A string of melodious bells resounded throughout the recesses of the study, the girl’s mouth trembling as her throat struggled to project the sounds.
The tranquil atmosphere within the study instantly became turbulent, the eerie underlying notions of fear and depravity threatening to infest the inhabitants and objects.
[The bearer of the Sanctum must not be tainted by the mortal.]However, this went unnoticed by Wei Xuan, for the minister was far too preoccupied with inspecting the girl’s body, his heart trembling with fear.
“What’s going on!?”
Halting his perception from receding back into his body through his palm, Wei Xuan quickly began to reexamine the girl’s meridians, blood vessels, and internal organs with a forced tranquility.
As his perception revealed to him that An Fei’s body had not experienced any change, the minister could feel curiosity scratch away at his mind, but he quickly wiped his thoughts when witnessing the girl vomit another mouthful of blood.
This time, the blood was neither putrid nor black; instead, the color was a rich scarlet and was accompanied by a faint metallic scent.
“What do I do, what do I do…” Wei Xuan groaned to himself with gritted teeth whilst inspecting the girl’s condition for the umpteenth time.
“Yun Zhi, why haven’t you returned, ah!?”
Unfortunately for the minister, Wei Xuan possessed neither the medicinal knowledge nor discernment to diagnose An Fei’s condition.
Hence, he could only place both hands on her either side of her back, infusing a copious amount of spiritual essence into the girl’s body.
Such a process, if conducted in a rash or malicious manner, could inflict great harm onto the body.
Damage incurred in this circumstance would be remarkably difficult to recover from even with the most advanced medicines, thus Wei Xuan proceeded with utmost care, not daring to take a single risk even if he proclaimed himself to be confident.
Divide the spiritual essence into fibers with the thickness of a thin hair, before dispersing them throughout the body.
Bind the major Yang meridians with Yin; isolate the minor meridians from the rest of the body, utilizing the fibers of spiritual essence as conduits connecting the minor meridians with the Girdle Vessel to sustain the distribution of vitality without overturning the body’s balance.
Wrap the fibers around the major pathways of the Conception and Governing Vessels, to enhance the circulation of the body’s vitality without risking overdraft.
The kidneys, spleen, and lungs were wrapped with a protective layer of silver-colored light, guarding the organs from possible external or internal harm.
Each process was to be completed with utmost care, and time was of no consideration as long as there weren’t any issues or lasting problems. By the time he had wrapped the last organ with his spiritual essence, the sun had already set and was well into nighttime.
Finishing his task, Wei Xuan retracted his perception into his body with a heavy sigh, before glancing at the puddle of blood splashed on the wooden floor of the study.
The unhealthy, unpleasant mixture of scarlet and black blood on the ground measured to exceed a few cups in volume, causing the minister’s brows to crease into a deep valley.
While he had immersed himself into the task of stabilizing An Fei’s constitution, he was not isolated form the outside world.
Each lurch of the body, every mouthful of blood spilled onto the floor, as well as the mysterious, melodious bells escaping her mouth, he had heard and clearly remembered each instance.
Particularly the bell sounds that had resounded within the study.
Wei Xuan distinctly remembered Xiao Wen’s previous report regarding the incident of An Fei and the ink brush; then, she had mentioned that she had heard similar sounds like the twinkling and chiming of bells emitting from the girl’s throat.
Tenderly placing An Fei onto the linen bed before examining the bloodstains with a heavy expression, the minister stared at the discolored, congealed pool with numerous thoughts flashing in his mind.
Were the bells linked with the mysterious phenomenon that had caused An Fei to fall into a week-long coma without an apparent reason?
Or were they related to the deficiencies brought on by her congenital illness?
Or something else entirely?
Unable to discover an immediate answer to his doubts after pondering for a few moments and combined with the fatigue weighing his mind and body, Wei Xuan sighed and shook his head fiercely.
Tucking the girl underneath the cozy blankets and cleaning up the bloodstains on the wooden floor, the minister ignored the protests of Xiao Ying and Xiao Wen as he blew out the lights within the study of the Flowing Wind Residence.
Unlike the usual nights of which he would either sleep with Luo Shuyan or Sheng Miaolan, Wei Xuan settled himself onto a semi-comfortable position in a nearby halfmoon chair, electing to oversee the sleeping girl until the break of dawn.
As for the two women’s protests in the morning tomorrow, he could deal with it tomorrow…
–
“You shouldn’t have come.”
“The bearer of the Sanctum must not be tainted by the mortal.”
The two phrases echoed in her ears, the words imprinting themselves directly into the deepest recesses of her mind.
However she desired to ignore them or the woman’s seemingly out of place dance within the eternal plains, the scenery and the words refused to depart from her head.
“You shouldn’t have come.”
She, the uninvited guest, was not compatible with the frozen, timeless world. Upon first glance, she was not still like the grass, sun, or nonexistent like the wind.
Nor was she in any form like the single, solitary little lotus of white or the woman in white robes, appearing discordant with the environment, but actually existing as an integral component.
Then what was her role in this plain that stretched for all of eternity’s gaze, as a guest and observer?
“The bearer of the Sanctum must not be tainted by the mortal.”
The bearer of the Sanctum must not be tainted by the mortal.
…where had she heard those words before?
She had the faint thought that those words, particularly the Sanctum, was exceptionally well acquainted with her knowledge.
No matter how many times she scanned her memory from beginning to end, those words didn’t seem to present any plausible matches.
Suddenly, after an undefined length of time, a thought struck her mind, accompanied by feelings of anticipation, dread, and exasperation.
The Sanctum.
The Sanctum of Eternity.
The mysterious realm of the sky-blue crystal, the throne room with the ten profound corridors, each presumably containing a myriad of unexplained secrets and treasures. The gift of her grandfather when he had transferred her soul to a different world, An Xiang Yang.
The Sanctum of Eternity.
She did not know what the phrase cautioned against, or what the woman was intending to convey with the unspoken words. Nor was she aware of what it meant to be ‘tainted by the mortal’.
However, the mention of the Sanctum, the world of sky-blue crystal, was sufficient of an answer for her. Though unsure how or why and albeit accompanied by an unsettling feeling, she felt that the Sanctum of Eternity possessed the answers that she sought.
It had provided answers on a usual basis, even if they were not answers she neither desired nor appreciated.
[You shouldn’t have come.]The words rang in her ear once again, and she watched the woman continue dancing for the final time before closing her eyes.
Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth and answered the woman, her voice reverberating throughout the endless plains of stagnation and change.
“I shouldn’t have come, but here I am.”
[The bearer of the Sanctum must not be tainted by the mortal.]“I don’t know what you mean. However, I will eventually find out.”
An exchange of words occurred between an unspoken voice and one of a young girl, causing faint ripples to traverse the frozen and timeless world.
The woman merely tipped her head before resuming the visually awkward dance, yet the girl could see that the world that was once frozen and unchanging, had experienced a great shift, one she was unaware about.
[Distinguish truth and falsehood. Display the river of eternity.]The words streaming from her mouth without hesitation or prior thought, An Fei witnessed the frozen world before her disintegrate into innumerable shards of light within an instant, the sky-blue crystal steps leading to a throne displayed behind.
Taking a step forward and discovering the all-too familiar sensation of warmth on her feet and the golden light illuminating her gaze, the girl displayed a relieved smile, before rushing forth to leave the frozen, eternal world of the endless grass plain and the dancing lotus.
