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

Chapter Fifteen

Shu Haolin was too preoccupied with her thoughts to realize that there was another person in the tent that she was staying in, so that when she pulled back the flap of the tent, she was surprised to see Yu Ziyan inside, but her surprise to seeing him in person didn't compare to her shock at seeing the dark, dead look of his left hand. A hideous black fog obscured the details of his hands, but it seemed like his hand had aged into an old, almost dying man, strikingly contrasting his rather young appearance. All this Shu Haolin gathered from the fleeting glance before Yu Ziyan quickly shook back his sleeves, hiding his hand out of sight. He passed by Shu Haolin with a frosty look on his face, leaving the tent abruptly, without saying a word to her. Shu Haolin's gaze followed his departing figure, her brows heavily furrowed. That dead look of his hand reminded her of those disciples who had been cursed to death, but Yu Ziyan had clearly not been at the battlefield that day—what had happened? And how come it had was only concentrated in his hand?

"Haolin," Yu Jielan's voice shook her out of her reverie. "Haolin?"

Shu Haolin tore her gaze away from the tent flap that was still swaying a little. She opened her mouth to ask, but Yu Jielan shook her head. To her surprise, Yu Jielan's expression seemed a little lost, a little conflicted, and slightly pained, and in an instant, Shu Haolin didn't have the heart to question any further. Chen Linfeng walked in a moment after, dark circles underneath his eyes, clearly not having rested that well the night before.

"I have to tell you guys something." Shu Haolin started, recovering from her surprise.

***

The presiding martial arts Sect of Lianyungang was the Lianyun Temple. Towering walls encircled a huge temple with a gold statue of the Buddha, and the sheer size of the Lianyun Temple seemed to rival the grandeur of the imperial city in Beijing. The entire stretch of the wall was guarded with magical formations, and disciples guarded the doors. The inns of the nearby town were all filled with the countless martial arts Sects who were gathering in Lianyungang, so the Yu Sect decided to directly enter Lianyungang and find a place to stay within it. One of the disciples guarding the door took their invitation and went inside to verify, and they were quickly invited inside. Chen Linfeng had been silent for an entire day, and a frown furrowed his brows, but when Shu Haolin asked, he refused to speak.

Finally, as they settled in their quarters that the Lianyun Temple had set aside for them, Chen Linfeng spoke. "I've found out where that Silver Oracle is."

Shu Haolin looked up. "How? What did you find out?"

He began to speak, but jumped when a rustle sounded near the door. After glancing out the door and making sure there was no one out there eavesdropping, he shut the doors tightly.

"In the town we last stopped at, I asked around." He unraveled a hand-drawn paper map and pointed to a spot. "Last time he was seen, he said he was heading here."

Shu Haolin stood up resolutely. She glanced around, repacking the bag she'd just unpacked and was about to leave when Chen Linfeng grabbed her arm. There was a strange look in his eyes, conflicted yet restless. "Haolin, I'm not sure you should investigate this on your own..."

"You're not coming?"

Chen Linfeng looked startled to have the topic of conversation turned back to him, and he fumbled over his words for a few moments. "I mean... we're not supposed to leave without permission, especially in these dangerous times..."

Shu Haolin frowned, a flash of disappointment appearing and disappearing as quickly as it came. To be fair, this wasn't Chen Linfeng's revenge—of course he might not want to come. But it was also bewildering—hadn't he been the one to suggest for them to break the rules and follow the Yu Sect party to the Lianyun Temple? How come he had become cowardly now and refused to go with her to seek out the Silver Oracle?

"Never mind," she waved her hand, "if you're too afraid of breaking the rules, I can go by myself." With that, she swept out of the door, so quickly that the words that had just surfaced to Chen Linfeng's tongue were given no chance to be spoken.

Night had fallen, and Shu Haolin's robes of dark sea green melted into the shadows as she ran along dark corridors, trying to find her way out. She applied all the techniques she'd learned from the Yu Sect to hide her breathing and make her footsteps quiet, but as Yu Jielan approached, the moonlight unabashedly illuminating her lavender robes, Shu Haolin hoped, inexplicably, for a moment, that she would be discovered. But as Shu Haolin held her breath and pressed against the shadows, Yu Jielan passed by calmly, a chilly night breeze stirring up the robes hanging at her ankles. Shu Haolin stayed still in her spot, staring after Yu Jielan as she walked all the way until the end of the corridor, telling herself that she would continue once Yu Jielan turned the corner, but when she reached the corner, Yu Jielan stopped and looked back.

"Haolin, you're not really thinking of going alone, are you?"

Something similar to relief spread over Shu Haolin, and she stepped out of the shadows, letting the moonlight fall onto her skin once more as she walked towards Yu Jielan, the two of them meeting in the middle of the corridor.

"So, where is he?" Yu Jielan asked efficiently. A smile quirked up the corner of Shu Haolin's lips, and she handed over the map.

Yu Jielan led Shu Haolin along dark passageways, confidently picking the shortest path all the way to a hidden exit of the Lianyun Temple. A patch of moonlight lay in between them and the small side gates, and, after seeing no one around, the two of them made a break for the door, pushing it open. However, as soon as they pushed the doors open, several high-pitched bells rang out. The intensity of the sound forced Shu Haolin directly to her knees as she covered her ears desperately, and Yu Jielan gritted her teeth, trying to draw a talisman, but the formation of the Lianyun Temple's bells was simply too strong, and even Yu Jielan looked like she was about to pass out. The sound of footsteps approached, and Shu Haolin grabbed Yu Jielan's arm and pulled her behind a bush.

"There must've been someone trying to break in!" Someone exclaimed. "They couldn't have gone far. The formation can keep anyone below Immortalization stage cultivation stuck within its boundaries. Everyone, search!"

The small group of disciples broke up into parties of two, upturning the entire area. A pair approached where Shu Haolin and Yu Jielan were hiding, rustling through the nearby bushes and trees, checking for the intruders. Shu Haolin resisted the pain ringing through her head, holding her breath and trying to press herself into a smaller ball next to Yu Jielan. The two of them were pressed shoulder to shoulder, and Yu Jielan could feel the warmth of Shu Haolin's suppressed breathing on her cheek. Shu Haolin tensed up, getting ready to jump up at any moment and knock out the two disciples. They walked closer and closer to their hiding spot, ruffling through the bush next to them. Shu Haolin watched as they turned their sights to their hiding spot, bending down to part the branches and look closely. Shu Haolin felt like a string pulled taut, about to snap at any moment, until—

"My apologies," a familiar voice said. Shao Mingrong's face was half in shadow as he interrupted the two disciples reaching towards the bush that Shu Haolin and Yu Jielan were hiding in. The two disciples straightened and looked at Shao Mingrong questioningly.

"May I ask who you are?"

"I am Shao Mingrong, a clan elder of the Yu Sect. I accidentally got lost and triggered the bell formation, please do forgive me."

"It was you?" There was a little skepticism in the disciple's tone as he squinted at Shao Mingrong's appearance, which gave away nothing in the shadows. The commotion attracted all of the other disciples who were searching, and they gathered up in front of Shao Mingrong.

"It was me. I was suffering from insomnia and wanted to take a walk and accidentally triggered the bell formation. Would one of you kindly point me in the direction of the Yu Sect's quarters?"

Shu Haolin let out a breath as the disciples walked away, with Shao Mingrong following, smiling politely. Then, she felt as if ice had shot through her body—she could've sworn that, before leaving, Shao Mingrong cast a short glance towards the bush they were hiding in. The moonlight glinting off his eyes made him seem especially strange, with a few hints of the hidden ferociousness of a predator in wait...

Shu Haolin shivered. She hoped she was wrong.