Following the elder’s momentum, Yuwen Junan lunged forward, thrusting the sharp jade hairpin in his hand straight into the man’s throat.
Blood seeped out along the wound as the elder collapsed to the ground. Struggling to look back, the old man’s gaze was fierce. "You? How did you discover the flaw?"
Yuwen Junan’s expression remained icy. He slowly pulled the hairpin out, watching the dark red blood spurt forth. "You kept calling me by my given name."
The elder’s breath grew shallow. "You disrespectful brat! I am your maternal grandfather; what is wrong with using your name?"
Yuwen Junan stood up straight, pulled a silk handkerchief from his robe, and gently wiped the blood from the hairpin. "I hold the Holy Spirit Jade. According to tribal law, all members of the Wu Tribe must serve me as their master. You addressed me by my name, used your seniority to pressure me, intentionally deceived me, and harbored ulterior motives, coveting the holy relic! Was I wrong to act?"
The old man did not answer. Blood continued to flow, and though he moved his lips as if to speak, he lacked the strength to utter another word. He could only stare, his face contorted in resentment.
"Yue'er has a sharp eye. It seems she chose well when she passed the Holy Spirit Jade to you!"
*Who else is here?*
Startled, Yuwen Junan spun around to find the source of the voice. He discovered that the people who had been standing behind him like stone statues had all come to life.
Yuwen Junan hurried forward, using his wide robes to shield the elder’s corpse from view, but he felt a sticky, viscous sensation beneath his feet, as if thousands of tentacles were crawling up his legs.
*Do not be afraid!* They had only just revived; they shouldn't have seen him commit murder.
While warning himself to stay calm, he watched as these people moved in an orderly fashion to stand behind one man. The man appeared to be in his twenties, but his skin was pathologically pale from having lived without sunlight, making him look like a ghost crawled straight out of the Underworld.
The sensation under his feet grew even more distinct. Trembling, Yuwen Junan lowered his hands, hiding the bloodstained hairpin within his wide sleeves. Trying his best to suppress his fear, he asked, "D-dare I ask, who might you be?"
The man looked solemn and knelt on one knee. "Wu Tribe Chief Jiang Siyu, leading my people, pays respects to our Master."
"Swish, swish, swish." The people behind him knelt as well, saying in unison, "Greetings, Master."
*Calling me Master? And kneeling to me?* Yuwen Junan gripped the Holy Spirit Jade tightly. *Wu Tribe members! Again! Why is this 'Beast Trapping Array' filled with ghost-like members of the Wu Tribe?*
*Wait... he said his name was Jiang Siyu! My elder sister once mentioned that was the name of my uncle.* However, his sister had said that after the earthquake in South Chu sixteen years ago, their uncle had gone missing. If he were still alive, he should be in his forties, not wearing the face of such a young man.
Yuwen Junan weighed the situation, standing as motionless and stiff as a wooden doll. He gripped the jade hairpin so hard he nearly snapped it.
The man who called himself Jiang Siyu seemed to see through Yuwen Junan’s thoughts. He explained, "This is a space carved out by the 'Beast Trapping Array.' It is different from the outside world; time does not flow here. My tribesmen and I have been trapped here for sixteen years, retaining the appearance we had when we first arrived."
*A space carved out by the 'Beast Trapping Array.'* The old man had said that as well.
Recalling the old man, Yuwen Junan instinctively glanced at the spot where he had just stabbed him, but saw nothing! Yuwen Junan was stunned. He forgot to conceal his shock and turned stiffly. The ground behind him was bare—the old man was truly gone! All that remained on the ground were several blood-red characters:
*I offer my blood to the fierce beast; I trade my soul for rebirth!*
*What does this mean?*
Yuwen Junan could not spare the thought to verify Jiang Siyu’s words. He dragged his stiff legs toward the man, gritted his teeth, and pulled him up from the ground. "You are the Chief of the Wu Tribe, which makes you An'er’s uncle?"
As Jiang Siyu was pulled up, the people behind him rose as well and retreated neatly to the side.
Jiang Siyu spoke solemnly, "Whoever holds the Holy Spirit Jade holds the Wu Tribe. Master, although we are uncle and nephew, ritual must be observed. I am at your command."
*It doesn't matter who he is!* Yuwen Junan thought to himself. *As long as he is alive, that is enough!*
Forcing himself to stay calm, he put on a look of filial respect and asked, "How did you end up here, Uncle?"
"Ah! That is a long story." A hint of vitality seemed to return to Jiang Siyu’s pale face. He asked, "Master, do you know of the South Chu earthquake from sixteen years ago?"
"I... I do," Yuwen Junan nodded. He wanted to say something—anything—but couldn't help glancing at the ground. The dead old man was truly gone, yet the blood-red characters seemed even clearer now. Yuwen Junan suddenly shook his head. "No, actually, I don't!"
"Hm?"
Jiang Siyu looked at the pale youth and thought, *My younger sister was brilliant; surely she didn't give birth to a fool?* He then heard Yuwen Junan whisper:
"Sixteen years ago, South Chu suffered divine retribution, and the earth shook. The Holy Maiden Jiang Xuexin, in order to save the people from suffering, entered Holy Maiden Mountain to pray for their safety. There were also rumors that the Holy Maiden Jiang Xuexin joined forces with the Ba Serpent to sacrifice herself to save South Chu."
"Nonsense!" Jiang Siyu barked. "Where did you hear such rumors? The one who truly saved South Chu was your mother, the Queen!"
*My mother?*
Yuwen Junan flinched at the shout, then gathered his wits and looked intently at his uncle.
"Sixteen years ago," Jiang Siyu’s eyes filled with hatred, "Jiang Xuexin, in order to awaken her Wu Tribe bloodline, stole forbidden arts to control the Ba Serpent. The serpent went out of control, went mad, and triggered the earthquake. Your mother, ignoring the fact that she was six months pregnant, forced herself to use witchcraft to set up this 'Beast Trapping Array' to suppress the serpent."
"In that case," Yuwen Junan shifted his gaze toward the Ba Serpent within the 'Phantom Wall', "it was my mother who saved South Chu?"
"Of course!" Jiang Siyu replied without hesitation. "That Jiang Xuexin was cast into the depths of the abyss for using forbidden arts; how could she have had the life left in her to save South Chu?"
Yuwen Junan’s heart suddenly felt much lighter. If his mother could deal with the Ba Serpent, what was there to fear from an old man he had already killed?
He steadied his mind and asked, "Did you come here to help my mother?"
"No!" Jiang Siyu also looked toward the Ba Serpent in the 'Phantom Wall'. "After Jiang Xuexin died, her father—who is my uncle—used the 'Departed Soul Nightmare' without permission to steal souls and feed the Ba Serpent in an attempt to resurrect her. I came here to stop him!"
"So," Yuwen Junan said, feeling completely relieved, "you have been guarding the 'Beast Trapping Array' for sixteen years to prevent Jiang Xuexin’s resurrection?"
"No," a hint of awkwardness flickered across Jiang Siyu’s face. "I was ambushed by my uncle, fell victim to his witchcraft, and have been trapped in this array for sixteen years!"
*What?*
Yuwen Junan looked back at the blood-red characters. Each stroke was a deep crimson, and his fear returned.
*Will I also be trapped in this array, unable to ever leave?*