Chương 449: Tales of Blood (XIV)

As the plan had shifted from leaving this accursed place to going into its heart, we were no longer in a hurry and took our sweet time slowly wandering through the darkness with Xinya leading us toward the center. Every once in a while I'd hear her mumble a few words under her breath; whether she wanted me to hear them or not, I didn't know, but I leaned on the side of... yeah, she kind of did.

"Going into the heart of Luminous Jungle... may as well be setting ourselves on fire..."

"Imagine the stupidest thing I've ever done... no, this is it. Nothing stupider than this."

"Only a moron ignorant of the world would ever willingly go into the heart of this place..."

"Ah, at least when I'm dying, I will be able to throw out one final 'I told you so'..." Some were rather funny, and I had to fight tooth and nail not to burst into laughter. Xi Zhao would mean mug her here and there if she 'took it too far', though never did say anything, either. We reached a balance of sorts, and it was perfect.

To be fair, though, we've been in this place for a few days now, and save for the initial fight against things that were not of this place, I can't really tell why this place is so dangerous. Sure, it's scary--and traversing it is scary, too--but wouldn't that make it like a haunted house or something? Dangerous on the surface, but it's mostly for pretend.... no. I don't think she'd be this anxious about it if it were simply the case of something appearing dangerous.

"Stop," she warned in a low hush as we came to an immediate halt. I've been absentminded thus far but quickly scanned around with my Divine Sense. I didn't really pick up on anything, but my guts twisted into a knot immediately as my mind realized something was off. What? I had no clue. Not directly, anyway.

"What's wrong?" Xi Zhao asked.

"We are being watched," she replied.

"... by who?"

"By the trees."

"..." It would be a funny sentence, indeed, if the trees in this place didn't look rather malevolent. Their trunks and branches would twist and coil like boneless limbs, and if their fruits ignoring the damned laws of physics weren't enough, a soft ringing suddenly echoed out. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

Like a symphony of tiny bells being rung in a discordant fashion, with a rhythm so grating it caused me to instinctively use Qi to close my ears--but it did nothing. The bells continued to ring inside my head for a moment longer before I felt a cooling sensation shoot out from my Dantian and spread throughout my body, seemingly purifying the ringing sounds. I looked around and saw that both Xi Zhao and Liao Xinya were frowning, creases deeply embedded in their foreheads.

Luckily, the ringing seems to have ceased just a few moments later as their expressions relaxed, though I did note a trace of sweat on their necks.

"That was a warning," Liao Xinya said, turning toward me.

"They are telling us to leave."

"I didn't know you spoke Treeish."

"... do you think this realm is a joke?" Alright, it seems she truly is pissed this time around.

"That you can just waltz in and go anywhere you please because you are marginally stronger? When Spirits warn you to leave, every cultivator in the world knows it's best to listen to them. So, why are you not? Why are you ignoring them? Even laughing at them?"

"I'm not," I said.

"I know you don't exactly have a high opinion of me, but trust me when I say that I'm not doing this just for fun."

"Then why are you doing it?!"

"... because the actual Spirit of this place is crying out for help."

"What?!" Her tone softened slightly though her expression darkened.

"Are you saying that you can hear the Spirits?!"

"As if," I shrugged.

"Do I look that spiritual to you?"

"Not at all."

"Ouch."

"You are lying, then?"

"I'm not," I said.

"I have, uh... I have a Spirit as a companion," I said.

"And means of communication with it. And it has told me that there is a kindred spirit crying for help."

"..." she didn't seem to trust me, though I hardly blamed her. In more ways than one, I've kind of lucked out with none of my Disciples ever truly questioning where exactly I pull all my bullshit from. Trying to rationalize things that I know I shouldn't to an outsider is... well, hard. And explaining it to her or anyone else, really? I mean, even if I chose to for some ungodly reason, would anyone believe me? Maybe if I 'translated it', as it were, into just saying I interact with 'Dao'.

I don't think the system is Dao, but I do think it's in some way related to it, so it wouldn't be completely wrong.

"Haah," she sighed in familiar resignation.

"Fine. I'll trust you. But if we die, I will kill you."

"Fair," I said, cracking a faint smile.

"You're a lot less uptight than I thought you'd be."

"Why did you think I would be?" she asked as we resumed walking, though with a bit more caution.

"In my experience, people groomed from birth for a specific role--especially if that role is highly regarded--tend to be, uh... a certain way."

"I suppose you're not wrong," she said.

"I've seen it enough myself. But... I never did like being the Maiden. While the position came with many benefits, there were just as many drawbacks. Did you know I was never allowed to leave the Sect without the accompaniment of at least two Elders? Not to mention that I had to tell them at least a few months in advance that I would be leaving."

"Are you fishing for sympathy?" I asked her with a strange look on my face.

"Because there is only so much I can afford to someone who has never struggled for food or water or shelter or any cultivation resources."

"... fair," she shrugged as we once again came across a rather thick patch of darkness that stretched on for at least ten or so yards. We paused in front of it for a moment as I reached over to her shoulder and yanked her back.

"What are--" A mere moment later, an arrow--a literal one, not made out of Qi and whatnot--whizzed past where her head used to be, lodging into a nearby tree and shivering in it. There was no way Liao Xinya wouldn't notice an ordinary arrow flying toward her head, even if she was 'distracted' by chatting with me. Which really could only mean one thing.

"... We've been marked," she frowned.

"And you have not. Of course."

"Zhao'er, stick close to me," I said, eyeing around like a hawk. I really do hope that kindred spirit is worth it, because I have this strange feeling I'm about to be annoyed a good deal for a good while...