Chapter 14: Dream Sword

  “It was actually so heavily fortified…even more ahan I imagined.”

  In the past, An Jing had noticed this to some degree. Seeing it now, he realized that even a secret mountain training ground of some hidde wouldn’t require such a level of defensive pnning—this was obviously desigo withstand the assault of aire army.

  Hanging Fate Manor was enormous, its overall yout resembling the characters for “field, oend, one, field” (田一申一田).

  At the ter of the “extend” (申) stood the Medie Pavilion. The living quarters for the trainee children prised less than a quarter of this tral area.

  On both sides, the “fields” were located on the middle slopes of the surrounding mountains. Many medial herbs were grown there; An Jing had seen people w the nd during training sessions.

  Behind Hanging Fate Manor, there was a rear mountain with a waterfall and deep pool—one of the manor’s water sources. Farther back y a rge yon. From Instructor Li and others, An Jing learhat yon was called “Hanging Fate Ge,” the namesake of Hanging Fate Manor. It was said to be extremely deep, though he had never seen it with his own eyes.

  An Jing moved silently through the darkness.

  Although all the instructors were at the internal energy realm, their martial abilities didn’t seem particurly exceptional. From the bits and pieces he had gleaned over time, An Jing knew all these instructors had once been “failures” in past testing.

  What stituted “failure” was likely whether they had awakened a Heaven-Ordained Fate. Even without a Heaven-Ordained Fate, they could still cultivate to Internal Breath Like Tides. In a ty-level town, that was already plenty powerful.

  —Still, there might be a few instructors patrolling, so be careful.

  An Jing ook ces. He circuted his perfected Fag the Abyss to Nurture Qi Stance, drawing in his aura so it practically vanished.

  Not only that—his muscles tensed all over, and by gathering his power so tightly, he maintained precise ba up the strength of his entire body.

  No wonder An Jing suspected Hanging Fate Maed to train assassins or deathsworn warriors. This cultivatiohod fully suited stealthy infiltration. Moreover, one finished nurturing qi, one could unleash Armor-Pierg True For a single explosive blow. bihey produced a terrifying burst of power in an instant—a genuine move designed for desperate bat.

  This set of martial teiques was extremely advanced. At the very least, an ordinary martial arts school in a typical city wouldn’t be able to teaething like this. From An Jing’s perspective, a lethal burst-style art like this was good enough to be a secret trump card in many famed martial arts halls.

  They had taught him such a teique, so it didn’t make seo be so shhted. After spending so much money purchasing children and then instrug them in martial arts, it was hard to believe they would casually kill them all…

  Besides, from the hints given by the instructors on horseback, as well as the servants, it seemed they were all children who had been eliminated in past training. Without a Heaven-Ordained Fate, one was ultimately removed from the program. Those strange meats and medial cos were probably meant to speed up a potential awakening of Heaven-Ordained Fate—or at least bring people close to that point.

  Heaven-Ordained Fate… Heaven-Ordained Fate… Could it truly be induced by other methods? Something about that didn’t feel right…

  Muttering inwardly, An Jing still didn’t want to view Hanging Fate Manor with too much suspi.

  After all, in these chaotic times, Hanging Fate Manor had indeed saved many people.

  He personally might not have heir help, but many other children had gained a ce at survival only because of them.

  Moving quickly, An Jing surveyed several off-limits areas from above. Overall, he found nothing unusual.

  Most of the buildings stored herbs or books and scrolls; some stood empty, as if no one had lived there for seven ht years.

  Of course, going seven ht years without anyone occupying them was itself strange—why were those rooms left vat? Could it be that in the past there had been even more trai Hanging Fate Manor?

  Seven ht years ago… ten years ago… Wait, during that time?

  An Jing’s pupils tracted slightly—was it the Hanhai Demon Disaster?

  Yes! Back during the Hanhai Demon Disaster, just like today’s Northern Frontier Frost Camity, rge numbers of children became refugees of catastrophe. And that Hanhai Demon Disaster was far more brutal than simply heavy snow and freezing cold. Surely Hanging Fate Manor could have found plenty of disaster children willing to sell themselves then.

  Having figured that out, An Jihere was nothing especially suspicious anymore.

  If there was anything odd, it was that he simply couldn’t find any of the people who’d been “eliminated.”

  Had they really all just bee down the mountain?

  An Ji a bit puzzled. If Zhang Ying hadn’t been like a little brother to him sihe sed day in the manor, he wouldn’t have felt sly about looking for him.

  But now he had searched the main pound thhly and found not the slightest trace.

  He sighed inwardly and prepared to return. “Fet it. I’d better head bad get some sleep. Tomorrow I still have training.”

  Just then, as An Jing turned and readied to leave, he heard something peculiar.

  It was like a sharp cry from some kind of bird—or perhaps a human scream—ringing out for just an instant before vanishing.

  “What was that?”

  An Jing instantly turned back toward where the sound had e from.

  It was the Medie Pavilion.

  “What was that noise…”

  Curiosity piqued, An Jing started moving toward the Medie Pavilion.

  But in that moment, a strange voice emerged.

  [Stop…]

  It was a woman’s voice—clear and nimble, as if a bird were singing, or a mountain spring trig.

  A… it also sounded far mid, sharper somehow.

  Almost like… the ringing of a sword as it vibrated!

  With a tone of stern warning, that voice said: [Halt!]

  —Who?!

  An Jing froze. He had been advang toward the Medie Pavilion but now halted, shocked. He looked around in astonishment and found nothing.

  Stars and moon shone in the sky, moonlight draped like gauze. Beh the night’s veil, everything y silent. No oirred. Not a single echo lingered.

  It was as if it had all been a halluation or some trick of his ears.

  Yet that single word “Halt!” still reverberated in An Jing’s mind like an echo rolling through yers of mountains—only it remained perfectly distinot fading into mere distortion. It slowly receded, but every st sylble was clear as day.

  That warning instantly calmed An Jing’s uled emotions. A sense of tranquility spread through him, like a single drop of icy rain falling from above and striking the ke of his heart—clearing away all murkiness so that the rippling surface grew still and mirrorlike once again.

  —Someone helped me?

  Now clear-headed, he took several deep breaths and looked again toward the Medie Pavilion. He realized how rash he had been.

  Uher pces, the Medie Pavilion was always brightly lit. Lamps and nterns glowed all around, lighting its interior aerior as if it were twilight. Approag it would surely get him spotted.

  …He couldn’t go closer. Yet who was that voice? Why warn him to stop?

  Why caution him at all?

  What exactly were the adults of Hanging Fate Manor doing? What were they pnning?

  Letting out a slow breath to quell his ay and lingering fear, An Jing turo leave.

  Clearly, circumstances made further exploration uonight. Realizing his own rashness, he knew he o prepare more before making any further moves.

  In the end, he returo the dormitory and y back down in bed.

  In that silend darkness, weighed by unanswered questions, An Jing drifted off once more.

  He dreamed of hunger, dreamed of beasts, dreamed of sharpened fangs, of the sound of teeth grinding and roars, of bloody ks of meat—bones ais.

  They ehey waited.

  Not yet, they whispered.

  Not now, An Jing murmured in his dream.

  In the end, he dreamed of a cold gleam.

  He dreamed of a sword.

  (End of Chapter)