The Scent of the Orchid in the Forest of Secrets (密林兰香)

Chapter Four

Shu Haolin presented the box of Longjing tea to Shao Mingrong. "Clan Elder Shao, I brought this tea for you as a New Years' gift, please enjoy."

Shao Mingrong smiled, but it was as fleeting as a startled rabbit. "There's no need for such formalities. I owed your parents a favor, and it wasn't a small one at that. I will definitely treat you kindly."

"Clan Elder Shao, if it wasn't for you accepting us into the Yu Sect that day, perhaps neither Yang-er or I would've survived past then. I should be the one thanking you instead."

Shao Mingrong took over the box of Longjing tea. "If you insist, then. Why don't you sit down? Tell me, how have your days been in the Yu Sect lately? I haven't seen you around a lot."

Shu Haolin put on a smile. "They've been going well. My cultivation has greatly improved since I first started those months ago."

"That's good to hear. And... about your parents?"

Shu Haolin's smile flickered, and she looked down at her hands. "I'm ashamed to say that I haven't been able to rise to be a ranked disciple yet."

"Oh? Why not? With your cultivation, you are completely qualified to go on an expedition to earn credits. What happened?"

"It's that Cheng..." Shu Haolin trailed off and glanced at Shao Mingrong, her mouth drying when she realized that the Shao Mingrong in front of her was precisely the adopted father of Cheng Xiaoyuan.

Shao Mingrong leaned back, a trace of awkwardness sliding over his face. "Ah, yes, that unfilial adopted son of mine. Has he been bringing you troubles?"

"Not really..." Shu Haolin mumbled, scratching her head, but Shao Mingrong could read otherwise from her expression.

"I would offer to help you, but that kid doesn't listen to me at all." He scratched his head awkwardly. "But, speaking about that matter, I thought of something recently. The Baiyu Alliance was exterminated several years ago, but when it was at its peak, it was a name that would strike fear into the hearts of even the most powerful martial Sects. They were a Sect of demonic cultivators, and powerful ones at that. And their most powerful and recognizable trick of the time," he leaned closer, "was that very curse that is on your little brother right now."

Shu Haolin felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. "Do you mean that my parents' killer and the person who killed my little brother are likely to be from the Baiyu Alliance? But didn't you say they were already exterminated several years ago?"

"They were, but there were so many people, it's impossible to track all of them down, so it is highly likely that there were still some survivors left. Moreover, the most powerful one of them all, the leader and the founder of the Baiyu Alliance, was never really found. He just sort of disappeared from the surface of the earth, and after years of peace, people just assumed he died."

"What do you think, then, Clan Elder Shao?"

He shook his head. "It's hard to say, but I don't believe he would've gone out without a fight. Back in the day, he was a terrifying force on the battlefield. The Yu Sect is lucky that he fell before he decided to turn his eyes on us."

Shu Haolin's eyes stared straight forward, but they didn't look at anything in particular. Her brows furrowed, framing and making more apparent the cloudiness that swirled through her eyes.

***

A chill swept over the Yu Sect, the temperature outside feeling unnaturally chilly even for a winter night. Shu Haolin tossed and turned in small bed across from her little brother, who was already fast asleep, more exhausted than usual from the effects of the curse. The wind seemed to pierce between the gaps in the boards and past the warm blankets over her body, and Shu Haolin shivered. A long, shrill cry sounded out in the night, seeming like the call of a bird but also too sharp, too unnatural to be so. Shu Haolin swung her legs out of bed and got up, shivering as she glanced out of the window. She saw nothing unusual, but the uneasy feeling resting at the pit of her stomach refused to go away, so she got dressed, took her sword and walked outside. She pushed through untamed grasses, past old abandoned houses that had used to be inhabited before this side of the Yu Sect's land became a purgatory of sorts. This side of the Yu Sect was empty, not even a guarding disciple in sight, since the natural terrain of the land made it almost impervious to attackers. But as Shu Haolin strode through the rustling grass, she thought she could hear something other than the whispering of the dead grass. She stood still, and listened hard. From far away, the sounds of muffled, repeated thumps started to grow louder and louder. A second cry tore the silent night, even sharper and more piercing than the first one, and Shu Haolin turn around and ran.