บท 82: The aftermath

Chapter 82

Upon seeing that Shin Jiao was taken to the sky by the huge beast, Qin Lou's heart broke apart.

"Noooo!!! Shin Jiao!!!" Qin Lou shouted in panic as she tried to chase after him.

But someone suddenly grabs her hand and hugs her tight.

"Don't! You'll just be in his way." A beautiful voice said while her voice is trembling.

Cherry Lao saw it too and her heart also sank. She wanted to chase after them but she has already done something that hindered him. If it was not for her, Shin Jiao would still have the ability to fight back. She stopping Qin Lou is something that she learned because she learned at that time that she should have trusted in his abilities to fight.

"Trust him, please." Cherry Lao whispered.

Qin Lou couldn't help herself but cry once more in agony. She wanted to say yes but right now, she is feeling guilty as she didn't follow what Shin Jiao said to her and should have stayed in the town. Because of her mistake, it would cost him his life, which she could not accept.

Then all of a sudden, high up in the sky they saw a small bright light appear.

Upon seeing this, Qin Lou, Cherry Lao, and the people from Shin Jiao's base felt downtrodden. Everyone has tears in their eyes as they know that their master is also up there.

"Master! Nooo!!!" Qian Li slump down on the ground while crying as she couldn't accept what she is seeing.

Anger, hatred, regret, and sorrow all of these emotions can be seen in the eyes of the people on the battleground which belongs to Shin Jiao's faction.

Qin Lou suddenly spews a mouthful of blood as she fainted in Cherry Lao's arms. Both of them fell on the ground as Cherry Lao herself became weak, her eyes are blurry and in disbelief from what she saw, but she didn't stop looking as her gaze didn't leave the sky hoping for some miracle to happen.

While all are in desperation and crying Phoenix with tear-filled eyes continuously watches the sky using her goggles. Then her expression suddenly changed and a smile crept on her lovely face.

…

A month has passed since the devastation of the beast tide and many have already discovered the mortals' community living just outside of the town of Dis. Now many mortals have migrated to this area and lived just outside the farm. Since the base does not accept just anyone, many still preferred to stay near it. The array formations were not removed as it serves as protection for the base and none has the knowledge to remove it.

Qin Lou requested to stay at the underground base, and what shocks everyone is that she decided to stay in Shin Jiao's room. For weeks she stayed in his rooms and people can hear her crying every day. It's not only her that's like this as Qian Li who is close to Shin Jiao is also downcast.

Seeing the two women, Phoenix couldn't take it anymore. She didn't know what they would do, but she decided to tell them what she saw. So she called for the two in a room where Shin Jiao would always gather them.

"Okay… I can't take it anymore. Fairy, you are our leader! If you don't pull yourself together and just crumble like this what would happen to us?" Phoenix started.

"Miss Lou, you are a famous figure in the cultivation world. If you don't pull yourself together our base would face great troubles." Phoenix said looking at the downcast Qin Lou.

"I don't want to tell you this because I don't know what the two of you will do. But I will say it… Master is still alive." Phoenix said with a heavy sigh.

Upon hearing her words, both Qian Li and Qin Lou lifted their gazes towards her, their eyes are brimming with hope. As if possessed by something both girls immediately ran towards Phoenix grabbing her hands.

"Please tell me where he is!" Qin Lou immediately said with Qian Li nodding.

"Sigh… I don't know, but I saw his figure falling from the sky. I am not sure though but that figure is that of a human, so I only mean that master survived the blast." Phoenix said slowly.

"Really! I… I need to look for him. I… I can't lose him again." Qin Lou suddenly said as she stood up.

"So you want to worry master again?" This time it was Qian Li who said this with an angry tone.

Qin Lou was suddenly rotted to the ground, as she remembers what had happened. She didn't want to think about it but in reality, it was her fault that Shin Jiao was wounded before the fight. And this weighs heavy in her heart, she loves Shin Jiao and she knows that he loves her. But because of her action, she lost him.

"That was too harsh, Fairy," Phoenix said with a glare at Fairy who had already recovered her composure.

"Miss Lou, if I were you. I would follow and trust master and wait for him to return. This is his home, and we are his people. He would want his home and his people to survive and be happy, so should you. We welcome you in this base as you are master's important person. I hope that we can work together to establish and continue our master's dream." Phoenix said making the two ladies felt their heart calm down a bit.

"You're right. Thank you…" Qin Lou said as she realizes something.

"This is Shin Jiao's home and this is also my home… Shin, no matter where you are, no matter how long it takes… I will wait for you." Qin Lou said in her heart as a tear of happiness fell from the corner of her eyes.

…

The underground base or the Mortal's Haven from what people now call it began to prosper. Now the amount of people staying in and around the base totals 500 mortals. And the numbers of Shadow Squad members have increased from 25 to 80, where 70% of them are women while the rest are men.

The farmland is also increased which now covered the surrounding area of the underground base, so when it comes to food and resources the base is already proficient. Then Susu Ling negotiated the trading for the communication device. This way the revenue for the base would increase.

The Roc's eye merchant house began advertising through uncommon means. As they gave some of it to the important people in the town for free. And from there started a wave of amused cultivators. The elder council saw the potential of the phone as they began using it. It works like the old phones from the earth where the screen has 84x48 in monochrome and with 5 lines. This technology has already been modified by Shin Jiao but the tech team is still trying to learn the crafting process slowly, and right now this is the best they can do.

The cultivators began using it, especially the scouting team as they needed to report things on the forest every now and then. This made reporting faster and convenient. But not everyone can afford the phone as it cost a lot of spiritual stones. Once a special version of the phone was auctioned and it was sold at 3 million low-grade spirit stone, and the one who bought it came from the empire capital.

It was an expert craftsman who tried to study the phone carefully. This didn't bother Susu Ling as she herself knows how hard it is to crack the technology. Unless that craftsman is also a rune and array formation expert like Shin Jiao he can crack the technology, but as of now, it is still impossible.

The phone began to sell like hotcakes, but those from other towns and cities could buy it but they could not use it as the base stations are only spread inside the Daemon forest near the town of Dis area. With the widespread of the phone, many merchants began targeting the Roc's eye merchant group to discover the technology and they soon found the source, the Mortal's Haven.

But everyone discovers that it is a suicide for cultivators to enter the Mortal's Haven. Once a cultivator enters the boundary without a pass, they are immediately kicked out. If they fight back, the cultivators from the town would step in. If they are more powerful and became unreasonable, they will find themselves with a hole on their head or heart.

The crafty cultivators with their sects became involved as they started to work in the dark to suppress the activities of the underground base. They started to hunt the Shadow Squad who trains inside the forest, but so far they were not successful. Because, before they can get closer, they have already been discovered. And so this starts the fight between cultivators and the underground base.

Not long later the news began to spread about a place called the Mortal's Haven near the town of Dis and that they were responsible for creating the artifact that the emperor is looking for. When this news reached the ears of the emperor, he immediately dispatched a group to go to the down and investigate.

…

"Guys, I think I have caused you troubles… huhu…" Susu Ling is now bawling in front of Qin Lou and the rest of the council which was formed by Qin Lou.

In this room sat 10 people: Qin Lou, Susu Ling, the 5 girls who are now leaders of the Shadow Squad, elder Kou from the food department, elder Wan Bing from the tech department, and Xi Jung.

Each of them shows a troubled face as they are thinking of what to do in this situation. When Susu Ling told them that the emperor is sending an envoy, they didn't know what to do. Qin Lou's guardians have long left the town and return to the capital as Qin Lou request. They too know the safety of the base as they know the formidability of the array formation guarding it. Everyone in town has the map of the place, but the inner workings are not included so if a cultivator is trapped, only death or imprisonment awaits them.

"So, what should we do?" Qin Lou asked as she looks at the other people in the room.

No one answered her as they too felt conflicted; the only thing that comes to their mind is the fear of being invaded by the empire.

"We can close the base for a long time. Master Shin Jiao has already taught us this emergency procedure. But once we activate it, then we cannot get out of this place for 50 years at most… Are we prepared to do this?" Qian Li suddenly said.

"What! This… No! How… how can I…" Susu Ling suddenly blurted out in protest.

"We have no choice. Do you want the base to be destroyed by those shameless sects?" Qin Lou said as she also arrived in the same solution.

"But… How can I visit you again? I don't want to part from you Sister Qin. Huhu…" Susu Ling said as she cried feeling depressed.

"I will always have ways to communicate with you." Qin Lou said as she shakes her phone.

Seeing this, Susu Ling suddenly beamed in joy.

"You mean it will work even if you close down the entire area?" Susu Ling asked in surprised.

Qin Lou nodded in response as her gaze turns to Elder Wan Bing who also nods her head.

With this decision, the entire base was informed about the decision and none object. The mortals already living in this place is already contented, but those that are living within the boundary of the base felt dejected, as they have no choice but to go back to the town of Dis. The news was spread which made the elders of the town panic, everyone knew the trouble that started but they didn't do anything about it and just watched on the sidelines not wanting to offend the cultivators and the sect that started it.

When the envoy arrived in the town of Dis, the base was already in a lock-down which made the envoy mad.

"How dare those mortals to show that attitude towards the empire… We shall destroy their puny protective array!" the head of the envoy group madly said as he immediately went to the base location.

What they saw surprised them as they could not feel any power fluctuations or even a trace of the array. The whole area is like a part of the forest which means that an illusion covering it.

"Heh! Do they think we can't destroy this puny level of array formation? After I destroy this I will ravage these mortals and take all those artifacts they made. The emperor will reward me for this accomplishment." The head envoy who is still a young man said.

"Ahem… that is not our purpose here. We are here to convince them to help the empire." An old man said as he steps closer to the young man.

The young man sneers at the old man and immediately gathers his cultivation. The power undulation in his body shows that he is already at the primary-stage of the infant soul realm. Seeing the young man's action the old man just shook his head in disappointment.

The real envoy in this journey is the old man, but because of the request from the left prime minister the emperor gave a chance to his son to be the envoy.

Ping! Boom!

The loud explosion suddenly woke everyone from their lazy expression. Then they saw the young man disappear from where he stood and are now inside a human shape crevice at the side of the mountain. Inside they found the young man's body riddled with wounds and with a scan almost half of the bones in his body are broken.

"That is a reflecting array! This… this is impossible! Only the capital city has this kind of array formation." One of the people within the envoy said in astonishment.

This person is an array master under master Ju's tutelage.

With this everyone return back to town. The old man felt that the matter is not that simple, so he started to investigate and discover the cause.

He carried this finding to the emperor and told what happened which made the emperor rage. As a wise emperor, he can already foresee the possible future of his empire if they cooperated with the Mortal's Haven. And all of it was missed because of the greed of the surrounding sects and cultivators. At that time he wanted to destroy the sects within the area for their lack of foresight, but he was stopped by his councilors.

Now, all they can do is to wait for the Mortal's Haven to open its gates once more.