Chapter 298 - An Unusual Clue to a Breakthrough, a Night in the Same Cave as Gu Xuejian - Part 3
Looking up, he saw Gu Xuejian already standing in the yard.
Without a gesture, a massive boulder floated over. Her sword flickered; in minutes, she had carved it into the likeness of a teenage boy, vivid from afar if a bit rough up close.
So that’s what Master Li looks like, the blacksmith gaped in awe.
Gu Xuejian moved in, refining every detail. At last, the stone figure looked utterly lifelike, down to individual strands of hair. She lifted it into the coffin and settled the lid.
The earth before her stirred of its own accord, opening into a perfect grave sized exactly for the coffin.
Gu Xuejian let go.
The coffin settled into the earth and, as though guided by invisible hands, the soil folded neatly back over it.
Another boulder drifted to her raised palm. She carved the words Li Yuan’s Grave and planted the stone upright. Then, with three quick strokes, she slaughtered the pig, sheep, and ox and arranged the fresh carcasses before the marker as funeral offerings.
Her eyes closed. Face lifted to the sky, she intoned, each syllable cold and ringing, “May this offering be received. Let his wandering soul come home!”
Her words boomed like thunder, rolling outward for leagues, undimmed by wind or wall; people in distant settlements heard them as clearly as if whispered beside their ears.
When the echo finally faded, Gu Xuejian looked at the stone and murmured, “Rest easy.”
A long silence fell over Li Yuan, still peering through a sparrow’s eyes far away.