The Fourth Wall - Chapter 24 preview (Patreon)

She waited for him to fall asleep, tucked up and warm underneath the numerous blankets that covered his body. His forehead damp, shivering a little as his body reacted to another breach, another moment of friction between immortal soul and body. Wu Ying’s eyes were crinkled a little, the now-ever present signs of pain showing through even more as he rested.

Slipping out of the room, placing a privacy ward up to ensure that he would not overhear them, Yang Mu found Tou He waiting. She regarded the quiet, intense man as he sat about, brewing another cup of tea. How a man could be both intense and yet, calm and relaxed at the same time, she struggled to understand; but there it was. 

As she took a seat across from Tou He, watching as he poured the boiling water over the teacups to wash them and heat the cups, she felt a surge of gratitude reach out from within her. “Thank you, Tou He. Once again, for everything that you’ve done for Ah Ying. I cannot, we cannot, express how much we appreciate your support.”

“Ah....” He let out a soft exhalation as she finished, looking aside. “I wish you hadn’t said that.”

“Why? I had never thought you one to be so humble at appropriate compliments.”

“No, not that.” Tou He shrugged a little. “Though, what I do is nothing more than a friend should.” He shook his head, cutting her off before she could interrupt him. “I have had word, from the Sect.”

“They need you for something else.” Yang Mu’s eyebrows drew down. “Or are they asking you to return.”

“The first. Some concerns, they wanted me to look into since I am here. Some obligations to fulfil, because my presence - and rank - have been noted by some others who have aided us.” Tou He finished with the pouring, flipping the cups over with his fingers and ignoring the prickling of heat as he did so. The pot went back onto the brazier by the side, the cultivator taking a moment to refill it as he continued. “The drought stretched some of our resources, and to aid the kingdom, we called in some favors. In addition, right after the attack; we were more vulnerable than ever. A chain of guanxi ensured we had help, if necessary; but that has led all the way here.”

“When do you need to go?” A part of her, an ignoble portion, disliked what he had to say. Yet, she knew that such obligations were part and parcel of being part of a sect. Already, what he had done was more than should have, could have been asked of another. That they never had to ask was testament to the man’s loyalty. 

Even if those same loyalties now placed him on a different path.

“There will be enough time to handle that.” Tou He gestured towards where the slit in reality rested against their dao perception. It was like a fold in a piece of clothing, a badly misjoined piece that rested against the flesh of their existence. 

“Good.” Then she fell silent, before adding. “Do we want to handle that?”

“I’m surprised to see you hesitate.” Tou He said. “He grows worse, every day. The longer we tarry, the worse it gets.”

“Undoubtedly. And I care for him, greatly. But it does him no good for us to die, and what I’ve learnt...”

“A mystic realm of puzzles and mists and shadows. Creatures that exist not just in the realm of the physical but the mind itself.”

“More than just creatures.” Yang Mu gestured sideways and a pot appeared, delicately crafted with imagery of creatures that slithered on their bellies like snakes but had the body of a man. Next to it, a plate; sharp edging all around it, leaving a jagged impression on two sides before it curved. Lastly, a weird cup, with multiple handles set at different angles. If not for the picture on the urn showing how the creatures used their tails to hold the mug, it might have puzzled Tou He. “Creatures do not make pottery or art.”

“You believe there to be a full civilization within.” Tou He frowned. “Especially as they would have us do battle with them. Constrain them, even.”

“Are we certain of that?” Yang Mu said. “We were only to clear the dangers of the realm itself, one could argue. There was no specifics to the deal, beyond the fact that we were to make it safe.”

“You think we could negotiate a peace treaty?” Tou He’s eyebrow rose. “Do you not believe that after years of constant attacks from those sent in by the library, they might be wary of us.” Then, he added. “Could we even enforce such a treaty? After all, when we leave...”

“There are things we must hash out, for sure. But whatever happens, I will not enter the mystic realm, aiming to conduct mass genocide. Not against a sapient species.”

Tou He’s voice grew offended, his hand stilling as he moved to pour the tea. “Nor would I. Ever. All life is sacred.”

“Then, why are you so eager to put yourself in a situation that could force your hand?” Yang Mu said. “If they attack us as we enter, if they seek to do harm without restraint and have sufficient strength, we might not have a choice.”

“If not us, then who?” Tou He said, angrily as he poured the tea into the cups. For all the passion in his voice, his hands were steady as he finished disburing the drink. “If there is a culture in there, demons or humans, do you think the library will not send another? Someone who might not look for another option? Better for us to take action now, to seek a resolution; than to let fate play itself out.” His voice dropped, as he continued. “It is not enough to wish for a better world, we must act to make it true. Many times, we must be the guiding light. But other times...”

“Other times, you have a staff.” Yang Mu finished for him. She could not say how she felt about his words and philosophy. She knew that him coming to terms with the heavenly flames that had altered his very element and infused themselves into his bloodline would have consequences. Yet, time and again, she found herself taken aback. 

Yet, he was not wrong. They were the best people to deal with the matter. If for no other reason than because they were here, now. And their own need was no less urgent.

“Then, we are resolved to go in?” she said, finally.

“Unless you have learnt anything substantially more?”

She shook her head, even as she leaned forward to detail what she had grasped, speaking with the various merchants and traders in the city. From buying items that had emerged from the realm, a realm that was not as impervious to entry as they might have been led to believe.

They had much to hash out, their plans and their entry and the safeguards they would take, but there was nothing substantially different in what she had learnt, there was no reason for them not to enter.

No matter the danger to themselves, or their souls.

***

Rather than a major procession or ceremony, the pair slipped into the mystic realm the next day in the dead of the night. While there were formations set around the slit in reality blocking entry, it was a small matter for Yang Mu to bypass them, especially as they already received instructions on how to enter beforehand. With the key provided, it was required some minor adjustments to remove the alarms and the major blockage before they entered.

They did so to avoid commotion, because they did not trust the library but most of all, they did so because the talismans that she utilized were best engaged in the night. It shrouded the pair in shadows and made them one with the moonlight, reducing their aura and spiritual signatures and their scents, their interactions with the world. Even one like Wu Ying would have found it difficult to notice them.

Tou He transitioned inwards first, such that by the time Yang Mu had entered behind him, he had subdued the pair of guards who had been tasked with watching the entrance. They had emerged in a small cavern, the entrance itself paved and carved from the insides of a mountain before leading outwards to a cliff face that overlooked the surroundings.

Spirit lamps lit the pathway, a pair of moons that felt real, though they might be illusory or just objects that mimicked the size and light of their moon in reality. Outside, sand and cliff faces and gullies loomed, much of it hidden by the night shadows. Yang Mu strode over to where the guards had been pulled aside, eyeing the still figures.

“They look similar to the urn,” Yang Mu muttered. Snake body, humanoid torso, a face that was a mixture of snake and human, with scales all along their bodies and light scalemail armour covering their torso. “Though I would never have expected this colour.” Sky blue and corral scales, criss-crossing across the body with only minor variations in color between the pair. 

Tou He leaned down, touched a face and peeled up the skin of the lips. He pressed his finger into the top of the lips along the gums, watched as the fangs dropped down under the pressure and looked over his shoulder at Yang Mu to ensure she had noticed the physical change.

“Very much a snake creature.” Yang Mu frowned. “There are stories of such creatures, from the south and east. They have names for them, do they not? Raksasa or something like that, I believe?”

“Something like that,” Tou He concurred. “I leave the book learning to you two.”

She laughed softly. “You mean, you leave it to me and Sister Yang.” After all, while Wu Ying did study, his various areas of interest dominated his study time. The depth of information and knowledge he required for just his gathering was significant, leaving him little time to study creatures and monsters outside his immediate sphere.

“So. Guards.” Tou He stepped away from the bodies, scanning the exit. His gaze trekked over to the beaten earth pathway that led down from the mountain. It turned not long after to the shrouded canyons below, where minor glimpses of the continuing and winding path appeared. 

“Guards.” Yang Mu echoed, for they signified the worse expectation. Not just of sapient creatures within the mystic realm, but a civilization that not only knew about the entrance but were organized enough to post guards, four plus decades since the last entry. “What do you wish to do?” 

“I believe our initial plan is best.” Tou He let his aura unfurl a little. She sensed as he did so, and she waited, knowing that it was his role in this. In the meantime, she continued to study the room, the entrance that they had arrived within, searching for runes and enchantments embedded in the stone. To her surprise, she had found none. Even her dao could not sense any connections, any energy between the surroundings. What she did feel though, as she extended her dao, was surprising.

Of course, Tou He had his own surprises to offer.

“There are three Nascent Soul level individuals below. Or close to it.” He was frowning, and at her glance, he clarified. “Their cultivation base is different. As though they do not walk the path of the beast or of humanity.” He sighed. “I wish I had sensed this spirit cultivation that Wu Ying had spoken of, but even then… I do not think it is the same.”

“A fourth path then? A demonic one?” 

“Quite possibly. It will require further research.” 

“Well, I should point out that the connection between this realm and the real world, it is closer than what we were told. There is a constant flow of dao between the worlds, such that this one is not a separate realm at all.” Yang Mu held a hand upwards, as though weighing something unseen. “It makes transfers simpler. In fact, I would not be surprised if there are regular transfers between the two.”

Tou He glanced down, at the worked stone floor, the flat pavement stones and the lack of dust. His gaze returned to Yang Mu and she nodded, acknowledging his gaze. 

“So, more lies.”

“Yes.”

Tou He exhaled, straightened a little. His aura retracted and Yang Mu felt something push against it as it barricaded the entrance. “They’ve sensed my probing. I should go.”

“And I’ll get on my part.” She inclined her head. “Watch your back.”

“And you.”

A moment later, he was gone, leaving Yang Mu alone with the two still senseless pair of guards. His aura had expanded, encompassing the surroundings as he moved, giving her cover for what she needed to do. Now, the question was, if their preparations would be enough.