Chapter 130

  Echoes (VI)

  Just before entering the tent arranged for us, I remembered that I had this nifty little tool called 'magic eyes'. Honestly, my memory of it comes and goes, and if I had been just a bit faster, I could have checked out that weirdo that swung by for a moment.

  Alas, I was not.

  Which left me with the young woman.

  [--Creator's Eyes used]

  [... Anomaly Detected]

  [Spend 100 CP to ignore the inspection barriers the Target has set up?]

  ... you know what?

  I'm good.

  No, really, I'm good.

  I need to have some points in reserve in case I immediately need to create specific art, and 'unlocking' her screen would put a hefty dent in that, bringing me to just a little bit above 100.

  Besides, I don't need the headache. If it was a minor expenditure--say, 10 points--I'd have considered it, but 100 suggests something on the level of Light, and I just don't want to know. I don't care what it is that she's hiding; so long as she's not trying to kill us, she can keep her secrets.

  "Here you go; you can settle in first. I have to go and report," she said, sounding less than enthused.

  "Thank you," I said. "And good luck."

  "Hm."

  She flashed me a faint smile before disappearing, after which I led the kids into what looked to be a rather spacious tent.

  To be honest, I'd been sneakily hoping it was one of those world of wizardry tents that would be an actual mansion inside, and though there is some of that spatial magic applied, it was just barely large enough for all of us to fit--and not with any level of comfort.

  At least there was wood covering the ground so there'd be no bugs coming from under the dirt, and the tent was 'spliced' into three sections, if you could even call it that.

  The entryway where there was a small table and a few prayer mats around it, and the two back 'chambers' that looked to be where people slept. I don't know about the kids, but I ain't sleeping while we're here. I don't trust any of these lads and gals more than I trusted a mosquito not to bite me.

  "Haah," Wan Lan exhaled deeply and sat down; unfortunately, she didn't manage to learn the art in time and change her face. Even if she had, however, she couldn't really do it, as she's already been seen. Alas, for now, it seems that nobody has recognized her, so it should be fine.

  "Master, I don't like this place," Dai Xiu said. "It feels... weird. The air is sticky."

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  ... anybody mind translating that?

  "It's not sticky, Senior Sister." Thank you, Xi Zhao. "It's buttery."

  Alright, that's even more confusing! What the hell does that mean?!

  "I feel it's more... stinky?" Light also contributed, and I sought solace in the remaining two--Long Tao was sitting with his eyes closed, seemingly meditating and entirely divorced from everything, and Wan Lan... Wan Lan is my kindred spirit! She looked just as confused as I felt.

  "Alright, you three. You should go rest for a little while," I said.

  "Yes, Master!" Luckily, they were still quite obedient, so they immediately shuffled to the back of the tent, leaving the other three of us behind.

  "Senior Lu," Wan Lan jumped. "Do you know what they meant?"

  "Less and less with each passing day."

  "Pfft."

  "But the place does feel off," I added. "I'd much rather we stayed on the outside looking in."

  "... why did we have to come here, anyway?" Seeing as Long Tao just let us ramble on, either he'd already made sure nobody could hear us, or there wasn't anything of the sort like that to begin with.

  Anyway, it was a good question--the 'why'. Only Long Tao knew the depths of the actual answer, though I had a sneaking suspicion he wasn't going to offer it up.

  "This place," I said. "Is a bad omen."

  "A bad omen?"

  "Hm. As you've no doubt heard, they believe it is a tomb of an Ancient Emperor, or at least an ancient cultivator, where treasured artifacts are buried. Wealth beyond belief."

  "You... don't think it is?"

  "No," I said. "Regardless of what the ruin actually holds, I can guarantee that it's not treasure and wealth. As for why I came here... well, call it curiosity, call it greed, call it altruism," I added, eyeing Long Tao, whose eyebrows visibly twitched for a moment. "Don't worry; no matter what happens, I won't ever put you or any of the kids in harm's way."

  "Hm," she nodded, lowering her head. "Madame did mention that she thought you were a good man."

  "For a woman of her age, she certainly had good eyesight."

  "Ha ha," she laughed spiritedly for a moment, looking back up at me again. "It sounds like something she would say, too."

  "Great minds think alike and all."

  "... I know she wanted me to leave," she said. "I've known for a long while, really. But I always thought that I'd be able to convince her otherwise. That she would let me stay by her side... until the end."

  "Hm," I hummed, gathering my thoughts. "I once had a friend. His parents were rather... strict and had an entire life etched out for him. What he was going to study and become, who he was going to marry, and where he was going to live. They didn't see anything wrong with it--they merely thought they were carving out a path. And he, well, he wanted to do the exact opposite of their wishes. So, they fought. All the time."

  "What happened with them?"

  "... what happens in most relationships," I said, recalling the rather bitter and annoying conversation. "They compromised. Madame Lu... she's a fierce woman. Strong. Unbending."

  "I know--"

  "--and that's how she wants you to remember her," I said. "The simple truth is that the dying who love us would never want to burden us with their pain. So, they hide it and they mask it, just so you don't see them in that state. She wanted you to remember her as a woman who stood against the world--that even in her state, her back stood straight up like a spear. But even more than that... life is to be lived, Wan Lan, and nobody knows that better than those reaching its end. Now, I don't necessarily agree with her offloading you to the first random guy who showed up, but I imagine that her heart was in the right place, regardless."

  "Is it not that our parents raise us from the cradle, so we must ease them into a grave?" she asked, seeming rather stubborn about it.

  "For some, yes," I said. "For others, raising children isn't a loan that one day must be paid--it's just... life. It just so happens that you two stand on diametrically opposing ends of the subject. And in that scenario, you should listen to your Elders."

  She cracked a smile and shook her head faintly, standing up.

  "You are odd, Senior Lu," she said. "Just like she was. Thank you. I will also go and rest for a bit."

  "Of course."

  I whipped out some water and poured myself a cup, glancing over at Long Tao, who had suspiciously opened his eyes. I don't like when he shows interest in me--it usually means he's about to offload some information that will make me very anxious.

  Oh no.

  I just jinxed myself, didn't I?