"Come."
Hao Xuan turned towards the source of the voice and saw the oh-so-familiar figure of Buse standing in the doorway.
Even though she was standing right in front of him, Hao Xuan wasn't able to feel her presence at all. If he couldn't see her, there was no way he would ever know she was there.
"You were expecting me?" he asked trying to sound calm but his Qi was being circulated at full force, ready to erupt at a moment's notice.
Buse looked down at Hao Xuan's hands, her purple pupils glowing in the dark much like Hao Xuan's. She smiled.
"Yes, come. There is something you need to see."
She turned around and walked into the room, leaving her back completely open on purpose. If Hao Xuan wanted to attack, now would be the best time. He faltered for a second, looked left and right but still followed her in.
"Oh, you're here," Jin Wang said from the other corner of the room. He was laying down, using the left side of the wall as support. In his hand was a piece of dried meat that he was chewing loudly.
"This lady came just in time. She told me a few things, I think its best you listen as well," he pointed at Buse with the jerky.
Hao Xuan examined the room before letting his guard down. It was pretty small to begin with with only these three inside it seemed crowded. On the other side was a small cavity created in the wall. There was a piece of a stone tablet with some writing on it sitting inside.
other than that there was nothing of significance here.
Hao Xuan relaxed slightly and looked at Buse for answers.
"What did you want me to see?"
Buse's expression was the exact same whenever she was forced to do something she didn't want to. Her reluctance was pretty easy to spot even if Hao Xuan didn't have Gavril's memories.
She began to fidget, playing with her fingernails while avoiding eye contact. She took in a deep breath and calmed herself down. Hao Xuan couldn't but smile at her behavior. She really couldn't hide her emotions at all.
"That," she pointed at the tablet, "Holds our ancestor's will. It will test you and if you pass, you can have all the purple liquid you want, in exchange for your help. Do you agree?"
She didn't hide anything and told Hao Xuan everything. Hao Xuan looked at the tablet skeptically.
"What kind of help?"
Buse shook her head, "That comes later, you have to first pass the test. If you do I will tell you everything. Relax, it's completely harmless."
Hao Xuan knew she was telling the truth. He knew all her tells, not that she was a good liar to begin with but even if she tried to deceive him, he would know at once.
She was trying to sound calm but Hao Xuan could hear her voice waver every now and then.
"Is it harmful in any way?"
"No," she shook her head quickly.
Jin Wang who was watching from the side chimed in, "Relax, it's safe. I inspected it. It's just a kind of memory globe but really f*cking old. It won't hurt you."
Hao Xuan went silent for a second but then nodded.
"Alright, I'll do it if you use mine as well. It's just a simple information transfer," he said taking out the modified educator. The cords on the sides were gone and only the glass ball was left.
Buse frowned. She inspected the educator in detail and after some contemplation nodded.
"Deal."
"Great, what do I have to do?" Hao Xuan asked as he passed it to her.
"Just put some blood on it and it will activate. And don't resist, it has to be done willingly."
"Alright. For yours, just place your palm over it and it will do the rest," Hao Xuan said while walking towards the tablet.
There was a small space in front where Hao Xuan sat down after wiping it with his hands. He looked at Jin Wang one last time who gave him a thumbs up while loudly munching on the meat.
*Sigh*
Hao Xuan quickly looked away. His confidence in the guy was decreasing by the second. Still, he cut open his left thumb and let a few drops of crimson blood fall on the tablet.
The blood moved on its own and went into the engraved symbols on the surface of the tablet, making them light up with a dim light. Without waiting any further he placed his left palm over it.
*Shiiiiiiiii~*
A high pitched sound rang in Hao Xuan's ears as his vision turned black. Before he realized he was standing in a wide-open field.
The sound of crickets and other lifeforms came into his ears. He could smell the fresh-cut grass and the breeze that tasted somewhat sweet. He looked up and saw two different moons in the sky. Even though it was night time the moonlight was bright enough to illuminate everything.
*Uwain*
The sound of an infant crying came from behind him. He turned around and saw a small wooden cottage overlooking the field. There were three men outside. All of them looked quite similar to Gavril in appearance only much healthier and dressed better.
"Hahaha, congratulations brother! Your firstborn is a son!" a women's came out of the cottage.