After two days of relentless travel, they finally reached their destination. The landscape had shifted dramatically; the dense forest gave way to a sprawling clearing, where towering ancient white trees rose from a vast expanse of soft, mossy ground. The air carried a damp chill, and the scent of decaying vegetation mixed with the pervasive, unsettling aura of Yin qi.
“The Whispering Glade,” Shu Yijian one of the inner sect disciples said in awe.
“I forgot this is Brother Shu’s first expedition,” Ma De’s said.
Jiang Tao wasn’t sure he shared that same reverence. The place was off-putting; it made his hair stand on ends.
He wasn't the only one who shared that sentiment. “This place reeks of death,” Ning Yiren muttered, stepping beside him. Her expression was perturbed.
Li Hua who was walking beside him was equally unnerved, her eyes flicking over the glade with suspicion. She remained silent, but her body language suggested she was on high alert.
Ma De, ever the chatterbox, started giving a treatise on the glade. “The Whispering Glade is known for its dense Yin qi. It’s said that this place is a remnant of the ancient war when the 8th Emperor cast the demons from the valley…”
Ma De’s voice trailed off as he noticed the uneasy expressions of those around him. By his side, the only female disciple from the Twilight Flame Sect by the name of Wang Fang broke out into giggles.
“Brother Ma De should know not to scare the poor Imperial babies like that, they aren't used to it,”
Jiang Tao wasn’t sure whether to feel offended or simply laugh off Wang Fang’s comment. Her giggles, though somewhat lighthearted, did little to ease the tension in the air.
He glanced at Ning Yiren, who had rolled her eyes at Wang Fang’s teasing, and then back at Li Hua, whose gaze remained sharp and alert.
As they ventured deeper into the Whispering Glade, the eerie atmosphere intensified. Shadows seemed to stretch and twist unnaturally among the ancient white trees, their gnarled branches reaching out like skeletal fingers. The mossy ground squelched underfoot as they walked further in.
Elder Ji gestured for them to spread out, his eyes scanning the perimeter. “The Orchid blooms near the roots of these trees,” he said. “Stay sharp. If you find it, call out immediately. Do not approach it on your own.”
He can't be serious. He thought in disbelief. Split up?
Not that he was scared or anything but that did not seem like a sound plan. By the uneasy looks he shared with the other imperial disciples, he wasn't alone in doubting the decision.
This is how you get picked off by some sort of ghost or something. The whispering glade felt like something straight out of a horror movie. Tao was starting to understand why the Twilight Flame sect's outer disciples would avoid this.
At their indecisiveness, Elder Ji turned to them with a questioning glance. “Aren't you supposed to be burgeoning legends? All I see are paper tigers,”
Jiang Tao caught the edge of Ning Yiren’s jaw tightening at Elder Ji’s words. The taunt was meant to push them, but it clearly struck a nerve. Yu Hongyi's eyes flashed with irritation, but he quickly masked it with a smirk, stepping forward as if to prove his worth.
Li Hua, too, seemed to stiffen at the Elder's provocation, her sword hand twitching slightly. She exchanged a brief glance with Jiang Tao, silently communicating her shared apprehension and resolve.
“Let’s get this over with,” Li Hua said softly.
“Well then,” Elder Ji continued, his voice carrying a note of challenge, “prove me wrong. Show me you’re more than just undeserved talent and noble backgrounds.”
With a reluctant nod, the group fanned out into the Whispering Glade.
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The disciples slip up, each moving carefully through the mossy ground, eyes trained on the base of the ancient trees. The oppressive quiet of the clearing was unnerving; even the usual sounds of nature seemed to have been swallowed by the overwhelming Yin energy.
Jiang Tao kept his senses sharp as he moved cautiously between the ancient white trees, their pale bark reflecting the dim light in a ghostly manner. The air was thick with the cold, sluggish flow of Yin qi, making even breathing feel like a chore.
This is the strangest experience in my life. You’d think I would be ok with spiritual stuff after being reincarnated and all.
Lost in thought, he nearly missed a faint glow emerging from the base of one of the ancient trees. He approached it cautiously, his heart pounding as he neared the source of the glow.
There at the base of a tree were the objects of his search, how was he so sure? They practically radiated cold and the ground beneath them was dusted with a faint layer of frost.
The cluster of pale orchids was a beautiful sight amid the desolation. Their petals shimmered with a delicate, ethereal light, casting a soft halo around the roots of the tree.
Despite the beauty, Jiang Tao couldn't help but feel that they were out of place, an unnatural splendor amidst the decay.
He eyed the flowers for a moment. He won't know one is gone, right? With that thought he reached out into the base of the orchid and sank his hands into the soft loamy soil. Uprooting a single bloom from the roots.
I’m not stealing. Just sampling a natural treasure is all. He rationalized Elder Ji didn't own them, and there were still a handful left.
As Jiang Tao gently extracted the orchid from its roots, he felt a shiver run through him. The ground was icy cold.
With the plant uprooted he quickly stored it in his storage ring. Shaking his hand to dislodge the dirt and debris, then he fluffed up the disturbed ground near the orchids.
Time to go.
He would walk away pretend to be clueless and someone else could discover first. He felt a slight pang of guilt but pushed it aside, If it was as treasured as they said, he’d need it eventually.
As he walked away from the orchids, he found Li Hua who was in the middle of her search.
“Find anything?” she asked softly, her voice barely a whisper as if speaking too loudly might provoke something unseen.
“Not yet,” Jiang Tao replied, trying to keep his tone casual. “But this place is unsettling.”
Li Hua nodded in agreement.
Hours passed, and the sun began to sink low in the sky, casting long shadows through the ancient trees. Elder Ji's voice rang out again, this time with a note of urgency. “Gather back! It’s time to regroup and assess our findings.”
Elder Ji’s gaze swept over the gathered disciples, his expression inscrutable. “Have you all found anything?”
They all exchanged glances, shaking their heads. Elder Ji's gaze searched each of their faces carefully.
Tao watched his reaction closely. If the elder suspected anything, he didn’t show it. The group was dismissed to rest for the night, and a potent warding formation was set up around their makeshift camp.
As night fell, the Whispering Glade seemed to come alive with unfamiliar sounds—whispers and rustling that seemed to be carried on the wind.
Jiang Tao sat near the fire, trying to shake off the persistent cold that seemed to seep into his bones. The flickering flames cast long, dancing shadows across the clearing, and now and then, a whispering gust of wind would stir the treetops, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
“This is why Yang is superior,” Yu Hongyi muttered bitterly, the cold had gotten to him.
Tao could hear the snickers of Ma De and Shu Yijian as they laughed at the slightly sexist comment. The female members of the expedition just ignored it.
Elder Ji, who had been quiet throughout the evening, finally spoke up. “Make sure to stay vigilant. The glade’s Yin qi can play tricks on the mind. Do not let your guard down.”
"Do you think we'll find the Orchid tomorrow?" Tao asked, breaking the silence. His voice was barely above a whisper, mindful of the quiet of the glade.
Li Hua's eyes remained on the surrounding darkness as she replied, " Zhang Xinyu would adore this place as a follower of the Dao of ghosts. I however can't bear to stay here any longer.”
Tao nodded in agreement. He wasn't sure why they were so affected, was it because of their high affinity for cultivation or it was the heavy Yin just too much for those below core formation?
I can't wait to get out of here. That's enough adventure for me. He thought humorously. At least I scored big time.
From the opposite side of the camp, Ma De and Shu Yijian continued their conversation, their laughter a jarring contrast to the oppressive atmosphere in the glade. "You know, if we keep up this way, we'll be telling ghost stories around the campfire," Ma De joked.
“Let’s hope they stay just stories,” Shu Yijian replied with a chuckle.
Wang Fang, who had been quietly observing the scene, let out a soft sigh. "Let’s not make this worse than it needs to be," she said, her tone almost motherly. “We need to focus on the task at hand.”