Chapter 401 - Infiltrating the Internal Sect

Shen Qing cast a long look down the hall, beholding the view of everyone peering up at him. In a cool voice, he intoned, “It’s fine. Please take a seat, all of you. There will be people coming for the Grudge Cauldrons.”

Everyone sank back into their chairs. But the merry mood was all but stifled with only the palpable angst of tension hanging over the hall like an apparition. But their attentions were diverted when four men, all cloaked in dark, entered the hall. Two of them began counting through the number of Rancorous Qi in the Cauldrons and the two others were holding brush pens and bamboo slips to record their colleagues’ tally.

There was a total of a hundred and thirty year’s worth of Rancorous Qi when the count was finished. A century and thirty years’ worth of malice and grudge that they could inject into any Corpse Puppet to enhance its strength, although this would be an attempt that no one could be ensured of its success.

In most cases, attempts to inject malice and grudge into a Corpse Puppet usually results in less than half that number successfully infused. The probability suffers even more while injecting malice and grudge into a Corpse Puppet with already centuries-old of hatred and enmity.

Xiao Chen’s gaze traveled to the Grudge Cauldrons being tagged and arranged neatly and felt something was amiss. Something within him told him that the grudge and malice these cauldrons were carrying were not intended for common Corpse Puppets. The Divine Corpse from the rumors, perhaps?

The orderlies went about making sure that the Cauldrons were all tightly sealed and store within the sacks known to be used specially by acolytes of the Corpse Refinery Sect. When their work was done, Shen Qing addressed the hall by clearing his throat loudly. “Ah, yes. One more thing. I will select four among your number to deliver the Cauldrons. A few disciples of the Tai Yin Cavity shall not be available.”

The Corpse Refinery Sect has a long litany of rules and protocols that its members adhere to with the strictest obedience. A simple task that Shen Qing alone could have easily handled required four men for the sake of decorum and dignity. Everyone traded quick and hasty looks, their eyes gleaming with excitement. None of them had ever set eyes on the Summit of Mystics, the abode of reserved exclusively mainly for members of the Internal Sect, let alone being bestowed the chance of going there. To be permitted entry was a glory beyond measure for every one of them.

Xiao Chen’s face curdled into a frown. Su Lianyue looked at him and they exchanged a quick look. The Summit of Mystics of the Mountains of Myriad Caves was exactly where, they believed, laid the answers they sought. Before they could even say anything to each other, Shen Qing caught sight of them. “The two of you there. You will come with me.”

They shuddered with surprise but Xiao Chen was quick to the take. With a humble bow, he muttered deeply, “Our deepest thanks Senior Brother Shen Qing.”

Shen Qing’s gaze lingered upon them for several beats, before he peeled off and looked at another two men who looked ordinary, saying, “The two of you too. You’ll come with me as well.”

“T-thank you! Thank you so much, Senior Brother Shen Qing!” The two men breathed tersely, vehement with gratitude and elation. The rest of the acolytes were visibly crestfallen for not being selected.

The crowd dispersed with the haunting mood of disappointment, leaving only Xiao Chen, Su Lianyue and two other selected acolytes to follow Shen Qing to the Summit of Mystics to deliver the Cauldrons. The five departed once their work here was completed. Xiao Chen and his companions followed carefully behind a dour and taciturn Shen Qing with the two other acolytes hardly uttering anything behind.

Xiao Chen did his best to commit to mind their windy route through myriads of strange flora and fauna and misted Cloaking Barriers. The deathly chill in the air only grew thicker and stronger the deeper they traveled; so strong that even the two acolytes behind them were shivering and grimacing in the cold.

Everything around them looked bleaker and ghastlier by the second as the darkness of the dusk fell. Not even the strongest and most powerful man could hardly resist the cold fingers of a shiver up his spine in such a dreadful place. One of the acolytes behind finally squeaked, “Err… Are we not there yet, Senior Brother Shen Qing?”

His colleague beside him quickly gave him a tug on the sleeve and a look, gesturing him to be quiet. “Nearly there,” Shen Qing answered brusquely. A gloomy path appeared just ahead through the opaque veils of mists as soon as he finished, curving into Heaven knows where. All that they could feel from the path overshadowed from even the slightest speck of light was the ominous feel of death and frost.

“We’ll arrive at our destination right after this little track.”

As he spoke, Shen Qing pushed aside the briar vines that hung in his way and the four behind him scurried at his heels. Night descended upon the mountain ranges after a half-hour walk and the mists were beginning to thin, unraveling the mysterious peaks that were shrouded before. The summits of the mountains were hardly precipitously tall, but they were flat plateaus so wide that they stretched off out of sight into the dark of the night.

So stood the stronghold of the Internal Sect of the Corpse Refinery Sect, the Summit of Mystics. Even Xiao Chen was awed by the secrecy of this place; it was so well-hidden amongst the mountains that no one would have been able to come here without a guide.

The Corpse Refinery Sect has always been shrouded by the veil of mystery and its members were known to be formidable enemies despite their best attempts to remain hidden from the eyes of the common folk. Hardly anyone knew anything about this infernal order. More so, since its members have never been actively involved in the ever-perpetual war between Good and Evil. Yet, no one would discount their might; a single century-old Corpse Puppet could easily defeat a mage of the Nascent Soul Realm. As if it could not get any worse, no one could tell for sure if this sect has the hidden strength of any mages of the Nirvana Realm.

A pale sliver of the silvery moon showed a glimpse from behind the plumes of clouds lulling lazily in the sky. The party reached the foot of the mountain and came to a guard post manned by a pair of sentries. They saw the party approaching and boomed, “HALT!”

Their faces were the color of curdled milk with hardly any blushes of life as Chen Qing bowed slightly, reporting himself stiffly, “Shen Qing of the Tai Yin Cavity here to deliver the Grudge Cauldrons.”

This was his third visit here and the sentries could recognize him. But the Sect suffers no shortfall in protocol and rules. He allowed himself to be inspected and one of the sentries led the party up the hill.

Scores of ornately-furnished halls, towers, and staff quarters, aside from the many cavernous chambers hewn from stone, served the use for the members of the Inner Sect. Ghostly-green flames blazed proudly, lighting up the spires of the halls that stood in the grim darkness atop the Summit, although no one knew what the flames were for. Xiao Chen and Su Lianyue pressed on with extreme caution, making sure that their auras were properly concealed.

They came to an open square that took up much of the mid-hill area. It looked nothing different from the magnificent plazas that guarded the front of the strongholds of the orders and sects of the Orthodox Path, with plants and trees to spruce up the environment and richly-constructed halls and quarters which would have been a pretty and tranquil sight if not for the ghastly and dreary atmosphere. At afar stood the shadowy silhouettes of other men, cloaked by the darkness that Xiao Chen could not see what they were doing.

The party of six reached the center of the flagstoned plaza when they saw a woman dressed in red coming their way. Her face was hard and cold like ice when Shen Qing and the sentry greeted her politely, “Lady Ambassador.”

The woman’s head dipped just a little, a perfunctory acknowledgment to her underlings. Then her gaze traveled to Xiao Chen and Su Lianyue, making them shudder a little. This was the same woman whom they had seen a few days ago!

The woman in red clearly recognized them as her penetrating stare bore into them. But she said nothing, veering off into another direction. In a hushed voice, Shen Qing hastened, “Let’s go.”

They continued until they came before the opened doors of a handsome hall with the bleak glows of candles flickering inside. At the doors stood four door wardens, each with the same deadpan expression of stone. One would have easily mistaken them for dead men. The sentry who had led the party went to one of them and reported concisely, “Orderlies of the Tai Yin Cavity with some Grudge Cauldrons.”

The door warden nodded curtly and Shen Qing led everyone into the hall where they waited. The two acolytes who came with them waited nervously, trying their best to not fidget and moved hardly an inch. It was their first visit here and they were terribly anxious. Xiao Chen sat down beside Shen Qing and put up an edgy expression himself.

Before long, an old, gnarly man managed up the steps and into the hall. A pair of dark-cloaked men followed behind him obediently. In long flowing robes and white beard and hairs streaming almost similarly under the dismal luminescence of the candles slowly melting to their deaths, his cheeks blushed with a rosy scarlet, an odd contrast from the rest of everyone else here.

“Elder Song,” Shen Qing scrambled to his feet and addressed the old man courteously. The two acolytes with them got up too and were about to speak but their words choked in their throats on second thought; lowly orderlies such as them should not be speaking to an Elder of the Internal Sect.

Elder Song merely nodded slightly. His presence alone was asphyxiating. Shen Qing dug from his sack and placed the black box containing the Cauldrons on the polished floors of the hall. Gently, he explained, “A hundred and thirty-seven years’ worth of grudge and malice here, Elder. Feel free to inspect them.”

Elder Song’s head dipped pompously. The two cloaked servants behind him came forth and made their count. When they were finished, Shen Qing reported, “So ends our delivery this time. But there is something else, Sir, that I’m afraid I’ll have to loiter here a little longer.” He paused and a thoughtful gleam flashed across his eyes.

Elder Song peered at him. Rules and protocols are strictly observed in the Corpse Refinery Sect. Acolytes of the External Sect visiting the Internal Sect on business could only stay for one night and one night only. Elder Song’s eyes wavered unsteadily in the lambent illumination and he asked, “Why?”

Shen Qing cleared his throat and shot a quick look at Xiao Chen, Su Lianyue and the two acolytes that came with them, muttering, “Off with you lot back to your quarters.”

Elder Song nodded knowingly and ordered one of the door wardens outside to lead the rest of the party to their temporary quarters. Xiao Chen exchanged a quick glance with Su Lianyue and said nothing as they followed the lead of the door warden away.

The temporary lodgings of the Corpse Refinery Sect were hardly the shabby or dingy-looking tenements that Xiao Chen expected. At the very least, it was a huge improvement from the wooden shed at the Chang Yin Cavity. The two acolytes of the Tai Yin Cavity shared a room while Xiao Chen and his companion shared another. Xiao Chen made full sure that the doors and windows were closed and the curtains completely drawn as soon as they went in, then they lighted the oil lamps to prevent setting off any unwanted suspicion.

Sue Lianyue cast a spell that erected a sound barrier and turned back to her own appearance. “Did you manage to remember the way back?” She whispered.

Xiao Chen nodded. Shen Qing would be staying here at least until tomorrow but he was sure that the rest of them would be expected to leave this place soon. But there was something strange about that Shen Qing that he could not quite shake off. Nevertheless, he was hardly concerned about having to leave this place; he could just as easily slip back in at night.

The days with Su Lianyue have made them close partners. Wearied by the day’s toiling, she went wordlessly to bed. She sat on the side of the bed as usual with Xiao Chen on the table. Just before the time struck nine, Xiao Chen blew out the flame on the lamp and the room went dark.

Everything outside was dead quiet by the next hour and the frigidness in the air only grew by the minute. Such was a night in the Summit of Mystics where one could never miss the gloomy nip that reeked only of death and decay. Another half-hour passed by swiftly and still, there was no sign of Shen Qing returning. Xiao Chen looked at his companion whose eyes were trained upon him in the dark. “Let’s listen to what they say,” Su Lianyue suggested and she disguised herself as Han Yu again.

Carefully, Xiao Chen allowed his Divine Sense to reach outside the room. He first made sure that everyone next door was asleep before he let the door ajar and let himself out quietly with Su Lianyue following behind. Then they vanished into the veil of night.

A frosty draft blew across the Summit as the pair flitted through the woods so quickly like an arrow. Under the shadows of the canopies of the forests, they traveled light-footed, leaving hardly any mark or sound while they expertly avoided any patrolling sentinels. Before long, they reached the expansive square and they signaled each other for silence and descended on the cold, paved stones of the quiet plaza which would have been empty if not for the four patrolling guards who noticed them.

“HALT! WHO’S THERE!”

Xiao Chen and Su Lianyue stopped in their tracks. Xiao Chen swiveled slowly, releasing his aura and demonstrating his powers of the Nascent Soul Realm as his icy stare held the four sentries in an invisible grip. None of them could resist a shiver of fear as a bead of cold sweat trickled down their heads.

“Where is Elder Song now?” Xiao Chen inquired with ice in his voice, sounding so imperious and imposing that none of the four dared to yelp a sound. Finally, one of them managed to muster enough courage to deflect the question by asking in a quivering tone, “B-but where are you two seniors from?”

“The Hall of Plenitude!” Su Lianyue boomed each syllable with a sonorous thunder. The faces of the four men went pale as Death as they trembled even more.