Chapter 44:

Chapter 44

~~~~Tai Su~~~~

The world around me was a gray caricature of reality. It was the world put under a gray filter, the bark was gray, the air was gray and there was mist that provided another shade of gray.

If my squad were visible inside of the mist I would have laughed at the poor attempt at scaring me, but they weren’t, which meant that I had to find them.

“Can anyone hear me?” I shouted.

I knew the answer before I even finished shouting, I could barely hear my own voice, let alone that of others and I doubt the others were in a better situation.

‘Is this teleportation or an illusion?” I wondered, my mind running through many more possibilities as to what happened

I am not smelling anything either, no emotions, no Qi and I can’t see anyone.

I was either transported to some sort of hidden realm, or I am in an illusion, nothing else made sense. One moment we were walking in good spirits, and the next there was silence.

I took a step back, the word was still gray.

‘Where you enter the barrier is not where you exit it, the barrier is not static.’ I recalled.

I took several more steps, and suddenly the gray world was replaced by the real world. The silence that made me almost unable to even hear my voice was replaced by screams.

I narrowed my eyes at the sight in front of me. Everyone was screaming for each other and yet none could hear the others.

Two sights caught my eye, the first was the twins catching each other.

“Haoran!”

“Cheng! Where are the rest?”

The two were touching now and it seemed that was enough to allow themselves to see each other.

“Can you hear me?” I shouted as loud as I could.

None responded or looked like they even heard me.

Mei Lin fell to the floor, her face turning feverish and I rushed forward towards her. She wasn’t the closest to me, but whatever the illusion was doing to everyone had a stronger effect on her than on everyone else which meant I had to take her out fast.

She fell on the grass as her legs could no longer hold her weight and looked moments away from passing out.

I rushed forward, each of my steps stronger than anything I’ve ever felt before and rushed towards the ice blooded.

Green turned to gray as all noise ceased and I was once again under the illusion and I tried my best to remember exactly where Mei Lin was. The last thing I wanted was to hurt the woman.

“Mei Lin, Mei Lin!” I shouted once I reached the rough area where I guessed she was.

I was touching the ground and stumbling through a false world trying to find a woman that looked moments away from not being able to respond.

I could feel her flesh, and in a single heartbeat she appeared from nowhere. She was on her back, her mouth covered in vomit and only the white of her eyes were visible.

I wasted no time pulling her up and running away from the barrier. I put her down on the forest floor gently and arranged her so she was no longer chocking on her own vomit. I put my hands to her chest and felt it rise and fall and I breathed a sigh of relief.

She was breathing.

Now who am I going for next? Mei Lin is stable, but I don’t know what to do with her, now that she’s incapacitated.

I rose up and looked again at the group.

Bao was looking around frightened at her own shadow, the twins and Yu Zong looked like they were trying to find their way back and didn’t look like they needed me, and Ya Xue and Da Xiu looked like they were preparing to push forward.

“What are they doing?” I asked, my voice turning into a hiss.

The words of my father and the bannermen In the Seventh Yellow Hill Town echoed through my head.

‘If the road is unsteady, if danger lurks then you must push ahead. The banners march towards danger not away from it.’

The two idiots march forward because they think this part of the trial is meant only for individuals. It fit, separating us, making it difficult for us to see or find one another and having us face the unknown together. It had the hallmarks of an individual trial, and like hell if I’ll allow it.

If the sect wants to test us individually then it can come say it to our face.

I ran towards the taller of the two idiots and the world turned gray again.

It took me seconds to find Da Xiu again, the mist illusion making the act of finding someone a few steps away from me a far more difficult thing than it had any right to.

“Get back beyond the line idiot, I need you to get Yu Zong to look over Mei Lin!” I shouted at him as I touched his shoulder.

He jumped as I startled him, or at least he tried to. I held tightly on his clothes and pulled him back forcefully before he even had time to form a thought.

When I came back from the illusion, the twins were looking over their older sister.

“Wha-” Da Xiu tried to articulate as he once again could see the forest.

“No time to argue, the others are in an illusion, get Yu Zong out, I’m going after Ya Xue. Cheng Lin! Go get Bao out of the illusion, Haoran Lin make sure Mei Lin is not choking on her own vomit again.” I shouted, my voice echoing in my own skull.

I could also feel a burn in my throat at the accidental use of Qi to empower my voice, but I didn’t have time to care for it.

I did not bother looking at the three if they obeyed my orders or not, I had to get Ya Xue out of the illusion before she went too far for me to stumble on her.

The trees in the illusion did not quite match those outside, my only hope of finding someone else in the false mist was to hope that my estimation of distance was accurate and the more Ya Xue walked, the less likely it was that I would find her.

“Ya Xue!” I shouted on instinct, my voice once again filled with Qi.

I couldn’t find her. I moved around, even tried to touch the trees as both my hands were spread wide, but I could not find her.

My only hope was that her water meridian enhanced hearing combined with my Qi -enhanced voice might allow her to hear me and stop.

“Ya Xue!” I shouted again.

This time my hand found something, and that something was the hand of the tomboyish woman I was looking after.

“Tai Su?” She asked shocked as I caught her hand in a vice grip which prevented her from moving.

I am not letting her get away from me and risk not being able to find her in the illusion formation.

“Come, we’re not walking through this illusion alone or at night.” I ordered.

“But the trial.” She weakly tried to argue.

My eyes narrowed in anger, I would have none of that.

I made sure that I looked straight into her eyes as I spoke this time.

“If the sect wants us to face a trial alone they’ll have to come tell me personally, now come.” I declared and pulled her back to the others.

This time she did not protest and we came out of the illusion together.

~~~~Ya Xue~~~~

The shadows enveloped me, giving me a deep and peaceful silence. A brief respite from the whispers, the shouts the constant endless songs.

The silence was peace, the peace of the grave, where one rests forever. It was peaceful, it was beautiful.

It was not where I belonged.

‘Come.’ A voice demanded sharply.

It was a word that reminded me of dark eyes and a sharp spear and I could feel it cut through the silence. A single word was enough and the silence was cut down and from the silence I awakened.

“Little Ya, are you well?” A voice kindly asked from my side.

I was drowsy still, due to a troubled sleep. Yesterday… yesterday was bad.

I had trouble sleeping last night after Tai Su brought everyone out of the illusion. We all retreated a few dozen steps away from the furthest the formation had enveloped one of us just in case and then our leader decided we would brave the formation tomorrow when all of us had the chance to rest.

The issue is that I couldn’t rest well, because a part of me wanted to stay there. Inside I could hear nothing, not the whispers that have been haunting me for weeks, not the noises that I keep hearing out of nowhere and make me doubt whether I am alive or dead.

In there it was only me again, only my thoughts, only my dreams, only my voice and I missed that.

“I am fine Bao, just a bit tired still.” I answered the question of my senior.

I wasn’t tired enough to not answer my senior though, I knew better than to do anything to alienate the woman that took me in.

Ever since the bastard of a former husband decided to get another woman pregnant before me and thus broke our marriage, I knew I would probably never be a proper wife. My parents told me as much, even as father and some of his cousins went and beat up the bastard that shamed me, my clan knew that nobody would marry me anymore.

My marriage was my family trying to marry up and secure a better position among the banner families, but after the bastard decided to break it and my family was forced to respond, I knew that nobody would have married me after.

There was no reason for them to do so, nobody would lower themselves to take a woman shamed like I was, marriage was a social event after all. You can’t get married if the one you wish to marry with is so far above you in social standing that they get nothing out of it.

“I can talk to Tai, let you sleep in a bit more, you and Mei Lin were the hardest hit by the formation yesterday and she doesn’t look that good either still.” Bao replied.

I shook my head lightly.

The other woman was hit hard by being in the barrier, while I was hit hard by being removed from it. Despite all that both of us were looked after by our senior for most of the night.

I never imagined I would be taken in by someone that cared. I thought my lot would be to beg to join one of the shrills houses and beg to not die alone and instead was taken into the household of a woman that genuinely wished to look after me.

I can’t repay this heavenly providence by being needy, I have to defend it lest I lose it.

No, I won’t let that happen, good luck comes too rarely to let it go to waste.

“No I am just bit sleepy. We won’t be doing anything too strenuous anyway so I’ll be as new in a few hours as I wake up properly. I am worried more about Mei Lin though, what will we do if she falls down again?” I asked.

Mei Lin despite being an ice blooded has been acting with kindness around me and I had no intention of leaving her behind or repaying her actions with badmouthing her, but the question had to be asked and I was far too distracted to pay attention to the discussions happening last night.

Bao looked suspiciously at me and that alone sent a spike of pain straight through my heart, which I did my best to hide.

“If she drops again, Tai will be carrying her. Are you sure you are fine?” She asked again.

“That’s good to hear, and yes I am fine and ready to leave.” I answered and fastened my backpack to my back.

It was heavier than I remembered, probably filled with my share of Tai Su’s burden in case Mei Lin needs carrying as it’s difficult to carry a human being while also carrying your kit.

Bao sighed at my words, she did not believe me, but chose to ignore it the whispers said.

I hate the whispers, I hate the fact that they became louder and I hate the fact I have to hear them. I want home, I want to be alone with my thoughts again, I want to be hugged.

I am not getting any of that except the last one, as my senior decided to take the opportunity that came from both of us now being on our feet to hug me, and for a moment the world was less noisy.

“Thank you.” I said as the hug ended.

The world was less crowded now my voice and thoughts finally reaching something close to dominance over my own mind. The feeling won’t last, it never does, but it helps get me through the day.

“You looked like you needed it now come, everyone is waiting for us.” She declared and pulled me towards where the others were.

I followed without complaint, my thoughts still sluggish. She was correct, the are around us was empty, we were the last ones here, or better said I was.

‘I was out of it more than I thought.’

“We’re here Tai, sorry for being late!” Bao shouted.

I knew what she was doing and did my best not to sigh due to being a burden.

“Nothing to worry about Bao, come we’ll be tied up together on the side.” Big sister Yu answered with a laugh.

“Tied?” I asked.

“Yes, we discussed last night that we should use some of the thinner rope to tie ourselves to each other to make sure we are not separated. Come, you’ll be to my other side.” My senior declared and proceeded to tie the rope around my wrist.

I was given a long rope, something I saw was the case for Tai Su and Da Xiu which were linked together, as well. It seems the warriors are given room to maneuver.

Mei Lin strangely had no rope, it seems that she was only going to be carried.

“Everyone ready?” Tai Su asked once Bao finished tying the two of us.

“Yes!” Bao answered and brought her hands into the air.

Everyone else did the same shortly after as Mei Lin jumped on Tai Su’s back.

“Good, we’re leaving now, if something feels wrong, tell me immediately, the illusion does not fully match reality, if one of you falls down due to a hidden obstacle you might pull everyone down with you or worse rip the bindings up and we will not be able to see you.” Tai Su declared and we left.

The world turned gray from one step to the other. It also turned silent, I could no longer hear anything but my own thoughts and I breathed a sigh of relief.

“What’s that?” Yu Zong asked.

Her and Bao’s hand didn’t have enough rope between them, so both of their hands pointed up in front of us, towards a single golden sun glowing in front of us near the peak of the mountain.

“Our destination.” Da Xiu replied promptly.

“Yes, I doubt we would have been able to find anything if they didn’t give us a clue. Mei Lin, are you well?” Tai Su continued.

The woman in question had her eyes closed as she spoke.

“The disorientation only comes if I have my eyes open. As it is, I am feeling slightly nauseous.” She answered.

“Good, Ya Xue are you well, feeling anything unusual?” He asked me.

“Yes, I can’t hear Qi which was a bit disorienting, but I can handle it.” I answered.

“Are you sure?” He asked again, this time he was looking at Bao and not me.

“Yes, I can handle the flank.” I declared proudly.

I will not be a burden. The right flank is a position of prestige and I will not let my new family down.

“Good, I’ll trust you then. Let’s go everyone, today we finish this trial.” He declared and we were off.