"Yu Shixiong, are you sure we're on the right track?"
Yu Lingyu stopped in his tracks and turned around. The street was lined with enormous branches, spreading out like twisted bones, and the air was thick with the stench of rotting animal flesh. "I'm sure we came this way. There weren't any other side roads, were there?" he said, his voice tinged with worry.
"The path we took was wider, and there weren't so many tall plants," San Jie replied, folding his arms across his chest. "Ah, we should've listened to Da Shixiong," he added, slapping his hand on his forehead.
Yu Lingyu shot him a sharp look.
"I told you not to follow me," he said, his voice harsh.
"Da Shixiong wouldn't let you go alone," San Jie retorted, glaring back at him.
"Okay, enough," Luo Cheng interrupted, trying to calm them down. "Let's just focus on finding the right path first."
"We split into two groups, but none of us have found the tomb yet. If Da Shixiong had found it, the signal would have been lit by now," San Jie said, rubbing his hands together.
Yu Lingyu fell into thought. If his memory was correct, they should've reached the tomb by now. "Looks like we're going in circles," he said, glancing around. They had strayed far from the original path. Slowly, the buildings had gotten smaller, and now all that remained were ruins and dust.
"Are you sure it's just the Walking Dead? If anything else happens, I don't know what we'll do with just the three of us here," San Jie said, clearly anxious. His hand gripped the scabbard of his sword, ready for anything.
"Look over there," Luo Cheng suddenly called out, pointing toward a distant light. "I think we should check that out."
Leaving the street behind, they ventured into the forest, the light growing brighter as they approached. Soon, they came upon a small, single-story building with a tall conical roof. Atop it stood a statue of a large crane, completely white and shining under the moonlight.
At first glance, it looked like a temple dedicated to a god. Several torches burned along its clay walls, casting flickering shadows. The ground around it was covered in dirt and overgrown with foliage.
"It's in bad shape," Luo Cheng commented as he pushed open the small wooden gate. The gate creaked as it opened inward. "What the-?" he muttered, quickly pulling his foot back.
They weren't alone. Another group of people stood inside, dressed in dark blue. "Oh, Yu Shidi," Wu Xuan greeted them, his arms crossed as he stood in front of a large statue of a god inside. His eyes locked on Yu Lingyu's with a sharp stare.
"Wu Shixiong?" Yu Lingyu blinked in surprise. He had forgotten Wu Xuan was part of the group. He slapped his head in frustration and stepped into the temple, unsure of what to say. Instead, he stared at the statue in silence.
"Wind Lord," Yu Lingyu muttered, examining the marble figure. The god was depicted with a long, thin sword slung over his back and a feng bi, a long handle adorned with a tassel, in one hand. It was also called a wind whisk. The statue had kind eyes, and its craftsmanship was smooth and elegant.
"Do you know him?" Wu Xuan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Who doesn't know him?" Yu Lingyu replied. Wu Xuan's lips curled into a mischievous smile.
"You're right, who doesn't know him? The great Wind Lord, haha," he said, turning his head toward the statue. "But the sculptor didn't do it right," he added, to Lingyu's surprise.
"It looks well-made to me," Yu Lingyu said.
"Come on, that's the mistake. The Wind Lord doesn't have a simple, well-made look. He has a... deathly beauty," Wu Xuan explained with a grin. San Jie let out an annoyed sound but kept his mouth shut. Luo Cheng, meanwhile, shut the creaking door to block the wind from entering the temple of the wind god. Truly commendable.
"So, Yu Shidi, did you get lost too?" Wu Xuan asked, abandoning his fascination with the statue. The other disciples from Juyao Peak sat quietly around the temple, their presence barely noticeable as they tried not to make a sound.
"Are the Wu Shixiong lost too?" Luo Cheng asked, raising an eyebrow. Wu Xuan let out an exasperated sound.
"I think so, thanks to someone," he said, glaring at one of the disciples. The person caught in his gaze winced, visibly shrinking under the stare.
"Please, let us rest here as well," Yu Lingyu said, folding his hands in a polite greeting.
Wu Xuan gave a casual wave of his right hand, and a few of the Juyao Peak disciples stood, stepping aside to make way for the newcomers.
"Thank you, Wu Shixiong. We won't cause any trouble," Yu Lingyu said gratefully, motioning for San Jie and Luo Cheng to sit down.
"Yu Shidi, as a token of thanks, come here and have a chat with me," Wu Xuan invited, watching Yu Lingyu try to sit next to San Jie. The other Juyao disciples seemed to hold their breath in surprise.
Without responding to Wu Xuan, Yu Lingyu stood and walked toward the statue. Wu Xuan remained focused on it, almost as if he might throw it from its base if the mood struck him.
"It doesn't seem like much of a mistake," Yu Lingyu remarked, studying Wu Xuan's face. The older disciple certainly appeared angry at the craftsmanship of the statue.
"If I destroy this statue, would it be a problem?" Wu Xuan asked, his tone eager. Yu Lingyu pursed his lips, thinking for a moment.
"Well, that… hmm, doesn't seem right," Lingyu replied, carefully choosing his words.
"I won't steal your wallet, don't worry." Wu Xuan noticed Yu Lingyu's hand wrapped tightly around it and smiled slyly. "Ah." Then, he turned back to the statue, giving it a heated glare. "He never smiled kindly."
Yu Lingyu glanced at the statue and then back at Wu Xuan, his voice steady. "He always had a gentle smile."
Wu Xuan raised an eyebrow, studying Yu Lingyu's expression. "Really? Yu Shidi, how do you know that?"
Yu Lingyu tilted his head, his eyes glinting. "So, how does Wu Shixiong know that he didn't smile?"
Wu Xuan let out a hearty laugh. "You're funny, Yu Shidi. You're always good at jumping from one question to another, aren't you?" Meanwhile, soft whispers began to spread among the Juyao disciples. Wu Xuan wasn't known for being this friendly or open.
He usually only had long conversations with his Shimei, Yuan Yu Yi, or his Shizun. It was no secret that he didn't enjoy idle chatter with others. But now, he was chatting easily with Yu Lingyu, a regular disciple from Jun Peak, something that surprised everyone.
"Anyway, it's a relief that this is a Fengshen temple. The walking corpses can't reach us here, even if they wanted to," Luo Cheng chimed in cheerfully from the side. "Wind Lord is a god who values cleanliness, and no unpleasant demon could ever enter his temple." He continued, "It's tradition that people wash and wear fresh clothes before entering the Fengshen temple."
"That's a real relief," Wu Xuan added with a sarcastic grin. "Your Wind Lord would be very angry if those nasty creatures set foot here."
"Everyone dies. Don't speak of them like that. I pity them," San Jie muttered softly, sitting with his knees drawn up, his arms folded tightly across his chest as his head rested against the wall.
"Speaking of filth," San Jie added, his gaze shifting toward Yu Lingyu, who was covered in dirt, "if the Wind Lord sees you like this, he'll blow this temple to pieces."
Yu Lingyu raised an eyebrow.
"Forgot whose fault it was?" Luo Cheng said with a playful smirk. "If you hadn't run off after seeing that little-"
Before Luo Cheng could finish his sentence, San Jie pounced on him, knocking him to the ground. Yu Lingyu couldn't help but stifle a laugh and glanced over at Wu Xuan.
"I'll go and check the road," Yu Lingyu said, heading toward the door.
But just as he was about to leave, two voices interrupted him.
"I'm coming too!" San Jie and Wu Xuan said at the same time.
Yu Lingyu blinked. "What?"
"I'll come too. Don't go with these strangers," San Jie declared, turning to glare at Wu Xuan.
"Oh, really?" Wu Xuan shot back, rolling his eyes with a mocking expression. "Can you even protect yourself?"
San Jie's hands clenched into fists. "You-"
"Ah, San Shidi, don't worry. No one needs to come," Yu Lingyu said, raising his hands in a calming gesture.
"I'm going because I want to observe as well. Yu shidi, if you'd like to come, let's go together," said Wu Xuan.
"Ah, no problem, no problem. Thank you, Wu Shixiong." Yu Lingyu glanced sideways at San Jie, who was blushing with indignation, before walking out of the temple with Wu Xuan.
"Where are we going?" Yu Lingyu asked, trying to keep up with Wu Xuan's long strides.
Wu Xuan, realizing he was walking too fast, adjusted his pace slightly. "To find the tomb. Where else?"
In the moonlight, the withered branches of dead plants drew strange, shadowy patterns on the empty street. There was no sound except for the occasional whistling of the wind.
"Shouldn't we come with the group?" Yu Lingyu asked, surprised, as he pulled a rotten leaf off his head.
"They're just a nuisance. What? You don't want to come with me?" Wu Xuan stopped walking and turned to him with a mischievous smile.
Lingyu stepped back slightly and gave a nervous smile."No, I didn't mean that. This is train-"
"This is not training." Wu Xuan's voice turned sharp. "Yu Shidi, you know that too."
Lingyu let out a slow breath. It was true. Deep down, he had known something was off.
"It just feels strange," he said. "Too many things happening at once… I remember hearing that if something random happens again and again, maybe it's not random after all."
Wu Xuan crossed his arms, resting one hand on the hilt of his sword. He turned his foot and began drawing idle patterns in the dust.
"You're right. We haven't found any walking corpses or graves. But right here, in the middle of this ruined forest, there's a temple to the Wind Lord. Tell me, what is a god as pure as Fengshen doing in a place like this?"
Lingyu flinched. Something in those words clicked inside him.
"It's not a Fengshen temple," he said quietly, his voice shaking. A cold chill ran down his spine. "But… but there's a crane statue on the roof-"
"Yu Shidi, oh Yu Shidi," Wu Xuan said, almost like he was scolding a child. "That wasn't a bird. It was a snake swallowing a bird. Is your eyesight really that bad?"
Lingyu felt like his body was sinking into the earth. "It can't be… it's not him." He suddenly turned and tried to run back to the temple.
But Wu Xuan grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. "Don't be in such a rush. Do you want to scare off our prey?" he whispered, leaning in close.
"Prey?" Lingyu blinked. "Wu Shixiong, I don't understand what you're saying. But my shidi- they're still-"
Something cold touched his lips, stopping him mid-sentence.
"Shh," Wu Xuan muttered, placing a finger against Lingyu's mouth while keeping one arm lightly wrapped around his shoulder. "Don't worry. If we can't find the prey, we'll let the prey find us. The Interruption around the temple is gone now. He'll show himself."
Lingyu gently pushed Wu Xuan's arm away and turned to face him. He had to tiptoe just slightly to meet Wu Xuan's eyes.
"Interruption?" he asked, trying to play dumb.
"It's me." Wu Xuan blinked slowly, smiling arrogantly. "I am too powerful after all."
"Eh?"
"You saw that statue, didn't you?" Wu Xuan said. "Most people wouldn't notice the difference. But you did. Yu Shidi, how did you know it wasn't the Wind Lord?"
Lingyu hesitated. He looked at Wu Xuan, who was staring at him with that sly, glowing gaze.
"I didn't realize at first. But when you said-"
"Oh?" Wu Xuan interrupted. "But I never said it wasn't the Wind Lord."
Lingyu froze.
"You're pretending not to know," Wu Xuan said quietly. "But you saw the snake, didn't you? You knew it wasn't Fengshen the moment you looked at it. But…"
He stepped closer. Lingyu instinctively took a step back.
Wu Xuan bent slightly at the waist, lowering his face to Lingyu's eye level.
"…You're still pretending."
That's not true! Lingyu wanted to shout. He hadn't recognized it. He really didn't. It had been too long. So much time had passed since then… He had forgotten the signs, the symbols. That's why he assumed it was just a simple statue of Fengshen.
"Wu Shixiong, you're overestimating me," Lingyu said, voice tense. "The only reason I realized it was because of what you said. And now, here we are, my shidi are left behind to become prey, while we argue here."
His voice cracked with anxiety. Even if Wu Xuan had a plan, Lingyu knew he couldn't let his guard down.
What if it really is him?
There was one more being, besides Feng Zhen, who carried a long sword and a fly whisk. A name lost to time. A name the world had tried to forget.Feared by all.Hated by gods and men alike.
The Lord of Destruction, Hu Mao.