"Shall we go inside and take a look?"
Han Lingshuang, still dressed in men's attire, white robes fluttering, holding a three-foot green sword, smiled, her cheeks dimpling with shallow, enchanting dimples.
"Those who cross the boundary die. Aren't you afraid?"
Ren Yuanhao pointed at the semi-corroded inscription, lost in thought.
"What? Are you scared? That's unlike you?"
"I'm not scared, but isn't it inappropriate for us to barge in like this?" Ren Yuanhao felt the wind here was colder than elsewhere. A strange voice seemed to be luring him, constantly whispering, "Go on~ Go on!"
Han Lingshuang pursed her lips and smiled, "You haven't fully recovered. Hmm~ Why don't you wait for me here? I'll go find Little Monkey. I'll come out as soon as I find it."
Ren Yuanhao instinctively recoiled from the place and nodded. He then found a slightly flat spot and sat down, watching Han Lingshuang disappear into the buildings overgrown with weeds.
At this moment, the mountain wind churned, and withered grass swayed like waves of wheat. The weather in the valley changed rapidly. The twilight that had hinted at the sky's light was now darkening again, as if it had instantly turned into midnight.
In such an environment, the surroundings grew colder, and the wind howled like a knife cutting the face.
Ren Yuanhao fiddled with the pebbles in front of him, feeling a surge of anxiety. Suddenly, the stone he was holding crumbled into dust!
"Ah!"
At the same moment, a woman's voice suddenly came from within the dilapidated and decaying building!
Ren Yuanhao instinctively gripped his long saber, but then he remembered that they had left in a hurry and hadn't expected to encounter such strange events within the Chaoyang Sect. Alarmed, he immediately got up and ran. As he pushed through the overgrown grass, with every step, he felt a chilling energy seeping from his ankles into his pant legs, chilling him to the bone.
As he got closer, he saw a nearly collapsed ancient building before him. On the broken stairs, there were even Han Lingshuang's footprints with fresh mud.
He called out a couple of times, but received no response. Anxious, he paid no heed and stepped onto the second floor via the nearly collapsed floorboards.
The moment he entered the second floor, he was greeted by a long corridor. Han Lingshuang's muddy footprints led forward. Ren Yuanhao called out again, but still, there was no answer!
Without hesitation, he rushed forward.
At the end of the corridor, Han Lingshuang's footprints completely vanished. Ren Yuanhao scanned his surroundings in the dim light.
To his left was a half-open room, and to his right, it seemed to be a balcony. The sky's light fell on the balcony, casting flickering, ghostly shadows.
Ren Yuanhao made up his mind and pushed open the old door.
The creaking sound of the door opening was grating and ear-piercing. Even more terrifying was not the messy animal carcasses in the room, but the fact that the room was meticulously tidy!
In a nearly ruined ancient building, such a room made Ren Yuanhao's hair stand on end.
He instinctively called out, "Is anyone there?"
Suddenly, the lights in the room inexplicably turned on!
The flickering candlelight seemed to ignite Ren Yuanhao's pupils, momentarily blinding him as if he had been hit by a flash.
"Of course, there is someone. I just don't know if it's the person you're looking for."
Ren Yuanhao slowly moved his hand away from his eyes. In the dim light, an old woman sat with her back to him, her hair extending far beyond her height.
"Senior, have you seen a young woman and a monkey?"
Ren Yuanhao boldly asked, trying to appear calm.
"A young woman? A monkey? Boy, does this place look like it would have those things?"
The woman's question sent a shiver down Ren Yuanhao's spine, like a broken knife scraping across the strings of an old erhu.
Ren Yuanhao composed himself and said, "Senior, I saw her enter this building, and her footprints disappeared outside your door."
"So you think she's with me?"
The woman continued to retort in her shrill, grating voice.
"Please, senior, point me in the right direction." Ren Yuanhao clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.
"The right direction? Didn't you see the boundary marker outside? Those who cross the boundary die!"
As soon as the word "die" left her lips, Ren Yuanhao felt the old woman's hair move as if it were alive!
"You're an ability user!"
Ren Yuanhao had already sensed the unique frequency that belonged to ability users!
"Hmph, I didn't expect to see a fellow practitioner in a place like this."
The old woman's grayish-white hair twisted into a stick and shot directly towards Ren Yuanhao's face. Ren Yuanhao somersaulted backward, narrowly dodging it. However, the old woman had so many hair strands that while he dodged one bunch, his feet were firmly entangled by two others!
"Since Madam insists on making things difficult for me, then forgive my offense!"
Ren Yuanhao forcefully channeled his internal energy, causing the air in the entire room to contract. Under this low pressure, the old woman remained motionless, as if unaffected by Ren Yuanhao's abilities.
"Wind element ability? Brat, you have quite some skill, but unfortunately, this level of ability exerts no pressure on me whatsoever!"
The old woman suddenly stood up, and more hair like spider silk wrapped around Ren Yuanhao's body. With a hissing sound, Ren Yuanhao was twisted into a white cocoon.
"Senior, this junior meant no offense, I am only concerned for my friend's safety."
Ren Yuanhao struggled to breathe, and channeling his internal energy made his breathing even more chaotic.
"Offense? Hmph, the moment you stepped into this area, you already desecrated me. However, boy, I'll give you a chance. Tell me honestly, where did your wind element ability come from?"
The old woman's tone finally carried a hint of human warmth, and her hair stopped tightening.
Ren Yuanhao pondered for a moment and then answered truthfully.
"What? Dongfang Ji? Is she doing well?" The old woman's voice softened considerably, as if hearing Dongfang Ji's name here was enough to excite her for a long time.
Ren Yuanhao coughed a couple of times and said, "Senior, she has already passed away."
"Nonsense!" The old woman transformed her anger into a blast of energy, extinguishing the candlelight. "If you speak nonsense again, I'll cut out your tongue!"
Ren Yuanhao coughed again, a sweet taste in his throat, and spat out a mouthful of blood. "Senior, may lightning strike me and may I die a terrible death if I utter a single lie!"
"No, I don't believe it! I'm still clinging to life, how could she have left me!"
The old woman's emotions became somewhat unstable. Just then, the sound of a monkey's chatter was heard from the doorway, followed by a young woman's scolding, "Hey, don't run, I don't have much energy left!"
The voice grew closer, and finally, Ren Yuanhao heard a creak as Han Lingshuang pushed open the old door.
"Hurry, Miss Shuang, don't worry about me!"