Chapter 119 - The Calling

Luo Xiao was somewhat curious about this strange sensation of something calling out for him, but he was not going to give up his current aim for that.

He knew what was important, and to him, nothing could rival Jiang Yao. This Moon Anise was essential to him, and even more so when Luo Xiao thought about how the last one had been fed to himself.

He did not feel guilty, as he knew that Jiang Yao had willingly given him the herb, but he also knew that this herb would have helped Jiang Yao much more than it helped him.

This was also why he was pushing the strange feeling of calling away. He could sense that something within the mountain ridge was calling for him. As if it was familiar with him, and waiting for him, causing him to become curious, but he quickly shook his head and steeled himself.

He could not be influenced by some weird feeling that he could not control. As to what was calling for him, he did not know. He had never before been in the Beast Ridge, so how could there be a sense of familiarity, a sense of belonging?

He did not know, but he could not help but feel as if it was an overwhelming illusion.

He remembered the illusion that they had encountered in the caravan, and knew that it was possible for things to feel extremely real, without it being the case.

Maybe the feeling of familiarity was coming from a beast who had a strong mental ability, and who lured people to come close and then gobbled them up?

The unknown should not be ignored, and Luo Xiao was not willing to take a risk. He was here with the mission of finding the Moon Anise, so he would not let anything distract him.

However, the further into the meadow he moved, the harder it was to ignore the calling, and he started to get a thundering headache.

The more he tried to ignore the presence of the calling, the worse his headache got, and he started to understand that there was a connection between the two.

It was also because of this that his mood became even more turbulent whenever he thought about this calling. Why could it not just leave him alone?

Jiang Yao was unable to search for the Moon Anise. He cultivated Qi, and thus did not have Spiritual Energy. As a result, all he could do was catch the Moon Anise when they located it, and now, everything depended on Luo Xiao.

But Jiang Yao could not help but frown when he saw that Luo Xiao was feeling uncomfortable.

His face was pale, a few drops of sweat beaded on his forehead, and his lips were pulled straight.

Even so, he was constantly searching the area. While Jiang Yao was unable to use spiritual energy, he could sense the energy ripples that continued to erupt from Luo Xiao's body, spreading like rings in the water, emanating from his position, and telling him everything that was close by.

He kept moving further and further into the meadow, and each step seemed to become much more difficult than the previous.

Jiang Yao began feeling truly worried about Luo Xiao. He should not be so uncomfortable just searching for the moon anise; something else had to be happening that made him feel like this.

Jiang Yao had heightened senses. While he could not see anything around him with the spiritual energy, he could still sense whether there were any dangers near them, but no matter how and where he searched, he could not find anything that could be the cause of Luo Xiao's discomfort.

Seeing that he could not find the cause for Luo Xiao's sudden change, he hurried to the younger man's side, and gently dragged him into his embrace.

"What is wrong?" Jiang Yao asked with a low and mellow voice, worried that something serious was wrong with Luo Xiao, but the younger man shook his head without saying a word.

"Dearest, please tell me what is wrong," Jiang Yao was feeling frantic when he saw that Luo Xiao's eyes were slightly narrowed and that they were somewhat misty from the pain.

It was as if someone took a knife and stabbed it into Jiang Yao's heart and twisted it around.

Luo Xiao could hear the heartache in Jiang Yao's voice, and he took a deep breath before he gathered his thoughts.

"I feel like something is calling for me," he tried to explain. "I have been trying to ignore it, but the more I try, the more it hurts."

Luo Xiao went straight to the point, and while the pain was intense, he still managed to talk clearly. The only way Jiang Yao could sense his discomfort was by looking at the sweat on his forehead, the misty eyes, and the pale face.

"Let us find the thing that is calling for you then," Jiang Yao said softly. "Sometimes, there are mysteries that we cannot control. It could be that there is a legacy within the Beast Ridge, which has taken a liking to you, or something else which has been attracted to, or by you. It is important not to let go of such possibilities."

Luo Xiao nodded his head, and it was as if at the moment he decided to follow the calling, the pain slowly subsided.

He took a deep breath, and he began moving towards the calling. However, at the same time, he continued to create ripples of spiritual energy to check if the Moon Anise was in the surroundings.

He could not sense it, but it did not diminish his efforts. He was heading towards the strange emotion that was calling him, but at the same time, he truly wanted to locate that herb so that Jiang Yao could reach a higher rank.