Ling tells Yawen, "Child, do not worry and calmly listen to me." She continues, "You and I are one."
Yawen, with a confused and cute look, says, "Eh?"
Ling gives a gentle smile. "Do you see this place being mostly dark?"
"Yes," replies Yawen.
Ling explains, "This happened because you are poisoned, and this place is your consciousness, known as the Yishi Realm. I am here because I infused myself with you to prevent the poison from spreading further. Right now, I have taken control of your body, and from now on, I shall guide you. Once you recover from the poison, you will regain control over your body. As your guardian spirit, I shall protect you."
Yawen asks, "Why did you help me, and what happened after I fell unconscious?"
Ling replies, "The child called Rui brought you here with the necromancer. You were severely poisoned, and I tried my best to heal you, but the poison was too strong. I felt a strange connection to you and decided to become your guardian spirit by infusing myself with you. If the poison isn't healed, we both will die."
Yawen begins to cry and thanks Ling. She then asks, "Since I am still alive, how is Zen?"
Ling reassures her, "He fought the summoned knight with all his might and is currently resting. Rest assured, he is alive and well."
Yawen thanks her again and then asks, "What will we be doing to cure the poison?"
Ling explains, "The child called Rui seems to be from a powerful family, so we decided to go to the Central Plains to seek treatment for your poison."
Yawen replies, "I see. That child is always so mature; at such a young age, he is so responsible and acts like an adult."
Ling nods in agreement. "Yes, Rui is indeed remarkable for his age. He has strength and wisdom beyond his years."
Yawen, wiping her tears, smiles. "Thank you, Ling. I will trust in your guidance and Rui's plan. Let's go to the Central Plains and find a cure."
Ling smiles warmly. "Don't worry, child."
Yawen, I will be taking over your body. We have arrived at the central plains. Ling says it has been a long time since I have been outside. I once served Lady Pingyang.
"Really?" Yawen said, intrigued.
"Yes," Ling replied.
"How did you end up in the ruins, then?"
"Well, it is a long story. Lady Pingyang was killed in the battle against the Necromancer's cult 80 years ago."
Yawen looked at her in shock. "What? What cult is this?"
Ling replied, "The cult leader is unknown, but they call themselves the Veiled Order. The Necromancer belongs to the cult that was founded 100 years ago after the war."
Yawen replied, "Wasn't that the war between the Allies and the Axis?"
"Yes, the Allies won the war, and the defeated members of the Axis were all exiled," Ling explained. They tried to overthrow the Qin dynasty but failed eventually. "The defeated members started a cult to meet their own agenda. The cult leader was unknown. When Lady Pingyang found out about this, she was killed by the fourth in command of the cult. His name was Heian. He was the governor of the city of Hangzhou."
"He is said to have died 30 years ago," said Yawen. "One of the influential people in the central plains."
Ling, unaware of that, said, "I don't believe he died but rather he is hiding."
Yawen said, "The cult should not know about us and our involvement in this. The poison you suffered from must be kept secret, as it will be known that you were involved. 80 years ago, there were a few influential people involved. I believe there are a lot of them here. The government must be full of these members."
Yawen nodded, "Yes."
Ling continued, "I was born around 82 years ago, and Lady Pingyang took me in. I was still a baby spirit then. Lady Pingyang was researching the shady work of people going missing. She was assigned to go to a remote place near the Wetian Mountains. She found out about the cult taking in people there. On the way in the mountains, she fought Heian, who had found out about this. Heian was really proficient in using Umbra, and along with his minions, he assaulted Lady Pingyang by surprise. I escaped to these ruins and was told by Lady Pingyang to never leave this place. I haven't heard of Lady Pingyang since, so I thought she died. That was really sad for me."
Yawen recalled, "Lady Pingyang was a really good governor here. She is still celebrated for her great reforms and works. She focused on rural development and built several institutions. She did a lot of work for the people outside the plains who had been affected by the war."
"The statue of the woman in the garden was Lady Pingyang. The necromancer did wander and find the garden, but was repelled by the strong seal here and left. He wasn't interested, but he probably did find out about that statue. He had found this ruin and used it as a hideout. I lived in this garden for 80 years because Lady Pingyang told me not to leave. This ruin had a strange barrier that prevented me from leaving. I think Lady Pingyang's summon did that to protect me here."
Yawen asked, "Who is Lady Pingyang's summon?"
Ling replied, "It is the Soulflare, an owl summon of hers. Soulflare found these ruins with its abilities and was eventually hunted by Heian."
Yawen then asked, "We found some summoning scrolls in the ruins. Can you help us use them and obtain our own summonings?"
Ling nodded. "Yes, I can help you with that."
"Thank you," Yawen said with gratitude.
Curious, Ling asked, "How was Lady Pingyang's death viewed by the people?"
Yawen sighed. "We were told that she was killed by the northern tribal people, along with those who were exiled after the war 100 years ago. They frequently raided our territory."
Ling's eyes darkened with anger. "Those bastards," she muttered. "Lady Pingyang deserved a better end than that. Her legacy and sacrifices should be remembered truthfully."
Yawen asked, "Didn't the Necromancer find out about the Serpent King in the ruins?"
Ling replied, "He probably did, but he wasn't interested in it. He was looking for something else in the ruins. I don't know if he found what he was looking for."
Yawen sighed. "Now that the ruins are mostly destroyed, we can never know."
Ling's expression hardened. "The Necromancer is still alive, and we shall question him later on."
Yawen was pleased to hear this, feeling a glimmer of hope.
Ling then asked, "Tell me about the central plains, Yawen. I've never been there in my life."
Yawen smiled. "Since we are already in the central plains, why don't we discover it together?"
"Is there a way for me to see the same thing as you?" Yawen asked.
Ling nodded, "You can do that," and began chanting softly.
Yawen felt a strange sensation as her vision shifted, aligning with Ling's. "I must admit, I've never been to the central plains myself, so I don't know much either."
Ling's curiosity grew. "What is this Emei Sect you were talking about earlier?"
Yawen's eyes lit up. "The Emei Sect is a prominent martial arts school renowned for its powerful techniques and strong masters. It's known for producing some of the most skilled warriors.
Ling nodded, intrigued. "It sounds like a place of great importance.
Yawen explained, "The Emei Sect is one of the strongest sects in the Central Plains and in Zhongguo. It ranks among the twelve most formidable sects in the world."
Ling pondered, "How many sects are there in the Central Plains?"
Yawen replied, "There are hundreds of minor sects and a few major ones. Typically, the minor sects act as vassals to the major sects."
Curious, Ling asked, "Which is the strongest sect in the Central Plains?"
Yawen considered, "I believe it is the Mount Hua Sect."
Ling pressed further, "Is it the strongest sect in all of Zhongguo?"
Yawen shook her head. "No, that honor likely belongs to the Northern Sect."
Ling then inquired, "What about the strongest sect in the world?"
"I'm not sure," Yawen admitted. "There are sects from foreign countries too. Do you know the strongest sect outside of Zhongguo?"
Yawen thought for a moment before answering, "We've read about some prominent sects in Yìndù and in Ōuzhōu."
Changing the subject, Yawen asked, "You mentioned there are ten great sects in Zhongguo and five great families. The families are the Chen Clan, Tang Clan, Han Clan, Qing Clan, and Ming Clan. The strongest among them is the Han Clan."
She continued, "The ten great sects include Emei, Mount Hua, Mount Kong, the Northern Sect, Wudang, Mount Kunlun, Shaolin, Diangkang, Langtang, and the Kustang Sect.
Ling nodded, absorbing the information. "It seems like a complex hierarchy."
"Yes," Yawen agreed. "Each sect and family has its own unique teachings, techniques, and traditions, contributing to the diversity and strength of martial arts in Zhongguo.
Yawen continued, "They govern their respective sects and wield significant influence in the government. All of them pledge allegiance to the Shang Dynasty, the current ruling family."
Ling asked curiously, "Wasn't Lady Pingyang from the Qin Dynasty?"
"Yes," Yawen confirmed, "but the Qin Dynasty was overthrown 15 years ago. The Shang Dynasty took control afterward. Another powerful family, the Zhou Clan, supported the Qin Dynasty, but they were wiped out. It was a brutal event where millions lost their lives."
"Why was the Qin Dynasty overthrown?" Ling inquired further.
Yawen explained, "It was due to a coup attempt where the great sects and families were involved. There were disagreements over governance and power struggles within the imperial court. The coup led to widespread unrest and eventually the downfall of the Qin Dynasty."
"Ling asked, 'Do you know about major cities in the Central Plains?'
Yawen replied, 'Yes, there are several major cities in the Central Plains region.' She then proceeded to list them: Chang'an, Luoyang, Kaifeng, Xi'an, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, Guangzhou, and Beijing.
She further proceeds to name the minor cities: Yangzhou, Dengfeng, Anyang, Xuchang, Zhengzhou, Hefei, Jinan, Lu'an, Xuzhou, Linyi, Wuxi, and Changsha.
There are small cities and towns, but they are mostly irrelevant.
Ling says, "Zen father will go to Xuchang to meet his old friends along with his mother." Yawen listens to her and nods. Suddenly, she is interrupted by Rui. Rui asks, Can Yawen see me, or is it only you? Ling says she can see and feel the same things as me, as we are the same. She can also use my powers. Rui says it will take more time to reach Chan'an; we will slowly go there after resting here. Rui asks if we should go to the Tang clan in chan'an to treat your poison. Yawen agrees, as it is the best place to learn about poisons.
As the sun is about to set, we have to go to sleep, said Ling. Zen still hasn't woken up, said Ling. Yawen asked if we would go around the city tomorrow. Ling says currently we are in Anyang right now. We have to go to the hearts of the central plains and eventually to Chan'an in the Emei sect.