Chapter 158 - A Courtyard Of Pillars(I Really Don't Have A Thing For Pillar, Promise)

The light around them faded and revealed a large courtyard made from the same Rock-cut architecture that she saw in the passageway.

On either sides of the walls were lined with pillars, each depicting a scene of some sort. They each had a beautiful man or woman or even animals sculpted on them.

"Do you think these are al-" San Zhe began was cut off when Cheng Xiu slaped a hand over his mouth.

It acutally hurt a bit.

He looked at her with eyes full of grievence.

Was this her way of getting revenge on him?

If Cheng Xiu heard his thoughts she would have rolled her eyes at him.

Cheng Xiu looked at Yaksha. "These sculptures are really beautiful aren't they?"

Yaksha titled his head. "If you say so."

Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes at him. "They look so life-like."

Yaksha smirked behind his mask. Dear Sela, how very clever.

"If you say so," he said again. 

San Zhe saw a few of the male statues glare at the masked Expert while the lady sculptures looked at the man while hiding behind rock trees with coyness in their gaze.

San Zhe shivered in fear. He almost triggered something with his crow mouth. Thank goodness that Cheng Xiu saw it coming in time!

"Let us go then," Cheng Xiu said, "Since you have no appreciation of beauty, these enchanting beauties are wasted on you."

"Why only ask me, Sela-jie," Yaksha asked in a whining tone.

Cheng Xiu shivered in disgust. What was this man playing at?

"What do you want! Don't call me jie, I am not your older sister!" Cheng Xiu rebuked him.

Yaksha chuckled. "So offended? It is okay then. It is just that…I remember you promising me to call me Da-Ge?"

Cheng Xiu rolled her eyes at him. "A minor misstep on my part, I am sure."

"You show your true colour of being an arrogant and rude person too easily when you are teased," Yaksha said, "Or is it because you are more comfortable with me now? I liked hearing you calling me Big Brother though. There is something satisfying about it."

"Pervert," Cheng Xiu muttered.

"I can hear you," Yaksha said to her.

"I know," Cheng Xiu answered.

San Zhe and the sculptures felt like they were fed dogfood unnecessarily. They did not ask this kind of PDAs from anyone.

Yaksha continued to tease Cheng Xiu along the way as they walked on. Behind them the Red Torri was no longer visible.

"Why is this place so long?" San Zhe asked. "Where is the Tower? It was not like this in other places!"

Yaksha shrugged. "I never played this Tower either."

The two Low-level players looked at him in shock.

"I see," Cheng Xiu said.

San Zhe was surprised by how calm Cheng Xiu sounded. Was she not at all angry about the fact that the Expert hid this from them until now?

"Then be extra careful," Cheng Xiu said and then began walking again.

"Don't you want to know why I did not say anything before?" Yaksha asked.

"Probably another one of your twisted ways to test me or something," Cheng Xiu said casually. "Why bother knowing such things. Is it useful to me?"

"I am hurt by Sela-jie's words," Yaksha said.

"Stop that," San Zhe could not help but say. "How old are you?"

Yaksha blinked and looked towards him. "21. Why?"

San Zhe was surprised that the Expert was his age. He shook his head. Not the thing to focus on right now. "Sister Xiu just turned 18. You calling her jie is very…weird."

"18?" Yaksha asked in surprise. So 5 years back she was 13? He was beaten in a game by a thirteen year old? She aged herself up to play the game? Though it was normal, he couldn't believe Sela would do something so dishonourable. And he thought his 16 year old self was pathetic to be beaten by a 13-year-old, regardless of the 13-year-old being a genius and having a great mentor at the time.

"I am sorry then Little Sela," Yaksha said in a sweet voice.

Cheng Xiu's eyebrows twitched under the mask. He called her Little Sela…and that was not the most annoying part. He called her Little Sela in a babying voice. She gritted her teeth.

"You can go back to calling be jie," Cheng Xiu said.

"Now why would I do that," Yaksha asked. "Such a beautiful young girl. It would be rude of me to call you that."

"You sound like a pervert."

"Your mind is too dirty."

San Zhe sighed. Here they went off again. Why was he being subjected to this? He should just jinx them so that they were too preoccupied to spread their dogfood to others.

"How many pillers are there here," San Zhe wondered, hoping it would distract one of them.

It worked.

"We have passed 29 pairs of pillars," Cheng Xiu answered him, "There should be 25 pairs more."

San Zhe was surprised by the precision of her words.

Even Yaksha seemed stumped for a moment before he realised what she meant. "You think this is place is based on Buddhism?"

San Zhe was confused. "What?"

"108 pillars," Cheng Xiu said, "based on the 108 scared scriptures of some branches of buddhism. With each side having a pillar each, we should have 54 pairs of pillars. We crossed 29, so 25 left."

"Why are so sure?" San Zhe asked in confusion.

Cheng Xiu shrugged. "The architecture is very similar to the pictures of the old Buddhist monasteries that I have seen on the internet. And I remember going to an old monastery in India that had something like this….but the number of pillars were less."

"Why pillars?" San Zhe asked in confusion. "Why not ovals or spheres or something."

The sculptures on the pillars sneered at San Zhe.

He shivered. Did he already offend a mighty person in his time here? "Sorry! I am really sorry! Did not mean to offend you great ones!"

Cheng Xiu pursed her lips to prevent herself from laughing. "Old religions had a thing for pillars I guess."

The sculptures glared at the girl. 

Cheng Xiu shrugged shoulder unappologetically. She was right.. Fight her on it.