Pathway

Chapter 85: The Forsaken Palace [7]

The snow was falling more heavily when Ju Feng came to an area specified by the grey tree. Frost had gathered on his face and streaked his robe. He was beginning to grow acustomed to the dense frost due to his mind being occupied by the task at hand. He knew he had to be very careful, if not, he could easily walk into a dream or an illusion he wasn't prepared for. That was why he couldn't use the flashsteps, but rather, walked slowly and steadily.

The words of the tree was still sounding in his ears.

"Follow the direction I'm giving you and you will come to a place where the snow falls in a spiral. From the edge of the spiraling snow, turn and face the eastern side. For you, twenty feet forward will take you to a small snow mound. Three steps to the right before taking three steps to the front, followed by three steps to the left will take you inside the dream."

Those were the clear instructions given by the tree which he needed to follow. To enter the right place for the Script of Sentience, he must do exactly as the tree told him. The directions the tree gave him had brought him to where he was now standing. He looked at one of the four dream crystals the grey tree gave him. It had told him whenever he was about to enter the dream field, he should put one crystal in his mouth. The crystals would be the remedies against forever succumbing to the effect of the dream. Afterall, he was still an infant immortal at the Zhuji stage, and he was only ten mortal years of age. 

With the crystals in his hand, he knew the tree really meant its words. But he didn't know if it was reasonable of him to accept. It was as if it was all a dream to him. How could he even fight off the simplest of the dreams inside other dreams? After giving a careful thought to his recent life, he sadly laughed aloud.

"He he he."

Although it appeared he had been courting death, that particular endeavor was like receiving the romantic kiss of death. It looked as if he wouldn't be escaping his fated path, afterall. Therefore, why not cautiously follow it courageously? He paused for a moment to think about that. To die with courage? No, he needed to rephrase that. How about not to die at all? Whether it was in his hands or not, it would take courage not succumb to death. 

Yes, that fitted his essence perfectly. He prefered the living part of existence. But, where was he even going? Why in heaven's tears did he even agree to come on this crazy path? How was he even sure the grey tree wasn't a lunatic daimon? As he was trying to think about the questions, his mind became muddled, making him forget about them. 

Ju Feng slowly put one of the crystals in his mouth. As the the sweet burning sensation of the crystal erupted in his mouth, he took a few steps forward into where the dream field would be. The moment he stepped into the unseen field, he found himself in narrow way between two huge walls. Immediately, he knew he had entered the dreamworld which the tree told him about. He quickly took his mind off his thoughts, and focused on the task at hand.

At the other side of the narrow passage stood a small house. 

The walls' surface were smooth and perfectly patterened. But the most striking aspect of the walls were the types of the stones used to make the walls. A beautifully polished and smooth quartz walls blending to the perfectly crafted hypnotizing patterns on them that could make a soul gazing on them, lost in the moment of time forever. He didn't know the time his right hand started caressing one of the walls.

Oh. It felt soothing and relaxing. He could simply lie down here and revered in this heavenly place. As he was closing his eyes, he felt a sharp bust of burning sensation in his mouth which transmitted into his brain and jolted him awake. He quickly removed his hand from the wall and withdrew to the middle of the narrow passage.

"This is truly a terrifying place."

If not for the dream stone he put in his mouth, he would be trapped in dreams forever. That means the words of the grey tree were true. He continued walking towards the house and noticed the details of the house. It was made of dull quartz stones with runes all over it. As he stepped on the large cobblestone in front of the entrance, the door immediately swung open. It was as if the house was expecting his arrival, and there was no need for attendants.

What did he expect in a dream-world in the first place?

There was something about the dying glow of the house which was putting him off. He was sure about the place, but his courageous determination was pushing him forward.

Colorful light flowed out of the walls to encompass him. Although it was faint,  it was the brightest he had seen in this dream. It was as if the white runes on the walls were giving off a dying radiance. There was a large oak table at the center of the room along with an oak chair. They were smoothly polished and giving off a shining glow. There was a large opened book to the left side of the table, and to the right was another larger golden scroll. Behind the table and chair was a large oak shelf filled with scrolls and manuscripts.

Sitting at the table was an elderly man in a light golden scholar robe. His golden hair was an eye catching one, and perfectly matched his long and flowing beard. The elderly scholar was holding a golden feathered pen and appeared to be lost in thought.

From his first glance at the elderly man, Ju Feng could tell he was looking at an ancient scholarly being. The wisdom and knowledge they possessed were a thing of unparalleled pride in the world of cultivation. In there, he knew he had to maintain his silence until being told otherwise. He patted his robe and adjusted his scholar hat. The tree had prepared him for the task.

Few minutes later, the old man raised his head to observe Jufeng. He took a look at Ju Feng's robe and hat before giving a nod. The young boy might not be an adept, but a scholar nonetheless. 

"Young scholar, welcome to the House of Riddles."

"Greetings, elder scholar."

"You must be here to help me with some of these riddles, I suppose."

Without waiting for any reply, he continued.

"Very well then, come closer. Young one, these riddles are a thorn in my robe. I just couldn't find the right answers to them. Since you are here, maybe you can help me solve them." 

"Okay, elderly scholar."

"But there is a little problem, young scholar. You see, with the importance of what I'm doing here, I can only afford a total of two wrong answers. The third wrong answer can create some sorts of problem."

The elderly scholar raised a finger to draw Ju Feng's attention and alley his fears.

"But then, you can still leave or continue after the second wrong answer. Only, if you can afford five Irrium gold coins. Do you understand that?"

"Yes, senior."

Ju Feng replied with a nod of his head. What else could he say? He had a telling comfort in knowing that he was having the Irrium gold coins given to him by the tree. The tree truly had knowledge of the happenings there.

"Excellent. Here are the riddles."

And there we go. Ju Feng knew the trial had started. He could only miss the answers twice, missing them three times meant he would be in serious trouble. The tree already told him that the questions would be on his level of understanding and reasoning. The tree better be right. If not, then it would be on the tree for not getting the cursed scripts. But the oaths put the burden on his shoulders.

The elderly man gently raised the feathered pen as he stared at Ju Feng with a slightly raised eyebrows.

"The first one. 

"I never was, am always to be,

No one ever saw me, nor ever will,

And yet I am the confidence of all,

To live and breathe on this creative existence.

What am I?"."

How would he know? Ju Feng scratched his head as he mused on the riddle. He had done a few riddles before but nothing close to this. That was a hard riddle. If the first one could be that hard, he wondered what the other two would be like. The time was gradually passing by, and he was yet to come up with an answer.

"Young scholar, why do you ponder so long on something that never comes?"

"Ah, I see. That's it!. The answer is 'tomorrow'."

Ju Feng voiced in delight after recieving the hint from the elderly scholar. The joy of getting the answer right was satisfying despite the dire situation of things.

"Thank you senior."

"Aha. That's the Grace you have, young one. Hint is on every first question, but after that, the rest is on you.  Now, for the second one. This second riddle is no better than the first. Here it goes.