"Big Sister believes what I seek may be in this Mirage Cavern?" Heng Chixin asked as he watched Jin prepare the Sanguine Spirit Fruit.
Jin struggled to keep a straight face as the Eastern Breeze Sect Leader intermittently teased Elder Kazane. She maintained a smile on her face, but her gentle aura became more aggressive, as if Jin's face was being sandwiched between two pillows. Heng Chixin took no notice of this change.
She shook her head. "My original reason for visiting is to invite your sect to participate with us when the Mirage Cavern opens up this year. Whether it holds what you are looking for, I cannot be sure. Perhaps if you share the Seer's original divination, I may be able to determine if it will help you?"
Heng Chixin fell silent before exhaling a defeated sigh.
"That Which You Seek,
Guarded By Heaven's Eyes,
Where None May Creep,
The Shell's Owner Lies"
Sect Leader Heng finished his recitation, giving Elder Kazane a moment to ponder it. Jin was carefully slicing up a Sanguine Spirit Fruit into several portions as they conversed.
After several moments of silence, she offered a guess, "...perhaps the 'Shell's Owner' refers to the leader of the Stone Tortoise Sect west of the Yunshan Range?"
"No, he couldn't help my daughter," he replied with a tinge of disappointment.
"Maybe it refers to the Xuanwu?" she suggested half-jokingly.
"The Black Turtle? This isn't a joking matter," he admonished Elder Kazane with a frown.
The Xuanwu was the mythical giant turtle said to roam the oceans separating the five continents: Yuanxi, Jinxi, Beixuan, Dongze and Nanbing.
Giant turtles did exist and were frequently caught and raised by certain sects or prestigious clans, such as one of the Great Eight or the Stone Tortoise Sect, but they were only as big as a two-storey house.
But long ago, a giant rock resembling a broken eggshell washed up on the shore of a mortal city. For a creature to have laid such an egg, it would have been as big as a small island. And thus, the myth of 'the Xuanwu' was born, an eternal reminder of how wild people's imaginations could become if left unfettered.
Elder Kazane let out a small chuckle, happy to return some payback to the elder man. "My apologies, Little Brother. What about the Demon's Descent? Very few have the willpower to climb down that crevice, and it's guarded by the Liu Clan."
He shook his head once again. "I considered it, but the Seer's other divinations have led us here."
Elder Kazane nodded in understanding. "What other clues do you have?"
Heng Chixin sighed once more, but before he could continue, a voice from behind the curtains interrupted them, "Sect Leader, we have brought the food and drink."
"Enter."
The curtains were parted and several disciples at the Foundation Establishment stage walked inside while levitating trays of food. One of them brought in a table and three chairs. Jin had just finished plating the fruit for the two seniors, but to maintain its freshness, he coated the toothpicked-morsels with some of the water from the jar and held it in place until they were ready to enjoy it.
"When I asked her for something more specific, she divined things like 'in a dead forest', 'at the sea floor', and 'on a moving island'. I couldn't afford to waste more time on solving those riddles, so…" Heng Chixin motioned to their current location with both hands, leaving the remainder of his explanation unsaid.
Elder Kazane did not need to hear the rest.
Divinations weren't instruction manuals with clear directions or a step-by-step solution to problems. The more ambiguous the prophecy, the easier it was to grasp it; the clearer it was, the easier it was to misunderstand it or lose its true meaning.
The sect leader had requested for the Seer to clarify her original prophecy with subsequent attempts, but the results only led to more confusion and, inevitably, a waste of time. So now, the Seer was being used like a Hot-or-Cold compass by asking her questions like, "Which continent must we search?" or, "What direction must we go?"
This wasn't the first time a sect had scoured the world for something in such a way, but it took a lot of time and wealth to conduct such a search. Plus, if what they were looking for was not stationary, the search could last for decades. Only the Great Eight had the resources to do such a thing, and only if they had no other choice.
The Eastern Breeze disciples had finished arranging the table of food and placed two chairs and their plates for the Fifth Elder and Sect Leader. The center plate had what appeared to be an incredibly long and thin-looking snake coiling around a bushel of smooth, green fruits. The side dishes included brown rice, pickled seaweed, submerged radishes and hot tea. Jin held onto the Sanguine Spirit Fruit for their dessert.
"Well, let's postpone this discussion for after the meal. Have you ever tasted a Dongze Eel cooked with Moconuts? It's my second favorite dish from home."
"But you had it cooked because it's my favorite. Little Heng, you are quite precocious."
Without any warning, the two auras of Heng Chixin and Elder Kazane were engulfed by a third party. Jin and the other Foundation Establishment disciples couldn't stop their hands from trembling as it felt like the sky was falling down on them. The curtains abruptly split apart and a crusty old woman with closed eyes, grey hair and a bent back waddled inside. She was barefoot, and a wooden staff propped her up as she walked.
He glanced at his disciples who were frozen in place, too afraid to move. "Sister Crystal, you're early! Could you rein it in? Otherwise, you're going to have to prepare your own plate."
As they felt the enormous weight on their shoulders vanish, a collective breath of relief escaped from the young disciples. Jin quickly took the remaining fruit out and began preparing another plate for this new senior.
"Little Heng…you should know by now that I never arrive early nor late. I am always right on time."
As she said this, an unconscious Foundation Establishment disciple floated into the room. He wore the same robes as the others, but it had several dirt spots and a few tears. His body stopped in front of Heng Chixin who rolled his eyes at the Seer. He let out a cough that shook even Jin's foundation, and the unconscious boy woke up.
Due to the nature of divination, the world's renowned augurs shared a redundant sense of humor. There was never a need to go and summon one. One just needed two things before requesting a seer's help: the intention and the means to pay them. The moment both criteria were met, the augur you seeked would waltz into the room as if the appointment had been set in stone for months. If they could not ordain when they were needed, then how could they retain any credibility?
Heng Chixin felt it was a shame they couldn't divine when their jokes were getting stale. Moreover, she rushed here just so she could eat the Dongze Eel at its freshest. Just how much did she love Dongze Eel?
The boy looked around, lost and confused, before standing on his two feet and bowing to Sect Leader Heng Chixin. "Junior greets the Sect Leader. Junior greets the Sect Leader's guests." He took out a brown storage bag and passed it to Heng Chixin.
Heng Chixin peered inside the bag and nodded to the disciple to acknowledge the completion of his task, allowing him to slink back to the other disciples and assist them with their preparation. He turned back to his timely sister and introduced her to Elder Kazane, "Sister Crystal, this is the Fifth Elder of the Flowing River Sect, Kazane Kazue. Big Sister, this is Seer Crystal."
Elder Kazane maintained a calm smile as she clasped her hands and bowed to Seer Crystal. "Junior offers greetings to senior. I hope your journey was a pleasant one."
Seer Crystal tilted her head and smiled enigmatically at Elder Kazane. "You could learn a thing or two from this pretty child, Little Heng. Travelling to this desolate place is always a chore, but meeting a promising junior such as you makes it tolerable."
Heng Chixin pouted while pulling at his beard, "Could you stop with the 'Little Heng'? For heaven's sake, I am a Sect Leader of one of the Great Eight."
She tapped her staff twice onto the ground and snorted, "Hmph! A mere Nascent Soul avatar thinks he can choose how he is called. Bring your real body here and maybe I will consider it, Little Heng!"
Heng Chixin sighed and looked to Elder Kazane apologetically. She chuckled lightly and comforted him, "No need for apologies, Little Brother. I figured as much when I met you."
The sect leaders of the Great Eight were known for reaching the pinnacle of this world, so when she first saw him and his relative cultivation, she could deduce that there was more beneath the surface.
Meanwhile, Jin's feelings were a mess. He previously believed it was an exaggeration, but now he could see why Yuanxi was considered the weakest of the five lands. If this sect leader's avatar was already stronger than Elder Kazane and the other sect leaders that he had met over the past three days, then how strong was Heng Chixin's real body? And each of the Great Eight were led by such a person?
Jin found it regretful that the Flowing River Sect was located on the feeble Yuanxi, but he vowed to improve his sect's standing. Perhaps the sect could change the Great Eight into the Notable Nine or something similar. Allowing his mind to think up better names for the future, he was able to retain his composure and finish plating the third plate of fruit, covering it with the same water as the other two plates.
The elderly woman shook her head in disappointment at the sect leader. "Tsk, tsk. Have you no shame, Little Heng? Having her address you as Little Brother. When will you mend your ways?"
Heng Chixin sighed once again in defeat before walking towards the bustling servers and their table of food. "Let's just hurry up and eat…''
"There's no need to rush. There's still a few minutes before the Dongze Eel reaches its perfect temperature. You should know by now that I like to get the work out of the way first. Besides, I have news for you, Little Heng. Something about your divination has changed."
Heng Chixin's head bolted upright. This was the first time something like this happened in his decade-long quest.
"It's changed? Is it a good change or a bad change?"
She replied while reaching into her storage ring for a wooden table and a large bowl, "You will have to be the judge of that. I don't know what's changed until I perform the ritual, but I prioritize the fastest route. For it to have changed now, either your original target is no longer there, or it will save you more time to pursue the new goal."
Heng Chixin hesitated for a moment, but he eventually nodded and reached into the storage bag he received from the disciple. He first took out a small, wooden box that emanated a heavenly fragrance full of vigor and vitality and placed it in the Seer's hand. She nodded in acknowledgment and placed it in her storage ring.
Then, to Jin's surprise and the other disciples' longing, he casually took out a high-tier spirit stone and placed it in the large bowl. He turned to the disciples staring at the bowl and stated in an indifferent tone, "I will punish anyone who makes a sound during Sister Crystal's divination."
Jin held himself back from gulping, but he could feel the threatening air pulsate off Heng Chixin, and the overbearing weight placed on his shoulders. The others seemed to be in the same state as they were too scared to answer him back.
"Cut it out, Little Heng. If they faint just because you want to show off in front of my cute junior, then it will be your fault, not theirs!"
The weight was released off their shoulders once again, and they silently thanked the Seer in their hearts.
He asserted exasperatedly, "Sister Crystal, I was doing this for your sake!"
She raised her hand behind her head and shushed him, "Hush now! If you're going to keep making noise, then go outside!"
SMACK!
She hit the back of her own head and two spherical objects popped out from her eye sockets and landed into the bowl, rolling around the high-tier spirit stone. Then she raised her hand again and…
SMACK!
Two more balls flew out of her eye sockets and landed in the bowl. Jin didn't dare move closer to have a better look, but he could see the rolling spheres as they circled the spirit stone. They had the appearance of translucent marbles: red, green, blue and yellow.
The Seer held both palms above the bowl as if she was trying to press more air into it. Everyone held their breath, and for a long time, the only sound that could be heard in the room was the four rolling marbles. Then, all of a sudden, several cracking and popping sounds along with a puff of white smoke erupted from the bowl. All of the spirit stone's Qi was pulled into the air, and the rock disintegrated into a pile of sand.
The concentration of Qi in the room spiked, and the Foundation Establishment disciples involuntarily began meditating, breathing Qi into their meridians. Jin, himself, couldn't help but take a deep, silent breath and circulate the Qi into his dantian.
The granny opened her eyelids to reveal dark, empty sockets. The white smoke containing a high concentration of Qi wafted into her sockets, as though she was breathing it in through her eyes. Once the Qi in the room stabilized, and no smoke was left, she closed her eyelids again and placed her hands on the bowl.
The speed of the marbles continued to slow down until a whole minute later when they finally came to a stop on the recently-disintegrated spirit stone.
She opened her eyelids.
Jin shuddered at the sight, and another disciple nearly yelped out in shock. A mass of white stared back at them; well, she was probably not looking at them, but it was hard to tell with no pupils. Such a scene would creep anyone out, especially if she had revealed eyeless sockets just a moment ago.
She stared intently into the bowl as if reading something. The white glow of her eyes shone intermittently.
"Cursed by Heaven's Fortune,
Gifted with Hell's Charm,
Request the Ear of He
Yet to See God's Arm"