Fu Yiran calmed down slightly when he saw Sikong Yan in such an unstable state. He reminded his master in a low voice, "Young master, do not forget... No matter how deep my sins run, all these schemes were devised by the Old Master. If someone had to bear the consequences—"
"Silence!" Si Kongyan snapped sharply, turning around with a ferocious expression. "Do you even realize what you’re saying?!"
Fu Yiran's lips quivered slightly, but he said nothing more.
Walking one in front of the other, the two continued up the mountain without another word. No one else appeared along the way, making the Ghostbane Association headquarters seem all the more desolate.
It was unclear how much farther they walked, but the terrain grew increasingly steep, and the path beneath their feet was barely visible. At this point, they were flanked by cliffs on both sides, and the trail was only wide enough to fit two side by side horses. A towering city gate came into view.
Fu Yiran suddenly said, "We’re here."
Sikong Yan did not reply. The climb left him slightly out of breath. Squinting at the distant gate, he remarked, "It looked just as wretched twenty years ago. It hasn’t changed a bit."
Fu Yiran stepped forward, his demeanor respectful once more. "Let us proceed inside. We still don’t know who the current gatekeeper is."
As they approached, it became evident just how massive the gate was. The two doors were carved from a single slab of bluestone, weighing untold millions of pounds. They were engraved with reliefs of the hundred ghosts of the Underworld, each face twisted and horrifyingly grotesque.
Before the two could draw closer, a shrill scream suddenly echoed down the pass.
Sikong Yan felt his heart skip a beat after being startled by the shrill scream. Looking for the source of the scream, he saw a disheveled figure kneeling by the gate.
This person was bound to the gate by chains that pierced his shoulder blades. His ragged and filthy body, could make the dirtiest beggar grateful for their lot in life. What stood out most were his deeply sunken eye sockets with their eyes gouged out.
"It’s you—you’ve come back!" the tormented man screamed, as if witnessing the most terrifying thing in the world.
Si Kongyan frowned slightly. "How is he still alive?"
Upon hearing Si Kongyan’s voice, the man suddenly opened his eyes, revealing two dark red hollow sockets beneath his eyelids. Although he could not see, he stared fixedly in Si Kongyan’s direction. "You still remember me... You still remember me!"
Si Kongyan frowned and said, "He was already chained here when I came years ago, and he’s still here now. Back then, I didn’t ask Teacher who he was... With no eyes, how could he recognize me?"
"Li Xun—you still remember me!" The man let out another piercing scream, digging his hands fiercely into the ground as if trying to crawl closer. "Hahaha... Li Suantian, Li Suantian, are you here to kill me? Can you still sleep at night? Do countless souls visit you each night, demanding their lives back—"
Sikong Yan furrowed his brows even more deeply. "So he’s mistaken me for Teacher..."
At this moment, Fu Yiran stepped forward beside Sikong Yan and softly said, "This is Xu Yiren. No one remembers his real name anymore. He was born with dual pupils and was once known in the martial world as Xu Yiren or Xu Shuangtong.
"It was said he could see through all things under the heavens. His abilities were exaggerated to mythical proportions. Later, he befriended Yan Zhengui and became the vice-chief of this stronghold. After Yan Zhengui was killed, he was captured alive."
Sikong Yan pondered for a moment, seemingly unable to figure out the reasoning, and asked, "Why wasn’t he killed?"
Fu Yiran sneered. "That’s an interesting story. When the Old Master came up the mountain for the first time, this man stood before the gate and asked, ‘Li Xun, you calculate the heavens, the earth, and the human heart—have you ever calculated your fate?’"
Sikong Yan tilted his head. "And what did the master say to that?"
"Heh heh..." Fu Yiran grinned and said, "Back then, the Old Master said, 'Xu Shuangtong, your eyes are on your face, so how can you possibly see yourself?' Xu Yiren’s expression immediately changed because he always avoided mirrors, fearing he might glimpse his own death.
"The Old Master then added, 'I cannot calculate my path, but I can calculate that your Ghostbane Association will not last long.' And sure enough, two years later, the entire original Ghostbane Association crew was wiped out by master.
"The ironic part is that even before the Old Master decided to act against the Ghostbane Association, Xu Yiren had already planned to flee this place. It’s said he was captured on a ship heading to Fusang.
"But at that time, the master had not yet moved against the Ghostbane Association. So, everyone said that after seeing the master, Xu Yiren foresaw the fate of the Ghostbane Association, which is why he rushed to escape. The master brought him back, gouged out his prized eyes, and chained him here at the gate.
"Heh..." Si Kongyan chuckled and shook his head. "There’s no way it’s that miraculous..." With that, he walked toward the gate.
Fu Yiran quickly followed, stopping at the gate and bellowed in a deep voice, "Where is the gatekeeper?!"
"Hey." A crisp voice came from above the two. "Who are you?"
The master and servant looked up and saw a small child sitting atop the tall gates. The child dangled their legs over the parapet, gazing down at them, completely unaffected by the height.
"I’ve never seen you two before. Are you here to cause trouble?" the child asked curiously.
Fu Yiran glanced at Sikong Yan, shaking his head to indicate he hadn’t seen this child before either. Then he looked up and said, "I am Heaven-Ranker, Sand Scourer. And who might you be?"
The child scratched their cheek and murmured, "Sand Scourer... never heard of it. I’m Riverside. What do you want?"
"Riverside?" Fu Yiran was surprised to hear a familiar name.
"Must be a new replacement," Sikong Yan postulated. "Last year, Riverside from Yingtian Prefecture died. This child must have filled his spot."
Fu Yiran nodded, pulled a token from his sleeve, and flung it toward the child. The token whistled sharply as it shot through the air.
The child reached out casually, easily catching the token and holding it up for closer inspection. The child muttered, "Hmm... The token’s real enough, but it’s so old and worn. It might fetch a price at the pawnshop!"
Fu Yiran snorted coldly. "You little brat, stop talking and open the gate already."
The child pouted but didn’t dawdle. Pulling a long whistle from their sleeve, they blew hard. A piercing shriek rang out, followed by several howls from behind the gate. Moments later, the gate began to creak open.
Si Kongyan and Fu Yiran stepped forward, entering the passageway behind the gate. On either side stood five elephants, harnessed to ropes. Their immense strength slowly pulled the gate open.
The child leapt down with a few agile flips, landing atop one of the elephants. They casually tossed the token back to Fu Yiran, saying, "Here you go, old man." The child then glanced curiously at Sikong Yan.
Sikong Yan turned his head away and continued walking forward.
At that moment, another shrill scream rang out again from beyond the gate.
"Who dares attempt to defy..."
Si Kongyan and Fu Yiran’s faces changed simultaneously, and they immediately turned to look back. At the edge of the city wall, Xu Yiren was straining to push his face out, a grotesque smile twisting his lips.
"Sikong Yan... have you ever calculated your fate?"