"May the Lord bless our lands and put an end to this endless tide of death! "
"We beg you! Please...!I can't bear to lose anyone else! Help me!..."
The desperate voices echoed through the cold, dark building, like the wind on a stormy day.
Despite the sad appearance of the Temple, the aroma of the offerings created a comfortable air, and the beautiful gold sculpture brought its followers closer to the divine figure.
"Can't they see that I have more to do? If someone dies from some disease, I can't do anything anymore."
"Sir, the cases are not just deaths from diseases, we have sever-" She began in a stern but cautious tone.
But his voice was cut off by the snap of the man's fingers.
"Why can't you see that I have more pressing matters to attend to? I have several problems to solve with another Celestial! One more problem will drive me crazy! !" The man turned abruptly to the woman, staring at her with sharp eyes.
The woman shivered but stood firm.
"I understand, Sir! But the deaths this time are different... Please! We have to do something about all this! Or it will be too late later! "
"Are you accusing me of ignoring the needs of my people? "
"No! I would never say that, Lord! But I just ask that you please listen to me! "
The man let out an irritated sigh.
"Hurry up, I don't have much time."
"The biggest death we've had recently was in one of our camps, witnesses said it started as a small fight and then suddenly there were just 15 men dead on the ground, stabbed by their own friends. "
"Suddenly like this?"
"Yes."
"And what about the other Clans, is this also happening? "
"No other Clan reported the same occurrences. "
"A curse perhaps?...No...My kingdom is known for its protection against curses, it doesn't make sense. "
A moment of tense silence took over the place.
"Alert the Heavenly Court, I will ask for help from other Gods. "
The woman nods and bows before the male figure, and in the blink of an eye, the female figure disappears.
The man looked back at the two gentlemen kneeling there, he slowly clenched his fists with anguish and anger in his eyes, Then with just a heavy sigh, the man leaves the temple filled with despair, and returns to the tranquil air of Heaven.
...
Amidst the tranquil scenery of Heaven, rumors traveled like light through the ears of those on a plane below.
"Did you hear there's going to be a meeting at the Palace today? "
"Meeting? Where did you hear that?"
"Rumors like this spread quickly through the Heavens, even more so when it comes to an "urgent matter"."
"I heard that the Léi Hún Zōng Clan is experiencing numerous losses and deaths at the moment."
"Death cases?"
"Yes...they said the situation is really bad..."
"To have a meeting like that...it must be really bad..."
"Rumor has it that most of the deaths are murders of soldiers."
"Strange... The other Clans don't seem to be going through the same thing. "
"I hope it stays that way! I wouldn't like to hear that there are deaths happening in my clan."
"Take cover! Danger is near! "
A hoarse voice echoed through the crowd, near a restaurant, a man held a sign in one hand, while in his other hand, he held a large amount of papers.
"Buy it as soon as possible! It will bring you health or exorcise you from evil!"
A young boy's gaze quickly turns to the man.
"What is he talking about?"
"Hm? Ah, he..if I'm not mistaken..he must be talking about..hm..I heard someone talking about it, but I don't remember much about it. "
"No problem. " A young boy replied, taking a sip of tea.
"So, did you hear about the Reunion? "
"Yes, I heard, but what would be so important?"
"I have no idea, maybe they argue about how bad the Kingdom Lei Hun Zong is, you know..., the manipulation that happens within that Kingdom is enormous.. "
"Don't talk bad about them, they have a lot of influence, that's all. "
"Buy now or you will regret it in the future!"
While the two young boys were drinking tea, the man kept shouting and trying to sell his papers, some people gave the man strange looks, and others just ignored him.
"About our class yesterday, did you read our lesson?"
"Don't even get me started on that...I barely touched on that pile of words. "
"That's not surprising coming from you." The young boy said, taking another sip of tea.
"Take cover! I heard that Ye Xun is coming back! Take cover before the worst happens!He's coming back and he wants revenge! "
Instantly, the market had a dense air, as if it were impossible to breathe, silence settled among the people, with only the noise of the wind and whispers that were fading away being heard, some people cast anguished looks at people nearby, others, on the contrary, had only an indifferent look, with a small spark of suspicion at the man's speech.
Slowly, as the sudden shock subsided, people began to whisper amongst themselves, all having the same topic, Ye Xun.
"Did you hear what that man was talking about?.." Said a man close to the two young men, in a whisper-like voice, as if at any moment whatever was said out loud would create a commotion in the place.
"Ye Xun...I haven't heard that name except in legends..."The man in front of him quickly answered him, with his voice gradually decreasing, the man glanced around, noticing the expression of fear on the people nearby.
People whispered among themselves inside the small establishment where the two young men were.
As soon as the name "Ye Xun" reached Jun Chen's ears, the young man instantly froze, his breath caught, as if it was impossible to breathe, his hands were shaking, and the terror in his eyes was clear. "Y-Ye Xun...?! " His breath caught in his throat, his eyes wide with disbelief and fear, as if the mere mention of his name could summon him.
The boy looked at him without reacting for a few seconds. "Next time turn your face away, idiot!"
The boy remained silent, staring at the man with wide eyes, and suddenly, he quickly stood up, lightly slapping the table, and ran towards the man.
"Jun Chen! What are you-" Shouted his colleague who quickly followed him.
The two quickly ran towards the man, bumping into a few people along the way, until they reached the man.
"Ah...where did you learn to be so fast? " Said his colleague catching his breath after the race.
Jun Chen just ignored him and went directly to talk to the man. "Sir, could you please repeat what you just said."
The man looks at the two with a raised eyebrow. "About what exactly?"
"About Ye Xun."
"Ah yes...Ye Xun, I recently heard that he would be coming back."
The other young boy approached with a curious look. "Ye Xun? Isn't he that famous character from the legends? "
"Himself."
For a few seconds, the three remained silent, casting suspicious and frightened looks at each other.
"Where did you hear about this? "Jun Chen said, breaking the silence.
"Since they were talking about that Meeting, I accidentally heard two Palace guards, who were walking around the market, talking about Ye Xun, when I paid attention, they were talking about the hypothesis of Ye Xun having come back to life. "
"Yu Xen?..That doesn't make sense..the stories say he died.." Jun Chen was thinking about a tense internal conflict.
"Are you sure, sir?"
"Yes! I may be crazy because of my stories but I am sure of what I hear. "
Jun Chen looked at his colleague with a thoughtful look but deep down there was a small spark of fear.
Anguish and fear had fallen upon the many people in the market at that moment, was Ye Xun really alive?... Or was it just another rumor made up to scare people?However, rumors have a way of coming true, right?