The building is deserted - Part 5
That hand held Chunhua's hand the whole way before stopping. Chunhua came to her senses and realized they were almost at the end of the forbidden passage. Xin Ruien, who was leading her, was looking at the paintings hanging on the stone wall at the end.
"This is the former Empress Dowager."
“I should have thought of that sooner,” Xin Ruien murmured. “Xuanyuan died in her palace. That place was not originally Ping’an Courtyard, but her palace.”
"Miss Xin?" Chunhua called out hesitantly to Xin Ruien, who was in a daze.
Xin Ruien released Chunhua's wrist. "Which way should we go next? Left or right?"
"On the right is a stone chamber for storing books, and the training room is on the left."
"Have you been here before?"
“I’ve been here a few times.” Chunhua switched places with Xin Ruien, and she walked in front of Xin Ruien once again.
A soft pattering sound came from beneath her feet, and Chunhua stopped. Looking down, she noticed something flowing in the tunnel. It was a red liquid with a pungent odor.
It was fresh blood that had not yet dried.
Chunhua's breathing became erratic, and she wanted to turn around and look at Xin Ruien. Her intuition told her that Xin Ruien could make her feel more at ease.
“Don’t look back.” Xin Ruien placed her palm on her back and said, “Your breathing is erratic. You have more important things to do now. Keep moving forward.”
Chunhua took a moment to suppress her emotions and continued to tread forward through the blood.
“The guards here are tighter than I imagined,” Xin Ruien said behind Chunhua. “I’m afraid someone has given them an order that they must never leave the forbidden area, even if it means their death.”
Chunhua could feel Xin Ruien's palm pressed against her vest, which helped alleviate her trembling somewhat.
After entering an uphill stone path, the splashing sound of water and blood disappeared together.
Two delicate young women left long, bloody footprints in the enclosed stone passage, stretching deep into the forbidden area.
It didn't take long for the two to arrive at the training room. Chunhua looked around, then walked to the left side of the stone door, stood on tiptoe, and reached her hand down into a protruding rock.
Xin Ruien saw Chunhua twist her forearm, followed by a rumbling sound, and white dust fell from the cracks in the stone door. The stone door then swung open.
In the center of the training room stood a huge, perfectly round, smooth black iron ball. Xin Ruien had seen a similar iron ball at the He family's residence.
Those who cultivate this art must sit cross-legged atop the iron ball, entering a meditative state, regulating their breath, and contemplating. It is said that many great martial arts techniques originated in this way. The He family's "Sword Rain" was also comprehended by their ancestors through this method.
Maintaining a meditative state is the most difficult step. Entering the meditative stage is equivalent to consciously eliminating the five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch, one by one, from the soul. With some training and overcoming inner fears, most people can complete the first four.
Once the stripping away of "touch" begins, the practitioner will vanish into nothingness, losing the ability to perceive the physical world. The entire stripping process lasts for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Most people lose their balance during this time, falling from the top of the sphere. The sudden feeling of weightlessness and pain will bring them back to their senses, and the stripping away of "touch" will abruptly stop. Naturally, they will not have the opportunity to explore the depths of nothingness.
This isn't necessarily a bad thing, at least that's what Shin Ye-eun thinks. Being able to recognize one's talents in time and give up at the right time is also a kind of good fortune and happiness.
Some people may have managed to touch the void, but they have never been able to escape from it.
Before heading to Black Mountain, He Zi'an had considered escaping into the void. According to him, he had already found the entrance to the void. Of course, this was put on hold; it was Xin Rui'en who stopped him, delaying the matter until after the Sword Tournament.
At that time, Shin Ye-eun was certain that the time to enter the void had not yet truly arrived. There was no particular basis for this; if one had to find a reason, it could only be attributed to a young woman's sixth sense. "I absolutely must not step into the void," a voice within her told her.
Let's return to the present. In terms of size alone, the iron ball before us is more than twice the size of the He family's. Visually, it would take about ten people holding hands to encircle it. Aside from the difference in size, the placement of the ball and the angle of the light are exactly the same as Xin Ruien's memory.
However, the method of using the iron ball clearly differed from Xin Ruien's understanding. The white-haired old man lowered his head, four wrist-thick iron chains connected to shackles, pulling his limbs and fixing him firmly. His entire body was stretched out, pressed tightly against the iron ball.
“Palace Master!” Chunhua recognized him immediately. This old man was none other than the previous Nangong, the one who took over the Blood Palace in a time of crisis after Xue Xuanyuan's fall. Strictly speaking, he was indeed the Palace Master of the Blood Palace after Xue Xuanyuan.
Chunhua jogged forward, trying to pull on the chains. She strained with both hands, but couldn't even lift one of the shackles.
Xin Ruien parted the old man's hair, examined his face, and then felt his pulse at the nape of his neck. There was no response. "He's dead," Xin Ruien said.
"How could this be?" Chunhua ignored her, repeating the same phrase over and over, her hands still trying to pull the chains. She followed the chains, going around to the back of the giant iron ball, trying to find a way to untie the chains from the source.
Not long after Chunhua disappeared from Xin Ruien's sight, Xin Ruien heard a thud as she fell to the ground.
*
The wind howled incessantly. As soon as Li Letian entered, the waiter rubbed his hands together and greeted him obsequiously, "Sir, how many are in your party?"
The waiter had seven prominent black moles on his face, and his narrow eyes were almost slits. He leaned slightly forward, his gaze occasionally glancing at the girl Li Letian was carrying on his back.
Li Letian felt a sudden displeasure and said stiffly, "Didn't you see it very clearly?"
The waiter withdrew his wandering gaze, turned sideways, and extended his right hand to guide Li Letian towards the counter. As they walked, the waiter asked, "Are you two here for a meal or to stay overnight?"
The inn's structure was simple. On the first floor, a dozen or so rickety square tables were haphazardly arranged, each with a long bench. The benches, too, had four legs of varying heights, causing guests to wobble as they sat. Four tables were occupied; some people had used bricks to prop up the table legs, while others had simply placed their swords underneath.
There's a narrow wooden staircase in the southeast corner of the inn; even a single person would have to squeeze through sideways. Going up from there leads to the inn's guest rooms.
Compared to Changfeng Pavilion, where Li Letian stayed in Wenqu City, this place is of course only a fraction of its former glory. However, Li Letian had finally found this inn in the desert, so he couldn't ask for too much.
After briefly observing the interior structure of the first floor of the inn, Li Letian replied, "I'll stay here."
A gust of wind slammed the door shut. The thick wooden door, its surface already crisscrossed with grooves, kept opening and closing with a thud. The people in the inn seemed to have gotten used to it, not even glancing at the doorway.
"That's how it is on windy days. You try to block it with something, but it never really works," the waiter muttered to Li Letian. "If you think the wind isn't too strong and move a stool to block it, it'll blow the door and stool open in no time. If you use a stone, it won't stay still for even fifteen minutes before it blows it open again."
Li Letian didn't respond. The waiter didn't seem to mind; he turned around, smiled, and said, "It's like it's on purpose. The wind is always just a little stronger than you expect. Just enough to keep the door opening and closing. You get used to it after a while."
The inn wasn't large, and in just a few words, the two arrived at the counter. The waiter braced himself against the countertop with one hand and easily flipped over to the other side.
"One room, or two rooms?" The waiter looked at Lee Na-kyung, then at Lee Letian, who was carrying her on his back.
"One room."
"Alright." The waiter took the key out of the drawer and said, "I'll take you upstairs right away."
Li Letian subconsciously looked toward the wooden door that was constantly opening and closing.
"Don't worry," the waiter said immediately, "I guarantee I'll arrange the camel for you."
The inn was also an earthen house, three stories high. It was shorter than the one where he had stayed before. Before even entering, Li Letian walked around the outside, observing the position of the inn's windows.
The waiter arranged for them to stay on the top floor of the inn. It took Li Letian a lot of effort to get Li Najiong into the room unharmed after climbing the narrow staircase.
"Do you need any more food?" the waiter asked before leaving.
On a stool next to the round table in the center of the room lay Li Letian's travel bag. Li Letian glanced at it and replied, "No need."
"Noon and 5 PM. If you need a meal, please come down during these two time periods." The waiter gave his final instructions and closed the old door.
"If you need anything else, please come to the first floor to find me," the waiter said outside the door. After a short while, he left the third floor, the stairs creaking under his feet.
After drinking some dry rations with the water he had brought, Li Letian got up and went to the window. Unlike in the Central Plains, the windows here pulled inwards instead of pushing outwards.
Outside the window, yellow sand blanketed the sky, obscuring the distant sky and dunes.
The black wind is coming.
Unable to see into the distance, Li Letian could no longer discern his direction and didn't know which way to look to the west. Not far from the inn, he could vaguely see a group of people, about four or five in number. They were heading towards the inn, seeking shelter, just like Li Letian.
It was unclear how long this sandstorm would last. Li Letian turned around and looked at Li Nagyeong, who lay unconscious on the bed. Their return journey had been disrupted, and Li Nagyeong showed no signs of waking up.
The situation seemed to be worse than Li Letian had imagined.
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