Pursuit of the Truth 142 Those… Disappeared Years

She was a woman in purple robes with petite features which made her look pretty. She was not tall, but her petite figure made her look attractive.
She was also very fair, her skin looking as if it would be torn if wind blew against it. Her eyes were closed as she sat in Su Ming’s seat. Her eyelashes were very long and as they fluttered, causing her entire being to have a different air compared to Han Fei Zi.
This demeanor was different from Han Fei Zi’s cold attitude and Bai Ling’s wild beauty. She gave people an impression of peacefulness, as if she was an orchid in a valley.
She had a very beautiful face that did not reveal her age. Now that she sat there, she looked as if she had become one with the tower.
Fang Shen looked at the woman before him with a doting look in his eyes. This was his only little sister. When she was young, the tribe did not pay too much attention to her, and her power was not great either.
Her quiet attitude also made others neglect her most of the time.
Yet no one expected that this seemingly fragile woman would challenge the Chains of Han Mountain ten years ago at only the seventh level of the Blood Solidification Realm for a reason only Fang Shen knew in the entire tribe!
For the three tribes of Han Mountain City, the Chains of Han Mountain were something made for outsiders. It was no reason for the people of the tribe to take up the challenge. Every single time Freezing Sky Clan took in disciples, they would choose the prodigies from the three tribes. Even if less than ten people had been chosen from the three tribes over the past hundreds of years, there was still hope.
However, if they were not chosen and still wanted to enter Freezing Sky Clan, then they would need to obtain the right to enter the clan by challenging the Chains of Han Mountain like an outsider.
No one expected it. Not even Fang Shen expected his little sister, Fang Cang Lan, to challenge the Chains of Han Mountain at only the seventh level of the Blood Solidification Realm.
The things that happened ten years ago would often appear in Fang Shen’s mind. This woman whom no one had really paid much attention to managed to go up to the sixth chain using an unknown method and obtained the right to become a disciple of Freezing Sky Clan with incredible determination and perseverance.
Fang Shen looked at his little sister. He knew that she may look fragile, but in fact had an incredibly strong personality that he knew he could not compare to; he did not have the courage to challenge the Chains of Han Mountain.
"For now, he hasn’t Awakened," Cang Lan whispered after opening her eyes.
"For now?"
Fang Shen frowned.
"But he’s not lying. He can indeed cure Mu Er’s injuries."
Cang Lan lifted her hand and took the cup Su Ming had held previously, her voice calm.
"Hm?" Fang Shen looked at Cang Lan and said in a low tone, "I’ve had my doubts about this. How could that medicinal concoction of his cure the injuries that even you can’t heal?"
Cang Lan lowered her head and a desolate look appeared on her face. She closed her eyes.
"I… That’s not what I meant. Ah, you…" Fang Shen immediately spoke and tried to explain, but he did not know how to begin.
"Brother, this is my fault… But the world is a big place. There are plenty of strange people with different abilities. This Mo Su didn’t seem to be lying. I can feel some of his thoughts by sitting here in his place. He’s not lying regarding the healing."
Cang Lan opened her eyes and the calm look returned. She looked at Fang Shen and said softly, "This person is of a mysterious background. The way he drank the liquid formed by the leaves may seem simple, but in truth, I didn’t even know about this until I entered Freezing Sky Clan.
"His actions may be stiff, but they were correct. He must have seen someone doing this before, and… there are few who can do this in the Land of South Morning. If it weren’t because of my Master’s kindness, who asked me to brew this often for her, I wouldn’t have learned how to do this."
Fang Shen frowned, occupied by his thoughts.
"Also…" Cang Lan placed the cup in her hands down, and an amazed look appeared in her eyes as she mumbled, "He might not have Awakened, but he’s giving me a feeling that he's stronger than a normal Berserker at the initial stage of the Awakening Realm… There seems to be resentment belonging to powerful Berserkers of the Awakening Realm on him… This person might have killed people like that before! And it’s not limited to one!"
When Fang Shen heard those words, he was stunned, and with an abrupt motion looked up at Cang Lan. If this person wasn't his little sister and someone who's Berserker Art he trusted, he would have definitely not believed her words.
"He killed more than just one Berserker at the Awakening Realm?"
Cang Lan closed her eyes and pressed her right hand to the center of her brows. Her form gradually faded out before Fang Shen’s eyes, but after a moment it returned to normal. Cang Lan opened her eyes and a hint of exhaustion appeared on her face.
"There are two Awakened auras of death on him. One of them is from around 50 years ago, and the aura is weak, but it hasn’t dispersed. Strangely though, it’s giving me two readings. One of them is from 50 years ago, and the other is from four years ago. I can’t differentiate it…
"The second one is clearer. It’s from around one year ago… but it’s also very faint."
Uncertainty appeared on Cang Lan’s face. She could not understand it.
When he heard Cang Lan’s words, Fang Shen’s expression became even more solemn. He knew his little sister’s Berserker Art. This Art could be said to be one of the three great Berserker Arts of Freezing Sky Clan. If it were not because Cang Lan had the talent to learn it and that her Master had kindly taught her, it would have been difficult for her to obtain such an Art.
When Fang Shen thought of Cang Lan’s Master, respect blossomed in his heart.
"That’s why I’m uncertain. He might have reached the Awakening Realm before, but due to some accident, his level of cultivation fell. That’s why he’s giving me a muddled feeling," Cang Lan said softly after hesitating for a moment.
"If it’s as you say, then the mystery around this person is even greater than I initially thought. If that’s the case… I’ll have to think carefully whether I should let him join… Cang Lan, go and rest first. I need to speak to the Elder about this."
The moment Fang Shen finished speaking, he made to leave the tower.
"Brother, Freezing Sky Clan won’t choose a disciple from Tranquil East Tribe this time, neither will they choose from Puqiang Tribe. They will only take one person away, and that’s Yan Fei from Lake of Colors Tribe.
"This has already been decided, I cannot interfere with it. But the next time they take in disciples, I’ll reserve a spot for Mu Er. As for Mo Su, I would suggest that you let him enter the place, but he would need someone to monitor him. If he can truly cure Mu Er, then he can become a true guest of Tranquil East Tribe," Cang Lan said in a soft voice, touching the center of her brows.
Fang Shen nodded, then turned around and left the tower.
Cang Lan was the only one left within the tower. She quietly sat on the stone chair and looked as if she was about to get up and leave, but after a moment of hesitation, she sat down once again. With a swing of her right hand, three white beast bones appeared in her palm.
There were countless words on the three beast bones that were written down so densely that they could not be read. Those words let out a dark light and exuded an aged presence. It was clear that it was an ancient artifact.
'Just where did this Mo Su come from? Master told me that my Sage’s Genesis Berserker Art¹ has reached the seventh level, which is a rare sight within Freezing Sky Clan. And now this is the first time that I can’t see clearly, and it’s on this Mo Su… How could a person, at the same time, have two different…
'There’s only one explanation to this. In this person’s memories, it has only been four years since the first Berserker who reached the Awakening Realm died, but in reality, it’s not so!
'This is the first time I’ve encountered this…' Cang Lan thought for a moment before she bit her finger and wiped her blood on the three beast bones.
The three beast bones immediately sucked the blood in. The dark light around them immediately became stronger, causing the entire tower to be filled with it. Cang Lan’s face too, was illuminated by this dark light.
'If I can get to the bottom of this, perhaps it will enlighten me… There’s no way that the Three Vessels of Unspoken Words that the Master gave me won’t be able to see through this clearly.'
A sparkle appeared in Cang Lan’s eyes, and she mumbled a few complex strings of words in a low voice.
These words were spoken stiffly and were difficult to understand. Anyone who heard it would have been baffled, and if they listened to it for a longer period of time, they would have been confused.
Time trickled by. After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a dim light begun to shine in Cang Lan’s eyes.
The three beast bones before her instantly flew up and started turning rapidly before the center of Cang Lan’s brows. Slowly, she closed her eyes and her body quickly faded out until she eventually seemed to disappear into the tower. A large space distortion appeared where she had been sitting.
Yet this situation only lasted for the span of three breaths, and a drastic change immediately happened!
'This… This… This isn’t 50 years!'
Cang Lan’s body immediately returned to its original state from its faded out form, and a terrified look that was rarely seen on her usually calm face appeared. Amidst that terror was shock and disbelief as well.
'This isn’t 50 years… This is…'
The three bones before the center of Cang Lan’s brows let out a bang and shattered, as if an indescribable force had come forth and put an end to Cang Lan’s actions.
The moment the three bones shattered, muffled booms reverberated in the air and all the stone made items within the tower crumbled to dust. At the same time, the entire tower let out a groan and started cracking inch by inch until it eventually turned to ashes.
Cang Lan coughed out a mouthful of blood and staggered backwards a few steps. Her petite face was pale, and she stood there stunned, as if she had lost her soul.
The sudden change caused the entire Tranquil East Tribe to be taken aback. All of them focused their gazes towards the tower, and they saw a few long arcs charging through the air. Some of the long arcs even came from the summits in the distance.
The tribe leader of Tranquil East was the first to arrive. Beside him was an old man wearing a blue robe. The old man’s eyes were bright, making all those who looked into his eyes lower their heads, not daring to look at him again.
"What happened?"
Fang Shen approached with anxiety on his face as he looked at Cang Lan.
The old man frowned instead. He looked at his surroundings closely before his expression suddenly changed and became grave.
"There is… an indescribable presence here… Han Cang Zi, what happened here?"
Cang Lan stood in the midst of the tower’s ruins and slowly closed her eyes. She only reopened them after a long while, consciousness returning into her eyes. She looked at her surroundings. The tower was once part of the mountain. Now that it was ruined, it looked like a hole was dug out in the mountain. Numerous cracks appeared on the edges of the mountain, as if the mountain was no longer stable.
Her heart trembled. She fell into momentary silence and looked into the distance with a complicated expression. Over there, she saw Mo Su in the crowd with Fang Mu. It was clear that the drastic change just now caught his attention.
"It’s nothing. I just saw something I shouldn’t have… Brother, I’m begging you, please let him become a guest in Tranquil East Tribe."
Cang Lan did not give any explanation, but made a request instead. Once she finished speaking, she did not even look at the old man in blue robes before turning away and walking towards Su Ming standing in the distance with an exhausted air.
Fang Shen was stunned. This was the first time he heard Cang Lan using that tone. He fell into silence before he whispered a few words to the baffled old man beside him.
Translator’s Notes:
Regarding先言禾, translated as Sage’s Genesis:
先 has the meaning of before, initial, ancestral.
言 has the meaning of words.
禾 has the meaning of grain.
先言 combined together can mean ancestral words, or wise words left by the ancestors.
I can’t really use Sagely Grain though, so I went for synonyms for grain, which led to seed, which led to Genesis. As for Sage, it was a tossup between sage and ancestral, but since this Art is one that looks into the truth, sage seemed more appropriate, hence Sage’s Genesis.