Xie Lian's heart started racing wildly, and even his fingertips were slightly trembling. However, he remained composed and didn't make a sound, only lifting his head a little to whisper next to Hua Cheng's ear, "...San Lang, don't move. The voice out there sounds a lot like my master. Let's not be discovered..."
Although very similar, he couldn't say for sure either since it wasn't like there weren't people who shared similar voices. Besides, he hadn't seen the Guoshi for centuries, so he could very well remembered wrong. If they didn't make any reckless moves and only observed quietly to see how things would progress, perhaps they would learn more secrets. Hua Cheng also bowed his head slightly, hugging his waist, "Alright... you don't move either."
Rocks and earth crushed at them from all around, forcing their bodies to press tightly against one another, their faces brushing, their ears warm. Although it wasn't the right time, a thought flashed through Xie Lian's mind, '"To die buried together" doesn't feel so bad.' Just then, that voice sounded again, "What about the other two? Where have they run off to?"
'The other two'? There are two more companions?
Xie Lian wanted to listen closely to find out just who the other person conversing was, but the strange thing was, after the 'Guoshi' – he would address him as 'Guoshi' for now – after he posed the question, there wasn't any response.
It really was strange. In such a distance, Xie Lian and Hua Cheng could both hear 'Guoshi''s question, and technically, his voice wasn't loud and he wasn't yelling at the top of this lungs, so the other party shouldn't be too far away either. If they should respond, then at least some voice would be heard. Yet, there really was nothing to be heard.
'Guoshi' spoke up again, "Thank them for their efforts, but there's no need to worry about the small-fries anymore, nothing will come of them. We've got more important things to do right now."
'What's going on?' Xie Lian wondered, 'This clearly shows he's gotten a response and is talking to someone?'
The 'Guoshi' outside was almost like he was talking to himself or having a conversation with air. A creepy image appeared in Xie Lian's head and he immediately brushed it off, thinking there might be another possibility, which was 'Guoshi' could hear that person's voice but no one else could.
Suspicion was growing thicker and thicker in his head, and he listened with more and more intensity, turning over each word the 'Guoshi' uttered in his mind as 'Guoshi' added, "Is that all the people inside the mountain? In any case, let's bring them all to the Kiln first, I'll think of a way to take care of them one by one then. The faster the better, they must get there within two days."
The Kiln!
And, within 'two days'. The Distance Shortening array couldn't be used within Mount TongLu, so how could they get there in two days? And what was this 'take care of them'?
After a pause, that voice continued, "Call the other two over, let's go to the Kiln together. In order to face His Highness the crown prince, not a single one of us should be missing. Right now he's still not yet awakened. If he should wake... it's hard to imagine what he will do this time."
Xie Lian was shocked. Was he talking about him?
Right then, there was the sounds of explosion within the mountain body. Xie Lian heard the Guoshi outside question, "What's going on?"
Inside the stone wall, he also turned to Hua Cheng to ask, "What's going on?"
"Something's happened on the other side." Hua Cheng whispered.
Xie Lian hadn't yet responded and Hua Cheng already pressed his forehead with his. In Xie Lian's right eye, the situation with Yin Yu and Quan Yi Zhen on the other side of the cave appeared once more. And, this should be what had happened a little earlier. Yin Yu finally dug out Quan Yi Zhen from the stone wall, laboriously dragged him down and heaved a sigh. Yet unexpected, the unconscious Quan Yi Zhen suddenly leapt to his feet and pulled the mask off of Yin Yu's face!
Quan Yi Zhen was actually only pretending to have fainted earlier!
Now that Xie Lian thought about it, Quan Yi Zhen would be extremely familiar with Yin Yu's habit of pacing when thinking, the way he spoke, his strength when he hit, and perhaps the moment Yin Yu's shovel was swinging down his way, he had already known who was behind the mask. It was just, it was inconceivable that there'd come a day someone like Quan Yi Zhen would know to use deception. Although it was nothing more than the most ordinary of tricks, but when it was Quan Yi Zhen who used it, it could be considered completely out of this world, which was why no one was prepared.
Underneath the mask was that terrified and dimly pale face of Yin Yu, obviously stunned from surprise. Quan Yi Zhen however, was fiercely thrilled, jumping with his head covered in blood, "SHIXIONG!"
Yin Yu looked like he saw something extremely horrifying, his lips twisting, then abruptly, he hugged his head, "YOU'VE GOT THE WRONG PERSON!"
Having roared, he bolted. As he ran, he blasted at the person behind him to block him, "DON'T COME NEAR ME! DON'T FOLLOW ME!"
Quan Yi Zhen also dashed after him, completely ignoring the blasts and only yelled, "SHIXIONG! IT'S ME!"
Yin Yu couldn't help but roar out an expletive, "GODAMMIT, IT'S BECAUSE IT'S YOU THAT I'M TERRIFIED! DON'T FOLLOW ME!"
The two ran and fought the entire way, causing the mountain to rumble from the blasts. Over on this side, the Guoshi was puzzled, "What are they doing over there What's with all the noise?"
There was still no one who answered him but the Guoshi seemed to have gotten his response, "I see. Kids these days, so energetic. I'll take my leave first. Let's get together again once you're close to the Kiln."
He was going to leave. Hearing this, Hua Cheng covered Xie Lian's ears anew, and Xie Lian closed his eyes. A moment later, there was a violent tremor from all around, and the stone wall that had been pushing against their bodies was finally blown apart. The two leapt out together, landing lighting on their feet, and breathed fresh air once more. However, on the outside was an empty cave; there was no Guoshi nor that mysterious second person, their figures completely gone.
Xie Lian and Hua Cheng exchanged a look. They weren't in a hurry to give chase and they hadn't yet separated when from the cave adjacent to them came charging a black clad man. It was Yin Yu. He waved the Earth Master shovel and dashed madly towards the two, "CHENGZHU!!! Your Highness!!!"
Behind him, Quan Yi Zhen who was head covered in blood from the blows also came rushing in. Hua Cheng didn't bother looking up and only flicked his hand. There was a BOOM sound; Quan Yi Zhen instantly raised both arms to block, yet, the move Hua Cheng used couldn't be blocked by fists. After smokes dispersed, what was left where Quan Yi Zhen stood was a daruma doll with big, wide eyes, looking very innocent. It was the same trick Hua Cheng used on Lang Qian Qiu last time. Only then did Yin Yu stop his crazed run, wiping his sweat away as he approached, "I'm eternally grateful, Chengzhu."
"Did you really have to be so scared?" Hua Cheng asked.
Yin Yu was still shaken, and he smiled bitterly, "Truth to be told, right now when I see His Highness Qi Ying, I only want to run for as far away as possible."
When Xie Lian heard, he found it funny but could sympathize. It seemed, Quan Yi Zhen's 'personality' is now a severe shadow in Yin Yu's heart. That daruma doll was still on the ground, wide-eyed as it swayed heavily back and forth without anyone caring. Xie Lian felt pity for it and was about to pick it up when he suddenly felt the ground shake, his body also falling over along with the tremors, almost shaking harder than that daruma doll. He quickly steadied himself, "What's going on? Earthquake?"
Although Xie Lian didn't need help, Hua Cheng still held his arm to help steady him, and he turned to Yin Yu, "Open a tunnel and go out to take a look."
Yin Yu recovered extremely fast and acknowledged, "Yes sir!"
Then he picked up his Earth Master shovel, rapidly and concisely dug out a hole in a small amount of time. Sunlight from the outside shone through; when Yin Yu took a look, surprise filled his face. Xie Lian asked, "Your Highness Yin Yu, is it an earthquake or is the mountain collapsing?"
"It's neither!" Yin Yu answered, "This mountain spirit... it's running!"
Running? Xie Lian and Hua Cheng exchanged a look and both ran up to look outside the mountain spirit.
It really was running! Outside the body of the mountain, all the sceneries, the landscapes were rapidly speeding behind, almost reduced to nothing but colourful streaks. From the looks of it, it was like they were riding a fast running horse carriage, or like they were sitting on the shoulders of a giant running wild!
Hills, rivers, fields, forests, they were all trampled beneath the feet of this mountain spirit, crushed to make way. Whooshing whirlwinds blew in from the hole and the hair and ribbon bands all started dancing in the air. Yin Yu remarked, "By the speed of this run, it'll probably only take two days to reach the Kiln..."
Two days? Hearing this it dawned on Xie Lian.
No wonder! No wonder they couldn't hear the responding voice of 'the other person', and no wonder the Guoshi requested for the other to bring them to the Kiln within two days.
Because at the time, 'Guoshi' wasn't talking to another person, he was talking to this mountain spirit!
Hua Cheng must've figured it out too, "Just as well. Borrowing its strength, we won't need to walk so slowly anymore. Once we're there, that person outside the stone wall will show himself again. We'll know what he wants then."
Xie Lian however, was looking somber. Hua Cheng noticed and asked, "Gege, what's wrong?"
"What did he mean, not yet awakened?" Xie Lian asked.
That voice earlier said "right now he's still not yet awakened. If he should wake... it's hard to imagine what he will do this time." Xie Lian said, "If that man really was my master, and he was talking about me, then what did he mean by all that?"
"Gege, don't think too much right now." Hua Cheng said, "First, that man might not be your master; second, the 'crown prince' he spoke of might not be you."
"But if it was?" Xie Lian urged, "I have some baseless guesses, will you hear me out and see if they make sense?"
"Very well. Gege, do tell." Hua Cheng said.
Xie Lian started, "Assuming that man is my master, the three mountains: Old Age, Sickness, and Death, have Birth missing. He can communicate with the mountain spirits. He's a person, but the one conversing with him is a mountain spirit. In their conversation they mentioned 'the other two', and it might be the other two mountain spirits. There are four of them. I was thinking, do the three mountain spirits all possess human consciousness? Or perhaps, they were transformed from people from the beginning, and Guoshi was the 'Birth" who never appeared!"
He was thinking more and more, his heart beating rapidly in his chest, and he continued, "Mount TongLu used to be part of the Kingdom of WuYong. 'Birth, Old Age, Sickness, Death' are a set of four; coincidentally, the Crown Prince of WuYong also have four Guardian Gods; and there were also four Guoshis who taught me when I grew up in XianLe! Do countries typically have that many Guoshis? I didn't think anything of it in the past, but now I realized there's normally not that many. Do you think this is a coincidence? Or is there a deeper meaning in all this?"
Hua Cheng replied, "There's no deeper meaning. Maybe it just so happens there's four. Aren't the Four Famous Sights also four? There weren't four in the Four Calamities, so one had to be forced into its ranks."
However, Xie Lian was still following his train of thoughts, "But if it's true, that my four masters were the four Guardian Gods of the Crown Prince of WuYong, why did they come to XianLe to become Guoshis of XianLe? Why did they come to teach me? Is there something about me that I myself wasn't aware of? Could it be, that I'm actually..."
He was going off like someone possessed, and Hua Cheng gripped his shoulders, speaking with conviction, "It's not possible! I can swear, you are you. You're not anyone else. Trust me. Don't read too much into things and imagine what's not there."
Other than his parents, Guoshi was someone Xie Lian was the closest and most familiar with. Although Guoshi often dismissed him and was often reserved because he was wary of Xie Lian's position, but overall, he was a good teacher. To suddenly discover he might not know someone he thought he was familiar with was something that'd easily confound the heart. Hua Cheng softened his voice, "Alright, gege. Think back carefully, what was the Guoshi of XianLe's background?"
Xie Lian mulled over the question, "...I'm not sure."
Really, he actually couldn't remember where his master came from. Humming for a moment, Xie Lian said, "Guoshi was Guoshi before I was born, I only know that he was called Mei Nian Qing, but needless to say, that must be a fake name. I've also thought this before in the past; Guoshi is such an incredible character, how come he didn't ascend? If that was him just now, then the years he's spent in this world must be many more than me."
"We'll take care of things as they come." Hua Cheng said, "Remember that if anything should happen, I'm here. I will always be on your side."
Xie Lian stared at him, stunned and speechless. A moment later, a small smile appeared on his face.
Yin Yu's sense of presence was already faint, and since he didn't speak the whole time, he was practically forgotten. Only now did he speak up, "Chengzhu, do we need to go find the others?"
They've come out, but who knows which corner Pei Ming and the others were being digested by the mountain spirit after having been swallowed. Xie Lian quickly replied, "Yes! Let's go find them together. Please wait, Your Highness Yin Yu."
"Your Highness, there's no need to call me Your Highness... I'm not a heavenly official of the Upper Court anymore." Yin Yu said.
Xie Lian smiled, "Then you can just call me by my name too, no need to be so polite. I also haven't been a crown prince in a long time."
Yin Yu glanced at Hua Cheng standing behind Xie Lian and hastily replied, "I... daren't. I shouldn't. I can't."
"What's the concern?" Xie Lian said and took a couple steps out, ready to pick up Quan Yi Zhen the daruma doll when a figure suddenly dropped from the sky and fell heavily before him, the sound of bones cracking loud and crisp in the air.