Chapter 282 - The Three Friends of Winter (1/2)
The voice took him aback. It was Su Xiaomei’s voice, coming from within the Frigid Jade Pendant hanging on his chest. He reached out to her with a whiff of his Divine Sense into the Pendant. “Senior. Do you know what place is this?”
“I don’t know. But I DO KNOW that this place is far perilous than you can imagine! Just get out of here! And be quick!”
Xiao Chen took a breath and calmed himself. Being an entity who had survived more than a thousand years, Su Xiaomei possessed great powers that dwarfed even that of his own. Yet, she was visibly afraid of this place and that was enough for him.
He began to steer his sword out of the infernal vale and flew clear for 50 kilometers until the intense suffocation they felt finally subsided and everything around them, the sky and the sceneries looked more clear and bright at last.
“What a fright! Here I was, thinking that you were about to deliver yourself to certain death once again…” Zhiluan gasped, heaving in a breath of fresh air.
Xiao Chen made no attempt to respond. He was still looking back from where they came from with a heavy and petulant look. “Something is terribly wrong with that place,” he mused, “The old seniles at the Daoist League must be informed about this when we get back to Tianyuan City so that they can send some people to investigate this. There’s no need to get myself in danger for this.”
Just then, he felt the presence of somebody approaching. But before he could leave with his companions, three bolts of light descended from the sky and barred his way. The lights faded, revealing three old men, all with long, white sinuous beards.
“HALT! Who goes there!”
“How dare you!” Zhiluan screeched in panic, “And who are you!? How dare you stop us!”
The three old men were surprised to see Zhiluan. They quickly exchanged glances and one of them muttered with wonder, “How strange, a millennia-old Spirited Lingzhi which is sentient.”
Enraged, Zhiluan was about to retort indignantly when Xiao Chen raised a hand tersely. With a curt bow, he said, “My name is Xiao Chen. I am just passing by here. May I know how should I address you three, Seniors?”
He had immediately sensed that two of the three newcomers were conjurers with powers nearing the Nascent Soul Realm, and the rest one in the Nascent Soul Realm. The three of them must be special and extraordinary, being able to achieve such powers in a place of such destitution and desolation.
They stared at him quietly for seconds, partly impressed by his composure and manners, and one of them spoke suddenly after observing him and finding nothing suspicious about him, “We are from the Burg of the Feral Phoenix. You do not sound local. Where are you from, young one?”
“Well, I’m afraid it’s a long story,” Xiao Chen chuckled and answered, “But we’d just passed through a gorge where there a strong evil aura resides there. Do you know why is the aura so strong there?”
“WHAT?! You’ve just come from the gorge?!”
The three men immediately grew wary that they even began to look fierce as if they were going to attack. Sensing that something was not right, Xiao Chen added hastily, “We’ve passed by the gorge. We did not come from there.”
The three men were still cautious; one of them saw Huangfu Xin’er and barked, “Is she tainted by the evil aura?”
“My friend was injured, but she was not affected by the evil aura you mentioned,” Xiao Chen pointed out, still confused.
“LIES! No one passes through the gorge and emerges unharmed! Who are you and where are you from! SPEAK TRUTHFULLY!”
Zhiluan cowered behind Xiao Chen’s back, fearful of the angry and hostile looks by the three men. Fearing that things would careen out of hand, Xiao Chen explained quickly, “I’ll speak frankly, Seniors. We were in the Tianyuan City of the Middle Continent, taking part in the Immortal’s Sword Assembly there. But something happened and we were suddenly transported here.”
“Wait a minute… You’re, you’re from the Five Continents?!” the three men stammered with awe. One of them asked carefully, still unwilling to believe Xiao Chen, “Do you have proof of what you say?”
Xiao Chen began to feel worried, his forehead creasing with distress. From the words of these three strangers, it was he and his companions who were in fact strangers in a distant land far away from the Five Continents. Without any hesitation, he extracted the green medallion he received during the Sword Assembly, a token which marked him as a contestant of the Eastern Continent.
He handed it to one of the old men who took the medallion from him carefully as if fearful of an ambush. The old man used his Divine Sense to examine the medallion before he spoke quietly to his companions, “It’s true. This is a medallion of the Daoist League of the Five Continents, a token only the League is capable of producing.”
The other two old men heaved a sigh of relief. Respectfully, they apologized. “We are sorry for the show of aggression. We meant no ill will. We did not know you are from the Daoist League of the Five Continents. Pray forgive our lack of manners.”
“Just water under the bridge, Seniors,” Xiao Chen responded politely, glad that he was able to neutralize the situation.
“What strange event is this, that you from the Daoist League of the Five Continents have to address us as Seniors…” said one of the old men weakly.
“And how should I address you three, Seniors?” Xiao Chen asked, smiling gently.
“Please, there’s no need for a ceremony. We are the Three Friends of Winter from the Burg of the Feral Phoenix.
“Ahh… I see… Seniors Plum, Bamboo, and Pine. Greetings to you three,” Xiao Chen saluted civilly. Even though they have begun to warm to each other, Xiao Chen thought it prudent to maintain proper decorum to denote his respect.
The old men were impressed by his manners. “He is from the Daoist League of the Five Continents and wields powerful strength for one so young as his age. Yet, this boy is modest and humble,” they thought.
Realizing a chance to boast himself, Zhiluan growled, crossing its arms gloatingly, “So what are you waiting for? Present us with food and your hospitality! You’d do well to please us, the representatives from the great Daoist League!”
“Of course, of course, esteemed Immortal Lingzhi,” said the Elder Plum with a benign smile.
Xiao Chen grabbed at Zhiluan by the scruff of its neck and tossed it ignominiously over his shoulder. With a friendly smile, he said, “Please, trouble not yourselves with the impudence of this cat spirit. I have much need of your counsel, beginning with ways to return to Tianyuan City and the story about the gorge with the evil aura.”
The three old men shared a dark look, especially at the mention of the gorge, which was clearly their prime concern. “It’s a very long story,” remarked Elder Bamboo, “How about coming with us to the city? Your friend could use some immediate medical care too.”