Chapter 6: The Riddle (16)
In the dim cave, a small campfire flickered gently, casting dancing shadows on the faces of three individuals.
When the male character and Luo Ying heard Ling Xiaozu say he could never go back, they exchanged astonished glances.
“Master, why would you say that? You’re fine right now, aren’t you?”
Luo Ying’s voice trembled slightly.
The assassination attempt in the Grand Hall of the Main Peak had clearly severed Ling Xiaozu’s chances of survival. Even if he hadn’t died, he must have sustained heavy injuries; just holding on until now had already surpassed all limits.
Ultimately, it was all her doing, so she had to take responsibility.
“Master, no matter where you are, I’ll stick with you,” she insisted.
Though Luo Ying was a woman, having been the top disciple in the inner sect for years, she had buried her fragility deep inside. She usually appeared strong and assertive, but now, facing Ling Xiaozu, her brave facade was cracking.
Her eyes started to redden again as she spoke.
The male character fell silent, fully aware that something was amiss here.
First off, Ling Xiaozu coming back from the dead was shocking enough. Plus, he had just observed closely, and there wasn’t even a scratch on Ling Xiaozu’s neck, which was supposedly the area of his fatal wound.
“Luo Ying, don’t panic just yet. You two should listen to me carefully,” Ling Xiaozu sighed.
The male character firmly grasped Luo Ying’s hand, and she turned her head away, reluctant for the others to see her tears.
“Let’s talk about those shadowy figures chasing you,” Ling Xiaozu said, his gaze sharpening. “By day, they’re harmless little creatures, the kind you see around all the time. But at night? They transform into monsters that devour energy. When I say ‘energy,’ I mean everything you can think of—people, animals, flames, you name it.”
“We’re hiding in this cave because it’s far from the mountain’s surface, which is why they can’t detect us right now,” he added.
The male character suddenly understood. “No wonder, after wandering through the forest these past few days, besides those quirky little creatures mimicking human speech, we haven’t encountered any other animals. They’ve all been eaten!”
Luo Ying looked puzzled. “But why were they scared of my voice before, and now they aren’t?”
“Because they initially thought you both were one of them, so they didn’t go for the k*ll,” Ling Xiaozu explained.
When they first left the manor, they were just adorably ‘Big Tail and Red Lips,’ easily mistaken for fellow creatures by the shadows.
The shadows probably didn’t attack the manor because it was full of similar little animals.
“No wonder the Squirrel Butler called them savages; it’s because they turn into monsters at night…”
The male character finally pieced it together.
“Goo goo goo…”
Just then, both their stomachs rumbled in unison.
“Starving, aren’t we?”
Ling Xiaozu dug into his pocket and pulled out two ears of corn, handing one to each of them. “Just roast it over the fire a bit and it’ll be good to go.”
They accepted the corn but were still a little uneasy.
“Master, I suspect the reason why the two of us might have assimilated with them is because we consumed the food they offered. So lately, we haven’t dared to eat anything other than drinking water.”
“These corns were personally grown by me; don’t worry,” Ling Xiaozu smiled slightly.
“Grown by you?” They gasped in surprise.
This meant that Ling Xiaozu had known about this world’s existence for a long time and had set up camp here. After all, growing corn, even in perfect weather, takes several months.
“Dig in! You eat while I talk,” he urged.
Ling Xiaozu poked the fire with a stick, adding some firewood to the mix.
With no more room for manners, they dove into their long-awaited food—surviving this long was quite the feat already.
Before long, the small cave filled with mouthwatering aromas.
They couldn’t wait until the corn was fully roasted; they started wolfing it down, barely cared for the half-raw taste.
In no time, both had devoured the ears of corn entirely, leaving nothing behind.
“Let’s fill our bellies for now. It’s still a distance from where I’m hiding. We’ll head out once the sun rises.”
They nodded in agreement.
With their stomachs satisfied, their spirits lifted a bit. The male character couldn’t contain his curiosity any longer. “Master, what exactly is this place? Is it part of the Small Thousand World?”
Ling Xiaozu sighed, “Patience, patience. This is a long story. It all begins four hundred years ago.”
“You all know about the Monster King’s invasion of the Small Thousand World and his defeat.
That battle was truly heart-stopping and costly. Almost all the elders of the Heavenly Sword Sect sacrificed their lives, and the sect leader fought valiantly on Phoenix Mountain, ultimately tricking the Monster King into a trap, ensuring he fell completely into the hands of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
The monster army was thrown into disarray, losing morale, which allowed our allied forces of humans and monsters to defeat them one by one.
However, we paid a hefty price; the once elderly generation was almost wiped out, leaving the Heavenly Sword Sect on the brink of extinction.
The recovery of the Heavenly Sword Sect was a matter of over two hundred years ago.”
The male character and Luo Ying listened attentively, knowing Ling Xiaozu’s next words would be critical.
“At the time, while the old leader fought desperately, the Monster King was torn into three parts.
But that was a secondary concern. Everyone was furious and insisted he be executed to prevent future threats.
What surprised us was that no matter what traps we set, whether we locked them in a secret chamber and flooded it with mercury or tried burning, burying, or beheading them, they would appear unharmed the next day as if nothing had happened.
Can you imagine how disheartened the Heavenly Sword Sect was at that time?
We desperately needed a grand ceremony to lift our spirits and restore our reputation.
Thus, the Heavenly Sword Sect declared the Monster King’s crimes were so heinous that d*ath itself was not enough to atone for them.
We had to imprison him for eternity, where he could neither live nor d*e.
To do this, we divided the Monster King into three parts according to the characteristics of the three incarnations, naming them the Physical Body, Evil Incarnation, and Good Incarnation.
In front of everyone in Sky Sword City—and indeed, all of humanity—we handed over the Physical Body to Thousand Bird City for imprisonment, the Good Incarnation to Half Moon City, and kept the Evil Incarnation within the Heavenly Sword Sect.
Thus, we proclaimed that as long as these three incarnations could not reunite, the Monster King could never again threaten the world.”
“So that’s how it is! The Monster King was already split into three pieces when captured,” the male character exclaimed in shock.
…
P.S.: Only three updates today, the plot is gradually tightening, so it’s taking a bit longer to write. Hope for your understanding!
