Chapter 79: Rules
The blood lake.
The corpses.
Her senior brothers and sisters, who had been laughing and playing with her just moments ago, now lay dead in pools of blood, their bodies piled in the center of the courtyard, forming a gruesome mountain.
The heads of her senior brothers had been severed and arranged neatly in a row, while most of her senior sisters’ bodies were naked and withered, their life essence drained as they had been used as cultivation furnaces.
Among the mountain of corpses, she even saw her only junior sister, Qing’er.
Qing’er, like a discarded doll, slumped against the edge of the pile, her eyes dull and lifeless.
That innocent little face, just a while ago, had been clinging to her, shyly asking, “Senior Sister, can we play together?”
The little girl stared at the scene before her, her mind blank.
She couldn’t remember if she was still dreaming.
If this truly was a nightmare, she would cry in her mother’s arms until she woke up.
She stumbled through the familiar yet alien corridors.
She saw a group of people wearing identical masks, their expressions cold and emotionless as they patrolled the area.
She saw the places she used to play, now engulfed in flames.
She walked on, unnoticed. Even the masked cultivators simply brushed past her, as if she were invisible.
She wondered if she was already dead.
If she was just a wandering soul.
She was terrified and wanted to find her mother.
But she searched everywhere, to no avail.
She collapsed onto the ground, hugging her knees and crying.
Screams and wails filled the air, mixed with curses and pleas for mercy.
It was a scene straight out of hell.
“Father… Mother… Wan’er is having a nightmare.”
“This nightmare is so scary… Wan’er can’t wake up…”
The little girl cried for a long time, until exhaustion overwhelmed her. Through her tear-filled eyes, she saw the masked cultivators gathering, many of them emerging from the Scripture Hall on the west side of the mountain.
Several elderly men with strange robes and wrinkled faces gathered in the center of the square, whispering amongst themselves.
“Did you find it?”
“We’ve searched everywhere, but it’s nowhere to be found.”
“That man is quite stubborn. He watched his wife being tortured to death, his teeth gritted, his mouth filled with blood, but he refused to talk.”
“Strange… where could it be hidden?”
“Are there any survivors left in the sect?”
“None. There’s no sign of life anywhere.”
“Then search! He couldn’t have gone far. Even if we have to dig up the entire mountain, we’ll find it!”
The little girl didn’t hear what they were saying. She simply stood up, her face still stained with tears, and walked towards the Scripture Hall in the distance.
Her long sleeping robe trailed behind her as she reached the entrance.
…Suddenly, she was afraid to open the door.
She was terrified that if she opened it, everything she had seen wouldn’t be a nightmare but reality.
She would never find her mother and father again. She would never wake up from this nightmare.
But she pushed the door open.
She saw a man kneeling in a pool of blood, his upper body bare, his body covered in wounds.
She saw a woman hanging from chains in the center of the hall, her face as pale as snow, devoid of any color.
“…Father? Mother?”
The little girl walked towards them, her hand reaching out to touch their faces.
But her hand passed through them as if they were intangible, like ghosts.
She started crying again.
She cried loudly, until her throat was raw and she started coughing, as if she were coughing up her lungs.
She cried until blood trickled from her throat, until her voice was hoarse.
At some point, the cultivators had left, leaving behind a raging inferno that consumed the buildings one by one.
In the flickering firelight, the little girl, her voice hoarse from crying, lay down beside the man and the woman.
She closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Maybe when she woke up, the nightmare would be over.
***
“But I didn’t wake up.”
“The second time I opened my eyes, all I saw were smoldering ruins.”
“My parents’ bodies had been completely burned to ashes, and the corpses of my senior brothers and sisters had been devoured by wild beasts and crows.”
“Nothing had changed. The nightmare had become reality.”
“I was hungry and thirsty, and I had to walk down the mountain barefoot. If I hadn’t met Master, I might have died with my family.”
By the end of her story, Yu Xiang was sobbing uncontrollably.
“I’ve been… trying to avoid those memories.”
“But every night, those images would haunt my eyes, invading my dreams.”
“I was so scared… Many times, I wanted to just die and join my parents.”
“But their souls would appear by my bedside every night, crying and begging me not to die, to avenge them.”
“But living like this… every day is so painful…”
Chen Yin listened to her story in silence.
Yu Xiang was still sobbing, her eyes red and swollen. A warm and strong hand rested on her head.
“…You’ve been through a lot.” His voice was filled with sympathy.
Yu Xiang’s nose twitched again.
“And then, the demonic path found me. They told me that my physique was perfect for cultivating the ‘Quenching Nether Mantra’.”
“They said that if I mastered the demonic arts, I would have the power to avenge my parents and my senior brothers and sisters.”
“So… that’s why I… I’m sorry…”
She buried her face in Chen Yin’s chest, her voice muffled by sobs. “I’m sorry, Senior Brother… I didn’t mean to keep it from you…”
“I thought revenge was the only thing left in my life, but then I met you and Master…”
“You’re my only family now. I’m so scared that you’ll also be caught in the same nightmare that destroyed Changli Palace…”
Chen Yin gently stroked her hair and whispered, “You’re also my family.”
“I only have you two left.”
Yu Xiang stopped crying and looked at Chen Yin, her tears still fresh.
“There are rules in this world.”
Chen Yin said calmly, “Did you ever hurt those masked cultivators?”
“No…”
“Did they hurt your loved ones?”
“Yes.”
“Then they owe you a debt.” He said seriously, “A life for a life. A debt must be repaid. That’s the rule.”
“If they refuse to follow the rules, it’s fine.”
“…Get some rest.” Chen Yin patted Yu Xiang’s head. “Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the main sect. You can teach them the rules yourself.”
Yu Xiang stared at Chen Yin’s profile, her eyes wide with disbelief.
“I-I’m afraid I can’t sleep. If I remember those things, I’ll have nightmares again—”
“It’s okay.” Chen Yin picked her up in his arms.
“Tonight, I’ll sleep with you.”
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