Si Shen closed the umbrella with a swift flick and brushed the dust from his robes. Bending down, he retrieved the shattered bracelet, the two pieces feeling heavy in his hands as he examined them closely.
These stones… they seem familiar. Where have I seen them before?
He turned the fragments over, searching his memory, but the answer eluded him.
I must take this back for further study.
With a deliberate motion, Si Shen tucked the pieces into his sleeve pocket and secured his umbrella to his waist belt. As he straightened, he cast a glance at the lady behind him, who remained visibly shaken.
Seizing the opportunity to leave before Xue Ziqi fully regained her composure, Si Shen hastily cupped his hands and bowed. "Now that this matter is settled, I shall take my leave."
Xue Ziqi snapped out of her thoughts, leaping down from the high walls to land before him, effectively blocking his exit.
"Does Lady Xue have any other matters? You might not want to go home but this old man still wants to go home." Si Shen forced a strained smile.
Xue Ziqi's eyebrows twitched in annoyance at his words as she held her ground.
"The bracelet—give it to me."
With the haunting resolved, Xue Ziqi needs to give the Xia Sect an answer. Technically speaking, she does not require the bracelet to do so but that trinket is not normal. It contained resentment energy, capable of controlling a spirit and corrupting it. When attacked, it protected itself as though it possessed a will of its own. If this bracelet lands in the hands of the wrong person, Xue Ziqi fears that the result will be catastrophic.
It would be best for her to bring it back to the Xue Clan.
"Are you going to hand it over to the Xia Sect?" Si Shen folded his arms, narrowing his eyes at her.
Xue Ziqi shook her head firmly. "I'll bring it back to the Glacier Sanctuary."
Si Shen grimaced at the mention of the Glacier Sanctuary, home of the Xue Sect. Nestled in a remote area surrounded by the northern mountains and perpetual ice, the climate was unforgivingly cold, with winter reigning year-round. Despite its isolation, many people live in areas that fall under the Xue Clan's protection.
The Glacier Sanctuary had been established by the Xue Clan at its founding, built upon a certain cursed land where the ice never melted. The first clan leader had sensed the unusual energy that permeated the forested area, with an ice mountain at its four corners. The climate and this strange energy resonated with his clan's techniques, making it a fitting home and base.
Si Shen remembered visiting it that one time and vowed to never return. The biting cold had been unbearable, and the food—well, he insisted he was not a picky eater, but the Xue Clan's cuisine sorely lacked seasoning.
"I'll hand it over to my father for investigation." Xue Ziqi extended her hand, waiting for Si Shen to place the bracelet into her palm. However, Si Shen eyed her outstretched hand warily.
He would prefer the bracelet remain out of any cultivation clan's reach. One could never be certain of a person's intentions when handling something with so much potential to go wrong. It would be safer for him to return it to the spiritual realm and examine its origins there. But knowing the Xue Clan's stubbornness and sense of righteousness, he realized it would be difficult to persuade the young lady otherwise.
"How about this? I'll take half, and you take half." Si Shen reached into his pocket and pulled out one half of the bracelet, offering it to Xue Ziqi.
Xue Ziqi took the half of the bracelet and scrutinized it closely. The thread hung loosely where it had been forcefully torn apart, and the ornaments no longer radiated any resentment energy, resembling ordinary stones. However, the intricate carvings on the stones remained intact. After a moment of examination, she nodded at Si Shen, satisfied. She could work with this half.
Cupping her hands in a respectful bow, she turned to depart.
Si Shen watched her go, waiting until she was out of sight before unhooking his umbrella from his waist belt. He tapped it lightly on the ground, and darkness swirled around him, engulfing him and pulling him into the earth.
In the next moment, the shadows released him, returning to the umbrella as he emerged in a new location. Si Shen blinked, adjusting to his surroundings, only to find Nan Ling and Nan Liu staring at him.
"You went out to play without us!" Nan Ling pointed an accusing finger at Si Shen.
Si Shen rolled his eyes, setting his belongings down. He was surprised to see the two drunkards awake and sober enough to complain.
"Where did you go?" Nan Liu asked, hands on his hips and brows furrowed.
"I went to take a walk around the Ye Mansion." Si Shen shrugged nonchalantly.
"The Ye Mansion? You went to find the spirit haunting their house?" Nan Ling's tone immediately shifted to one of concern at the mention of the Ye Mansion.
"I did." Si Shen began to recount his little trip, and with each detail, he could see the anxiety grow in the expressions of the brothers before him.
"A bracelet that could channel resentment energy into a spirit, that sounds disastrous for the human realm." Nan Liu said, frowning, his conclusions mirroring Si Shen's.
"We don't even know if it was channeling resentment energy or igniting the spirit's own resentment energy. Think about it: since when stones are able to contain resentment energy? If it truly channels, where is it drawing from? But if it's fueling the spirit's own resentment, how can the caster control it? The spirit would be controlled by its own emotions instead." Nan Ling threw his hands in the air.
Si Shen nodded, agreeing with both of them. There were too many unknowns surrounding this bracelet, but one thing was certain: the outcome would be troubling. They needed to expedite their mission in Xia City before returning home.
"But I still can't believe you gave Xue Ziqi half of the bracelet. Who knows what she will do with it," Nan Ling grumbled.
"Nan Ling, hush. Everyone knows the Xue Clan is the most righteous out of all the other clans out there in the cultivation world." Nan Liu chided, poking his brother's side and making him wince at the jab.
"Who said I gave her the bracelet?" Si Shen laughed at their bewildered faces and he dangled the two halves of the bracelet from his fingers.
Their jaws dropped at the sight and Si Shen offered a cheeky grin.
Their jaws dropped at the sight, and Si Shen offered a cheeky grin. "She's going to be so mad when she finds out. Wait, do the Xue people even get mad?"
Nan Ling chuckled, while Nan Liu gave Si Shen an approving nod. "Who cares? Even if she does get mad, she wouldn't be the first from her clan to take issue with me."
Their laughter echoed in the room as Si Shen leaned back, savoring the moment. But the weight of the bracelet's mystery lingered in his mind.
"Let's just hope we can resolve this before it spirals out of control," Nan Liu said, his expression sobering.
Si Shen nodded, his grin fading as he looked at the halves of the bracelet. "Agreed. We need to act quickly."
With that, the lightness of their banter faded, replaced by a shared determination. The trio swiftly packed their belongings and set off for their original mission: to retrieve a lingering spirit that had been loitering near the cherry blossom festival stalls.