Whispers of a Lonely City Beyond the Heavens – Chapter 32

Ch 32: Searching for Immortal Herbs and Encountering Jade Bees

He looked up at the moon, realizing it was already late at night. Pulling out his pocket watch, he confirmed it was past midnight.

He had to return to Zhang Tianxun’s side before dawn!

Long Yang felt anxious in his heart. They had been running up the mountain—could they actually find the Rain Spirit Grass?

He even began to worry uneasily: What if the Rain Spirit Grass was somewhere behind them?

For instance, in that patch of forest they had just passed through.

Earlier, the situation had been pressing, time was tight, and he had mustered all his courage to keep moving forward. But now, he started to doubt: Could they really find a single herb in this vast mountain range?

Wei Wei stopped and returned to Long Yang’s side. “Big Brother, do you smell a floral scent?” She wrinkled her little nose, sniffing the air.

Long Yang grew curious and slowly took a deep breath. “No. What kind of scent is it?”

“I’ve heard it’s a bit like the fragrance of lotus flowers, with a hint of water plants. I’ve never seen it myself, so I’m not sure.”

“Wei Wei, it’s getting late. We need to find the Rain Spirit Grass quickly—don’t worry about some floral scent.”

“I know. But Grandfather said that around the Rain Spirit Grass, there would be Jade Bee Flowers…”

“Oh…” Long Yang was about to say something when suddenly an animal darted out from beneath a nearby rock.

“It’s a Mountain Jiaolong!” Wei Wei cried out in alarm, quickly drawing her Flying Frost Sword.

Long Yang turned to look, holding his dagger. The creature that had suddenly appeared wasn’t a Mountain Jiaolong—it resembled a pangolin.

Xiao Hei barked once and charged forward. The animal twisted its body and slipped back into a crevice between the rocks.

“Wei Wei, don’t be afraid—it’s not a Mountain Jiaolong.” Seeing Wei Wei’s pale, frightened face, Long Yang frowned slightly. “I understand what you mean. To find the Rain Spirit Grass, we should first look for Jade Bee Flowers. But right now, I need to know—are we heading in the right direction? Does Rain Spirit Grass only grow higher up, or could it be somewhere behind us?”

“No, no, it won’t be.” Wei Wei pouted her little mouth and stomped her foot, growing a bit restless herself. This mountain beneath their feet was their only hope now—they no longer had time to search another one.

“Then let’s keep going.” To encourage Wei Wei, Long Yang spoke loudly in as cheerful a tone as he could muster.

They pressed on. After a while, another feral cat crept out from behind a tree. It faced off with Xiao Hei for a few seconds. Long Yang didn’t dare waste time and was about to call Xiao Hei to chase it off when a strange cry suddenly echoed from above. The sound was still distant, so it wasn’t loud. It resembled a frog’s croak but with a much faster rhythm, occasionally shifting into a low, guttural cooing. The feral cat shuddered abruptly and turned to flee.

“Big Brother, let’s hurry!” Wei Wei sheathed her Flying Frost Sword and started running upward again.

Beneath their feet, the rocks grew more jade-like. Some were black, while others had a purplish hue. Wei Wei crouched down and began examining the stones again.

Long Yang stopped too, surprised to notice that the black stones shimmered like jade, their surfaces crisscrossed with patterns resembling ancient script—they were Turtle Shell Stones. He couldn’t help but marvel again at how the Long Family had paved the alley in front of their mansion with such stones.

Wei Wei carefully touched a nearly purple stone. “Big Brother, come feel this.”

Long Yang crouched beside her and touched the stone. It felt soft and smooth like sand, unlike the usual hardness of rocks, and water seeped from its surface.

“Grandfather said that if we find stones like these, it means we’re not far from the Rain Spirit Grass. It should be higher up.”

“Wei Wei, you’re amazing!” Long Yang praised her sincerely. “Let’s head up.”

“Wait.” Wei Wei sniffed again. “Big Brother, I think I smell that scent now.”

“Yes, yes, I smell it too.” Long Yang took a deep breath. It did resemble the fragrance of lotus flowers, though more delicate, with a bitter, cool undertone like medicine.

They searched around but couldn’t spot the flower. If they found it, they might also find the Rain Spirit Grass.

They began looking everywhere. Soon, Long Yang discovered a small flower behind a large rock. Its petals were white, so thin they were almost transparent, with a pale yellow center. It glistened with dew, swaying slightly as if it were a tiny sprite.

“I found it,” Long Yang said.

Wei Wei hurried over, slightly disappointed. “There’s only one Jade Bee Flower here. That means there won’t be any Rain Spirit Grass.”

“But it’s still useful to us. Xiao Hei, come here. Take a good sniff of this flower.”

Xiao Hei stretched out its nose and sniffed the Jade Bee Flower. Long Yang said, “Alright, little brother, let’s go find more of these flowers.”

Xiao Hei barked once and started running ahead. After a while, under the moonlight, the rocks and shrubs at the mountain’s peak became clearly visible.

They were finally nearing the top, but they still hadn’t found more Jade Bee Flowers.

Long Yang sniffed hard but found nothing. Xiao Hei’s pace slowed as it began sniffing the air hesitantly, as if uncertain.

Panic rose in Long Yang’s heart. He had pinned his hopes on Xiao Hei’s keen sense of smell and had felt confident earlier. But now he wondered: With the strong winds at the peak, could it be affecting Xiao Hei’s senses?

If the wind wasn’t blowing in their favor, how could the floral scent reach them? Besides, the steep, straight ascent of the mountain would surely disrupt the spread of any fragrance.

The night wind blew cold, yet sweat began to bead on his skin. Suddenly, Xiao Hei barked and sped up, charging toward the peak—it had finally locked onto a direction!

Xiao Hei darted to the right and upward. Long Yang silently thanked the heavens and followed closely with Wei Wei. Xiao Hei sprinted ahead, pulling some distance from them.

After running a stretch, it suddenly let out a whimper and hurriedly backtracked, occasionally turning to growl at the air behind it. It looked as if an invisible, ferocious spirit were chasing it.

Long Yang and Wei Wei were startled and rushed to meet it. As they drew closer, they realized a swarm of bees was pursuing Xiao Hei.

These bees were twice the size of ordinary honeybees, white in color, flying in a line and buzzing loudly.

“They’re Jade Bees!” Wei Wei said excitedly.

She drew her Flying Frost Sword and stepped forward, shielding Xiao Hei behind her.

The Jade Bees shifted formation, attacking Wei Wei in a cluster.

Long Yang didn’t know how to deal with these swift, divine-like insects and stood still. In his heart, he worried for Wei Wei. If the Jade Bees stung her and left big purple welts, she’d surely cry out in pain.

Wei Wei let out a delicate shout and spun her sword into a flurry of blossoms, meeting the Jade Bees head-on.

The Flying Frost Sword seemed to multiply into countless blades. Though no Sword Radiance emerged, it unleashed a chilling, murderous aura. The Jade Bees were like a clump of white snow, and Wei Wei’s swordplay was like a gust of cold wind.

The “cold wind” swept through, and the “white snow” scattered and fell.

“Wei Wei, beautifully done!” Long Yang shouted.

It seemed that, despite her young age, Wei Wei’s skill in swordsmanship was already impressive. If they encountered a Mountain Jiaolong, she could likely hold her own with that precious sword.

Seeing the Jade Bees defeated, Xiao Hei stepped out from behind Long Yang and resumed leading the way.

It guided them to a stone wall and stopped, looking up and barking a few times. Then it wagged its tail at Long Yang, as if quite proud of itself.

The stone wall was smooth as a mirror, stretching straight up over thirty meters. Long Yang tilted his head back, took a deep breath, and caught a faint whiff of Jade Bee Flower fragrance. Listening closely, he heard a buzzing sound coming from above.