Twelfth: The Lonely and Desolate - Part One
Although Banrui was very unhappy about being called back, his anger dissipated because there were indeed some valuable items inside, and he didn't hold a grudge. He took the journal and the nine rubbings, moved a bamboo chair over, and sat down nearby to study them intently.
Banrui first studied the journal. Having been forgotten for so long, many pages of the book had become very thin, almost to the point of crumbling, but fortunately, the ink marks were still clear. However, because it had been stored in Youran City for so long, even the pages were tainted with ghostly energy, a fact that Banrui disliked. The protective barrier technique of the sect had been passed down for a century, and over that time, it had evolved another effect: it would naturally purify anything containing ghostly energy that entered it. This was why Chai Wang's first choice was to make a copy, rather than carrying the item back; of course, those stone tablets were simply too heavy.
After carefully reading the first page, Ban Rui's face darkened, and his heart sank. He realized that the writing was very different from the modern script, and further research was needed to determine its meaning. So he called Heng Buwei, and the two carefully separated each page of the diary, deciding to copy down the contents first, and then take it outside for further study.
When Ming Jin and the others returned, Mei Chong was sitting on a bamboo chair with a mournful expression, his forehead resting on the tree bark as he muttered to himself. Because of his insufficient cultivation, he had been forced to leave before entering You Ran City, which made Mei Chong seriously doubt his abilities. Now, his face was ashen, and he was already imagining the scene of him going out to hunt ghosts alone one day, being frightened by the strangely shaped evil spirits, screaming and unable to use his magic.
Another person forced to leave shared similar thoughts. When the group returned, he was sitting in meditation on a bamboo chair. Duan Shuxuan was more affected by the ghostly energy of Youran City; even after resting for a long time after returning, his face was still somewhat pale. Although he gritted his teeth, he dared not open his eyes, unsure how to face the reality that was contrary to his plans. If his brothers and sisters in the sect knew that he hadn't even stepped through the gate, they would surely laugh at him for the rest of his life.
Seeing his strange appearance, Zhang Xu knew what he was plotting. He had a feeling that there might not be any major discoveries today, so he decided to let him go back first.
Ban Rui and Heng Buwei did not come empty-handed.
After returning, Ban Rui first reported the situation to Wan Xia, and then stayed in Juxia City. When the two received Chai Wang's letter, they informed Wan Xia, who had been nearby, and brought them the food Wan Xia had instructed them to have: a white cloth bundle of flatbread, a box of dried meat, a dish of blanched vegetables, and a dish of pastries. The group had been wandering around the city all morning and were quite tired, so they each took something from their food boxes and quietly ate to fill their stomachs. After eating, Ming Jin and Shen Du both fell asleep, each finding a large tree to lean against and dozing off for a while.
Ji Zhen and Zhang Xu both tried to comfort their disciples, but Mei Chong was persuaded to abandon his plan to enter the city today. Chen Du, who was feeling unwell and unable to sleep, took the initiative to ask Ji Zhen to check his pulse, but Ji Zhen told him that it would be better to go back first.
Nearby, Zhang Xu and Duan Shuxuan were chatting when the two, who had been sitting on the ground, angrily stood up and started arguing. At first, they were just whispering, but something Duan Shuxuan said angered Zhang Xu so much that he swung his arm and slapped Duan Shuxuan on the back, sending him flying. The latter cried out "Ah!" like a muffled thunderclap, pulling Mingjin from her sleep. She opened her sore eyes and realized it was just a commotion. She breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to close her eyes again, but then she saw Yazi suddenly appear, flapping its wings in front of her, its beak opening and closing.
Someone is using magic to contact her.
"Zhang Sishi, why are you hitting people!" Ban Rui, who was sitting and copying something, put down his pen upon seeing this, strode over, and helped Duan Shuxuan, who was getting up, to his feet. He originally wanted to say a few more words to Zhang Xu, but Zhang Xu clenched his fist and stretched his arm in front of Ban Rui, which startled Ban Rui so much that he took a half step back. He could only turn around and comfort Duan Shuxuan, "Nephew, don't take it to heart with your master. He's getting old, and his temper isn't so good anymore."
"Uncle-Master Ban, this is my chance to show my skills, it's a matter of face..." Duan Shuxuan stood up, supporting himself on Ban Rui's arm. He wanted to rush to his master to prove his will, but his legs gave way as soon as he took the first step. With a cry of "Ah!", he fell headfirst to the ground. Duan Shuxuan's head hit Zhang Xu's knee, and he collapsed to the ground.
"What happened?"
For a moment, although Zhang Xu's knee was hit and he hissed in pain, his attention was more focused on Duan Shuxuan being tackled to the ground. Ban Rui and Heng Buwei were both startled, but the most shocked and frightened was Duan Shuxuan himself. He realized he had lost control of his body and could only lie on the ground.
Ji Zhen, who was standing on the periphery talking to two disciples, rushed over to see what was going on when he heard the commotion. After taking Duan Shuxuan's pulse, Ji Zhen discovered that not only were Duan Shuxuan's spiritual veins turbulent, but when he parted the clothes on his arm, he saw patches of red spots on it.
"This has nothing to do with ghostly energy; it's caused by the flowers and plants around here," Ji Zhen said, covering Duan Shuxuan's sleeve as he looked at his arm with disbelief. "The two collided, and his body couldn't take it. Now you still need to stay away from those two things, go back to see a doctor for some medicine, and rest well. You must rest quietly to recover quickly."
"This, this, this has never happened before." Duan Shuxuan was supported by Chai Wang. In his panic, he grabbed a few blades of grass from the ground and looked at them closely. He found that red spots were also starting to appear on his hands.
Seeing this, Chai Wang quickly patted his hand, knocking the things out of his grasp: "Why don't you let go? Alright, stop thinking about it, hurry back, as long as you're alive."
"He's got it today, he's learned a lot and become more shrewd, how stubborn he is." Zhang Xu and Chai Wang pulled Duan Shuxuan up together and said helplessly, "I'll take him back. But we'll have to trouble Elder Ji with this matter."
"Elder Zhang, don't worry, someone will come to help." After saying that, Ji Zhen turned to Chen Du and Mei Chong, telling them to go back first and not to feel any pressure, and that taking care of their health was the most important thing.
The faint chirping of orioles echoed through the woods, a flash of silver light appeared in the distance, and then Ya-zai, flapping its wings, darted into the woods where the group was. A figure followed Ya-zai, stepping lightly across the branches, and landed nimbly at the edge of the clearing.
Ya Zai circled around Mu Ning once, then the silver light dissipated and it flew back to Ming Jin's side.
The latter, who had just woken up and was in a daze, saw Mu Ning arrive and dared not linger any longer, quickly getting up and walking over. Ming Jin had originally thought, based on Pei Xuanzhen's instructions, that Mu Ning wouldn't return to Kongyun Mountain until this afternoon, and that it would take some more time to find this place, but he hadn't expected her to arrive so quickly.
The group had all met at the grand banquet and greeted each other as usual. Because the diary entries were quite lengthy, Ban Rui, seeing that Mei Chong and Shen Du weren't significantly affected, asked Ji Zhen if they could help copy the book. Ji Zhen figured they must both have their own regrets and frustrations, and it would be good if they could have something to do and help out; besides, the two had already agreed before Ji Zhen even replied. So, the two of them, along with Ban Rui and his apprentice, the four of them sat around a small table and began copying according to Ban Rui's instructions.
Ji Zhen chatted with Mu Ning about their experiences that morning. Zhang Xu had already returned to Juxia City with his disciples, and the two of them would be entering the city again with Ming Jin and Chai Wang. The two elders had initially worried that Chai Wang would feel uncomfortable traveling with two elders they were not familiar with, but to their surprise, he appeared cheerful and asked Ming Jin how to use magic to summon a little bird to deliver messages.
Under Ming Jin's incantation, the silver-glowing Tooth Boy was successfully summoned. However, Tooth Boy was somewhat displeased to find that it had been summoned for no real reason. Perched on Ming Jin's shoulder, it watched to see what Chai Wang would do. Unexpectedly, Chai Wang couldn't even recite the incantation properly, and after a series of movements, there was no response. This angered Tooth Boy, who let out a cry, then enlarged its right wing to twice its normal size, swung it at Chai Wang's head, and then disappeared.
The core purpose of their trip was to explore the tower, so the four of them headed straight for it upon entering the city gate. A rustic wooden door opened in two, its frame made of sturdy logs, a deep chestnut color, with a smooth, rounded surface that exuded a rustic beauty. The edges of the frame showed slight wear from the passage of time, but remained perfectly secure. As Mu Ning reached out to push the door open, she found it heavy and unyielding to a gentle breeze.
The first floor was about two people tall, with two large screens facing the entrance. Behind the screens was a main seat with eight chairs below, but it seemed only the main seat and the first row of seats were usually occupied. Tall tables and benches lined the sides, with empty vases on them. Unfortunately, the people weren't there to appreciate the scenery; after exchanging glances, they continued upwards. Each floor, up to the top, was slightly taller than a person, but the area decreased with each level, while other aspects remained largely unchanged. To the naked eye, each floor looked identical. As they passed, they pushed and tapped the walls and cabinets, finding no opportunity for any hidden secrets.
“The whole city has moved away; they don’t plan to leave anything behind,” Chai Wang murmured.
Reaching the top floor, they found it was still the same, leaving the four somewhat disappointed.
Mingjin opened a window next to a set of steps, offering a panoramic view of the city below. Because it was built against the mountain, the city's buildings were somewhat scattered and disorganized. Now that the barrier had been broken, beyond the lake lay the dense forest they had come from.
"If the barrier hadn't been broken, what kind of scene would we have seen here?" Mingjin couldn't help but ask.
"It's a pity, if the barrier isn't broken, we can't get in either," Ji Zhen said. "It's really a dilemma."
Mu Ning opened the window directly opposite Ming Jin's. A breeze swept through the room, and he sensed a change within it. It was very subtle; perhaps the ghostly energy of the city had disrupted the normal flow of the wind. Or perhaps Mu Ning felt that the originally flowing, meandering wind was not only confined to a small space, but also forced to conceal the sharp power hidden within. The wind was trying its best to maintain its original form, stretching out, but since it was formless, it was more easily twisted into shapes desired by others.
Mu Ning decisively closed the window beside her, leaving a crisp sound echoing in the empty environment. This alerted the three people standing nearby, who turned around and looked in Mu Ning's direction.
Then, a dark figure shattered the newly closed window. With a sharp, cracking sound, the uppermost level of the tower trembled, and even the space beneath the four figures felt the destructive roar and shuddered. Amidst the dust-like wood chips, Mu Ning used wind magic to immobilize the dark figure. In the swirling wind, he saw a dark hand at the forefront. With the palm open and the figure restrained, Mu Ning noticed the calluses accumulated over many years on the hand. Looking at the face, he saw it was that of a young man. Unfortunately, although the expression was youthful, the facial features were far more defined than his pale skin, making him look at the newcomer like an old, worn-out piece of paper covered with dried weeds.
The newcomer was controlled by Mu Ning's wind magic. Disdainfully, he stepped back, broke free, and then, dressed in a black robe, jumped back into the air, transforming into a black streak as he crashed through the tower's wall and rushed in.
"Shouldn't this place be very important? Why did he demolish it!" Because the enemy had smashed the pillars supporting the three cities, the entire upper level was now slowly collapsing. Seeing this, Chai Wang couldn't understand.
"You two go out first and tell the people outside to be careful!"
Seeing this, Ji Zhen instructed Ming Jin and Chai Wang to escape through the window and use wind magic to descend each level of the tower. Although the two tried their best to speed up, just as they landed next to the stone platform supporting the tower, the tower's canopy overtook them and hit the ground first from the top, shattering into pieces and kicking up a cloud of dust as tall as a person.
On the tower, Mu Ning's eyes could not catch the approaching person because of his speed. However, when Mu Ning used her wind magic to create a wide range of wind blades to prevent the approaching person from getting close, the approaching person snorted disdainfully and dissatisfiedly. Then, he mustered his strength and ripped open the first floor of the tower and threw it down.
A loud boom echoed throughout the city walls.
"Why did he demolish my tower?"
Part of the city wall of Youran City is embedded in a protruding hill. Directly opposite the gate, two figures dressed in black, one standing on a slightly higher hillside and the other slightly lower on the lower city wall, are watching the unusual activity on the tower not far away.
The man standing on the ground could see that the city was now filled with smoke and dust. He opened his folding fan and fanned himself at his chin while speaking to the man standing on the high place.
"You still want this city?" another man said.
“Lord Gao, although this city has been abandoned, you may still want to come back and take a look, after all, you have stayed here for several decades.”
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