[Vol. 1] Chapter 35 - The Misty Peak Trials
"I thought you'd rather be with someone you're familiar with than me?" Yorou had a grin on her face.
Mingyuan stiffened, actually stiffened, before going back to natural. "You want the spirit stones or not?"
"Of course. But since Lin Xiaolan has seen us..." Yorou hummed, her eyes gazing toward Xiaolan.
Xiaolan felt goosebumps cover her entire body. She was just about to leave when she felt that terrifying gaze.
"Fine. She'll come with me." Mingyuan grunted. She didn't have many spirit stones left in her storage ring, especially since her allowances had been halved just from joining the Lin peak trials.
Xiaolan started coughing, her saliva catching in her throat from the absurdity.
As if her mind had been read, Mingyuan tsked at her. "What? You stumbled over here yourself. Unless you can offer something collateral on you or swear a heavenly dao oath, you're going nowhere."
Something collateral? Xiaolan winced. She had once had 500 spirit stones, but they were gone.
Yorou licked her dry lips and said, "You could offer something else aside from physical items, you know. Like your body."
"Shut up, you disgusting pervert." Mingyuan snapped. What was more terrifying than a pervert was a very self-aware pervert.
And so the three set off. The path was very dark, but Lin Yorou had no trouble leading forward, even having time to talk. "While you won't need to pay, you still have to swear an oath to not say whatever you see today."
"An oath... where are we going that needs some oath?" Xiaolan asked.
"The misty peak trials," Mingyuan answered before Yorou could. She added, "You also have to stick with me at all times."
Yorou cast a sidelong glance at Mingyuan.
Cricket. Cricket.
Xiaolan gulped and swore an oath. "In the name of the heavenly dao, I, Lin Xiaolan, shall not speak of what I see in the misty peak trials."
Thankfully, she had studied the necessities beforehand. She had read these kinds of texts in the original body's own courtyard.
"Hmph. Good." Mingyuan shifted her attention back to the front.
Sweat dripped down Xiaolan's forehead. She really wanted to ask why they were going back to the misty peak trials, but the more you asked, the more likely you'll die.
Cricket. Cricket.
They passed through successive paifang gates, climbing higher into the mountains. It was dark and cold the higher they went.
Finally, they arrived at a clearing enclosed by tall trunks. What came into view was the familiar thick fog and that tall stone carved with inscriptions about rules.
Beside the stone monolith stood two figures.
Xiaolan stiffened when she saw who it was. Short ash-colored hair, simple black pleated robes—it was Lin Eishou.
Beside Lin Eishou was a man she didn't recognize, but he seemed to be the leader.
"You're finally here." Taka's voice was heard.
"Of course, of course. And look... we've brought along two cute faces," Lin Yorou answered.
"Ah, you brought her as well?" Lin Eishou was startled before he could even shut his mouth.
Xiaolan's mind was a kaleidoscope of screaming.
Lin Eishou. The guy who pretended to be friendly and then electrocuted me. The guy who ripped off my talisman. The guy who...
She stopped breathing.
He's here. He's working with them. Mingyuan is working with them. Yorou is working with them.
They're all working together. I'm going to die. I'm going to die in the fog again. I'm going to die in the fog again and no one will find my body and I will never see A-Ling again and—
"—Xiaolan."
Mingyuan's voice cut through the spiral.
"Ah, so her name is Xiaolan," Yorou hummed.
Lin Eishou looked at her and said, "Oh, so you lied about your name back then? I really thought your name was Yong Chai?"
Mingyuan glanced at the tense Xiaolan. She had only introduced this Alpha by her name and never thought that she would lie about it. Unless...
Her apricot eyes narrowed subtly before turning to Taka, who was focused on the fog. "Have you found a way to get in?"
"Yes. Quickly now." Taka nodded and reached out a palm to Chen Mingyuan.
She already knew the drill. Her storage ring glowed, and she directly handed the spirit stones to Taka. "Here's your fee."
Taka gestured with a chin up toward Lin Eishou. In response, Lin Eishou nodded. "Right, before we go in—"
Clack, clack, clack.
What Xiaolan saw were four deep red colored candle sticks, all tied together with a thin white rough knot.
"I only have four prepared, so only four can go in," he explained, holding the candles along with the thin rope.
Taka was about to order who would go in, but Lin Yorou went ahead. "Yes, only four can go in. How about Lin Eishou giving up his spot? It's only right."
Lin Eishou's face was as dark as a pot as he watched the exchange. He clenched his fist. Is it because I'm so easy? One of these days... No. He sighed and unclenched his hand.
Taka was an Alpha that tamed insects, and Lin Yorou had too many backings. It wasn't the right time yet.
Mingyuan followed after. "Lin Xiaolan will be joining us." She had been resistant to it at first, but once she had thought it through calmly... she could get something out of "it."
Suddenly, a heavy pressure descended. A scent of earthy musk radiated from Taka. He spoke every word clearly. "Who was it that organized this whole thing?"
Yorou's smile didn't falter one bit, fully taking the brunt of Taka's aura. "Think about it. Lin Eishou deals with whoever shows up. You don't have to waste your energy watching the perimeter. It's efficient."
Only then did Taka's aura recede. He added, "Don't make last-minute decisions on your own."
Lin Eishou took the stage to explain. "These things here are guiding candles."
"This place is actually where you're closest to the afterlife. Quite literally. Not only will you experience danger from beasts, but there are also illusions from the spirit-sapping trees..."
Lin Xiaolan paid extra attention, especially since she had also experienced what it was like to be filled with cold qi, all haggard like a zombie. The information gap was scary to think about. She had gotten too comfortable these days.
"These candles let you see through the illusions. Without them, you wouldn't last long enough to find your way in." Lin Eishou smiled. "Think of it as seeing the dead. Just don't stay inside too long."
"Just call it a concealing candle," Yorou said, her voice dripping with mockery. "Less of a mouthful."
"That's one of its functions," Taka replied flatly. "Its main job is to guide."
Xiaolan touched the goosebumps on her forearm. Birds of a feather really do flock together.
Lin Yorou: an Alpha woman who was a total creep toward other Alphas.
Lin Eishou: a smiling tiger who loved to see the dead.
Taka: an Alpha male who was the leader of the two maniacs. Just how creepy did he have to be to deal with those two?
Lin Eishou arranged the deep red candles on the ground and passed out the matchsticks to the others.
Only after they lit their own candles did Chen Mingyuan go first, followed by Xiaolan.
Cricket. Cricket.
Yorou walked toward the fog, and the grasshopper on her shoulder leaped onto Taka's hands.
"Your little cricket has been making noise in my ears for so long..." Yorou's voice reached Taka's ears, lowered intentionally to sound husky. "You better let me have a smell of those scent glands of yours."
Lin Eishou consciously put some distance between himself and Yorou, watching as the two Alphas walked into the fog.
"Don't forget. You owe me now for letting Xiaolan tag along," Taka warned.
"That?" Yorou laughed. "Remember who gave you the chance to become a potential heir in the first place."
"Then we're even," Taka said flatly.
Yorou just shrugged.
She licked her lips, her attention already elsewhere. Taka was too much for her taste anyway.
***
It was this familiar place again, but this time there were no talismans to teleport her out. Instead, there was Chen Mingyuan, who had somehow ended up right beside her.
Should she consider this a fortunate or unfortunate meeting?
Regardless, she just followed Mingyuan's lead like a little chick following the hen. What's more, she kept checking her system as if that could speed up the time until it unlocked:
[4 day locked: days remaining 1.]
[Pay off debt: 4000]
[Current charge points: 101]
It was flickering right in front of her eyes, and she had noticed that she couldn't gain any charge points from Chen Mingyuan while the system was locked.
Plus, it felt like time was moving incredibly slowly because she was so excited about tomorrow.
That's right: early morning was when she met Zhou Wenhao, and the afternoon was when she survived the bandits. Now, it was nighttime, and she was in these stupid trials again.