V2C84

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While the storm was raging on the land of Yunhuang, the depths of the Mirror Lake were completely quiet. Under 10,000 feet of water where the moonlight cannot reach, giant algae are swaying like a forest and swarms of fish are sailing through them.

In the depths of the misty water, hidden by the seaweed forest, countless encampments are barely visible, their tents filled with a faint pearlescent light, resembling a magical candle lantern lit up in the depths of the night – this is the main Headquarters of the Restoration Army beneath Mirror Lake, a safe place beyond the reach of the Kongsang army.

A sudden, subtle shift in the current occurred, and the shark warrior guarding the entrance of the camp stood up warily.

In that instant, the waves of water overhead parted swiftly to the sides and a group of people returned with great speed, darting like arrows into the depths of the water.

“Look! It’s Jian Lin!” The soldiers on guard recognized the person coming and couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, “Blessed be the Dragon God, they’ve managed to kill their way out of Yecheng!”

The Restoration Army warriors inside the camp heard the shouts and rushed out of their tents quickly.

The returning fighters were all bruised and battered, and the water reeked of blood where they swam, clearly wounded from the siege and exhausted upon arrival.

“Quickly… go and report to the elders! The Lord Zhi Yuan… Zhi Yuan…” Jian Lin propped himself up and spat out some weak words, “He tried to save us… he remained behind to cut off the retreat… alone trapped in a heavy siege! Hurry up…”

The young warrior couldn’t finish his sentence afterwards, his eyes turned into darkness and he passed out.

When Jian Lin woke up, he was being treated by the three elders in a joint effort.

Elder Quan shook his head, “Jian Lin, your injuries are not light, you must try to rest and recuperate in the next couple of days.”

“I am deeply grateful to the elder.” Seeing Elder Quan personally coming out to heal his wounds, the young warrior hastily propped himself up to thank him, and after a pause, the first thing that rushed out of his mouth was to ask, “Has Lord Zhi Yuan… returned?”

Hearing that name, the three elders gazed at each other for a moment and remained silent.

Jian Lin’s heart sank suddenly, and he didn’t dare to ask any more questions. After a long period of silence, it was Elder Quan who finally opened his mouth, “Jian Lin, we hope that you will heal as soon as possible and return to Yunhuang to carry out your next mission. This matter is of great importance, and it can only fall on your shoulders now.”

He had just escaped from Yecheng and already got his next mission so quickly? Jian Lin was slightly surprised in his heart, but he just bowed his head and replied resolutely, “At Elder’s command!”

Elder Quan nodded, “Follow me.”

The three elders stood up one after another and walked out of the tent, crossing the dense seaweeds at the bottom of the lake, reaching a clearing above. The empty space, located at the very heart of the Mirror Lake Encampment, was covered with white sand, emitting a strange pale light from underneath the deep water, with a huge white stone in the center. The three elders each took their places, stretched out their hands and traced a circle in the water above the ground.

The moment their fingertips enclosed the circle, the white stone suddenly shifted and a door magically appeared under the water!

Jian Lin took a deep breath in surprise, not daring to enquire without being asked. Elder Quan lifted his finger and the door opened with a slick sound, revealing a staircase going under the ground – Jian Lin had been a member of the Restoration Army for quite some time, but had never known that there was such a place in the Mirror Lake Encampment, so he silently followed along, holding back the astonishment in his heart.

The stairway to the bottom were not too long, only a few dozen of steps.

Disappointingly, there was no cave at the end of the steps, but just a very small room. No more than a foot square, lit by a faint light coming from a luminous pearl, it appeared to be nothing special – and what was more surprising was that this room beneath the Mirror Lake was completely dry, without the slightest hint of water, but filled with fresh air!

It was a space that was no different from the surface of the land which belongs to humans.

Jian Lin could not help but gasp in amazement: to keep such a place under the deepest part of the waters in Yunhuang, even a small chamber would require a huge amount of spiritual energy, why would the three elders take the trouble to keep such a secret place within the Restoration Army?

Elder Quan pushed open the door and greeted the people inside, “I’ve kept you waiting.”

The figure in the chamber turned around at the sound of the voice. It was an old man in his sixties, looking tired, but with eyes as sharp as lightning, hands as steady as rocks, and surrounded by a dense collection of silver needles and medicinal pills.

Jian Lin was shocked: a human being actually made an appearance in this secret room under the Mirror Lake?

“Doctor Shen Tu, you’ve worked hard earlier, take a rest first.” The voice of another woman spoke, soft and calm, “I’ll attend to this child for now.”

“Ruyi?” Jian Lin recognized the woman as the Yecheng flower girl and couldn’t help but be surprised, “You… have also escaped from Yecheng and returned? Thank the Dragon God for his blessing!”

” Jian Lin? Is that you?” Ruyi was also shocked, “I was seriously injured and returned to Mirror Lake through a secret passage before the battle in Yecheng officially exploded and I underwent treatment from Doctor Shen Tu – I’ve been worried about you guys. Thank goodness, you have finally returned from the battle… Where is my brother?”

“He…” Jian Lin’s heart froze, and he couldn’t finish his sentence.

When Ruyi saw his expression, her face turned pale at once: ”What happened? Zhi Yuan he… he didn’t come back with you guys? What happened to him?”

“The Left Envoy he… remained behind to cut off the retreat,” Jian Lin said, only to feel his throat tighten. As he spoke, he looked at the three elders: the first time he returned to the encampment, he had informed the Elder Quan of the Left Envoy being trapped – yet why were the three elders still standing here, unmoved?

“Zhi Yuan,” Elder Quan suddenly began to speak, one word at a time, “he has died in battle.”

“What?” Ruyi’s body swayed as if a knife had instantly pierced her thin body and she screamed in disbelief, “Killed in the fight? No… it can’t be!”

In the same moment, Jian Lin was also struck by lightning and his entire body shook!

“Yes, Zhi Yuan is dead.” Elder Quan’s voice trailed off, “Before Jian Lin and his group returned, we received news from Wenzhou: the governor of Yecheng, Bai Fenglin, had just submitted a formal report to the Imperial Court to claim credit for the siege of the Restoration Army, listing several major battle feats, one of which mentioned the execution of the Left Envoy Zhi Yuan…”

“…” Ruyi’s eyes darkened instantly, hollow as a deep pit. She slumped down into a seat, as if her spine had suddenly been shattered inch by inch, and she could no longer stand up.

Jian Lin stepped to the side, also unable to speak out of shock and grief.

“Impossible…” Ruyi raised her palms to cover her face, her ten fingers shaking violently, and muttered, “He asked me to evacuate first, and that he would return to the base camp and join me as soon as he escaped the siege! How, how could he…”

“He died sacrificing his life for the Sea Kingdom.” Elder Quan sighed, “Don’t worry, we already sent out our men to take his heart back at all costs.”

“His heart?” Ruyi shuddered violently and her entire body stiffened – yes, in the tradition of the Sea Kingdom, when a shark dies, if his heart cannot return to the water, his being cannot return to the Blue Sea. Now that Zhi Yuan had died in battle on dry land, his heart could not be buried in the yellow sandy soil!

Elder Quan sighed, “Zhi Yuan fought for the Sea Kingdom his entire life, after his death he should return to his homeland to rest in peace, how can we allow those Kongsang people to retain him in the Yunhuang land?”

“…” Ruyi’s shoulders trembled violently, as if she could not accept the fact that her beloved brother has died, and her lips quivered as if she was trying to say something, but in the end she could not utter a single word.

Elder Quan whispered soothingly, “Don’t worry, we’ll definitely bring him back to the Blue Sea.”

“No.” Ruyi suddenly clenched her teeth and raised her head, “Let him remain in Yunhuang!”

The three elders were taken aback all at once, “What?”

“Let Zhi Yuan remain in Yunhuang! That’s what his heart desires.” Ruyi raised her head to look at the three elders, her eyes gradually filling with tears as she choked back a sob, “He… has been waiting his entire life in vain for the one he loved to be reincarnated and return to this world. We… we can’t just have him be taken away like this.”

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