Gale spent about six hours in deep ditation, taking control of his deadbeat body. Although most of the serious injuries in his channels healed after Saarya's intervention, he feared he won't be in fighting shape within a couple of weeks.
Then he has to work to get back the power that Maya had sealed. He had no clue how long that would take.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Gale woke up from his ditation, feeling the sa vibration again. It was as if calling him who knew where.
Gale found Xiaolin on the sa bed, waiting for him as she was done with her ditation a couple of hours ago.
"Master, you're awake," Xiaolin said. "How're you feeling?"
"Better," Gale said, patting her head. He turned his head around and found Vale resting, but no sign of his senior apprentice sister. "Where's Maya?"
"She left," Xiaolin answered. "She completed everything you asked of her and went into the mountain to check what is going on."
"Hmm," Gale humd. "When did she leave?"
"About an hour ago. She said she will be back in a few hours."
Gale nodded. He could dreadfully feel the shift in nature in the mountains, even when he was inside the secret lair. The natural energy density increased trendously as if they were situated right above a blasting spirit energy ley line. Then there was the pudgy feeling in the air, the unrest.
Gale rested on the thought, as he wouldn't have to worry about his senior apprentice sister. She had advanced one rank above his, and with her natural speed, she would be fine.
Gale lifted his head to look at Xiaolin. He let out a breath. "Linlin, there's sothing I have to tell you."
Xiaolin regarded him inquiringly.
"I probably shouldn't have left the inn without telling you," Gale said, embarrassnt growing on his expression. "But sothing happened, I didn't know how I was supposed to face you." Or Wang Li.
Xiaolin's face turned red instantly. "I heard you mistook elder sister for ," she said. "She told already."
Gale grunted, yet weirdly, he found no change in Xiaolin's expression. Instead, she was acting even shyer.
'If she heard all of it, then why she isn't mad at ?' Gale wondered.
"Master, I'm sorry," Xiaolin said, completely surprising him. "It's my fault. I completely forget what I promised to you after you gave the wine."
Gale blinked at her. "Still, aren't you mad at for this?"
"I'm," she said. "I'm mad at both of ourselves. Elder Sister was so rigid when she was telling that. Gosh, what she had to put through. Thankfully, you didn't cross the line, or. . ."
Gale frowned.
"Master," Xiaolin nodded, the look on his face as well. "You didn't do anything to cross the line did you?"
Gale didn't say anything.
"Master?"
Gale sighed. "That depends on where you think the line is, I fear."
Xiaolin regarded him, frowning. "Did you kiss her?"
Gale nodded.
"On the lips?"
Gale nodded.
Xiaolin's face turned unsightly instantly. "How! I thought your Gold senses can recognise people from a Li away, how can you make such a blunder?!"
"I probably drank a little too much ambrosia. And as you know, my senses weren't as it was once were."
Xiaolin groaned in frustration. "How am I going to face her again?"
"We can't go back after what I did," Gale said after Saarya put the stuff straight to him. "I already apologised to her, but I don't think that's enough. All we can do is work towards helping the situation. It will take ti, but I'm sure we'll get sowhere."
***
Han Shitian couldn't remain in his house anymore, discovering the oddness of the storm, and it wasn't him alone. Even Iskander joined him on the roof to peer into the storm.
"Are you still certain your people will complete the job without any issues?" Han Shitian asked the foreigner, turning his head to face the elegant man.
Iskander didn't answer for a certain ti, peering into the stormy mountain. "I feel like there's sothing more else on the mountains," he said. "I think I'll have to go and check."
Iskander proceeded to leave right at that mont, flaring his Qi to command a movent skill.
"Wait, I'll co as well," Han Shitian said.
The foreigner turned his head and asked, "Are you sure?"
"I already played my part, I won't be able to sleep in peace if I didn't put this matter to an end," he said.
"Well, co on then."
The two of them charged their movent skill and shot for the mountain, their speed rising with each mont. At this rate, they would reach the mountain within half an hour.
However, things didn't turn out as they had hoped. They barely covered two-thirds of the distance when a great spatial shock detonated in the mountains. Obviously, they were too far away and higher ranked to be affected by that, but they did notice the shockwave.
"What was that?" Han Shitian asked.
But the foreigner's eyes were elsewhere, towards the golden light shooting towards the mountain range. A delightful expression crossed his lips instantly as he turned to face Han Shitian.
"Change of plan," he said. "We'll wait until more reinforcent cos."
"Why?" Han Shitian asked, clearly missing the golden light shooting for the mountain.
Iskander didn't bother to answer as they moved closer to the mountain.
***
Sun Min was staying as a guest in Shenhu Mountain Sect for about a week. Her duties were pretty simple as always, heal anyone in need, advise an aspiring practitioner, and check on the political matters of the sect.
The sect has been under the regi of her family for over millennia, although the relationship has been distant for most of the ti. Sun Clan didn't rule with an iron hand as their Sovereign took a more free approach to rule over subsidiary sects and clans.
Well, those clans and sects were free like most other free organisations, but their only duty was to turn up when the Sun Clan called.
The political water had been growing restless in Tianhui for years now. With the uncompassionate king and hungry noble houses, it wasn't really a surprise. On normal occasions, these weren't supposed to affect the Legendary Sun clan or its subsidiary powers, however, sohow this Shenhu Mountain sect managed to throw themselves into the entanglent of others' sches.
She was here to break that thought of involving themselves in such a fight, and while doing that she was also looking for any young candidates who were talented enough.
So far, she had her eyes on a couple. Though unpolished, she figured with the teachings of her clan, they would shine like diamonds in a year or two.
"Mistress, your longread received a call," a young servant girl called.
"Thank you," Sun Min said. "I'll go look into it."
There were plenty of people who had her contacts, and she received plenty of longread every week. Obviously, she didn't bother with most of them, as half of them were asking for her hand in marriage. The rest were from families, or others asking for her expertise.
Sun Min wasn't surprised to find the contact was from Sun Ziang, as the youth had been in contact with her constantly since he was deported. However, she was surprised reading the content he left for her.
Supposedly, so calamity was about to befall in Wayshire, as it was prophesied by the disciple of the Grand Oracle of the first temple.
He put the oracle apprentices to prophesy word by word below, which put in a rather discontentnt. She was missing too much information to make head and tail out of the words.
Other than that, Sun Ziang described the storm that covered the mountain range.
"Hmm, there's supposed to be sothing left behind by an ancient civilization," she muttered as she read the prophecy once again. Without a second thought, she dialled the contact that connected her with her grandmother, Sovereign White Spring.
Sun Min delivered the prophecy word by word. Then she waited for any communication from her grandmother.
[Do as you see fit.]
Only one line appeared on the papers after a while. The words spoke volus of trust the sovereign had in her.
Sun Min wasn't supposed to go and help Sun Ziang. However, after she got this from her grandmother, she figured she shouldn't wait here and leave everything to him.
Without thinking any more, Sun Min stored all her necessary items in her spatial storage device. She left a quick note for the sect master and handed it to the servant.
"Take this to the sect master," she told her.
Even as the servant left with the note fervently, Sun Min closed her eyes and released her power.
In the next mont, her entire figure was sucked in by the portal.
***
In an unknown dark mansion, a dark man sprinted back deeper into the facilities, clasping his one palm with another. His right palm was troubled with a splitting pain, shaking in the reminder of sothing he had been working on for twenty years.
Without the notice of his partners in cri, the man moved deeper into the house and entered a makeshift lift. It took him down into the underground facilities after he worked through so secret constructs.
After a while, he rested the palm that was shuddering in a splitting pain. The palm was sickly grotesque, missing a lot of muscle and fibres, compared with the other arm. It had several twisted spiral marks, which seed to be the cause of all this.
"Finally," he said, making a fist with the sickly arm. "Finally, the ti has co! My path to ho."
A clamour of howls and screech broke after him as the man started to laugh maniacally.
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