Chapter 177 A Chan Reached Out…

Chapter 177 A Chan Reaches Out...

A Chan extended a finger, tentatively reaching out to touch the inner core. The moment she made contact, it suddenly vanished.

Before she could react in surprise, the core reappeared in her palm. It seemed to have hidden itself within her—whenever she willed it, it would manifest.

After staring at the core for a long while, A Chan finally turned to the High Priest. "Did Father leave this for me?"

The High Priest nodded slightly. "Yes, it is yours."

"What about A Mian?"

"A Mian is different from you. She cannot use it."

If A Mian were still a half-demon, she would have been able to use it. Unless... she, like A Chan, had also transformed.

But how could Father have known about things that hadn’t yet happened?

A Chan had too many questions. She wanted to seek answers from the High Priest, but the High Priest only told her, "I was merely entrusted by your father to deliver the core to you when you came looking. He did not tell me anything else."

"Then what about my mother? Do you know... her whereabouts?" A Chan pressed, a faint glimmer of hope in her eyes.

The High Priest’s gaze was gentle yet steady, but it made A Chan’s heart suddenly sink.

She said, "A Chan, your mother and I belonged to the same tribe. Among our people, the position of High Priest is lifelong."

A Chan’s hands tightened imperceptibly.

"If the previous High Priest were still alive, there would be no new High Priest."

That tiny spark of hope finally flickered out.

Mother was gone too.

A Chan slowly crouched down, hugging her knees and burying her face deeply.

Before, when she hadn’t known their fates, she at least still had parents in her heart. But now... she was all alone.

The High Priest listened to the quiet sniffles, her eyes filled with pity, but she did not step forward.

She remembered what Lord Xi Jing had said the last time she saw him.

He said his A Chan was a little girl who needed much love and companionship—things they could no longer give her.

So, he left his inner core to her. Within it lay immense life force, giving her longevity so that, in time, she might find someone who would love her deeply and be with her always.

A Chan allowed herself just a moment of sorrow before wiping her tears and standing up.

"High Priest, let’s go back."

The two left the altar, and A Chan followed the High Priest back to the transportation array.

The array here was simplified; it could only be used twice before needing to be redrawn.

Before stepping onto the array, the High Priest glanced back at A Chan, who was surreptitiously drying her eyes, and said, "If you wish to learn more about your parents, you can have Hui Xue take you to Wu Yang. She was your mother’s disciple."

A Chan’s eyes brightened slightly, and she gave a firm nod. "Okay."

The High Priest extended her hand, and A Chan took it. The array shimmered, and they returned to the wooden house.

By the time they arrived, A Chan had mostly composed herself. She washed her face and was then called downstairs by the High Priest.

The two stepped into the courtyard, where the High Priest gestured to the assortment of strange creatures occupying most of the space. "The village will hold a sacrificial rite in a few days. These are offerings from the villagers. Come help me prepare them."

A Chan nodded. She had learned many ways to prepare sacrificial offerings from her mother’s books.

The High Priest’s approach was much simpler and cruder. She instructed A Chan to place the prepared materials into a stone pit in the courtyard, then lit the kindling beneath.

As smoke rose, the High Priest dragged the offerings to the pit, while A Chan helped prepare them—brushing their fur, aligning their limbs—so they wouldn’t appear too ghastly in death, lest the ancestors be put off at the sight.

Seeing A Chan work like she'd done it before, the High Priest left her to it. The two cooperated smoothly, each absorbed in their tasks.

By the time the High Priest said they were finished, A Chan plopped down ungracefully onto the ground. She hadn’t noticed it while working, but now her back screamed in protest.

It had been a long time since she’d done so much labor, but it had actually been enjoyable.

The things her mother had recorded in her books—A Chan was now living what she'd only read about.

The High Priest inspected the offerings A Chan had handled and said approvingly, "You did well. Have you done this before?"

"I’ve read about the steps in books."

"You have a knack for this."

A Chan smiled.

The High Priest then asked, "Do you know the Ritual Dance?"

A Chan nodded after a slight hesitation, a little embarrassed. "Only once. I’m not sure if I made any mistakes."

"Just knowing it will do," the High Priest said. "Among our people, every child must perform a dance for the ancestors during their first ritual after reaching adulthood. You are not exempt."

Though A Chan no longer shared the bloodline of their tribe, she was still recognized by them, and their ancestors would continue to bless her.

"I have to dance during the ritual?" A Chan’s eyes widened. Why did the ancestors insist on watching performances in front of everyone? Couldn’t they watch it privately?

The High Priest chuckled. "Yes, you must."

"Alright then." Since it was the ancestors’ wish, she couldn’t disappoint them. A Chan agreed, then asked, "How many others will be dancing with me this year?"

If she had company, it wouldn't be so bad.

"Four others will join you, including Lie Xing. You can practice with him later."

A Chan nodded, then stopped short. "Lie Xing is only coming of age this year?"

"Yes."

Their people came of age at eighteen. Lie Xing looked tall and sturdy—yet he was a year younger than her now.

A Chan thought to herself, *He’s looked older than his years.*

She had dinner with the High Priest, who cooked the meal herself. Though simple, the food was delicious, holding its own against Hui Niang's cooking.

For a moment, A Chan considered convincing the High Priest to come back to the capital with her.

After the meal, daylight remained, with over an hour until dusk. A Chan asked the High Priest for directions to Shen Huixue’s home and went to find her.

Shen Huixue was home alone. A Chan had heard from her the day before that Shen Qingwu had left with the village’s expedition party for the snowy mountains and was due back in two days.

When A Chan arrived, Shen Huixue had just finished her meal and was resting in her fox form on a chair, her six tails occasionally swaying.

"Hui Xue," A Chan called out to her.

"Ying," Shen Huixue responded before switching back to human speech, her tone cheerful and her tails swaying faster. "You're back."

A Chan walked over to the chair and reached out to stroke Hui Xue's fluffy tails.

Of course, a fox spirit's tails weren't something just anyone could touch, but A Chan was different. Shen Huixue offered three of her tails to A Chan while she lifted a paw to lick-groom the remaining three.

"Hui Xue, what was the name of the High Priest you mentioned taking me to see?" A Chan asked as she combed through Hui Xue's fur with her fingers.

Shen Huixue's ears twitched. "I think it was Wu Yang."

"Then take me to see her tomorrow."

"Sure," Shen Huixue agreed readily. She had planned to introduce A Chan to the High Priest anyway.

After grooming her for a while longer, A Chan suddenly asked, "Hui Xue, have you experienced anything unusual since absorbing the spiritual power from the inner core?"

"Unusual?" Shen Huixue tilted her head in thought. "I'm not sure if it counts, but ever since coming here, I occasionally have dreams."

As a Third Realm fox, she shouldn't normally dream—normal dreams usually have prophetic meaning. But hers were different. She only dreamed of her father.

"Dreams?"

"Mm, sometimes I dream of my father," Shen Huixue said, her gaze softening. "He talks to me in the dreams. Once, when I got hurt during a hunt, he taught me some hunting techniques that night. After learning them, I never got injured again."

"To appear in dreams..." A Chan murmured softly, her gaze distant.

Noticing A Chan's odd expression, Shen Huixue asked, "Why do you suddenly bring this up?"

A Chan shook her head lightly. "It's nothing. I just think... becoming a spirit is wonderful."

"It really is," Shen Huixue agreed. As a spirit, she gained great power, a far longer life, and even the chance to see her late father in dreams. She could go wherever she pleased, with nothing to hold her back. Before leaving Great Xia, she had never imagined her life could be so free.

Both absorbed in thought, neither noticed the slender figure that had appeared outside the door.

Only when a steady knock sounded did the two turn their heads to see Bai Xiuming standing at the partly open door, his gaze fixed on A Chan.

"Why are you here?" A Chan asked upon seeing Bai Xiuming. She let go of Hui Xue's fluffy tails and hurried over, her skirt fluttering like a beautiful little butterfly as she flung herself at him.

Bai Xiuming caught her. "It's getting dark. The High Priest said you were here, so I came to take you back."

A Chan looked back longingly at the fluffy Hui Xue and tentatively asked, "What if I stayed the night here with Hui Xue?"

Bai Xiuming remained expressionless. "Wouldn't it be too noisy at night?"

"She needs to sleep too."

"She could—" A Chan started to suggest setting up a soundproof barrier, but before she could finish, Bai Xiuming had already scooped her up and carried her off.

As they left, he politely closed Shen Huixue's door and said, "Our apologies for the intrusion."

On the way back, A Chan asked, "When did you arrive?"

Bai Xiuming glanced at her. "Just now. Why?"

"Nothing." A Chan studied the defined features of the man's profile beside her, wondering if he had heard her conversation with Hui Xue.

Sure enough, the next moment, Bai Xiuming asked, "Did Shen Huixue becoming a spirit have something to do with you?"

A Chan's gaze wavered slightly. "I didn't help her. She obtained her father's inner core."

She had only told Hui Xue about the method.

"You envy her?"

So he had heard her words.

"She can go anywhere she wants without worrying about danger. She can live for ages and do everything she desires." A Chan didn't hide the envy in her voice.

Bai Xiuming stopped walking. He turned to her, cradling her face, and said earnestly, "You'll have all that too."

A Chan's eyelashes fluttered slightly. She knew Bai Xiuming wouldn't lie to her. But what she wanted even more was to see her father—even if it wasn't truly him, just echoes of his memories.

Hui Xue had absorbed her father's inner core, gaining his spiritual power, which carried his memories. That was why she occasionally dreamed of him.

If A Chan gave up the spiritual power in the inner core and only took its life force, she would gain a long life—but she would never see her father again.