On his way to the Thousand Flavors Restaurant, Yang Qing's mind unlike the usual where he would be wholesomely absorbed in what he would be eating, was focused on something else entirely, which was out of the norm for him. Even after leaving the library, he couldn't escape the contents he had consumed while he was there. Every thought he had was held captive by the strings of information and revelation he got from there.

He was not any closer to the thread that shined a light on the mastermind of the sacred graveyard scheme, and in fact he felt he had more questions than answers, and in certain aspects, he felt less sure of himself than he was at the beginning, owing to the information he was exposed to.

He still didn't have definite motives of that mastermind and what they were truly after, though he still believed a massacre was a key goal for them, but to what end, he had no idea. He still wasn't sure if the ghosts of the White Mulberry Kingdom were hunting the present or if he was reading too much into it.

But despite how many unanswered questions he had, at least, he did confirm a few things here and there, which though inconsequential at the moment, were still important as they parted the fog on some things albeit slightly. One of those things was confirming the entirety of the Deer Mountain Range had indeed been part of a prosperous Empire known to have soul formation experts and said Empire rivaled even the likes of the present-day Jade Leaf Empire.Knowing the Deer Mountain Range was formerly the Bi Xie Empire may not help much at the moment but in terms of guiding motives for the mastermind, Yang Qing felt he at least had different avenues to work on as to their goals. Knowing the place was the territory of a rank 1 Empire famed for its prosperity in its heyday gave him a lot of thread to follow.

"Blessings in misfortune.." muttered Yang Qing with a complicated look flashing in his eyes as he felt some guilt for the thought he had.

As a result of the attack Hao Da and the rest suffered at the hands of the obsidian serpents and the deacons of the Blue Soul Flame Crow Syndicate, the Order was prompted to do an expansive survey of the entire range as a result of it, and with it, they discovered so many things. It was no longer a half-filled canvas. They knew every nook and cranny of it, probably even better than the Deer Mountain Kingdom itself, and with the array being laid out, they would know even more, as laying out arrays, especially one that large needed as many details as possible for it to function smoothly.

If the mastermind's plan had something to do with what was in that range, sooner or later they would be able to find what it was, and with some luck maybe even catch them in the act. Yang Qing could only hope.

The matter concerning the mastermind aside, the Yang Qing that went into the library and the one that came out were different. Wisdom and knowledge change what you see, and what he read inevitably changed what he saw around him. He felt a heaviness within him which was also translated to around him.

Beneath the calmness he saw around, he could sense a storm within it, hiding countless eras' worth of secrets, but every time he tried to peer through it, he was denied entry, along with a calamitous aura that threatened to drown him. With every step he took, his heart would beat faster like a guillotine was hanging above him, and his steps felt heavier.Sensing the changes happening within him, Yang Qing couldn't help but smile bitterly. He knew exactly what he was feeling, and it was a feeling he had grown intimately familiar with during his childhood. A constant companion that held his hand in his darkest moments and spurred him on to keep trying, to keep digging in and improving, in the hopes that at the end of the line lay a better life. Even after he grew up, the companion never left him, though its presence reduced a little its effect on Yang Qing still persisted, a kind sage continually whispering clarity into a young junior so he doesn't stray. His achievements to date were in part thanks to its consistent efforts.

"Thank you, old friend.." Yang Qing whispered as he brought his left palm over his racing heart, the voice through which his old friend, fear, spoke.

From the moment he stepped out of the library, his old friend, whose voice had gotten fainter over the years, was now speaking louder and clearer than before, and Yang Qing would do as he always did whenever it spoke, which was listen obediently and act.

Long-lost powerful organizations like the Bi Xie Empire and the Sky Rendering Sword Sect whose ends were unknown, terrifying organizations like the 12 Beasts of calamity, physiques that could summon eldritch horrors, dahlias that consumed soul formation experts like appetizers.. He did not know how many specters of the past still affected the present, and what he had learned about them, more than unnerved him, it downright petrified him. But he lived in this world now, and just like how he survived his crazy clan, he would do his damnest to survive this crazy world too.

If those ghosts came, he had to ensure he terrified them as much they terrified him, he was vindictive that way, and if he couldn't, he would at the very least ensure he was strong enough to take a swing and outrun them till he was strong enough to bury them.

"Luckily I am in the best hiding place.." thought Yang Qing, before his smile slowly turned worried.

Before today, he thought it was indomitable, but who knows how many calamities it could shelter him from. For a long time, he felt the urgency of wanting to improve his abilities, but no matter how urgent it was, he still had to live, life was for the living, pursuing strength just for the sake of pursuing strength was hardly a life.

Still haunted, he made his way to the Thousand Flavors Restaurant, even if the earth collapsed, and the skies fell, he wasn't about to miss a meal.

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