Noire's intuition told him that the experience of these two strangers is beyond comprehension, many questions kept popping up with his mind. And, whenever he could speculate an answer, ten other questions would arise, he eventually aroused a headache from over-working his brain.
The old man simply watched Noire's expressions shift like the ebb and flow of waters, not saying anything at all for almost a cup of tea's time.
Then, Noire took a deep breath before fixing up his thoughts and getting straight to the point, "Is this the part where you explain everything to me?"
Just when the old man thought Noire would voice out his speculations, Noire actually made such a question.
For a moment, the old man didn't know whether to laugh or cry, he eventually sighed and waved about his right sleeve.
Noire felt the familiar spatial fluctuations from earlier envelope his body. Then, his vision flashed with white light before his senses returned to their usual capacities.
In a split second, Noire found himself in the wilderness once again. By his side stood the old man, and in front of them was the massive Evergreen Tree.
Even if he was to snap his neck back, coupled with his otherworldly vision, Noire still failed to see the skirts of the nearest branch within the canopy.
He couldn't help but sigh and shake his head inwardly, the more he thought about how Dragons live inside the void, away from other races, and they believe they've seen it all out there.
What a joke, just what is so great about living in the chaotic space for thousands of years?
"This is her grave," The old man said, pointing at a stone tablet at the foot of the tree.
The stone tablet was like a mosquito clinging to the thigh of an ancient titan, if the old man didn't speak, Noire wouldn't have noticed at all.
"Oh," Noire said, then he glanced at the stone which recorded the girl's name and a brief mentioning of her history.
Of course, Noire couldn't read a single letter, he could only look with a bewildered expression.
"I don't understand, if she died, why not let her rest in peace? Instead, you extracted her spirit and cultivated it in a puppet?" Noire asked, genuinely confused.
The old man sighed again and said, "She didn't die. Well, to be precise, she was murdered."
"The curse was placed on the young lady when she was still in the Madam's womb. We all knew that the curse will activate once the young lady's soul reaches six years old. Since the curse was placed on the soul, cryo sleeping or deliberate hibernation is useless. Moreover, no matter how heaven-defying her talent is, she can't reach a high enough cultivation within six years from birth."
"Therefore, on the day she turned seven and the curse struck her mind, her body couldn't withstand the backlash and she entered a coma. The Madam didn't have much lifespan left and the Master... Well, Master had to leave. Therefore, I raised the young lady since birth under the false identity of being her grandfather."
Here, the old man took a few steps forward, standing about one foot away from the stone tablet as he said, "I received orders to extract her damaged soul and implant it into one of my puppet creations, at least she won't suffer any physical injuries. But, her soul is doomed to be eternally damaged. Unlike the body, the soul is immortal. And the young lady was stripped from her rights of rebirth or entering the cycle of samsara. Once my remnant soul finally enters samsara, the young lady will have no one to be by her side anymore. Repeating the one year of her life for eternity."
"I just fear that one day she wakes up all alone, and when she would realize her loneliness, she will trigger the curse once again. The more time passes, the more the interval between each curse will shorten, to a degree I don't dare imagine. My existence is the only reason she gets a year interval of rest, and once I'm gone..."
The old man sighed, truly a profound curse.
If this isn't the definition of life worse than death, then he doesn't know what is.
Noire stood there silently, unsure of what kind of an expression to make or what to say.
"Senior, are you saying I can help in some way, and you're asking my assistance?"
The old man nodded slightly before looking back at Noire.
Noire narrowed his eyes, not really willing to engage in someone else's business, especially not against an enemy with such strength.
Not to mention, Yinfer is still out there in the wilderness and he needs to find her.
The only reason he maintained a cordial atmosphere with the old man is that he would always respect the strong, but even he knows that he can't bite more than he could chew.
After thinking for a while, Noire said, "Senior, I'm afraid I can't help you; I need to find my companions and cultivate. I already have my hands full, senior should be aware that I belong to the higher planes by now, and I don't have time to spare."
The old man chuckled dryly at Noire's mention of his companions, then he said, "Your companions gave me a headache. I helped them spawn next to each other, but they were like fire and water. I had to indirectly lead them to the cave of a good leopard clan."
Saying so, the old man waved his palm and a flat projection appeared. Within the projection, Noire can see Yinfer seated among a group of small leopard cups, the babies clung to her from all sides.
Then, the screen flashed and Noire could see Anastasia in a lotus position by the cave's maw, meditating the law.
The old man then said with a mysterious smile, "Young man, since ancient times, the enemy of my enemy is my friend."
Taking a light breath, the old man looked Noire in the eyes and said briefly, "I've been watching you when you placed some seals on that female's pendant. You... You are related to the Silver Eclipse Tribe, aren't you?"