Life was full of mysteries sometimes.
And to Xue Chang, these mysteries were more trouble than they were worth.
He wondered…if Yong Heng had never appeared in his life, what would his days be like?
Would he have met Tian Hai and Tian Kai? Would Xue Ai still love him like she does now?
Would he be fated to die in just a few years?
These mysteries circulated within his mind sometimes.
"In a way, could this be seen as fate?"
Xue Chang mumbled this out to himself, but he could tell someone else was listening in.
Yong Heng remained silent at the question, but Xue Chang could tell that he felt conflicted about something as well.
"Yong Heng, what's wrong?"
The mysteriously beautiful figure appeared in front of him silently like a ghost. His dreary figure made for a sad sight, but Xue Chang knew that this guy wasn't someone who would wear his emotions on his sleeves.
He was up to something.
Squinting at the figure, he repeated the question, "What's wrong?"
Yong Heng sighed out sadly, as if feeling conflicted about something, but everything he did seemed too forced. Too acted out.
"We've known each other for a while now Xue Chang, and I've always done my best to help you in accordance with our agreement. But I feel hurt, you haven't kept your end of the bargain." Of course Xue Chang knew what Yong Heng meant.
He had been so busy lately that he had forgotten about it, but now he completely remembered the deal he and Yong Heng made.
"You want me to unlock your seal?"
The teasing expression he had plastered on his face disappeared as Yong Heng became dearly serious, "I want you to attempt to. And I'm not saying this just for me, this can benefit you too. I told you, my memories are sealed up along with my powers. If you help me out maybe mmsome memories that can help you will return."
Xue Chang knew that Yong Heng was exaggerating. There was no way it would be as easy as that.
He had no doubt Yong Heng had some methods to lengthen his life but not cure him. If he wanted to completely resolve the root of his problem, he'd need a lot more than just a single seal unlocked.
But even so, Xue Chang had to admit there were other benefits to unlocking the seal. Even if he couldn't find a cure, he could at least get a better understanding of what he was dealing with.
Plus, he was positive that Yong Heng had been holding back some information about his condition. And after all these years he got a better understanding of how Yong Heng worked.
If he could unlock the seal the trust he'd receive would grow, and so would his assistance.
Xue Chang didn't like Yong Heng, but he had to admit the information he contained had been a vital part of his development thus far.
"Alright, I'll do it. Just tell me what to do and I'll help you."
"I'd knew you'd see it my way. Well first off I'd recommend you get those two friends of yours. While unlocking the seal won't be easy, the benefits you'll also receive won't be little. Not to mention the benefits any spectators will receive."
Xue Chang raised his eyebrow at Yong Heng's words, "There are benefits for Tian Kai and Tian Hai being present when I light the candle?"
"Oh you'll find out…" with these ominous words, Yong Heng dissipated into thin air.
Well it wasn't like he had any other choice.
Without wasting any time, Xue Chang decided to call upon Tian Kai and Tian Hai.
With their cultivation, they should be able to protect themselves if anything happened…
…probably?
A couple of hours later a single carriage could be seen exiting Water Cloud City. The horse carriage trotted at an average pace in the direction of a seemingly empty plot of land.
"And are you sure you really want to go there? I mean that place is…"
"We know, that's why we chose it." Tian Hai responded to the coachman's casual question while keeping his eyes closed.
He was in a meditative state along with Tian Kai.
When they heard Xue Chang was planning to do something interesting and wanted them to come along, they immediately realized that things wouldn't be so simple.
When had any of their trips with Xue Chang ever ended peacefully?
So they decided to spend every waking moment trying to get stronger, but it appeared that the both of them had reached a bottleneck.
Tian Kai could tell he was on the verge of entering the sixth level, but something was blocking his path.
This was the same for Tian Hai trying to enter the fourth level of internal cultivation!
And although Xue Chang couldn't sense spiritual force, resulting in him being unable to tell their exact level, he could still see that they were in a unique situation.
Currently the air around them felt a little off, almost constricted.
It seemed that they would have some difficulty in their next breakthrough.
"Don't worry, if everything goes according to plan then they'll be able to overcome this bottleneck."
Yong Heng's seductive voice whispered into Xue Chang's ears. In response, he just shook his head and thought silently to himself, "Don't worry Yong Heng. I don't need you to keep up airs. I'll fulfill my end of the bargain, I'll help you unlock the seal."
Within purgatory, Yong Heng sat on the ground with his arms and legs crossed. His beautiful demon like face, which could captivate almost anyone, had the corners of its mouth lifted up.
"I, Yong Heng, am many things Xue Chang, but a liar I am not. Trust me, I'm not just saying random crap." With a cunning glint in his eyes, Yong Heng returned to silence as he awaited for the event to begin.