NOVEL NEXT Chapter 41
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The next evening at 9 PM.
The room was quiet. The distant sound of insects faintly reached my ears. The yellowish light from the desk lamp illuminated the book pages.
“So today’s the day.”
It was the start of the intensive training. For a month, I and Narae had been waiting for this day. The only chance to uncover the secrets of Immortalism. We couldn’t afford to miss it.
As I turned the page, footsteps echoed in the hallway. It was Grandma doing her rounds. Her steps were always regular, like clockwork as she patrolled the corridor.
“Still not asleep?”
Her face appeared through the door crack with a warm smile, but her sharp eyes seemed to pierce through me.
I showed the book in my hand as naturally as possible and replied.
“Yes, I can’t sleep. I’ll read a little more and then go to bed.”
The book was about the history of Taoism. It felt natural to be seen studying since I was now part of Immortalism.
“Oh dear, don’t study too late. There’s morning practice tomorrow.”
Grandma walked past my room towards the end of the corridor. I waited until her footsteps completely faded away, then carefully closed the book.
Looking at the clock, it was 9:15 PM. The time I’d agreed upon with Narae.
“It’s time to go.”
I quietly opened the door, being extremely careful not to make the door creak. The dormitory was silent.
The fluorescent lights in the hallway were dimmed on purpose, it seemed. The long corridor stretched under the faint light, with shadows cast on the walls that looked like something was lurking.
Most of the new disciples had already fallen asleep, likely exhausted from the rigorous daily schedule. Light snoring could be heard from their rooms.
But the rooms of the veteran disciples were different. They… they didn’t make any sound at all. It was as if no one was inside.
“If I don’t want to end up like them…”
I tried to walk as silently as possible down the hallway. Every step was filled with tension. My heart pounded every time the wooden floor creaked.
If I were to encounter Grandma on patrol, everything would be over. No, something even more terrifying than imagined might happen.
Fortunately, escaping the dormitory wasn’t difficult. The back door was unexpectedly open. Perhaps they cared more about preventing entry rather than escape.
Narae was waiting near the stone wall. The moonlight illuminated her white Taoist robe. Her silhouette stood out against the dark night sky.
“You’re late.”
Narae’s usual brusqueness was absent, replaced instead by a sense of tension.
“I’m sorry. I had to wait because of Grandma’s patrol.”
We followed the group of disciples heading towards the training hall from afar. Though it was midnight, the moonlight made it not too dark.
The sky was cloudy. Every time the moonlight was obscured by clouds, the surroundings became darker. It seemed we wouldn’t be able to find our way if it got completely dark.
“What were you going to do if it got later?”
Narae asked in a low voice.
“I was planning to wait until Grandma completed another round after passing.”
“Clever.”
The path to the training hall was more dangerous than expected. Every time my foot caught on a rock, I felt breathless. It wasn’t just due to the rough terrain but also the tension of not wanting to get caught.
“Be careful. There will be guards.”
I nodded at Narae’s words and activated Nostradamus’ Eye. My pupils trembled slightly, revealing a glimpse of ten seconds into the future.
A guard was about to appear from behind the building on the right.
“This way.”
I immediately grabbed Narae’s hand and hid in the shadow of a tree on the left. Her hand was cold. She was clearly tense unlike her usual self.
Just as expected, a guard emerged from behind the building on the right and began his patrol. He was a muscular man wearing a white Taoist robe with a fierce gaze.
We proceeded cautiously toward the training hall, avoiding the guards’ patrols by predicting their movements ten seconds into the future. It felt like an infiltration action game. But this wasn’t a game; a mistake could lead to irreversible consequences.
When we finally arrived at the training hall, we saw the disciples descending underground. Their steps were heavy, moving as if drawn by some unseen force.
“Isn’t something strange?”
Narae whispered.
“Yeah. Why are they…?”
The disciples’ movements were mechanical, like puppets. Their eyes were vacant, as if possessed by something.
“There…”
Narae grabbed my sleeve. Her usual confident and brusque demeanor was nowhere to be seen. Her face was filled with anxiety.
As soon as we descended underground, a peculiar smell hit us. It was incense, but not the kind found in temples. This smell was strange, making our heads spin.
“This incense… Something’s off.”
Narae said while covering her nose.
“My head is spinning.”
Mine too. The incense made me feel dizzy. But retreating now was impossible.
The walls were covered with talismans. Yellow scrolls inscribed with red characters filled the walls. Though I didn’t understand their meaning, looking at them made my head ache.
“Look there.”
Narae pointed to the center. Dugu Jin and senior members of Immortalism were gathered there. Even though they wore the same white robes as us, somehow their whiteness seemed more sinister.
About ten disciples sat cross-legged. They all appeared to be in their late twenties to early thirties. Their eyes were already vacant, showing signs of hypnosis.
In the center, something was boiling. A black decoction bubbled furiously. It smelled like Chinese medicine but was different, mixed with a pungent fishy odor.
Senior members stood behind the disciples, each holding a talisman made of yellow scroll paper. They began attaching the talismans to the foreheads of the disciples.
Then the mantra resounded.
“Om…”
It sounded like buzzing bees but deeper and heavier. The sound penetrated our ears, feeling like it directly touched our brains.
Listening to it made me feel weak. My legs felt like giving out. The disciples were worse; their bodies slumped.
“Ugh…”
Narae covered her ears. Her face turned pale.
The senior members moved quickly. Using syringes, they drew blood from the veins of the disciples and poured it into the central decoction. The bright red blood mixed with the black liquid, as if a black hole was swallowing the blood.
“Look there.”
Narae whispered tremblingly, fear evident in her voice.
“The souls of the disciples… They’re flowing into that decoction.”
I couldn’t see it without spiritual sight, but judging from Narae’s pale face, something ominous was definitely happening.
After the ceremony ended, Dugu Jin took the decoction and headed somewhere. His steps were heavy, not because the decoction was heavy but because what it contained seemed weighty.
The problem was how to follow him. Stairs leading to the basement level two crossed the room. To pass through the center meant inevitably catching someone’s eye.
I gritted my teeth. If I missed this opportunity, I might never get another. All our infiltration efforts could become futile.
That’s when…
Narae suddenly grabbed my arm. Even in the dim light, I could see her face blushing. Her cheeks were flushed.
“I’ll help you.”
It wasn’t her usual confident tone. It was shy, perhaps even embarrassed.
“I’ll cast a concealment spell using the Fox Pearl… Don’t swallow it. Got it?”
Before I could finish processing her words, Narae kissed me. A strange sensation, both warm and cold, passed through me. A sweet peach-scented pearl rolled into my mouth and then disappeared.
Instantly, my whole body tingled. Then I watched my hands gradually becoming transparent. The concealment spell had taken effect.
Narae stepped back after breaking the kiss, her cheeks still flushed.
“Are you okay?”
Narae asked softly.
“Uh… Yeah.”
I awkwardly nodded. The peach scent still lingered on my lips.
The concealment spell was amazing. My hands gradually turned transparent until eventually, my entire body became invisible. Yet I could still see Narae.
“It lasts about 15 minutes. Let’s hurry.”
We followed Dugu Jin down the stairs. The spiral staircase leading into the darkness seemed endless.
The air grew colder as we descended. It felt like entering a deep underground cave. Candles attached to the walls flickered in the wind, casting dancing shadows.
Talismans were also stuck on the staircase walls. They were different from the ones we saw upstairs, somehow appearing even more ominous.
Dugu Jin quietly descended the stairs. The only sound was the swishing of his Taoist robe cutting through the air.
“How deep does it go…”
Carefully avoiding making any footstep sounds, I continued descending the stairs. The only sound was the swishing of Dugu Jin’s Taoist robe cutting through the air.
My heart raced as I descended the stairs leading to the second basement level.
What exactly was happening down there?
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