Re-birth: The Beginning after the End - Chapter 123

Chapter 123: QUESTIONING GRANDPA

“Grandpa, I have a few questions before we leave.” Li Hua said, patting the seat next to her.

“Oh? What is it?” Grandmaster Yu settled beside her, his white robes rustling softly as he sat down. Her brothers leaned forward slightly, equally curious about what their sister might ask.

“How do you know about the sixth realm?” Li Hua’s direct question carried no accusation, only genuine curiosity. “In all the cultivation manuals we’ve studied, in all the lessons our parents taught, there’s was not a single mention of it. Yet you speak of it with such certainty.”

The old master’s eyes took on a distant look, as if seeing something far beyond the courtyard’s peaceful confines. His fingers traced an absent pattern on the wooden table – one that seemed to shift and blur at the edges of their vision.

“Your parents knew of it,” he said finally, his voice carrying the weight of long-kept secrets. “They spent time there, training in the spaces between realms. It’s where they learned their most powerful techniques, including the concealment arts they passed down to you.”

He paused, his gaze focusing on each sibling in turn. “But knowledge of the sixth realm… it’s not something meant for everyone. There are those in the cultivation world who would do anything to access its power, to learn its secrets. That’s why it remains hidden, spoken of only in whispers, if at all.”

“Then Māmā’s master…your disciple, was also from the sixth realm?” Li Hua asked.

Grandmaster Yu nodded solemnly. “Yes. I have three disciples. Your mother’s master, the current sixth realm master and…one that will remain anonymous. Your mother met her master long before she met your father and even longer before training in the sixth realm.”

His eyes grew distant again, as if watching scenes from centuries past. “Your mother was exceptional even then. She mastered techniques that took others decades to grasp, pushing the boundaries of what we thought possible. When she finally entered the sixth realm…” He shook his head, a mixture of pride and old worry crossing his features. “Well, that’s when everything changed. Not just for her, but for your father too.”

Li Wei leaned forward, his scholarly curiosity piqued. “Changed how, Grandpa? And why did our parents never speak of this?”

The old master’s fingers stilled on the table, the strange patterns fading. “Because…” his voice dropped lower, heavy with the weight of secrets. “Those who witnessed the incident centuries ago have long perished, and those who didn’t, were sworn to never mention it again.”

The siblings could feel the shift in the air as their grandfather spoke, as if the mere memory of that incident carried enough power to disturb the natural order. Even the spirit beasts grew still, sensing the gravity of his words.

“Then…your disciples—” Li Hua’s voice trailed off, the implication of his words settling over them like a heavy shadow.

“The only one who survived that incident is the current Master of the Sixth Realm.” Grandmaster Yu’s voice carried centuries of loss, the words falling into the courtyard’s silence like stones into still water. The strange patterns his fingers had traced earlier seemed to flicker briefly in the air between them, an echo of old power and older grief.

The siblings exchanged glances, the weight of this revelation adding new layers to their understanding. Whatever happened centuries ago had claimed not just witnesses, but two of their grandfather’s own disciples.

“I’m sorry, Grandpa.” Li Hua whispered, feeling guilty as she was the one who broached this topic.

Grandmaster Yu smiled, “It’s fine, Hua’er. You’re young and curious. I, too, wish I could tell you more.”

Li Hua nodded, understanding both what was said and what remained unspoken. Some secrets were better left buried in the past, at least for now. The time would come when they would learn the full truth, but first, they needed to understand the sixth realm itself.

“Any more questions?” Grandmaster Yu asked, patting Li Hua’s head with grandfatherly affection.

She wanted to ask but hesitated, biting her lips. This question had burned in her mind since she entered the sixth realm.

“Go on, Hua’er.” He encouraged with a gentle smile, though something ancient and knowing flickered in his eyes, as if he already sensed the gravity of her unspoken words.

Li Hua nodded and took a steadying breath. “Grandpa, when you came looking for us and we weren’t there… it was because my brothers were taken.”

Grandmaster Yu’s fingers paused mid-pattern, the shimmering symbols bending reality itself flickering faintly before fading away. His sharp gaze locked onto hers. “Taken? By whom?”

“By a false elder,” she said, her voice steady but low. “He claimed to be Old Xiao. But he wasn’t.”

Grandmaster Yu’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, then furrowed deeply. “Old Xiao? Impossible. What would someone gain by impersonating him?”

“He saw through to our cores,” Li Hua explained. “He was after the sixth realm. He wanted to open the path back and claim the power within.”

Grandmaster Yu stilled completely, his expression unreadable, though the tension radiating from him made the spirit beasts around them shift uneasily. “No one could enter the sixth realm without permission. It’s not like the other five realms.”

“Well, I had some help and entered the sixth realm,” she continued, watching her grandfather’s reaction with careful attention. “I spoke to Old Tang and he confirmed that it wasn’t Old Xiao but a failed candidate for the realm keeper position.”

The air seemed to thicken as Grandmaster Yu drew in a slow, deliberate breath. His eyes, dark with untold years of wisdom and secrets, studied her intensely. “A failed candidate…” he murmured, almost to himself.

Li Hua waited, her heart pounding, while Grandmaster Yu’s thoughts churned visibly behind his furrowed brow. Finally, he spoke, his voice low and deliberate. “It’s impossible. All candidates were given the forgotten pill. When they failed to meet the expectations, their memories of the trials were erased, and they returned to their lives.”

“But what if one resisted?” Li Hua pressed, leaning forward. “What if someone defied the process?”

Grandmaster Yu’s lips pressed into a tight line. “That… would be unprecedented. If someone rejected the forgotten pill, they would become a threat to the balance itself. But the safeguards…” He trailed off, his fingers gripping the edge of the table.

“Could those safeguards fail?” Li Hua asked urgently.

Grandmaster Yu didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he stood abruptly, the movement startling the spirit beasts into retreating a step. He stared out into the distance, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. “If such a thing has happened, Li Hua, then we are dealing with something far more dangerous than a false elder or a failed candidate.”

Li Hua swallowed hard, the weight of his words settling heavily in the room. “Then what do we do?”

Grandmaster Yu turned back to her, his eyes blazing with determination. “We find the truth. And we prepare for what’s to come.”

“How often does the sixth realm seek new candidates?” Li Hao asked, his characteristic energy tempered by the gravity of their conversation.

“Not often,” Grandmaster Yu said with quiet certainty. “It’s only happened twice.”

The siblings exchanged glances, each recognizing in the others’ eyes the same burning curiosity that came with every new revelation. Li Hua could see the questions forming in their minds, matching her own growing list of mysteries to solve.

“Grandpa, how many people have visited the sixth realm?” Li Hua’s question carried both curiosity and caution.

Grandmaster Yu’s eyes took on that distant look again, as if counting shadows from the past. “I haven’t visited in the past few centuries,” he mused, “but I could count them all on one hand, besides the master and keepers of course.”

Li Hua watched Grandmaster Yu’s expression as he contemplated all that had been revealed, seeing centuries of wisdom working behind his ancient eyes. The air around them seemed to grow heavier with unspoken implications.

“Hua’er,” he said suddenly, his penetrating gaze fixing on her with renewed intensity, “how did you enter the sixth realm?”