Wang Xio watched the two of them quietly before closing the letter halfway. However,his expression remained serious. "Whether Hei Long knows the truth or not doesn't change what Ling Yuan wrote." He looked directly at them. "The fact that he left this warning means he wanted us to understand one thing."Qing Li turned toward him. "What?"
Wang Xio slowly lowered his eyes to the letter again. "Heaven wasn't watching the village because of Shou Heng." He paused briefly before continuing. "They were watching someone else."Both Qing Li and Wang Xio looked toward Hei Long.Hei Long noticed their gazes and unconsciously took half a step back."So..." he whispered."Heaven came because of me?"No one answered because none of them knew.
Qing Li immediately shook his head. "No. We don't know that yet." He stepped forward again, determination replacing the confusion on his face. "A single sentence isn't enough to explain everything. There has to be more." He looked toward the remaining pages of the letter. "Ling Yuan wouldn't leave us with only half the truth."Wang Xio nodded slowly. "Exactly." He unfolded the remaining part of the letter. "Whatever answers we're looking for..." His fingers lightly brushed over Ling Yuan's neat handwriting. "they're probably on the last page."Hei Long took a slow breath and quietly lifted his head again. The uncertainty in his eyes remained, but he forced himself to stand firm."Then let's finish reading."
Wang Xio remained silent for a long moment before carefully unfolding the final page of the letter. The chamber was so quiet that the faint rustle of the old paper echoed clearly against the stone walls. As the last page opened completely, his eyes noticed something different. He saw that the handwriting was no longer as neat and steady as before. The familiar elegant strokes were uneven now, with several lines shaking slightly as though the person writing them had been struggling to keep the brush steady and small drops of faded brown stained the corner of the page.
Qing li leaned closer,his brows slowly knitting together as worry filled his face. "The writing changed." Wang xio gave a small nod without taking his eyes off the page."He was exhausted," he murmured.After a brief pause he continued,"Or... badly injured." Hei Long silently stared at the trembling handwriting. Somehow, simply looking at those uneven characters made his chest ache.He could almost picture Ling yuan sitting alone somewhere in the darkness, forcing himself to finish this message while fighting pain with every stroke of the brush.The thought alone made him unconsciously clench his hands at his sides.
Wang Xio slowly drew a deep breath before reading aloud, "Shou Heng... was never the true beginning." His calm voice echoed softly throughout the chamber. Before either Qing Li or Hei Long had time to react, he continued reading the next sentence. "He was only another victim." The words lingered heavily in the air.Qing Li stared blankly at the letter, his mind refusing to accept what he had just heard. "No..." he whispered as he slowly shook his head. "That... that can't be right." He looked at Wang Xio with disbelief written all over his face. "Everything we've seen... every single memory..." His breathing became uneven as countless scenes flashed through his mind. "His meeting with Yue Ning... the Heavenly Court... the Threads... everything started with Shou Heng!" He clenched both fists tightly. "How can he only be another victim?" His voice cracked with confusion.
Wang Xio remained silent.He didn't argue. He simply continued looking at the words Ling Yuan had left behind, his expression heavier than ever before.He trusted Ling Yuan completely, yet even he struggled to comprehend what those words truly meant.
Hei Long lowered his gaze. His thoughts became increasingly tangled. If Shou Heng wasn't the one who began everything... then someone else had been quietly pulling the strings from the shadows long before any of them realized it. The realization sent a chill through his entire body. After several moments, he slowly raised his head as he quietly asked, "Then who started all of this?"
Wang Xio lowered his eyes back to the letter and continued reading."If you truly wish to stop the Threads..."He paused briefly, then he continued,"don't chase Shou Heng."Qing li asked with shocked face,"What?!"He stared at Wang Xio in complete disbelief before stepping forward. "What do you mean don't chase Shou Heng?" His voice rose without him realizing it. "Everything we've seen points to Shou Heng!" He gestured toward the letter in frustration. "The shrine... the memories... Yue Ning... the Heavenly Court... the Threads... every answer we've found leads back to him!" He ran an anxious hand through his hair before looking helplessly at Wang Xio. "If he isn't the answer... then what are we supposed to believe?"
Hei Long quietly remained where he stood, his brows slowly drawing together.Ling Yuan never lied...If Ling Yuan had written those words...Then Shou Heng truly wasn't the one they were meant to pursue...Then who started all this?...
Wang Xio took slow breath before quietly reading aloud, "Find..." His voice paused as the chamber suddenly grew colder. The candle flames surrounding them flickered violently without any wind. Wang Xio's eyes narrowed slightly before he finished reading the final words. "the First Weaver."Qing Li's eyes widened as he repeated the unfamiliar title under his breath. "...The First Weaver?" His voice carried equal parts confusion and disbelief.Beside him, Hei Long slowly lifted his head. His eyes remained fixed on the letter as he quietly whispered, "Who... is that?"
Before anyone could say anything suddenly entire underground chamber trembled violently. And Dust rained down from the cracked ceiling, filling the air with a gray haze. Small stones tumbled onto the floor,wooden shelves creaked loudly under the force of the tremors, while several old clay jars toppled over and shattered into countless pieces.
Qing Li immediately lost his balance as the floor lurched beneath him. "Whoa!" he cried out, stumbling backward. Before he could fall, Hei Long instinctively reached out and caught his arm firmly. "Carefu!" he said as he pulled Qing Li back onto his feet. Qing Li steadied himself with a startled breath before looking at him. "Thanks." Hei Long simply nodded, though his attention never left the chamber around them.
Another powerful tremor surged through the room.Wang Xio reacted immediately. Instead of protecting himself from the falling debris, he carefully folded Ling Yuan's letter and held it tightly against his chest beneath his robe. He raised one arm to shield it from the falling dust and quietly said, "This letter cannot be damaged."Qing Li noticed his actions despite the chaos and couldn't help asking, "You're protecting the letter before yourself?" Wang Xio answered without hesitation. "Ling Yuan risked his life to leave this behind. We can't lose it now."
Without warning, every candle inside the underground chamber suddenly went out. And Darkness spread everywhere. Qing Li instinctively reached toward the nearest person. "Hei Long?" he called uneasily. "I'm here!" Hei Long answered immediately from beside him. Before either of them could say anything else, every candle burst back to life at exactly the same moment. *Whoosh!* Crimson flames rose from every candle instead of ordinary golden fire.The blood-red light spread throughout the chamber, covering every wall, pillar, and carving in an eerie crimson glow.
Qing Li slowly looked around with wide eyes. "The fire..." he whispered. "It's red." Hei Long quietly observed the strange flames dancing without producing any smoke. "I've never seen flames like these before." Wang Xio slowly shook his head. "Neither have I." His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "The chamber... is responding to something."
As if proving his words, the faded paintings covering the stone walls suddenly began changing by themselves. The old colors rippled like water before slowly rearranging into entirely different images. Qing Li stared in complete disbelief. "The paintings are moving..." Ancient villages faded into towering mountains. Peaceful landscapes transformed into battlefields. Countless black Threads spread across painted skies like enormous webs, while unfamiliar figures appeared and disappeared with every passing moment. The images continued shifting faster and faster until they no longer resembled the paintings that had originally decorated the chamber.
Then another strange phenomenon occurred.The broken red Threads hanging from the walls twitched slightly and suddenly every thread began moving at once. They slithered slowly across the stone walls like living snakes, winding around pillars and crawling across the ceiling before gathering together. Qing Li instinctively stepped backward. "They're alive!" Hei Long silently watched the moving Threads, his brows slowly drawing together. After several moments, he quietly said, "No... they're being guided." The instant those words left his mouth, every Thread rushed toward the largest stone wall inside the chamber. Hundreds of crimson yhreads stretched across the ancient surface before dissolving into streams of glowing light. A low humming sound echoed throughout the room as the old paintings gradually disappeared. Their colors faded one by one until the entire wall became smooth gray stone.
Then golden lines slowly began spreading across the wall. They appeared one after another, crossing and connecting like countless rivers of light.Qing Li forgot to breathe as the glowing lines expanded farther and farther. "What's happening now?" he whispered. Wang Xio slowly stepped closer, his eyes carefully following each new line that appeared. After studying them for several moments, realization slowly dawned on his face. "It's a map."
The glowing lines continued growing until towering mountains emerged across the upper portion of the wall.Then winding rivers flowed through valleys,dense forests appeared beside roads and villages slowly revealed themselves one after another, each marked by tiny glowing symbols.Shrines stood scattered throughout the landscape, connected by faint golden paths that stretched across the forgotten world. Qing Li stared at the enormous map in complete amazement. "I've never seen anything like this before."Hei long silently nodded. "Neither have I."
The three of them continued studying the map without speaking. Then, without warning, one small location near the eastern side of the wall began glowing with a deep crimson light. It pulsed softly once... then again... growing brighter with every heartbeat until it became impossible to ignore.Qing Li raised hand and pointed toward it."There!" Wang Xio and Hei Long followed his finger. Unlike every other location on the map, this place continued shining with an unsettling crimson glow. Strange ancient symbols slowly appeared around it, circling the glowing point one after another.
Qing Li slowly took a cautious step closer. His eyes never left the crimson mark. After staring at it for several moments, he quietly asked, "Where is that?" His voice echoed softly through the chamber. "I've never seen this place before." He searched the surrounding mountains, rivers, and villages carved into the map, hoping something would look familiar, but everything seemed ancient, as though it belonged to another era entirely. He frowned and muttered under his breath, "It's like... this map isn't showing our world anymore."
Hei Long silently moved closer to the wall. His gaze settled on the strange symbols surrounding the crimson light. They twisted into unfamiliar shapes before slowly rearranging themselves again. He carefully studied every mark, his brows gradually drawing together. "I can't read them!" he admitted quietly. "I've never seen characters like these." He lifted one hand toward the wall but stopped just before touching it.
For some reason, he felt that if he reached out, something irreversible would happen. A strange feeling stirred deep inside him, as though the symbols were somehow familiar, yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember where he had seen them before. "Why..." he whispered to himself. "Why do they feel so familiar?"Qing Li turned toward him immediately. "You recognize them?" Hei Long slowly shook his head. "No." His expression became increasingly puzzled. "I don't recognize them... but they don't feel unfamiliar either." He lowered his hand again, frustration flickering across his usually calm face. "It's like... I almost remember." Qing Li looked at him with concern but didn't know what to say.
Meanwhile, Wang Xio carefully examined the entire map instead of focusing only on the glowing location. His eyes slowly traced the countless golden paths connecting mountains, rivers, villages, and shrines. The more he observed, the more something began to make sense. He looked around the underground chamber, then back at the map, his expression gradually becoming more serious. "No wonder..." he murmured.
Qing Li looked toward him. "What is it?"
Wang Xio slowly raised his hand and pointed toward the stone wall. "This map..." He paused, carefully choosing his words. "It was never meant to be found by accident." His gaze drifted toward the hidden entrance through which they had entered. "It was hidden beneath the shrine all along." He looked down at the old letter still resting in his hands before quietly continuing, "Ling Yuan didn't simply leave us a letter." His eyes returned to the glowing crimson location. "He left us directions."
Qing Li slowly widened his eyes. "You mean..." He looked back at the map. "He wanted someone to find this place?" "I think so!" Wang Xio replied softly. "Everything was prepared in advance. The hidden chamber... the sealed jade box... the letter... and now this map." He let out a slow breath. "None of this happened by chance."After a long silence, wang xio spoke."I think..."He paused for second then looked at Hei long and said," this is where our real journey begins."
Meanwhile xu yang and others the deeper they climbed,the quieter the forest became. The air felt strangely still,and even the white petals drifting through the trees seemed to fall more slowly than before.Hei Long,who was walking at the front,suddenly stopped. His eyes narrowed as he stared ahead. "Wait."The others immediately halted behind him.Yan Luo stepped forward,his hand already resting on the hilt of his sword."What is it?"Hei Long didn't answer.He simply raised one hand and pointed beyond the bend.Everyone followed his gaze.The moment they stepped around the corner,they all froze.
They saw small village in the middle of the mountain.The old wooden houses stood silently beneath towering trees,their faded roofs covered with pale moss.Weathered stone paths wound between the buildings, almost hidden beneath countless white petals that blanketed the ground like fresh snow.Every wooden door stood wide open,creaking softly whenever a faint breeze passed through.The windows were dark,and faded lanterns hung crookedly beneath the roofs,swaying gently in the silence.The entire village looked untouched for years,yet strangely untouched by decay at the same time.
Lin Chen stared with wide eyes,his gaze fixed on the silent village before them."There's another village?"Chen Yu slowly frowned as he studied the surroundings."There shouldn't be."Zhao Ming quietly looked around,the seriousness in his expression growing with every passing second."We studied this mountain before coming here.There was only one village."Yan Luo's brows slowly drew together as he looked from one empty house to another."The one we already left."
Xu Yang couldn't take his eyes off the deserted streets.Hei Long slowly scanned every corner of the village before speaking in a low voice."I've crossed this mountain many times."Everyone turned toward him."I've never seen this place before."Lin Chen immediately looked at him."You're serious?" Hei Long gave a slow nod."If a village like this existed,I would remember it."Chen Yu folded his arms,his expression darkening."Then either we've lost our way..."He stopped halfway through the sentence.Yan Luo quietly finished it for him."Or this village wasn't here before."No one replied.
Xu Yang slowly stepped onto the stone road,his eyes moving across the abandoned houses.The thick layer of white petals covering the streets remained perfectly undisturbed."Something's wrong!" he murmured.Chen Yu walked beside him and lowered his gaze toward the ground."There aren't any footprints."Lin Chen blinked in confusion."Not even ours?" Everyone instinctively looked down.He was right.The white petals stretched across the entire street like an blanket of snow.Even though they had already walked into the village,not a single footprint marked the ground.Zhao Ming's eyes narrowed immediately."That's impossible."Yan Luo slowly crouched and reached toward the petals with his fingertips.They felt soft and cool against his skin.He stood again and looked down.There was still no trace that he had touched them.His expression became even more serious."Stay together."Nobody objected.
The group carefully moved deeper into the village.Every house stood with its wooden door hanging open.Then,before anyone reached the nearest house,the old wooden door slowly creaked wider by itself.*Creeeak* Lin Chen immediately froze."Did...did anyone touch that?" "No!" Chen Yu answered quietly, his eyes fixed on the doorway.Yan Luo slowly drew his sword halfway from its sheath."Stay behind me."Without another sound,the door stopped moving.The house stood open before them.
Xu Yang stared into the darkness beyond the entrance for a long moment before taking a careful step closer.The inside was nothing like they expected.Instead of dust and decay, the room was perfectly clean.The wooden floor looked freshly swept and ttable and chairs stood neatly arranged.A small clay teapot rested at the center of the table.A thin stream of steam still rose gently from its spout.
Lin Chen's face instantly paled."The tea is still warm."Chen Yu slowly stepped inside and placed two fingers against the side of the teapot."It is." Xu Yang slowly looked around the room.Someone was here...His thoughts paused.Or...someone wants us to believe they were...Yan Luo quietly walked through the doorway,his sharp eyes examining every corner."Search the house?" he said calmly. "Don't separate."The others nodded.
Chen Yu moved toward a wooden desk near the window.Several sheets of paper lay scattered across its surface.He gently picked one up then he noticed black ink still covered the brushstrokes.The writing suddenly stopped halfway through a sentence,as though whoever had been writing had simply vanished before finishing.Chen Yu frowned. "This ink hasn't dried."Lin Chen looked at him in disbelief."That's impossible." "It should be," Chen Yu replied softly,"but it isn't."
On the opposite side of the house,Hei Long slowly entered another room.His eyes swept across the wooden floor before suddenly narrowing."Come here."Everyone walked over.Hei Long pointed toward the ground where fresh footprints crossed the room. They began at the doorway,continued several steps,and then simply stopped.There was nothing beyond the print.There were no turn or return and any sign of struggle.They ended in the middle of the room.Lin Chen swallowed nervously."Again..."Zhao Ming quietly looked around the empty room. "Someone disappeared here."
Meanwhile,Xu Yang had wandered into a smaller room near the back of the house.A faded wooden calendar hung quietly on the wall.Something about it drew his attention. He slowly stepped closer.Every single date had been crossed out with black ink.Except one.Xu Yang's breathing suddenly stopped. His eyes locked onto the untouched date.His fingers trembled slightly.No...His heartbeat thundered inside his chest.He knew that date.He remembered it perfectly.It was the day he had first awakened in this world. "Impossible!" he whispered.
Chen Yu heard him and hurried over."Xu Yang?" Xu Yang quickly blinked,forcing the shock from his face before anyone could notice too much.He slowly lowered his trembling hand and stepped back from the calendar."Nothing!" he said quietly.Chen Yu looked at him with obvious doubt. "Nothing?" Xu Yang gave a small nod without meeting his eyes."I just thought I recognized something."Yan Luo glanced at the calendar, but apart from the crossed-out dates,it looked completely ordinary.He frowned slightly before looking back at Xu Yang."Are you sure?"Xu Yang forced a faint smile."I'm fine."
No one pressed him further,but Chen Yu and Yan Luo exchanged a brief glance.Both could tell he was hiding something.Xu Yang lowered his head,pretending to study the dusty floor instead.His mind,however,was in complete chaos.Who lived here...?His fingers slowly curled into his palm.Who marked that date...?His chest felt strangely heavy as another thought quietly surfaced.And...were they waiting...for me?
Xu Yang slowly stepped out of the old house behind the others.His thoughts remained trapped on the calendar he had just seen.The abandoned village was silent once more. And more Wmwhite petals drifted through the empty streets,settling upon the old stone road and the weathered rooftops.Yan Luo slowly looked around,his hand resting firmly on the hilt of his sword."This place isn't normal!" he said quietly.
Zhao Ming nodded without taking his eyes off the surroundings."It's too quiet.Even abandoned villages have some sign of life." Chen Yu folded his arms as he examined the empty houses."No birds.No insects.Not even the sound of the wind."Hei Long's expression remained calm,but his eyes were alert."It's as though this place has been isolated from the rest of the world."Lin Chen forced a weak smile that quickly disappeared."Can we leave now?This village is making me nervous."
Xu Yang barely heard them.His fingers unconsciously brushed against the broken silver chain link in his pocket.Who crossed out every date except the day I arrived?Who was waiting for me?Before another thought could surface...*Dong...*A deep bell echoed across the mountain.Xu Yang stopped walking.His pupils contracted.He slowly raised his head.*he bell...again...He quickly looked toward the others.
None of them reacted.Yan Luo continued scanning the houses.Chen Yu remained deep in thought.Lin Chen quietly sighed in frustration.Only I can hear it...Then everything around him changed.The silence vanished and empty village suddenly came alive.Children ran laughing through the streets while merchants greeted passing travelers.Elders sat outside their homes talking peacefully and women carried baskets filled with flowers as white petals drifted gently from the sky.The faded houses became bright and whole.Colorful lanterns swayed beneath the roofs,and warm sunlight filled every corner of the village.
Xu Yang stood frozen and his heartbeat quickened.Where...am I? He slowly turned in every direction.His breathing became uneven.This isn't an illusion...It feels real.He watched the villagers go about their ordinary lives.None of them noticed him.None of them looked in his direction.It was as though he were watching a memory that had been preserved somewhere beyond time. Then... *Dong...*The bell rang again.Everything stopped at once.The children froze where they stood.The merchants lowered their hands halfway through their work.The conversations ended in an instant.Even the white petals remained suspended in the air.
The entire village became unnaturally still.
A cold feeling crept down Xu Yang's spine. "What's happening?" One by one,the villagers slowly turned toward him.Their movements were perfectly synchronized.Xu Yang instinctively stepped backward.His breathing grew heavier."Why are you looking at me?"A long silence followed then an old man quietly spoke,"You finally returned."Xu Yang's eyes widened.Before he could answer,a young woman looked at him with sadness in her eyes."We thought you wouldn't come back."Another villager slowly lowered his head."We kept waiting."
Xu Yang looked from one face to another, unable to understand what was happening. "Who are you?"No one answered right away. After few seconds,an elderly woman took one slow step forward."We are the people who were forgotten."Another man quietly continued, "The people history no longer remembers."A young disciple slowly closed his eyes."The people Heaven erased."Xu Yang's heart skipped a beat.Heaven...erased them?...
Before he could ask another question,every villager spoke together.Their voices became one."You came back too late."*Dong...*The entire vision shattered like broken glass.The lively village disappeared and warm sunlight faded.The laughter vanished and abandoned houses returned.Everything became silent once again.
Xu Yang blinked several times,his breathing uneven."Xu Yang?"Chen Yu's voice pulled him back.He quickly turned.The others were standing exactly where they had been.None of them looked as though anything had happened.Before Xu Yang could respond,Lin Chen suddenly frowned and pointed toward the nearest house."Look."Everyone turned. Dark lines slowly appeared across the old wooden wall.One stroke after another,as though an invisible hand was writing before their eyes.No one moved.Then words slowly revealed themselves.*You came back too late.*
Yan Luo's expression darkened ayZhao Ming unconsciously narrowed his eyes.Chen Yu stared at the message without speaking.Xu Yang felt his chest tighten.The exact same words...Before anyone could react,a soft laugh echoed from somewhere deep within the abandoned village.It wasn't loud.It wasn't playful.It was calm...almost welcoming.Then a child's quiet voice drifted through the empty streets."I've been waiting for you,Yang yang."