Chapter 83
Mei Liangyu was saving face when he told Yu Sui it was only "a little." In reality, he was already in a complete state of Five Elements Energy chaos. While resting with his eyes closed, he unconsciously furrowed his brow.
He had been fighting and clearing areas almost continuously for the past few days, frequently using different Heavenly Mechanism Arts. The day he was trapped by Five Profound Poison at the shallow beach actually gave him a chance to rest, but that night when he went to Military Formation: Dragon Fish and used Ghost Way School Heavenly Mechanism Arts to break the formation and leave.
Forcing things always came with a price.
When Mei Liangyu used Ghost Way School Nine Schools Arts, the consumption was even greater than other schools' Heavenly Mechanism Arts, and the burden was heavier too.
Once he overexerted his own power, causing imbalance in the Five Elements within his light core, it easily triggered Five Elements chaos.
Fortunately, he also knew Medical School Nine Schools Arts. By enduring, he could slowly regulate his breathing and guide himself.
Only after his condition improved somewhat did Mei Liangyu take a brief nap.
Yu Sui watched Senior Brother for a while. After her gaze traced over him once, she withdrew her sight. Confirming that Senior Brother wouldn't discover her, she took out the Wind-Listening Ruler to send a message to Zhongli Que.
Zhongli Que hadn't rested even late at night. She was keeping watch over the Wind-Listening Ruler in her room, waiting for Yu Sui's news. Yesterday she had only received Yu Sui's brief response and didn't know exactly what had happened, so she couldn't feel at ease.
Seeing the Wind-Listening Ruler light up now, Zhongli Que's eyes also brightened, and she hurriedly opened it to check.
"This month I'm participating in the academy's trial, in a rather special secret realm called Dragon Slaying Cave."
After Yu Sui patiently explained what Dragon Slaying Cave was to Zhongli Que, she continued: "Dragon Slaying Cave regulations say we can't use Wind-Listening Rulers, and there are quite a few people around me, so I haven't found a chance to talk with you."
"Don't worry. I listened to your words. After falling into the Military Formation, I didn't enter any caves, so I also wasn't subjected to Death by a Thousand Cuts."
"Thanks to you, I was able to avoid it."
"When I return, I'll definitely bring you many interesting things that only exist at Taiyi Academy."
Only then did Zhongli Que's worried heart quietly settle down. Her fingers rapidly tapped the character grid: "You really weren't hurt anywhere?"
Yu Sui replied: "I received some superficial injuries from the trial challenges, but I really wasn't subjected to Death by a Thousand Cuts, really not."
"I was scared to death! I didn't sleep for two consecutive days. When you didn't reply to me, I almost ran away from home straight to Taiyi Academy!" Zhongli Que said with teary eyes.
Yu Sui quietly watched the continuous messages Zhongli Que sent, her slender five fingers tapping on the character grid, replying to each one.
She wouldn't tell Zhongli Que about Strange Fire.
Zhongli Que was the last psychological defense line Yu Sui had set for herself.
She had nothing in this world.
The parents who should have been her deepest bonds were instead her greatest enemies.
Even developing into a life-or-death relationship.
Emotionally, Yu Sui had no nostalgia or attachment to this world.
Even though she felt it unnecessary to destroy the daily lives and lives of vast numbers of innocent people, when anger reached its peak, she would think, what do other people's lives have to do with me?
If the world were destroyed, it wouldn't just be good people who died, but also countless bad people, those lurking in the shadows who would cause disasters in the future or had already brought misfortune to others.
It had nothing to do with me to begin with.
Everyone should just die.
But at age thirteen, when Yu Sui first used Strange Fire to kill someone and realized Strange Fire would tempt her, she told herself she must protect Zhongli Que.
Yu Sui found herself a person in this world who needed her protection.
When her consciousness was tempted by Strange Fire, she couldn't forget there was still Zhongli Que.
Yu Sui told herself to remember it was "I" who protected Zhongli Que, not waiting for Zhongli Que to protect "me."
Her reason for resisting Strange Fire's temptation was first that Yu Sui didn't want to die, but this goal alone wasn't enough for her.
Yu Sui needed to invest some genuine emotion in this world to firmly control the destructive desire hidden in the deepest part of her heart.
"Were you also passively divining this time?" Yu Sui asked.
Zhongli Que replied: "Yes! I was originally painting to calm my mind. I got a bit tired from painting, so I slept for a while, but in my dream I divined something bad. After waking up startled, I immediately sent you a message."
"Fortunately I was in time. If I hadn't been, I would never forgive myself."
Seeing she was speaking too severely, Yu Sui comforted her for quite a while.
Zhongli Que lay on her bed with a gloomy expression: "Taiyi Academy is really too far away."
She thought it would be nice if she could also go to Taiyi Academy.
But then thinking of the capital's situation, if even she went to Taiyi Academy, leaving Mother alone in the capital would be too dangerous.
"Has Second Brother told you about Divine Mechanism Arts?" Yu Sui asked.
Zhongli Que asked curiously: "What's that?"
Yu Sui explained to her: "I asked Sister Su before. There's a type of Divine Mechanism Art that leans toward Technical Arts School prophetic divination, which also matches your situation. It's the fifth-ranked Divine Mechanism Art called 'Blessing Heart.'"
"It can also divine clear future scenes and sounds, and doesn't require using Five Elements Energy."
Zhongli Que was surprised: "Fifth rank? That's so amazing!"
Yu Sui replied mimicking her: "Yes, it's very high-ranked, a very amazing Divine Mechanism Art!"
Both couldn't help smiling as they read the messages.
Joking aside, Yu Sui still reminded Zhongli Que that it wasn't 100% certain to be Divine Mechanism: Blessing Heart. They just had a clear direction to explore, and she would continue gathering related information.
Yu Sui asked Zhongli Que: "Is the General returning soon?"
"I heard it will be more than a month before he can return." Zhongli Que said: "Some rebel forces still haven't been eliminated, so it will be delayed some more time."
"The capital hasn't been paying attention to the war recently. With my father and Prince Nangong stationed there, there won't be any accidents. But the poison investigation continues." Zhongli Que said: "The Orchid Poison infiltration into the capital made His Majesty furious. He's been angry every day, and after investigating for so many days without any news, the Crown Prince and several ministers get scolded bloody by His Majesty every day."
Yu Sui's finger lightly tapped the Wind-Listening Ruler, her fingertip feeling the cool touch from the ruler's surface.
No news at all.
Then she would create news for them.
When directing Orchid Poison toward Chu Jin, she first had to cleanly sever her relationship with the Zhongli family.
Yu Sui asked: "How is your cousin?"
Zhongli Que replied: "Not well. After Cousin Axu was frightened at the banquet last time, she cries every day wanting to find Chu Jin. This matter also let Third Uncle know. Third Uncle warned Second Uncle, saying that in extraordinary times, Cousin's matter must not be known by more people, especially outsiders, so Chu Jin is no longer allowed to visit our manor."
"Third Uncle also found new Medical School practitioners for her."
When the incident first occurred, the Zhongli family should have found Medical School practitioners they trusted.
It was just that Chu Jin had first established a good relationship with Zhongli Que's mother, Lady Sun, leaving a deep impression in Lady Sun's heart. So when the incident happened, she naturally received Lady Sun's recommendation.
Zhongli Que said worriedly: "Chu Jin doesn't look at all like someone with bad intentions toward our family. My mother is especially protective of her, thinking she's a poor orphan girl who lived a hard life from childhood. Having cared for her for a while, she's very fond of her. If I said she had bad intentions in front of my mother, it would only make my mother angry."
"Listen to your Third Uncle. Let your Third Uncle handle it, so you don't have to anger Lady Sun." Yu Sui replied to her: "I heard from Elder Yan that Chu Jin's strength should be at Ninth or Tenth Realm. The difference of one realm is also very significant, and she knows Medical School pupil techniques, making it easy to deceive ordinary practitioners."
With Chu Jin's calculating nature, plus the assistance of Medical School pupil techniques, Lady Sun's care for her was genuine.
Yu Sui said: "If you absolutely must see her, it's best to call Second Brother along."
Su Feng was Nangong Ming's son.
With him present, Chu Jin would have some reservations.
……
While Yu Sui and Zhongli Que were chatting, the rain outside gradually lessened, changing from torrential downpour to gentle drizzle.
The originally clear sound of rain faded. Celestial Fire still clung to the stone walls burning, dispelling darkness while also casting some shadows that fell on Mei Liangyu.
Yu Sui deliberately moved the Celestial Fire's position so it couldn't illuminate Senior Brother, making Mei Liangyu's position shrouded in shadow to prevent the firelight from being too dazzling and affecting his rest.
In Mei Liangyu's dreams, many memory fragments flashed by.
Gu Qian's Divine Mechanism: Heavenly Official had loosened the power sealing his memories. Like a tightly sealed box with a broken corner, letting a ray of light leak out. In the floating light, countless specks of dust glittered, representing bits and pieces from before he was fourteen.
The sound of red paper pinwheels spinning rapidly echoed intermittently in Mei Liangyu's ears.
He saw the mountain path approaching a wealthy, magnificent manor. On both sides, short bamboo fences blocking flower clusters were filled with paper pinwheels of different colors. Morning and night winds alternated, the pinwheels' speed sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sensing where the winds between heaven and earth came from and what news they brought.
In the mountain manor after nightfall, he could see fireworks being set off in the city pool below.
The flashing memory scenes were too fast. Mei Liangyu tried very hard to remember.
Armies besieging the city, black shadows confronting each other on rain-soaked streets, violently erupting Five Elements Energy destroying buildings on both sides of the street, toppling tall buildings, blood splattering, fire spreading.
Light golden sunlight in the manor, blooming flower trees, clear pond water, with yin-yang fish slowly swimming in the water.
The scenes in memory were sometimes peaceful and tranquil, sometimes dangerous and bloody.
On the night when torrential rain washed the streets, countless black shadows flashed. He saw many Nine Schools Arts erupting between heaven and earth.
Taoist School Heavenly Gang Five Thunder.
Yin-Yang School constellation arrays.
Technical Arts School trigram formations.
Legalist School judgment arts.
Military School sword techniques.
Agricultural School curse arts.
School of Names word commands.
He saw countless black shadows killing toward him from all directions, carrying murderous Heavenly Mechanism Arts that brought him different pressures, bending the spine of the thirteen-year-old boy and making him kneel on the ground.
A purple-robed woman came with the wind, stopping in front of him, blocking all the Heavenly Mechanism Arts.
When she raised her hand, every raindrop between heaven and earth froze. The black shadows wanted to retreat, but were injured by the bursting raindrops. With the purple-robed woman as the center, black and white flames swept across the entire city like two enormous yin-yang fish, stirring earth-shaking upheaval, devouring everyone's Five Elements Energy.
It was a Yin-Yang technique he had never seen before.
In the depths of Mei Liangyu's heart, the Five Elements Light Core emitting bright white light trembled. Five Elements Energy overflowed, turning into white threads that wrapped around its outer shell. As the surging internal power flowed, countless cracks appeared on the outer shell and it shattered. Golden light broke through the shell.
Tenth Realm, Divine Soul Light Core.
Power filled every part of Mei Liangyu's body, struggling to be released, to destroy more, to crush everything, also awakening his destructive desire.
Years of suppressed angry emotions and power were all clamoring to kill them, to make them die.
Before dawn had arrived, Yu Sui was still holding the Wind-Listening Ruler when she felt unusual power fluctuations nearby, dangerous, murderous, deadly power.
This made her hair stand on end. She slowly sat up straight, looking toward Mei Liangyu with some surprise.
The man in the shadows frowned and opened his eyes.
His pitch-black pupils were indifferent, his gaze casually sweeping over Yu Sui as he sat up calmly.
Yu Sui remained quietly silent.
She had seen Mei Liangyu wake up groggy before. Initially she thought Senior Brother just had a bad temper when waking up, appearing with a temperament completely different from usual.
Although Mei Liangyu had restrained himself considerably now, Yu Sui couldn't forget the murderous intent and oppressive feeling that had made her nerves tense.
Yu Sui looked at Mei Liangyu sitting indifferently in the shadows, a few strands of hair at his forehead sliding gently down as he lowered his eyes.
She couldn't help remembering what Master had said before.
Perhaps that wasn't a joke or exaggeration, but something that had really happened and might happen in the future.
Some people seemed normal, but like her, they were just one step away from doing something that would lead to eternal damnation.