Wang Xiao fiddled with the tassel he had found in the temple's wall, wondering why it had been placed there along with the book. Normally, these types of decorative items were fastened to a weapon or clothing, but this one was found on its own. This meant that someone else had probed the hole in the wall before he did. Suddenly remembering the book, Wang Xiao clutched at his chest where it was hidden.
He had been so preoccupied with the wolves and Zhang Yao's arrival that he had forgotten to check its contents before leaving the mountain top. Now that he was walking through the forest, following a literal stranger, Wang Xiao cursed himself for his carelessness.
What was wrong with him? He never made these kinds of mistakes before. Somehow, Zhang Yao's arrival had completely destabilised his focus and transformed him into a stammering fool. Wang Xiao felt angry with himself. How could he be so stupid?
Angrily, he kicked at some stray rocks on the path, sending them flying after Zhang Yao's heels. The other stopped in his tracks and turned to face the sullen-faced youth behind him. Something was obviously bothering him. Zhang Yao thought it might be best to stop and take a break and so, he silently pointed at an outcrop of rocks on the side of the road.
Beyond the boulders was a small pond of clear water, gently rippling in the breeze. Wang Xiao felt his stress wash away at the sight of the limpid pool. Sighing, he knelt and brought his face to its surface. For the first time since leaving the Yi clan, he saw his reflection in the pool. His normally well-kept hair was completely ruined and out of place, while his face was covered in grime from the temple. Bloodied rags of golden fabric hung from his shoulder and forearm, making him look like a pitiful homeless man rather than a young and proud scholar.
Wang Xiao sighed again and, ignoring his reflection, drank deeply from the pool. The water was clean and cool, restoring his calm as it slid down his parched throat. When he was satisfied, Wang Xiao scrubbed his face as best as he could and tried to restore his hair into a somewhat presentable appearance. He wasn't usually preoccupied with his looks, but he still liked to keep a groomed appearance due to his position within the clan. Not wanting to humiliate his clan leader, he always made sure that his clothing, hair, and face were presentable. Right now, however, he was grateful that no one, except for his new companion, could see him looking so pitiful.
Zhang Yao came to sit a few paces away, also kneeling to drink from the pond. Compared to him, Zhang Yao didn't even look as though he'd broken a sweat. His robes were clean and his handsome face was dust-free, standing in stark contrast against the dull environment around them. Wang Xiao found himself staring at his profile, taking in the curvature of his nose, lips, and well-defined jawline. Undoubtedly, this person had handsome features. Wang Xiao was sure that he was incredibly popular with the young maidens in and around his clan.
Shaking his head clear, Wang Xiao stood up abruptly and turned his back on the scene. Walking back towards the path, he heard Zhang Yao stand and follow him back.
"You dropped this," said the voice behind him.
Wang Xiao turned and saw that the other was holding the jade pendant in the palm of his hand, extending it towards him. Reaching out, he grabbed hold of the item by the tassel left dangling between the other's fingers.
"Oh, thanks."
"..."
Wang Xiao could tell that he wanted to ask a question but felt unsure about how to proceed. He decided to offer a bit of information on his own, saying "I found it."
Frowning, Zhang Yao kept his eyes on the piece of jade. "I've seen it before," he said softly, more to himself than anyone else.
"Really? Where? Do you know to whom it belongs?"
Zhang Yao shook his head, "I don't remember. I saw it a long time ago, I'm sure of it."
Disappointed, Wang Xiao shifted his gaze from the other man to the pendant in his hand. What were the odds that this person knew about this item? Maybe he was the one who had explored the temple beforehand...? No, that didn't seem likely. Zhang Yao's expression and tone revealed that he was genuine about his statement. Then, what was this object and why was it in the temple?
Wang Xiao figured that whoever was the owner of this pendant had probably been looking for the One Thousand Souls manual too. Luckily, this other person hadn't found it, as it currently rested inside his shirt against his chest. Glancing back at Zhang Yao, he saw that he was still deep in thought, seemingly trying to remember where he had first seen the jade pendant. His eyebrows were closely knitted in concentration as his eyes reflected deep flickers of memories long-passed.
Staring at his silent companion, he absentmindedly rubbed the smooth stone between his fingers, trying to figure out what any of this meant. Wang Xiao suddenly felt a tug at his consciousness, his innate sixth sense kicking in and dragging his mind to the surface to probe the other's expression. For the first time in his life, his instincts materialised into a vivid image within his mind.
He could see a young boy walking alone, stick in hand, tapping the ground in random intervals and kicking up dust along the way. How this was possible was completely beyond him. Wang Xiao saw the little boy as clear as day, as though he were standing right in front of him. The boy was no more than five years old, but Wang Xiao immediately recognised Zhang Yao's high nose bridge and soft amber eyes. This child was undoubtedly him, meaning that Wang Xiao was seeing the past--his past.
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Twenty years earlier
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Walking alone with a sullen expression, Zhang Yao dragged and tapped his rounded stick on the ground, for the sole purpose of making noise. Hurried footsteps came from behind him, followed by a gentle, feminine voice.
"A-Yao! A-Yao! Come here, A-Yao!"
The boy ignored the voice, crossing his short arms over his chest and kicking at small rocks.
"A-Yao! Come, don't be difficult. I'll make you your favourite meal when we get back," pleaded the voice behind him.
Zhang Yao stopped walking and turned to face the woman, tears coating his eyes and threatening to spill over any minute. The woman smiled gently and, kneeling next to him, placed a delicate hand on his head, patting his dark hair.
"A-Yao, don't be upset. Your father will be back in no time. You won't even know he was gone."
"Liar!" replied the boy as big fat tears rolled down his puffy cheeks.
The woman smiled at her little son, brushing away his tears. "You'll see A-Yao, he'll be back within the next few days. Then, you can play with him as much as you want, ok?"
Zhang Yao nodded reluctantly, snivelling and wiping his tears with the back of his sleeve as best he could. "I want congee," he said, staring straight into his mother's gentle eyes.
"Alright, let's go back and I'll prepare it for you right away."
The boy gave her a toothy grin and happily skipped ahead towards a large complex surrounded by black walls as tall as the oldest immortal trees. As he passed the guards who stood next to the gate, he waved happily at them, declaring that he was going to be eating lots of congee pretty soon. One of the guards laughed heartily, replying "that's right young master! Eat plenty of yummy things every day so that you can become big and strong like your father."
At this, Zhang Yao smiled widely as his mother came up behind him, pushing him along to enter the compound.
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Present-day
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Wang Xiao woke with a jolt, his whole body aching and his head pounding. He felt a cool hand on his forehead and, opening his eyes, saw Zhang Yao's concerned face leaning over his. Startled, he rose up onto his forearms and backed away from the other man.
"W-what happened?" he asked, bewildered.
Zhang Yao sat back on his heels, examining the youth before him. "You suddenly passed out. You must have suffered too much blood loss from the attack. I was checking if you had a fever."
Wang Xiao felt himself redden from shame and humiliation. He had never, in twenty years, passed out. Yet, here he was, lying on the ground and being nursed by another man. How unsightly.
He had also never experienced visions like the one he had just seen. Confused, he asked, "Zhang YuanJin, your mother, is she a very pretty woman with a soft voice? Large brown eyes and a delicate forehead?"
Zhang Yao immediately lost all composure. "How... why...?"
Feeling that he was right in his assumption, Wang Xiao pushed on: "One day, you were crying, you're father had left you behind for some reason. Your mother promised to cook congee."
Zhang Yao stared in utter disbelief. "How do you know this? What did you do? How could you enter my memories?"
Shock soon turned to disgust, then anger. How could someone intrude on his private memories like that and then have enough gall to tell him about it? "Who," started the angry man, pausing to change his wording. "No, not who. What are you? What kind of sorcery do you wield to be able to do something like this?"
Taken aback, Wang Xiao didn't know how to respond. He had never practised dark arts in his life; he wouldn't even have known where to begin. Unable to use his Qi, Wang Xiao had, until now, zero spiritual aptitudes. Something had changed in the last few hours and it was deeply frightening.
Out of the hundreds of books he'd read and memorised, he had never heard of anything like this. He knew that mind-connections were generally thought of as being demonic, but he had never heard about it happening spontaneously. Like with any other type of ability, demonic essence also needed to be nurtured and brought out through cultivation.
"I ... I didn't do it on purpose. I don't understand what's happening. I've never ... I would never..."
Zhang Yao's expression kept changing from anger to confusion. Wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt was difficult after what the young man had just told him. Still, looking at the other's sickly pale face and clear confusion lingering in his eyes, he couldn't bring himself to completely mistrust him.
Deciding that honesty was the best solution, Wang Xiao explained: "I can't cultivate, my Qi is sealed. I have always had a strong instinct, but I've never had visions like that. This is the first time. I'm just as confused as you are. I swear it wasn't intentional."
For a long while, silence prevailed between the two as Zhang Yao mulled over his words.
A thin sheen of sweat developed over Wang Xiao's brow as he waited for the other man to break the oppressive silence. Finally, Zhang Yao said, "I don't know how you did it, but don't you ever try that again."
Nodding slowly, Wang Xiao felt what little energy he had left in him completely drain away. He truly was clueless as to what had just happened. Maybe his Qi had finally awakened and decided to manifest itself in such a dark and foreboding way.
As he considered the possibility, Wang Xiao felt his consciousness slipping again and soon, darkness was upon him once more.