26 Mourners Refuge. (1/2)
After dealing with the bandits, the people in the caravan no longer treated Li Yang like they used to. They were now either trying to flatter him or feared him. Even the guards were acting much warier around him.
Because of this, Li Yang could no longer stand sitting with them, as he found their actions annoying. So the last few days of the journey were spent sitting with Mo Jiang, who was professional enough to treat Li Yang as he always had.
Mourners Refuge was located at the top of a large hill that allowed one to get a clear view of the surroundings. At the top of the hill stood a large building that served as a temple to protect the statue that was the foundation of Mourners Refuge.
The building was made by using a type of golden stone that looked very expensive. Jewels of varying sizes and color were inlaid in the building, reflecting the sunlight in a myriad of colors.
Upon seeing some of the colored windows, Li Yang could not help but exclaim slightly. The windows were not created using glass, but rather by using large Demon Crystals that had been processed and stretched out.
The people of this world had used Demon Crystals as large as these to make windows? Was this not just a massive waste of a natural treasure? How much energy was stored inside those Demon Crystals?
At the same time, the corners of his mouth also twitched slightly. Demon Crystals were simply crystallized Qi. If a strong enough attack hit them, they would shatter and rapidly release that Qi, resulting in an explosion. How large would the explosion be if these Demon Crystals shattered?
”The Cursed Realm is located only five days march away from Mourners Refuge, further up north. It seems to have been created around the same time as Mourners Refuge, which is why people think that it might be related to the Four Monarchs. If you plan on checking it out, I highly advice against entering it, no one has ever managed to leave it.”
At the bottom of the hill, the caravan stopped and unloaded its passengers. There was no need for the caravan to bring all the people up the hill, so it usually just stopped at the bottom and then returned to the city. After unloading all the passengers, Mo Jiang explained a bit about the Cursed Realm to Li Yang, as he had asked for a description of its location.
”I see, thank you for the warning, I will make sure to be careful.”
Li Yang gave Mo Jiang a smile and thanked him for the warning, before bidding him farewell and heading up the hill. Since spring had just recently arrived, the grass on the hill was lush and green, a myriad of colorful flowers spread around and released a calming fragrance.
Despite how beautiful it was, the entire area was covered by a solemn feeling. Even Li Yang and Jinwu were affected by this solemn feeling, resulting in them making the walk up to the doors of the large temple in silence.
The doors were just as extravagant as the rest of the temple. They were built using a type of light green jade that was warm to the touch. Touching the handle of the doors filled Li Yang with a calm sensation like everything would end up okay.
He pushed open the doors and entered the temple, which turned out to be surprisingly simple on the inside. There was only a single room inside the temple, a large statue standing at the center of the room. Besides the statue, there were no other decorations or furniture, not even chairs or tables. A few people were sitting around the statue, silently cultivating or offering a silent prayer.
The statue depicted four people, two men, and two women, each one looking incredibly lifelike. One of the men had a tanned and burly body, with features that looked like they had been chiseled. He had flowing silver hair and golden eyes that carried a strong sense of pride. His face held a wide smile that seemed like he was challenging someone.
The woman at his side was delicate and beautiful, with long and silky black hair, clear blue eyes, and smooth white skin. She held a faint smile on her lips and her eyes were locked on the burly man next to her, a gentle light shining from them.
Next to this woman stood another woman. This woman had short hair that was a deep crimson in color, and where the woman next to her was delicate and beautiful, this woman was powerful and imposing. Her body was slim, but it was clearly packed with muscles that could release terrifying power. She had deep black eyes and carried a fearless smile as she looked at the man who was standing next to her, the last person in the statue.
The man standing next to the powerful woman looked incredibly carefree, his posture relaxed and nonchalant. He had long golden hair and a slim and elegant body. Brown eyes that seemed to look at the world with curiosity were looking at the powerful woman next to him with a loving expression.
Li Yang completely ignored the people around the statue, his eyes firmly glued to the large statue at the center of the room. He slowly walked forward and crouched down at the front of the statue, reading the words that were engraved beneath it.
Our failure to aid you can never be forgiven. No matter how long we must fight, we will acquire your revenge.
”You bloody fools, If I am already dead, what is the point in throwing away your lives in revenge.”
Li Yang gently caressed the carved words as he whispered silently. He was now completely certain that the Four Monarchs were the people he thought they were, people he had considered family in his last life. This also meant that he had not been sent to a different world, but rather sent forward in time.
Li Yang sat down in front of the statue, looking at the four people with a wistful expression. He reached for his bag and took out a small waterskin that was filled with some spicy fruit wine, something he had decided to buy to indulge himself.
”In the past, I died while you lived. Now I live, but you are nowhere to be found. I don't have any of Old Man Chao's wine that we used to drink, so this will have to do for a farewell drink. I don't know if any of you are still alive after all these years, but if you are, I hope we can meet again.”
Li Yang took a small sip of the wine, before pouring out the rest of the wine on the ground in front of the statue. His words were quiet and soft, so none of the other people sitting around the statue managed to hear him.
”You want to hear about them?”
Jinwu could sense Li Yang's melancholy, so he nuzzled up against Li Yang's neck and let out a few silent caws. Hearing Jinwu's words, a faint smile appeared on Li Yang's face. He organized his thoughts and started talking about things that had happened long ago.