NOVEL WEB Ch.108: The second time
The stern and calm face was unlike the teenager, and around his pupil shone a white rim.
Tiankong was steadier than Xie Yi.
He was thankful to see that he was starting to shine through.
“You’ll still get a huge scolding for doing something so dangerous later.”
“I can live with that.”
They stared at each other for a while.
“So you’re not too mad?”
“I’m furious.”
“It kind of doesn’t sound like that.”
“No, no. I’m only debating on how to most effectively get mad at you. You’re an adult - me raging only has so much effect. Besides, I don’t like getting mad at you. I’m simply worried.”
Xie Yi ruffled his fur. “Ming-Ge, I didn’t snap. I made a mistake because I didn’t know that eating the core would be bad and I underestimated the amount of stuff that the Zhu family would throw at Yao Ming… But I didn’t snap.”
“...You did well.”
“Un.”
Mingtian opened his mouth to breathe, his tongue lolling out. Calmly, he summarized what had happened.
Shi Yue had left the sect in a complete flurry and had returned not too long later with Xie Yi in his arms. Mingtian had run along while the sect leader went to call on his old friends - the leaders of other nearby sects.
They luckily followed his call.
Together, they managed to heal Xie Yi. However, things came with a price.
They were all willing to help for free as the group would exchange favours over the years, but they were unwilling to ignore the situation as a whole.
The chance that Xie Yi was secretly linked to the Demonic Sect was too high and they would not take Shi Yue’s word as an answer.
After a long discussion and Shi Yue making some compromises, they came to the solution that they would check on Xie Yi’s mind.
That meant that the whole cost of the array lay on Shi Yue and they would appear once it was ready.
Now there was only one question left open.
“And they’re leaving me here to rest, without any guard? Will accept an array and not try to kill me, to be safe?”, Xie Yi asked, suspicion laced in his voice.
Mingtian rolled his tongue back in. “Not quite. I guess I’ll spoil the surprise… They accepted this under one condition that Shi Yue declared in the heat of the moment.”
“Namely?”
“That a while ago, it was decided you’d be his succeeding disciple. Anything you do will fall on his head, so even if you do cause a mess and go crazy, they can knock at his door and demand compensation from him and the whole sect.”
Xie Yi made a small sound. He had become a primary disciple over three years ago, to no one’s surprise. But he had never talked to Shi Yue about becoming his succeeding disciple.
At first, he had had the full attention of taking that place, but by now, the desire had waned as he felt that ‘succeeding’ implied that Shi Yue would die before him again and he didn’t like that.
Now, he felt warm at the thought.
A succeeding disciple was a once-in-a-lifetime thing that could not be changed unless there were dire circumstances. It meant that anything he did would also be linked to Shi Yue.
Also, from now on, no one would be able to keep him away from Shi Yue except the man himself.
Inviting Shi Yue meant inviting Xie Yi. Scolding Xie Yi meant scolding Shi Yue.
The meaning of a succeeding disciple was so deep that most cultivators avoided taking one forever.
His master had decided to do this because he trusted Xie Yi’s words.
The young man rubbed his cheeks. He felt touched and weirdly happy.
“He didn’t tell me that when he was in here just now…”
“He has a lot on his plate. Keeping the array up for 6 people to enter your mind will be very hard on him - I imagine he is preparing.”
Xie Yi’s red eyes dimmed. Six people, even more than the ones that had healed him. He chewed on his lip. “They won’t be able to find anything, right?”
Mingtian hopped onto the bed and rubbed against him. “They won’t notice. Contrary to other people or even those with split personalities, your mind is layered. They won’t be able to reach the layers where those hints are, or even notice that there is anything in the darkness.”
“Is that so? That’s good”, he breathed out in relief. “I don’t want to have to explain that sort of stuff.”
Mingtian gave a barking laughter. “Actually, it’s good that you wish to hide it. If you didn’t and they tried to investigate, they’d be swallowed up. That part of you is not exactly pacifistic; he won’t hesitate to destroy whatever walks his way. The array leaves you vulnerable, but them as well. That’s why they’ll make sure you are asleep.”
“Oh, because my self in my mind will be asleep, too?”
“Correct. With split personalities, they’d usually be affected by the main body, but your case is abnormal. I somehow have a feeling they’d find him awake in there.”
“I want him gone”, Xie Yi complained.
Mingtian soothed him. “He wants it himself. Don’t worry, I can tell he is already vanishing. In time, he will be like my memory - a story that you’ve dreamt of and not reality.”
The youth blinked and blew up his cheeks. “So you consider the time you spent with me a dream?”
“Uh”, the startled Mingtian responded. “Not that… Only the bad parts!”
“Hmmmm.”
“Now don’t turn the tides on me! I’m supposed to be mad at you, not the other way around!”
Despite the array not being activated, the ingredients alone made the whole room buzz and hum. The ink-drawings over the walls were blurry and shivering, barely readable.
Xie Yi walked inside, followed by Shi Yue, and looked around while ignoring the six men in the middle.
The array was considerably more powerful than the somewhat gentle version that had been used on him before. He realized the fact with a disgruntled face and unhappily glared at the men.
They were all older by now; visually around their forties to fifties but the auras of warriors.
They certainly looked imposing. He simply disliked them for their immediate aura of arrogance.
“Xie Yi”, Shi Yue warned in a whisper and the youth pulled his shoulders up in annoyance.
He walked over to them and gave a bow. “Disciple Xie Yi greets the elders.”
“Hmpf.” They did not respond and scrutinized him carefully. Their sight went over him again and again, stopping at his eyes more than once.
Xie Yi felt the fury in his stomach at their looks. He forced his breathing to become calmer, leaning back the tiniest bit towards Shi Yue who was standing quite close behind him.
His presence was soothing.
“Disciple Xie Yi”, one of the men began calmly. “I imagine you know why you are here?”
“It’s an examination to make sure I’m not a spy of the Demonic Sect”, Xie Yi responded in a sneer.
“Correct. I hope you will… cooperate. It is of utmost importance.”
Xie Yi exhaled slowly. “Of course.”
The men looked at each other before they looked at Shi Yue at the same time.
The cultivator stepped out from behind Xie Yi. He went to join them and gently explained.
“We will give you a pill that will cause you to fall asleep. Once you are unconscious, we will activate the array. Obviously we will only look around and not harm you in any way. Once the examination is finished, I will bring you to my place until you wake up”, he said in such a gentle tone that Xie Yi felt instantly pacified.
His master had a smile that told him not to worry, that he would watch over everything.
Xie Yi pressed the air out through his lips, clenching his fingers around his sleeves.
He will make sure nothing happens. He will make sure nothing happens.
He repeated the sentence over and over in his head, looking only at his master. He had to trust him. It was worth it.
Shi Yue was staring at his disciple, his back feeling cold with sweat.
Xie Yi was even worse than a wild animal in confinement. He couldn’t deal with being defenceless and it showed.
He hoped that the youth would be able to trust him in this.
After a few seconds that had the elders furrow their brows, a pale-white Xie Yi nodded.
Not wasting any time, Shi Yue hurried to place a hand on his shoulder and softly push him towards the centre of the room where something similar to a mattress was placed.