It has been three days since Kai had been walking from the Drogan's kingdom to the Winter Sect kingdom, for Cultivation school. Kai and his party had to stop to rest at a clearing in-between the border of two small villages called weepers, because of the amount of trees surrounding the village that makes weeping sounds when the wind passes through their leaves. And the ….village, which is famous for their fish cakes.
They had gathered their belongings, and now they are on their way to pass through the third kingdom, which is the Yin kingdom. It is said by the people of the kingdom, that the kingdom is all good. But it is a lie of course. There Kings from the ten generations down, had not been faithful to their wives, and had many concubines.
Anyway, they were on their way to pass through the Yin kingdom, when they were stopped by a Yin disciple running out of breath towards them.
"Senior Chen Liang! Thank God it's you!" He shouted, sounding relieved as he placed his hands on his knees and caught his breath.
"What is the matter? Junior brother Wú Haoran '' Chen Liang, who is one of the Senior Prospectors asked. He is a Prospector from the Dragon's kingdom, and he is authorized to lead the disciples in training, alongside Li Jie to the Winter Sect kingdom.
"Trouble at the Highlands of the fishing village called Lú shàng. We got news of some strange things happening in the mountains above the village, and about six days ago we sent a few Prospectors and a couple Mages and Elementealists up there to investigate. But he hasn't heard from them. It was about fifteen minutes ago, we got news that they were attacked by something coming out of the ground, and a thick fog has covered all of the highlights, and almost the entire fishing village of Lù shàng." Wú Haoran replied to Chen Liang.
"What kind of thick fog?" Li Jie, who is standing beside Chen Liang, asks.
"They said that the fog is thick and dark, and it has the scent of sulfur."
"Sulfur." Qing yuan mumbled from beside Kai, causing him to look over at him curiously.
"Do you know what he is talking about?" Kai, but Qing yuan didn't answer. He just walked through the crowd of disciples, who automatically parted in two to give him way, and went to whisper something in Chen Liang's ears.
"Are you sure young master?" Chen Liang asked, looking kind of frightened. But quickly covered it up with a mutral look in order not to scare any of the young disciples.
Chen Liang turned back to Wú Haoran, and asked him if they had sent any other cultivators to the highlights to help out with the situation. But he said no, and that he was the only cultivator in the Yin kingdom who didn't have any given task. Chen Liang thought that what Haoran said was upserde, but Wú Haoran explained to him that three off the older Prospectors accompanied the disciples to the Winter Sect kingdom, some went along with some Mages and Elementealists to a neighboring village that Fong Woo's armies are attacking, and what left of their cultivation team is guarding the kingdom in case Fong Woo decided to attack
"So, you were going by yourself?" Li Jie asked, and Wú Haoran nodded.
"Well, we can't have that can we." Chen Liang spoke up. "We must delay our journey to the Winter Sect kingdom, and go to the Lù shàng with Wú Haoran to Lù shàng and help."
"Are you crazy?" Li Jie said in alarm. "We can't endanger the disciples, some of them aren't even experienced enough." He glanced a look at Kai.
"You are talking about Wang Lei?"
"Who?" Li Jie asked, his left brow raised in confusion.
"He is talking about Kai. That is his name that his biological parents gave to him." Qing yuan spoke up, as he bumped his shoulder against Li Jie out of mere annoyance.
"Oh." Li Jie mumbled. "For a Prospector, you aren't very nice."
"I am only nice to people who deserve it, not pompous dumbasses like you. And is Kai the only inexperienced one here? No, now shut up and let's go." Qing yuan angrily flashed his Shan, and went into the opposite road, leading to Lù shàng. Leaving everyone stunned and a gaping Li Jie.
The sun pelt down above the treeless road. They have already reached the open land, and are nearing the village. And Kai is extremely exhausted. He hasn't walked so much in the sixteen years he has existed on this earth. His feet ache, and his muscles are becoming even more sore from walking. He is sweaty, and his face itches from the sweat and heat. And he started to slow down from the group
"Here." A water canteen is shoved in front of his face, and he looks up to see Qing yuan looking down at him. "Take it."
"D-don't you need it? It's hot, and you probably wa-" Qing yuan opened the canteen and forced the spout in between Kai's lips. Kai coughed, as the water made its way down the wrong part of his throat.
"My apologies, but you need to stay hydrated and keep up with the group." Kai nodded with a smile, and took the canteen from Qing yuan's hand.
"Thank you." Kai said with an eye smile, but started to blush when he started coughing again and Qing yuan rubbed his back.
"We are here." Wú Haoran announced as they approached the village.
The raw scent of fish drifted into Kai's nose, making him a bit nauseous. Qing yuan looked over at him with concern, but Kai quickly put on a smile. He didn't want any of them to think that he is weak, and not fit enough to be a Prospector. He has already been getting weird looks, and snarky comments were being thrown at him. Mostly by Shufen, but one look from Qing yuan, and he shut up and hung his head low like a dog who had been shamed. Taio has been very generous to him, more so than when they used to hang out with Li Jen. He has been showing his lovey dovey side as well, but every single time he tries to get even closer to Kai, Qing yuan always comes and stands in between them. And Taio would wear a kicked puppy (A/N. I love puppies, they are so cute. Which makes Taio cute as well.) which compliments his cute baby face. And he would also back away, and give Kai side glances. Which Kai finds kind of cute, and Qing yuan? Is that jealousy he is detecting from his end? Kai is loving the attention from the two cultivators, it made him feel special in some kind of way. Maybe that is how Li Jen felt when she saw Lee Cheng. Well Kai will never know, he doesn't even know which way she went. Only thing he can hope for is that she is somewhere happy living her life with her beloved.
The first thing they saw when they entered the gates of the village was thick dark fog. And then the scent of sulphur hits them dead on. Which made Kai involuntary dry heaves.
"Would you mind?" Shufen turned around and said to him, A look of disgust on his face, both from the sounds Kai is making and from the smells around the village.
"Are you ok?" Taio came up to Kai and asked, after he threw a dirty look Shufen's way.
"Yes. Just these smells, especially the sulphur mixed with the fishy scent. And is that.." Kai sniffed the air before making a hurling sound. "Is that the stench of….dead decaying flesh?" He swallows down the bile in his throat.
Taio sniffed the air as well, and his nose scrunched up in disgust. "I guess it is." A gentle smile made its way to his face, but faded when he saw Kai heaved again. He took something from his little pouch he had hooked to his belt, and held it out to Kai.
"What is that?" Kai asks, as he looks down at the little seed shaped thing in Taio's outstretched palm.
"It is cherry flavored sweet."
"That is candy? Then, why does it look like that?" Kai pointed at the light blue crusted things on top of it.
"Oh, that is blueberry sugar coating."
"I didn't know that blueberries could make sugar." Kai poked at the sweet that lies in Taio's palm like a small pearl.
"It can't. My mother's sister made candies, so she is always coming up with new ideas. And she came up with mixing dried blueberries with icing sugar, and blueberry sugar was born." Taio enthusiastically said, making Kai laugh quietly. "One chew of this, and a blissful scent of blueberry and Cherry will invade your mouth and nostrils. Making all nasty smells go bye bye."
"Why are you talking to me like I am a baby? Give me the candy, and shush." Kai took the candy from Taio's palm and shoved it into his mouth. He swirled it around on his tongue, and instantly tasted the blueberry sugar. He gently bit down on it, and it was surprisingly soft. Consider how it looked and felt.
The smells weren't so bad for Kai afterwards, but as they entered deeper into the village nearest to the highlands. The smells got stronger and the fog got thicker.
"Why does this village look so haunted? I know this fog and smells are unbearable, but not even a soul you don't see peeking through the windows of the houses." Shufen questioned, as he looked around.
"I don't know, but keep close to everyone. I feel something that shouldn't be here." Chen Liang muttered as he walked with caution.
Kai didn't know what it was, but something was pulling him to the highlands. Even though his senses to it wasn't strong, but it was there. And he could tell that Qing yuan and Chen Liang felt it as well.
'What is this? And why do I feel the urge to run away from this place?' Kai thought as he looked over the mountains surrounding the back of the village.
They group approached the bank of the river, when they saw someone coming in on a small fishing boat.
"You there!" Chen Liang called out as the man pulled the boat to shore and started to take out buckets with fishes.
"You!" Wú Haoran shouted when the man ignored Chen Liang's call.
"Yes?" The man, who looks to be in his elder years, looked up from what he was doing inside the boat.
"Who are you, and can you tell us what is happening here?" Chen Liang asked.
The man took a rag from the boat, and wiped his hands on it. "Well, about a week ago some strange things started happening in the Highlands. Strange sounds and mysterious disappearances started occurring, the river became still and felt haunted. And a couple days ago, this fog and smell of sulphur covered the village and up in the highlands. A few people has died, and their bodies has been wrapped in cloth and toss outside."
"Why are you out here, since everyone have gone into locked down?" Li Jie asks, eyeing the man suspiciously.
"And, what about the cultivators that came here to investigate?" Wú Haoran chimed in.
The old man bend down and took up his two buckets with his catch. "I have a family to feed, wife, children, grand and great grand, and I can't let them starve. So I chance whatever this is, and find food for them. For those cultivators, I saw them when they had arrived. But I had left when they went to the highlands. My guess, is that they are stacked up there. And can't find their way back down to the village." The old man look pass the group and up to the mountains.
Li Jie leaned over to Chen Liang, and whispered in his ear. "Is he telling the truth?"
"Yes, I can't detect a trace of a lie. So, we should let him get back to his family if he can't give us any more information." Chen Liang replied also in a whisper.
"Ok then." Li Jie nodded, before turning back to the old man. "Can you tell us anything else?"
"No, just to hurry up and solve whatever is happening here. So we can get back to our once cheerful village." With that, the old man bowed and went away.
"Well everyone, the best place to find answers and the missing cultivators lies up there." Chen Liang said.
"In those spooky looking mountains." Kai muttered with a fearful gulp.