A few hours passed like clouds passing through the sky...
The closed Cave of Spirits was once again shrouded in fog. The same silence that would remain for centuries settled around it. But somewhere else, amidst a quiet thicket of trees, on soft, soft grass, the three Masters sat quietly under the cool shade of the trees. Their eyes were lost in deep thought. And in front of them, next to each other, sat Mo Yan and Yu Sui, compelled to sit. But Yu could not sit in the same meditative stillness as Mo Yan. Sitting in silence was nothing short of torture for him, and out of habit, Yu Sui sat, as usual, clutching a blade of grass between his teeth, watching the clouds slowly pass by in the sky above. In his other hand, he held a small pink flower, which lightly brushed Mo Yan's robes. He was constantly playing with the leaf he held in his teeth. And Mo Yan sat quietly, his gaze lowered in silence. But once, his eyes drifted to the flower Yu Sui was holding, but without any reaction, without any expression.
But the three masters' eyes were fixed solely on the shining threads of light on their wrists; they simply couldn't take their eyes off them.
No one had any reason, any words, any advice to offer. No one dared to ask what it could possibly mean. What was the purpose of this binding spell? Because no one knew what it was.
Fuzi Xion Clan. Some time passed, but then it seemed as if time had stopped, observing everything. In a vast, ancient library, scrolls and books were stacked like towers on a large, low wooden table in the center. Books were scattered everywhere on the library floor, some open, some closed, some upside down. In the rest of the library, students were seen intently gazing at their books.
A captivating fragrance wafted throughout the library. It was as if the scent of sandalwood and jasmine had been blended together to create a powerful, meditative power. To keep their concentration undisturbed, but it seemed to have no effect. The masters' eyes were as weary as they were desperately flipping through the pages.
The three masters sat under the candlelight, their eyes red from hours of study. Their faces were weary. Yet, each scroll was being opened, each book's pages were being turned. Each new book opened with a hint of hope, but also closed in despair.
Just then, Master Kin Lishuan slammed a book onto the table. In a blatantly offensive voice,
"Nothing…nothing was found." His voice reflected his waning patience. "None of the books mention the dual spiritual bond formed after the spiritual beast summoning ritual."
Hearing this, Master Chui Yong shook his head in disappointment, slammed a scroll shut, and pushed it away.
"There are over two hundred books on hereditary bonds, but none of them mention this." There was a hint of fatigue in his voice.
But amidst all this, Master Fung Shu Yi remained calm. His eyes were focused on the words and his ears on the surroundings. He turned the pages of a yellowed book of blood seals and spoke in a deep, serious voice.
"What if this isn't just a soul bond? What if it's... something old? Something cursed?" Even as he said this, his eyes remained fixed on the scroll. But his attention was on the two Masters. "If this were a common spell seal, it would surely be mentioned somewhere, but it isn't. It's likely this isn't an ordinary spell seal; it's something else."
Master Kin Lishuan thoughtfully replied, "It's hard to say anything." Master Fung Shu Ri's voice was heavy with wisdom. Hearing this, Master Kin Lishuan looked at him, and Fung Shu Ri continued, "We all know that it's impossible to cast any spell, whether spoken or written. So how can we believe this spell was created by itself?" Master Fung Shu Ri stood up. "We'll have to investigate more carefully."
With a calm demeanor, both masters agreed with his statement.
Master Fung Shu Ri said nothing after that. But his silence spoke volumes. His eyes wandered thoughtfully around the library, and his gaze landed on an old book... one that hadn't been touched or opened. It was a sealed book, bound with a black band, lying alone in a recess deep inside. It read: "Forbidden... Not to be read."
But Master Fung Shu Ri took a step in its direction, but then stopped, thinking of reading the book. For some reason, "his gut instinct held him back. And finally, he turned his eyes away.
With the heavy burden still weighing him down, the air became even more dense with silence, occasionally broken by the rustling of scrolls and the creaking of old wooden chairs.
Master Fung Shu Ri sat down again, leaning against the table and clutching his forehead with both hands. The weight of uncertainty in that silence was growing heavier every moment.
"What now...?" Master Fung Shu Ri muttered. "What kind of magic is this? I don't think we can continue this competition. Until we understand the nature of this bond... I don't know what its purpose is."
Master Kin Lishuan nodded solemnly, silently agreeing with Master Fung Shu Ri's words, and sat down with his hands folded. Then Master Chui Yong spoke, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
"Master, you are right," he said after taking a deep breath, drawing the two masters' attention. "We cannot gamble with these boys' lives without knowing the full truth. This bond... I have never seen anything like it before. We must proceed with caution."
With that, Master Chui Yong fell silent, and so did everyone else. Silence prevailed for a while. Master Chui Yong went back to poring over the words on a scroll, quietly unraveling a yellowed scroll, when suddenly he looked up and said:
"What if... we ask for help? What if we go to Grandmaster Qinji?"
As he said this, a spark lit up in his eyes. As if a long-ago name had suddenly been pulled from the dust of memory.
Master Fung Shu Ri's head shot up at this sudden thought.
"Of course! Why didn't you say that before?!" Master Kin Lishuan looked at him curiously.
An atmosphere of excitement filled the entire library. But soon, hesitation followed. Everyone's faces suddenly fell, as if they were overcome with uncertainty.
"But leaving the clan's land... and going so far... and at this time?" Master Kin Lishuan asked, looking at the two masters.
At this, a heavy silence descended again. The open air became suffocating.