606: Reconnecting With One Another

Reconnecting With One Another

Hearing the voice of a young woman, the guard captain pushed the doors open before bowing down and gesturing for Ming Yue and the others to enter.  2

"Please." 

She looked at the guard captain before walking in, leading everyone into the Grand Researcher's office. And then the doors closed the moment everyone entered and they were face to face with Ou Fenhuang. 

The Grand Researcher sat upright, looking at Ming Yue and the others. Her disciple, Zhi Qing, was also there, standing beside her master dutifully. And just like the first time they met, Grand Researcher Ou sipped on a cup of tea. 

Ming Yue walked forward and knelt down. 

"This one greets the Grand Researcher", she said. 

The old woman stood up and got out of her seat, walking up to Ming Yue and getting her to stand. Her voice echoing in everyone's mind.

"There is no need to kneel down like that, Ming Yue. I'm sure that there is much to discuss. You have missed quite a lot during your time away from us as I'm sure you have gained many experiences in the Beast Continent."

Her eyes then shifted towards the Zodiacs as well as Hongyu. Her eyes widened for just a moment, noticing something about the little girl. But she did not say anything just yet. 

"Yes, I know that I was gone for a while but there are some things that I don't quite get."

Grand Researcher Ou smiled.

"Do not worry, all will be revealed soon enough. I'm sure that everyone here would like a cup of tea before we begin?" she asked. 

Lao Yang was the first to say something, unable to contain his excitement. 

"That would be lovely! I feel as though I belong here! What sort of place is this?" 

The others all murmured, nodding their heads to accept the offer. 

"Great, please take a seat, there should be a pot ready soon."

Without even noticing, there were seats and a table waiting for them and there was enough space for everyone to relax with ease. Even Liang Wei, a giant cat beast, lounged around with space to spare. 

And moments later, a fresh pot of tea was brewed by Zhi Qing, who placed tea cups down in front of them all. Grand Master Ou sat there, quietly waiting for her disciple to finish. Once all of the tea was finished, Zhi Qing retreated, going back to her master's side. 

Grabbing her teacup, the Grand Researcher looked at everyone before raising it to her lips and taking a sip. The others grabbed their cups of tea, sipping them before placing them down. A breath of satisfaction and relief left their mouths as a feeling of warmth and clarity enveloped them. 

"Ahh, this is good tea", Zhu Xie remarked "What kind of tea is this? It's so flavorful!"

Zhi Qing responded almost immediately. 

"This is a special blend of tea leaves unique to our kingdom, it is called the 'Sleeping Dragon's Brew'."

"The Sleeping Dragon's Brew... I see, I see."

The boar-kin looked back at his little tea cup, taking another sip as he admired the amber color. After a moment of peace, the Grand Researcher began to speak. 

"I know that there is much that you'd like to know so we should start at the beginning", she said. 

The table trembled as the middle of it began to glow, projecting numerous images in front of them all. The office itself slowly darkened, making the projections much easier to see. 

"In your final clash with the True Idol of Chaos, you landed a blow on it, striking its core. The explosion that came after was enormous, the impact left behind a massive crater that shook the land. To this day, barely anything had grown from it."

Ming Yue looked at the projections, seeing the giant crater right next to the Cerulean Serpent's Lake. It was smaller in comparison but still, compared to everything else, the crater was massive.

"After that, we found no trace of you and thought the worst. Heaven's Gate spared no effort searching for you but they had found nothing. At the end of it all, they etched your name at the top of a stone memorial that commemorated those who had died in the war."

The Grand Researcher continued, flicking her finger and making the images changed to show the memorial.  It was a giant marble wall covered in names and her's was one of the few at the top, one of the largest as well. 

"Because of your actions in the war, the name 'Fairy of the Moon' had spread as you were one of the few heroes, who died fighting a war."

"I see."

Ming Yue didn't quite know what to say. It wasn't as if she was oblivious to the name but she didn't think that it would reach the extent of being widespread. 

"Then what else happened? What happened after the war?" she asked her. 

Grand Researcher Ou sighed, flicking her hand once more. 

"What comes after a period of strife and war is a time of healing. With the death of the True Idol and Kong Zhi for that matter, the forces he had rallied scattered. The clans that suffered or fought against them were free and able to return to their lives. There was a collective effort to rebuild and help one another, trade happened and the Demon Continent has taken its first steps to flourish."

The images changed once more, featuring crop fields, small towns, and villages, as well as the clans themselves. Among them, Ming Yue recognized the Yao Clan and the Varuna Clan, even seeing one of Shen Varuna, the little girl she had helped before. 

She had grown just a bit and seemed to be smiling as she was with her brother. The sight brought a little smile to her face before the images shifted once more, moving towards a more grim subject. 

"Unfortunately, things are not as calm as they seem", said the Grand Researcher. 

When the projections changed, they revealed the portraits of multiple people. They were humans and demons of all sorts of ages and appearances. Some were women, others were men, young, old, smiling or frowning. But there was one thing for certain, none of them were good. 

"While the war had ended, it still left lasting effects on both continents. The biggest is crime, evil cultivators have become harder to control, and the scattered forces that followed Kong Zhi only added more fuel to the flames. There aren't quite enough warriors to keep them under control. Not when a majority of them are focused on other things", she explained. 

Hearing that brought about an ominous feeling to the room as Ming Yue looked at the images with a serious expression. 

"In that case, I could deal with it", she said, looking at the Grand Researcher who looked back at her with a smile. 

"If you would like to, then so be it", she responded. 

"But please keep my return a secret, you can tell Elder Shen but it must be kept a secret", the young woman requested, "I'd like to move around for a bit, help to reduce the problem discreetly. If they were to find out about me, it would make things a bit more difficult."

Grand Researcher Ou nodded. 

"Don't worry, the guards have already sworn to secrecy and I have sent a message to Shen Zhong. At the very least, stay here for a few days until he responds."

Ming Yue nodded before looking at the Zodiacs, all of whom were seemingly waiting on her. 

"I suppose we should move on to the next order of business", said the Grand Researcher, whose eyes looked at them with interest. 

"Our guests from the Beast Continent, I do believe that an introduction is in order."

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