"I don't know how my parents died," Yan Yan said after hearing Su Yang's question.
"Eh?" Su Yang turned his head to look at her with his eyebrows raised in a puzzled manner.
"My parents disappeared the day I turned 10 years old, and they haven't returned since then." Yan Yan explained to him.
"They disappeared? Then why would you say that they are dead? They could be alive and anywhere in this world," he said.
"Because the spirits told me," she responded.
"The Profound Qi told you that your parents died? Now that's something I have never heard of before." Su Yang spoke with a pondering face.
Yan Yan nodded, and she continued to speak, "Before my parents disappeared, they told me to not trust people no matter who they are and that I should only trust the spirits."
"So that's why you keep your distance from everyone. However… your parents… they knew about your unique talent?" Su Yang couldn't believe it.
Yan Yan's condition is so exceedingly rare that it would be completely reasonable if nobody in this world knew of its existence, nor would they believe it even if they were told about it. However, her parents somehow knew about it? Just who are her parents, and why did they disappear? Furthermore, why would the Profound Qi tell her that her parents were dead? Nothing about her situation made sense.
"Yes, my parents knew that I could talk to the spirits since I was very young," she said.
"…"
After a moment of speechlessness, he asked her, "Where did you live before coming to the Profound Blossom Sect?"
However, she shook her head and said, "I don't know… I was always surrounded by trees and mountains. The first time I left that place was after my parents disappeared when the spirits guided me to the Profound Blossom Sect— to you."
Hearing Yan Yan's words, Su Yang found her situation even more suspicious. However, he could not see any reason why she would lie to him, which made it quite puzzling.
"Master, you won't disappear on me one day, right?" Yan Yan suddenly spoke in a lonely voice, snapping Su Yang out of his daze.
"I… I don't think I can promise you that…" Su Yang spoke after a moment of silence.
"Why, Master? Are you going to leave me alone in the future?" she looked at him with wide eyes.
"It's not that I am leaving you," Su Yang said to her, and he continued, "To tell you the truth, I do not belong in this world. I am someone who came to this place by chance, and when the time comes, I will be returning to my own home."
"Then can I come with you, Master?" she wasted no time asking him, not even questioning his background.
"I don't think that would be a good idea, unfortunately. You are beloved by the Profound Qi in this world, but every world has its unique Profound Qi, and if I take you away from this world to another world, there's a high chance that you might lose your talent. In other words, you will no longer be able to communicate with the spirits."
Hearing Su Yang's words, Yan Yan turned silent. Losing her parents had affected her greatly, and it's only because of her ability to speak with the spirits that she could cope with their death. A life without being able to speak with the spirits… she cannot imagine living such a harsh life.
"Now do you understand why I cannot make that promise to you?" Su Yang said to her. "I don't mind bringing you with me, but will you be able to bear losing your talent? And there's no guarantee that you will be able to return to this place once you leave."
"Let's go to sleep for now. You have plenty of time to think about it since there's still an entire year before I leave." Su Yang then said to her.
"Yes, Master…" Yan Yan nodded before snuggling even closer to him until she was essentially sticking to his body.
'What a mysterious little girl,' Su Yang thought to himself before closing his eyes.
Sometime later, soft breathing filled the room.
The next morning, everybody from the Profound Blossom Sect and the Xie Family gathered in the living room.
"Are you all ready to cultivate in the Celestial Pond?" Lord Xie asked Liu Lanzhi and the other disciples.
"Yes, Senior Xie!" They nodded with a serious expression.
"Then we'll head to the location of the seal now."
Su Yang and the others proceeded to follow Lord Xie to the mountain range a few miles away from Snowfall City, where Xie Wang built his living quarters in order to protect and study the Celestial Pond.
A few hours later, they all stood before an empty land somewhere in the mountain range.
"Where is the seal?" Liu Lanzhi looked around with a puzzled look on her face.
"You won't see it until it decides to appear," Lord Xie said to her before turning to look at Su Yang and continuing, "However, you can try asking him. Maybe he'll know something like he always does."
Everybody there turned to look at Su Yang after being put on the spot by Lord Xie.
"What? Are you telling me that you cannot see it?" Su Yang smiled at Lord Xie, who frowned.
"I don't need to see it since I know where it is. And since you seem to know everything, let's see if you know where the seal will open."
Su Yang nodded and said, "Okay, but it won't be fun if there's nothing on the line. How about a small bet?"
"A bet, you say?" Lord Xie raised his eyebrows, feeling an ominous feeling from Su Yang's grin, yet he did not want to back down after going this far.
"Interesting. Let's do it." Lord Xie nodded his head a moment later.
Meanwhile, Liu Lanzhi sighed inwardly, feeling sorry for Lord Xie. As someone who has never won against Su Yang before, she knew very well that Lord Xie had no chance against him, as Su Yang would only gamble if he's confident in winning.
