The further they walked into the cave, the less cave-like it became. The walls, rocky and jagged at first, smoothed out, now expertly carved to look like stony bricks. The ceiling, once deadly with hanging stalactites, was now curved in a sleek arch. Red crystals lit the way, supplemented by torches ensconced in the increasingly elaborate walls.
When they passed by a full-on pillar that had designs of dragons chasing small men with spears winding all up and down its surface, Qiu Yunru couldn't take it anymore.
"Who the hell made this place? Isn't it too much effort to carved a palace from stone?"
Lei Tianxiang huffed, casting him a cold look. However, seeing the glare Li Chenyuan shot at him, he shut his mouth and smiled politely--a terrifying sight. He cleared his throat and spoke:
"This is the Black Palace. It was created by the Great One, Li Mingze. Perhaps you have heard of him? Li Mingze is Master Li's ancestor, after all. Being so close, you must know of how the Mind's Burden works."
"The Mind's Burden?"
"My...My demonic cultivation skills," Li Chenyuan said sheepishly, casting a nervous glance Qiu Yunru's way. He was toying with the golden tassel on his yaodai. "In the Eight Purple Winds Sect, they're referred to as the Mind's Burden. The sect members believe that this demonic ability to affect the minds of others is a burden that can only be carried and wielded by my family line. It's a great power, so it should be used effectively."
Qiu Yunru got a bad feeling in his stomach. "Listen to yourself. Doesn't that sound like the behavior of a cult?"
Li Chenyuan flinched. "Gege...Even so, the Eight Purple Winds Sect helped me when I needed to look for you. I didn't have anything...Baohu Mountain Range had even sealed part of my demonic powers before I escaped. They released my abilities and helped me search the Mortal, Ghost, and Demon Realm for your presence, just because I asked."
"Indeed," Lei Tianxiang's smooth voice interjected. "The Eight Purple Winds Sect has always been dedicated to the following of the head of the Li clan. His whims are ours; his wants are our wants."
"See?" Li Chenyuan said, fidgeting with his fingers. They passed by a pillar carved in the shape of a dragon, contorting and stretching all the way up to the ceiling. "They're dedicated to what I want. If I don't want to do the same...things as my father, then I don't have to. If I tell them not to pillage and kill, they won't."
Qiu Yunru raised an eyebrow.
He'd heard this story far too many times before. For a short period, he had had an interest in cults. Particularly, he had read all the time about Christian cults popping up in South Korea. A charismatic person would claim to be the returned Jesus; after gathering vulnerable followers, they would demand money and abuse them. But what happened when their psychic predictions fell flat and their claims were proven false? If they didn't keep up the illusion well enough, they would be torn to shreds. He had even had a distant cousin or second-cousin who had gotten pulled into something like this.
That was the thing about cults; you can't suddenly change the entire direction of a cult, pulling it away from its roots and original goals without a satisfactory explanation. Over a hundred years, maybe; but in a few months? There was no way!
The Eight Purple Winds Sect had been notorious for supporting Li Guiren's murderous whims and assassination plots back in the day. Before that, Qiu Yunru wasn't sure; even though he had searched the Jade Clouds Sect library for information, it seemed the records had been scrubbed clean of the Eight Purple Wind Sect. All he knew was that it was based in a desire to conquer and destroy.
All these thoughts ran through his head as he looked at Li Chenyuan. This kid, even with his elaborately woven violet silk robes, looked so innocent and helpless to him suddenly. His phoenix eyes were wide and eager for forgiveness; his fingers anxiously gripping the folds of his robes were pitiful.
What are you thinking? Snap out of it! Did you already forget what he did to Liao Li?
Qiu Yunru cleared his throat. "Do you really think you can make the Eight Purple Winds Sect a moral place just like that? If you're looking to do good things, open a portal and bring Liao Li to the Mortal Realm."
Li Chenyuan's jaw tightened, the innocent look gone from his face. He averted his eyes, turning his face away silently.
"That's what I thought," Qiu Yunru said, crossing his arms. He thought he should push Li Chenyuan's buttons just a little further. Didn't he completely deserve it? "This place is encouraging evil tendencies, isn't it? Before you know it, you'll be evil. This shixiong can't save you then. Don't say I didn't warn you."
The air grew cold, then hot. Everything went white. Qiu Yunru whirled around, squinting.
He...He...! Li Chenyuan had actually opened just a portal!
Before Qiu Yunru could say a word, Li Chenyuan had already stepped through it. With a shwooping noise much like the sound of a drop of water hitting the surface of a pond, the portal disappeared.
Qiu Yunur stood there, blinking. He felt somehow like he'd been slapped in the face. Not a single part of him had actually thought that kid would follow his demand!
It was just him and Lei Tianxiang now, standing in the dark and quiet. Water dripped from somewhere on the high ceiling of the Black Palace, splashing into some shallow puddle.
"Ah..." Qiu Yunru cleared his throat awkwardly. "Does he do this usually?"
Lei Tianxiang's voice was even icier than his gaze. "At times, yes. Master Li goes where he pleases when he pleases, as is his right."
More water dripping. Had he ever experienced such a suffocatingly awkward silence?
"So, ah...what's really going on here?" Qiu Yunru cleared his throat once more, straightening up. Almost like a protective shell, his polite, courteous demeanor returned. "This one is curious as to why you're so devoutly following Li Chenyuan when his goals don't align with yours."
Lei Tianxiang raised an eyebrow. "Who said they don't?"
Qiu Yunru blinked. "Well...it's not as if Li Chenyuan is eager to conquer the jianghu. Isn't that was Li Guiren wanted? You were his right-hand man, after all. I have difficulty believing that your goals truly change entirely based on which member of the Li family you follow."
Lei Tianxiang tilted his head, an unsettling smile breaking across his face. "Who says Master Li is not interested in conquering the jianghu?"