NOVEL WEB 31: Trust (V)
Along with the solemn mood created by the ending of the story, we arrived at landing site on the outskirts of Huang City the next day. A few hours before sunrise, every passenger on the ship aside from us made their way towards the city gate nearby. Sun Lingling and Wu Kexin climbed on the second flying sword as Wang Yang stood with me on the first, on those we went towards the western border of Huang Province beyond which our destination awaited.
“Are we there yet?” Wang Yang asked as we landed on a dirt road leading through several farms on the slope, forming a set of green stairs alongside the mountain with a gentle slope.
“The village is before us, if we ask a local it will give us a definite location.” I said.
It wasn’t like I didn’t know of the location, but the reason for contacting the villagers was for something else. A village such as this whose only contact with the outside world was through peddlers was a close-knit community where everyone knew everyone. If one person knew of our arrival, the entire village would, and anyone else who may visit later.
The first rays of sunlight had only reached the ground, yet smoke could be seen rising from the small wooden houses near the farms. Near the house closest to us, a middle-aged woman with a young baby girl tied to her back with a cloth blew air into the mud stove outside of her wooden house to kindle the flames.
By the time Wu Kexin and Sun Lingling noticed the woman, Wang Yang had already reached her.
“Big sister, can I ask you a question?” His voice stayed low enough so that the sleeping baby wouldn’t stir awake, he even stepped on a few twigs on the way to make sure she noticed him before he spoke up.
It was because of this consideration that the woman didn’t react much, even after noticing his expensive clothes. The relaxed air about him had always helped him in such areas, if Sun Lingling went and did it the same, the result would be a lot different.
“Big Sister? Just call me aunt kid, I have a son your age.” The woman tried to hide it, but her wide smile showed an improved mood. “You said you wanted to ask a question, right? Go on, this aunt will help you.”
“Thank you, I was looking for the tallest peak around here, you know the one with the Heaven’s Pond.” Enthusiasm filled Wang Yang’s voice.
However, the response wasn’t quite what he was looking for.
“Heaven’s Pond? That’s the first I’ve heard of that.”
Of course, this was expected, words passed through generations would often be forgotten with time and such was the case with the story of Heaven’s Pond too. Before regression I had only heard of this place first through a thousand-year-old cultivator who recounted the adventures of her youth, and how this became the only failure in her treasure-hunting journey.
Thankfully, Wang Yang’s efforts weren’t in vain.
“But I can tell you about the tallest peak around here. It is a few li to the east of the village, if you take the trail from the foot of this mountain and follow it through the cinder wood forest, you reach it in about an hour after passing by the Koi pond.” She said with a smile.
Wang Yang returned after giving his thanks once again and our journey to the destination started, flying around the dull brown trunks we arrived at the foot of a tall peak. In the story this peak was said to be reaching the clouds, however the reality was much different.
“It isn’t that tall… there isn’t even a waterfall, is this really the right place?” Kexin muttered.
“That waterfall dried up thirteen hundred years ago, and an angry cultivator broke the peak in anger after failing to secure the treasure, seventy percent of the peaks and mountain ranges in the whole province came from that.” I said.
“Failed? No, if they destroyed the peak, wouldn’t the heaven’s pond which was at the top also be destroyed?” Sun Lingling’s curious eyes turned towards me.
“Master, don’t keep us in suspense… no wait…” Wang Yang still looked a bit traumatized by the ending of the previous story.
If I said that I only brought them this far, filled them with excitement along with the promise of a mystical site only to tell them at the doorstep that it didn’t exist at all, it would be a hell of a prank.
Although their crestfallen expressions would certainly make a hilarious sight, but that isn’t my intention. Walking around the foot of the peak I beckoned them to follow me.
“After the story of the Heaven’s Pond caught wind two thousand years ago, many cultivators rushed in, be they stray or the sect affiliated. Among them, many climbed to the top of the mountain with ease with their strength alone.” Their eyes had a dubious look in them, after all the timeframe seemed a little too far back but that was exactly why it had become like this. “The Heaven’s Pond was nowhere to be found, only a few persistently continued for the next few hundred years till only one person remained, and after finding no progress that cultivator broke the peak to vent for her wasted years.”
“So, does the Heaven’s Pond still exist?” Lingling asked. Unlike the other two who took the information in, her eyes were set on the prize, such was her conviction and trust.
“Of course, it does, before passing away Iron Body Deity moved the Heaven’s pond to a cave at the foot of the peak.”
“Why would he do that?” Wang Yang had forgotten about his fears in the face of the interesting question.
“It was because he didn’t want someone else to go through the same pain he did.” The answer made their eyes wide, what did the Iron Body deity go through?
He defied all odds for the sake of his sister, yet still failed because it took too much time. But instead of being resentful, he brought Heaven’s Pond to the ground so others wouldn’t lose the precious time and would save the ones important to them.
Unlike Wang Yang and Wu Kexin who seemed touched by the actions of a long-dead senior, Lingling raised an eyebrow at the information.
“Then how come no one found it?”
“The annals of time can bury even Gods, what is pond to it?” We came to a halt in front of a straight slop of the peak with vibrant moss growing along the rocks going halfway up with a few trees peaking out. “The main reason was that Iron Body deity passed away before he could disclose the new location of the pond, since then no one had found it.”
“Then how did Master…” Lingling stopped as my fingers sunk into the solid rock, numerous cracks ran along the side of the peak as I pulled away a boulder the size of a carriage.
“You can say that I was lucky to find it through someone, however, they can’t use it so we will.” They cannot use it because three years remain before they unearth this treasure.
“May the heavens bless them.” Wang Yang’s eyes shone as pieces of broken rock started to pile up before my feet.
“Master, why are you smiling?” Kexin asked, her eyes had a glint of seriousness.
“I am simply feeling elated for getting an opportunity such as this from them.”
She narrowed her eyes at my answer but soon nodded.
Though, I do wonder what would happen if Heavens did bless the demonic cultivators. They are already enough of a problem as is, however I know one thing. I’ve taken this blessing of theirs, I need to stunt their growth before they sow more seeds of chaos on this continent.
With this pond in their hand, they had pumped out hundreds of high-quality soldiers to aid their plans. Destroying this stronghold of theirs came with a hefty sacrifice, it was a price too high for both me and the Purple Cloud Sect.
Breaking away into the mountain piece by piece have way to a descending tunnel two meters wide and four meter tall. At my order, the disciples laid down the elementary formations that only required placing down the markers. The hard rocks turned into loose soil, it had been unearthed after a long time and gave off a floral scent that got stronger with every ten steps. Fortifying the tunnel with Qi so that it holds its shape we placed some luminous stones for sight, I could only guess that the destination was nearby.
Aside from Heaven’s Pond, this mountain itself has special properties, my Qi sense would simply bounce off it as if light on a mirror. If it wasn’t for this the cultivators with extraordinary sensing abilities would’ve sniffed out the place years ago, they couldn’t even use the rock or soil from here because once it left the mountain it would lose these properties. So it was abandoned even faster as many places with similar properties were around, ones where the Qi sense blocking property remained with the material even after it was mined.
An hour passed and from calculation, the tunnel was about five li deep with a gentle downward slope, the disciples were trailing behind me without a word. The land had changed a lot from the time that Iron Body Deity had made this place, but my memory of this place is perfect, not because I wanted to but because of what happened here.
As if to attest to it a ray of light leaked out of the cracks in front, tearing it away like a paper wall, I stepped into a cavern two li wide and a half a li tall.
A shining ball of light stuck to the blue marble ceiling shone down on the soft soil, although the soil appeared fertile there wasn’t a blade of grass in sight. Only a rundown shack in the right corner with a few cave openings in the rocky walls surrounding the place appeared, but most importantly, the shimmering pond in the middle, the Heaven’s Pond awaited us.
Melted gold poured into a mud bowl, the white smoke spilled over the ground seeping into the soft soil around. The rich and earthy scent filled the area, and the disciples moved forward as if mesmerized by it, even Sun Lingling couldn’t resist the allure. Just breathing in the vicinity washed away the slight sluggishness in Kexin and Wang Yang’s steps.
As they marveled at the sight before them, mesmerized by the beauty of the pond that stood out from the barren and rusty surroundings, I busied myself with the tasks they should’ve done.
Having your attention stolen in an unknown place without checking the area for traps and formations leads to lethal consequences, many young cultivators lose their lives because of this. Normally this would’ve called for discipline, but since I am around this time it wouldn’t create an issue.
I’ll teach them these things slowly, but I hope they adopt caution of the highest degree on their own moving forward.
Using a concealing and illusion array to cut off the tunnel from the cave the traces such as footsteps and fingerprints vanished from the muddy hole before me that had turned dark, now not even the initial starting point was visible.
Now, with ample time and resources in my hand, it was time to kick things off officially. Although the demonic sects had made their move, their plans had already diverted from what they intended.
To wipe out the Demonic sect’s influence and forces in the Eastern Continent, I need three swords. One sword had already been unsheathed, now it is time to sharpen the second one.
“Shall we start our special training?”
The three disciples broke out of their reverie and turned to me, their eyes full of conviction and strong will to improve for the coming harsh days.
Accepting that, my eyes landed on Wang Yang that would kick things off for this plan.
“Take off your clothes,” I said.
“…Huh?”
The three looked at me with widened eyes, the boy’s face turned slightly red at my seriousness while the girls looked at me in confusion.
Ah… looks like I was a bit too forward.
I suppose some habits of mine need correction too.