Zarthos
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116 - Setbacks and Regrets
🕑 Added 2024-11-18 15:54:41 +0000 UTCQin Yun looked at the envoy with interest, only to be ignored. The man pressed a single palm onto the shimmering blue barrier, only to be repelled slightly. He sighed and began walking away, uninterested in the crowd that gathered and the three elders looking toward him as if seeking instructions. Even Zou Lan seemed taken aback by the man's disinterest. She had expected something more from him, yet the realization that the old Guardian might still be alive seemed enough for him.
While Qin Yun might regret this, he couldn't stop himself.
"That's it?" he asked, not trying to mask the smile creeping on his lips. "I thought you wouldn't stop until you met with him."
The man stopped but chose not to turn around. His firm voice easily cut through the bustle of the surrounding crowd.
“The Alliance only wished to ascertain his current status,” he said. “As long as he remains, the Alliance won’t interfere. Everything else is inconsequential.”
Qin Yun couldn't help but frown. Maybe the old Guardian was more than he seemed, but thinking of such things was no use. He was already dead and gone. Still, he hoped this truth would remain hidden for a while longer.
“My lord,” the female elder said, pleading with her eyes. “What about what you promised us?”
Her whole body exuded an air of sensuality, attracting most of the surrounding gazes. Surprisingly, even Qin Yun felt attracted to the woman—as weak as it was. Still, some of the surrounding mortals couldn't help themselves and lost their self-restraints, seeking to rush to her with all their might.
Even women weren’t spared—except for one. Zou Lan looked more than annoyed. So much so that she spread her domain once again, bathing the crowd in it. As the threat of death loomed over them, most snapped out of it almost immediately, while the rest simply fell to the ground unconscious. All that remained was a slight scent of flowers permeating the world before being crushed under the might of Zou Lan’s domain.
Still, the envoy didn't bat an eyelid as he was bathed in the most concentrated scent. His stride didn't falter, only offering the slightest glance toward the woman in purple. His eyes were emotionless, almost as if all the sentiments he ever had had been spilled when he faced the blue barrier. Now, nothing remained. Qin Yun couldn't help but feel he resembled himself somewhat. They seemed to be cut from the same mould.
“Remember my exact words," the man said, walking past. "I never promised anything. Besides, all of it was contingent upon the fact that the Guardian was gone. However, the fact that the barrier remains already proves his survival. Or are you telling me someone else may have taken ownership of it? How absurd..."
He then faded in the distance, leaving the three elders stunned. However, Qin Yun noticed that only the sickly elder seemed not to care as much as the other two. While they showed grim expressions, full of resentment and even anger, the green-robed elder seemed pensive, almost as if he had something else on his mind. Qin Yun could easily infer a reason. He knew something had to be done about this.
He glanced to the side, only to meet Zou Lan's gaze. He gave her a sign that she understood immediately before retracting her domain and letting her prisoners go free.
“That's enough," she said softly, yet the breeze carried her words into the ears of every man, woman and child present, even resounding throughout this small part of the city. "Return to your homes and grieve, for this is but the beginning. As long as this city stands, the Outsiders will try, time and again, to break down its defences. Sooner or later, they will come again, and we will be ready, for the Guardian remains to block their path. The barrier protecting this city is proof of his caring nature, thinking nothing of his own sacrifice, if only to protect the Western Regions that stand behind us, but also those that made their lives here, and those that fight alongside him."
After a moment of silence, the crowd finally nodded before returning to their homes, a slight hope blooming on their visages. However, just before they left, some offered the three elders a parting glance, yet those glances seemed laced with partially hidden disgust and resentment, only for it to fade soon after as they went back to their own lives.
The three elders left soon after, closely following behind the envoy. Their expressions were grim, furious even. Most were aimed at Zou Lan, yet some even landed on Qin Yun, but he brushed them away as easily as sand falling on his shoulders.
"You are playing a dangerous game," Zou Lan said, standing next to Qin Yun while isolating them within her domain. Still, she didn't bother to mask how content she seemed, looking at the elders' frustration.
"It needed to be done; otherwise, the city would have fallen long before the Outsider returned," Qin Yun shrugged, yet he didn't taste the sweetness of victory. This was but the respite before the storm. Nothing had been averted, only delayed. Still, this was the best he could do at the moment.
“This can’t be hidden forever,” Qin Yun sighed. “Sooner or later, the truth will come out. Too many people know what happened.”
"You think some of my people would be traitors?" she asked, a frown growing.
“Whether through betrayal or carelessness, nothing remains the same forever. If I were you, I would keep an eye on that envoy. He is by far the most dangerous of all of them.”
"I am inclined to agree," she nodded. "While the three elders' agendas are as clear as day, only his remains obscured. I doubt he came all this way only to turn back without meeting the Guardian in person. The Alliance wouldn't be so callous in their orders. There must be something else he wants... just like you."
Her gaze rested on Qin Yun as if trying to peer through him. She seemed like a predator stalking her prey, yet Qin Yun was no normal prey. He remained calm and composed, betraying no nervousness or anxiety, which couldn't help but give her pause. Still, Qin Yun had nothing to fear since, despite it all, he had been forthcoming and truthful all along; only she refused to believe him.
“This city cannot afford to fall. At least, not now. It is that simple.”
“Yet you still wish to venture further on the other side?” she asked, perplexed. “Why not remain and lend us your strength? While your cultivation is lacking, I know how resourceful you can be. There are many areas where you could be useful.”
“What can one man do against the tides of history,” Qin Yun shrugged. “This city is doomed to fall eventually; the only question is when... and how. Whether I stay or go doesn’t make the slightest difference.”
“Why prolong the inevitable, then?”
While Zou Lan was reluctant to entertain the notion, she couldn’t help but agree with Qin Yun’s assessment. Each year, the Outsiders’ raid grew much fiercer, while the support they received dwindled with each victory, almost as if they truly believed the fortress was impenetrable, if only because it had never been breached. Still, those far away were always quick to forget just how much had to be sacrificed for such victories in the first place.
“You know as well as I that the Outsiders are inconsequential; only the force backing them matters," Qin Yun shrugged. "Even if the fortress stands, this war isn't limited to the Western Regions. I'm willing to bet each of the other three regions has its own conflicts to contend with. Who's to say which will break first?"
Zou Lan frowned even further, mulling on Qin Yun’s words.
"True... Interactions between the different regions have become scarcer in recent years, and we know almost next to nothing about the Eastern Regions. The Inner Regions even seemed to be actively concealing it. If anything, only the Alliance would be privy to such information, and they don't seem that eager to share."
"It may already be too late," Qin Yun added, yet still looked as unconcerned as ever, for he knew that if things were this dire, the one above would have already informed him unless he, too, was inconsequential in her plans. Thus, his destination remained. He needed answers that only the World's Edge could give.
"It seems I can't stop you," Zou Lan sighed before a wood plank emerged from her storage ring.
It was plain, the type of wood you could find anywhere, not even possessing the slightest bit of spirituality. Using a finger, Zou Lan began to use her domain to carve the character for moonlight upon its surface, even integrating a piece of her domain within. This gave the piece of wood a slight glow but also a very subdued trace of energy before gifting it to Qin Yun.
With a bright smile, Qin Yun accepted it, only for it to disappear out of thin air. Zou Lan couldn't even feel the slightest trace of space fluctuations, yet she chose not to probe further. Instead, something else was on her mind.
“When do you plan to leave, and do you ever plan to come back?” she asked.
“Soon,” he replied, looking in the direction the three elders had left. “I have a few loose ends to tie up before I do so. I'll let you know. As for your other question, I have only a slight idea of what I might find on the other side. This trip may take less than a year or a whole century."
“What are you hoping to find?” she asked casually, not expecting an answer.
Qin Yun remained silent for a while, looking in the distance as he felt Zou Lan's sword domain fluctuations. In the short time since he showed her the true wonders of intent, her domain had stabilized substantially, becoming even more profound than ever. Even her murderous intent—though it remained—had subsided. She seemed more composed and less prone to acting on her emotions. Figuring this might be the last time they exchanged words, Qin Yun offered her more than he first intended.
“Back in the Immortal Phoenix Sect, my wife is waiting for me,” he said solemnly. “If I never come back...”
The silence lingered for a while, only for Zou Lan to speak.
“How long should I wait?”
"Who knows..." Qin Yun shrugged. "Up to you."
Feeling the sincerity in his words, Zou Lan couldn't help but feel a kinship with Qin Yun, for she, too, had someone she cared for. However, what Qin Yun told her next left her stunned.
He spoke of what he believed he would find on the other side, yet the revelation seemed too much for her to take. She thought her cultivation had brought her close to the Heavenly Dao, yet these revelations left her wondering how little she truly knew. Dread couldn't help but sprout in her heart, wondering if it was worth knowing. Somehow, she couldn't help but wish she had remained ignorant. It would have been much easier to swallow.
“Now you know why I didn’t wish to say,” Qin Yun lamented.
Still, Zou Lan was much stronger than she appeared, and her mind was much more stable than the average individual's. She took a long, deep breath and recomposed herself.
"How many know about this?" she asked.
"Know this for a fact? Not many, I'd wager. However, I'm sure those immortals in the Central Region know something we don't, so I need to see it for myself. I'll let you know when I do."
Qin Yun took a step forward, passing through the boundary of her domain, following the trail the three elders had left, only for Zou Lan to still be lost in her own thoughts, yet there was one thing she was sure of.
“Somehow, I wish you hadn’t told me...” she muttered to the breeze, looking sad and forlorn as she gazed toward the World’s Edge.
Comments
Zarthos
I don't want to spoil it before he gets there cuz I have something really nice planned. Too bad :)
Talespinner Lore
Damn youuuuuuuuuu! The secret remains!
