waiting.

Who could smile at a time like that?

Du Yu nodded and asked Shi Hua, "Secure?"

Shi Hua: "This spot was set up for us by Gossoxone's Demon Spirit Bureau. Relax."

"Alright, just a sec." Du Yu flipped his palm, vanishing without a trace.

The three exchanged glances and quickly stepped back, waiting quietly.

Shi Hua instinctively rummaged in her pocket for ages, before she remembered.

She glanced at her boyfriend, but He Changfeng feigned total ignorance, instead gazing off at the clue wall.

Shi Hua chuckled and shook her head, but let it slide.

A few minutes later, the Mountain and Sea Bell activated again.

The spacious warehouse suddenly had five more people inside.

"Director Yang."

"Director Yang." The trio greeted her at once.

Yang Qingqing nodded, surveying the place. "Where's Professor Hu?"

Shi Hua: "Master and Senior Brother Qi Tian are both over at the Demon Spirit Bureau."

Yang Qingqing: "Any leads yet?"

Zhang Tianxiao responded immediately, "Director Yang, we've already narrowed it down to the refugee district—the lower city. Still waiting on intel.

The enemy knows all our faces too well. We're afraid of spooking them, so we can only wait for news from the Bureau."

Yang Qingqing walked over to the clue wall, glancing at the twelve portraits pinned up there.

The room fell silent—no one dared make a sound.

After a long while, Yang Qingqing finally spoke, "Don't beat yourselves up. You were ambushed on your way back, and you were in city streets—of course you were restricted.

Only four civilians were injured, and none died during the fight. That's already an impressive bit of restraint on your part."

It was true: compared to Team Two, the Golden Lion Corps didn't care at all for innocent lives.

Backed by Mountain Earth Concealment, the Golden Lions had even used civilians as shields or swung them around as weapons.

To generate chaos and ensure their escape, the culprits had resorted to every trick in the book!

The three simply listened to Yang Qingqing, each silent and not responding.

Yang Qingqing clasped her hands behind her back and looked all around.

Zhang Tianxiao, being sharp, immediately realized what she was thinking.

He spoke up instantly, "Director Yang, we've checked—there's no monitoring or listening devices here."

Yang Qingqing said softly, "The military police who escorted the artifact, four vehicles in total—have all the personnel been checked out?"

Zhang Tianxiao and Shi Hua exchanged glances before replying, "Professor Hu shares your concern. We're investigating already.

But it's slow going—truthfully, we don't know who we can trust here."

Yang Qingqing: "Is there video from that day?"

"Yes—yes!" Zhang Tianxiao replied, quickly sitting down and clicking the mouse.

Yang Qingqing glanced at the Team Two members, sensing the gloom in the air: "Just keep at your work as usual. Our Great Xia bracelet isn't going anywhere."

Shi Hua and He Changfeng looked at the woman standing across the room, feeling the force of her aura and her confidence.

Director Yang's arrival really was like a shot of adrenalin, or a needle anchoring a stormy sea.

The two spoke in unison, their voices steady: "Understood."