Gui Yuzi
“But…?” Mu Yu queried.
“The reason our souls haven’t been erased is attributed to Fiend Sealing Pagoda. By the same account, it means we can’t leave the island. I presume the pagoda’s light can heal the damage to your shifu’s soul. Howbeit, it means his soul will be stuck here.”
“Is there any other alternative? That is not what I am after.”
“I’m not sure. I can ask Gui Yuzi for you, though.”
“Thank you for the kind offer, but no thank you.”
“You can see if the pagoda can help your shifu when night falls. He must be exceptionally skilled to have raised you into a level six alchemist at your young age.”
Mu Yu used a smile to answer.
Mu Yu searched for a place to rest on the island thereafter, treading carefully so as not to step on bones the dead resided in as a soul to reminiscent their time alive.
Fiend souls went to the boundary line and made a fuss about Mu Yu’s appearance. The human souls snubbed the fiends and asked Mu Yu about the outside world.
“Mu Yu, are you ranked? How many of our disciples are ranked?” He Liankong inquired.
“Seven of us, included me.”
“Not bad. Not bad. We only had five disciples ranked when I was also ranked back then. What rank are you? Surely you’re in the top seventy.”
“Don’t get your hopes up. You should know better than anyone else what an alchemist’s weakness is,” indifferently said Gui Yuzi.
“I suppose you’re right. Never mind it, Mu Yu. Our main occupation isn’t fighting, anyway. It’s fine even if you’re in the top eighty. There are plenty of people who’d bow to us, so toss that ranking,” responded He Liankong, annoying Gui Yuzi with a glance.
Mu Yu had rubbed away his marking out of spite, so he had to open up the list he bought. “I am rank forty-three.”
“Forty-three is not bad at all,” remarked He Liankong, examining the list. He suddenly jerked his head back up and requested, “Tell me what rank you are again.”
“Forty-three.”
“Are you really an alchemist of Pill Cauldron Sect?”
“Yes.”
“How are you ranked so high, then?”
“Mm…” Mu Yu shrugged. “Maybe I got lucky?”
“I don’t believe you,” interjected Gui Yuzi.
“Sad for you. I don’t need to prove it to you.”
“Are disciples of Pill Cauldron Sect all as rude as you now?”
“Respect should be reciprocated,” Mu Yu replied.
“Gui Yuzi, is there some rule that says our disciples can’t join the ranks? Every generation should surpass the previous generation,” rebuked He Liankong.
“I don’t trust him,” stated Gui Yuzi, smiling sarcastically.
“The feeling is mutual,” asserted Mu Yu.
“I trust him!” exclaimed He Liankong. “He’s the first person to find this island in five millenniums. Are you doubting our alchemists’ competence? If you’re so good, where are your Ghost Gate disciples?”
“I wouldn’t jump to conclusions if I were you.”
Mu Yu watched Gui Yuzi drift off as black mist, noticing the latter was the only one with a black soul.
“Self-righteous bugger can’t stand people being better than him. Don’t worry about him, Mu Yu.”
Mu Yu mulled to himself, What does he mean “I wouldn’t jump to conclusions…” Does he know Ghost Gate’s group is on their way here? How would he have been keeping in contact with them? I guess I should focus on planning for their inexorable landing instead.
When other souls tried to find out how their sects were doing from Mu Yu, He Liankong leveraged his status as Mu Yu’s senior to tell them to take a hike. He Liankong took Mu Yu up to a mountain peak where they could get a view of the entire island and see Fiend Sealing Pagoda in the clear night.
The green pagoda of legends rose from the ground, reaching toward the ether. The argent orb radiated the green light, propagating across the island, interlacing it with silver stars sliding along the green veil. The green light healed the damage bones from the day and autonomously reattached them to the skeleton soldier.
Mu Yu could feel the vitality of the green light on his fingertips. “What is the source of this light?”
Corners of his lips tugged up, Lian Hekong answered, “We don’t know the mystery behind it even though we have guarded it for so many years.”
Xiaoshuai caught a green freckle and shared, “I think I’ve seen this somewhere before.”
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