32: Chapter 32 Awakening

Qing Luo flipped through a few pages and suddenly stopped. "It says here that the highest realm of the Yin Yang Samsara Technique can control life and death, even... resurrect the dead."

Silence filled the room.

"This is a forbidden art," Daoist Wangchuan said in a heavy voice. "It defies the Heavenly Dao."

The Witch was deep in thought. "Could it be that the Dark Prison wants the soul bead for this same purpose?"

"It's very likely," Daoist Wangchuan said. "Especially that leading Man in Black; I've always felt a familiar aura coming from him."

Bi Luo leaned against the doorframe and asked, "Does Master know him?"

"I'm not sure," Daoist Wangchuan replied. "But the way he uses Soul Power is somewhat like... Chu Yang's."

Qing Luo suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest, and the soul bead vibrated violently. She cried out, clutching her chest.

"What's wrong?" The Witch hurried to support her.

Qing Luo shook her head in pain. "The soul bead... what is it reacting to..."

A golden light suddenly shot out from her chest, circling the room once before finally stopping in front of a landscape painting hanging on the wall.

The four of them looked at the painting. The mountains and rivers looked real, shrouded in mist, with a pavilion faintly visible.

"Qingyun Pavilion," Daoist Wangchuan recognized the scene in the painting. "That was the last place Chu Yang was seen before he disappeared."

The golden light shone on the painting, and the image actually began to change. The mist dispersed, and the pavilion became clear. A blurry figure appeared on the pavilion, seemingly waving at them.

"It's him!" Qing Luo said excitedly. "It's the person who called out to me in my dreams!"

The figure's lips seemed to move, but no sound could be heard. Qing Luo strained to see clearly, trying to understand his meaning.

Suddenly, the image shook violently, and the figure began to dissipate.

"Wait!" Qing Luo shouted, reaching out to touch the painting.

A powerful suction force pulled her in; Qing Luo gave a startled cry as her entire body was drawn into the painting.

"Qing Luo!" The Witch tried to grab her, but it was already too late.

The image returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.

The three of them stood frozen in place, looking at the ordinary landscape painting in disbelief.

"Where... where did she go?" Bi Luo asked with a trembling voice.

Daoist Wangchuan took a deep breath. "Qingyun Pavilion. Chu Yang is summoning her."

The Witch said firmly, "We must go there and find Qing Luo."

"Qingyun Pavilion has been abandoned for many years," Daoist Wangchuan said. "And it's located in the far north; the journey is long."

"No matter how far it is, we must go," the Witch said resolutely. "Qing Luo is my responsibility."

Bi Luo nodded. "I'm going too."

Daoist Wangchuan sighed. "Fine, since things have come to this, it's our only choice. However, before we set out, we must fully understand the situation here." He looked at the scroll on the desk. "The 'Yin Yang Samsara Technique' might give us some clues."

The three of them began to search every corner of the wooden hut, hoping to find more information about Chu Yang and the Dark Prison, as well as the reason for Qing Luo's sudden disappearance.

Meanwhile, Qing Luo found herself in a world both strange and familiar, about to face a turning point in her fate.

Qing Luo felt herself falling, surrounded by endless light and shadow. She wanted to scream, but could make no sound. In a daze, she heard that familiar voice:

"Come, find me, find the truth..."

Suddenly, the feeling of falling vanished. Qing Luo found herself standing on a towering pavilion, surrounded by mist as if she were among the clouds.

"Is this... Qingyun Pavilion?" she muttered to herself, looking around.

The pavilion was ancient and elegant, with high upturned eaves and railings carved with exquisite cloud patterns. Looking out, she saw continuous mountain ranges and a churning sea of clouds, like a fairyland.

"You've finally come."

Qing Luo turned around and saw a man in white standing at the other end of the pavilion. He was handsome and had an otherworldly temperament; he was exactly the person who had called to her in her dreams.

"Are you... Chu Yang?" Qing Luo asked tentatively.

The man smiled slightly. "Not entirely. I am only a part of Chu Yang's consciousness, stored within this painting."

"I am inside the painting right now?" Qing Luo asked in surprise.

"Yes and no," Chu Yang explained. "This is a space between reality and illusion, created by me using the power of Yin and Yang."

Qing Luo hesitated for a moment before asking the question that had troubled her for a long time. "Why me? Why did the soul bead choose me? Do we... have some kind of connection?"

Chu Yang's expression was complex. "The connection is deep, yet hard to explain." He pointed to Qing Luo's chest. "The soul bead inside you is the carrier of my Yang energy; only someone with a special connection to me can host it."

"What special connection do I have with you?" Qing Luo became increasingly confused.

Chu Yang did not answer directly but instead asked, "How much do you remember of your past?"

Qing Luo froze. "I have no father or mother; I grew up under the Witch's tutelage since I was a child."

"And before that?"

"Before that..." Qing Luo tried to recall, but found her mind was a complete blank. "I don't remember."

Chu Yang looked at her meaningfully. "Precisely for that reason, the soul bead chose you."

Qing Luo felt a trace of unease. "Are you saying my past is related to you?"

"The time has not yet come, so it is not convenient to reveal too much," Chu Yang said. "But you should know that the Dark Prison is hunting down people related to me, and you have already been drawn into it."

"So the leader of the Men in Black is from the Dark Prison? Why are they hunting us?"

"They want my power," Chu Yang explained. "Especially the Yin Yang Samsara Technique. The soul bead in your body is a key link."

Qing Luo's heart chilled. "Who are they trying to resurrect?"

A complex emotion flashed through Chu Yang's eyes. "A soul that should remain asleep forever."

The mist outside the pavilion suddenly churned, and Chu Yang's figure became unstable.

"Time is running out," he said urgently. "Listen, you must go to three places and collect the Yin and Yang energy I left behind. Only by gathering these powers can you stop the Dark Prison's conspiracy."

"Three places?"

"The first place has already been found—the Willow Mountain Hut. The second place is right before your eyes—Qingyun Pavilion. The third place..." Chu Yang's voice became blurred. "Is... at the bottom of Black Water Lake... search for... the Yin Talisman Jade..."

"Wait!" Qing Luo stepped forward anxiously. "How am I supposed to find these places? And how do I collect the Yin and Yang energy?"

Chu Yang's figure grew fainter and fainter. "Follow... the soul bead's... guidance..."

The pavilion shook violently as mist rushed in. Chu Yang gave Qing Luo one last look, his eyes seemingly full of a thousand words, but in the end, he said nothing. His figure completely dissipated into the mist.

Qing Luo reached out to grab something, but caught only air. As the world spun, she felt the sensation of falling once more.

"Ah!"

She woke up with a start and found herself lying on the floor of the wooden hut, with the Witch looking down at her worriedly.

"Qing Luo! You're finally awake!" The Witch sighed in relief.

Qing Luo looked around blankly. "How did I get back?"

"Back?" Bi Luo was confused. "You've been here the whole time."

"No, I was clearly just..." Qing Luo looked toward the landscape painting on the wall in confusion. The image had returned to its calm state, with Qingyun Pavilion hidden in the mist, barely visible.

Daoist Wangchuan walked over. "You fainted right after touching the painting and didn't move an inch. We were all very worried."