22.The Key
1613 Words
(about 9 thousand years ago)
Master Ling kept his word. Shi Lang got into the Lan clan’s mansion with the help of his letter. He likes what he sees here. It’s quiet and serene. Built on a high rise in the mountains, the mansion looks more like a monastery. The simple white robes everyone wears remind him of that, too. GrandMaster Lan looks like he never smiled in his life. The stern expression he wears makes him look older somehow. But, he’s not here to make friends, he just wants to get into their library. Which, after attending lessons with the Lan clan youth for ten days, he still wasn’t allowed to do.
How far is he prepared to go before he quits this charade? Is GrandMaster Lan on to him? Does the man know he’s only obedient because he wants something? The lessons are not bad. He just doesn’t need them. As an immortal dragon, he can use magic to do what they are teaching them. But, he won’t tell them that if it’s not absolutely necessary. Sitting through lessons is not the worst thing that could happen. He has all the time in the world. Not to mention that some of the teachers are quite interesting.
“Shi Lang? Are you even listening?” GrandMaster Lan glares at him.
“Yes,” he nods. “I find your theory on maleficent spirits quite interesting. Do we get to see it implemented?”
“When you graduate,” GrandMaster Lan shakes his head. “We never send juniors out in the field. Capable as you may be, endangering you is beneath us. The spirits are more dangerous than you think.”
“I see,” Shi Lang nods again. There would be no danger for him, but other classmates have to rely on their wits and strength.
“Class dismissed!” GrandMaster Lan states sharply. He never keeps them beyond the hour mark. “Shi Lang, stay.”
What did I do wrong this time, he wonders. Nothing he said should be controversial or impolite. Why is he being detained? He watches the GrandMaster flip papers, but he stays silent. Is this a form of punishment, or will there be actual words spoken? The old man wants him here for a reason, but he always does things in his own time. Shi Lang has figured that out the first day he came here. GrandMaster Lan enjoys tormenting people with silence. It has never bothered Shi Lang. Silence is to be enjoyed. He sits there and waits.
“What are you smiling about?” GrandMaster Lan inquires.
“The silence,” Shi Lang answers. Was he smiling? That small slip on his part could be dangerous. He has to take better care of his facial expression.
“You look like a girl when you smile. I see why you don’t,” GrandMaster Lan shakes his head. “You are too serious for your age. And I learned that you never speak with your classmates. Are you really here just to study?”
“Erm, yes?” Shi Lang is a bit confused. Did his charm backfire? GrandMaster Lan seems to be devoid of all emotions. Is there really such a stage of cultivation?
“Very well,” the man nods. There is nothing on his face. The stern expression never changes. “You have been here ten days, and I have ten letters from you asking for access to the library. I am tempted to let you have it.”
“May I ask why you changed your mind?” Shi Lang looks at the GrandMaster expectantly. Will he finally get the coveted library key?
“This essay you wrote for Master Lan Bao,” GrandMaster Lan answers. He holds a piece of parchment in his hand. “Your outstanding calligraphy makes it look like a painting. And the references you used are most uncommon. I never knew Master Ling had such books.”
“Master Ling has a penchant for weird and occult books. I think it’s his ploy to get me to come back once in a while,” Shi Lang tells the GrandMaster truthfully.
“I think you are too young to read those,” Grand Master Lan shakes his head.
“I’m older than I look,” Shi Lang smiles. Since there are no reactions from the GrandMaster, he assumes that smiling around him is safe. Master Ling never reacted to it either.
“Would you let me test your level of cultivation? I find it strange. The way you act and the way you look doesn’t go together. Every youth wants to play, or test his limits, but you don’t,” GrandMaster Lan keeps his eyes on him all the time. Is he looking for a reaction?
“If I get the library key,” Shi Lang makes his demand. He knows this might backfire on him. If the GrandMaster finds out what he really is, he might be forced to leave. The protective barrier can’t hold him. Getting out is easy, but he really wants to stay.
“Come with me,” GrandMaster Lan starts walking as soon as he says the words. Like he’s not even giving him an option. Shi Lang follows slowly. There is no running, or any kind of hurried walking allowed. Life has to be measured and easy around here. What the GrandMaster doesn’t see as a problem are the damn rules. How can life be easy with so many rules to follow? But, in the end, who is he to question them? Shi Lang is only visiting their world for a while. Getting aggravated about human ways is bad for him. Living with rules is their choice. As long as he’s here, he just needs to take care not to offend them.
This path is not to the library. A bit of disappointment crosses his mind. GrandMaster has his own ways, but Shi Lang never caught the man in a lie. What is this test he was talking about? Where does it take place? Probing the mind of an accomplished cultivator is not easy. Asking out loud would yield no results. The best thing to do is wait and see. Even a cultivator this skilled is no danger to him. It would take an army to bring him down, he doesn’t need to worry about a single man. The back of the mountain is riddled with paths and streams. The small pond looks almost serene. There is abundant spiritual energy in the air. Maybe the GrandMaster needs this for the test?
“Stop!” GrandMaster Lan orders. The stones around are set in a formation. Shi Lang finds himself in the centre. He was right about the place.
“Is this where you conduct your test?” He wonders.
“Just stand still,” GrandMaster Lan tells him. “It doesn’t hurt.”
“I wasn’t worried it would,” Shi Lang chuckles. This man is turning out to be interesting.
“Your aura has an unusual colour. I have never seen that before. So, I can’t make an estimate. The levels of cultivation can be determined by how many spiritual rings will show when I activate the formation,” Grand Master Lan explains. This is the most he’s heard the man speak outside of the classroom.
Whatever the GrandMaster is muttering next, he doesn’t hear it clear enough to understand. The spell itself is not important at all, but his thirst for knowledge won’t give him a peace of mind if he doesn’t know. Frustrating, really, that the man can’t speak loudly when he’s doing this. But, the formation lit up just as he was about to ask what the exact words of the spell are. The blue lines on the ground connect all the stones. They shoot up in the air, making a barrier of sorts. The golden rings start to appear one at a time around Shi Lang. He is curious how many there will be, and what it means.
“Ten?” GrandMaster Lan whispers. The expression on his face never changed, but the blue light died faster than it came to life. “As a GrandMaster of the clan, I only have six. And that is after a lifetime of cultivation. How is this possible? A youth like you who can’t even make his sword fly?”
“I can make my sword fly…” Shi Lang chuckles. “It’s just not by means you are teaching.”
“What?” GrandMaster Lan sputters.
“You only checked my cultivation. You forgot about other things,” he tells him while he walks closer to the man. “Give me the key to the library and I might tell you.”
“Are books all you care for?” GrandMaster Lan asks.
“More or less,” Shi Lang smiles. At this point he is half decided to tell the man the truth. If he can live to keep it a secret is yet to be seen.
“Here,” GrandMaster Lan extends his hand out. A slender key rests on his palm.
“It wasn’t that hard,” Shi Lang says as he takes the key. He drops his glamour to show the Grandmaster what he missed. For a cultivator of his renown, the man was remarkably easy to fool.
“You’re not human?” GrandMaster Lan chokes on fear. The first glimpses of emotion have come through the man’s icy facade.
“No. I’m the closest thing to an immortal you will ever see,” Shi Lang smiles coldly. “I’m a fire dragon.”
- Writer
