IT WAS A LONG, stunned moment before Xue Meng snapped back to his senses. "You bastard, who are you calling dumb?" he shouted at Mei Hanxue's back.
Xue Zhengyong tugged him back. "Meng-er!"
"That guy just called me dumb!"
"Enough, you misheard. Hanxue didn't say anything."
"He whispered it in my ear!"
Away from the hubbub, Jiang Xi was assessing the state of the wounded. He finished his inspection and ordered all the cultivators to stay put for a while and meditate or seek medical attention according to their needs. This outcome was unavoidable—they'd sent out many of their strongest fighters. Their arrowheads had been blunted before the bow was even drawn. To rashly continue would spell catastrophe if they were to meet with danger again.
After laying down his instructions, Jiang Xi approached Nangong Si. "Nangong, I have a question for you."
"Jiang-zhangmen, please go ahead."
Jiang Xi glanced at Ye Wangxi, standing beside him.
"Whatever you want to say, it's fine if she hears," Nangong Si said.
"It's best if she doesn't," replied Jiang Xi. His gaze went pointedly to Nangong Si's chest, where his spiritual core lay.
After Ye Wangxi retreated, Jiang Xi sat down beside Nangong Si. "What are you going to do about your core? Keep lying?"
Nangong Si's eyes dulled. "I haven't figured out how to tell her yet."
"You think she'd scorn you? You're overthinking; Miss Ye isn't the type to—"
"No," said Nangong Si, cutting Jiang Xi off. "I'm not afraid she'll scorn me. I just don't want her to worry."
Jiang Xi fell silent, as if jabbed by the unfathomable arrogance in Nangong Si's bones. He chuckled. "You certainly have faith in yourself."
"Jiang-zhangmen is mistaken; my faith isn't in myself. My faith is in her."
"You've been taken down quite a few notches lately," Jiang Xi said idly. "Aren't you afraid I'll make trouble for you if you don't watch your words?"
"You wouldn't."
Jiang Xi paused. "Do you have faith in me too?"
"I've gotten a good grasp on Jiang-zhangmen's character on this journey," said Nangong Si. "That's why I said what I did when I thought I was about to die."
Jiang Xi had met Nangong Si's eyes as he spoke, but when Nangong Si mentioned that moment, he glanced away. "It seems you've survived. Do those words still hold true?"
"They do," Nangong Si replied. "Once we've defeated Xu Shuanglin, I'll tell everyone."
Jiang Xi was quiet for a long interval before he spoke again. "Nangong Si, it's a shame I won't see Rufeng Sect flourish under your leadership. You would've been a worthy opponent."
"Sect Leader, you're mistaken again." Nangong Si's calm tone proclaimed his unshakeable pride. "I was already fortunate enough to learn the best of what Rufeng Sect has to offer."
It was rare indeed for Jiang Xi to refrain from a pithy retort or scathing remark. It was rarer still for him to be impressed or agree with what someone else had said. This time, he paused for a long while before responding. "Enough of this," he said at length. "I have a more important question for you."
"I know what the sect leader wants to ask." Nangong Si stroked Naobaijin, curled up inside his quiver. There was a cut still trickling blood on the faewolf's forehead. "But I don't know how Mount Jiao could break free of the sect founder's will either. I thought it was impossible."
"You have no idea at all?" Jiang Xi asked. "Think a little harder—are there no secret histories pertaining to this mountain?"
Nangong Si shook his head. "None. For generations, the Nangong clan has simply known that Mount Jiao obeys its descendants, but none more so than Nangong Changying."
"There's no one else who can override his orders?"
"No one. The first master the jiao dragon accepted was the sect founder. Nothing can change this."
Jiang Xi's expression flickered as he sank deeper into a rigid, brooding solemnity. "Then how did Xu Shuanglin do it?"
"I don't know either." Nangong Si paused. Jiang Xi thought he had more to say and turned to look at him, only to find the young man staring fixedly into the distance.
Jiang Xi followed his line of sight and found Nangong Liu, peeling a tangerine. Nangong Si had been trying this whole time to avoid looking at his father, who'd been reduced to a pawn, but as he gazed upon him now, his face twisted with pain.
In truth, Jiang Xi was of the same generation as Xu Shuanglin and Xue Zhengyong. Their cultivation methods were different, so he still appeared fresh-faced and handsome, but not so his mental state. His mind had long since lost its youthfulness. When he looked at Nangong Si, he felt a rare compassion rise within him. "Stop looking," he said. "Don't look anymore."
It seemed to take the last of Nangong Si's remaining energy to tear his eyes from his father. When he lowered his gaze, his shoulders shook. He buried his face in his palms but was unable to hide the sound of his sobs. He hoarsely murmured, as if trying to change the subject, "I don't know how Xu Shuanglin did it either. The demon dragon was tamed by the sect founder himself…"
But his shoulders only shook more violently.
Jiang Xi had remained stiff all this time, his face very still. But now he reached out to pat Nangong Si's shoulder. He seemed to want to comfort Nangong Si, but he'd never comforted anyone in his life. He said clumsily, "There now. Everyone has their own fate. Despite how things ended, you were once father and son. Look at me, reaching middle age with no children at all. It could be worse."
Nangong Si gave that statement all the due consideration it deserved, which was none at all. Even Jiang Xi himself thought his words too dry, worse than not speaking. He rose with some embarrassment. "I'll go look around the temple. Rest here for a while. We'll head off soon enough."
Nangong Si didn't look up.
"One more thing—what's up ahead?"
"The Dragonsoul Pool," Nangong Si replied in a muffled voice.
"What is it?"
"It's the blood pool where we offer sacrifices to the demon dragon. The dragon's primordial spirit sleeps within it, and the people of Rufeng Sect need to offer it sacrifices every year."
Jiang Xi frowned. "Hopefully there's nothing else waiting for us there."
The group rested for the better part of an hour. The wounded and exhausted gradually recovered under the care of the healers. Jiang Xi turned to Xu Shuanglin's dioramas, good and evil depicted in extremes, his frown deepening. What was Xu Shuanglin doing with these puppets that couldn't fight at all? Were they just decor? Given how the pawn Nangong Liu had said His Majesty with every other breath, it seemed Xu Shuanglin had crowned himself king and turned these Zhenlong chess puppets, split between dark and light, into his subjects.
Jiang Xi walked down the aisle, studying them, before finally making his way to Nangong Liu. The man was sitting on his basket, slowly peeling a tangerine. Jiang Xi hesitated, then bent down and asked the same question they'd asked before. "Can you take me to His Majesty?"
Nangong Liu gave the same answer: "His Majesty is busy. I can't take you to him just because you asked."
"Useless." Jiang Xi flicked his sleeves in displeasure. "A wastrel to the end. A wastrel in life and as a pawn."
Nangong Liu cowered before Jiang Xi's vitriol. He clutched at his tangerine basket, then burst into frightened tears. "Why are you so mean? I am useless; I've always been a wastrel. What's the point of being cruel to me?"
His loud bawling drew the attention of those around them. Chu Wanning, nearing the end of his meditation, frowned. "There's something very strange about Nangong Liu."
"How so?" Mo Ran asked.
"I can't say," Chu Wanning replied. "It does seem to be him, but there's something odd about the way he's acting. He's not like the Nangong Liu I knew."
Mo Ran looked over. Jiang Xi was glaring at Nangong Liu, his face ashen, while Nangong Liu whimpered, rubbing his eyes in abject distress. As he observed Nangong Liu's movements, Mo Ran felt there was indeed something unnerving about them. An indescribable wrongness, as if he were watching a child in the body of a middle-aged man. Goosebumps rose over his skin.
Frozen, Mo Ran murmured, "A child…"
"What?"
Mo Ran whipped around. "Shizun, don't you think he's acting very much like a child?" He peered back at Nangong Liu and saw he was using his sleeve to mop up the snot on his face. "I'd say six years old at best."
Chu Wanning looked at Nangong Liu again and found Mo Ran was right. Although Nangong Liu still appeared to be in his forties, his mannerisms were artless and childlike.
"Did Xu Shuanglin do something to him?" Chu Wanning murmured. "Somehow revert his mind and memories to those of his six-year-old self?"
"Shizun, wait here," Mo Ran said. "I want to try something."
"What are you planning?"
Mo Ran didn't respond. As everyone watched, he walked over to Nangong Liu and picked up one of the tangerines. "Don't cry," he said, handing it to him. "Have a tangerine."
"I won't. I've already had one. The rest are for His Majesty."
Mo Ran put the little fruit back in the basket. "Who's His Majesty?"
"What use is this?" Jiang Xi huffed. "I already asked him that question, didn't I?"
Nangong Liu gave the same rote answer. "His Majesty…is His Majesty. Who else could he be?"
But Mo Ran didn't give up. He asked another question: "Okay, His Majesty is His Majesty. You're so loyal and clever. I'm sure His Majesty would be happy if he knew. That's right, I've been asking questions about His Majesty this entire time; I haven't asked about you. What's your name, little one?"
Huang Xiaoyue had grown tired of this. He scoffed and made as if to speak, but Jiang Xi held up a warning hand, shaking his head. He'd also sensed something peculiar about Nangong Liu.
Arms wrapped around his basket of tangerines, Nangong Liu looked at Mo Ran for a while before timidly answering, "I'm Nangong Liu."
Mo Ran grinned and patted Nangong Liu's head. "Nice to meet you." Still smiling, he said, "I'm Mo Ran. I'm twenty-two years old. What about you?"
"I-I'm five…"
Silence fell over the hall. Though Nangong Liu hadn't spoken loudly, many around them had been watching quietly; these shaking words seemed to land like a thunderclap. Nearly everyone was flabbergasted. If not for the urgency of the situation, no few would have burst out laughing until tears of mirth streamed down their face. Five? Five? If, three years ago, someone had told them the leader of the greatest sect in the world would curl up beside a basket of tangerines and mumble I'm five, they would've sooner believed a sow could climb trees. But Nangong Liu had said just this, leaving everyone aghast, exchanging glances in complete confusion.
Jiang Xi stepped forward and asked sternly, "What do you do here every day?"
Nangong Liu ducked behind Mo Ran, cowering and tugging on Mo Ran's sleeve. "Da-gege, I don't wanna talk to him. This uncle is so mean…"
Jiang Xi blinked. Nangong Liu was older than he was. For Nangong Liu to call him uncle was offputtingly weird.
Mo Ran also found the situation increasingly absurd. It would've been one thing if this were truly a five-year-old child, but the hand tugging his sleeve now belonged to a man with crow's feet. Mouth twitching, Mo Ran cleared his throat and consoled Nangong Liu. "Okay, okay, you don't have to talk to him. You can talk to me instead. What do you do here?"
Jiang Xi's eyes widened. He really had to give it to Mo Ran. Good going, young man. How do you keep a straight face at this?
"I pick tangerines every day. I pick them and wash them, then bring them to His Majesty and wait for him to come out and eat them," Nangong Liu babbled. "Tangerines are His Majesty's favorite. He can eat a whole basketful. The trees at the foot of the mountain used to only have flowers, but His Majesty said they were boring, so he swapped them for tangerine trees. I also think tangerines are better—they're so sweet." At this point, his eyes darkened. "But His Majesty hasn't been feeling good recently. Even when I pick him a whole basket, he can only eat half…"
Jiang Xi latched onto the important part. "His Majesty isn't feeling well?"
But even the five-year-old Nangong Liu was good at holding grudges. Pursing his lips, he puffed out his cheeks and said, "Go away; I don't wanna talk to you."
Jiang Xi managed to keep a straight face for the barest moment before he whipped around and covered his mouth with a handkerchief.
"Jiang-zhangmen, are you quite all right?" Huang Xiaoyue asked sweetly.
"Don't talk to me." Jiang Xi wrinkled his nose in disgust, refusing to look at the pouting Nangong Liu. "It's too fucking gross."
"What do you mean, His Majesty isn't feeling well?" Mo Ran persisted.
"Um…he coughs a lot, and blood keeps coming out. He's also very skinny, but he won't eat. A lot of his body has started rotting…" As Nangong Liu spoke, tears began to roll down his cheeks like beads off a broken string. He was soon bawling again. "I'm so worried about him. What will I do if he goes away? No one will play with me or talk to me or feed me tangerines again."
"He…he feeds you tangerines?" Back at Rufeng Sect, the grudges between these two brothers had seemed to run deeper than bloody seas of hate. It was miracle enough Xu Shuanglin wasn't still torturing his brother with lingchi fruit. Feeding him tangerines? Unimaginable.
"His body has started rotting…" Jiang Xi murmured to himself.
"Sounds like backlash from the Zhenlong Chess Formation," Xue Zhengyong offered.
This was an effect of which Mo Ran was only too aware. If the caster of the Zhenlong Chess Formation lacked the required spiritual energy—or if they tried to possess too many chess pieces at once—their body would undergo necrosis. When he had first used this forbidden technique in the past life, his flesh, too, had begun to rot away. Specifically, his toe. Mo Ran had feared Chu Wanning finding out, so he immediately stopped practicing Zhenlong Chess and only continued after developing the Shared-Heart Array. In time to come, he became Emperor Taxian-jun, possessed of enough spiritual energy to control thousands of pawns even without use of the array. But that necrotic toe on his left foot never recovered.
Mo Ran found it deeply strange. The revenants outside were being puppeteered by the Shared-Heart Array. But the bodies here in the temple, allowed to do as they liked, were solely supported by Xu Shuanglin's spiritual energy, without aid of the soul-eater insects. He clearly couldn't handle so many chess pieces—why would he do something so counterproductive?
There was no use speculating. "Let's go," Jiang Xi said.
The doors to the Dragonsoul Pool opened via another mechanism, but this one was intact. The instant it was activated, the doors embedded with the septimal-star array rumbled to life, retracting into the walls. Before their watchful eyes, Rufeng Sect's ancestral temple slowly revealed itself.
The doors opened on a hexagonal chamber, its walls cold and wet. At the highest point of its ceiling was a crude dragon carved in relief, claws bared in fury. An oil lamp dangled from its mouth, filled with a fuel that burned cool blue. A pool of foam-flecked blood occupied the center of the chamber, bubbling and steaming in the air.
"The Dragonsoul Pool," said Nangong Si. "The demon dragon's primordial spirit is sealed within it."
One of the cultivators stepped forward to take a closer look, but Nangong Si held out a warning hand. "Don't look too long. The malevolent energy around this pool is strong enough to dissolve the minds of those who gaze into it. Let's go."
Led by Nangong Si, they skirted around the pool and filed into the corridor behind it. The passage was dark and devoid of any markers, yet Mo Ran could tell they were heading uphill.
They walked for half an hour before Nangong Si stopped. A narrow door lay in front of them, bedecked lavishly with jewels.
"The exit is a little past this door. Past that is the final section of the temple, the Soul-Summoning Platform. Xu Shuanglin is probably there."
"This is the entirety of Rufeng Sect's ancestral temple?" Huang Xiaoyue piped up from the crowd. "The front hall, the Dragonsoul Pool, and the Soul-Summoning Platform?"
"Yes."
"There aren't any—secret chambers?" In his haste, he'd nearly said treasure chamber aloud. Fortunately he'd managed to stop himself in time. "I mean…Xu Shuanglin might be hiding in a secret chamber."
Nangong Si gave him a long, considering look, until Huang Xiaoyue began to fidget under his gaze. Finally, Nangong Si said: "Let's go to the Soul-Summoning Platform first and see."
The fresh blood of a Nangong descendant was once again required to open this door. Nangong Si smeared blood over the stone dragon's eye, and after a series of clicks, they heard a distant sigh.
"Who's there?!" Huang Xiaoyue exclaimed. He turned to Nangong Si. "You little brat, you better not be playing a trick on us! Leading us all into a trap?!"
"If Huang-daozhang has doubts," Nangong Si said, voice flat, "it's not too late to go back and wait in the hall."
Huang Xiaoyue would of course do no such thing, but he did make sure to take a bit of insurance. He'd noticed all the important doors here required a Nangong's blood to open and guessed that legendary treasure chamber must be the same. On his way past the door, Huang Xiaoyue placed his hand innocuously on the dragon's eye and took some of Nangong Si's fresh blood.
A desolate voice filled the pitch-black tunnel. "Who comes?"
Caught red-handed, Huang Xiaoyue nearly jumped a foot in the air. Everyone else looked around.
"It is Nangong Si, seventh generation descendant of Rufeng Sect." Nangong Si said.
"Wangli…welcomes…Master…" The voice faded away.
"Wangli is the dragon's name," Nangong Si explained. "Jiang-zhangmen, if you please."
Jiang Xi peered into the tunnel. He could see white light glimmering in the distance—presumably the Soul-Summoning Platform. The earth shook again, and the hollow voice rang out once more.
"Wangli…welcomes…Master…"
"Is there something wrong with the dragon?" Jiang Xi frowned. "Why did it say the same thing twice?"
But the color had already drained from Nangong Si's face. He looked in the direction of the Soul-Summoning Platform. Shadows flickered in the distance; before he could get a good look, he heard the hissing of countless tongues, followed by a dark mass like a surging tide pouring toward them from where the light shone.
Pupils shrinking, Nangong Si shouted. "Run!"