Kaolin looked over the settlement in the distance from where he stood at the hilltop with his hands braided behind his back. Beside him, his good friend and the leader of the Yinlin Rebellion, Wei Lan, appeared. Kaolin crossed paths with Wei Lan in the winter of the fifth millennium after the end of The Long Winter, when the other was on the verge of death. Wei Lan later established the rebellion to seek vengeance against the Jinlian Sect.
Bonded by common enemies, they formed a close-knit friendship and spent many moons dreaming of imprisoning the Demons that fled Wujing Yuan. But to achieve this, the rebels had to cultivate for thousands of years and increase their numbers without the Jinlian Sect knowing their intentions.
"You think he's here?"
Kaolin didn't answer. He didn't know. He'd tried to find Rongjie all these years without any success. It was as if the heavens purposely hid his former friend to torment him – to force him to live despite everything and move on from the past. But he couldn't.
Why had Rongjie betrayed the Korrans? If not to rise to the top and rule over the Immortals, then why? These questions wouldn't leave him alone. Every time he shut his eyes, those questions would come alive and torture him. He had to find Rongjie – one way or the other.
And now it seemed that fateful day had come. Finally.
After fifteen thousand winters, the vast lands of Shenzhou bloomed once more. With the dissipating winter and cruel winds mocking his ill fate, a new era had risen from the ashes. With it, a new loop of reincarnations had also arrived, and Rongjie had been given a second chance. Although he might not know his past or why he betrayed them – his adopted clan – Kaolin would make sure to make him remember each chilling detail! Only then could he truly let go of the past and… disappear for good.
To escape death, he mastered not only the Demonic Arts but the forbidden ones as well, thus sacrificing his very soul for a chance to live forever. And once he resolved his grudge, the heavens would punish him by breaking his reincarnation loop and turning him into dust. For all eternity.
But he didn't care. The weight of that betrayal was too large for him to shoulder. And if finding out the truth meant he'd be gone with the high winds forever, then he was ready to take such a risk.
"I heard the members of the Jinlian Sect have a faction stationed there, in Jinzhulin. Want me to check it out?"
Kaolin, "No. Leave them be."
"But what if—"
Kaolin turned to face Wei Lan. "I know you're eager to seek vengeance, and I shall give you that, but not now. We neither have enough cultivation nor men to outpower Jinlian. One misstep, and everything we fought for till now will go to waste."
"I know… It's just…" Wei Lan paused before continuing. "I have a bad feeling about this. Jinzhulin is a settlement several miles from Huan-Yue. Jinlian have no business here, yet…"
"Go on."
"Guo Lan told me something. It seems like the Jinlian Sect is brewing something, but whatever it is, it's big. I fear, if we don't act now, that another unprovoked war will break out – and cost thousands of lives."
"Does he have any idea what it could be?"
"No, only that Immortal Lord Zhenhai has sent several troops of Demons to Jinzhulin over a few weeks. From what he could gather, they're looking for something."
"In Jinzhulin?" Kaolin briefly looked away. "What interest could Jinlian possibly have in such place?"
"I'm not sure. But it might be worth finding out what they're up to while we're here anyway."
"What's your plan?"
Wei Lan drew a breath of relief upon hearing this.
"I've sent Guo Lan to infiltrate the Jinlian Sect's faction. Once the sun goes down, he'll send word with the crows. Only then can I tell you what to do."
Kaolin couldn't help but smile. "So, even if I said no to you, you'd still do as you please, huh?"
"You're wrong, Kaelan. I knew you'd agree with me once you heard what Guo Lan told me. Because you're a good person. You wouldn't want more death than there already is."
Kaolin smirked. "I am? You seem to overestimate me. I'm not a good person – neither do I strive to be one. I only seek answers. Do I look like a hero to you?"
Wei Lan excused himself and disappeared out of sight, leaving Kaolin behind on the hilltop. What was the Jinlian Sect planning? Immortal Lord Zhenhai was not the wisest ruler, but he wasn't as cut-throat as his predecessors, either. It wasn't like him to do things secretly. Even though Kaolin hated Jinlian and what it stood for, he still had enough conscience to distinguish friend from foe.
When he crossed paths with Zhenhai during the Cultivators' Night two hundred years ago, he knew right away that Immortal Lord Zhenhai was different from his predecessors. He did not pride himself on the bloodbath caused by his kin, nor indulged himself with the mundane.
Could he have changed after all these years? He couldn't be sure. All he knew was that those harsh winters after The Long Winter ended only gave way to spring once Immortal Lord Zhenhai took over the rule of Shenzhou.
So, what was really going on? Maybe Wei Lan was right, after all. He couldn't stand by idly for however long. Now that Rongjie had begun his second shot at life, his true tribulation began. The heavens had indeed more in store for him than what he initially thought, and it seemed all of this involved Zhenhai, too.