It was midday.

The sky was covered with heavy clouds, but it could not stop the sun from transmitting its temperature to the earth beneath the clouds. The air was humid and muggy, and the occasional breeze was too hot to bring a moment of refreshment to sweaty pedestrians.

This is Yangmingcheng, which is the most familiar location for Leia except for his hometown. Since more than ten years ago, he has been following and investigating everything in this place, until now.

The original reason was very simple: to destroy the "Shadow Department" of the Pale Hand and avenge the death of his parents at the hands of the previous "Shadow King".

Now there's another one.

Leia understands that the little girls he once traveled with want to continue their quest for peace, so the "Shadow King", whose reason for survival is to kill, has been on their side from the beginning.

For anyone, such a "hunter" lurking in the shadows, waiting for the "prey" to strike a fatal blow when it is lax or weak, is a terrible uncertaintie.

He couldn't watch the "candle flame" he had so hard found be extinguished by the flickering "shadow". So he had to do one thing - find an opportunity to kill him before the moment he got into action.

For this reason, he has been waiting here for five days.

Judging from the traces and information collected in the past few days, it is not in the city at this moment. But Leia knew the Shadow King's habits: whenever he was about to start a serious killing, he would return to his stronghold, pray to the god he believed in, and exchange a little of his own blood for the god's favor.

In other words, as long as they don't appear here for a moment, those little girls are safe. And as long as he returns, Leia believes that there is at least a good chance that he will never have a chance to leave.

Waiting is boring. But at least, he didn't have to be like the hapless Assassins, lurking in dark and damp locations for days and nights, only to make an appearance for his target.

Sometimes he sat in the tavern in the city, asking for a pot of wine and a plate of peanuts, and slowly poured himself a drink. Sometimes he walks the streets and listens to the gossip of passers-by, extracting what he needs.

He never worried about being recognized. During his years in the Pale Hand, Leia had learned a near-perfect disguise technique – and if he hadn't decided to leave, it would not have been Suzuku's turn to take over as Lord of Mist. And the talent left to him by his mother, in addition to not being afraid of flames, can also completely change the aura he possesses.

Even if he stood in front of him, it would never be possible to associate the ordinary-looking young man, woman, old man, or other passers-by who could be seen everywhere with the lone ranger.

Before the trip, Leia returned to her stronghold and once again gathered her "companions" who followed her. The little girls gave him nearly half of the reward given by Bo Yan, and he divided it equally among everyone, including himself, according to his seniority. He then ordered his buddies to return to their usual occupations until he summoned them again.

No one asked questions, and no one expressed concern about him - this is quite normal. These "companions" came from the "Dirt Department" and "Fog Department" of the Pale Hand, and the rigorous training during the student period gave them a good habit of obeying orders.

So, everything was taken care of, and now he was left alone to complete the final task.

That's exactly what he likes. Be uninhibited, do whatever you want, and don't worry about the safety of your teammates or take care of others.

Of course, he cares more about the success or failure of his actions than the so-called sense of ritual. He made this choice because he firmly believed that going it alone was the way to achieve the highest success rate.

However, there is indeed a thought in his heart - revenge completed by his own hands is the best tribute to his parents. As for whether this kind of thinking comes from the monster blood left by his mother, or the character that his father taught him since childhood, it doesn't really matter.

Leia shook her head, soking up from her thoughts. He was in the city's central square, but few people were out for a walk on a sweltering afternoon, except for the homeless who were sleeping in the shadows of the buildings on either side, covering their bodies with a thin cloth.

When the sun goes down and the rest of the population goes out for dinner, they also wake up and try to pick up leftovers from others. And when night falls, they take refuge in sheltered corners, waiting for the sun to rise on the new day.

Leia had interacted with them, and knew that they were not lazy or unwilling to work—begging was not a good occupation here, and summer was a good one, and when winter came, half of those who slept on the streets would not survive the cold of the night, and would disappear silently from the roadside.

The reason for their current situation is extremely simple - they have the blood of youkai, but no one has taught them how to control the power of the bloodline.

From the moment their demon traits were revealed, they were brought here from all over the empire and watched over them tightly. If you want to escape the city, you will immediately be chased by members of the "Shadow Division" and killed them on the spot. But even if they stayed here, few people would want to hire them.

Some people with beauty can rely on their bodies to get a less glamorous job. Most of the rest can only become wanderers, gradually weakening and dying over the next few years. As for where their bodies have gone, and what they have been used for, the inhabitants of this place do not know - in fact, if they do, they probably don't care.

This is the third reason.

Leia knew that this was far from a situation that could be completely changed by killing a "Shadow King". But at least through the resulting turmoil, there will always be some "half-demons" who yearn for freedom to leave here and survive in a wider world.

A spark can start a prairie fire. Then let him, a "half-demon", serve as the initial tinder...... One of them.

"But remember me, little girls." The young ranger chuckled to himself, clenching his right fist slightly. Then he walked into a tavern and asked for a cold ale to cool off.

"Before you come back, I'm going to have a few drinks." He muttered as he poured a large gulp into his mouth, "Of course, if you don't come back all the time...... I'll just take your lair. ”

Night slowly falls, and the scorching heat of the day slowly dissipates until the dampness and coolness of the early hours of the morning. Then, the morning sun breaks through the thick clouds and casts a ray of light on the east of the city.

It's another day.

Leia was not in a hurry, he had plenty of time and enough money with him to live for dozens of days. But as time passed, some emotions began to ferment in his heart.

It was neither nervous or scared, nor the so-called fighting spirit, but an inexplicable feeling of homesickness that had not been experienced for a long time.