Garden of Shadows

by Tinalynge

  Now that he understood what a spirit was, Xue Wei was not too shocked. Instead, he felt it explained a lot of things, and at the same time, he also felt even more sympathetic towards his newfound little sister.

  She had no parents or kin close to her; she had never had anyone close to her. From the moment she had gained consciousness, she had been alone, cultivating on her own until she could create her own body to enter the world.

  Although Xue Wei did not know what had happened to her when she was wandering the continent, he understood that Luoluo had somehow encountered danger which had caused her to be a young child for many years.

  This helped Xue Wei understand Luoluo’s unique situation, but there was still something bothering him, causing him to frown. “You said that she would have healed and matured after cultivating for some time, but looking at Luoluo, it seems more like she just keeps shrinking.”

  “This is something I do not understand either,” Bai Tianyi said as he furrowed his brows. “If anything, then I think the forbidden area would have something to do with it. She was locked in the forbidden area for millennia, and even I was incapable of entering when I tried last time. There is likely something hidden there.”

  Xue Wei was reminded about how Bai Tianyi had felt weak and was forced to stay outside when they entered the forbidden area the first time and nodded his head. His eyes flared with coldness as he thought about how the Garden of Shadows might have harmed someone he now considered dear to him.

  “I will stay and wait for Luoluo to awaken,” he decided after a bit of contemplation. “After having fought such a battle and even shrunken in age and size, I can imagine that she will feel very depressed and maybe perhaps even scared if she wakes up all alone.”

  Bai Tainyi looked at Xue Wei with a bit of an impatient expression on his face. Although Luoluo was a young child, she was not unreasonable. If just anyone stayed back, then that would be fine. There was no reason for Xue Wei to stay back, but considering that the Sovereign Beast had become a mother hen, Bai Tainyi said nothing and just snorted in reply.

  Like this, the days went by. Xue Wei was worried as Luoluo did not show any signs of awakening at all. He stayed holed up in the pill room concocting pills, or the bedroom cultivating, but Luoluo showed no signs of awakening.

  The King had tried to visit them a few times, but Xue Wei was never in the mood to entertain, so she left rather quickly.

  The rest of Yan Dalu should have been in chaos after the death of the Baili family, but because Gu Bing’er had released information which shed light on their misdeeds, everyone was happy to see them extinguished.

  As the ruckus died down, the smarter people started looking towards the Yuan and the Gu families. Although they had worked together to eradicate the Baili family, now they were against one another to take the open position as the most influential family on the continent.

  Everyone with a bit of brain expected that another battle would break out, but contrary to everyone’s expectations, this did not happen. Instead, news about an engagement that would unite the families started circulating in the capital.

  The Gu and Yuan families were about to become in-laws. One of the candidates to become the new heir to the Yuan family, Yuan Bailong, was getting engaged to Gu Bing’er, a direct descendant of the Gu family.

  This showed that the two families had no intention of fighting one another, that they would stay on friendly terms, and that they were willing to support one another so that they would remain standing side by side as equals instead of rivals.

  Another thing that they started speculating about was how long it would take for Yuan Bailong to be named as the new heir to the Yuan family.

  Although he had never had much of a chance before, he was now the link that united the Yuan and Gu families together. Soon, the news about their link to Xue Wei was also sneakily announced, making it common knowledge that it was Yuan Bailong who was responsible for the Yuan family’s newfound rise to their current strength and status.

  It was naturally Gu Bing’er who wisely shared the information to further solidify their position. She was a great schemer who could use the public’s opinion in her favor, and while it was a help to the couple, the rest of the Yuan family’s heirs were all pulling out their hair in despair.

  They had still thought they had a chance even though Yuan Bailong had been the one to establish the connection between the Yuan family and Xue Wei, but now they felt completely helpless due to Gu Bing’er’s engagement and her clever scheming to put him ahead.

  The engagement news soon cooled down after the date of the engagement party was set, and although everyone started looking forward to it, the main subject on everyone’s lips had suddenly changed.

  The Gu and Yuan families had begun acting charitable and started donating specific Qi cultivation scriptures to the royal treasury. From their deals with Xue Wei, they also donated some of the weaker martial art techniques, and formulas for some Qi increasing pills.

  Once more, this brought out a massive stir in the continent. The King was similarly rather magnanimous about it, but for different reasons—and made the officials make all methods and formulas public so that everyone would be able to cultivate.

  The King was aware that things had changed. Although the Baili family was gone, this was actually no benefit for the royal family and the court of officials.

  Now that the Yuan and Gu families held onto the best resources for Qi cultivators, anyone who was incapable of cultivating their spiritual energy, or simply preferred to cultivate Qi now that it was a comparable option would flock to these families to pledge their allegiance in return for better resources.

  The Gu and Yuan families would become the true rulers of the continent, and they would be impossible to overthrow as Xue Wei had given them all the best he had.

  While this was a big issue for the court—who had been eagerly discussing it day in and day out, the King often sat casually on the throne, leaning slightly to one side with a bored expression on her face as she observed her pale and frightened officials.

  It was truly an example of ‘the emperor is not worried, but his eunuchs are worried to death.’ They did not know what they should do, but the King remained calm and unphased by the issue.

  Finally, after three weeks of waiting, Luoluo awoke from her slumber. Her clear eyes were slightly dazed as she looked at the ceiling above her, her mind was slightly fuzzy, and she felt a splitting headache.

  Tears welled up in her eyes, as she heard a gentle and magnetic voice sounding right by her side with a hint of urgency, “Luoluo, you’re awake!”

  Chapter 43 - Hubby

  “Big Brother!” Luoluo’s childish voice sounded hoarse and dry after having just woken up.

  Xue Wei smiled gently as he leaned forward and gently patted the girl’s head; her tears finally spilling from her eyes as she started crying out loud.

  “It was so scary,” she cried, her voice trembling. “The darkness was everywhere, and I couldn’t wake up. I was so scared!”

  Hearing her pitiful cries, saddened Xue Wei, and he quickly scooped her up from the bed and placed her in his embrace. “Don’t think about it anymore,” he said soothingly as he held her tight like he would a great treasure. “You are awake now, and all your dear ones are right here next to you. You are not alone, and the darkness is not going to swallow you. Big Brother will never let you be alone.”

  Hearing this did not stop Luoluo from crying, but she let all her frustrations and fears free by burying her face in his shoulder and crying her heart out.

  Xue Wei smiled slightly when he saw how clingy the child was to him, it was obvious that she had been alone for so long, but how had she managed all this time alone?

  As a small child, she must have felt bored, depressed, and sad every single day sitting in her worn out home and staring at nothing more than the fleeting clouds.

  Xue Wei’s heart ached when he pictured the hollow shell of a life she’d lived for so m
any years, never being allowed to mature. As a child, one should have a childhood filled with happiness, learning, and love, but she experienced nothing but isolation and monotony instead.

  Although he had been betrayed, hunted, and hated by many, at least his childhood had been good. When he lived with his father, he had been loved unconditionally, and even Xiao Lei had cared deeply for him.

  He understood how important such feelings were to every person, and thus, he wanted to do whatever he could to make Luoluo feel loved. Although he had no children or real siblings, he truly felt as if this young girl had become family—someone whom he must protect and care for until the day she was mature enough to spread her own wings and make her own decisions.

  Luoluo cried on Xue Wei’s shoulder for a long time, and only when she had no more tears left to shed did she finally stop. Her head was bobbing up and down, and her eyes were closing involuntarily as she had exhausted herself after crying as much as she had.

  Xue Wei was rather eager to enter the forbidden area and get this mystery over with once and for all, but he also knew what was more important right now.

  Luoluo was currently weakened and panicked. Leaving her now would harm her, so instead, he waited by her side until she woke up a second time.

  Her mentality had regressed further than before; it seemed that the attack she had unleashed against the Baili grand elder had made her deteriorate to the state of a four-year-old.

  When she woke up again, Xue Wei doted on her and had some food prepared for her. Although she was younger, food still cheered her up immensely. Her confused expression was replaced with happiness the moment she saw the dishes that were being placed in front of her.

  She clapped her small hands with glee, and Xue Wei smiled with indulgence as he took his chopsticks and started by placing an assortment of fresh, aromatic and mouth-watering appetizers from their shared plates into Luoluo’s bowl.

  After some time, the meal was over, and Luoluo sighed with contentedness. It was time for Xue Wei to leave the satisfied young spirit.

  Meeting with his companions in the main room, he announced, “I will be going to the forbidden area, but I will not take Xiao, Tianyi, nor Luoluo with me.”

  “Why not?” Lin Xiao could not help but ask with slight frustration, and Xue Wei looked at him with a helpless expression on his face.

  “Tianyi felt uncomfortable when he went last time, so having him go would be impossible.

  “You know Luoluo can’t go, that place is terrible for her. Not to mention, the Soul Tower stopped working the moment she left, so if she is to enter again, we will definitely alert them to our presence.

  “I don’t dare leave Luoluo to Tianyi, he does not like kids, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he had consumed her like a delicious meal by the time we return, so Xiao will have to stay back and make sure that the two spirits behave.”

  Lin Xiao, who had just been demoted to the babysitter once again, could only shake his head in defeat. He had to agree with Xue Wei that leaving Bai Tianyi and Luoluo together would be the same as leaving a cat with a ravenous dog.

  Although Bai Tianyi would, of course, refrain from consuming the spiritual energy of Luoluo because Xue Wei cared for her, looking after her was maybe a little too much to ask for, considering the careless behavior of Bai Tianyi.

  “Will hubby stay with me?” Luoluo asked with sparkling eyes as she looked at Lin Xiao, her words making Xue Wei feel as if he just fell from high above, and his mouth twitched as he tried to stifle a laugh.

  “Hu... Hubby?” Lin Xiao repeated with disbelief on his face. Had he just been called hubby by a four-year-old child? Was this not too disturbing?

  “Little Luoluo...” Xue Wei began. He also felt that something was wrong with this scene, but he did not want to break his little sister’s heart. He pondered on how best to break it to her gently and make her understand that she and Lin Xiao were not a couple.

  “Yes, Big Brother?” Luoluo looked at Xue Wei with big doe-like eyes and a trusting, happy smile on her face that melted his heart, and he did not have it in him to scold her, so instead, he changed tactic.

  “Do you know what hubby means?” he asked curiously. She had the mentality of a child, how could she even know what a hubby was?!

  “It is my husband! Someone who will be with me all my life! I wanted to marry Big Brother, but since we are family, and a family cannot marry, so I am okay with Lin Xiao instead.”

  His lips twitched even more when hearing this. So she knew the word ‘hubby,’ but she did not really understand its full meaning—she just thought it meant staying with someone forever. Since that was her idea of a hubby, then it wasn’t so disturbing.

  Still, Xue Wei shot a glance at Lin Xiao, and the monk could not help but return a look of despair as if he could cry, but no tears would come.

  “My dear friend, I did nothing,” Lin Xiao said as he looked at Xue Wei and Luoluo. “Don’t look at me as if I have been seducing your family!”

  Xue Wei knew he was overly sensitive and protective, but he also felt that Luoluo should be staying at home for a while longer, and not be so busy looking for a husband, so he looked at her and smiled as he reached out and scooped her up in his arms.

  “Little Luoluo, don’t think too much about getting married,” he suggested to her, “we are family, don’t you want to stay by Big Brother’s side for a bit longer?”

  “Big Brother, be good,” Luoluo scolded as she raised her childlike hand and patted Xue Wei’s head. “Luoluo will always be your cute little sister, but Luoluo wants to marry Uncle Xiao.”

  Xue Wei was speechless, but instead of continuing the subject, he shook his head.

  “Xiao, I am leaving Tianyi and Luoluo to you. Keep them safe,” he said as he smiled and placed Luoluo on the floor before he stood up and straightened his clothes.

  Having handed Luoluo over to Lin Xiao and thrown a quick glance at Bai Tianyi, Xue Wei and Hei Gou left the house and headed towards the forbidden area.

  “Let me come with you,” a feminine voice suddenly sounded from the darkness of the night as Xue Wei exited the house, and he almost jumped in surprise. He was not used to being sneaked up on, so it caught him by surprise.

  Seeing that it was the King, he immediately felt much more relieved and smiled at her, gesturing for her to follow.

  “It would be our honor to have you with us,” Xue Wei said with a grin. “There are some things I might need a spiritual energy expert to help me with.”

  “It would be my pleasure to help,” the King said with a smile on her face. Together, the three of them moved swiftly through the darkness towards the forbidden area.

  Unfortunately, everything was not as they had expected. When they reached the square that was in front of the forbidden area, the three of them were stopped in their tracks.

  It was a dark night; the moon was hidden beneath the clouds, a dense fog covered everything, and even the stars were hidden from sight. Despite the thick shroud, the three of them heard distinct voices in front of them, all of which sounded rather frustrated.

  “Seriously, the Soul Tower has been malfunctioning for a long time now, why are we still forced to guard this place?” a voice sounded, with boredom and slight aggravation clearly evident.

  “Even worse, there have been no movements here since the tower stopped working, so why would anyone appear now?” another voice responded, filled with indignation and annoyance.

  “Be quiet, we never know what could have happened. But I have an idea, don’t you find it strange? The moment this young man Xue Wei appears with his Qi methods, the Soul Tower—which makes these Qi methods desolate suddenly stops working. Don’t you think he had a hand in it?”

  “Oh right, this is something I never thought about before,” a newly enlightened voice responded as they listened to the explanation. “But why are the leaders of the academy so sure that something will happen here around the forbidden area?”

  “Don’t you think th
at something could have been inside the forbidden area and he stole it?” someone mused, and the others became quiet when they listened to his words.

  “But what about those bloody scratches in the Soul Tower? There is no explanation for those; unless, do you think that this Xue Wei and that child friend of his have done something to the tower up there? After all, those two are the only ones who managed to reach the ninth floor before it stopped working.”

  Xue Wei, Hei Gou, and the King were all standing still in the fog, looking at one another unsure of what exactly they should do.

  They needed to enter the forbidden area, but it seemed that at least five guards were guarding the entrance, and it was likely that even more were stationed further down the road.

  Xue Wei looked in his storage treasure and picked a few pills from within. These pills he produced made people fall asleep after breathing in the medicinal herbs that had been mixed within.

  Not wasting any time, Xue Wei snuck closer. He knew that these people had a weak body; at most they were Ordinary Knights, but the majority would be Heavenly Warriors, so when breathing in the herbs, they would be knocked out instantly.

  Xue Wei held his breath as he crushed the pills in his hands, and then he blew the medicinal herb dust towards the guards.

  “What is this aroma?” someone asked, but the only answer was the sound of clattering armor as they all collapsed to the ground.

  Xue Wei dusted his hands off and returned to the King and Hei Gou. He looked around, and then he smiled, “We should wait for a few minutes for the scent to dissipate, and then we will move towards the gate.”

  “You really have a bit of everything with you, huh?” The King was very surprised. She knew that Xue Wei had many things and that many were things she had never heard about before. She became quite curious about it.

  After waiting for a moment, the group started moving towards the gate. Hei Gou grabbed the King by the collar and jumped up to the top of the gate followed by Xue Wei, and together the three of them dropped down into the forbidden area.