Wei Ying confided to me that he had always been convinced that there were not 4, but 5 pieces of Yin Iron and that the 5th one was in the hands of Xue Yang! With one piece of the amulet and another of the Yin Iron, he could restore the Yin Hufu but not in its full power! Fortunately!

Wei Ying was really worried, too many coincidences had happened at the same time: his return, the infected sword. Someone seemed to be using us as pawns! It was time for us to go on the offensive and go from being prey to being hunters!

1st step, the afterlife chamber and the infected sword.

On our way there, we met the disciples. SuZhui seemed to be getting better, but he was still holding his arm against him. I discreetly advised him to go and meditate in the cold spring to heal. He thanked me and promised to go there as soon as possible.

We went through the doors. Most of the damage, caused the day before by the sword, had been repaired. It was floating under the containment bell. Wei Ying hovered around it, staring intently at it. The disciples asked what we were going to do?

"Go back to the source," I answered.

"And find the owner of the sword spirit," said Wei Ying.

"Where are we going to find him? "asked Jingyi.

"Northwest" was my answer

"Why go to the northwest?" interjected SiZhui

"He's showing us the way! "Wei Ying nodded toward the sword.

After a few more exchanges with the disciples, I decided to entrust the injured to SiZhuis. With my brother away, my uncle unconscious, and myself absent, he was the last member of our family to be present in Yunshen Buzhi. He was going to have to assume the fact that he was my son.

Wei Ying was pawing at me! He did not hide his joy of leaving this sanctuary where he was safe. It allowed him to escape the restrictive rules that governed him.

He nudged me with his shoulder and leaned lightly against me. I shied away.

You are happy! But I am trembling. I've only just found you. Here you are safe. But you, as always, want to go on an adventure, without paying attention to the dangers that await you.

I am angry, but of course I don't show it!

We finally set off in the direction of Qinghe, the domain of the Nie Clan.

The closer we got, the stronger the evil energy became.

After passing the city gates, we walked up the main street. We need to find an inn. I know just the place. I turned around but you were gone.

Where were you? What kind of trouble were you in again? I suddenly heard your voice shouting!

"Lan Zhan, help me! "

I rushed over and stood between you and...JinLing. He seemed to hesitate. He looked down and glanced at the dog standing at his feet.

A spirit dog! Probably a gift from one of his uncles!

I stared at the animal and it walked away. As soon as it disappeared, I immediately felt you relax, as if this animal had scared you ....?

After several hesitations and a furious kick in a basket, which had made the mistake of being in front of him, JinLing left to follow his dog. You went to a street vendor and talked with him for a long time. In the end, amidst all the rumors he talked about, we managed to gather some interesting information.

There was a ridge called "the walker's ridge" and people had disappeared there. At the top, there seemed to be some sort of construction. You also learned something I didn't dare to tell you. The new leader of the Nie Sect: HuaiSang, your friend from before, and his nickname of "Mr. I don't know"!

After leaving the merchant, we headed for the ridge. We would see later about the inn! On the way you asked me how HuaiSang became the head of the Nie Clan. I told you about the death of his brother.

All of a sudden I saw you freeze when we heard the barking of a dog in the distance! You hid behind me and kept repeating "dog, dog, dog,... "while shaking. I reassured you, there was no dog! You came out from behind my back.

So...was it really JinLing's dog that had terrorized you so much in the market? How was it possible that a person as powerful as you was afraid of such a small animal?

I looked at you questioningly with my eyes.

"Don't look at me like that! "

"Why are you afraid of dogs? " Of course you didn't want to answer me, as usual when we address a personal issue! So I went on my way, but you called me back and grabbed my arm. You hesitated...

"I...When I was a kid, I was homeless, and I had to fight dogs for food. I was very lucky that Uncle Jiang took me back to LianHua Wu (Lotus Pier) . But Jiang Cheng had to part with his dogs.

I listen to you and I can't believe my ears, I always thought that you had lived in "Lotus Pier" all your life. Even before your parents died! But you grew up on the street? How long did you stay there? You were 4 or 5 years old when they died! How did you manage to survive in front of ferocious dogs? How many times did you not have enough to eat or a roof over your head? Is that why you like to sleep under the stars on rooftops?

Why didn't you ever tell me about the suffering you must have felt as a child?

In the end, you are like me. I hide my feelings, my wounds and my anger behind an impassive mask of coldness and you behind a smile and jokes.

We go back on our way. We hear barking again. I have the impression that it is JinLing's dog! You hide behind me again. Something has happened, otherwise he would not bark like that.

I reassure you and tell you how worried I am about Jin Ling. You pull yourself together and tell me to go and see, only .... you are still clinging to my arm!

"Han GuangJun, go!...Why don't you go? "

"Let go of me! "You gave me an embarrassed smile and let go.

We arrived at the foot of a mausoleum after going through a fog of disorientation and fighting some fierce corpses!

We went around it. We finally found the entrance that Jin Ling must have used. We went deep into the bowels of the earth. Suddenly I saw you flinch and stagger. You held your head in your hands, you looked like you were in pain; what was going on? You said only one word to me.

"Noisy."

I understood what you meant. The voices of the spirits of this tomb must be assailing your mind. You quickly pulled yourself together but your face remained worried. You left without waiting for me. My heart pinches. Is Jin Ling so important to you? You hardly know him!

But he is the son of your shijie whom you loved so much, so I understand you!

We continued on, when for the second time the spirits disturbed you, you took out your monster compass and we followed its needle. We arrived in a room full of coffins. We opened one of them... but inside we found only a sword.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)