“However… this still does not abide with my conscience!”
Shen Haoren struggled headstrong against the firm resolve radiating from Yang Jian’s body, his brow mired in perspiration.
The middle-aged man’s lips twitched as his eyes remained locked onto the figure of the twin butterfly swords, his mind gradually construing a solution.
“Conscience… Old Shen, you have yet to change even after this many years had passed since that incident?”
The handsome man’s lips broke into a wide smile, his countenance displaying the calm and collected expression of attaining a harmonious union with the world. Yang Jian’s right hand snaked over the ground to lightly rap the steel blades with his knuckle, prompting a clarion cry to echo throughout the room.
“Having a good conscience will certainly not withhold benefit. However, have you forgotten that we are cultivators of the Hundred Clan Coalition?”
The voice was refined and motionless, as though the spoken matter had no relation to the speaker.
And yet, the hidden bitterness swamped within the words prompted the middle-aged man to shiver.
“…of course, I have not forgotten,” Shen Haoren finally replied after a sufficient delay had ensued.
“As cultivators belonging to the Hundred Clan Coalition, our clan’s position, influence, and even our own lives are at risk every single day. Vipers are present and prepared to strike from unpredictable angles, and betrayal as well as the shift of politics is not uncommon for our daily lives.”
“You know rather well, ah,” Yang Jian acquiesced with a light nod.
“Then, why do you still cling to that shred of conscience over the chance to ascend into the Core Formation Realm and affix our destiny to the boundless heavens? The Shen Family isn’t the only clan dependent on our attainment in cultivation – even my Yang Clan can topple if I cannot ascend in the next few years.”
The middle-aged man bowed his head, beads of sweat and shame racing down the back of his nape.
Shen Haoren ground his palms into his meaty thighs, his clenched fingers stiffening his resolve by the second.
Yang Jian, Tang Yunhe, Wen Jiu, and even himself – they all lacked a single step into the next realm in the path of cultivation.
Refining the pair of swords before him and absorbing the divine energy confined within would easily achieve such a feat that they were barred from for several years, perhaps even seizing onto the opportunity of advancing into the elevated stages of the Core Formation Realm.
It was so close, just a fingertip away from his right knee…
“Brother Yang…” the middle-aged man discovered his lips moving on their own, an emotionless voice echoing from the depths of his throat.
“I know of your actions of placing Severed Dragon Thread into that little lass’ soup.”
The interior of the room quaked as an imperceptible breeze rushed forth, lightly ruffling the hair of the two practitioners.
The sounds emanating from the articles of furniture immediately ceased their movements, their souls beating with a tinge of panic.
They awaited the response of the emotionless, dignified and determined man who upheld the hopes of his clan upon his shoulders.
“Yes, such an action would not escape Brother Shen’s eyes, who is focused upon the path of righteousness. However, Brother Shen must be aware that the path I undertake, is always stained with the blood of its victims.”
“…indeed.”
Shen Haoren conceded, his hands grasping onto the cold hilt of one of the butterfly swords.
Seated across from him, Yang Jian similarly replicated his actions, drawing the sword close to his chest as a torrent of spiritual essence coursed through his body.
“Before Brother Tang and Brother Wen arrive, let’s get a little head start in breaking through these seals, shall we?”
–
“Things aren’t heading in the right direction… well, they haven’t been doing so for the past while, ah?”
The words spilled from An Fei’s lips as she arose from the bed, her fingers lightly brushing away at the hair covering her vision. The young girl stretched her limbs as she roused herself from sleep, a loud yawn escaping her throat with a delicate purr.
The servants’ quarters of the Plum Blossom Inn… how long had she stayed in this small room?
At the end, An Fei couldn’t remember the exact length of time that had passed since the last assassination attempt at the streets of Dong Lin City.
Nonetheless, the young girl could not have been more certain of another fact.
It was time to leave.
“If the schedule is right, then Shen Ming Yue would arrive with breakfast in the next few minutes…”
An Fei murmured to herself as she slipped out of her nightgown and approached the purple hanfu embroidered with multicolored flower petals and white swans.
The young girl swung her arms into the sleeves as she secured her clothing, her lips pursing themselves in satisfaction upon spotting that her unique net of knotted silk had not been touched.
…the hanfu was also rather appealing to her eyes; Shen Ming Yue indeed possessed a keen sense for beautiful clothing.
The young girl carefully installed the qama into the silent holster at the left side of her torso, her nimble fingers aptly tying together the remainder of the necessary knots to complete the mechanism.
As her fingers and arms preoccupied themselves in the arduous but highly rewarding task, An Fei’s gaze inadvertently brushed alongside of the copper mirror placed on the bedside table.
A young girl with originally tan skin stared back at her, the pair of cracked scarlet irises dull and devoid of the brightness displayed in an ordinary person’s eyes.
Alas, when An Fei’s gaze lingered onto the reflective copper surface, she easily spotted a major discrepancy.
“My condition still hasn’t shown signs of recovering, huh?”
Indeed, treating anemia was a lengthy process even with extensively developed medical technology.
From An Fei’s limited knowledge of the scientific medicine of the hated world of modernization, the body usually required four to five months to replenish the red blood cell supply; that period of time was after the initial symptoms of anemia had been fully treated, and could drag on for years if not treated properly.
After the red blood cells had been replenished to an adequate proportion, the body could be considered recovered… though it was highly prone to a relapse.
Moreover, she spent each night in the Sanctum, of which the golden light emanating from the crystalline structures surely assisted in the recovery of her body.
When An Fei had glimpsed upon the mental visualization of her body a day ago, she had observed a clear increase in the quality of her blood.
However, if her symptoms were still unable to bypass the initial symptoms, then…
“…I wasn’t able to escape from such misfortune, even after arriving on this classical world?”
The young girl’s lips drew into a glacial scowl as the pair of scarlet irises flashed with a lull of sharpness, though it quickly submerged into the everlasting pool of inert energy.
Her eyelashes fluttering with an unknown emotion, An Fei scanned a final gaze around her shelter of a few weeks, before departing from the servants’ quarters in a swift movement.
The locked door couldn’t withstand a blow endowed with spiritual essence, and quickly receded from the enraged tsunami headed towards its general direction.
Suppressing the painful sequalae threatening to stab at the base of her throat, the young girl clenched her teeth to clap her palms before her chest.
Under her command, threads of golden light extended themselves from the compressed core at the base of her heart, sweeping through her meridians and into her palms to merge into an imperceptible, partially-nonexistent reservoir…
Accompanied by a full minute of wracking pain seething through her vessels as the consequence, an invisible diagram etched with three words written in a sacred language manifested directly above the core of golden light in her heart.
Refusing to part her lips by any means necessary, An Fei accelerated her pace as she slipped through the hallways to step outside of the Plum Blossom Inn.
Aided by the influence exerted onto the world by the <Steps of Underlying Shadow>, the people nearby automatically stepped aside to clear a path for the young girl, permitting her to complete her journey without trouble.
Closing the doors of the magnificent inn behind her, An Fei closed her eyes to enjoy a deep breath of the crisp, fresh air that belonged to a mysterious realm tenderly referred to by many as ‘outside.’
Compared to the stifling and stale atmosphere in the servants’ quarters, this was a much better upgrade.
Although, the disappointment and surprise in Shen Ming Yue’s heart as she opened the door to witness an empty room couldn’t be avoided, nor could she avoid the sword slowly falling from the sky, its earth-shattering tip aimed directly for her nape.
