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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Thirteen: Grudges and Love
Extraordinary Thinking
Ran Xing and a few others were walking slowly on the shallow beach. After their vitality was drawn out, they felt a bit weak, their breathing quickened, and cold sweat dripped from their foreheads. The tense atmosphere was intensified by the noisy crows in the forest. Shao Meng seemed to sense something and immediately took out a leaf, attached it to vitality, and the leaf actually floated up on its own and began to fly in a certain direction.
"So that's how it is. Although I still don't know exactly what took away our vitality, since it's drawing Fire, it must go from one point to another. In that case, why not give it a try?" Shao Meng was not sure if this move would work, but based on the principle of the mutual generation and restraint of the five elements, it seemed that a way to solve the problem of exploration in this unknown barrier for the three of them could be found.
Reversing the Five Elements Barrier, the principle comes from the void environment during Shang Qing's studies. Based on the mutual generation and restraint of the five elements' vitality, and changing the flow of vitality, it is possible to completely drain the vitality of the other people inside the barrier, causing them to fall to the ground and become captives.
However, this is not the content that the three of them, Shao Meng, are currently familiar with. They only remember that Teacher Yu Long once mentioned in a class that the Golden Swordsman serves as the eyes of the team during missions. The hero gathers information and needs a hero with a metal attribute to probe and acquire it, thereby providing information to the leading hero for decision-making. In their current situation, Shao Meng belongs to the fire attribute, Ran Xing belongs to the water attribute, and Luo Yue belongs to the metal attribute. Clearly, while thinking, the three of them, who have just undergone training, overlooked an important aspect: where exactly has the water attribute vitality sealed within this seal been absorbed?
As Luo Yue walked and pondered, he thought that if it were merely fire overcoming metal, although he had liberated his probing ability, the seal of the water attribute still remained. Ran Xing was crucial for breaking the fire attribute seal; perhaps it was too early to look for the water seal now.
Shao Meng heard this concern and stopped to nod. However, at present, there was neither guidance from their teacher nor any enemies appearing to provide information. The only informant, Yi Shan, had already chosen to take his own life to prevent the evil spirit from transforming through his body. "It seems that the only option now is to hope they come to capture us on their own," he said.
As soon as these words were spoken, Luo Yue and the other two were taken aback. "What kind of method is this? How can you voluntarily let these people capture you?" Ran Xing immediately retorted loudly.
"Fool, let me finish!" Shao Meng shot a glance. Although Ran Xing had objections, he did not continue to argue. Their gazes clashed in the air for two seconds before they both calmed down again, quieting down with Luo Yue's mediation.
"My idea is this: if there exists an evil spirit's five elements corresponding to the five elements of a chivalrous hero, then the power of the evil spirit also follows the principle of mutual restraint among the five elements. These people might take us—perhaps they will take us—to a place that does not belong to the barrier, or maybe to another area within the barrier that can block these things, using our bodies to satisfy some requirement of the evil spirit. So, I want to take a gamble: if an evil spirit actively comes to capture us, we should feign defeat to find an opportunity!" Shao Meng closed his eyes, praying that his prediction would be the next script, slowly adjusting his breathing.
"If we can break through these restrictions, it might be worth a try," Luo Yue agreed.
"What if it backfires? If the evil spirit and that Shang Qing are in cahoots and have set up some trap together, we could easily fall into the evil spirit's scheme; but right now, this is the only method we have," Ran Xing expressed his concerns. However, seeing the affirming looks from Shao Meng and Luo Yue, he nodded. The three encouraged each other and prepared to follow the direction of the leaves flying to find the source of the Fire Attribute seal.
The group split into two paths.
"Spirit," Long Shan said while sipping tea, having tidied up a place that should have been cleaned by Six Hen. He walked out slowly with a string of prayer beads clasped in his hand.
The Spirit immediately approached Long Shan. "My lord, what are your orders?"
"The guest has arrived, this tea is for the guest, your task is to bring the guest over." Long Shan With these words, Bo immediately understood, nodded, and then withdrew.
Later, Long Shan called for Duan and arranged another matter.
"You were involved in that incident back then, right?" Long Shan mentioned a past event mysteriously, immediately catching Duan's attention.
"I remember, but that time we just killed an old guy, what does it have to do with today's task?" Duan seemed to recall the old man they assassinated in the woods back then, also a senior with a golden attribute. At that time, Duan, along with six other souls, used the evil intentions of the Liu Hen to completely defeat the old man.
"You may not know this, but the so-called Trial Grounds have been passed down through generations. If there were ancestors who were heroes, then there are descendants who inherit that legacy. Perhaps you will find someone similar to that old man among today's guests, but that is your own business. No, what you need to deal with today, do you understand?"
Duan seemed unaccustomed to the boss's new style. Although there was no time to think more about it, he could only bow and take his leave.
Walking in this pitch-black place where one could not see their own hand, Luo Yue seemed to sense some familiar signs, as if her deceased grandfather was exchanging places with her here. The cawing of crows in her ears, combined with the ambiguous calls, made Luo Yue unconsciously link her arm with Ran Xing's and lower her head to whisper, "This place seems like something from my memories. I'm a bit... can I lean on you?" Luo Yue's face turned red, although all Ran Xing could see were her eyes.
Ran Xing seemed to understand something as well. In this place where one could not see anything, disturbed by the cawing of crows that disrupted the rare tranquility, tension and unease would surely disturb his heart. He too was guessing who the survivors led by Shang Qing truly were.
Thus, the two stood in this place where they could only see each other's eyes, linking arms. A warmth that Luo Yue had never experienced before surged within this fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl’s heart. Clearly, she did not resist it because throughout her life, being confined in her father's training grounds until she grew up, it was her grandfather who provided her with moments of solitude and noisy companionship among friends. Now, Ran Xing seemed to bring some of that feeling as well. At this moment, shyness and warmth gradually calmed her heart under that strong arm, prompting Luo Yue to lift her head and look at the young man beside her. Their gazes exchanged unspoken words, a sense of stability passing between them.
However, the warmth belonging to the two of them—whether in reality as a couple or married—was extremely fleeting yet long-lasting. In a brief moment, it seemed all three felt the presence of an evil spirit and immediately stood back-to-back for a short time, each taking a deep breath and clenching their fists.
A tall figure with a slender build and four sword scars etched on his face slowly emerged—a malevolent spirit whose arms bore six ominous marks, the symbol of Six Hen.
"Men and women are indeed very warm!" Po had already been here for a while, observing the trio's movements. It seemed that ahead there was already some faint moonlight allowing one to see their body, fingers, and others' appearances.
"Six Hen... what..." Shao Meng exclaimed in shock; it turned out that all this time in darkness had been an illusion created solely by Po! They had been walking for so long but had merely gone in circles within this black illusion.
"What's wrong? Didn't your teacher tell you who Six Hen is?" Po flexed his wrists and fixed his gaze on the currently unguarded Luo Yue before launching an attack without further ado.
With a punch that shot up like a dragon ascending to the heavens aimed directly at her face, Luo Yue's eyes widened. This punch was as swift as a gale and caught her off guard like her teacher's monthly lesson; it carried vitality and rushing air that instantly disheveled her hair.
Just as she intended to dodge, it felt as if something blocked her way before she fell to the ground.
"Ran Xing!" Luo Yue cried out desperately as Shao Meng stepped in front of her at that moment.
Po coldly observed the few children who had already been drained of vitality by Shang Qing and showed no intention of wasting any more time. He raised his hands which had already gathered power and intended to kill Shao Meng in one blow for credit. However, for some reason, he did not release his technique; instead, he struck down with a knife-hand blow to Shao Meng's neck. With another thud, both Ran Xing and Shao Meng collapsed while Po had no thoughts regarding Luo Yue outside of his mission. Thus he dispelled the illusion while simultaneously signaling and used another technique to knock Luo Yue unconscious on the ground.
When Luo Yue awoke again, another evil spirit had been waiting for her; he was small in stature with one eye covered by an eyepatch and had powerful muscles all over his body. Upon meeting her gaze, she immediately heard the crisp sound of overlapping seals colliding together like ringing copper bells—a report card composed of forty-eight overlapping seals struck like thunder, instantly waking Luo Yue up: That's right! The enemy—you came so quickly!
"Hard to distinguish between them"
Shang Qing sneered, shook off the dust on his body, never thought that this Yu Long who had been ridiculed countless times in his childhood actually had such potential, able to maintain an equal footing with himself in this boundary while risking being drained of vitality, and couldn't help but express his admiration with his eyes.
"I really didn't expect that you, this follower, have made great progress," Shang Qing praised his companion who was taken in by their master at the same time as himself. He still used vitality to draw a circle, allowing Yu Long to steady himself on the edge of the almost falling cliff, and casually chatted with Yu Long about their past memories.
In the past, the two of them were orphans from Peach Blossom Village, often sneaking around the streets to pickpocket from the crowds they encountered to exchange for some food at the nearby bakery. Over time, the two became familiar with each other. Shang Qing was quick and nimble, always getting three to five or even more copper coins than Yu Long, so every time Shang Qing would boast and mock Yu Long for his efficiency, while he still had the leisure to share some of his leftovers with the stray dogs on the street.
"Never thought that your learning ability as my follower has improved, and there will be a day when I have to personally take action," Shang Qing coldly smiled, standing still and looking at Yu Long in front of him.
"That also needs to be answered by your words, that is to defeat you," Yu Long said stubbornly, having once defeated all the Trial grounds Tai Chi dual cultivation practitioners in a rage and taken the God pendant, and even killed the master who had been kind to him. Now standing on the side of Eight Desolates to confront Shang Qing, it seems that Yu Long has already been crossed out in the book of life and death in his heart.
The overflowing anger made Shang Qing coldly smile: it played right into his hands. It turned out that standing still in the same place was actually to prepare an illusion to deceive Yu Long into launching an angry attack. However, once the illusion was hit, it only made Shang Qing's smile even stronger, because the illusion had been cast by himself, and his words were meant to provoke Yu Long to take action.
The phantom shattered in an instant, transforming into light and dissipating. Yu Long suddenly felt something was wrong and looked up, momentarily stunned: Shang Qing was actually supporting himself on his head with one hand, upside down, revealing a mysterious smile.
Then, with one hand still supporting himself, Shang Qing elegantly rotated and landed on the ground, extending his hand as if he were still holding the needle or stick that controlled a puppet during their school days. As his vitality activated, Yu Long found himself uncontrollably kneeling in place.
"Ze Dui: Wind Dust Bewitching Heart!" Shang Qing murmured. Yu Long's face twisted in agony as he gritted his teeth, trying to break free from the binding of this technique. However, the more he struggled, the stronger Shang Qing's control became. Finally, a flash of memory from years past crossed his mind, and he collapsed to one knee, unconscious.
Shang Qing was about to capture Yu Long and end it there when suddenly a fierce wind arose. A momentarily unfamiliar yet quickly recognizable vitality erupted around Yu Long, and the airflow completely isolated him like a dragon's claw reaching out, surrounding him in the storm caused by the vitality.
But soon, the vitality dissipated, and a familiar figure appeared: it was their teacher!
"Teacher?!" Shang Qing was greatly surprised, but quickly calmed down, seeming to understand that the teacher in front of him was not his true master. He subconsciously sneered and immediately became serious.
" Shang Qing, you have taken the God pendant, betrayed the Trial grounds, as a knight-errant, have you forgotten the mission of a knight-errant?" The serious look in the teacher's eyes made Shang Qing feel somewhat unfamiliar. Then he heard Shang Qing's response: "You are talking about the past Shang Qing, he died that night, that's all."
Shang Qing looked coldly at the unfamiliar teacher in front of him, who was about to start cleaning up the sect. The powerful vitality had already targeted him, and then there was a strong light, making Shang Qing unable to see anything for a moment.
But who knew that in the moment when the light dissipated, Shang Qing turned around and struck Yu Long with a punch, who had just been protected by the teacher. It turned out that everything was an illusion created by Yu Long. Shang Qing seemed to enjoy the fight, "Great Wood Illusion, not bad. It seems I have to take a closer look at this little follower." Yu Long activated his vitality with both hands, catching Shang Qing's attack and then launching him out with a burst of energy. Immediately after, he angrily threw his fists at Shang Qing who was deep in thought.
A loud explosion echoed from the mountaintop, causing intense vibrations in the mountains as the shockwave formed by the gathering vitality. Shang Qing did not dodge Yu Long's attack, but instead caught the extremely powerful burst with just one hand.
Not bad, this is the feeling of the teacher's vitality. It seems that this Yu Long is also fake. It looks like this little follower has indeed put in a lot of effort over the years, actually having to fabricate even himself. Your True form should be waiting for me nearby!
Shang Qing is now listening to the still air. The fallen leaf, five and a half feet from Yu Long, is flowing around him with the wind, his breath, and even the slightest movement. In an instant, the powerful wood attribute vitality seems to enter his perception. "Hey hey hey, you little follower, it seems you've put in quite a bit of effort!" Shang Qing sneered, following the sensed vitality and throwing a punch. Everything seemed to freeze again in that moment, the fallen leaf passing before his eyes, all movement freezing in the instant of the punch. Yu Long, ah, you really are just like you were back then!
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