Jai Long felt the uncomfortable weight of his newly sworn soul oath upon his spirit. In a few moments the discomfort faded away. He and his fellow conspirators shared a look.
Jai clan Elder and Cloud Hammer outer sect Elder had to be pressured into agreeing, they knew their fortunes would soar if they brought the knowledge of scripted void spaces back to their betters in the Empire, but they were outnumbered by the native Desolate Wilds factions and if they had tried anything they would have been killed on the spot.
There are so very few that are so loyal to their clans or sects that they would die for them, even if Jai Wang Qiu and Benfrei were as loyal, their deaths would have achieved nothing. Not that they can keep the secret of making void spaces for long anyway, it is too big for that, but it would buy them enough time to get a head start on everyone else.
Then they negotiated to determine who gets what, Purelakers settled on one fourth of the money from the future sale of the precious metal, and a copy of books on how to make void spaces, Fishers settled for a fifth of the money, all of the soulsmithing tools in the workshop and a copy of the books, Jai clan settled on a tenth of the money, the notes on how to make the Ancestor's Spear, and a copy of the books, Cloud Hammer sect settled on a fourth of the money and a copy of the books, Sandvipers settled for remaining fifth of the money, and the copy of the books, with Sandvipers backing and added pressure from other factions, Jai Long got the Ancestor's Spear.
Wei Shi Lindon, who observed the negotiations like they are a play for his entertainment clapped his hands as they finished and said cheerily, "Glad that is settled! Let us get out of this place, I have been cooped up here for more than three months, I would like to enjoy the sun before I am locked up by the Skysworn for several months, again."
And Wei Shi Lindon just walked away, a filled backpack on a thousand mile cloud following behind him, with a Slyvan on his right shoulder and an enormous turtle beside him.
After an intense discussion, Jai Long and Kral hurried to follow after him, as the remainder of the party stayed to explore more of the workshop.
Wei Shi Lindon stood in the hallway outside the workshop at a particular blank stretch of the wall, as they joined him on his left, he gave them a look that managed to convey that they were late and touched a spot, Jai Long felt Wei Shi Lindon infusing that spot with pure madra and a dimly lit path opened up.
"I am not in the mood to slaughter my way through the dreadbeasts crowding the path you came through, it is fortunate enough that they fear this hallway too much that they did not rush in here, I did far too much of slaughtering already in the months I have been here. Follow me, this should take us outside", Wei Shi Lindon said and strode into the hallway that opened up.
Jai Long asked the question that has been haunting him since he first heard the rumours of a sacred beast entering the Ruins as they have risen, "How did you know about the Ruins before anyone else?"
"Because I know the future", Wei Shi Lindon answered with a shrug, Jai Long and Kral stumbled a step and Wei Shi Lindon chuckled and said, "You should see your faces, I just know the Labyrinth very well. And my Master could see everything, he told me everything I needed to know."
Kral spoke up for the first time, and asked, "Who is your Master?"
"Eithan Arelius", Wei Shi Lindon answered simply.
Jai Long knew of no one with the name Eithan, but he knew of the Arelius family, and asked to confirm his suspicions, "So the Arelius family sent you here?"
Wei Shi Lindon chuckled again and said, "No, you are thinking of Arelius family of the Blackflame Empire. No, my Master comes from the main House. He hasn't introduced himself to the Arelius of Blackflame Empire, this time around."
Jai Long thought, 'this time around', what an odd way to say that, does that mean he came to Blackflame Empire other times, in the past?
Karl continued to dig for information, "Where is your Master then?"
"I do not know, he is probably around, somewhere", Lindon answered with an easy shrug.
The turtle, Orthos, snorted and growled in a voice that sounded like he boulders rolling down hill, "Knowing Eithan, he could pop out of a closet this moment and it wouldn't surprise me."
Then Orthos stopped a moment and looked around, as though looking for a closet.
And Lindon started speaking without prompting, "My Master is how I know your name is Jai Long, and that your friends name is Kral, and that you have a sister named Jai Chen, whose madra system is thoroughly wrecked by a remnant feeding upon her, I know that you bonded with that remnant to save your sister's life. And he is how I know your plan with the Ancestor's Spear won't work."
Jai Long stumbled to a halt at that last sentence, how could he know, how could anyone know, I haven't spoken a word to anyone about it. Jai Long ground out, "What plan?"
Kral sensing Jai Long's alarm took up a position beside Jai Long.
Wei Shi Lindon turned to look Jai Long in the eye and said evenly, "You plan to use the Ancestor's Spear against your fellow Jai, betting upon Jai Daishou's 'honour' that you would only face threats you can deal until you finally grew strong enough to match Jai Daishou. It is not a bad plan, it might have even worked, if not for one vital piece of information you are not aware of."
Jai Long with a white knuckled grip on the Ancestor's Spear, hissed out, "What information?"
Wei Shi Lindon broke their locked gazes, turned around and resumed walking as he said, "Jai Daishou is dying. He has two, maybe three more years in him. If you attack the Jai clan in that time, he would not wait for you to grow strong to match him. He would confront you before you are ready. That confrontation can go two ways, one, he just kills you, that is less likely, two, he coerces you into swearing soul oaths to act as guardian of the Jai clan, the second one is more likely. He might coerce you anyway, even if you did not attack Jai clan, he is getting desperate, of all the Jai alive, he sees none with potential to reach Underlord before he dies, except for you."
Stunned, a bit horrified at what he heard, Jai Long tried to find the lie in what Wei Shi Lindon said, if Jai Daishou is dying then everything after that is entirely plausible.
Jai Long and Kral jogged to catch up with Wei Shi Lindon and Orthos, and demanded, "How do you know all this?"
"I already told you, my Master is Arelius, he knows everything", Wei Shi Lindon answered easily.
Just as Jai Long thought that is all he would say, Wei Shi Lindon continued speaking, "Jai Long, I have been thinking of your situation on and off since I learnt of it. What would you do to cure your sister?"
"Anything", Jai Long answered before he knew he was doing so and chastened himself for his slip.
"Anything eh", Wei Shi Lindon said with a smile and touched the wall of the long hallway they are walking through and ahead of them sunlight spilled into the hallway.
They came out of half way up the side of Transcendent Ruins. And Wei Shi Lindon gestured to outside and said, "Lead the way."
Dreading the answer Jai Long asked, "Lead where?"
"To your sister", Wei Shi Lindon answered with obvious amusement, "she has suffered enough, don't you think?"
"You can heal her?", Jai Long asked, incapable of keeping desperate hope out of his voice.
"I can", the young man answered with easy confidence.
"What is the price?", Jai Long asked with obvious suspicion.
"Not a price. A suggestion, it is up to you whether you follow it or not. I will not compel you", Wei Shi Lindon answered with apparent sincerity.
Jai Long considered for what felt like a long time, and sighed in answer and started towards the Sandviper clan.
Again Jai Long felt like he was dancing to someone else's tune, not an inconsiderable part of Jai Long wanted to stop, to turn around, to lead them towards Sandviper camp outside the Ruins, to keep Wei Shi Lindon there and dump him on the Skysworn as soon as they arrived in next five days. But Jai Long couldn't, not when there is a way to help his sister now. Even the thought of a second of her suffering prolonged unnecessarily is a knife twisting in his heart. Even if Jai Long is walking in to an obvious trap, it is worth it to see his sister able to just breathe without pain.
Kral understanding Jai Long's turmoil joined his side, with a soft bump of the shoulders to convey his support. Once again Jai Long felt himself fortunate for Kral's friendship, Kral's father, Gokren tolerated Jai Long and his sister for the sake of Sandviper's ties with the Jai clan, but it was only Kral sincere friendship that convinced Jai Long to stick around for as long as he has.
They reached a rough hewn cabin near centre of the Sandviper camp and Jai Long let himself in, Wei Shi Lindon followed Jai Long in, after quietly asking Orthos to remain outside, there is a Sandviper Lowgold woman inside to keep Jai Chen company or help her, the woman is in the kitchen at the moment, at the look on Jai Long's face the woman gestured towards Jai Chen's room, indicating his sister is resting inside.
Jai Long knocked on his sisters door and called out, "Sister, I have come with Kral and a guest I want you to meet, may we come in?"
Jai Long could feel his sister gathering her strength to call them in and he waited for her do so, over the years he found it is very important for his sister to express her volition.
At Jai Chen's frail 'come in', they entered the room.
Before Jai Long could speak, Wei Shi Lindon bowed deep to his sister propped up against pillows and said, "Miss Jai Chen, I am Wei Shi Lindon, while I am not a healer, I believe I can help you, do I have your permission to do so?"
His sister looked towards him and Jai Long gave the best encouraging nod he could muster.
Jai Chen in turn looked to Wei Shi Lindon and answered with a soft, "You do".
"Excellent", Wei Shi Lindon said as he brought his right hand towards Jai Chen, his Sylvan Riverseed scrambled down from his shoulder onto his arm and jumped off the back of his hand to land on Jai Chen's midriff, and climbed up to her shoulder and Wei Shi Lindon continued, as he lightly probed Jai Chen's madra system with his Jade senses, "Miss Jai Chen, this is Little Blue, a Sylvan Riverseed, her madra has a cleansing and renewing property, my pure madra shares same properties as she is bonded to me. Now, please brace yourself, Little Blue will inject her madra into your spirit and it will help you regain control over your spirit, clean out blockages, and drill new channels if necessary. Little Blue, go ahead."
The little Sylvan nodded seriously and slapped down both of her hands on Jai Chen's cheek. Jai Long, his spiritual sense focused on his sister from before he entered the room could feel the Sylvan's power roll through Jai Chen's spirit and do exactly what Wei Shi Lindon promised it would do.
It took the Sylvan, Little Blue, another two taps on Jai Chen's cheek before his sister regained complete control over her madra channels, they are fragile, like those of Foundation child's, but they are whole.
Wei Shi Lindon nodded in satisfaction and said to Jai Chen, "We can see that your core is still cracked, I believe you were a Copper when the remnant attacked you, and the damage done to your spirit has damaged your core. With your permission, I can regress your core back to as it was at Foundation stage, do I have your permission?"
Jai Chen, tears streaming down her cheeks, hope shining in her eyes, nodded her assent, Wei Shi Lindon hovered his hand, palm wide above Jai Chen's midriff, concentrated, Jai Long feel power coalescing in that palm, and the softly Wei Shi Lindon tapped that palm on Jai Chen's midriff, pure madra rushed Jai Chen's core and scattered her cracked leaking core back into a loose collection of madra, as it was in Foundation stage.
Wei Shi Lindon, stood straight from the slight crouch he had been while speaking with Jai Chen, extended his hand, his Sylvan slapped down one last time on Jai Chen's cheek, jumped on the back of his hand and scampered up to seat herself on his shoulder.
Wei Shi Lindon bowed once again to Jai Chen, said cheerily "With that, I believe, my work here is done. Sandviper Kral, why don't we wait outside and give brother and sister the time they deserve?"
Kral squeezed Jai Long's shoulder and something as left he the room behind Wei Shi Lindon, but Jai Long's focus remained on his sister, who successfully, with only minimal difficulty threw aside the sheets covering her to the middle, stood up from her bed with only a slight wobble in her step and threw herself into Jai Long's arm.
His sister's sobs of joy, burst Jai Long's own internal walls, because his sister could actually sob, her lungs actually allowed her enough breath that she does not need to silence her own pain, she does not need to settle for just silent tears, she could actually sob.