27. The Mysterious Soul

The staircase Ye Feng entered was not particularly long, yet by no means short—stretching over a hundred meters. With his cautious approach—pausing at each step, making sure every foothold was secure before proceeding—it took him more than half an hour to finally reach the end. And that was only because nothing unexpected happened along the way; otherwise, who knew how much longer it would have taken.

Just as Ye Feng arrived at the junction where the stairs met the secret chamber, intending to rest and recover his spent energy, the once-peaceful air ahead was suddenly disturbed by a surge of energy powerful enough to threaten his very life. Ye Feng’s nerves had been strung taut all the while; any hint of movement would provoke his immediate reaction. Now, as danger struck without warning, he didn’t even have time to think—his instincts took over and he threw himself backward. At that very moment, a wave of visible energy swept past the tip of his nose. Had he reacted even a fraction slower, the consequences would have been dire.

Having narrowly avoided the attack, Ye Feng clapped his hands against the ground and sprang upright in one fluid motion. He did not foolishly ask who was there, for he knew full well that, aside from himself, no one else should be present in this secret chamber—otherwise, Huaihuai would have warned him to be wary!

The moment Ye Feng straightened up, another visible wave of energy came roaring toward him. Again, he dodged sideways without hesitation. Perhaps he could have withstood the force of these attacks with his own ability, but who could say how many more would follow, or if even stronger ones would come? This was no time for heroics; low-risk evasion was the wiser choice.

“This won’t do!” Ye Feng muttered to himself as he kept dodging the relentless attacks. The passage was only wide enough for two people to walk abreast—far too cramped. Sooner or later, there would be nowhere left to dodge, and then he would be at a severe disadvantage.

Yet it was as if the attacks anticipated his every move, targeting his lower body, then immediately adjusting to a higher level to prevent him from rolling into the chamber. All Ye Feng could do was twist and turn, with no means of counterattack.

Just as Ye Feng was at a loss, the unbroken barrage of energy suddenly ceased without a sound, giving him a moment to catch his breath. But he felt no relief; instead, his wariness only deepened. The calm before a storm was always eerily silent. Although he knew that entering the chamber would grant him more space to maneuver—an advantage—he dared not make a move. The unknown was terrifying, and Ye Feng could not be certain this wasn’t all a trap laid by whoever was inside, waiting for him to step in for a final, fatal blow.

And so the stalemate persisted, silence suffusing the air, yet Ye Feng could sense the scattered dangers lurking all around. Death itself was not so frightening—what was unbearable was the waiting, and this was precisely what gnawed at him now. But he had no choice. From the earlier exchange, he’d felt keenly that even the slightest loss of focus could have dire consequences.

“Enough! Time to risk it!” After another half hour of tense stillness—his fists slowly clenching, muscles tensing—Ye Feng resolved to make his move. He realized that standing idle consumed just as much mental energy as his cautious advance had before. Meanwhile, his unknown adversary was lying in wait, conserving strength. The longer this dragged on, the slimmer Ye Feng’s chances would become. He decided to seize the initiative and dart into the wider chamber, trusting that Huaihuai would not have led him here if it truly meant mortal danger.

As his fists tightened and his cautious gaze sharpened, energy suddenly exploded beneath his feet. Choosing the safest method, Ye Feng rolled across the floor. Perhaps his action caught his opponent off guard, for the energy attack came a split second late—just enough for Ye Feng to evade. With a powerful push of his hands, he rolled through the air, gracefully dodged the energy, and landed firmly in the secret chamber.

Only now did Ye Feng allow himself a small sigh of relief. Here, in the spacious chamber, he could move freely, attack or retreat as needed, no longer hamstrung as he was in the narrow passage.

Once steady, Ye Feng quickly surveyed the secret chamber. It was almost perfect—fitting every requirement for clandestine dealings: quiet, hidden, well-ventilated, with dim candlelight. The room was about a hundred square meters, compact but fully equipped—arms, poisons, confidential files. Most importantly, it was secure; to reach this place, one had to traverse a long staircase and survive the energy attacks at the entrance. No ordinary person would make it this far, especially with such an inconspicuous entry. If not for Huaihuai, Ye Feng would never have found his way in.

He glanced around for several seconds but saw no one. Who, then, had attacked him? If it was some automated defense, it was uncannily precise—far beyond the technology of this era, nearly intelligent.

Before entering, Ye Feng had imagined what could have excited Huaihuai so much about this place, but now that he was inside, he was even more baffled. Nothing here seemed worth risking his life for.

“Huaihuai, explain yourself!” Ye Feng had called out for Huaihuai during the attack, but got no answer. Now, with danger passed, he demanded an explanation.

“What is it?” came Huaihuai’s feeble reply.

“What happened just now? I almost died!” Ye Feng feigned outrage.

“That was an accident. I didn’t expect it either, but I figured you’d be fine, so I didn’t say anything. See? You’re unharmed.”

“If I weren’t lucky, I’d be dead because of you! Why bring me here? There’s nothing in this room!” Ye Feng surveyed the chamber, finding nothing useful.

“Take a closer look and see if you notice anything different about this room.” Huaihuai’s tone was mysterious.

“I’ve been looking, but—” Ye Feng broke off, suddenly noticing something odd.

As his gaze drifted upward, he realized what was wrong: there were no lamps in the room, yet a cluster of yellow light was glowing softly. Was this what Huaihuai meant?

Before Ye Feng could puzzle it out, a delighted voice rang out: “After so many years, finally someone living can see me!”

“Who are you? Where are you?” Startled, Ye Feng looked around but saw no one. Then he remembered the glowing orb and turned to it. “Are you the one speaking?”

“Is there anyone else here besides me?”

“What exactly are you?” A chill swept through Ye Feng—not from his body, but from deep within his soul.

“It’s a soul—one that’s existed for a long time, at least several decades,” Huaihuai answered, astonished. “I didn’t expect a soul could last so long in such a backward era.”

Ye Feng kept his eyes locked on the soul, not daring to look away. There was no one else in the room—so this must be the one who attacked him. The attacks had been of moderate strength, but their frequency and precision were extraordinary, well beyond what any normal person—or soul—should be capable of. Clearly, whoever this soul had been in life, they were no ordinary person. If not for Huaihuai’s presence, Ye Feng would have fled long ago.

They stared at each other, but instead of attacking, the soul simply asked in confusion, “What am I? Am I a thing?”

“Good grief, has this guy gone senile from being stuck here so long?” Ye Feng was speechless at the genuine bewilderment in the soul’s voice.

Sensing the danger had passed, Ye Feng cautiously asked, “How did you come to be here?”

The soul fell into deep thought, and after a long silence, finally replied, “I don’t know. I only remember I have a task here, but I can’t recall what it is.”

Ye Feng thought, just as expected. “If that’s so, why don’t you leave? And why did you attack me?”

The soul lightly tapped its head, then shook it. “No, in my memory, if I leave this place, I’ll die. So I can’t leave. As for attacking you, I’ve been cooped up so long—I just wanted to play.”

Ye Feng finally relaxed, though his guard never dropped completely. He was no naive youth; two lifetimes’ worth of experience had taught him not to trust easily. “Do you remember your name?”

“My name?” The question plunged the soul’s yellow glow into a flickering state, as if lost in deep thought. Eventually, it shook itself. “I’ve forgotten. I always feel I’m missing something essential. So much has slipped away from me.”

Ye Feng nodded. “If you can’t remember, keep thinking over there. I want to see what else is in this Luo family’s secret chamber.”

“Luo family?” At those words, the soul’s light flared, then quickly dimmed, sinking into deeper confusion.

Ye Feng noticed this but refrained from asking further. He now felt assured that this amnesiac soul meant him no harm. Its reaction to the Luo family was likely due to some deeply buried subconscious connection, not an actual memory. Even if he pressed, the soul would only say it couldn’t remember.

“Could it be this soul was a Luo family expert in life? Never mind, I’ll deal with that later.” Having reached this conclusion, Ye Feng felt at ease and decided to ask Huaihuai his true purpose for coming here. There was no point questioning someone who’d clearly lost all memory.

“Huaihuai, why did you want me to come here?” Ye Feng asked.

“Look carefully at the wall in front of you. Don’t you think it’s odd?”

“It looks like any other wall. Unless there’s another secret room behind it.” Ye Feng inspected it again but saw nothing unusual.

“Nonsense, of course there is! Otherwise, why would I have you look? Go to the desk and lift the pen holder up three centimeters, then press it down two centimeters, and finally push it back one centimeter. That’ll open it. Honestly, you’re hopeless.”

“I’m human, not a biological computer from five hundred years in the future! How am I supposed to know these things?” Ye Feng grumbled but followed Huaihuai’s directions.

Carefully maneuvering the pen holder, Ye Feng was startled to see a crack appear in the wall. He cautiously tested it, and when he found no danger, inserted his fingers into the gap and pulled with all his strength.

“Wow!” Even though he’d been prepared, Ye Feng couldn’t help exclaiming in wonder.

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