Chương 447: Tales of Blood (XII)

Wan Lan blew gently into the embers of the fire, lighting it up. The cold, jagged walls of a cave lit up, as did the faces of two gagged men who were struggling to free themselves of restraints to no avail. Dai Xiu had gone out to set up a basic concealment array, though how well she would do... In fairness, it was hardly Wan Lan's strong suite, either, so she had no right to judge.

Besides, it was unlikely they were going to be discovered; after running away from the lake, they'd climbed up a nearby mountain, erasing their steps as they ran, and didn't stop for nearly two full days before discovering a set of caves embedded in the shaded side of one of the mountains. They chose one at random and found it rather... livable, for lack of a better word. Though somewhat cold, it was dry and isolated, with a slight, winding path to the chamber they were currently in.

Dai Xiu came back about ten minutes or so later, settling by the fire immediately and rubbing her hands.

"... are you cold?" Wan Lan asked.

"No," Dai Xiu replied with a grin.

"It's just that all adventure books I read had characters do this when they camp by the fire!"

"..." Wan Lan sighed and silently rolled her eyes, sitting down by the fire, though not rubbing her hands together.

"You're no fun," the girl commented.

"So, when are we going to ask them questions?"

"If you'd like, you can do it now."

"Hmm. I'm a bit hungry," Dai Xiu said.

"Are you?"

"..." There was no way she was hungry. In truth, most of Master's Disciples, Wan Lan included, didn't need to eat. Not nearly as much, anyway. The only reason they did was because it was Master's ritual--whether he truly needed to eat or something he just felt he had to do on the regular was irrelevant. It was something he did, and everyone else did it with him, and now Dai Xiu, for whatever reason, wanted to do it even if he wasn't here.

"Yes, of course. I could eat a whole bear right now."

"Bah, whatever," she stuck out her tongue at Wan Lan, stood up, and walked over to the two men, unclogging some meridians and allowing him to speak again.

"If you scream, I'll slice your throat and let you bleed out to death. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes," the man stuttered, his eyes filled with terror.

"Good boy," Dai Xiu chuckled rather innocently, as would a teenage girl, yet there was hardly any good behind that chuckle.

"Do you know where we are? Or, rather, where we all started together?" If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"N-no..."

"Are you sure? You're not lying, are you? Truth is, I don't really like liars. Not at all--""I-I'm not lying, I swear! I, I wasn't even supposed to come, but one of my Seniors couldn't make it, so I just took their place! I swear, I swear I don't know where we are!!" the man sang like a canary, though unfortunately not the kind of song either Wan Lan or Dai Xiu wanted to hear. The latter frowned, prompting the man to wince and try to pull back again.

"Fine. Let us say that you do not know," Dai Xiu said, crouching in front of the man.

"What do you know?"

"H-huh?"

"You must know something," Wan Lan wondered silently how Master would react if he saw her like this--the ever-bubbly Xiu'er, whose voice was never anything but high-pitched. Except now. She'd turned it deep and growly, the light of the flame casting shadows across her face just right to make her seem more a devil than a human.

"Something fun. Or interesting. Or simply odd. What is it? What do you know?"

"I, I..."

"Don't tell me you don't know anything," she said, her arm reaching out and grasping the man's chin, lifting it up.

"I'd be very disappointed."

"T-The Azure Lake!!" the man screeched more than he said.

"I, I overheard some Elders advise some of the Seniors to head to the Azure Lake because there was some kind of a treasure there!" By the end, he was gasping for breath as though he had run over a mountain. Dai Xiu let go of his chin and stared at him for a moment before standing up, her countenance shifting back to unnervingly bubbly.

"Hear that? Looks like we have a place to go," she said.

"Perfect. Let us head over where a might of an entire Sect will be waiting for us. You truly are a genius, Xiu."

"Hah, don't tell me you're afraid? Heh heh, no wonder. You must be terrified now that Master isn't nearby to protect you!"

"Do you want me to paint the walls red with your blood for a bit?" Wan Lan said.

"Leave a small memento of our time here."

"... humph, you're no fun," she pouted.

"Immediately threatening violence."

"The only reason I don't like being away from Master," she said.

"Is that, when we're with him, you're far more tolerable."

"So, if we're not going to the lake," Dai Xiu said.

"Where are we going?"

"To know where to go, we first have to learn where we are," Wan Lan said, walking over to the other man and ungagging him, as it were. She couldn't even get a word out before he spoke.

"We-we are near the Great Tomb Valley!" the man said.

"Almost at the center of the realm! If-if you exit the cave and look east--I mean left--that is the direction of the Azure Lake!"

"... see this, Xiu?" Wan Lan turned toward the girl and grinned.

"Our charms are simply incomparable."

"Hah, what charms! It must be because of those gigantic tits you're trying to hide. Tsk. Why aren't more men like Master?! Even that bastard Zhao'er, I caught him staring at so many chests when we were near the portal."

"Aww, don't worry," Wan Lan said.

"You still have time. I'm sure they'll grow... bigger."

"..." Dai Xiu rolled her eyes but otherwise remained silent, choosing a corner, retreating to it, and starting to cultivate. Wan Lan, after killing the two men and burning away their bodies, settled in a corner, too, and started cultivating in silence. Though she whined and protested, she, too, was interested in heading to the lake. Not necessarily for the treasure, but to find battles she could enjoy.

The realm was full of prodigies and old cultivators; it would be a true shame if she simply hid the entire time or immediately headed north, trying to meet up with Master. They had to test themselves and recognize exactly where they belonged in the pecking order of the world. Wan Lan knew they wouldn't always be able to live under Master's shade and have the man always protect them no matter what. They'd have to take flight of their own, and this place was the perfect one to start that journey in.