Chương 14: Talking and Walking

The road to the library twisted and turned like a coiling snake, covering nearly every peak of the sect, sunlight gentle and soft to the eyes. Ren felt an incomparable peace here. He set aside his worries for a moment, simply enjoying this state of mind. The trees lining the road were kind enough to offer their cool shade to those passing by, and the soft, cool breeze brushed against his skin, almost like a playful tickle. Birds chirped joyfully.

Gone were the gloomy-faced crowds and the ever-expanding concrete jungle that weighed heavily on the heart. To be honest, this might be the place he'd always dreamed: surrounded by only trees and nature itself. For a die-hard camping fan, what more could you want? People not gawking at me, maybe? He thought he had gotten used to their gazes and greetings in the two weeks he'd spent running around, but only now did he realize how wrong he had been.

Disciples in robes of varying colors paused to offer greetings, but the moment they caught sight of the trio behind him, they froze, eyes as wide as plates. Then they hurriedly clasped their fists and went on their way. Ren wasn't sure how he should feel. His three new shadows kept pace, each in their own awkward rhythm. The pale girl walked steadily, her every step seeming as though calculated to the last millimeter. Wenhai bounced with too much energy for someone who'd been half-dead minutes ago.

And the green-haired girl… well, she strolled like they were heading to a picnic, chewing lazily on her damn straw. I can't explain why I'm stuck on this, but it's way off the sect theme, you know? He shook his head. They might be the most tenacious and talented of the bunch, but oh boy, their style left so much to be desired. Maybe I should start a circus. At least I can be sure it'll be successful that way.

"You know," Ren said, breaking the silence as they crossed under the archway of Hidden Secrets Peak, "this is the part where you introduce yourselves. Unless you prefer I give you nicknames, though I don't recommend it." As expected, that got a reaction.

"You might be forced to do that, senior brother," Wenhai grumbled, waving his hands in frustration at the girls.

"Our Ice Princess here refuses to talk to anybody, and the other is worse. She didn't even bother returning to her abode and slept through the whole night in the arena, yet still said she was sleepy when I asked if she was confident about being chosen!"

"Has anyone called you a loudmouth?" The green-haired girl plucked the straw from her mouth, twirling it between her fingers.

"Or ever wondered why everyone escapes as soon as they see you?" The pale girl nodded in tandem. Wenhai's face immediately dropped.

"I just wanted to be friendly…" he muttered, but his grin returned a moment later.

"Anyway, they are just boring, senior brother. Ah, thinking now, can I send a message to my family? They must be worried sick already. Also, also, my brother! You can reach him, right? He'll be overjoyed to learn I'm already your disciple on my second day!"

"See?" the green-head rolled her eyes.

"He just can't shut up." Ren held back a chuckle. This… might be more fun than I expected.

"I see, but I didn't get what I wanted. Names. Chop chop brats, unless you're fine with the consequences." He stopped abruptly as soon as the fine marble road turned into stone, turning on his heels to face them. The suddenness made even the pale one blink.

"Not much chance of running into anyone before the next peak, so we might as well handle introductions now. Name, where you're from, your family, and your roots." For a moment, there was only the sound of distant waterfall murmurs and an occasional chirp of spirit birds. To his surprise, the iceberg was the first to crack.

"Xie Liuxue," the pale girl said, her voice as crisp as winter frost.

"Originally from Coldharbor Port City. No family. Fifth-grade Viper Roots." It was factual. Cold. Even mechanical. But it was an answer.

"Coldharbor Port City, hmm?" Ren muttered, rubbing his chin. If the memories weren't wrong, it was considered the northernmost edge of this continent and the only connection point to the Wraithborne Continent.

"Quite far away, you must've endured a lot of hardship before getting here. Your turn, straw girl." He noticed her obvious discomfort but didn't linger on it. Everyone has a past. Straw girl gave him a lazy smile.

"Ruolan. Just Ruolan. Spent my whole life in a little herbal hall. No fancy titles, no tragic backstory, and no amazing big brother either. Fifth-grade Herb Roots. I specialize in making people regret breathing." Wenhai snorted.

"She's not joking, senior brother. I heard her nickname was Poisonous Eve, and that little herbal hall? It's actually the famous Jadeleaf Sanctum."

"Jadeleaf Sanctum?" Ren lifted a brow, noticing her face didn't change.

"I thought they were aligned with the Azure Sky Sect."

"Yup," Ruolan shrugged, then draped a hand over Wenhai's shoulder as soon as he opened his mouth, leaning on him.

"But why should I care who those stuck-up idiots align with? I'm just a branch family nobody." Wenhai suddenly shivered.

"S-Senior… brother… I can't feel my shoulder…" Liuxue, though silent, gave the faintest curl of her lips.

"Makes sense," Ren said, turning back again, "everyone knows Wenhai, so we've got Iceberg, Weed Witch, and Lightning Pup. Congratulations, you've all been nicknamed despite my warning."

"You tricked us!" Wenhai protested.

"I did say I don't recommend it," Ren replied, voice flat.

"But none of you listened." Xie Liuxue frowned too. Then both stared at Wenhai as if blaming him. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"I— I can'y tayk…" Then they ignored him again.

"Weed Witch, you say?" Ruolan scratched her chin and quickly slapped Wenhai's back two times.

"Well, at least it's more flattering than a literal dog. I can live with that."

"H… help…" … With the introductions done, the rest of the way turned into a parade of noise and bickering. Wenhai grumbled a lot— so much, in fact, that even the ever-silent Iceberg eventually asked Ruolan to use whatever poison she'd used on him again. But their voices cut short not long after as they reached a building— No, sorry, I need to correct. Calling it a mere building would be the gravest insult known to any architect. What stood before them was less of a library and more of a living history.

Towering high enough to bully the clouds and gleaming like the sect's entire treasury had been melted down and slapped onto every tile, the library screamed, 'We've got a majestic history, you pathetic bugs!' Its gates were thick enough to stop a beast tide, decorated with so many intricate carvings that even Ren couldn't name half the beasts on them.

The grand staircase stretched wide enough to fit an entire army— twice— and every wall, every arch, every pointless curve looked like it had been sculpted from a single, perfect slab. No seams. No joints. Even in the modern world, they'd call you mad for trying to build something like this. He stopped, despite himself, just to take it in. He'd seen temples in his past life. Grand structures that forced the very limits of physics. He'd even stood in the shadow of Il Duomo Cathedral in Milan. But this?

This wasn't just on another level. It was what defined the levels.

"This," he said, turning to face them, the library looming behind him as he spread his arms wide.

"Behold, the wealth of knowledge, and our sect's most treasured pride: Supreme Library of Infinite Wisdom!" He waited for their awe, their wonder… only to find even Iceberg blinking at him like he'd grown another head. Wenhai scratched his head, looking genuinely confused.

"Um… senior brother… the library was actually the first place they showed us on our welcome tour." He didn't get a chance to recover from the blow to his pride as Ruolan smirked, leaning closer with eyes blazing in pure amusement.

"You haven't rehearsed this moment, have you, dear senior brother?" He clicked his tongue, brushing off the imaginary dust on his robes.

"Of course not, though I guessed they still let you discover things by yourselves, instead of spoon-feeding all the wonders of the sect. A shame."

"Sure, sure, we believe you," she muttered. Ren ignored her and marched forward, gesturing for the trio to follow him up the grand staircase.

"Enough fooling, let's handle one last formality." He squatted down at the first step and pointed at them.

"Show me your roots." That made them pause. Even Ruolan's playful swagger dimmed for a second.

"Right here? Out in the open?" Wenhai asked.

"Yes, right here, Lightning Pup," Ren said, looking around.

"This place is mostly deserted, as you can borrow most of the books, and there's no need to come here every day. So stop being shy." Wenhai was the first to step forward, puffing his chest out and revealing his roots— twin streams of lightning koi fishes spiraling awkwardly around a yin-yang diagram, one blue, one red.

"Behold, the glorious Yin Yang Thunder Fish Roots!" he announced, loud enough for the birds to scatter. Ren gave him a dead stare, Ruolan mimicking it just a second later.

"Yeah, yeah, stop advertising. It's rare but not as rare as pure yin-yang diagrams or at least yin-yang dragon diagrams." He dumped cold water over the young man's head without a second thought.

"Still, its attack-defense dual nature is good, despite not giving you a true dual-element nature. Sixth section is it." Wenhai smiled shamelessly, rubbing his neck.

"At least it's better than my brother's Red Lightning Bull Roots. And what is this sixth section? Is it different from fifth grade?"

"It's where you find your technique," Ren rolled his eyes, pointing at the library.

"They showed you but didn't explain the most critical part?"

"No, we only toured the first floor," Ruolan answered, flicking her wrist lazily. A mass of lush, vibrant green vines emerged, tangled with sickly-looking flowers and pulsing herbs.

"Fifth-grade Verdant Mist Roots."

"Then they did a very lazy job," Ren muttered, frowning a little at her roots. Herb-type roots were pretty common, but a mist-herb mix? That was pretty rare.

"The Supreme Library is divided into nine sections, not floors, got that? Each section spans multiple floors, but they are categorized by authority levels instead of physical height." He reached a hand to grab her wrist. The mist was ever-changing, yet only different versions of those wilted flowers and herbs appeared.

"Poison doesn't have any effect on you, right?" he asked, just to be sure.

"Other than making me high? No."

"What, that's too overpowered!" Wenhai quipped from behind.

"As expected," Ren pinched the bridge of his nose, letting her hand go.

"You're lucky, young lady. It's Evergreen Miasma Roots, not Verdant Mist. I think we can find something in the sixth section."

"Heavens, that's one of the peak fifth-grade roots!" But while Wenhai's eyes sparkled, Ruolan's face reeked of suspicion.

"It's your turn, Iceberg," Ren continued, leaning back lazily. He also didn't forget the library introduction.

"Section One is open for all sect members, filled with common garbage like Introduction to Energy Circulation and How to Brew Tea While Meditating." Ruolan raised her hand.

"Sounds useful."

"No," Ren shot her down immediately.

"It's not." Liuxue hesitated a moment longer than expected, so he wrapped up his explanation.

"Section Two requires a ninth-step Body Tempering disciple token. Inner sect? That's Sections Three and Four, where techniques up to the Golden Core stage are stored. Sections Five and Six are for core disciples and elders, meaning it is advanced territory." He paused dramatically.

"Section Seven? Reserved for heir disciples and peak masters. The real stuff begins there, the kind that might affect the sect's very foundations. But Section Eight…" his voice dropped to a hush, "…is restricted to only Sect Master, Peak Masters, and of course, me." He flashed them his most condescending smile.

"What about section nine?" Liuxue asked. At the same time, her roots appeared at last: Dark, snake-like tendrils slithered over her wrist, reflecting nothing even under the sun's light.

"Fifth-grade Icefang Viper Roots." Ren shrugged.

"Even I don't know what lies in there," he said, leaning forward to take a closer look at the little thing.

"Some say an ancestor entered closed-door meditation there centuries ago; others say it houses demonic techniques or fiend-twisted methods to secure them from falling into the wrong hands. Aha— I get it." He paused, carefully reviewing a memory his soul brother chanced upon something resembling this in a secret realm. Liuxue flinched— barely, but still.

"Death-tinged," Ren said, staring deep into her eyes.

"Interesting, I only saw such a deep death pulse in a thousand-year-old undead king. You aren't really from Coldharbor Port City, huh?" Her roots had been tainted, whether by birth or by environment. A pain in the ass… but I guess it had its perks. Ruolan and Wenhai acted sensibly and retreated a few steps to give her some space. Smart kids.

"Is that… a problem?" Liuxue asked, lips tightening into a line.

"I mean, being death-tinged?" He snorted at her pathetic way of evading his question.

"Here? Yes. Most consider death-tinged roots are inclined to demonic influences. In a demonic sect? You would be considered a saintess and even the potential next sect leader. However…" he paused deliberately, maintaining eye contact. And just then, a hint of panic flickered through her eyes. There it is, the twitch. Always the eyes that betray them. Still, she didn't back down.

"However, you are the Eldest Brother. You can't be like most." Ren stared at her in a new light, nodding with a light chuckle.

"Well, lucky for you, I don't give a fuck what others think. Hell, we have more troublesome roots than you can ever imagine, but did they create more trouble than me? Not even coming close." He jumped to his feet.

"Also, thanks to its influence, your roots are effectively no different from those of a sixth grade. And we have techniques to protect your mind from demonic tendencies. Though you need to make an oath for that." He didn't lower his voice— better they heard it clearly and killed the prejudices early. As if catching his intent, Wenhai jumped beside her.

"This is so unfair! Why do you both have much better and cooler roots than I? A dreadful miasma and literal death viper… and then my poor, miserable fishes…"

"Senior brother is right, sister," Ruolan chimed in too.

"Actually, it's way better this way. With your death, and my poison, we can be the best duo."

"Hey, what about me?!"

"You can be our little, obedient puppy. Who's a good boy, yes, you are!"

"This is going too far, you witch! Do you wanna taste my lightning fury, ha?" Amidst their bickering, a small, hard-to-notice smile bloomed on Liuxue's lips.

"Thank you, senior brother."