Chapter Nine: Encountering Fang Shisan at the Temple
“Senior Sister, Elder Sword, I’ll head back to my room first,” Lei Xiaodian said.
“All right, go ahead,” Elder Sword replied.
After Lei Xiaodian left, Fang Yu spoke seriously, “What kind of place is this Qi Refining Hall, to be so cruel and ruthless?”
“Since we’ve come to this strange world, we should uphold justice. I despise bullies who prey on the weak,” Fang Yu added firmly.
Elder Sword warned them earnestly, “That’s fine, but you must be extremely careful.”
Lei Xiaodian returned to his room with a heavy heart. A flood of worries overwhelmed him, leaving him restless and confused. He didn’t know if his father was still alive, and the future seemed uncertain and daunting.
Opening the window, he gazed outside, lost in thought.
Suddenly, he spotted a mysterious figure in a black robe running across the rooftop opposite his window, closely followed by a veiled woman.
The black-robed figure halted abruptly, releasing a dark aura that wrapped around a colorless sword, which was hurled toward the woman. But Lei Xiaodian had already sensed this with his spiritual awareness and swiftly unleashed pulse energy, shattering the colorless sword.
The robed figure then closed their eyes tightly and vanished into thin air, leaving the woman looking around in confusion. She glanced toward Lei Xiaodian’s window but couldn’t see him clearly.
Lei Xiaodian hurriedly closed the window. Exhausted, the youth slowly climbed into bed, curling up and closing his eyes to rest.
Night deepened quietly, time slipping away as darkness gradually yielded to dawn… A new day had arrived.
“Lei Xiaodian, are you still sleeping? Get up, breakfast is ready!” came Fang Yu’s clear knocking and cheerful voice from outside the door.
Groggy, Lei Xiaodian replied, “Okay, Senior Sister, I’m getting up now.” He rolled out of bed, rubbing his sleepy eyes.
After a while, Lei Xiaodian opened the door. “Senior Sister, I’m ready. We can set out now.”
Fang Yu nodded with a smile. “Then let’s hurry! Remember to be quick!”
“Got it, got it…” Lei Xiaodian muttered, following her downstairs.
After breakfast, Lei Xiaodian said, “Senior Sister, I want to go out for a bit later.”
Fang Yu asked curiously, “Where do you want to go?”
Scratching his head, he answered, “Hmm... I’m not quite sure. I just suddenly thought to take a walk outside, see if I can find any information about the Qi Refining Hall.”
Fang Yu nodded understandingly. “All right, but be careful and come back early.”
“Don’t worry, Senior Sister, I will,” he said, then turned and left.
Walking alone through the bustling streets, Lei Xiaodian’s eyes scanned the unfamiliar and strange surroundings with curiosity. This otherworld was filled with mystery and the unknown.
Suddenly, he noticed something unusual in the distance. In the northern part of this world stood a black building exuding an eerie aura.
The building was tightly bound by four massive iron chains, as though imprisoned there.
Above it loomed a square tower, atop which rested a chilling skull.
Even more astonishing, the skull was not motionless; it seemed imbued with some life, flickering with a faint, dark glow.
These ghostly lights danced like phantoms, casting an overwhelmingly terrifying atmosphere over the scene.
A nameless dread began to coil in his heart.
Though he didn’t know what it was, fear had already taken hold...
In this mysterious, fantastical world, towering mountains rose to the south, forming a natural barrier.
This was the gateway where they had entered this strange realm, yet the expected door had vanished without a trace. Instead, there stretched an endless, dense forest.
Turning his gaze to the left mountains, a markedly different sight appeared.
The entire mountain was dominated by countless graves, resembling a vast cemetery.
The tombstones were arranged in neat rows, exuding a solemn and reverent air.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting mottled shadows across the ancient burial ground, evoking a chilling and eerie feeling.
In this enigmatic world, four bizarre and colossal pillars stood at the cardinal points.
They soared into the clouds, as if piercing the heavens. Above them hung two shining chains that connected the pillars.
The eastern and western pillars were linked by one chain, while the southern and northern pillars were connected by another.
These glowing chains hung in midair like brilliant galaxies, seeming to hold infinite power and secrets.
Lei Xiaodian studied the area closely… “My child, my child, catch him quickly.”
Suddenly, he snapped back to reality, seeing a man in a black robe clutching a child, running across a rooftop.
An elderly woman grabbed Lei Xiaodian’s arm, pleading, “Young man, please save my child?”
Lei Xiaodian comforted her, “I will bring him back safely.”
“Thank you, young man!” the old woman said hurriedly.
Without hesitation, Lei Xiaodian leapt onto the rooftop, chasing the robed figure.
“Kid, stop chasing. This isn’t your business, or you’ll regret it,” a voice warned.
Lei Xiaodian laughed, “Haha… Are you all talk with no action? Then watch me keep chasing.”
He pursued relentlessly but halfway through, the black-robed figure vanished.
He looked around and saw only graves all around. Puzzled yet determined, he pressed on...
Suddenly, a cave appeared ahead. Something stirred in Lei Xiaodian’s heart. To save the child, he resolved to enter.
A cool breeze blew from the cave as Lei Xiaodian stood at its mouth. Channeling pulse energy into his right hand, it glowed, illuminating the dark.
He stepped inside slowly, noticing mysterious symbols carved into the cave walls.
Pausing, he examined the inscriptions, which seemed neither fully characters nor symbols, quite strange.
Words on the right wall corresponded with those on the left, causing him to ponder deeply.
He continued deeper into the cave. After some time, an uneasy feeling arose.
“Why is this happening?” he wondered, glancing back. The entrance had mysteriously disappeared.
Carefully studying the inscriptions again, realization dawned.
The characters followed a pattern—words like South, North, West, and East corresponded to directions ahead, behind, left, and right.
The inscriptions were a guide.
Following the clues, he adjusted his direction continuously and pressed forward.
Recalling the four pillars he’d seen earlier, Lei Xiaodian waved his left hand, releasing pulse energy. Energy surged from his right hand, connecting the West symbol with the East, then the South with the North.
After a while, two blood-like streams appeared on the walls, tracing channels leading forward. Lei Xiaodian followed them.
Soon, a grand door opened.
A pale white light flooded the chamber as he stepped inside, revealing a vast space with a huge circular sacrificial altar in the center.
Around the altar knelt four figures, heads bowed, hands clasped as if practicing some technique.
Lei Xiaodian treaded carefully, not wanting to disturb them.
He glanced at the four Qi Refining Hall disciples and sneered inwardly.
Quietly moving behind them, he seized the moment to swiftly seal their pulse points.
Then, cradling the child, he turned and left, marking the cave entrance simply to avoid losing his way on the return.
After some time, Lei Xiaodian returned to the small town.
He approached a dilapidated house and knocked gently.
The door opened, revealing an elderly woman, her face lined with wrinkles.
Seeing the child in Lei Xiaodian’s arms, tears of gratitude welled in her eyes.
“Thank you, thank you so much,” she said, kneeling in thanks.
Quickly, Lei Xiaodian helped her up. “There’s no need to be so formal.”
Nearby, a woman sipping tea on the street witnessed the touching scene.
She looked at Lei Xiaodian thoughtfully, then set down her cup and tossed a few copper coins to the waiter.
The waiter hurried over, picking up the coins and bowing respectfully. “Your bill is settled, please come again.”
The woman stood and approached Lei Xiaodian.
He explained, “Just lucky!”
She smiled and asked, “What’s your name?”
“Lei Xiaodian,” he replied.
She chuckled softly. “That’s an unusual name.”
He laughed lightly, realizing he shouldn’t reveal his true identity, so he added, “You can call me Lin Yi.”
“Lin Yi,” she repeated.
Lei Xiaodian’s heart skipped a beat at her tone but quickly calmed, thinking this woman was remarkably perceptive.
She then asked, “Where do you live?”
He hesitated, answering, “That’s a bit private, isn’t it?”
Lin Yi frowned, “What are you thinking?”
Quickly, Lei Xiaodian explained, “Nothing… I live just 100 meters down the left turn.”
Lin Yi smiled. “All right, Lei Xiaodian, I’ll remember you.”