The door to Jun Hao's room swung open, and Zhou Tan strode in, his presence filling the small space. He was followed by Elder Han, a wizened figure whose eyes darted about with an unsettling intensity. Neither man offered a greeting, their faces set in grim lines.
"You're…" he began, his voice filled with gratitude. "You're that man, thank you for rescuing me, back there." Something changed in his voice as he was about to speak, but stopped saying it, he remembered he was not a bad guy.
Jun Hao, though still weak, sat up straighter, a flicker of apprehension in his eyes. The Sect Leader's arrival was unexpected, and the serious atmosphere was unnerving. It was like someone bringing him to his final resting place and saying his last words to him with love.
Zhou Tan surveyed Jun Hao from head to toe, his gaze lingering on the bandages that still covered much of his body. He had a blank stare, and was as cold as ice. "You're healed. That's… good."
The words felt perfunctory, devoid of any genuine warmth. Zhou Tan's attention quickly shifted to the more pressing matters at hand. "I came here to ask you some questions. I hope you don't mind."
Jun Hao, swallowing his unease, forced a polite smile. "Not at all, Sect Leader. I'll be happy to tell you what I know." He tried to appear calm, but a knot of anxiety tightened in his stomach. He was just starting to feel happy in the town, for him to feel as if there was love, for him to feel joy. The questions made that all crumble.
Zhou Tan's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze becoming piercing. "When I arrived at the village, half of it was in shambles, graveyards every where. Can you tell me why that is?"
Jun Hao's smile faltered. The memory of the village, once a heaven of peace, now a scene of unspeakable horror, washed over him, and his voice when lower and in trauma. "Six years ago, our Silent Stone Village was a well-protected place. Runes, spiritual energy… we were not a cultivation family, but we lived happily, free from the Nyx and their cosmic… catastrophes."
His voice cracked, and he paused, struggling to regain his composure. "Until… until a man came to our village. He said he was a seer, that he possessed the Orb of Prophecy. He told my father to place his hand on the orb…" Jun Hao's face twisted with a mixture of pain and bitterness.
"The seer gave three prophecies," he continued, his voice barely above a whisper. "The first: 'There is a traitor in the Village of Silent Stones. This traitor shall cause an outbreak for his own selfish goal, and you all, including the traitor, shall be killed.'"
He paused, taking a shuddering breath. "The second Prophecy: 'The end shall come from your village.'"
"And the third Prophecy…" Jun Hao's voice broke completely, tears welling up in his eyes. "'One of you shall live.''
A heavy silence filled the room, broken only by Jun Hao's ragged breathing. Zhou Tan and Elder Han exchanged a look that spoke volumes – a mixture of understanding, disbelief, and a deep sense of foreboding.
"Immediately after," Jun Hao continued, his voice stronger now, fueled by a mixture of grief and defiance, "the seer left our village. My father… he believed the seer. He gathered the 10 elders of our village, so that the could evercuate immediately, and… with their own greed, and their fears for what they stood to lose, they didn't want to leave, they rather kill one another to seek the truth."
He clenched his fists, his knuckles white. "Our runes and spiritual energy protecting the village went down.
Then… the Nyx outbreak occurred. The whole village… it was destroyed. House by house, children, mothers, fathers… none were spared. The Nyx killed every single one of them… except me."
His voice dropped to a haunted whisper. "It was as if… as if I were non-existent. But I believe it was my father's ring that protected me. He gave it to me before the outbreak as a birthday gift, it was a gift that signified the next family head of the house."
"And after?" Zhou Tan asked softly. "What did you do?"
Jun Hao swallowed hard, forcing back the tears that threatened to overwhelm him. "I stayed in the village," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "And I buried them all."
Zhou Tan nodded slowly, his gaze compassionate but unwavering. "Can you describe the seer?"
Jun Hao hesitated, his eyes flickering with unease. "No."
The abrupt refusal hung in the air, thick with unspoken tension. Zhou Tan's expression hardened. "Why were you wounded, when I came to your village, is there something you're not telling me"
Jun Hao dropped his gaze, his shoulders slumping slightly. "I'd rather not talk about that," he mumbled, adopting a deliberately naive tone, feigning innocence. "It was actually an accident."
Zhou Tan's face darkened, his eyes flashing with anger. "It's that seer again, isn't it? He came here, didn't he? I've been hunting for him for the past twenty years! When I find him," he growled, his voice a low, dangerous rumble, "he will answer for his crimes."
Elder Han, standing silently by the door, clenched his fist, his knuckles with black gloves, and let out a long, shuddering sigh. The seer… his mere existence threatened everything we stood for.
Zhou Tan took a deep breath, forcing himself to regain his composure. He looked at Jun Hao, his expression softening. "Thank you, young one. For telling me the truth. I will settle your bills with the Divine Physician." He turned to leave, his steps heavy, his mind clearly preoccupied.
"Wait!" Jun Hao called out, his voice filled with a sudden, desperate urgency.
Zhou Tan paused, turning back to face him, his expression questioning. "Yes?"
Jun Hao took a deep breath, his hands trembling slightly. "Sir… I would like to join your sect. I want to fight these monsters. I want to help protect others from what happened to my village."
Zhou Tan stared at Jun Hao, his gaze intense and unwavering. He was about to decline, to tell him that it was too late, that the path of cultivation was not for him. But then, something caught his attention. A faint, almost imperceptible energy radiating from Jun Hao's body.
His eyes widened in surprise. "When did you break through?" he asked, his voice laced with incredulity. "I was certain you weren't a cultivator."
Jun Hao, emboldened by Zhou Tan's astonishment, allowed a small, smile to spread across his face. He couldn't resist a touch of pride. "It just happened, sir."
Zhou Tan stared at Jun Hao, his mind racing. This changes everything. A cultivator, appearing out of nowhere, a survivor of the Silent Stone tragedy… could this be the key to understanding the seer's prophecy?
"Well then." He turned and walked away, his voice cold as ever.
"It's okay," Zhou Tan said, his mind made. "but there are rules in the sect, you have to attend the sect ceremony to be chosen, if not you will not be chosen until another ten years." He gestured to Elder Han. "Let's go, Elder Han."
The two men left the room, their departure leaving a lingering sense of unease. Jun Hao watched them go, his heart pounding with a mixture of hope and apprehension. He sensed that he was about to be drawn into something far larger, and far more dangerous, than he could possibly imagine.
As the door closed behind them, Jun Hao whispered, "System… what did I just get myself into?"
Meanwhile, in a secluded corner of the Divine Physician's sanctum, Zhou Tan turned to Elder Han, his face etched with concern.
"That boy," he said, his voice low. "There's something about him… and about that seer. This whole situation… it feels wrong. What do you think?"
Han met Zhou Tan's gaze, his eyes clouded with worry. "The seer's prophecy… the destruction of the village… Jun Hao's sudden breakthrough… it's all connected, Sect Leader. I feel like we are on the edge of a cliff, about to be pulled from someone with a lot more force than us."
Zhou Tan nodded slowly, a grim determination settling over his features. "Then we must prepare for what's to come. Inform the council. We need to be ready for anything."
As Elder Han hurried to carry out his orders, Zhou Tan looked back at the closed door of Jun Hao's room, his expression troubled. He had a feeling that their lives, and the fate of the Righteous Sect, had just become inextricably linked to the young man inside.
Far away from this world and its dimensions, he did what that he could
He must go and enter the test.
In a room not too far away with a lot of death and dark, for a while he looked at everything, it all came down to a room now.
As if he had no choice.