Chapter 51: Fork in the Road

"I think I know what it is." Chu Yun's expression grew grave. He recalled the fragmentary information he had heard from the Shadow Pavilion leader in the Mechanical City about the "artifact" and the "grand plan." "Shadow Pavilion," he slowly uttered the word. Li Ge and Mo Li's expressions also darkened. "From the 'Bloody Children's Rhyme' in Qingxi Town, to the 'Heavenly Heart' in Jijia City, to the 'Nightmare' here," Chu Yun's thoughts became increasingly clear. "Every action of the Shadow Pavilion is related to 'souls,' 'energy,' and 'ancient relics.' They seem to be... collecting something, or perhaps, preparing for some grand 'ritual.'" "And these three fragments of the Evil-Suppressing Seal are likely the key to that 'ritual.'" He continued, looking at the fragments in his hand. "That's why they have such a strong sense of what's about to happen." "In other words," Mo Li concluded, "our next goal is to follow this sense, find the Shadow Pavilion's lair, and then stop their conspiracy?" "You could say that," Chu Yun nodded. "But we must be mentally prepared. This time, we won't be facing those petty operatives from before. We may very well run into the Shadow Pavilion's... core members." Silence fell again in the cave. All three of them understood what this meant. This meant they were about to face traps more sophisticated than the killing arrays in the Mechanical City, sorcery more bizarre and unpredictable than nightmares, and truly powerful beings far more formidable than any enemy they had ever faced. It would be a life-or-death struggle. "Are you afraid?" Chu Yun asked, looking at Li Ge and Mo Li, a sudden smile on his face. "Afraid?" Mo Li raised her chin as if hearing a monstrous joke, her face revealing the pride and confidence characteristic of a descendant of the Mohist School. "For me, the Mohist School, the word 'fear' doesn't exist. I'm just afraid their mechanical devices aren't powerful enough for me to dismantle." "I'm not afraid either," Li Ge's voice remained cold, but her eyes were remarkably firm. "I snatched this life back from the brink of death. As long as I can find a way to heal my sister, I'll endure hell and hell—I... don't care." Seeing their determined eyes, Chu Yun smiled too. He knew he didn't need to say anything more. Their hearts had long been tightly connected. "Okay." He stood up and put the three pieces back together, "Then we will..." "Brother...

"I think I know what it is." Chu Yun's expression became a little serious. He recalled the fragmentary information he had heard from the Shadow Pavilion leader in the Mechanical City about the "artifact" and the "grand plan".

"Shadow Pavilion." He slowly uttered these two words.

Li Ge and Mo Li's faces also darkened at the same time.

"From the 'Bloody Nursery Rhyme' in Qingxi Town, to the 'Heavenly Heart' in Jijia City, and now to the 'Nightmare' here," Chu Yun's thoughts became increasingly clear. "Every action of the Shadow Pavilion is related to 'souls', 'energy', and 'ancient relics'. They seem to be... collecting something, or perhaps preparing for some grand 'ritual'."

"And these three fragments of the Evil-Suppressing Seal are likely the key to that 'ritual,'" he continued, looking at the fragments in his hand. "That's why they have such a strong sense of what's about to happen."

"In other words," Mo Li concluded, "our next goal is to follow this intuition, find the Shadow Pavilion's lair, and then stop their conspiracy?"

"You can say that." Chu Yun nodded, "But we must be mentally prepared. This time, we will no longer be facing those petty guys. We may very well run into the core figures of Shadow Pavilion."

The cave fell silent again.

All three of them knew very well what this meant.

This means that what they are about to face are traps that are more sophisticated than the killing arrays in the Mechanical City, sorcery that is more bizarre and difficult to guard against than nightmares, and truly powerful enemies that are much stronger than any they have encountered before.

That will be a life-or-death journey.

"Are you scared?" Chu Yun looked at Li Ge and Mo Li and suddenly asked with a smile.

"Afraid?" Mo Li looked as if she had heard a huge joke. She raised her chin, her face revealing the unique pride and confidence of a descendant of the Mo family. "For people like me in the Mo family, the word 'fear' doesn't exist in our dictionary. I'm just afraid that their mechanical devices are not good enough for me to dismantle."

"I'm not afraid either." Li Ge's voice was still cold, but his eyes were resolute. "I was saved from the brink of death. As long as I can find a way to cure my sister, I don't care whether I have to climb mountains of swords or descend into seas of fire."

Looking at their determined eyes, Chu Yun also smiled.

He knew that he didn't need to say anything more.

Their hearts have long been closely connected.

"Okay." He stood up and put the three fragments away. "Then let's..."

"Big brother."

A crisp voice interrupted him.

The three of them turned around at the same time and looked at Zhilan, who had just returned from outside the cave with a bunch of fresh wild fruits.

"Zhilan, you..."

"I... won't go with you." Zhilan put the wild fruit in her hand next to the fire. She looked at the three people with a hint of reluctance on her little face, but more of a maturity and calmness that was inconsistent with her age.

"Why?" Mo Li was the first to ask. Although she always thought Zhilan was a little naive, after experiencing the dream of sharing life and death, she had long regarded this little girl, as pure as crystal, as an indispensable member of her team.

"Because my 'path' is here." Zhilan pointed to the forest outside the cave, which was awakening in the morning light. "Although the nightmare has been cleansed, the 'wounds' it left behind remain. This village and this forest have suffered severe damage to their vitality. I can feel them... asking me for help."

"I need to stay and use my strength to slowly heal them."

"But……"

"And," Zhilan looked at Chu Yun again, her eyes as clear as spring water, as if she could see through people's hearts, "Big brother, I... have seen your 'future'."

"In my dream, I not only saw that lonely child, but I also saw... the path you will take next."

"That road is shrouded in a very dark fog, filled with endless blood and fighting. That's not my path. If I go there, I'll only become a burden to you..."

Her words silenced the three of them.

They knew that Zhilan was telling the truth.

Their next journey was filled with killing and conspiracy, which was definitely not a place a pure child like Zhilan should go.

Taking her with you by force is not protection, but harm.

"I understand." Chu Yun took a deep breath. He squatted down so that he and Zhilan could look at each other at eye level, his eyes filled with tenderness and reluctance. "Then you...you're here alone, so be careful."

"Yeah!" Zhilan nodded heavily.

She took down from her neck a talisman made of an unknown grass that still exuded a faint fragrance. In the middle of the talisman, a crystal-clear grass seed, stained with morning dew, was embedded.

"Big brother, this is for you." She handed the amulet to Chu Yun.

"This is?"

"This is made of 'Morning Dew Grass'. It's the most precious thing in our tribe." Zhilan said seriously, "Carry it with you. Even if you encounter terrible things in the future, it can help you hold on to the last bit of 'light' in your heart."

“No matter how dark the road ahead, never forget the light in your heart.”

Chu Yun looked at the amulet in his hand, feeling the refreshing and peaceful atmosphere, and a warm feeling surged in his heart.

He solemnly put the amulet around his neck.

"I promise you." He looked at Zhilan and said word by word, "I will never forget it."

The time to say goodbye has finally arrived.

The three of them stood at the entrance of the cave, watching the small figure walking step by step towards the vibrant forest in the morning light.

She didn't look back.

But the three of them could feel that her pure thoughts, full of blessings and expectations, were always with them.

"Let's go."

Chu Yun withdrew his gaze, and his eyes became firm and sharp again.

Li Ge and Mo Li also nodded silently.

After leaving Wangyou Village, the three of them did not rush on their journey. Instead, they found a more secluded valley and rested for three days.

Over the past three days, Mo Li repaired all the mechanical devices damaged during the dream battle and, using the limited materials at hand, remade several more powerful "magic crossbows" specifically designed to combat evil spirits. Li Ge, on the other hand, focused on refining elixirs. Not only did she heal the three people's bodies, damaged by excessive mental exhaustion, but she also prepared several special medicinal powders and antidotes to counteract the evil spirits.

Chu Yun, on the other hand, focused all his attention on the three pieces of the Evil-Suppressing Seal.

As he continued to "run in" with the fragments, he found that his perception of various energies between heaven and earth was growing rapidly at an incredible speed.

Before, he could only vaguely sense the presence of evil, but now, he could even clearly "see" the form, properties, and trajectory of that energy. It felt like a person born with myopia suddenly wearing the perfect glasses. The entire world in his perception became unprecedentedly... clear.