257: Race Against Time

Race Against Time

Everyone accepted the arrangement with enthusiasm. Within minutes, the group had gathered enough information and got ready for the adventure. I pulled Bai Ye aside as the rest of the crowd bid the villagers farewell, exchanging promises and wishes of good luck.0

"Are we not going to tell them about the symbol?" I whispered. "And … Why aren't you coming along?"

He let out a soft chuckle. "You know I wouldn't leave you if I could help it. But—" he spared a look where the group was standing before lowering his voice, "—Mount Hua's aid came quicker than I expected. If news gets back to Chu Yang, and he finds out who this 'devil' is too soon … Things won't work in our favor."

He was right. I had almost forgotten that we were not the only people who would recognize the sword spirit's face. "You are worried that he might do something to Twin Stars?" I asked.

Bai Ye huffed. "Who knows what that mad man would do? We can't give him a chance to meddle with this, which is why that symbol in the woods has to be kept a secret from him." He pulled me into a light embrace. "And as much as I want to stay with you, I will have to go through the rest of those books while you entertain our guests … It's a race now. Anything they might know that we don't can change the situation abruptly."

I somehow doubted that the Gatekeeper was capable of knowing anything Bai Ye didn't, but I nodded regardless, aware that Bai Ye's concern wasn't for no reason. "I expect good news when I return then." I shuffled in his arms. "Though, speaking of knowledge changing the situation abruptly … Are you sure you want to keep holding me like this in front of everyone?"

We were mere paces away from the group of disciples by the entrance of the house, and the only reason that no one had noticed our intimate gesture yet was because they were too busy with their conversations. But Bai Ye didn't so much as look at what everyone else was up to. "The more reason to do it." He raised my chin and added a kiss. "Give them some gossip to talk about in our absence. It might just distract them enough to let us follow through with our own plans."

I giggled at his logic, and I supposed he must be disappointed to find out that no one ended up looking our way until he released me, letting me mingle back into the eager crowd.

~ ~

I felt a bit guilty for keeping things from the group, so I occupied myself with idle chats on the way back into the woods, training my attention on miscellaneous news that I missed from Mount Hua in the past month: someone perfected a new technique; someone found a daoist companion; the biggest event, of course, was Xie Lun's breakthrough. The fact that he was able to reach this stage at such a young age had stirred a wave of excitement all over the sect, and no one seemed able to stop talking about it.

My eyes kept darting toward Wen Shiyin during the conversations, curious to know if she had anything more to share about Xie Lun's latest venture. But she seemed quieter today than usual, trailing at the end of the entourage with few words. Only when I purposely slowed my steps did I finally manage to walk next to her. "I haven't gotten a chance to properly greet you yet, Senior Wen." I smiled.

She jolted a little, as if snapping out of a trance. "It was a surprise to see you here indeed." She offered a polite nod. "I'm glad that you and your … master have been safe in your travels. I hope life away from Mount Hua hasn't turned out too difficult for either of you."

"Quite the contrary," I laughed. "We enjoy the freedom. Though I do miss all of you sometimes … The news on Senior Xie's retreat is just what I needed to remember how exciting things always were at their hall."

Wen Shiyin paused, her smile turning a little absentminded. That reaction made a tinge of concern rise in me. "Is there something wrong?" I asked. I dared not speculate that she might know of certain risks involved in Xie Lun's retreat.

"Oh, no no, he'll be safe," she explained hastily. "It's just that—"

She paused again before continuing, as if hesitant to acknowledge the thought. "Once he comes out of the retreat … He'll be an immortal, and he'll soon have his own hall and disciples. I only wish … that I could reach the same point sooner."

That comment might have sounded like jealousy, but her tone told me her true worry—once Xie Lun became a master, the two of them would only drift further and further apart. I winced at the realization. "Senior Wen—"

She shook her head though. "It's alright. Let's not get distracted from the real business we're here for today." She smiled and fetched something from her storage artifact as we drew closer to the first marker on the map. "You haven't seen this in use yet, have you?"

I half expected her to have produced the tracking lantern she always used, but instead, it was the artifact that we won as a team at Jade Temple. "Your new tracker?" I gasped.

She nodded and chanted a spell softly. The tracker, in the simple shape of a compass with a myriad of needles, started to spin in a pattern that was too convoluted for me to follow. "It took me a long time to learn how to use it well," she said, "but it's worth it. This one is much more powerful than what I used before. It can identify the owner using the slightest trace of their spiritual power left on an object, and can lead us to their whereabouts even if they are hundreds of miles away. I haven't had an opportunity to use this to its full potential yet … And I was quite excited to find out that we might have a need for it today."

I stared at the artifact, tongue-tied for the second time today. It appeared that Bai Ye was perfectly right—Mount Hua's involvement was indeed moving things forward too fast, and I wouldn't be surprised if our group managed to meet the sword spirit face to face before sundown.

What would happen then?

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