"Village Head Ye… how about we go back to the village instead?"
"Go back… to the village?"
Ling Ye repeated the words slowly, his brows furrowing as confusion flickered across his face. Then his expression hardened slightly, his gaze sharpening as it settled on Bai Da.
"What do you mean, go back? Explain."
Facing Ling Ye directly, Bai Da's body trembled ever so slightly.
He had just fought a wolf without fear, facing death head on without hesitation. But now, standing before Ling Ye, he felt a completely different kind of pressure, one far heavier, far more suffocating. It was as if he stood before an untouchable emperor. Just a single look from Ling Ye made his thoughts waver and his confidence falter.
Yet even under that invisible weight, Bai Da clenched his teeth and forced himself to speak.
Village Head Ye… I've followed you this whole time without questioning anything." he said, his voice tight but steady. "I never asked why you insist on following that compass."
He paused briefly, his fists tightening at his sides.
"But I remember… back on the Day of Spirituality, when I wasn't chosen, when I couldn't walk the path of cultivation…" His voice grew heavier, tinged with some bitterness and perhaps even some regret.
"That senior… he gave you that compass." Bai Da lowered his head slightly, his expression conflicted.
"I don't even know why he gave it to you… what it's meant to lead you to… or why you're risking your life for it." He drew in a deep breath, steadying himself, his fists clenching even tighter. "But I still remember your face that day…"
Silence fell.
Ling Ye said nothing. He already knew what Bai Da was trying to say.
"Village Head… because of you, I was able to walk the path of martial arts," Bai Da continued, his voice heavy but steady. "When I returned half a year ago and you asked me to come on this journey, I agreed without hesitation. I wanted to repay you, for giving me the chance to walk this path."
He paused, his expression tightening as he glanced around the forest. "But now… here we are. Somewhere in the outskirts of the Great Forest. Fighting beasts far stronger than any humans I've ever faced… and I don't even know why."
Again, Ling Ye remained silent.
That silence only made Bai Da more frustrated. A faint anger began to rise within him. "Why are we here, Village Head Ye?" Bai Da asked directly, his voice sharper now.
Ling Ye finally let out a long breath.
"Haa…" He knew he could no longer avoid this. If he wanted to survive this journey, he couldn't do it alone. He had to trust someone and Bai Da was the only one here.
Ling Ye tightened his grip on the compass in his left hand. He glanced down at it one last time before lifting his head.
"You want to know why we're here, Bai Da?" The Great forest grew quiet, as if even the wind had stilled.
Ling Ye let out a faint, bitter chuckle. "This isn't just an ordinary compass."
His eyes darkened slightly as he continued."You know I come from the Ling Clan. Back then… when I met that senior, he gave me this as compensation. He had been somewhat rude to me and wanted to make up for it."
Ling Ye raised the compass slightly. "So he gave me this… a spiritual treasure."
"What?!" Bai Da exclaimed, his voice filled with shock.
A spiritual treasure, something he had only ever read about in legends. Objects meant solely for meant to be used by cultivators, far beyond the reach of mortals like the two of them.
The air between them grew tense.
As the realization sank in, sweat began to form on Bai Da's forehead, but more than fear… something else flickered in his eyes, greed.
A brief, instinctive desire of greed.
Naturally, that fleeting emotion did not escape Ling Ye's sharp gaze.
"Hehe…" Instead of anger, Ling Ye let out a soft chuckle.
"Naive," he said calmly. "Do you really think a spiritual treasure can be used so easily by mortals like us? Do you think there isn't a price to pay?"
Bai Da froze.
His greed quickly calmed down as Ling Ye's words sank in him. Bai Da took a slow breath, his thoughts racing. The heavens had already denied them the path of cultivation… so how could they possibly use something meant only for cultivators without paying any kind of price?
Wouldn't that mean… they were going against the heavens themselves?
His eyes widened and fear soon replaced everything else, His mind trembled. He instinctively stepped back, even glancing up at the sky as if expecting some kind of divine punishment to strike them down at any given moment.
After all, they were speaking of something that should not belong to mortals, Ling Ye even using it.
"Hehe…" Ling Ye watched Bai Da's reaction with clear amusement.
"You think the heavens will strike us down just because I said a few words?" he asked, with a faint mockery in his tone.
Bai Da heard the ridicule, but said nothing against, because deep down… he really is feeling afraid right now.
"Don't worry about the heavens… or us being punished," Ling Ye said calmly.
Ling Ye's tone is reassuring and calm, but he didn't offered any clear explanation as to why everything is alright.
Bai Da hesitated and wanted to ask for more clarification, but in the end, he said nothing and accepted. He could only accept Ling Ye's words and silently hope that his curiosity about the compass wouldn't cost him his life now.
As the tension slowly eased, Ling Ye smiled faintly and raised the compass, showing it to him.
"This spiritual treasure is called the Fate Guiding Compass," he said. "It can guide a person toward their most fated encounter."
Bai Da's eyes widened, shocked by the use of the Fate Guiding Compass.
His mind immediately began to race, imagining all kinds of possibilities, finding hidden treasures, powerful inheritances of some Emperors, life changing opportunities…
But his thoughts were abruptly cut short.
"Hehe… did you just imagine that following your 'fated encounter' would make you stronger?" Ling Ye said, clicking his tongue. "Naive. Truly naive."
Bai Da froze.
Ling Ye's expression turned colder as he continued.
"What if your fated encounter is something meant to happen years later? What if it leads you to a corpse filled with wealth… but its owner isn't truly dead yet, meant to die there later? What if the path itself is beyond your ability to survive?"
His voice grew sharper with each question.
"And even if you reach it, who said that your 'fate' must be something good?" he added quietly. "What if your fate is nothing at all? What if you were never meant to have one?"
Ling Ye let out a faint, cold laugh. "Do you really think you're some chosen child of fate… when you weren't even allowed to cultivate?"
Silence.
The forest fell completely still.
Bai Da just stood there, unable to respond. Even the faint breeze he had felt before seemed to disappear. His thoughts were in turmoil, his earlier excitement crushed entirely.
Only now did he realize how shallow his understanding had been.
Slowly, he lowered his head… and nodded.
He understood.
"And even then… do you know the price for even using the Fate Guiding Compass?" Ling Ye said with a faint chuckle. "Let me enlighten you!"
Bai Da's eyes darkened slightly.
"It requires a drop of heart blood. Your own heart blood." Ling Ye paused, letting the weight of his words sink in.
"Do you even know what Heart Blood is? Do you understand how difficult it is for a mortal to extract even a single drop of own ones and survive?" His voice turned colder. "It nearly cost me my life. I even lost part of my lifespan because of it."
Bai Da's expression stiffened.
Shame washed over him instantly. He lowered his head, unable to meet Ling Ye's gaze. Just moments ago, he had entertained the thought of stealing the Fate Guiding Compass and use it on himself… yet he hadn't even though at to how to even activate it!
The gap between them suddenly felt enormous and Bai Da gruatuly said nothing any longer, as he couldn't.
"Hmph." Ling Ye snorted lightly, fastening the compass back onto his belt. "So now you understand what we're doing."
He glanced at Bai Da, his tone turning indifferent. "Are you coming with me… or going back?"
Bai Da slowly lifted his head, he took a good look at Ling Ye, his thoughts in turmoil.
Now he understood what the Fate Guiding Compass is. This isn't some simple journey, that was already known to him much earlier, but he though even then too simple, as it is a gamble with their lives.
The compass could lead them to fortune… or straight into death. It might guide them to something they weren't ready for now… or something that wasn't even meant for this moment.
Or worse, there is nothing at all, but even so… What if it led to something great? What if it was an opportunity that could change everything?
Bai Da clenched his fists.
After a long moment of hesitation, he gritted his teeth and nodded. "I'll follow you."
Ling Ye simply nodded in response, as if he had already expected that answer. Without speaking another word, turning around and walked toward the narrow entrance of the valley.
This time, nothing blocked their path.
There were no beasts or any sudden danger before them this time, they could quietly leaven.
And now here, once again, were they surrounded by towering trees, their branches and leaves blocking most of the sky. Even the wind came and went in faint, irregular breaths.
Ling Ye didn't cared about that and took out the Fate Guiding Compass once more, checking its pointing direction.
After confirming it, he put it away again.
Then, without hesitation, the two of them continued forward, moving carefully, step by step, deeper into the unknowns of the Great Forest.