Chapter 103: The Shelter

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“I am not certain whether this is truly Brother Lu’s heart sea. What he described to me was a scene of moonlight reflecting on sinking stars, a solitary island suspended in boundless darkness—altogether a scene utterly unlike what we see here.”

Having spoken, Shangguan Chuci’s heart stirred with restless thoughts.

She had only hoped to catch a glimpse of the solitary island within that young man’s heart sea, paved with agarwood and white bones, to see what form her own star took and how it might reflect in tandem with that waning moon symbolizing Situ.

She had never imagined that she would find herself in such a strange, eerie place instead.

Her feelings were complicated.

She had longed in her dreams to return to her past life’s world, but never expected to revisit it in such a manner—and in such a terrifying place, no less.

This corridor was ghastly pale, its faint lights flickering dimly, permeated with an indescribable chill, more reminiscent of the asylum for the insane from her former life than a tranquil place where cultivators rested their souls.

What unsettled her more was the peeling plaster on the walls, revealing deep black bricks beneath; moss grew in the corners and crevices, filling the air with a mingled scent of rust and decay, as if this place had been abandoned by time for centuries.

She quietly summoned the flame of logic, seeking to pierce the illusion, yet the surroundings remained unchanged, unyielding.

“Could it be that this place is not an illusion, but an actual scene?”

“Or perhaps... this scene is a manifestation born of the resonance of our shared thoughts? Since I bear the yearning to return home, does his heart sea reflect the world of my past life?”

“But if that were the case, why would it take the form of such an ominous place? Could Brother Lu be linked to my former world in some secret way?”

“Another question is, since there is already light here, why must Commander Lin’s lamp be used to illuminate and reveal all this...”

“What is the true nature of Commander Lin’s flame, and how does it differ from my flame of logic? Could it be that her heart fire is a kind of strange flame she herself is unaware of?”

As she was lost in these musings, she suddenly heard the timid voice of the young female commander beside her:

“Miss Chuci, is it just the two of us here?”

Shangguan Chuci gathered her thoughts and nodded:

“It should be so. I entered Brother Lu’s body with a sliver of my divine consciousness, while Commander Lin used this precious lamp as a conduit to connect with my energy, which is why we were both drawn here. Uncle Shen and I share no such connection, so they cannot enter.”

Lin Jianyian listened to her clear explanation and replied, “Miss Chuci’s reasoning makes sense.”

Yet, as her eyes swept the seemingly endless, dim corridor and the tightly shut doors lining it, she felt a creeping unease. Instinctively, she gripped the handle of her palace lantern tightly and asked,

“What shall we do next?”

Shangguan Chuci was equally uncertain. After a moment’s thought, she said, “Since we are here, we must make the best of it. Let us walk together further inside and see where the corridor leads.”

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Lin Jianyian replied with a soft “Very well,” lifting the palace lantern and following closely.

Side by side, their footsteps echoed without a sound in the dead silence of the corridor, adding an inexplicable strangeness.

Shangguan Chuci observed carefully. Above each door were small iron plaques painted with vermilion, bearing strange numerical codes. Where they had first appeared, the numbers read “1050” and “1051.” The further they walked, the larger the numbers grew; if they turned back, the numbers would diminish accordingly.

They had walked for some time yet the surroundings remained unchanged. The plaques beside the doors now read “1214” and “1215,” but still no end was in sight.

Unable to contain her curiosity, Lin Jianyian asked, “Miss Chuci, what do you think is kept inside these rooms?”

Shangguan Chuci stopped before the door marked “1214,” pressing her ear gently against the wood, listening intently.

Only silence greeted her.

A thought struck her: “Could these rooms be like cages? Might Wei Zhuo’s Dao foundation and heart fire be confined in one of them?”

With this in mind, she said to Lin Jianyian, “Let’s head back.”

“Have you made some plan, Miss Chuci?”

“Wait and see.”

They ceased advancing and turned back.

Although the corridor seemed endless forward, the way back had a visible end.

After a short walk, they reached the corridor’s terminus, where only two guest rooms remained: “1001” and “1002.” Beyond these stood a curious prison forged of refined iron, its two iron doors tightly closed. Beside the doors were two crystal stone buttons, one above and one below, whose purpose was unknown. Pressing them might lead somewhere else entirely.

Lin Jianyian was puzzled by this strange device, but Shangguan Chuci recognized it as an elevator, though its form differed slightly from what she remembered.

Ignoring the elevator for now, Shangguan Chuci focused on the door numbered “1001.”

She pressed her ear against it as before.

This time, her elegant brows furrowed slightly.

From within came chilling howls that sent shivers down her spine, interspersed with the scratching of claws on wood and the fluttering of wings—as if a ferocious beast were imprisoned inside.

She beckoned Lin Jianyian over. “Listen.”

Lin Jianyian obeyed, pressing her ear to the door; moments later, her delicate face turned pale with fright.

“What is locked inside?”

Shangguan Chuci spoke slowly, “If my guess is correct, this room contains Brother Lu’s heart fire.”

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At this, she suddenly felt this place resembled a containment facility for some uncanny beings, with Lu Chenyuan as its master.

Lin Jianyian was shocked beyond words. “Brother Lu’s heart fire?”

Hearing the terrifying howls within, she gasped, her shallow understanding utterly shattered.

She had heard from her masters that heart fire was the manifestation of a cultivator’s Dao foundation, divided into three grades: mortal, true, and spiritual.

But whose heart fire takes the form of a terrifying beast confined in a room?

This transcended all known classifications.

What frightened her even more was that countless rooms like this stretched endlessly.

If each contained a ferocious creature, just how many heart fires did this steward Lu harbor within this space?

Suddenly, the image she held of Lu Chenyuan soared from a fathomless old demon to an indescribable entity embodying terror and taboo itself.

And now, she alone knew this earth-shattering secret, which only deepened her unease.

Lost in thought and shaken to her core, she suddenly heard Shangguan Chuci say:

“Commander Lin, I am about to open the door.”

Lin Jianyian shivered, recalling their purpose. She placed the remaining half of a sesame candy under her tongue, took a deep breath, and raised the glass palace lantern high, focusing its light on the door as she forced herself calm.

“Miss Chuci, proceed.”

Shangguan Chuci nodded, extending her slender jade-like hand to grasp the cold brass handle, slowly pressing it downward.

The door was not locked.

With a soft “click,” the latch released.

Both Shangguan Chuci and Lin Jianyian held their breath, eyes fixed intently on the narrowing gap of the opening door.