Ch. 49 - Farewell To An Old Friend

“This all started about two weeks ago,” Master Hu sighed, beginning his story. “One night, I was asleep when I suddenly heard a woman singing. “At first, I didn’t think much of it, until the next morning, when the captain of the guards was found dead. “His corpse was twisted in a grotesque expression of terror, as if he’d died of fright. “Since that incident, every night we hear a woman singing somewhere in the estate.” “But no matter how many people I send out to look, we can never find the source of the voice.” “Every morning, someone is dead. Even when I gathered everyone together to stay awake all night, people still vanished and died by dawn.” “So far, nearly twenty people from the Hu estate have died.” “Many servants quit and left. People say I’ve been cursed.” “There are no such things as ghosts, clearly the work of some petty criminal,” Wang Tao from the Divine Sun Sacred Ground said dismissively. “Don’t worry, Master Hu. Tonight, I’ll personally patrol the estate and catch the killer.” “Good, thank you all. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you need anything,” Master Hu said gratefully. “Tonight, gather every remaining person in the estate. No one leaves,” Wang Tao ordered. “I want to see who dares to play tricks here.” “No problem, I'll leave it to you,” Master Hu nodded. As Wang Tao boasted with exaggerated confidence, Xu Zimo said nothing. He simply smiled faintly. To Xu Zimo, completing this sect mission meant nothing. He only came to this town to retrieve a particular item. In fact, he hoped everyone else would die. The more souls that item devoured, the stronger it became, and the more useful it would be to him in the future. As the group continued eating and chatting, a little girl suddenly ran into the room. “Daddy, do we have guests?” she asked sweetly. She had two little pigtails and looked only four or five years old. “Ying’er, come to daddy,” Master Hu beamed, clearly very fond of his daughter. He scooped her into his arms and introduced her. “This is my daughter, Hu Yingying. She was seriously ill not long ago. Thankfully, the curse hasn’t targeted her.” After dinner, the sky grew darker, and the light rain turned into a heavier drizzle. Raindrops dripped steadily from the eaves, and the entire Hu estate was soon shrouded in a misty fog. Master Hu then gathered all the remaining servants into a side hall. In truth, there weren’t many left. With so many dead or fled, this once-grand estate now held fewer than twenty people. “We’ll patrol the east wing. You patrol the west. How’s that?” Wang Tao asked Xu Zimo’s group. “You still asking for a beating? Who are you to give orders?” Little Gui snapped. Then he turned to Xu Zimo, waiting for instructions. “You guys patrol. I’ll stay in the main hall to guard Master Hu and the others,” Xu Zimo said lazily, stretching, clearly disinterested. “Fine,” Wang Tao grumbled and left with the other Divine Sun Sacred Ground disciples. “Senior Brother, we’re heading to patrol the west wing,” Little Gui said. Xu Zimo glanced up. The rain was getting heavier, and the night sky felt unusually eerie. “What’s there to patrol? Go rest,” Xu Zimo replied casually and walked off toward the side hall. He left behind a confused Little Gui and Lin Ruhu, scratching their heads. ... Meanwhile, Ren Pingsheng had been rushing back home. After taking the healing pill Xu Zimo gave him, most of his injuries had recovered. His mind was completely occupied with thoughts of Grand Emperor Tun Ri’s inheritance. By nightfall, he arrived at his clan’s ancestral shrine. Since the Ren family’s decline, few people ever visited the shrine anymore. He pushed open the old wooden doors, now worn and warped with age. Inside, the lighting was dim, and the air felt stuffy and stale. Directly ahead stood a statue of the Grand Emperor, coated in dust and spiderwebs. The statue had been carved from old portraits of the Grand Emperor. But no matter how skilled the craftsmen, none could fully replicate his likeness. So the Ren family had settled on carving only a statue of his back. Ren Pingsheng walked up, knelt, and bowed three times before moving the statue aside. He searched the altar and found a loose brick. Sliding it aside revealed a hidden groove, a perfect fit for his flute. His breathing quickened. Mind blank, hands trembling, he inserted the flute into the groove. Instantly, the shrine began to shake. Spiritforce surged above the shrine as a deep vortex formed in the air. As the vortex opened, space itself cracked and collapsed. Compressed air exploded outward as streaking energy bolts shot in all directions. Ren Pingsheng’s eyes filled with fire as he whispered, “Yue Buli… just wait. When I return, I will crush your sect.” Heart racing, he stepped into the vortex. It closed behind him, and the surroundings returned to silence, as if nothing had happened. ... At that same moment, on Graceful Willow Peak of the True Martial Sacred Sacred Ground, a young woman named Baili Xiao sat quietly in the heart of a white lotus flower. The lotus was a relic of Grand Empress Hong Tian’s legacy. Baili Xiao’s expression was serene as a strand of hair swayed in the breeze. Spiritual energy gathered atop the lotus, constantly nourishing her body. White mist drifted around her like clouds. She looked like a goddess descended from the heavens. Clad in white, skin like snow, perfect features, just looking at her felt like sacrilege. It had been a while since she’d appeared publicly, and her ethereal aura only seemed to grow stronger. Suddenly, there was a loud bang, Baili Xiao’s Deepbone meridian gate burst open. She had broken through to the Meridian Forging Realm, and endless spiritual energy surged through her body. She rose gently from the lotus, taking graceful steps. Two handmaidens, who had been waiting nearby, stepped forward. They were the same twin sisters, Xue Qianxue and Xue Mengmeng, whom Xu Zimo had met during the sect’s freshman trials. “Sister Xiao, you’ve broken through to the Meridian Forging Realm!” Xue Mengmeng said with wide, sparkling eyes. “Just broke through. You two should keep working hard too,” Baili Xiao replied with a soft smile.