บท 24: Returning to the pit
Riding through the Frost Forest on An Xing, the Grandmaster's predatory gaze fixed itself ahead. His mind was muddled with thoughts and issues that constantly increased, impeding his plans to return to the journey the Emperor interrupted him from.
'I'm wasting far too much time on Chi Cheng…' He closed his eyes, trusting in An Xing to guide his way but it was as if the horse was sensitive to its master's worries and the shared emotions only made An Xing gallop faster.
Trailing behind, to the left and right rear of the Grandmaster, was his two nephews. They noticed an unusual air about their uncle who exhibited clear frustration brewing from his distraught mind. His grip on An Xing's reins tightened and he snapped them, indicating that his nephews should speed up.
The Grandmaster allowed the icy mountain breeze to allay the weariness in his bones and mind, feeling the cold course through his veins. He needed to be in a sane state of mind to conduct his investigation of the wandering damned souls he encountered.
Han Yongrui had reported more sightings of them, however, they only lingered along the borders of Xue Ling Ridge; not daring enough to cross further than the Frost Forest. The Grandmaster deduced that the reason for their appearance must have been related to why Chi Cheng and his nephew landed in a different location from where they fell.
"Yijun," Han Xuelian uttered his youngest nephew's name sternly, glancing over his right shoulder. "What did you see when you jumped after Chi Cheng? Did you carry him to that pit yourself?"
"No…" Han Yijun's grip on his horse's reins slackened, searching for an answer while he recalled that event.
Han Yijun vividly remembered the moment he leapt after Chi Cheng when the shorter male fell off the ledge. He reached for him desperately, urging himself to catch Chi Cheng before it was too late. The very second he embraced Chi Cheng mid-air, he braced the shorter male against his chest so that he would land on him.
However, when Han Yijun had turned his head to estimate the depth of their rapid fall, a dimensional void with black and red tendrils of energy materialised beneath them before they plummeted to the ground.
Their bodies were drawn in and the last thing Han Yijun vaguely made out before the void closed behind them was a black figure disappear around the trees by the ledge side.
Explaining what he witnessed to his uncle, Han Yijun clarified that he didn't encounter anything else in the pit or around it.
'Did you hear those souls utter the same words, Chi Cheng? Is that why you mentioned 'Celestial Defiler' during your nightmare?' The Grandmaster contemplated, attempting to make a connection between the dots he drew in his mind. 'I need to catch one of them to ask them more about this…'
"A void and a black figure…" Han Xuelian stated aloud, trying to make sense of the information his youngest nephew related. "No one should be wandering these lands without my knowledge. It won't be long before I find them."
"Should I organise a search on our return?" Han Yongrui enquired.
"No need." The Grandmaster assured him. "I don't want to alert the guest disciples or let the other clans hear word of the internal issues we're facing."
'Xue Ling Ridge is my conscience and mind… if a rat hopes to worm its way through then I'll bait it with scraps.' Han Xuelian's lips curved wickedly.
"We're here," the Grandmaster announced, pulling back An Xing's reins to halt the horse as it reached the pit's edge.
Unmounting together and tying their horses' reins to a nearby tree, the three men descended into the pit to scour the area.
"What exactly are we looking for…" Han Yijun questioned his uncle, analysing their surroundings.
"Anything unusual," Han Xuelian responded, tracing a hand along the pit wall, channelling Qi into the rock to search for hidden clues beneath the land. "There should be something here."
With one hand firmly positioned on the hilt of the sword attached to the left side of his waist, the Grandmaster closed his eyes to focus. Underneath the snow surface where harmony and light ruled, he could hear the faint whispers of the wandering damned souls again.
However, this time they were cautious enough to not overstep the boundaries along the Ridge.
'Master sthill shleeeepsss…' One of the souls hissed, their voice a cracking whisper.
'Memories…' Another one cackled. 'We musht giveee moar memories…'
'He is here!' A third soul beckoned. 'He will come for Master again.' This soul's speech was more coherent than the other two, perhaps it was a higher evolved spirit.
The Grandmaster retracted his hand sharply, shaking his head as the damned souls attempted to toy and manipulate his mind. Their whispers signalled the start of a pounding headache, realising that exercising his ability to connect with the land always took a heavy toll on his mind.
"Are you alright?" Sensing the Grandmaster's distress, Han Yongrui moved closer. "You still haven't recovered from the other day when you used it…"
"I'm fine." The Grandmaster smiled weakly, starting to look visibly paled due to the amount of Qi he exerted. "Did you find anything?"
Nodding responsively to the Grandmaster, Han Yongrui led him in the opposite direction where they rescued Chi Cheng and Han Yijun previously. Kneeling down, he pointed to remnant specks of a dark purplish powder that was scattered on a pile of snow.
"I saw traces of this along the edges of the pit as well." Han Yongrui looked up at the Grandmaster, searching for an inclination or an idea of what the dark purplish powder was.
Han Xuelian's expression became grim, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the powder. He rummaged his memory for any visual or informatic clues. Eventually, he kneeled beside his nephew, testing the powder's texture on his fingers.
It exuded a foul smell which was concealed under the scent of snow, and finally it clicked with him when he recognised the smell.
"This is Devil's Ash." The Grandmaster concluded.
"From the Shadow Realm?" Han Yongrui asked tensely, studying the powder more intricately. "That's impossible. The gateways were sealed off seventeen years ago by the Celestial Hunters."
"It might be a wild speculation." The Grandmaster rose to his feet, dusting his hands. "Take some of it back with you, we'll need more information and investigation to be done before we're certain."
Han Yongrui obeyed, retrieving a piece of cloth from his robe and gathered a small amount of the supposed 'Devil's Ash' and tucked it away into his sleeve.
"Should we return?"
"Go ahead of me," the Grandmaster gestured for him to leave. "I want to investigate a little more by myself."
"Are you looking for something?" Han Yongrui raised an eyebrow while he observed the Grandmaster's eyes scan the ground intensely.
"Nothing at all." Han Xuelian flashed his nephew an innocent smile, clasping his hands behind his back as if to hold his sword.
"You better be back in the next hour after us." Han Yongrui stated nonchalantly, not completely believing his uncle's words. "Jun'er, let's head back first." He gestured for his younger brother to follow him.
Once he confirmed that his nephews had departed, hearing their horses gallop away, the Grandmaster started scouring every inch of the pit. It didn't help that night was arriving and clouds darkened the clarity in the pit, but he was still determined to seek out the object he initially came for.
"I hope this is where you lost your earrings, Chi Cheng…" Han Xuelian prayed, propping his back against the pit wall as he slid down to seat himself after searching frantically. "I don't know why I bothered looking for them when I should be attending to other matters."
Resting his head back against the wall, he let out a deep sigh.
"There's no harm in me indulging my desires…" The Grandmaster considered for a moment. "After all, when I complete my ascension, all of this will be left behind… you'll be my temporary temptation Chi Cheng…."
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