"Shouldn't have gone for that bait stone if we knew it takes this much effort," Xie Lun sighed as I walked back towards the dead octopus. "Those Mount Tai disciples owe us a huge favor."
"They won't agree," I chuckled, dusting my dirt-covered robe. "How far have we fled? Where are we now?"
"Far enough that we aren't anywhere near the center of the tournament area anymore," Wen Shiyin said. "I doubt there would be any prizes set up here. We should probably head back towards where we started."
Xie Lun nodded his agreement. "Peng Yao, are you alright to get moving?"
I didn't notice till then that Peng Yao was still looking away from us, pinning her eyes to the ground. "I-I'm fine," she said. "Just … how could you look at those eyes and not … not …" She shook her head. "I still feel lightheaded even thinking about it …"
No wonder she reacted so strongly to that creature earlier. I had heard before that some people can faint from fear at the sight of clustered holes, and I had no doubt those eyes could do it. We were fortunate that Peng Yao didn't pass out at the worst time.
"The creature is dead now. Those eyes won't open again," Xie Lun said and gestured for us to get going. "I suppose you don't want to claim the bait stone then, Peng Yao. Less competition for the rest of us."
She laughed, the color returning to her cheeks a little. The group got ready to leave, and I strode over to the octopus to pull my sword back out of its eye. Hopefully this wasn't too strong a demon to cause any trouble for Twin Stars …
The moment I plucked the blade out of the blankly staring eyeball, a surge of spiritual power flowed from the wound into my grip—even stronger than the one I felt while stabbing it—and Twin Stars glowed. I started, instinctively dropping the sword to the ground, afraid that it would summon some power that I wasn't expecting. The clattering sound made the rest of the group turn back to look at me. "What's wrong?" Wen Shiyin asked.
Before I was able to explain anything to them, I felt another power pulsing in the distance, calling back to the force flowing through me and echoing faintly, as if trying to reach out to Twin Stars and talk to it. I stared in wonder into the direction where it came from. "It's … my sword," I said. "There's a presence … calling to it."
Everyone's expression changed. My demonic sword had been well-known ever since the tournament. Peng Yao stared at me with fearful eyes, while Wen Shiyin and Xie Lun gave me a concerned look. "What kind of presence?" Xie Lun asked.
I focused on the beckoning sensation from the distance. It was growing stronger, and for some strange reason, there was a familiar, almost nostalgic feeling to it that made it hard to resist the urge to respond to it. "I'm not quite sure … Would you mind if I take a closer look?" I asked. "It's coming from those bushes over that hill. It shouldn't take too long."
Wen Shiyin frowned. Just as I thought she was going to warn me against wasting the group's precious time, she said, "You want to go alone? Will it be safe?"
I paused for a moment in surprise. "We can wait for you behind those rocks," Xie Lun added and pointed to an area about ten paces away from the bushes. "We won't get too close, but if you need any help, you can call us."
They were worried that the demonic sword might hurt me, I realized. A touch of warmth filled my heart. "Thank you," I smiled. "I don't think the presence means harm to me, but I appreciate the thought."
They followed me towards the bushes and waited by the rocks as Xie Lun suggested. I walked gingerly over to where the power came from, parting the overgrowth blocking my view, and found a piece of … ice, lying on top of a patch of moss.
Ice? In the middle of autumn?
It must be some kind of crystal that looked like ice, I thought. Sunlight dazzled on its surface, shining a pale shade of blue, and the spiritual power from it pulsed even stronger when I picked it up, as if it was excited to be found. The object felt cold to the touch just like ice, and as I turned it over in my hands to examine it, it slowly started to melt.
It was really ice then.
The melted water felt too cold, and I could only hold it in my grip for a few seconds. I retracted my hand, trying to drop the ice back to where it belonged. But it was melting so fast that before I could flip my palm over, the entire thing had turned into liquid, and the droplets soaked into my skin immediately, chilling me to the bones. I let out a little squeak.
"Are you alright?" Xie Lun called from behind me, but the chill had quickly spread from my fingertips to my whole body, and I was so cold that my teeth started rattling. The feeling reminded me of that day when Bai Ye first showed me the meditation technique in the cave chamber, only that it was even more overwhelming this time, and my body was soon too frozen to be able to move.
Just as I was starting to lose sensation in my limbs, I felt a warm palm pressed onto my back. I thought it might be Wen Shiyin or Xie Lun coming to help, but then a wave of spiritual power that I couldn't be more familiar with flowed through me, chasing away all the chill and replacing it with warmth. "Master Bai Ye." I heard the rest of the group's greetings from behind us.
"B— Master?" I whispered, still too cold to speak clearly.
"Don't worry, relax." The soft, calming voice that I wanted to hear more than ever sounded from above my head. "I'll explain it to you later."
I nodded and closed my eyes, letting the inflow of his power regenerate the life within my body. Somewhere above us, from the clouds that formed the seal that we descended through at the start of the game, a different voice started to echo throughout the tournament ground:
"Attention all participants. The top prize has been found.. The winner this year is Team Twelve from Mount Hua: Xie Lun, Wen Shiyin, Yun Qing-er, Peng Yao."
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