Chapter 20:

Hidden Shrine

Infinite Sharing System: Cultivating With My Sister In The Apocalypse

"My... these two really are the Twin Demons..."

"Shut up, Grandma! Did you not see Elder Chun strike down Fairy Mei? His fate was well-deserved!"

"Enough! Both of you!" a voice thundered from the distance, causing a faint vibration to spread through the ground.

The voice belonged to a middle-aged man, but from the pressure he was exuding, it was clear he was no pushover.

Murmurs continued as the man made his way through the horde of people. Soon, he arrived in front of Xuan and Yuelan.

He glanced down at Elder Chun, a slight frown appearing on his face.

"I once called this man brother," he said at last, clicking his tongue as he turned his eyes toward the pair. "And yet it was you two who took his life."

Then, the man chuckled, a faint smile appearing on his face.

"For that, I offer you my thanks."

Xuan rolled his eyes and nodded at the man.

"Doesn't sound like you two were particularly close."

"Oh, we were," the man said, expression unreadable. "He was my drill sergeant in my youth. The man who beat discipline into my bones. He also stood as best man at my wedding."

"..."

Yuelan cleared her throat and stepped forward. Then, she spoke.

"We accept your thanks. We only came here to clear our names. We'll be leaving now if you don't mind."

The man smiled. "How about you two stay for supper? We're having delicious barbecue ribs glazed with honey and maple syrup. For saving us all, it is only right you receive more than your share. So what do you say?"

The air grew slightly heavier, but just as Xuan was about to step in and decline, the pleasant aroma of barbecue ribs hit his nose.

And without hesitation, Xuan agreed.

"We'll stay. Do you have any showers or something where we could wash up?" Xuan asked.

The man thought for a moment, then replied. "A kilometer north, along the mountain path, there is a lake. Its waters are clear and pure, so you could try going there."

"We'll be back soon then. Thank you for your hospitality," Xuan said, and turned to Yuelan.

After a silent confirmation, the two began running north to wash off in the lake.

But even as the two acted ignorant, one thing was certain.

He sighed.

So Xuan could assume something had been done to these people. Or maybe they started their own religion where they worshiped demons.

Though who knows. Maybe these people are still not over the fact that the world had changed.

He turned to Yuelan, who was steadily running beside him.

She had changed the most. The naive and impulsive girl he used to know in the past was long gone, replaced by a calm and reasonable woman.

It was nice having someone he could turn his back to. And since she was his sister, he trusted her even more.

So after a few seconds of running, they had arrived in front of the lake.

The air was crisp, and the scent of wet stone and pine lingered faintly.

It was a bit larger than he was expecting, and in the distance, he noticed a waterfall flowing into the lake from a mountain peak.

Xuan's eyes lingered on it for only a moment as he planned to jump into the lake first, but before he could, Yuelan had already beaten him to it as she tossed her clothes to the side and dove into the lake.

Xuan rolled his eyes at her behavior. She used to do the same in the past, but instead of lakes, she used to dive headfirst into bathtubs and always ended up with a bruise on her forehead.

Even so, Xuan ignored her actions and went farther ahead, eventually arriving by the waterfall.

He was about to jump in; however, a few pop-ups stopped him.

<+1 Void Qi>
<+2 Void Qi>

"Hmm...?"

Xuan glanced at the waterfall skeptically.

There's no way, right?

<+1 Void Qi>

With that last pop-up, Xuan decided to check the waterfall out first.

He walked alongside the lake and soon reached it.

And as expected, the amount of Void Qi he was gaining was greater.

<+3 Void Qi>

<+4 Void Qi>

There's definitely something beyond that waterfall, Xuan thought and walked closer until he was finally by the wall.

And as expected, there was a small pocket near the middle part of the mountain, several hundred meters above him.

Just thinking that he was getting this amount of Void Qi when he was that far made him determined to get there.

He took a deep breath and embedded his fingers into the mountain, then slowly climbed up.

When he was halfway there, he got a message from none other than Yuelan.

Xuan's brows twitched.

Xuan turned around and pointed the middle finger at the distant Yuelan.

She caught onto that and did the same. Even so, she slowly got out, washed her clothes, and walked in his direction.

Xuan focused on climbing, and it didn't take him long to reach the small pocket, then crawl inside.

He crawled for a few seconds until finally, he entered some kind of open cave. It was lit by strange pointy purple crystals, and in the far end of the cave, there was a small, moss-covered shrine, surrounded by a tranquil pond that gently flowed through the mushy purple grass.

Xuan was puzzled at this sight, and when he took one step closer, his eyes widened.