Peking Opera Cat: I Became A Zi's Brother

The Xingluo Squad members nodded quickly and adjusted their states one by one - Wu Song restrained the fiery red rhythmic energy on his body and slowed down his pace;

Xiaoqing put the jade flute into her backpack, trying to make herself less conspicuous;

Dafei hugged Chang Zong Gu Pu tighter, lowered his head, and didn't dare to look around;

Bai Tang and Mo Zi followed Mo Yun, watching the movements around them vigilantly.

After entering Panhei Town, several people truly felt the "strict laws" here.

The bluestone pavement beneath my feet was polished smooth as a mirror, with tiny runes engraved on each slab. These runes glowed with a faint golden light in the sunlight, as if they were constantly watching over passersby.

The houses on both sides of the street are built with black stone, with silver "Law Bells" hanging under the eaves. When the wind blows, the bells sound crisp but without any warmth, which makes people feel nervous.

There were not many pedestrians in the town. Most of them wore gray-black short-sleeved shirts. They walked with their backs straight and even their steps were light, as if they were afraid of disturbing something.

There was no extra expression on their faces, their eyes were numb, and when someone occasionally talked, they kept their voices down and only said what was necessary. After that, they immediately separated without stopping for a moment.

"This place is too depressing. Even people have to be so cautious when speaking."

Wu Song muttered softly and couldn't help but poke the bluestone slab under his feet with his whistle stick. As soon as he poked it, the runes on the slab suddenly lit up, and a light golden light pattern spread along the whistle stick to Wu Song's hand. He was so scared that he quickly threw away the whistle stick and took a few steps back.

"Who told you to touch me?"

Mo Yun scolded in a low voice, stepped forward quickly, and gently brushed Wu Song's hand with the blue power of his fingertips, dispersing the light pattern.

"The rune on this stone slab is the 'No Disturbance Talisman'. If anyone intentionally damages it or touches it carelessly, it will trigger an alarm. If we were a little later, the patrol disciples would have been here."

Wu Song stuck out his tongue, picked up the whistle stick, and dared not touch it again.

"I know, I know. I won't touch it."

"In Panhei Town, everything has its own rules. Even the speed of walking and the volume of talking have unwritten rules."

Mo Yun looked at the people walking on the street and said slowly,

"Look, the people on the street all walk at a steady pace, without running or jumping, speak in low voices, and don't stay on the side of the road for too long. We have to learn from them, otherwise we'll easily attract attention."

A few people walked along the street for about half an hour and finally saw an inn.

The inn's signboard was made of black stone, with four large characters "Lu Shou Inn" engraved on it. Standing at the door was a waiter wearing a gray-black short-sleeved shirt, with no expression on his face, like an emotionless puppet.

"Let's stay here and rest for a night. We'll figure out a way to go to the Crime Stand tomorrow."

Mo Yun said.

Several people followed Mo Yun into the inn, and the waiter greeted them expressionlessly:

"Dear guests, would you like to stay in the hotel or have a meal?"

"We need three rooms, two single rooms and one double room."

Mo Yun answered.

The waiter nodded and took out a bunch of keys from behind the counter, which were engraved with different runes.

"The single rooms are on the second floor, and the double rooms are on the first floor. The runes on the keys correspond to the room numbers, so you can find them yourself. Also, the inn has rules. You are not allowed to go out after dark, make loud noises, or use strong rhythmic powers in your room. Violators will be punished according to the laws of Black Town."

"understood."

Mo Yun took the keys and distributed them to the Xingluo class members - Mo Yun and Mo Zi each had a single room, and Bai Tang, Wu Song, Xiao Qing, and Da Fei lived in a double room (although the double room was not very spacious, they could still accommodate them if they squeezed in).

Several people found their rooms with their keys.

The furnishings in the room were simple, with only a bed, a table and a chair, all made of black stone, cold and without a trace of warmth.

There was a black oil lamp on the table, with very little oil in it, which could only barely illuminate a corner of the room.

After Bai Tang, Wu Song, Xiao Qing, and Da Fei entered the double room, Wu Song suddenly sat on the bed and complained dissatisfiedly:

"This room is so shabby! There's not even a decent quilt. Won't I catch a cold if I sleep there tonight?"

"Stop complaining. It's good to have a place to live."

Xiao Qing gave Wu Song a blank look, walked to the table, picked up the oil lamp and looked at it.

"The lamp oil is too little. It's not enough at night."

Dafei walked to the window, carefully opened a crack, and looked out.

There were no pedestrians on the street outside the window. Only a few patrolling disciples of Panzong were walking back and forth, the long spears in their hands shining coldly in the moonlight.

"There are so many disciples patrolling the streets. It seems we really can't go out at night."

Dafei said in a low voice.

Bai Tang sat on a chair, looking at the moonlight outside the window, and said thoughtfully:

"We're already in Panhei Town. What should we do next? Brother Mo Yun said we should wait until tomorrow to find a way to go to the interrogation platform, but I have a feeling that Panzong won't let us see the leader so easily."

"No matter how they try to stop us, we must find a way to see the Sect Master!"

Wu Song gripped his whistle tightly, his eyes determined.

"The truth has not been revealed yet, and the Zonggu Songbook is still with us. We must not give up halfway!"

Xiaoqing also nodded:

"Wu Song is right. We can't give up. Tomorrow during the day, we can look around the town. Maybe we can find some clues about the leader of the Judgment Sect, or find the way to the Judgment Platform."

Da Fei scratched his head and said in a muffled voice:

"I will help too. I will protect the ancient singing score and prevent any mistakes from happening."

Bai Tang looked at his companions' determined eyes and felt a surge of strength in his heart:

"Okay, then let's work together to find out the truth of what happened back then!"

At the same time, in Mo Yun's room, Mo Zi was sitting at the table, discussing the next plan with Mo Yun.

"Brother, do you think the leader of the Judgment Sect is in the main hall right now? The man in black robe said that the runes in the main hall are more powerful than those he can control, and there are other guards. If we force our way in, we might be in danger."

Mo Yun leaned against the wall, a faint blue pattern lingering on her fingertips:

"Although we defeated the man in black robes, what he said is likely true. Since the leader of the Pan Sect is in the main hall, there must be many guards. Breaking in by force is not an option. We need to think of a roundabout way. Tomorrow during the day, I will go to the rune shop in town and see if I can find some materials to decipher the runes. You go to the lobby downstairs of the inn and listen to the conversations of other guests to see if you can find any clues about the Pan Sect."

Mo Zi nodded:

"Okay, I get it. What about the kids from Xingluo Class? They're still young. What if they get into danger?"

"They are no longer the little kids they were back then. After going through so many things, they have grown up a lot."

There was a hint of relief in Mo Yun's tone.

"Let them look around the town tomorrow so they can get familiar with Panhei Town's environment. Maybe they'll find some clues we haven't noticed. However, I'll leave a trace of my rhythmic energy on them so that I can sense any danger immediately."

Mo Zi gently fanned the folding fan:

"Brother is really thoughtful. Then let's follow this plan and take action tomorrow morning."

Mo Yun nodded without saying anything else. Her eyes fell on the moonlight outside the window, and no one knew what she was thinking.

The night in Panhei Town was very quiet, with only the footsteps of patrolling disciples and the crisp sound of the law bells under the eaves. These sounds intertwined together, like a cold song, echoing over the entire town.

……

The next morning, just after dawn, the Xingluo class members were awakened by the ringing of the bell outside the inn.

The bell rang loudly, three times in a row, each time with a sense of majesty, as if reminding the people in the town that a new day had begun, and at the same time warning everyone not to violate the laws of the Panzong.

After washing up, they came to the lobby downstairs of the inn.

There were already some guests in the lobby, mostly locals wearing gray and black T-shirts. They sat at the tables, eating breakfast in silence, without anyone speaking.

The waiter still stood behind the counter with an expressionless face, holding a rag in his hand, wiping the counter non-stop, as if it would never be clean.

Mo Yun and Mo Zi were already waiting for them in the lobby.

"Today during the day, let's split up."

Mo Yun looked at the Xingluo class and said slowly,

"I'll go to the rune shop in town to see if I can find any materials to decipher the runes. Mo Zi will go get clues about Pan Zong. The rest of you will look around town and familiarize yourself with the environment. But remember, don't touch anything in town and don't get into conflict with the locals. If you encounter any danger, contact me immediately using your rhyme power."

"Got it, Brother Mo Yun!"

The Xingluo class members said in unison