𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐄𝐍 ━ TWO FACED PUPPET monsters have no need to apologize
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kai-hung, who sat across from hua-cheng at the table, eyed the cultivator as xie lian began to question him.
"my cultivator friend, i'm the shrine master here and also something of a cultivator myself. where did you come from?"
"banyue pass."
"banyue pass," xie lian repeated.
"have you been there?"
"i have. banyue pass is located within an oasis in the gobi desert. on nights of the half moon, the scenery was beautiful to behold, hence the name."
"oasis? beauty?" the cultivator scoffed and shook his head. "that's all from over two hundred years ago! half moon? more like half dead!"
"what do you mean?"
"because at least half of those who pass through its gates disappear. i should know, i saw it with my very own eyes! there was a merchant group needing to cross the desert. they knew that place wasn't safe, so they hired my entire sect to protect them on their journey. but in the end, i was the only one left."
"how many were there?"
"with my sect plus the merchant group, there were about sixty people."
as kai-hung watched both cultivators converse with one another back and forth, an unsettling feeling stuck itself to him. a strange feeling. the same feeling that caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end. hua-cheng must have felt something similar seeing as how he suddenly spoke up.
"you've run all this way from banyue pass?"
"yes! i barely survived!" the cultivator sighed.
"well then you must be thirsty having run all this way," kai-hung proposed.
the man paused, but xie lian had already placed a bowl of water in front of him. "here's some water. drink up."
hesitation flashed across the man's face. this man had traveled far from the southwest and was running for his life, or so he claimed. any normal living person would be starving and parched. from the looks of it, it didn't seem like he had eaten or drank for quite some time. one would think he'd simply ask for something to eat or drink and yet...
under their gaze, the cultivator held the bowl up to his lips and began to slowly drink the water. but there was a look of caution - a guarded mask resting upon his face. at that moment, xie lian seized the man's arm.
