WangXian Forever Book 8

Chapter 52 Ward

Hui Gai received the messages from Wen Ning and Baoshan Sanren caught him smiling. She raised a curious brow, but of course she would not ask outright.

Hui Gai had turned her smaller and was now with the Grandmaster, under the foundations of the Forbidden room, checking out the ward that was stopping them from seeing what was on the other side.

"I sent Wen Ning after the dragons carrying your grandson." He told her.

"Grandsons." She corrected him. "I have accepted his husband as my son too. I met them at the same time...so..."

Hui Gai nodded.

"So he's there, huh? Good choice. The Celestial dragon said no humans can go where they're taking them." She tapped her nose, thinking hard. "Who knows? There must be a reason why he was brought back into this world, my grandson's tenacity aside. There may yet be a part for him to play in whatever awaits us." She glanced at Hui Gai. "What else?"

"The young disciples, and the dragon babies have also followed. That part, it wasn't my doing." He quickly explained.

"Really?" She looked surprised. "Well, we can't help them right now. Let's see if we can do something about this. Who do you think put it there and why?"

"I don't think it was any of the Lans...can't keep a secret to save their lives, if you know what I mean. But it was definitely someone who knew whatever they were hiding that it was going to stay safe. And the problem is, it's such a wide net that it could be anyone."

"I bet...the moment we break in, whoever did it will come running...if they're alive." She had the naughtiest look on her face.

"So what do you think? How do we break it?" Hui Gai asked her, testing its strength again by putting his palm against the barrier.

It shimmered as if trying to acclimatise his presence but it did not give way.

"What if the barrier is dome shaped, only able to give cover over the top but not underneath? It all depends on the foresight of the creator. If they were any good, they might have considered this problem." Baoshan Sanren considered.

"And what if it needs a key? Something to aid the dispelling of the ward?" Hui Gai pressed both of his palms against the surface of the ward.

It shimmered with a greater intensity but its strength remained the same.

"Good point. But let's see what we can learn now. We can always return later if we need to. Can you sense the depth and breadth of its parameters?"

"I can try....why? What do you have in mind?" Hui Gai correctly guessed that she had a plan.

"Well, the Universe is made from the same elements, correct? Earth, wind, light, water and fire." Baoshen Sanren said, thinking hard. "And wards are just glorified talismans. So if you unravel a talisman and the spell behind its significance and what it's supposed to do, more often than not, it is a combination of bringing those elements into play. I wish my Grandson was here." She added, looking very upset, but that expression quickly melted away into something else.

"I do...too." Hui Gai said softly. "No offence to you, but PengYou always seems to know what he's doing, even when he doesn't really, and he makes the people around him feel so much better. If he was in the middle of a terrible situation, with absolutely no positive outcome available, he would still make it look like there was hope to be found. I trust him implicitly."

Baoshan Sanren furiously wiped at her eyes, not wishing to show a weakness in frontbof the Demon.

"It's going to be alright, you know." He continued, actually feeling sorry for the Grandmaster. He tentatively reached out to place his hand on her shoulder.

To her credit, she did not flinch.

But her shoulders relaxed ever so slightly.

She had been so busy reassuring everyone else and had forgotten about herself. But at the end of the day, she was still Wei Ying’s grandmother and his last known living relative. Of course she would be worried.

"Well, I've never met a ward that didn't let me through." Hui Gai speculated, getting back to the task at hand.

"Until now."

"Until now." He echoed, agreeing with her. "So conventional methods won't work. What if I blast it?"

"As long as the library stays upright, I am fine with it. Otherwise..." She grinned.

"Otherwise they'll just have to build another one." Hui Gai grinned back, liking this side of her.

Maybe the absence of her nephew was unlocking that cautious part of her mentality.

Whatever it was, Hui Gai liked it.

"Maybe the time has come to unlearn old values and teach ourselves something new." He nodded towards the ward. "Ready?"

"Born ready." She scoffed.

"Okay, stand behind me." He told her, getting ready to do his thing.

"Whatever for?" She glared at him.

Hui Gai was reminded of why he was scared of her in the first place, and told himself never to get comfortable with her.

He watched as she murmured something under her breath and waved her white whip all around herself. Silver sparks flew from its tips and a shimmering bubble was born from that action, covering her fully.

"Get on with it." She grinned at him, full of confidence.

Hui Gai centred himself.

He sent his feelers out towards this mysterious barrier and explored what it was made out of. An ancient energy...something older than the first settlers of this place, older than Lan An, the founder of this Sect.

Older than the power he had inherited from his parents, the same power humming through his fingertips and under his skin.

He concentrated on what the Grandmaster had said, about the elements being the core ingredients of whatever made up this ward.

And then, he pushed all his energy into his focus and watched the power explode from his hands, a black blast of pure force with the sole intention of eviscerating this barrier.

The impact alone had him staggering back from the backlash and while the foundations trembled alarmingly, they remained intact.

Baoshan Sanren waited a few precious seconds before removing her protection, and then she beamed as the dust settled.

"Well, that's one way to do it."