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087 - A Figure in the Mist
🕑 Added 2024-09-19 15:55:30 +0000 UTCA middle-aged man sporting simple white clothes slowly walked along the central avenue toward the city gate, his aura spreading in his surroundings, prompting all to cower under its overbearingness. While but a fraction of its true might, it forced the guards to stop against their wills, making them unable of any further movements. Sweat drenched their faces as a primal fear assaulted them, making their body shiver unconsciously.
“Master!” Yao Ruolan exclaimed, her expression swiftly shifting from frustration to pure joy.
The guard captain turned back, his gaze fixated on the new arrival. He was unable to stifle his emotion as a frown became visible.
"Are you an elder of the Moonlight Sword Palace?" the man asked, trying his best to speak confidently, yet his tone betrayed his anxiousness. "Even if you are, you have no jurisdiction over me. You do not have the right to dictate my actions."
"Oh?" the white man said, raising a single eyebrow. Yet, this simple action prompted the captain to step back involuntarily, dread sprouting in his heart. "So you would deny a sect the right to investigate the wrong-doings of their own disciples? Since when were mere guards this bold?"
His voice was deep as an ocean and as calm as a windless night. His face showed no emotional fluctuations, just the boundless confidence of a man who had lived his whole life at the edge of death. He looked straight ahead, almost ignoring the guards, only for his gaze to soften as he looked at his own disciple.
“It must have been hard for you," he said as he stopped before Yao Ruolan, gently patting her head as he would a child. "Thank you for coming back unharmed."
Tears pooled at the corners of her eyes, threatening to fall. While all she had shown thus far was the temerity of a seasoned warrior, she was still just a young girl, unable to restrain herself before the man who had seen her grow up.
“I’m sorry, master,” she said while fighting through the tears, but then showed a bright smile. “I’m back.”
“It’s all my fault, martial uncle. Please punish me for my failure,” He Zihao said as he bowed, gritting through the pain as he did so, trying to not let it show. Yet, it could hardly escape the white-robbed man’s keen eyes. Still, he showed no intentions of acknowledging it.
The man turned to Qin Yun, and only then did his expression shift, if ever so slightly. A slight hint of surprise flashed, then returned to normal almost instantly, which only Qin Yun had grasped.
“Who is this young man who has accompanied you?” the man asked.
“Without him, we wouldn’t have been able to return safely,” He Zihao said. “We owe him a life-saving grace.”
The man turned to Yao Ruolan, only to see her nod in confirmation.
"Then consider him a guest of the sect," he replied, showing no more fluctuation. "I'm sure the sect leader will be interested in hearing your side of the story. Let us return."
The man then turned around, only to be encircled once again by the guards. Yet their faces showed only unwillingness. Only their captain seemed to show a mix of shame and anger.
“You have no right to take these prisoners away from me!” the guard barked, “The other three sects won’t stand for this!”
"Then they are welcome to come to the Moonlight Sword Palace to seek an explanation," Yao Ruolan's master said dismissively as he walked straight into the outstretched spear, swatting them away without ever touching them.
Interesting, Qin Yun thought as he smiled slightly. While still rudimentary, his sword path has already taken shape. While I can't say much with just this, he should already be in the earthen sword stage. The Moonlight Sword Palace seems more interesting than I initially assumed. It should be worth meeting their sect leader.
"You're just an elder!" the captain barked, slightly unhinged. "Your words do not represent your sect and, therefore, have no sway in my actions! As long as I remain in charge of this gate, no criminal will ever be allowed to roam free!"
Yao Ruolan's master frowned, feeling something was odd. Never had he seen this man be so hellbent on following the rules, much less take pride in his work. Suddenly, the white-robbed man swivelled his head to the right, feeling something in the distance. It was intense, almost overpowering as if trying to send a message. While he felt confident he could overcome anything they threw in his path, he couldn't help but stop and reassess the situation.
As the man was absorbed with whatever was in the distance, the captain started gloating at his apparent victory over a man his superior in strength.
"Just because you've reached the Nascent Soul realm doesn't give you the right to act so unbridled in front of me! Do you even know who stands behind me? Resist, and they'll come down on you and your entire sect!"
The captain showed a satisfied grin, fully confident in himself, while Yao Ruolan and He Zihao couldn't help but show concern. On the other hand, Qin Yun barely muffled a chuckle, fully intent on having all those around hear him clearly.
The captain stopped and stared, taking a few steps toward Qin Yun while releasing the full might of his Golden Core realm strength. Qin Yun felt the wave of power wash over him, yet it only resembled a light breeze. If anything, it only served to make his hair flutter a bit. He looked at the man with a slight smile but shook his head.
"Just a piece of advice," Qin Yun said calmly, completely unperturbed. "Do not rely too much on those who support you; they might just abandon you when you need them most."
The guard captain frowned, feeling something was wrong with this man who was obviously at the peak of the Qi Refining realm yet could stand under the might of his aura. While there was some truth in Qin Yun’s words, the man could only scoff and ignore them as they came from a man so inferior to himself. Taking heed would be too much of a shame, a blow to his pride.
The man unsheathed his sword without another word before pointing it at Qin Yun. The blade glistened under the sun, and runes of power were carved on its surface, pulsing with extraordinary might. Qin Yun couldn't help but show surprise at the sight.
"A High-Grade Profound Rank artifact?" Qin Yun said. "It's not every day you see a mere guard captain with such a valuable artifact..."
Qin Yun offered a derisive smile, which couldn't help but make the man frown even further. Through a dismissive scoff, the man took a step forward, the blade ripping through the air as he thrust it forward, aiming straight at Qin Yun's heart, offering a sneer as Qin Yun made no indication of dodging.
“If this how you want to play, then do not blame me for how this will end,” Yao Ruolan’s master whispered almost inaudibly as he threw a wooden token in the path of the guard captain’s blade, not even bothering to turn his sight to him. He only looked in the distance, keeping most of his attention over there.
The point of the blade collided with the wooden token, yet the unexpected happened. The token floated in the air, unperturbed by the collision, keeping the blade in place, unable to be moved as if imprisoned by space itself. Then, a light emerged from it, bathing its surroundings in its resplendence, almost blinding all who made the error of looking at it.
From the light emerged the silhouette of a woman, her features ethereal as if a fine mist being swayed by the breeze yet retaining its form. The woman was tall and graceful, yet her aura was domineering. She held a sword in her hand; its sharpness bled into the woman's intent, making her look like death incarnate, yet none could extract their gazes from the beauty conveyed.
From the mere act of raising her sword, most felt compelled to fall to their knees, unable to sustain the overbearing aura of her gaze as if trying to strip away their humanity, making them nothing but thralls in her presence.
How sharp, Qin Yun thought as he closed his eyes yet remained standing. Too bad her murderous intent is so pervasive. She may have the talent to go quite far on the path of swordsmanship if only she learned to make it her own. At this pace, she may very well self-destruct.
The woman turned her gaze to the same point in the distance that Yao Ruolan’s master was fixated on, offering just a calm look before she spoke.
"If you have any comments on how my Moonlight Sword Palace deals with their own disciples, then you are welcome to come over and taste my blade... If you are even worthy of it."
If her eyes could be seen clearly, Qin Yun would imagine there would be disdain in them. Only when the pressure in the distance disappeared did the woman's image also dissipate, leaving the guards sprawled on the ground, most being unconscious, foaming at the mouth.
Only the guard captain remained somewhat able to think coherently after her sight was imprinted on his mind, but even then, he could hardly stand on his own two feet. He offered no resistance as the man in white walked over to him before retrieving the token he had thrown. Unfortunately, it was split in two, and the power within was gone forever. Still, he meticulously tucked it in his robes as if it were the most precious of treasures before stopping before Qin Yun just as he opened his eyes.
“How did you?” the man asked, slightly surprised.
"Only intent counters intent" was all that Qin Yun offered before taking a step back, letting the man walk toward his disciple, who seemed to have a difficult time regaining her senses.
The man only offered a slight nod before ignoring him, which caused Qin Yun to become slightly interested.
“Don’t try to fight it,” the man said as he stepped near the duo who were struggling yet still on their feet. “Let it wash over you. You know she means you no harm.”
Hearing her master's voice, Yao Ruolan relaxed, taking a deep breath before calming her mind. She felt the leftover power rush through her body harmlessly, like a breeze on a plain, unobstructed by anything. After a few moments, she opened her eyes and felt strangely refreshed, as if what had plagued her had completely disappeared.
On the other hand, He Zihao couldn't help but frown, feeling something was wrong. He felt a burning sensation in his core as if the power flowing through him had found something that could impede his flow. In fact, two forces battled within him, endlessly trying to gain the upper hand while leaving devastation in their wake.
Without warning, He Zihao threw up a mass of blood from his mouth, yet unlike the vibrant red most had expected, Qin Yun could spy a slight trace of grey, making him raise an eyebrow. He couldn’t help but look at the broken token now within the man in white’s grasp, feeling a slight admiration for the woman in the mist.
Why did I not suspect the corruption would spread? Was I arrogant enough to think it couldn't escape my sight, or did I not care enough to check?
Qin Yun shook his head, showing a slight depreciating smile. He was still human, after all. Prone to make mistakes.
“What’s happening?” Yao Ruolan panicked, trying to rush to her senior brother’s side, only to be held back by her master. Only able to watch over him as he suffered in silence, not even able to utter a single sound.
“You are still young," the man said calmly, looking at He Zihao with pity. "Knowing too much would only put you in danger."
She tried to struggle, yet she was unable to free herself from her master's iron hold. She was also unable to help her senior brother in the slightest way. Even worse, her master showed no intentions of interfering with the process currently happening. Only Qin Yun stepped toward He Zihao, yet his gaze was riveted on Yao Ruolan's master.
"Since when have the foreign invaders breached the Great Barrier?" Qin Yun asked, prompting the man to turn his gaze toward him and show a deep frown. "Have you all failed in your purpose and kept it from the Immortal Beast Alliance, or has one of the four sects betrayed us?"
“Who are you, really?” the man asked, his aura becoming thicker by the second as if preparing to strike.
Yet, Qin Yun ignored the question, opting to put his hand on He Zihao's shoulder, prompting the grey substance on He Zihao's skin to rush to his own limb, burrowing into Qin Yun's flesh.
