The moment Zixin's fingers brushed past the door handle, his mind was flooded with a memory he could never forget.
Xiu Ying's cold voice echoed inside his mind: "Beheading shall do."
His body froze, his mind falling into an abrupt chaos. The voice continued: "Ehem. You didn't let me finish my words. I have a natural bias for you, so you will only be beheaded if you fail to enter the Hex Zone after two more years."
After hearing her words, Zixin's breathing slowly returned to normal, his gaze turning dull like usual.
He sighed, thinking to himself: Dear sister, the next time we meet, I can finally show you that I have accomplished what you wanted me to.
Zixin shook his head, muttering unknowingly, "To have such a sudden reaction after touching the handle, it seems I've begun to consider the similarities between Fang Hau and my dear sister subconsciously…"
The cat's ears peeked up once it heard his words, but it chose to keep its mouth shut, not even making a sound.
Although Fang Hau and my dear sister may share great similarities, even sharing the same blood, they are, after all, two different people. Zixin lifted his gaze, carefully observing the rusty handle.
He closed his eyes, continuing his train of thought: It seems that after my success with entering the Hex Zone, my luck plummeted to the trenches because danger always seems to accompany me.
The cat noticed his trembling hands, so it spoke, encouraging him, "This is a bedroom that once belonged to Fang Hau, but he has since lost access to it after he died, only leaving behind the form you know of–his Imprinted Soul."
Zixin shifted his gaze, staring straight at the cat's gentle expression. He sighed inwardly, crouching down and petting it. It meowed in delight, its eyes closed.
That feels like a lie, but what part? I don't know. Zixin thought, petting the cat faster.
It added in between the petting, "No need to worry, after all, he has long stopped bothering with this bedroom."
Zixin frowned, standing back up and opening the door. The door creaked open as the rotten scent of wood surged out like a tide.
The cat leapt forward, dashing straight inside as it spoke, "You have indeed stepped into the path made for you."
Zixin's lips twitched, slightly anxious, but after some deliberation, he urged himself to step forward.
The hall was enshrouded in darkness with no light source to speak of. Zixin squinted, shaking his head and asked, "How am I supposed to…"
But before he could even finish, faint green light began emanating from the cat's body. Slowly but surely, the light grew, moving like a swarm of fireflies and lighting the room.
Zixin thanked the cat before leaving his gaze and scanning his surroundings, but at that moment, his eyes dilated.
He swept his haze once more, taking into heart the worn-down state of the bedroom. Decaying planks were scattered across the floor, giving off an awful scent. Zixin bit his lips, enduring the smell.
His gaze quickly fell on the ashes that lay across him. A blackened mattress lay, its frame burnt into ashes.
Zixin cast a suspicious look at the cat, questioning inwardly: If this is Fang Hau's bedroom, why would it be torn down? No, shouldn't the question be, why would it be hidden and still be standing? Does that mean he stopped time here as well?
The cat leapt forward, landing on the burnt mattress and speaking, its eyes glowing with intent, "Fang Hau is no fool; he is a deceitful actor."
The act soon began to relentlessly dig its paws on the mattress, raising Zixin's suspicion. He quickly went over, dusting the mattress, but immediately regretted his decision once the dust was sent flying. Zixin coughed, waving his hand around. Once he recovered, he picked up the mattress, lifting it and revealing a hidden path.
Zixin stared at the wide staircase leading below. Zixin sighed, heading down with a steady expression.
Unlike the torn bedroom, this pathway actually had lights sealed inside the grey walls.
As Zixin walked down, realization suddenly dawned upon him, "So your intention was not to bring me to Fang Hau's bedroom but to bring me wherever this path leads to?"
"Indeed, there are several paths leading to our destination, and it just so happened that this one was the most convenient." The cat explained with a soft, feminine voice, its body absorbing the green light back until it vanished.
Zixin fell silent, his eyes staring straight at the end of the staircase. Soon enough, he made his last step, entering a secluded hall. The cat followed suit, walking by his side.
Zixin's gaze swept through the hall, taking in the sight before him. The walls, ceilings, and floor were all made of polished white stone with golden inscriptions carved across the walls, faintly glowing with green.
A grand silver chandelier hangs from above, its pure blue lights illuminating the hall in its entirety.
A crescent-shaped jade floor was carved at the center, almost like an image of the moon. After a closer inspection, three circled inside, two at its ends and one at its center.
The cat walked forward, giving the crescent a carefree glance before shifting its gaze back at Zixin, speaking with a mischievous tone, "Doesn't this look a lot like a puzzle?"
Zixin's expression darkened, his lips drooping as his thoughts raced: That's not subtle at all… forget it, I don't feel like solving a puzzle, plus, I was never good at such to begin with.
Zixin shook his head, continuing his train of thought: But isn't this cat too good at manipulating me? Hmm? Wait, maybe I'm easy to toy with instead? Sigh, either way, if it's a puzzle, it must have a clue, right?
The cat spoke softly, "Come, take a seat. The floor shouldn't be too cold. Or perhaps, is it unfitting for a royalty to… sit on the floor?"
Zixin shook his head, sitting down without much thought. Since his childhood, he had never given much thought about his status and saw himself as no different from everyone else, so he sat with a calm expression.
The cat nodded and explained what it knew, "This hall has sealed the path towards the Fragment of Truth, or as you know it–Mount Lorebale."
"Do you mean the Fragment of Truth's Core?" Zixin questioned, tilting his head, his eyes filled with excitement.
"Indeed, Mount Lorebale is merely a reflection of the Fragment of Truth's Core." The cat continued, "Perhaps you have an idea why a specified path is needed to reach the Core?"
Zixin rubbed his chin, falling into deep thought: A Fragment of Truth corresponds to a portion of a complete concept, an idea, as it's often called. So, its Core wouldn't be physical, after all, Fang Hau's whole plan revolves around forcing it to gain a physical manifestation.
"In other words, it's because a Fragment of Truth doesn't exist in physical form," Zixin replied solemnly.
"And why does it have a physical reflection?"
"Is it because of the immense life essence that it has?"
The cat chuckled, elaborating with a smile, "Correct, because energy, or in this case, life essence, lies between the boundary of the physical world and the conceptual world, it caused the Fragment to be reflected."
Based on Fang Hau's words, the sole reason why the Fragment of Truth cannot take a physical form is because of the Laws of Space, or in simple words, it needs space to exist and the space is currently being occupied by its reflection which is why Fang Hau chase to intervene with this plan and accelerate the rate at which life essence is consumed. Zixin recalled Fang Hau's words before lifting his gaze to stare at the opulent ceiling in a daze.
"Once his grand plan takes one of its remaining steps to completion, you will see and understand his ambition. Perhaps you will be in awe of the world-defying spectacle that shall unfold, or perhaps you will be stunned into silence. Whatever it may be, you will be taking the first step towards his last prediction." It continued, "From what I have gathered from him, you are a key to solving a mystery that has plagued the Land."
…
A few hours later, Zixin stood outside the storage room where the wolf corpse was stored by Fang Hau.
With his head hung low, he pondered: Were the cat's words a metaphor? Maybe this so-called "plague" is actually an unsolved question rather than a real life-threatening illness. Whatever it may be, it sounds ominous.
Why is it that it almost seems like I'll become a part of all major events moving forward? Zixin let out a heavy sigh, his expression unreadable.
"Unlike my sister, I don't particularly enjoy the spotlight, after all, one is the Queen, the governor who reigns above all, while the other is a foolish child, incapable of even understanding his dearest sister," Zixin muttered, his eyes still as dull as ever.