Chapter 6: The Eye of Truth

Night, without wind or moon.

Two shadows in black robes flew high above the mountains, using the Green Qi among the woods to scout the land below.

"We've searched nearly all of the Southern Azure Realm," one of them asked impatiently. "Where in the world is that divine envoy hiding?"

A low voice came from the other. "No idea... And there's still no word from Number Three. We tried calling with Green Qi more than a dozen times. Not a single response. Number Five and Number Nine have gone quiet too."

"Three teams in one night, all missing... Something's wrong with this place. Could someone else have gotten here first and laid an ambush?"

"...Let's keep looking for now. Stay sharp. Keep a signal flare ready."

The two exchanged a glance. Each closed a small, dark-red bead in a palm. Once used, it would send their soul back. The Empty Shell could be left behind. That was what gave them the nerve to do dirty work.

Suddenly, the Green Qi several kilometers away trembled.

"That strength... Doesn't sound like an ordinary beast!"

They glanced at each other again, concealed their presence, and hurried in that direction.

A few kilometers were only a stone's throw. Before long, they reached the mouth of a narrow valley. The night breeze passed through, carrying a few long willow leaves out from the valley. They were almost invisible in the dark.

"Inside?" one of them whispered. The signal flare pressed in his palm had already made it sweat.

"Let's take a look."

At the very moment they stepped into the valley—

Two willow leaves silently pressed themselves to their backs.

The wind had changed. It no longer smelled like the mountain air. It smelled... salty, like the sea!

Their pupils contracted. Almost instinctively, both triggered the signal flares in their hands at once. Dark-red light blazed and shot skyward—

"Recede with the tide."

A cool female voice rang out through the willow leaves, crashing down on them!

The little light and color there was fled from them at once. It trapped both men in the darkness, along with the signal flares that had not yet risen into the sky.

By the stream, a bat hung upside down from a willow branch that should not have been able to bear any weight. The bead from a moment ago now floated before it. As the darkness receded, the two men's equipment had been completely dismantled. Their wrists were bound behind their backs with several black cords, and they lay unconscious on the ground.

A green light descended from the sky along a beam of moonlight, illuminating the space in front of the bat.

"Decryption complete. The Core's analysis follows: the two signal flares were nested. Once triggered, their dazzling red light would expose their position, while a miniature array silently activated and sent their souls back to base from afar, leaving behind Empty Shells with nothing inside."

"Good. Have you determined the location of the base?"

"Yes. Just check the red marker on the Myriad Image Map."

"All right."

The bat nodded, then dispersed the Green Qi and looked toward the willow leaves. It added under its breath,

"Oh, and the timing was good."

Then it tucked the bead into the shadow beneath its wing, swept up the two pursuers with a hind leg, and took off, winging into the night.

Far away, in some deep sea whose location was unknown, a soft laugh dissolved into the blue currents and was gone.

Waterside Willow Valley fell quiet once more.

...

Another bright, sunny morning.

For several days after the Light Gathering Array, Whitewing seemed to do nothing but lie around in the sun. But the fragment still appeared in his dreams from time to time, absorbing light bit by bit.

Strangely enough, Wuping in the outside world seemed to have grown onto his body too. Apart from the one time he'd taken it off to draw an array, Whitewing had kept wearing it without ever untying it—and it had never felt wrong.

Whitewing liked warmth. The summer sun was not hot to him; the nights were a little chilly, but he slept inside Restsoil, after all. And though Wuping was only a thin layer, it shut out most of the cold. At the very least, his Empty Shell would not freeze.

Lofty Feather was in no hurry. In theory, they had only just been born; there shouldn't be much they needed to do. Aside from keeping the logs, it would pass the time talking with Whitewing. When Whitewing was asleep too, it would browse the Knowledge Base again and again, wondering what he could learn next.

Of course, when the light was good, it would find the best angle and use Green Qi to record Whitewing's image! His appearance was part of the log, after all...

The Knowledge Base unlocked on the day they chose their names was mostly about the outside world. Apart from articles on combat and various functions, it also contained a very detailed map. It was called the Myriad Image Map.

Beyond simply showing the terrain, it had some bewildering functions. For instance, two red arrows on the map marked their current positions. The location details in Lofty Feather's logs came from this map.

For now, though, the Myriad Image Map showed only a little green terrain: Waterside Willow Valley. Everything beyond the valley was covered in gray. The map could not zoom out any farther, and the "Advanced Functions" section could not be used either.

And, as usual, there was no hint at all about how to unlock any of these advanced functions.

It was annoying.

At least the little text it could access told it that the place beyond Waterside Willow Valley was called the Green Wood Mountains.

Maybe they'd go see it someday. But what about now? It looked out into the world. Whitewing was sprawled on the ground with his mouth slightly open, on the verge of falling asleep.

...Sigh.

It had better not wake him. He wasn't much use for work anyway. Still, Lofty Feather was curious: was lying in the sun really that comfortable?

It should be able to borrow the Empty Shell's senses. So it teleported to the bedroom and connected to the outside. A warm, fresh sensation washed over it at once. It gave a little shiver.

"...That really is nice."

There was nothing to do anyway. It might as well lie down too.

And so the two of them lay there in peace. It was not until after seven in the evening, when there was hardly any sun left to bask in, that Whitewing finally returned to Restsoil, quite content.

To be honest, now that he had come out into the world, Whitewing had realized that although the protection period was over, life was much easier than before. Lofty Feather no longer nagged him every day to learn combat; and as long as he basked in the sun, he could meet his daily needs—with some energy left over.

Still, sleeping outside all day and returning to sleep again at night was comfortable, but a little boring...

Lofty Feather was already waiting in the living room before he switched his view back.

"Good evening, sleepyhead—"

Whitewing: "Give it a rest. I want to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"I'm bored. Every day it's sleep, sleep, sleep. Around here there are flowers and grass, a stream, and willow trees. No matter how pretty they are, I've seen enough."

Lofty Feather sounded surprised. "There are so many things around here. You've looked at all of them?"

"More or less." Whitewing thought for a moment. "I can recognize their shapes, and I think I can tell their colors too. I've seen them so often I could almost recite them..."

"Wait, wait." Lofty Feather cut in. "How did you remember all that?"

Whitewing considered it. "Maybe it's the Green Qi in the valley? I don't have to go right up close to see them. I can sense their shapes."

Lofty Feather went quiet for a moment. "I see. Green Qi can indeed sense shapes, but I don't think I ever taught you that? You haven't even learned to use Green Qi to help control Qi yet..."

"But I only know what they look like. I don't know what they are," Whitewing added. "I can't even name all those flowers and plants."

"I can help with that," Lofty Feather said. "The Knowledge Base has a complete guide. But if I have to explain each one to you, it might take until next month."

"Then what? Listening to that sounds even more boring than lying down..."

Lofty Feather brightened and hurriedly asked, "So, do you want to learn something else? Or spar with me?"

"...I knew you'd say that. But is there anything worth looking at right now?"

"There's loads! I haven't been idle these past few days. I've put together a whole stack of good stuff for you!"

It immediately opened a light screen, but this time it was vertical. Whitewing looked at it. The screen was packed with tiny lines of text. He scrolled down several times and still had not reached the end.

He stared for a few seconds, then quietly looked away.

"I think I'll go back to sleep."

"Don't!" Lofty Feather hurriedly closed the screen. "You don't have to learn it all at once! I only meant there's lots of good things waiting for you in the Knowledge Base."

Whitewing: "Heh... It's getting late anyway. Tomorrow."

Lofty Feather: "Okay!"

It had a plan of its own. Whitewing could already sense Green Qi! Learning to control it should be easy. And Green Qi... had an interesting function. It was time to bring it out.

After a night's rest, Lofty Feather took its time before finally waking Whitewing.

"Wake up! Time to get up!"

Whitewing turned over, reluctant to move. "What time is it...? What are we doing?"

"It's already nine. That's not early! Let's go outside and get moving." Excitement hid in Lofty Feather's voice. "I want to check your condition."

"Check?" Whitewing rubbed his eyes. "Check what?"

"Your combat condition," Lofty Feather said with a straight face. "You've spent all these days basking in the sun at Waterside Willow Valley. We should see whether you've gotten rusty."

Whitewing wanted to protest. Basking in the sun with the Red-Gathering Array counted as practice too! He had practiced every day...

No, no. That was too ridiculous an argument! Besides, he could not be bothered to argue with Lofty Feather's decision. So he slid off the bed and slowly made his way out of the bedroom.

"Come on, come on," Lofty Feather urged. "We're short on time today!"

"Coming, coming..."

Whitewing sat up straight, then switched to the outside world.

It had already warmed up outside. He yawned lazily and used Wuping to float up, hovering about three meters above the ground.

"And then?"

"See that rock up ahead? The gray-white one, a little to your front left." Lofty Feather's voice sounded in his mind.

Whitewing looked where it indicated. There was indeed a fairly large rock atop a pile of rubble. Sparse weeds grew underneath the pile.

"I see it."

"Break it! A Fine Slash won't be enough; use a Heavy Slash." Lofty Feather paused. "Control the force a little. Don't hurt the plants beside it."

Whitewing was a little surprised. Usually, he trained inside Restsoil, and Lofty Feather had never asked him to practice outside before. But if this was a check, he might as well take it seriously.

He took a deep breath and quickly raised his right hand. Red Qi gathered at his fingertips at once. The sunbathing these past few days had paid off: his Red Qi was full and brimming, ready to burst.

He fixed his eyes on the rock, let his thoughts fall away, and steadied his breathing. The mist, the dewdrops, the willow branches—all of them faded from view.

Only the rock remained.

A red light flared at his fingertip. Whitewing flicked his wrist, sending a keen blade of Red Qi straight at its target!

Bang—

The rock burst apart on impact. The blade's remaining force carved a shallow furrow through the rubble before fading away. The weeds beside it trembled and shed a few dewdrops shaken loose by the impact. Other than that, not a leaf was harmed.

"How was that?" Whitewing drew back his hand and asked with some pride.

"Not bad." Lofty Feather sounded pleased. "The force was enough, and your control was good too. Come back. There's something I want to show you."

"What?"

"You'll see when you get back."

Whitewing was curious but did not press. He stopped using Wuping to fly, found a secluded spot, and switched his view back to Restsoil.

In the living room of the Three-Primal Hut, Lofty Feather hovered above the table, red light flashing around it.

Whitewing casually straightened his robe. "So, what did you want to show me?"

"You'll see."

As soon as it finished speaking, it opened a huge light screen before Whitewing. The image was extraordinarily clear: morning light at Waterside Willow Valley, and beside the pile of rubble, a red-and-white figure hovering in midair.

Then the image zoomed in, bringing the figure's face into view.

Whitewing froze.

The face was unfamiliar—young-looking, but completely expressionless. His black, vertical pupils had narrowed to thin slits, almost like cracks. Bright red surrounded the black lines, shining straight ahead.

There was no curiosity in his gaze, only utter focus. The Whitewing watching him felt a chill run through him...

Suddenly, the figure in the image raised a hand, and red light gathered at his fingertips. The next instant, he flicked his wrist and sent a red Heavy Slash flying!

The movement was so quick that Whitewing before the light screen almost felt the solid blade of Red Qi cut through the screen and fly straight at his face!

"Again?!"

Whitewing's pupils contracted. During their intensive training, Lofty Feather's ambushes had come in all sorts of forms. But why would it strike while he was so absorbed in watching? And with a feint to distract him, too?!

He reacted at once: pushing off with his left foot, he sent the chair skidding several meters back. At the same time, he swung his right hand and launched another, very real Heavy Slash. With no less force than the one in the image, it crashed straight toward the light screen!

"—I've gone too far!"

Lofty Feather, which had been ready to enjoy the show, jumped in fright. As the red light came slashing toward it, it hurriedly closed the screen and vanished from the spot. Whitewing's Heavy Slash missed, howling through the space where the screen had been and crashing into the hut's wooden wall.

Bang—!

A muffled thud echoed through the living room. Red markings flashed across the wall, which looked like ordinary wood, and the blade of Qi sank into it. It did not leave even a mark.

Whitewing remained in his slashing stance, staring blankly at the empty space ahead. "Where's Lofty Feather? Where's my Heavy Slash? Where did they go...?"

"Above your head." A weary voice came from the ceiling.

Whitewing looked up. Lofty Feather was clinging to a ceiling beam, red light flashing rapidly around it.

"Quick reaction," Lofty Feather said, slowly floating down. "I only wanted to show you a replay, and you nearly slashed me along with it."

"A replay?" Whitewing lowered his hand and scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "I thought you were ambushing me again! That Heavy Slash looked nothing like a fake!"

"It was your own Heavy Slash! Of course it didn't look fake!"

"...Huh?"

"That was what you looked like just now outside." Lofty Feather bobbed and replayed the image, freezing it on the red-and-white figure. "Look closely."

Whitewing leaned in for a better look. He had been distracted by the eyes before, but now, looking closely, that red-and-white robe seemed awfully familiar...

"Is that Wuping?"

"That's right."

"Was that move my Heavy Slash?"

"Exactly."

Whitewing stayed stunned for a long while. He looked at his own hand, then at the sharp-eyed child in the image, wearing a cold expression.

"So... that fierce-looking guy is me?"

"Not just that." There was helplessness in Lofty Feather's voice. "I meant to show you what you looked like, but you went straight for me without a word..."

Whitewing froze again, but the frightening feeling quickly faded. If it was him, what was there to be afraid of? In that moment, the expression took on a whole new meaning.

He leaned close to the light screen again, studying himself as he prepared to strike the rock. The keen gaze, the crisp movement, the air of someone who could cut through anything...

"He looks... really fierce," he said honestly.

"Really fierce." Lofty Feather bobbed. "So now you know what it felt like when we sparred before, right? You usually look so sweet and harmless, but when you start fighting, you're terrifying!"

Whitewing did not answer. He was still staring at the image, his eyes slowly brightening.

"But..." His mouth curled into a smile. "He looks so cool!!"

"......"

Lofty Feather sighed. "All right, all right. Don't get carried away." It put the screen away and circled once in front of Whitewing. "The force was enough, but that slash of yours almost went off course. If it had strayed a little farther, it would've gone over the rock and hit the grass behind it!"

Whitewing recalled that look in his eyes. He had aimed very carefully...

"So?"

"So," Lofty Feather's tone suddenly turned serious, "I want to show you a new function."

"A new function?" Whitewing grew interested. "What is it?"

"Do you remember what Green Qi can do? I can use it to send you information." Lofty Feather explained, "This function is called the 'Eye of Truth.' Basically, I cover your eyes with a layer of Green Qi, and then all sorts of information can be projected directly into your field of vision. But..."

It reopened the replay and zoomed in on Whitewing's eyes. The varying shades of red were now perfectly clear.

"You can see it yourself. Your eyes aren't just one shade of red, so each part needs a different amount of Green Qi layered over it. The brighter the area, the more Green Qi it needs. Otherwise, you won't be able to see a thing."

"Then you can do the calculations for me!"

"...How about I just demonstrate? Switch your view to the outside first."

Whitewing did as he was told. He returned to the outside world and flew over near the pile of rubble.

"Now look at the rocks," Lofty Feather's voice said. "I'm going to put a little Green Qi into your eyes. It might itch a bit, so don't rub them."

"Okay."

Whitewing obediently put his hands behind his back. In the next moment, a cool sensation seeped into his eyes. He instinctively wanted to blink, but held back.

Then he saw the change at once. A faint green cross slowly appeared, swayed a little, then locked steadily onto a gray-white stone the size of his fist. Another green line marked the angle and direction between him and the stone.

"What is this...?"

"Aiming assistance," Lofty Feather said. "Now try a Fine Slash."

Whitewing raised his hand. This time he did not spend long aiming; the green crosshair had already done that for him. He only had to strike in the direction it pointed.

A blade of Red Qi whistled out and silently disappeared into the stone.

"Did I miss?" Whitewing froze—

A second later, a breeze passed, and the upper half of the stone slowly slid off.

It had been sliced cleanly in two, without a sound!

"Of course you hit it. How does it feel?" Lofty Feather asked.

"That was so much faster!" Whitewing exclaimed. "I don't even have to aim myself. When I see that cross light up, I know I can strike... This is so convenient!"

"This is only the most basic function of the Eye of Truth." A hint of pride crept into Lofty Feather's voice. "Once you have enough Green Qi, it can show you much more: the contents of the Knowledge Base, the properties of all sorts of objects, even the paths of an opponent's moves."

"It can predict their moves too?"

"In theory, yes. But that needs a lot of Green Qi. You can't use it yet." Lofty Feather paused. "And I don't have much Green Qi in reserve either. If I keep it up a little longer, then..."

Its voice suddenly stopped.

"What is it?" Whitewing asked.

Silence.

"Lofty Feather?"

"You..." Its voice sounded a little strange. "Go look at yourself by the stream. Go see for yourself."

Whitewing was puzzled, but still flew to the familiar stream. Then he lay down on the bank.

Wuping kept the dampness of the riverbank at bay. The brown and yellow riverbed showed through the clear water, mingling with the fallen sunlight. The willow branches hanging nearby swayed gently beside it all.

And on the surface of the water facing him, something luminous was staring back—a light nearer than sunlight, yet broken by the slightest touch.

He reached out instinctively. The moment his fingertip touched the water, the light shattered into rings of ripples. He hurriedly pulled back his hand and waited for the ripples to settle. Only then did he lean closer and tilt his head slightly, looking at the surface again.

This time, he saw it clearly.

A golden circle, mixed with shards of sunlight, wavered there with his face. A black crack shifted with the ripples, yet cut firmly through the gold.

"Are those... my eyes? But aren't they red?"

"Red Qi mixed with a little Green Qi turns into that." Lofty Feather's voice came from his mind. The astonishment in it had not quite faded. "Beautiful."

After the Green Qi blended with the red, its sharp brightness softened into a warm gold. The outer ring was a darker gold—

"Those are the different shades of red?"

"Must be." Lofty Feather's voice softened. "I was stunned when I saw it just now too."

Whitewing looked down at his reflection again. The golden eyes in the water looked back at him.

"What a coincidence. If there were any more Green Qi, it might've made them less pretty. But now they look..."

Lofty Feather paused. A green line of light sketched a few strokes. A golden-green ring appeared in his field of vision, settling neatly around the eyes in his reflection. The fine pupils split the center of the circle like a slit—

"...like a bell hanging around your neck," Lofty Feather said.

Whitewing looked at the golden bell rimmed in green in the water and could not help laughing. He shook his head, and the bell in the water swung from side to side with him, golden flecks of light bumping around inside. Sadly, it made no clear chime—only the burble of the stream.

"It didn't ring," Whitewing said, stopping with some regret.

"Because it's fake." Lofty Feather did its best to stifle a laugh. "But you have to admit it looks like one!"

Whitewing did not say much. He only stared at the water. Not just at his beautiful eyes, but at the reflection itself. A strong, beautiful reflection that could fly... He looked at it, stunned. He looked and looked again.

As if at last, some wish had been fulfilled.

At last, he stood up by the stream and shook Wuping, letting it hang naturally. The golden light was still in his eyes, but he could feel the layer of Green Qi slowly fading.

"Can this color stay forever?"

"No." Lofty Feather's tone returned to normal. "It takes a constant supply, and you can't absorb Green Qi yet. Every bit you use is gone. My Green Qi is almost used up."

"What should we do?"

"Learn the Green-Gathering Array," Lofty Feather said. "Besides, since you've seen everything there is to see in Waterside Willow Valley, let's set out for the Green Wood Mountains tomorrow."

Whitewing glanced at the familiar willows and stream around him. He really had seen enough of them. And then—he looked down once more at his reflection in the water as it slowly faded—those golden eyes did look lovely.

"All right," he said. "When do we start learning?"

"Tomorrow." Lofty Feather's voice held a smile. "Since you're so motivated."

"Then let's hurry! I want to keep this color!"

Lofty Feather did not reply. With its last bit of Green Qi, it recorded Whitewing as he looked now: golden eyes, a smile in the sunlight, and that utterly confident declaration: "I want to keep this color."

It looked at itself too. Once the Green Qi was drawn away, its vermilion became deeper, almost a pure red—and its Qi cloud shrank a little.

Green Qi was precious now, but...

It would have to use this function more often from now on. Definitely not because it looked pretty!

Definitely not...

— End of Chapter —