The Stars Beyond

Chapter 62: United We Stand

Seeing the conviction in Wang Xuan's words, Qing Mu felt a budding hope. Does Wang Xuan possess some otherworldly abilities?

"What do you believe is the safest approach?" Qing Mu inquired carefully.

Wang Xuan pondered for a moment. "It's like a legend coming to life. Above, the immortals light up the heavens; below, bodhisattvas spin prayer wheels. Celestials float on clouds, demonesses control dragons, and fairy maidens tread along mystical paths, reuniting under the moonlit jade terrace..."

He spoke with a distant nostalgia, then sighed heavily. The great immortals and bodhisattvas of old are now but remnants of the past. Listening to this, Qing Mu felt overwhelmed. Is Wang Xuan speaking of a divine intervention? Or perhaps a chaotic assembly of supernatural creatures? He was utterly confused.

And given the rumors that Wang Xuan had an uncanny ability to attract spirits, Qing Mu's unease grew. Doubts clouded Qing Mu's mind. Was Wang Xuan planning to infuse a host of supernatural beings into Old Chen's fragile body? Considering Old Chen's frail state, would he even be able to withstand such a thing? Qing Mu's worries continued to mount.

......

Wang Xuan was deep in thought, considering how to keep a low profile. Even though Old Chen was out of action, he was still the focal point, and countless eyes were fixed on him. If Wang Xuan rashly stepped in and Old Chen miraculously recovered, it would undoubtedly lead to breaking news that would put Wang Xuan in the crosshairs. People would surely dig deeper, and the secrets of his Inner Landscape might come to light.

These considerations sent a chill down Wang Xuan's spine, as if a cold knife was pressed against his throat. The weight of the situation pressed heavily on him, each thought increasing his anxiety. This was not child's play. Rescuing Old Chen could endanger his very life. The implications were massive. How could he navigate this without exposing his own secrets?

While Wang Xuan was usually laid-back, he was visibly distressed that night, his face etched with concern. He knew he had to carefully plan every move.

In the end, he methodically refined his approach.

Wang Xuan looked at Qing Mu earnestly and said, “Old Qing, everything hinges on you this time!”

Qing Mu was puzzled. How am I suddenly involved?

With a grave tone, Wang Xuan continued, “When we were collecting the antiques, I mentioned that your master once obtained a secret manual that recorded ancient rituals, including the Zhu You and ancient witchcraft. With these, one could perform rites using objects. And since you're Old Chen's disciple, it naturally falls to you to oversee this!”

Noticing Wang Xuan's seriousness, Qing Mu became more attentive and anxious, ready to cooperate fully. He observed Wang Xuan engrossed in his phone, seemingly searching for something, occasionally furrowing his brow in deep thought.

“Old Qing, I'll teach you some techniques. You need to learn them quickly and master them,” Wang Xuan said with utmost gravity.

“Alright,” Qing Mu responded. Seeing Wang Xuan's intense demeanor made him feel uncertain, but he was prepared to give his full support regardless.

Being a master of the Old Arts, Qing Mu could pick up movements quickly. But as time went on, he started feeling something was amiss. It increasingly seemed to him like... he was learning a religious dance ritual. During a short break when Wang Xuan took a sip of water, Qing Mu quickly did an online search. Immediately, he found the original tutorial.

He felt like spitting out blood in frustration. He had been so diligent in his learning, and Wang Xuan had been teaching him with such a serious face. Is this a joke? They were indeed learning a religious dance. It was madness.

“What are you trying to pull, Wang Xuan?” Qing Mu asked, his face clouding over with anger.

Wang Xuan still wore a grave expression, but Qing Mu's unease had been replaced by skepticism. He was beginning to think that Wang Xuan might be a bit unreliable.

"If we're going with the pretense of the Zhu You rituals and ancient witchcraft to save someone, you should at least learn to look the part. It would be even better if you could master it and come up with your own variations," Wang Xuan advised.

"You could've mentioned that earlier!" Qing Mu retorted, visibly irritated. Without waiting for Wang Xuan's guidance, he began to mimic the movements, capturing an enigmatic essence.

Having been a disciple of Old Chen, Qing Mu had naturally learned many Old Arts. What he performed was a dance from an ancient text, believed in antiquity to connect with the divine and even wielded as a martial form.

Wang Xuan couldn't help but admire, "Old Qing, you truly are a talent. I can already envision your brilliant future."

"What are you rambling about?" Qing Mu was starting to get fed up and didn't want to engage further.

"I'm not speaking nonsense. Tonight, you're destined to astonish the world with your dance!" Wang Xuan clapped him on the shoulder, emphasizing the need for mastery in his moves.

Qing Mu's face stiffened. With his sharp instincts, he immediately pieced together a troubling thought. If he managed to revive his master, would the future see him being frequently summoned by various tycoons and organizations to perform this witchcraft dance?

"All of this is for Old Chen," Wang Xuan said with a solemn face.

Qing Mu wanted to point out that for all of Wang Xuan's serious demeanor in wanting to save Old Chen, it was him, Qing Mu, who was doing the heavy lifting. But what could he say now? No matter how hard it was, he knew that he had to accept it.

Wang Xuan added, "It's not enough for just the two of us to be involved. Let's get everyone practicing the Old Arts on board as well. They can line up to visit Old Chen, transferring to him the energy of the living. Coupled with your ritual dance, it might just bring him back."

Without a word, Qing Mu listened to what he considered Wang Xuan's nonsensical plans. Deep down, he knew it was to cover for Wang Xuan to prevent his exposure.

"Everyone should enter in an orderly manner, one by one," Wang Xuan proposed. "Depending on their skills, they can spend anywhere from a minute or two to up to forty minutes inside the room. I believe, considering my ability, a few minutes to several tens of minutes should be ample. After all, a year or two in the internal realm might only translate to a minute in our world."

He continued, "It might seem strange if they just come in and look at Old Chen without doing anything. It'd be like they're paying their last respects or something. To make it more believable, they can touch Old Chen's hand or foot, and claim that it's a transfer of life energy. This way, it will seem like those from the realm of the Old Arts are collectively trying to save Old Chen."

Hearing all this, Qing Mu was speechless. This young man, Wang Xuan... To clear his own name, he truly was going to great—and questionable—lengths.

"Can't you exclude me from this?" Qing Mu couldn't help but ask.

"It's not possible. You're his disciple. You can't just do nothing in such a crucial moment," Wang Xuan responded.

"Anything else you need to add?" Qing Mu inquired, his face void of any emotion.

"That's about it. Keep things simple!" Wang Xuan waved his hand dismissively.

Qing Mu looked at him, exasperated. How is this "keeping things simple"? So many people are getting involved just to provide Wang Xuan with a cover. And hold on... Is everyone really going to touch Old Chen? The idea suddenly hit him—the dying Old Chen was essentially going to be groped by almost everyone.

Wang Xuan thought to himself, "Old Chen, just bear with it for tonight. Even if dozens of people touch you or hundreds come into contact, just endure it. All of this is to save you. Besides, you're in a deep unconscious state, so you might not even realize what's happening."

A concern suddenly popped into Wang Xuan's mind. Even if he could enter the internal realm without triggering a heightened state of awareness, would it be possible with Old Chen in his unclear, unconscious state? If his consciousness isn't revived, can he be brought along? In that scenario, he'd have to make direct contact with Old Chen's body, transferring the mysterious factor through touch.

There was also the possibility that Old Chen was simply pretending to be unconscious. It was not entirely impossible. Wang Xuan had actually considered something like this. Old Chen could be “fishing”, he had thought. But if it was real, he might actually give the old man a beating for his pranks. Perhaps he might be the one who ended up being beaten up by Old Chen.

He considered all possibilities. But one thing was certain: Old Chen would not know what to do when he first entered the Inner Landscape. He would need guidance from Wang Xuan.

“Where’s the Marquis Sui’s Pearl?” he asked. Such a rare artifact would of course not be forgotten.

Qing Mu pulled a box out from his pocket and said, “It’s a rare artifact. I’ve been keeping it safe.”

It’s so near, and yet... Wang Xuan could not sense any Mystery Factor on the pearl. He was disappointed, “Put it away. It's a fake.” he waved his hand dismissively.

But Qing Mu ignored his words and opened the box to reveal a brilliant white pearl. “Maybe it’s not the real pearl, but it certainly is an ancient artifact.” he observed. The Marquis Sui’s Pearl was said to be engraved with scriptures by practitioners of the pre-Qin era, but the item before him was anything but that. It might be ancient, but it had nothing to do with the object described in myths and legends.

“How can you tell it’s fake?” Qing Mu did not buy into Wang Xuan’s words.

Wang Xuan responded with a shrug, “I’m an experienced archeologist.”

The operation to save Old Chen from the brink of death would begin shortly. Qing Mu left to inform the practitioners of the Old Arts that their “combined efforts” were needed to snatch their old comrade from the jaws of death. Wang Xuan sighed as he held the piece of black bone in his hand. Please, let this succeed.

Qing Mu, who was done explaining the ritual to the rest of the practitioners, returned just in time to see Wang Xuan fiddling with the bones between his fingers. He could feel his heart in his mouth. “Are you crazy?” he asked, afraid that he would once again be haunted by the youngster’s thoughtless action.

“Don’t you think it’s creepy? Playing with that bone like that.” he asked with a low voice, “And are you actually going to summon some sort of spirit?”

“Old Qing,” Wang Xuan replied, “These things might look dull, but what do you think they were? They might belong to some immortals back then.”

Qing Mu rolled his eyes and retorted, “And don’t you think you’re disrespecting them by playing around with their bones?”

He does have a point. Thought Wang Xuan, “Alright, move. Let’s go save Old Chen!”

This would be a sleepless night for the people involved.

Old Chen laid on a bed surrounded by flowers in the hall. Artifacts of ancient origins filled the room. It was very likely that they would not work, but at this point, nobody cared. The Pearl of Marquis Sui was placed on Old Chen’s head as a ward that could protect his life. One by one, the practitioners of the Old Arts filed in. Some of them could barely hold back their tears, while others were openly sobbing. It was starting to look like an actual funeral.

Qing Mu did his best to perform the ritual dance. He was sweating from head to toes as the procession continued. When it was time for Wang Xuan to make his move, he was overcome by his emotions. It’s not easy being your guardian angel you know? He lamented as he looked at Old Chen’s battered form. Especially when I have to save your life without being noticed.

Now... Which artifact should I use first? The demeanor of each immortal was different. He was worried that the Mystery Factor he infused into Old Chen might belong to someone with a bad temperament. The pressure was on.

Wang Xuan settled with the bone charred by lightning. After all, it was from a small monastery, and its interior was gold in color. This symbolized purity and holiness. He attempted to crack the bone to release the Mystery Factor within, but no matter how much force he exerted on the bone, it would not budge.

Now that’s a surprise.

At that moment, his eyes laid upon the black sword beside Old Chen. It was an artifact shrouded in mystery. He lifted the sword and swung it on the bone.

Whoosh!

The sword managed to leave a mark on the black bone. While the cut was not deep, it was enough. Mystery Factors poured out from the bone, and the Inner Landscape was unlocked. This phenomenon remained invisible to onlookers, but Wang Xuan found himself in the Solitary Void.

At the same time, he saw the flash of a sword that split the very mountains itself. A beauty soared across the sky with the grace of an angel.