Mystique Soul: A Cultivator's Flame
Chapter 67

Chapter 67: Chapter 67

With Mo Tianze helped Feng Jiao Xue reach the peak of the mountain.

The air was thinner there, crisp with a tang and a hint of ancient woods-untouched time itself. There stood an intimidating cultivation abode before them - neither lavish nor simple, the beautiful contradiction that it was.

The building stood at the very top the mountain, nestled between the clouds. Its wooden beams were dark with age yet sturdy, reinforced by the passage of time and the hands of those who respected its legacy. Carvings of mystical beasts and celestial patterns adorned the doors and pillars not as mere decorations but as symbols of the might. The roof, curved like a scholar’s brushstroke was adorned with subtle jade inlays that caught the morning light, glimmering faintly.

The courtyard held no gaudy treasures, yet each artifact present, an ancient stone tablet, a weathered incense burner, a set of unassuming yet refined meditation cushions, spoke of immeasurable value, treasures that only those with true discernment could appreciate.

Feng Jiao Xue’s gaze was steady as she took it all in, but the moment she stepped forward, her breath hitched.

A wave of ppressive and chaotic qi pressed against her making Feng Jiao Xue freeze.

This wasn’t unlike any pressure she have ever felt before, her fingers twitch as her foot struggled to even move forward.

It was as thick as a storm cloud, coiling in the air like a beast waiting to strike.

"Uhuu" Feng Jiao Xue’s breath fogged her vission.

It was stifling- suffocating. Wild, untamed and overbearing. Her knees shaked slightly, the weight nearly sending her buckle. She pressed a hand against her temples as she felt a dull throbbing ache.

This wasn’t simply some leftover energy a powerful cultivator had left behind. No, this was living, throbbing, and rapidly destabilizing.

Her space ring pulsed a warning.

A faint and concerned voice echoed in her mind. "Reckless." Huang Jin De’s essence burst forth inside the ring as golden light which was hardly apparent to the human eye. This coiled him around her unseen shield of his qi. "Had you walked in unguarded, your meridians would have shattered under the opposing qi."

Warmth spread across her skin as Huang Jin De enveloped her in his own qi, like golden silk warding off the chaotic Qi pressing down on her. The suffocating pressure lessened, but even with his protection, the sheer force of the oppressive qi made it clear, something was wrong within the abode.

"You okay?" Huang Jin De asked concerned. "We can try something else. Just tell me what you need"

Feng Jiao Xue’s lips pressed into a thin line. Her grandfather was in there. "It’s fine. Your qi is taking off most of the oppressive force its trying to enforce."

"Ngmp-" As she said that a small whimper caught her attention.

She turned around sharply.

Mo Tianze’s swayed slightly, his face was alarmingly pale. His silver-white hair, ussually as pristine as moonlight as he loves to groom himself whe he thinks no one is looking, appeared to have dulled under pressure from the chaotic qi. His fox ears pressed flat against his head and his thick bushy tail twitched with distress left and right.

"Sister, I..." Mo Tianze’s voice was soft, a breath hardly carried by the wind. "I don’t feel so good" He hugged himself weakly. "think... I might pass out..."

Feng Jiao Xue moved without thinking to support him as he almost fell like a weak leaf. "You’re okay. It’s alright. I got you" she held him carefully. Her hold firm but not suffocatig, as if holding a precious porcelain.

His lashes trembled slightly, his usually bright eyes dimming, and for a brief moment, he looked utterly defenseless. Small beads of sweat clung to his forehead, his shoulders tense as if he were barely holding himself up..

Feng Jiao Xue frowned. He had followed her all this way, worried for her safety, and yet now, here he was, struggling under the weight of an oppressive qi he had no way of defending against. It stirred something strange within her, an instinctive urge to shield him.

"...You shouldn’t have followed me," she murmured voice quieter than usual as she wiped the bead of sweat in his forehead.

Mo Tianze blinked up at her. His lips parted as if to speak, but instead, he swayed again. His tail fluffed out a little giving away his unease.

Feng Jiao Xue let out a breath. Without thinking, she reached out, her fingers wrapping around his thin wrist. A small pulse of her own qi, calmed by Huang Jin De’s golden energy, flowed into him, stabilizing his faltering and stirring energy.

He stilled, his shoulders tensing before sagging.

For a moment, he just stared at her, wide-eyed, ears twitching. Then, slowly, a smile, soft, weak, but unmistakably genuine, curved his lips.

"...Sister is always kind to me" he murmured as he leaned to her, his golden eyes flashing like that of the sun for a brief second before returning to normal, as if that glow was just a slight reflection of light.

She clicked her tongue, but she didn’t let go.

At least, not yet.

A gust of wind swept through the mountain, carrying the scent of pine and faint traces of medicinal herbs but beneath it all, there was something else, something acrid and wrong. The oppressive qi twisted in the air, like the breath of a wounded beast.

Feng Jiao Xue looked back at the dwelling. "My grandfather is in there" she said, her voice filled with determination. "This qi... it shoul be coming from him."

"It is" Huang Jin De confirmed. "And like I told you, there’s something wrong with it. Even those nearing they’re break through shouldn’t be this unrestrained. If we personify it, you can think of it as a hungry beast weak and yet ferociously fighting againts its restraint."

"If Qi is directly link to the life force of a person while magic is connected to the external forces... is the old man alright?" Feng Jiao Xue bit her lips as she gazed at the only locked door inside the building, her brows furrowed.

"If the qi is a beast then your grandfather’s life force is the chain its slowly chipping away" Huang Jin De grimly replied. "This old man might not be used for your plans for long unless you find a way to stabilize him" he told her bluntly.

Mo Tianze’s ears pricked slightly at her words as Huang Jin De replied but he said nothing. Instead, he tilted his head, his nose twitching faintly as if scenting the air.

"It’s unstable" he said after a pause. "There’s something inside, something mixing with his qi."

Huang Jin De raised a brow at that. "The fox is more perceptive than I thought. Though they’re have always been more deeply interwined with illusions and perceptions that Yin Xiao"

Feng Jiao Xue frowned thoughtfully. An external force? A backlash? Whatever the case, she couldn’t afford to waste time. Out of filial peity or utility, the old patriarch cannot fall just yet.

She took one step forward but before she could take another step closer, Mo Tianze tugged at her sleeve, his lips pursed as his fist tightly held her back.

"Sister," he said softly, his grip gentle but firm. His ears flattened slightly, giving him an almost pitiful look. "You should be careful."

She glanced at him. "I know. Stay here" She gently took his hold off of her.

"...Really careful," he added with his voice just a bit softer.

Feng Jiao Xue sighed. "I won’t be reckless."

Mo Tianze pouted slightly, looking unconvinced. His tail swayed behind him, brushing against her leg. "You always say that," he muttered under his breath before pausing and thinking back on his words. ’When did sister say that?’

Her lips twitched. "You’re worried about me?"

Mo Tianze blinked, as if caught off guard by the question. His fox ears twitched.

Then, very quietly, he nodded.

For a moment, silence hung between them. Then Feng Jiao Xue exhaled.

"...Fine," she said. "I’ll be extra careful."

Mo Tianze’s ears perked up slightly, and though he still looked ’unsteady’ from the qi’s pressure, there was a brief flicker of satisfaction in his eyes.

With an decisive glint to her eyes, Feng Jiao Xue headed toward the the imposing door. Whatever it was that happened to her grandmaster, she will find out. And whoever or whatever had caused her grandmaster’s cultivation to be this way, Feng Jiao Xue will not let them off easily.

Mo Tianze stood just slightly behind her, his features filled with uncertainty.

And yet, if she had looked closer, truly looked, she would have noticed the way his gaze remained steady despite his swaying posture. The way his tail though fluffed stopped trembling, steadily, languidly flicking behind him. And the way, despite the suffocating qi, his heartbeat remained completely calm.

Mo Tianze’s ears twitched, no longer flat and eyes appearing to be blazing. But he said nothing.

And as Feng Jiao Xue stepped forward for the first time toward the oppressive doors, his hand reached to stop her for a brief moment before stopping half way and silently withdrew.