Chapter 51- A Five Dimensional Attack

Tian kept quite still. The skeleton had cold blue-white fires burning in its eyes. He recognized those fires. Yin flames. He remembered them from the belly of the demonic bird. It was eerie. The scene was jarringly unbalanced. The five elements were balanced between yin and yang, the skeleton was powerfully yin. Where was the yang? Excess yin could lead to… demons.

And nothing strong enough to make the Six Turns Cavern was going to be at merely the Earthly Person level.

Tian’s mind raced. There were no challenges here he could overcome with violence. The guardians were to be overcome with understanding. This… senior… was plainly the guardian of the Null Chamber. The senior could not be defeated by violence. But perhaps this incomplete elemental diagram was a clue.

The master of the Caverns was a yin spirit. Maybe a demon, maybe a ghost like Grandpa. Tian instinctively felt like the “master” of the place must be male, but he really didn’t know. Best to stick to generic honorifics, and attack.

“Ancient Crane Monastery’s Tian Zihao greets the Senior, and thanks them for their hospitality.” He bowed deeply, hands clasped in front of him.

The demon looked at him silently. Tian held the bow.

“Most people are at least alarmed when they see a ghost.” The voice was soft, feminine and cold. It seems all his guesses about “him” were completely wrong.

“Forgive my ignorance, Senior, but, why?”

The skeleton settled into silence again. Minutes passed.

“You are serious.”

“Yes, Senior.”

“No fear of the dead.”

“No, Senior.”

“Or powerful demons.”

“I respect their strength, Senior.”

“Powerful yin spirits that have you trapped in a lightless, qi-less cavern, ready to rip away your pleasantly refined yang-qi to nourish themselves.”

“That would be alarming, Senior.”

“But you are not alarmed.”

“No, Senior.”

“Why?”

“Because you are very kind, Senior.”

Tian had never seen a skeleton stagger before. Even harder to imagine when they were sitting down. But that’s a senior cultivator for you. Always showing their juniors that there are mountains beyond mountains and people beyond people.

“Of the five of you who entered my tomb, one is dead, one has been rescued by your elders, a third never reached the center of my maze and one is currently fighting a clone of mine. She may yet die. And you think I’m kind.”

The temperature of the chamber dropped sharply.

“The one who fled might as well stop cultivating. His path is broken. The one who hammers against the walls might yet ascend, but her dao heart is breaking. She will live knowing that she is inferior to those she once looked down on. It is the sort of emotion that festers and becomes a heart demon. She will likely become a bitter enemy for you and your sect. As for the one battling my clone… she might accomplish something. She is hunting for a breakthrough even now. Her path will be narrow, and she will climb over mountains of the slain as she goes. A miserable sort of life.”

The skeleton leaned in, the flames burning brighter in its eyes. “This was my cultivation cave. It is where I went into my final secluded meditation, and it’s where I failed to break through. I died with regrets and unfulfilled desires. The emotions of the dead are not the same as the living. We hunger for warmth. We hunger for terrible things. All of you have guaranteed a bad end for yourselves because you came here. The only one whose exact fate is yet undecided is you. So, foolish child. Tell me again how kind I am.”

It seemed obvious. Who but a kind person would operate a treasured land like this? Yin spirit didn’t necessarily mean demon. Probably. Maybe.

Tian nodded towards the skeleton. “Would senior care for some tea?”

The cavern got very still and very cold. It was hard to read the expressions on a face without flesh, but Tian had the impression she was seeing if he was fucking with her or not.

He smiled and set out a small table and his tea set. “This is a green tea given to me by a brother. I think it suits the moment. Unless there is a different sort of tea you prefer?”

“Sit at that table, young Daoist, and you may never rise again.”

“Respectfully, Senior, you could say that about any table and any time. I have a little red tea that might be a bit more yang, and some dark dragon tea, but I don’t think it’s quite as good as the red or the green tea. Does Senior have a preference?”

The spirit laughed. It wasn’t a nice sound. The table and Tian both flew over to her and settled down in front of the skeleton.

“Well, now I feel I must try the green tea. I can’t taste it, but I can enjoy the tea qi quite well.”

Tian checked his tools were all present, then softly channeled his fire vital energy into the clay teapot. The water came to a boil, and he poured it over the cups and tools, washing them. The clay tray looked like it had been caught in the rain. He took a piece of split bamboo and loaded it with the tea.

“Cloud Grace Peak tea. A gift from Brother Long. We drank it together as he remembered his adventures on the Green Snake River. I wonder, Senior, does the smell bring any memories back for you?”

The scoop was lifted over to the skeleton and floated in front of the hole where its nose should have been.

“Ah. Spring. I do remember picking leaves from the millenia old tea trees in the back mountain. Bamboo shoots, spiritual rice and the sweet first leaves of the season. The flavors of youth.”

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Tian bowed slightly and accepted the returning scoop. He tipped the tea into the lidded cup, filling it almost to overflowing. He touched the kettle. Too hot. He pulled some of the heat from the clay, accepting the warmth and dispersing it through his body. He poured warm water over the tea leaves, and gently stirred them with the lid of the cup. Just to make sure they were all covered.