18 Wise to Ask

It was Xueyu who found the extra bedding.

"Thank you."

Xueyu nodded and find her way back to her own bed.

Shi Zhen eyed the girl.

Their shack wasn't big so everyone had to share a room. It wasn't a problem for Xueyu and Zhou Yun before but with Shi Zhen, it had become a little crowded.

They only have two beds' frames so Shi Zhen had to settle between the beds, on the ground. There was hardly any visible room to walk on now.

Xueyu and Zhou Yun didn't look like they mind, but Shi Zhen felt slightly weird, for another reason.

Girls supposed to sleep on the separate room....

This wasn't common, to say the least.

So his eyes followed Xueyu figure as she climbed onto her bed, and resumed the lotus position.

When Shi Zhen first saw Xueyu, it was obvious that she was blind, and perhaps it was this fact that boosted Shi Zhen's courage to stare at Xueyu longer than necessary.

"She can tell you're staring."

"..."

Shi Zhen unfolded his thick blanket.

"...I apologize."

He shifted his eyes toward Zhou Yun's figure in the kitchen and asked.

"Can she talks?"

"No, not right now."

"... Was she born like this?"

For a moment, Zhou Yun was quiet. Shi Zhen thought Zhou Yun was reminiscing something and didn't expect an answer, but it came in a hushed voice a few moments later.

"... No. She got it later on."

Silence befell on them.

Xueyu didn't move or show any sign of acknowledgment. Zhou Yun was still washing the dishes, so there was only occasional clicks and clacks of the plates and bowl. Water splashes were heard more often.

It was Shi Zhen who spoke next.

"The current emperor would like to meet you."

"... heh? Did something happened?"

Shi Zhen eyes returned to Xueyu. It was a silent question.

"It's fine. She is my disciple."

"... The beasts had been acting strangely around the Mist Garden, they have grown more aggressive and began terrorizing the surroundings. Considering the level of the beasts, the Eighteenth Emperor would like you to leave Boundless Depth Valley and monitor the beast inside the Mist Garden. He wished to know if the beasts inside the Mist Garden are acting strangely too."

Shi Zhen took in a breath and continued, "When the Eleventh Emperor shut off Mist Garden to the world with an array, there had been a handful of inscriptions that been made to grant the user access to Garden Mist. After seven generation of emperors, the people that hold the Key inscriptions… dwindled. The Key inscriptions became lost as the result."

"My father— the Eighteenth Emperor made a count on the Key. There are only twenty-three of the original hundreds of Keys…"

"We can't afford to lose our top generals in the midst of war. So when he received the requests from you, he thought it will be wise to ask you for help."

Xueyu's eye slight twitched.