Inside the Cave...
The soft light of the glowing silk threads cast strange shadows on the stone floor. Both eyes widened, fixated on the binding spell. The atmosphere had become dangerously quiet, as if even a storm had passed.
Mo Yan stared at the glowing white bands around his wrists, his voice gradually growing indignant.
"Master never told us anything about such a spell."
Yu Sui, having considered this, stared intently at the threads. At first, he didn't respond. Then, after a moment of silence, he spoke, his voice calm and thoughtful, yet uncertain.
"I've never seen a binding spell like this before. It looks very old. I don't think it's a normal soul spell."
Mo Yan and Yu Sui simply stood in silence, their spirit animals hovering in the air behind them disappearing into their bodies once again. Everything else was back to normal, everything returning to its original position, except for the new spell that bound them together like strange strips of light. With each passing moment, the tension between them grew. A tense, heavy silence hung between them, filled with questions neither could answer.
Then, suddenly, a tense argument erupted.
Mo Yan turned to Yu Sui, his eyes piercing the air. His voice was sharp. He glared at Yu Sui in a voice like a burning fire.
"What's this cheap joke? You've used some cheap witchcraft cursed spell seal again?"
Yu Sui widened his eyes at this harsh remark. He spoke with a stern tone, as if he were wielding a sword of words.
"Stay within your limits, Mo Yan! You're acting like a king. If anyone's cursed here, it's me, trapped with you."
Mo Yan tightened his grip on his sword and yelled at Yu.
"You! First, consider your limits, then tell me. Keep your mouth shut."
"Enough, you god of arrogance!" Yu Sui yelled, pointing to the altar. "We've completed the test. Whether we like it or not, we should at least respect the holy book."
The two of them, still glaring at each other like cats and dogs, turned toward the altar. Together, they knelt down and bowed deeply to the golden book. The silence in the cave was even deeper than before with their deep respect.
When they stood up straight, they both moved outward, but at a distance from each other.
Outside the cave...
The winds outside had stilled. The clouds in the sky were frozen in place, as if awaiting the coming atmosphere.
Everyone, including Master Fung Shu-ri, was waiting for Mo Yan and Yu Sui to arrive. Suddenly, the cave door opened automatically, revealing only pitch darkness.
But as they emerged from the darkness, all eyes were fixed on them. Everyone saw them approaching, but when the crowd, and Master Fung Shu-ri's gaze, fell upon their wrists, they were astonished.
The two princes walked side by side, not in unison, but in apparent confusion and compulsion, as if bound together by invisible, magical shackles. Their hands brushed lightly against each other, held together by shining threads that shone like divine silk.
Upon seeing them, Master Fung Shu-ri hurried forward. A noticeable sweat began to form on his forehead, and his eyes scanned the wrists of Mo Yan and Yu Xue.
Master Fung Shu-ri, Master Chui Yong, and Kin Lishuan also came forward, staring at them with wide eyes. Their faces were pale and serious.
Then Master Fung Shu-ri spoke in a trembling, almost stammering voice.
"This...this wasn't part of the ritual."
He leaned in closely and carefully examined the white threads. His eyes narrowed in deep thought. There was no magic circle, no amulet, no writing. Only the spell threads glowed softly, as if they were pulsing with his heartbeat, as if they were alive.
Master Fung Shu-ri spoke with a voice tinged with surprise.
"Impossible...! The test should end when the spirit animals are marked. This...this is something else."