TheLazyDreamer
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77. Seal-Engraving
🕑 Added 2025-06-05 17:28:22 +0000 UTCSoon, the sky turned dark, filled with countless stars shining over them and the snowcovered landscape, lending it shimmering blue hues. As they gazed at the starry expanse, they shared their stories, intertwining their pasts and building a stronger bond for their shared future and dreams. They lay together face to face, his one arm a pillow beneath her head, the other wrapped around her body.
After midnight, their stories shifted to family members. Sometimes Bai Yunxi shared Li Fang's embarrassing childhood memories, laughing with Su Kang as she remembered her son's cute moments. Su Kang recounted his occasional pranks on Su Cheng and how, after getting caught, he would be scolded by his elder cousins like Su Liang and Su Hua.
As Bai Yunxi gazed at the stars, she remembered her nights once filled with cries and despair. Now, those nights felt distant. She tightened her hands around him and turned to face him fully. “It's only been a little over four months, yet it seems a long time has passed since those lonely nights filled with despair,” she whispered.
He caressed her cheek with his free hand. Looking into her eyes with a sincere gaze, their eyes met. “I will erase those nights with memories of nights like these. One day, you won't even think about those painful times; your memories will be filled with nights spent with me.” His arm tightened around her back.
She smiled at his words. “I want that as well. Husband, thank you for not giving up on me and for pursuing me despite our situations," she murmured, thinking of her lost mother and her newly gained talent, all because of Su Kang.
“Xi'er, I have said it many times before: you are a blessing to me. It should be me thanking you." They hugged, a silence filled with love and trust settling over them.
After a long moment, Bai Yunxi raised her head, her expression worried. “Would Li Fang have reached Liang State?” she asked, remembering her son's journey. Liang State was situated on the eastern borders of the Xuantian Empire. Its western borders were partially shared with both the Xuantian and Zhou Empires. South of it lay a small desert area, which partially bordered Heng State.
"Yes, he would have likely reached Liang State. He must be on his way to the Cloud Sword Sect. After that, a Nascent Soul elder from the Cloud Sword Sect will accompany them. With an elder's help, their journey would be safer and shorter. He should reach the Central Plains in the next few months. With his talents, he will join the Heavenly Sword Sect without much problem. You don't have to worry,” he spoke, trying to calm a mother's heart. The Cloud Sword Sect was a minor and the closest branch of the Heavenly Sword Sect from the borderlands; a Nascent Soul elder would take people willing to participate in the war and send them to Hai State. After the war, if someone achieved the qualifications to enter the sect, they would be escorted to the Central Plains or perhaps back to Liang State.
“I'm just worried about his personality. What if he gets into trouble because of it? If I had known about this side of him, I wouldn't have let him go,” she whispered, thinking about her son's temper and deeds hidden from her. If not for her investigation, she wouldn't know why she was placed in the Su family instead of the Qingyun Sect. Sometimes her son was impulsive and inconsiderate.
“You don't have to worry much. Lady Shangyu is thoughtful, and Heng Tian understands the big picture; he knows when to avoid trouble. They shouldn't have any big problems on their journey,” he reassured her.
"It's good that he at least got good people around him," she let out a breath of relief.
They waited there in silence for dawn. The starry sky slowly began to brighten. Morning light first touched the snowy peaks, illuminating them with the hues of dawn, then gradually painted the entire mountain range with the sun's glorious rays, highlighting its slopes of wooden brown and deep green. It was beautiful.
After a long time, when the village began bustling with activity, Su Kang asked her, “Where do you want to go next? But we can only visit one more place. I have to return for a ceremony.”
She thought for a moment, then shook her head. “I don't have any particular preference.”
He nodded. Soon, they rose from the bed and left the mountain village.
Su Kang and Bai Yunxi returned to Liyun City in the late evening. He escorted her to her secluded Bamboo Courtyard and then returned to his own. Tonight was the date Senior Ma had set for the Seal Engraving Ceremony. He went into meditation to prepare, though he had received no specific instructions beyond not being late.
Before midnight, he arrived at the ancestral hall, where an attendant silently guided him to a quiet, temple-like structure. Statues of ancient spiritual beasts stood solemnly on stone platforms, casting long shadows in the lantern light. Deeper inside was an open stone chamber, where Senior Ma—his white hair flowing and long beard resting on his chest—chanted in a tongue Su Kang didn’t recognize. Before him was a small crucible of black ink and a shallow pool encircled by smooth stones. He stood there silently, waiting for Senior Ma to finish.
After a long time, Senior Ma turned to Su Kang. “Su Kang, remove your clothes and earrings and enter the pool. Hurry, we can't miss the perfect timing.” His voice was tired but urgent.
He complied, removed his robes, and entered the pool. The water was hot and carried a faint scent of herbs and blood.
“Submerge yourself seven times,” Senior Ma instructed. Su Kang obeyed, dipping beneath the surface in controlled motions. After the seventh time, he stepped out, droplets clinging to his skin. Senior Ma handed him a simple red cloth to wrap around himself and motioned for him to sit atop a stone platform.
“Give me a drop of your blood essence.” Senior Ma asked, holding out a small, dark ceramic crucible containing the prepared black ink.
“What? Blood essence?” Su Kang was shocked. A mere symbolic ceremony needs blood essence? He couldn't grasp the meaning and looked at the senior for an explanation, his expression confused.
“Yes. Mortals use a few drops of ordinary blood, but cultivators use their blood essence. Moreover, it also requires the blood essence of your ancestor; I have already prepared everything for that. Now hurry and offer a single drop of your blood essence into the crucible,” Senior Ma explained hastily.
Su Kang was still confused but, seeing no alternative, decided to follow. He calmed his breath and then, with a controlled strike to his chest, forced out a vibrant drop of blood essence, which fell into the ink. Senior Ma then smeared a white paste across Su Kang’s forehead. Holding the crucible, he began chanting again, more fervently this time. He circled Su Kang, kneeling at the four cardinal directions, offering prayers in reverent tones.
When he finally stopped before Su Kang, he asked, “Where do you want the mark? You may not place it on your face or lower body.”
Su Kang thought for a moment, then extended his left arm. “Can I have it on my forearm?”
Senior Ma nodded and took a sharp, obsidian-like needle. With focused chanting, he began to engrave a seal onto Su Kang's inner left forearm. The design started with lines resembling a flowing mane, slowly forming into a beast’s head, similar in appearance to a lion but with two sharp horns on its brow. Senior Ma was visibly tired by the end; Su Kang's body was tougher than he had anticipated, and it had taken significant Qi to complete the engraving.
After the ceremony, Su Kang was handed a new pair of earrings—small and gold-black in color. He examined them briefly before putting them on. Once he was fully dressed, he turned to the old man seated on the stone platform, fatigue weighing down his posture.
“Thank you, Senior,” Su Kang said, bowing respectfully.
“It’s alright,” Senior Ma replied, waving a weary hand. “I’m just glad someone from the younger generation chose to uphold it.” He sighed, eyes misting slightly as he stared into the distance. “Traditions fade too easily these days.”
Su Kang hesitated for a moment before voicing the question on his mind. “Senior, I’m a little confused about the seal. It resembles our clan insignia.” He raised his left forearm slightly. The freshly engraved mark still tingled with residual heat. It looked like a lion, just withhorns.
Senior Ma’s tired eyes lit with a glimmer of satisfaction. “You’ve got it backwards. The clan insignia was inspired by this seal. That seal isn’t just some random mark,” the elder explained, his voice low and nostalgic. “It represents a tribal totem beast. In the Barren Lands, different tribes worship their own ancestral beasts—totem spirits passed down through generations. The beast you saw, that lion-like creature with curved horns, was the ancestral totem of the first ancestor. Everyone in the Barren Lands who participates in this ceremony carries the mark of their tribe’s totem beast.”
“Our first ancestor,” he continued, “was the one who made that totem the clan’s official insignia. He took what was sacred to his parents and made it a legacy.”
