Maiden Of The Splitting Moon - Chapter 739: The Pigeonhole

“Right, Zhu Xie would know about this better than us.”

Conveniently, the boar-kin emerged from his workshop in the lower levels, getting a good stretch as he came out. His mouth was wide open as he yawned quite loudly.

“Ah, some fresh air! I forget how easily I can lose myself in the workshop.”

He muttered to himself, scratching his back before finally noticing Ming Yue and Elder Shen looking at him. The two of them were seated in the main room where he had come into.

“Eh, ahem! I’m so sorry for this unkempt appearance of mine! I tend to lose myself when I’m tinkering away.”

There was a look of embarrassment on his face as he tried to straighten up his fur and tidy his clothes which had been stained with oil.

“In any case, the two of you are up early or… did you even sleep at all?” he asked them.

“Actually, it is quite good timing that you’ve come out now. We want to consult you on a few things, one of them being the Huxian Tribe”, said Elder Shen.

He then held up the letter, showing it to Zhu Xie. The boar-kin looked at it seriously before glancing back at the duo. He then sighed before handing it back to the Elder.

“Before we start anything, I’m feeling a little peckish. Well, I’m starving actually.”

The boar-kin belly rumbled as he said this, pointing at the two of them.

“Would you like an early breakfast?”

Ming Yue and Elder Shen shared a look before the young cultivator nodded with a smile.

“Please.”

Zhu Xie smiled running off to the kitchen.

“I’ll be done quick!”

And quick he was, coming out with three bowls of congee. Each was filled to the brim and topped with scallions, ginger, and shredded chicken meat.

Carefully placing them on the tabletop, he sat down beside them, putting out some cutlery along with a plate of fried dough sticks. He grabbed one of the dough sticks, dipped it into the congee, and took a hearty bite.

“Mmm, that hits the spot. Phew.”

Seeing him eat with such enjoyment, Ming Yue picked up her spoon and started eating as well. From the first bite, a warm feeling filled her entire body. The congee itself didn’t have a very strong taste, it was easy to eat.

“Oh, this is delicious.”

Elder Shen complimented the food as he ate it.

The three of them enjoyed their meal, eating in peace for a few minutes before Zhu Xie finally said something.

“I don’t know what you would want but dealing with the Huxian Tribe is a double-edged sword. Of the many tribes that reside on this continent, they are easily one of the ten strongest. What they lack in raw power, they make up for with their skills in infiltration and intelligence gathering. To have them as an ally is a great boon but you are only a disposable tool for them.” he explained.

Zhu Xie looked at the letter, pointing at it.

“They are masters of manipulation, especially their leader Huxian Qie. She was known by another title, ‘Bewitcher’. She will find ways to influence you, to control you. Actions that you take and decisions that you make could just be her acting in the shadows. So with this letter, I suggest that you think carefully.”

He looked at Ming Yue, gesturing towards the letter as he said this. She looked at it, picking the letter up before inspecting it closely.

“What should I do now then?” she thought.

Aside from herself, she also had to think about Elder Shen and Hongyu. Taking a moment, the young cultivator looked up at Zhu Xie.

“Do you know where Lao Yang is exactly?” she asked.

The boar-kin nodded.

“Of course, he’s also in the Den but in a different part of it, the ‘Pigeonhole’, as he calls it. He’s not very far from us, it is a decent walk away from us. Still, I’m not sure about seeing him. He barely comes out of there, always compiling any new records that have been found. That old goat pretty much spends his time trying to piece old history together. At the same time, he’s focused on gathering knowledge from the other two continents”, he told her.

However, Ming Yue didn’t seem bothered by that at all.

“How safe do you think it is?” she asked him, “Does the Huxian Tribe have their hands on it?”

“Of course not, Lao Yang has an iron grip on his territory. Everyone that comes in or out are pretty much his loyal followers. But if it’s information you’re looking for, anyone is welcome to go in and look. But why are you looking for him?” Zhu Xie asked.

The young woman glanced at the Elder before looking back at the boar-kin.

“This invitation is most likely a lure. The fact that they have been watching us from the moment we entered the Den is proof enough. I don’t think I can bring them to the North but leaving them here might burden you. With that said, I doubt that Lao Yang would say no when I purpose this to him.”

Elder Shen quickly understood what she wanted to do.

“Mm, so you want to leave us under his wing? While going North together would slow you down, you can’t just leave us here where we could be targeted by the Huxian Tribe. And you asked about Lao Yang for… her.”

Ming Ye nodded.

“Could you take me there?” she asked him.

Zhu Xie nodded.

“Of course! Just let me freshen up after this meal and we can go.”

And that was what he did. Ming Yue waited for him patiently and Zhu Xie came out in fresh clothes. Instead of his unkempt appearance from before, he had an extravagant outfit on, and his coat of fur was combed out as well.

Ming Yue looked at him, raising a brow at the effort he put in. Noticing this, he looked back at her confused.

“What? As one of the Zodiacs, I have an image to uphold you know. Not to mention, Lao Yang doesn’t like messy appearances”, he said.

“I… I see.”

“Now then, off to the Pigeonhole!”

Zhu Xie marched off, taking her to Lao Yang. They crossed several streets, walking down a winding road before finally stopping in front of a large building. Unlike the massive halls in the center of the Den, this place was large in its own right.

While it wasn’t very tall, it was very wide. It would take a minute or two to go from one side to the other. And there were doors at each side. But there was nothing at the center.

Instead of gates, it was a large set of stairs that went downwards into a well-lit tunnel.

The boar-kin promptly walked down, stopping to look at Ming Yue.

“Up there is the library where anyone can enter, you would have to go down here to see Lao Yang”, he said to her.

Believing in I’m, she followed him down the steps, walking through the tunnel. It didn’t take long for them to reach the tunnel where they were met with heavy iron doors.

Zhu Xie then took in a deep breath before heavily knocking on the door. He banged on it three times, taking a second in between each hit. They were loud and echoed through the tunnel.

Moments later the door’s peephole opened up before promptly closing. And then Lao Yang’s voice shouted from behind.

“Who was the idiot that crashed his ship into a Beast God?!”

Zhu Xie just looked at the door with an offended look.

“Come on, that was a moment of heroism, wasn’t it? It was pretty cool I think”, he responded.

But Lao Yang snapped back.

“It was still pretty idiotic.”

There were a few clicks before the doors opened up and a small, hunched-over goat-kin stood there with a disapproving look.