Chapter 404: Chapter 86 Death of Goris_4
Ah Dai looked down the chasm, only able to see dim yellow light below, suggesting a deep passageway. The ground that had just split open was covered by three-foot-thick steel plates, beneath which lay numerous small holes on either side. Ah Dai, familiar with Goris’ designs, knew that if the proper method to activate the mechanism was not found, a forceful entry would result in severe damage. Moreover, nothing would be gained as the traps set by Master Goris were always secure.
Ah Dai’s trust in Goris made him proceed fearlessly and with no hesitation. Carrying the letter in his hand, he hurriedly descended. When he had descended ten steps, a rustling sound rang again. Ah Dai looked up, and the chasm had inexplicably closed itself to appear solid once more. Looking under his feet, he realized that the trapping mechanism was most likely in this tenth step.
Although the chasm had closed, the passageway was not cast into darkness. A soft yellow glow emerged from the walls, illuminating everything clearly. To Ah Dai’s astonishment, this light seemed to seep through the walls.
Ah Dai quickly descended the staircase. After advancing for about ten meters, he reached the bottom, finding himself in a vacant space not more than three square meters. At first glance, there seemed to be nothing unusual. He inspected his surroundings but found nothing noteworthy. Tapping on the walls, he discovered that they were solid iron. Suddenly, he noticed something peculiar at a corner of the floor. Hastily leaning in to examine it closer, using the white light emitted by his Battle Qi, Ah Dai saw a line of small characters etched into the corner of the wall: "Instructions for my disciple, Ah Dai. Once here, kneel at the center of the space, knock your head on the ground three times facing these words, and then loudly announce your identity when in Nino Small Town."
After reading the message, Ah Dai was taken aback. Announce his identity? Wasn’t he just a thief? But since Master Goris asked him to do so, he complied. With that thought, Ah Dai fell to his knees and knocked his head on the ground three times, shouting loudly, "I am a thief." To his surprise, voicing these words filled him with sorrow. At that moment, he fully grasped the deprivation of his background.
His declaration caused a tremor in the solid walls surrounding him. Suddenly, without any warning, Ah Dai felt the ground beneath him give way, and his body plunged downwards. He shouted in surprise as he fell, his descent lasting what felt like only a few seconds before being halted abruptly. His body was flung at an angle by a bouncy object, tracing a parabolic arc before crashing onto the ground. Black with Battle Qi protection, he stood up after shrugging off the slight pain. Unlike the illuminated area above, his surroundings were pitch black with visibility reduced to nothing. Just as he was about to channel his Battle Qi for illumination, he noticed a faint white glow appearing from above. The pale halo of the Luminous Pearl restored visibility. Looking up in awe, Ah Dai saw that the source of the white glow was the Luminous Pearl about the size of a fist. The cleverly designed mechanism that allowed this luminescent gem to slowly descend from a small crack in the ceiling impressed Ah Dai greatly. Despite having lived in the wooden house for over a year, he was unaware that beneath it was such an enormous underground chamber. The chamber was clean and spacious, well-ventilated despite being underground. The room was dominated by a large net where he had fallen, which had catapulted him here. Not far from him, there was a stone round table with a diameter of one meter, the only furniture in the room. Upon it was a black wooden box, undecorated and plain.
Ah Dai stood up and approached the round table, picking up the wooden box. The box was light and unlocked. Upon opening it gently, he found several sheets of paper in it. As they had been sealed in the box, the sheets hadn’t yellowed like the piece of paper in the wooden house. Ah Dai picked up the sheets and read them. They contained a long letter left for him by Goris.
"Ah Dai, I sincerely hoped that you could return here and see this letter. By the time you read this, I would have moved on to the next life. Although I am dead, I harbor no regrets. Being more than eighty years old, my death is not premature. Especially since I was able to fulfill my lifelong dream of creating my Divine Artifact with my death," only having read these few lines, Ah Dai couldn’t continue reading. His entire being was thrown into stunned disbelief—Master Goris was dead. His master had passed away.
"No——Ah——" Ah Dai cried out in anguish. In that moment, it seemed as if time stopped, and all that echoed in the stone chamber was Ah Dai’s anguished cries. He felt swallowed by endless darkness, tossed about in the turbulent waves of pain, struggling helplessly like a small boat. His heart was shattered, his spirit extinguished.
The reunion after seven years of anticipation turned out to be a tragic parting, a chasm separating him from his deceased master forever.
The small boat in the darkness bobbed up and down in the vast ocean of grief. The heart-wrenching torment gradually destroyed the boat. Just as the boat was about to be completely consumed by pain, the darkness receded, replaced by a brilliant gold and silver light.
Ah Dai quietly stood in place, completely still as he regained his awareness. Two lines of bloody tears flowed down his face, staining his clothes crimson. Just when he was about to be entirely consumed by grief, the golden body at his chest and the Silver Body at his Dantian emanated soothing energy, reviving his will to live and saving him from the brink of death.
Uncle Owen died, frozen to death, and Teacher Goris, he’s also dead. Why, why have all these people who mean more to me than a steamed bun died? You’re all dead, what’s the point of me being alive? Ah Dai fell to the ground in a swoon, severe agony making his body convulse continuously. Seven years, it’s been seven years. After being away for seven years, he received the news of his teacher’s death.
The white paper in Ah Dai’s hand was completely filled with creases. He curled up on the ground, slowly passing out. Perhaps losing consciousness is his best method of escaping from this pain.
Standing in the bleak and dark open space, Ah Dai looked around blankly.
"My child, you’ve returned. I’m so happy!"
Ah! That’s Teacher Goris’s voice. Ah Dai trembled, shouting, "Teacher, Teacher, where are you?"
"My child, I’m here. Am I not right in front of you?" A flash of light and Goris, wearing a black cloak and emitting a faint white glow, appeared before Ah Dai. His originally cold and rigid face held a hint of a kind smile.
"Teacher, I miss you so much!" Ah Dai threw himself at Goris, but he went through Goris’s body, stumbled, and nearly fell to the ground.
"Ah Dai, you’ve grown so big, how can you still be so clumsy! Look, what is this?" Suddenly, a basket of steamed buns appeared in Goris’s hand. The aromatic buns gave off hot steam. Ah Dai shouted excitedly: "Steamed buns, my favorite steamed buns."
Goris handed the steamed buns over to Ah Dai, patting his head gently. "Child, go ahead and eat, eat as much as you want. I had them made especially for you, do you like them?"
"I love them, Teacher, I really love them."
Sadness filled Goris’s eyes, "Ah Dai, I have to leave you. No matter where I am, I will be thinking of you. Take care of yourself. My child." As his voice weakened, Goris’s body drifted away into the distance.
"No, Teacher, don’t leave!" Holding the basket filled with steamed buns, Ah Dai chased after him frantically. But no matter how fast he ran, he couldn’t catch up with Goris’s disappearing figure. Eventually, everything around him returned to darkness as Goris’s silhouette disappeared completely.
