168: 4.33 The Dragon's Cave

4.33 The Dragon's Cave

The three made their way to the base of the mountain before noon. Shan Duoyin and Ling Chuwei craned their necks in reverence. The land beneath their feets was surrounded with sharp, steep rocks and the mountain peak stretched as far as they could see before it disappeared beyond the sea of misty clouds. Snow had piled up on the surface, painting the entire scenery with white stillness that kept people away. The two shuddered despite being a cultivator who could regulate their body temperature. There was just something in the air; enigmatic and mystifying that made them hesitant to breathe louder. No wonder that travelers didn't even dare to enter the mountain, opting to take the long circular way around instead. Even they, as cultivators, had to think twice before entering.2

They swallowed and looked at each other, clearly hesitating whether to proceed or not. All of a sudden, the decision didn't seem very… plausible.

Lu Yizhou floated past them — walked, he was walking, yet the way he glided smoothly up the hill was akin to floating. Inexorably effortless. Hexue was strapped to his back and when he climbed up, he seemed to almost merge into the background itself. His temperament, aloof look, otherworldly features and his light colored robe complimented the surroundings completely. Shan Duoyin and Ling Chuwei were bedazzled; it was like looking at the mountain deity himself.

Lu Yizhou was a few hundreds meters away when he sensed no footsteps behind him. Turning sideways, he asked, "You two are staying behind?"

"N—No!" They shook their heads and hastily caught up.

The more they trekked deeper, the dimmer the surroundings became. The enormous trees almost covered the sky from sight, forbidding lights to pour in and illuminate their way. Alas, they couldn't help but feel as if there was something else that sucked all the light away. Not even five minutes, Ling Chuwei had already reached for Shan Duoyin's hand which the man reciprocated with a light squeeze. 

"S—Shan-xiong," she whispered, white mists floating out of her mouth, shaking. Whether it was from the cold or something else, she couldn't discern either. "Are you really sure about this…?"

Shan Duoyin's eyes were fixed on Lu Yizhou's broad back in front of him. Tall, broad and steady. He felt his heartbeat calming down despite himself and his eyes burned with determination as he declared. "I will go wherever Jingxue-Jun goes."

"Aiyah!" Ling Chuwei clicked her tongue. "You fool! Compared to Jingxue-Jun, we are just two lowly cultivators! Do—Do you think we will have a chance if we have to fight a real dragon?"

Shan Duoyin directed a dark look toward her. "If Ling-shimei wants to stay behind, then feel free to do so." He pulled his hand away from Ling Chuwei's hold, rendering the woman speechless as he called out. "Jingxue-Jun, please wait for me!" Then without sparing Ling Chuwei another glance, he hastened his pace so that he was walking side by side with Lu Yizhou.

"You—!" Ling Chuwei glared at his back, fists clenching. She inhaled deeply a few times, trying to alleviate her grievance to no avail. With a groan, she stomped her foot and sped up. "Argh, whatever. If we die, then we should die together!"

In front of them, Lu Yizhou was focused on climbing the mountain and regulated his breathing when Shan Duoyin suddenly fell into steps by his side. He furrowed his brows slightly, otherwise keeping mum. It was Shan Duoyin who broke the silence. "Jingxue-Jun."

Lu Yizhou merely grunted in response.

He thought it was a clear indication for the other to fuck off because he wasn't in the mood for entertaining a conversation partner. Yet it seemed like the male protagonist was kinda dense because he continued asking, "Jingxue-Jun, have you met a dragon before?"

"No." Lu Yizhou said curtly and picked up his pace.

Shan Duoyin caught up, huffing and puffing. Still wasn't dejected with the short answer. "Oh, I haven't either." He grinned sheepishly. "What do you think it's going to look like? Will its length span across the horizon and when it flies, the sun will be covered by its massive body? Will it breathe fire like in storybooks?"

"You will know later on."

"O–Oh, I see." Shan Duoyin lowered his head in contemplation. Just when Lu Yizhou was going to jog — he knew Jingxue-Jun's character was too elegant to run, but he couldn't endure being in this weird and meaningless conversation any longer — Shan Duoyin suddenly asked. "Then Jingxue-Jun, how do you know you have chanced upon a demonic cultivator?"

Alarm bells rang in Lu Yizhou's mind. For the first time, he stole a glance at Shan Duoyin from the corner of his eyes yet the man's face gave nothing away as if he was truly asking out of curiosity. But Lu Yizhou knew better than to trust it. There was no coincidence in this world, only premeditated actions. [Has he found out about Heimo's identity?]

[666: N…o? 666 doesn't notice anything about these two. They haven't met Heimo since that night six months ago either.]

Lu Yizhou pressed his lips together. Last night, he had made sure that no one was following behind him and Heimo when they left the brothel. Furthermore, Heimo had never used his demonic energy in front of anyone so there was no way Shan Duoyin would have noticed anything. Or… could it be a lucky guess?

"They have a high affinity to demonic energy," he said vaguely. Of course, demonic cultivators used demonic energy like breathing. It was as clear as saying that a child needed to eat in order to grow up. It was such a superfluous information that he could feel 666 roll its imaginary eyes in his mind, yet Shan Duoyin nodded as if Lu Yizhou had just passed through a sacred scroll that contained the secret of the universe. Lu Yizhou suppressed a sigh.

Shan Duoyin hummed and asked nonchalantly. "Then how do you know someone has been bewitched by a demonic cultivator?"

Hmm, suspicious. The corner of Lu Yizhou's lips twitched. In front of him, the space suddenly opened up to an expanse of thick, rolling mist. He almost sighed in relief, eager to escape from this bizarre conversation. "Well," he answered carelessly. "Then they will act like a different person, I guess." He stopped right on the line where the mist barely reached him as if there was a barrier standing right in front. "Look."

The discussion was instantly forgotten as the three lined up side by side, examining the mysterious mist with alarm. Lu Yizhou lightly reached out and felt his fingertips prickle. He hummed in affirmation. "It's a barrier. Harmless, mostly. But it will definitely be getting more and more dangerous from hereon." He eyed the two others and said meaningfully. "If you want to back out, this is your last chance."

Ling Chuwei tugged on Shan Duoyin's arm, her face devoid of all colors. Just looking at the scenery in front of her was enough to make her sick. "Shan-xiong…"

Shan Duoyin clenched his fists and exhaled. "I am going."

Ling Chuwei looked as if she wanted to protest more but in the end, she resigned to her fate. "Count me in."

Lu Yizhou shrugged inwardly, their choice. At any rate, he wouldn't be responsible for whatever would transpire inside. "Let's not waste any more time, then." Without an ounce of hesitation, he stepped in and let the mist curl around him. His hair and skin prickled like he was mildly electrocuted but the overall impact was cushioned by his spiritual energy which enveloped his body like a subconscious shield. 

Lu Yizhou couldn't see past fifty meters in front of him. Hell, he couldn't even see his own fingers. Relying solely on his instinct, he made his way forward. His surroundings were bereft of any sounds; the flow of air, the infinitesimal gurgle of tree's photosynthesis, the crunching of snow being stepped on… Everything was completely stagnant. Lu Yizhou was sure that his voice wouldn't even materialize if he spoke. It was unknown how long he had walked but when he finally made it through, the sky had already darkened. The change in light was so abrupt that he was disoriented for a second. He looked up and saw the moon hanging above him. Huh, that's weird. He was sure that he had just been walking for less than fifteen, but judging from the height of the moon, it seemed as if he had been stuck for half a day. 

Turning back, he saw no sign of the field of mist that was supposed to be right behind him, only an endless area of trees and snow. 

There was no one around except him.

Lu Yizhou wiped the moisture away from his eyelashes and trekked forward. An enormous mound stood in front of him with a large opening that was enough for five adult men to go through side by side. Around the mound, the snow melted before it even landed on the ground. The air had changed, Lu Yizhou noticed. The temperature spiked up a few degrees and the source of the heat came from the opening in front of him. At long last, he arrived at the dragon's cave.

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