The Phoenix embraced the Sun

Help comes from the past, pt. 2

The flash of lightning cut through the sky with a mighty roar, striking the ground with a thud, leaving ugly marks on it. The cold wind raged, sweeping away everything in its path. The animals were running towards the forest with fear, hiding in tree trunks, shallow burrows and pools of water. Children peered out from under their blankets in dread, praying that the evil eternally asleep in the depths of the dead lands would not break out, while the adults gazed thoughtfully out of the windows, as if morally preparing for something more.

As the sun's light faded, as the clouds thickened and darkness enveloped the sky, Yiling knew one thing: something had disturbed the Burial Mounds.

People tried not to look up there, but the shapeless and ominous shadows that rose up reluctantly caught their eyes. Rare glimpses of blood mingled with them, and the picture became gruesome.

But if you went a little further, people would see the dead men running in circles behind a cinnabar painted flag the shadows stretched from. Standing on the hilltop, Wei Changze and Xiao Cangse were watching them.

"This is... amazing. I never thought that a mere flag would have such an effect."

"It seems that Fate has favoured us, my love. Even the Burial Mounds have allowed us to use their power more than we've been permitted to."

To be honest, the Weis never called on the Burial Mounds for help, even when they were in grave danger. Their sanctuary bailed them out in its own way, so that uninvited guests would leave Yiling immediately. That was enough. And the clan repaid the dead lands by ensuring that year after year, their most skilled cultivators granted peace and rebirth to the dead.

However, due to recent events, the dark cultivators began to suspect that even the Burial Mounds had become disgusted with the news of the hellhounds' being freed. They must have wished for the cultivators to get rid of them.

"Are your visions matters of the Burial Mounds, too?"

"I... I don't know. Whatever it is, it has helped us a lot. Him, to be exact."

"He looks like you, doesn't he, A-Ze?" Wei-furen smiled fondly at her husband, nuzzling against his side.

And it was a strange thing. After that day, Wei Changze could not find any peace. He couldn't understand why that young man from the visions looked so much like him. Neither could he get used to the idea that the young man's behaviour was an exact copy of A-Se. His sunny smile made Wei Changze's heart flutter. The man felt a surge of pride when the young man showed off his inventions, which would have a colossal demand in real life.

Perhaps the Burial Mounds wanted to help their people in such a way. Or perhaps it was a memory from a distant time. But if that was the case, then the flags would definitely be used on a wide scale nowadays.

Wei Changze puzzled over this for a long time, but came up with nothing. When he shared his worries with his wife, Xiao Cangse was also unable to identify the reasons behind the mysterious visions. Nevertheless, they both agreed that they should think on the topic later, for the big hunt was just around the corner, and they should focus on eradicating the evil creatures that had caused a ruckus in recent weeks.

When the corpses had fallen to the ground and the flag had stopped emitting energy, Wei Changze descended from the hilltop and whistled for his disciples to help him with the burial. Wei-furen, on the other hand, with a deft wave of her hand summoned a pipa and began to play Serenity to cleanse the corpses from the resentment energy.

The music flowed around like a babbling stream, cutting through the dense fog and stirring the leaves of the newly blossomed shrubs. The Burial Mounds seemed to join in her play as the ancient spirits of the place began to sing. This divine singing reached into human hearts, touching their deepest hardships and joys.