"What are you doing here?" A stern voice was heard behind them. It was Gao Jun. He glared at them.
"Master? Aren't you out on urgent business?" Yang Luoya asked warily.
"I just returned and heard a loud noise, so I rushed in," Gao Jun explained.
"How did you enter the mountain?" Gao Jun looked at Yang Wei.
"Trespass—"
"Sneak in," Yang Wei cut him off. Yang Luoya glared at Yang Wei for cutting in again.
"I knew this would happen sooner or later—that you would find this place. Never expected you'd bring an outsider with you," Gao Jun said.
"Forgive me, Master, but Yang Wei is the one who found this place," Yang Luoya apologized.
"Well, it doesn't matter anymore. Are you curious about this place?" Gao Jun asked as he moved closer to the large rock.
"Yes, Master. This is the first time I've seen it," Yang Luoya replied.
"This place... was left by my master, the former Kirin Peak Lord. I was still a child when he left me. Even now, I can't figure out what this place was meant for," he sighed.
"Is this... his grave?" Yang Luoya asked.
"No... but he left something here. He left a few sentences on the rock. But no matter what I try, I can't decipher it. My master used the same language as everyone else, but suddenly he wrote in another language."
"Master... can I see the message?" Yang Luoya asked.
"It's covered in mold and dirt. You can clean it carefully," Gao Jun said.
Yang Luoya and Yang Wei began to clean the rock, wiping it little by little until some words became readable. But before everything was cleaned off, Yang Luoya stopped and stared at the rock in disbelief. He took a few steps back to look at it more clearly.
"This... (It was written in English...)" he muttered.
[Where roots once whispered to the soil,
Now silence reigns, the earth turns to spoil.
The tree that gave, now takes away,
And sunless night swallows day.
The one beneath shall awaken,
Until last breath brings destruction.]
Yang Luoya was petrified for a second after reading it. English shouldn't exist in this world since the novel is set in ancient China. He read the words over and over again, until Yang Wei placed a hand on his shoulder to snap him out of it.
"Brother... are you okay? I've been calling you, but you never responded," Yang Wei said, worried.
"Yang Luo, did you understand the language?" Gao Jun finally asked.
"Master, I... I think I know what it says."
"Can you read it for me?" Gao Jun smiled. Yang Luoya nodded and read the message aloud. As the last word left his lips, the rock began to crack.
"What happened?" Gao Jun was surprised.
"You can read it~," an unfamiliar voice rang out.
Yang Luoya looked around and finally saw a creature floating in the air. Small, yellow, with a lion's tail and two horns, it couldn't be called an animal, but it also couldn't be called human. It was a chibi version of a half-human, half-fantasy creature.
"Yellowish creature—"
"Who do you call yellow creature?!" the creature scolded Yang Luoya.
"Yang Luo, what are you talking about?" Gao Jun asked. Yang Wei also stared at Yang Luoya in confusion.
"They can't see me after all," the creature muttered as it flew around Gao Jun and Yang Wei, who didn't notice it.
"Master, actually, there's a small creature that appeared out of thin air after the rock cracked," Yang Luoya explained.
"What? But I can't see it."
"The only one who can see me is the one who can read the message, after all," the creature continued to fly in circles around Yang Luoya.
"They say the only one who can see them is the one who read the rock," Yang Luoya said. Gao Jun put his hand under his chin, thinking deeply. "Can you ask the creature about its identity?" he asked. Yang Luoya looked at the creature.
"Finally curious, eh? Rejoice and kneel before me, the mighty being, the Great Kirin itself!" the creature declared. It sounded majestic, but its cute size and appearance betrayed it.
"He says he's a Kirin," Yang Luoya simply stated.
"Hey, put some elegance into it when describing a mighty being like me!" the Kirin scolded again.
"A mighty, strong, domineering, great Kirin itself," Yang Luoya said flatly.
"You mean... the one who protected the peak? A real Kirin? What do they look like?" Gao Jun asked, unsure.
"Round and puffy," Yang Luoya answered.
"What a disrespectful thing to say about me! Besides, my powers have weakened day by day since the death of my owner—no... my contract human," the Kirin said, looking saddened.
"In the past, I had acquired my strongest form. It was my glorious age. I even participated in the great war. After everything was over, I spent my days enjoying my glory in the sky. Then, I realized hundreds of years had passed. My contracted human died of old age, and our relationship was severed. So, my power weakened continuously. My last task is to protect this rock until someone who can read it appears." The Kirin looked down, saddened with each passing moment. Yang Luoya felt sympathy for it as he listened to its story.
".... I sympathize for you ...I can't see him, but... can you ask him what he wants Yang Luo?" Gao Jun asked.
"Since the person who can read the message has appeared, I must guide you and help you inherit my former contracted human's memories," the Kirin explained.
"That's what he said," Yang Luoya relayed to Gao Jun.
"Great Kirin, what should we do to help you?" Gao Jun asked.
"Ask this human to go to the fourth-floor library and enter Yan Xiaoluo's private study," the Kirin instructed.
"... My master's private study? Even I never stepped into it..." Gao Jun muttered.
"Master... what should I do?" Yang Luoya asked.
"The fourth-floor library is actually restricted, but I will give you my token so you can enter it on urgent business," Gao Jun said.
"I understand, Master," Yang Luoya bowed to Gao Jun.
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.
.
They returned to the surface after that. "I can only give my token to you since you're my direct disciple, but if your brother follows along, it might become suspicious since you're visiting a restricted area," Gao Jun explained while tidying up the bookshelf to close the trapdoor.
"I understand, Master," Yang Luoya said, then Gao Jun left the room.
Yang Luoya placed a hand on Yang Wei's shoulder and said, "I have some business to take care of. I'll buy you something delicious tomorrow. For now, head back to your dorm, okay?"
Yang Wei nodded reluctantly and went down the mountain.
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.
.
It was late at night, but Yang Luoya went to the library with the Kirin. The librarian was suspicious at first, but after Yang Luoya showed Gao Jun's token, he let them in. The library was large, filled with thousands of books and high shelves. But as Yang Luoya climbed higher floors, the books became fewer and rarer. Once they reached the fourth floor, they found an old door in the corner of the room. Yang Luoya pushed it open.
The room was small, filled with bookshelves and a small desk.
"I'm here! I'm here! I found the human!" the Kirin shouted as soon as the door opened.
"I thought you'd never come," an unfamiliar voice was heard. A human silhouette appeared. The silhouette was half-transparent, like a hologram.
Yang Luoya was surprised. He had expected an old man in his 100s, but what he saw was a young man with silver hair. Every part of him radiated elegance and grace.