Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

Chapter 126 About Colors

"It's you!"

"Yes, it is me, King Asura."

Shou Wanjie raised his hand, and a cicada landed on his fingertip. The bluish-green light shone on his face, making him appear even more alluring.

"It's been a long time, swordsman of the Supreme Palace."

"They really are from the same place?"

Seeing the two people with vastly different styles facing each other with swords, and hearing their conversation that seemed to indicate they knew each other, Yan felt nothing but disbelief.

It's extremely rare for someone recruited by the official system to be from the same world as someone who actively seeks them out, yet the two sides meet in another world.

Time travel is a once-in-a-millennium event. Apart from external intervention, it is even more difficult for natives to actively break through their own world barriers to go to other worlds. Now there are two of them in front of us, and there may be more. It can only be said that we have lived long enough to see this.

"What kind of world could have created such a group of talented people?"

"what……"

Lan Ying got up from the ground. Because of its own characteristics, the other companion did not have a physical body. So when its escape was interrupted, only she fell to the ground in a sorry state. The other one, even if it was thrown out, would not fall to the ground. It floated up after falling halfway.

She even had the leisure to watch the battle; if the opponent hadn't been a physical being, Lan Ying would have kicked him.

"...Did this guy really have to come at such a crucial moment?"

If they had been a second slower to block the blade, they would have been stabbed. Strangely enough, this escape method should theoretically be unhittable, as it involves temporarily transforming into an intangible form, making them immune to physical attacks.

But why was it that the mere impact of clashing swords threw them out? Even if they weren't injured, it's still strange that their escape, which should have been uninterrupted, was forcibly blocked.

Last time, I didn't run into that white-haired, dark-skinned guy and escaped easily. Why can't I do it this time?

Why was I interrupted?

"It was the same guy last time."

Yan looked at Jian Feidao, who was confronting Shou Wanjie. Although, given his appearance, no one else could tell where he was looking.

He had been hit by Jian Feidao's attack before. At that time, he left in smoke without using any props, so there was no interruption. However, even without interruption, he was still attacked.

The injury wasn't serious, but that alone is incredible.

"Could it be because enemies and allies share the same origin?"

"Tsk, enemies and foes share the same origin."

Even if they were unwilling to admit it, they had to acknowledge this statement. They were all contractors of the system, and when their powers originated from the same source, there would be some interference, so it was possible to interrupt.

After all, whether it's legal or illegal, there's still a difference. A system is a system. The two transmigrators with different stances possess the same power in essence, only the way it manifests in the end is different.

Analyzing it from the perspective of the theory that enemies and allies share the same origin, it seems reasonable that Jian Feidao's attacks could interrupt their escape tools.

"Never mind, let's hurry up and leave. Let Asura King handle the rest..."

Just as they were about to suggest that they run first and let the Asura King, who had been summoned, handle the rest, a sudden gust of wind howled, and gravel whistled past their sides. Looking at the small crater on the ground, they almost thought someone had used a cheat code and fired several bullets in their direction.

At some point, two figures, one in red and one in white, began to clash. Perhaps feeling that they couldn't fight freely in this place, the two fought further and further apart, even showing a tendency to fight into the sky.

The rubble from earlier was simply the result of attacks deflected by swords and blades falling elsewhere, shattering the stones on the ground, and the fragments, along with the impact force, flew in all directions.

"...We're in the world of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, right?"

Looking at the flashing swords in the sky, Yan asked hesitantly.

"This is Liaozhai, but the two guys might not be."

Lan Ying said this through gritted teeth. This was indeed the world of Liaozhai, but the two guys fighting in mid-air could not possibly be from Liaozhai. Their destructive power was comparable to a humanoid disaster, and would be top-notch even in a fantasy cultivation world.

Previously, they would only make a brief encounter before running away, or one side would chase the other. Today was the first time they had faced off head-on. The two fought fiercely, appearing evenly matched, with neither able to gain the upper hand in the short term. However, the surrounding area suffered as a result.

This can't even be described as cutting through iron like mud; if conditions allowed, it feels like these two guys could slice off the neighboring mountain.

Occasionally, attacks would dart down from the sky. Although none of them hit anyone, the force and damage they caused made Lan Ying and Yan unable to move, fearing that they might be hit and chopped in two by an attack from an unknown enemy.

"Couldn't you have led the Asura King a little further away? There's no way he can leave like this."

Look at the flashing swords all around; taking even one more step could mean being slashed.

"Re-smoke?"

"No, a single impact can interrupt it, and can't that swordsman hit you?"

Since Jian Feidao could attack Yan, they couldn't use the same method to escape. The people fighting now wouldn't notice them, and if they were attacked and fell again while running, the enemy's attention might be drawn back to them.

While their ally buys them time, they must quickly devise a foolproof escape plan. The commotion from their fight is too great; it might attract not only the people of the capital but also the monsters and immortals in the surrounding area.

"...Someone is approaching."

"Quite perceptive."

The sound came from behind them. The two turned around and saw a red and white figure. This color scheme immediately reminded them of the Asura King who was fighting the enemy in the sky.

The difference is that the Asura King they knew had a very bright and dazzling red color, with a bloody flamboyance, as if the word "demon" was written all over his face. The newcomer, however, had a deeper red color, which had a sense of solemnity.

The newcomer was a man with a serious face. His hair and clothes were red and white, and his hair was clearly parted, as if several dark red stripes had been added to the white hair. Except for the lowest layer of hair behind his ears, all the rest of his hair was combed up, forming a very peculiar hairstyle.

How to describe it? It's like most of the hair is combed upwards, with the top ends curled downwards and then a thick hairpin inserted. It's hard to tell exactly how it's secured, but it's a very unique high bun overall.

This person also has exaggerated earrings that look like large feathers behind their ears, which match their hairstyle perfectly. Their red and white robes are also somewhat complicated, but apart from the dark patterns on the fabric and the slight beading embellishments, they don't have any other accessories.

"Who are you?"

"Qingyangzi has come at the invitation of King Asura."

The newcomer held a red fan and had a serious expression. Judging from his demeanor alone, it was hard to imagine that this upright man was the partner with whom Shou Wanjie had mentioned before that they could cooperate.

Because they were being manipulated in various ways, the illegal transmigrators still agreed to let Shou Wanjie bring more people to join them. They had set their sights too high, and if they didn't have the strength to match it, their plan would be difficult to continue.

Since this person could be associated with an evil god, he couldn't possibly be one of those who wanted to save the world. As long as he wasn't a righteous person, no matter how things went wrong in the end, he wouldn't end up on the other side. So they finally agreed to add another companion.

However, they had never heard that Asura King's companion was a righteous-looking character. Although he was also a Taoist, there were preconceived notions about him, so everyone thought he would be a more traditional Taoist demon.

"...How can you prove it?"

It wasn't that they didn't believe it, but the fact was that Qingyangzi was traveling at this time, and there were two people fighting in the sky. If this person appeared at this crucial moment, he could belong to either side.

"Proof? Not needed."

Qingyangzi glanced at the two locked in combat. He was positioned towards the back, where he could see the other side, but the other side might not be able to see him.

“If you don’t come with me, you won’t go anywhere.”

That statement is quite accurate. The two had no idea when the attack would hit them, and Shou Wanjie's fighting style showed no regard for their two vulnerable allies.

“…I’ll trust you for now.”

Helpless, they could only follow Qingyangzi. This man seemed completely unafraid of any attacks that might come at any moment. Since he claimed to be a companion of the Asura King, they had no choice but to believe him due to the circumstances.

"these people……"

Yan glanced at Qingyangzi, who had already turned around, and then at the two figures fighting in the distance. A somewhat outrageous idea popped into her head.

"Could the world these people live in be divided into factions based on color?"

The Asura King who helped them was red, and the Qingyangzi who claimed to be the Asura King's companion was also red; the two sword immortals who chased Lan Yingyi were white, and the other one he had seen before was also white.

What's going on, a red vs. white showdown?

"..."

Normally, Lan Ying would have retorted with a barrage of insults upon hearing such outrageous remarks. How could there be such an absurd way of classifying things? It's not like we're dealing with some black-clad organization.

But looking at the people on the field, she couldn't find a point to refute for a moment; the two sides were indeed quite distinct in their color schemes.

"...It shouldn't hurt anyone, right?"

Looking at the intense battle outside, Meng Danqing was worried about the ordinary people in the temple. According to the old monk, he was the only monk left in the temple now. Jian Feidao had rescued him, and there were no other monks left.

However, because of Jian Feidao's high-profile appearance, none of the Yan family's servants dared to run out. While the fighters kept their distance from Siyuan, the flying sand and stones posed a significant risk of hitting someone.

That's enough. We're all adults, we should know to avoid this. The most urgent thing is to resolve the issue of the mural.

Meng Danqing entered the main hall, wielding the Dream Brush to destroy the array. Perhaps due to the haste during its creation, or perhaps due to the limited size of the hall, it was easy for him to destroy the array that was devouring spiritual energy. The entire array seemed to be half-finished, and it was easy to find the array eye, which was actually on the donation box. The arrangement of this array eye was also peculiar.

When we were inside the mural, we were just one step away from getting out, but we couldn't get out no matter what we did. In the end, we had to open another door. Now that we're outside, the formation seems to be much weaker.

"These golden-armored warriors..."

After the formation was dispelled, Meng Danqing approached the murals. He wasn't quite sure what the murals in the capital originally looked like. The ones in Jinling were already dilapidated, and the ones in Changqing were faded. The content of the three murals also seemed to be different.

However, some painting conventions are still clear. Some of the content on the murals is obviously wrong. For example, these golden-armored warriors should not be painted together with monks listening to sutras and various celestial maidens. Normally, they should each have their own role, and different characters should have their own specific scenes and stories.

The change in the mural's content indicates that the figures in the painting are making some movements. Meng Danqing closes her eyes, recalling how she channeled spiritual energy into the mural, and once again raises her brush.

……

"One is missing, one is still missing."

Inside a magnificent palace, a tall warrior clad in golden armor paced back and forth. Before him stood a group of beautiful young women, each a rare beauty with unique features and a variety of attire.

Some of them carried flowers and flower baskets, some held zithers and lotus lanterns, and others held trays with incense burners on them. Here, they were all celestial maidens with their own duties. They usually did their own things and rarely stood together like this.

Another person dressed as an envoy circled around the girls, counting them many times, but the number never matched.

"One of you is missing a celestial maiden. Where did she go?"

The incident began when a celestial maiden was discovered to be having an affair with a foreign man. The celestial soldiers were ordered to investigate thoroughly. Just as they were about to begin their investigation, an anomaly suddenly occurred in the world: cracks appeared in the sky, the sun dimmed, and thunder even began to rumble. The bodhisattvas went out to investigate the situation, while the celestial soldiers gathered the others together to prevent any accidents.

However, this gathering revealed a problem. Everything was fine except for the number of celestial maidens; no matter how they counted, one was missing. In this world, there is no aging or death, nor are there newborns. Everyone's appearance and position at birth are fixed and have never changed.

How could one person be missing? No matter how the heavenly soldiers questioned them, the girls said that everyone had arrived, and indeed, no lone heavenly maiden could be found anywhere else. But the number of people was recorded from the beginning, so how could it not match up?

This is also a blind spot, because the celestial maidens do not have individual names. They usually travel in groups, and when you see them, you always see several celestial maidens together. When they are together, you can't tell anything, and no one has ever paid attention to the change in the number of people.

Only when careful elimination is required can discrepancies in the numbers be discovered.

First, it was discovered that one of the celestial maidens was having an affair with a mortal, and then the whole world started having problems. These two coincidences would lead anyone with a discerning eye to guess that they were related to the celestial maiden who had the affair with the mortal.

The problem now is that they can't find the missing celestial maiden, nor have they seen any mortals. They have no other choice but to gather the girls together.

"Is she gone?"

"Looks like they've left."

"Hopefully she can find someone."

Among these girls, several girls holding flowers were huddled together whispering. Judging from their attire and the things they were holding, they should all be in the position of "Flower Scattering Fairy".

The celestial maidens were all young girls, most of whom were lively. With so many young girls gathered together, it was inevitable that they would huddle together in twos and threes to whisper secrets, so the behavior of the flower-scattering celestial maidens was not abrupt.

"With that immortal's help, she may have already seen her lover."

"Perhaps it won't be long before the child is running and jumping again."

"So what exactly happened in the sky?"

"It seems something happened outside."

"Oh, then he wouldn't be..."

Just then, the thunder stopped.