MDZS: Scars Remain Unforgotten.

Chapter-6: Northwest, man-eating ridge? Lan Zhan agrees!

I was not the type to listen.

Yet, I was, I had had enough of today. Zewu-jun said Carp Tower could wait. I couldn't. I needed answers, a lot of them. It felt as if the past was slowly fading away, which I could not figure out if good or bad, I could barely remember the details.

"I'll follow him, I guess."

The moment I stepped into the Darkness room, I felt all the eyes on me.

"YOU! WHY ARE YOU HERE!?" Jingyi shouted. All the disciples started murmuring.

"Quiet." They all realized Lan Zhan's presence and immediately became quiet.

I ignored them all, my eyes were currently on the spirit-like sword.

"Oo, what do we have here?"

"It's the sword from Mo's Manor." Sizhui replied.

"Oh, okay, okay, why did it stop circling?"

"It is pointing towards northwest." Lan Zhan answered.

"Maybe we have to travel northwest, maybe that's a hint."

Jingyi went in front of the sword's spirit and moved it by touching it's tip. He was having his doubts. The sword changed from the direction Jingyi had moved it to, to its original direction. Now it was pointing at Jingyi.

"Or maybe it's pointing to its owner or maybe the one who schemed old master Lan's poisoning?"

"Y- You!" I laughed. Lan Zhan looked at me. The room fell quiet once more. Jingyi returned to where he was standing.

"Maybe travelling northwest will give us a clue? As to who is doing all of this?"

"Mn." Lan Zhan agreed.

"Hanguang-jun, are you planning on making a trip to Qinghe...since, it is where the northwest leads to."

"Mn."

"Can I come too!?" I immediately became excited.

All the disciples looked harder at me, Lan Zhan made a face, a frustrated-blank-emotionless face.

My excitement got trampled too soon.

"You said I could help!"

"Help? Him? You?" Jingyi questioned.

"Do you even know who you're even trying to coax?"

"..." "Lan Zhan!" I pouted.

"Please..." I became all serious.

He looked at me.

"Mn." He said, it was easier than what I had expected, and made way to leave, this time I was not going to lose him.

We were going to go to Qinghe then travel northwest further. It was going to be one hectic journey, and I already knew it.

~~~~~~

We had made it to the gates, the entrance to Qinghe.

The steel gates stood tall, stones surrounding the area. I looked up and around and then back at Lan Zhan who was surely getting annoyed by my fidgety behaviour. But I could not tell, his face...it remained the same.

He walked in first and I followed. It had been so long, Nie Huaisang would surely not remember me, no one had, so he wouldn't as well.

"Qinghe, the more we go northwest, the stronger the resentful energy will become." Lan Zhan spoke. His tone: unchanged, and manner, too polite towards me, which was unimaginable. Almost unimaginable, I wanted to think, but Lan Zhan, I did not know about him.