8- Pink Garden

Placing himself down on the seat, he poured himself a cup of tea. The greenish residual of leaves danced along with the tea water and for a moment, he felt more and more compelling to distract himself from the awkward atmosphere. Shi Lihua and Wu Huan sat in the quiet Snowy Pavilion together, no one willing to strike a conversation. They were waiting for their master to discuss the recent case.

After coming back from the city, a junior brother had come to knock on his door and told him to go to the hall. When he arrived, he nearly stumbled on his steps under the stern eyes of his senior brother. There was a natural awkward air to them ever since they arrived back to the sect on the third day. Wu Huan who wasn't stone cold in the heart had grabbed Shi Lihua when he turned to walk away back then. The skinship cost him a questioning glare but he said he wanted to say, "Thank you".

"Ahem," the master finally stepped in. Both of them stood up to greet him. "So Hua'er wants to talk about the missing women of our city? That it is indeed also a good idea to finally dig deeper and give justice to the victims."

"Yes, master. I've heard that it has been months already since the first report and until now, there is still no lead from the investigating officials. After we descended from the mountain, we encountered a family victim and I have decided that we should no longer make light of the matter any further."

"We? Was Huan'er with you?'' Even though his face didn't betray the usual calmness, his voice held a tiny string of surprise and it was enough to put the other two in an awkward place.

Shi Lihua could barely speak again, "I've inquired about the matter with the investigation division, and at this rate, I think we should classify it as kidnapping rather than missing."

"You mean that there is a big mastermind behind all these...?'' Wu Huan seemed pale under the morning sun. He felt a deep sense of empathy for those victims and their families. If there was really a mastermind, he or she was likely to have minions who kidnapped for him all over the continent.

"We should hope that he or she has minions. If not, it means that the criminal is powerful enough to travel from one city to another and repeated kidnap without a trace back to him. There is also another question yet to be answered..."

Master Ciu raised his eyes from his teacup, "What is he or she doing with those pregnant women?"

Goosebumps tracing along his skin, Wu Huan only wished it wasn't what he suspected. "Master, do you think it has something to do with the rumor of the reawakening of the demon king?"

"Huan'er, how much did you hear about it?''

"It's-it's just the rumor I've heard from a storyteller...'' saying this, he cautiously gazed at the senior brother.

Shi Lihua noticed his gaze, "What the storyteller said as pieces of evidence were all false.''

"So, the rumor isn't true?''

"Not necessarily true. But, the kidnapping is soundproof."

He opened and closed his mouth not knowing what he should ask or shouldn't ask and not knowing what he should assume or not assume. Finally, he could only lean back in his seat and heaved a big sigh.

"The women are highly likely used for sacrifices." Master gripped his hands tightly on his knees. His face was dark but his voice was light as he continued to explain. "The demon king is known for his obsession with blood and soul sacrifices to heighten his demonic cultivation. This violates the first and biggest taboo of the cultivation world. And, the sacrifice town was its first major crime. Now, this is nearly the same thing. The water is still shallow, however. We should not jump to such a big conclusion yet."

Shi Lihua, "..."

"I will have a talk with Sect leader Shi."

--

Taohua Sect has always had a serene vibe to it. No matter if you walked to the most crowded place or swung by the cafeteria, most people spoke and talked very lightly and even their gestures and reactions were all very comprehensive and level-headed. But if you wanted to catch a more lively scene where there were a bit more hustle and bustle, and energy, you should anticipate the time of sunset. The Taohua mountain sat very tall and idly over the other mountains, and the view of sunset ranked very high above any other tourist places. It used to be open for visits at first, but ever since there were increasing cases of tiny crimes, the previous sect leader has decided to shut the gate to preserve the Sect's tranquility and peace for the ancestors.

Being only available for the disciples, some of them would occasionally pack some light snacks and drinks after practice to catch the beautiful glow of sunset west of the mountain, either chitchatting with their fellow disciples or watching alone thoughtfully. Back in the main quarter of the sect, some would play one to two games of chess or soak in the hot spring.

Wu Huan has become accustomed to this. He would usually spend his evening running small errands for his master or other elders. Sometimes he would sip hot tea as he played chess with other disciples. Today, after discussing such a depressing thing, he was in need of some solitude and maybe of some company as well.

His dark brown eyes searched through the rows and rows of peach blossom trees. Ever since he came to the Sect, he has heard that Shi Lihua liked to pick peaches in the main garden in springtime and if he didn't pick the peaches, he would make peach tea from the stored ones as leisure. Wu Huan had never time to go and see for himself. A part of the reason was that he was always too scared to be judged under his criticizing eyes and another was because Shi Lihua never wanted anyone near whenever he was there.

He didn't know why today he was brave enough to step foot into this pink garden that had already accumulated an ankle-deep surface of the snow. Walking along the pathway to a small pavilion in the middle of a frozen pond, he found Shi Lihua sipping tea. A pile of books was by his side.