[Entrance to the Wood Yao Ruins · Floating Mist Forest]
The Yao-carrier came to a slow halt on a high ridge within the forest. Amidst the dense emerald canopy, light filtered through the leaves, hanging in the air like fine threads of gold. Giant ancient trees surrounded them, their branches interlacing like vines to form a natural barrier—silent, ancient, and secluded from the world.
As Gu Xingyu stepped out, her pocket watch pulsed with a faint green light. The Mark of the Wood Yao trembled as if answering a long-lost call.
"This is it... the place the watch is guiding us to." She looked at the rock wall before them, almost entirely swallowed by creeping vines and thick vegetation.
Cang Yuan stood beside her, his brow furrowed. "This energy field is strange. It feels as if it was intentionally sealed to hide a specific presence."
Lin Lie scanned the area with his detection device. The screen revealed faint geometric patterns—intertwined like a massive root system, constructing a vast, ancient structure beneath the earth.
"This isn't natural," Lin Lie said low. "This is... Wood Yao architecture."
Sang Qi stepped forward, his hand brushing against a Yao-crystal fissure embedded among the vines. He closed his eyes to sense the pulse for a moment, then opened them. "These vines aren't ordinary plants. They have Yao-energy flowing through them... as if they are consciously guarding something."
Luo Ye snorted, drawing his short blade. "Let me give them a haircut—"
"Wait." Gu Xingyu stopped him. "We aren't here to destroy. We are here to... awaken."
She approached the wall of vines and slowly extended her hand. The watch in her palm glowed softly. As the Yao-mark flickered, a pale green light rippled outward, resonating with the vine wall.
A low hum echoed, like a seal from an eon ago being undone. The moss-covered rock wall split down the center, expanding into an ancient stone gate. A cold, deep breath of air drifted from within—not freezing, but profound.
"The entrance to the Wood Yao ruins," Cang Yuan murmured.
"The more we walk, the less I want to go in," Sang Qi said, his voice as icy as ever.
"Too late for that," Luo Ye chuckled. "We're already here."
Gu Xingyu turned to the group, her voice steady and firm. "Let's go in together. Inside, we might find the truth of the Wood Yao—and the things we are meant to face."
[The Hall of Memories · Stairs of Time]
The stairs spiraled downward. Though they were made of wood, they made no sound underfoot. The walls were like the inner rings of a giant tree, glowing with a soft azure light.
Finally, the space opened up into the "Hall of Memories." It was a hollowed-out chamber within a gargantuan tree, its ceiling hung with interlaced Yao-crystal vines. The hall was bathed in a light that felt like morning mist.
In the center lay a massive circular array called the "Memory Chakra"—the Heart of the Sacred Tree. It was engraved with the ancient Wood Yao language: oaths, healing rites, and lost histories.
Twelve pillars stood around the array, each depicting different symbols of life: medicine jars, leaf veins, root systems, scars, and rebirth. These were living structures. As Sang Qi approached one, the leaf patterns on its surface began to breathe with light.
"This place..." Luo Ye stammered, "it's different from the other ruins."
"It's not a mechanical trial like the Gold Yao," Lin Lie noted. "This is... a vessel for the soul."
Gu Xingyu walked into the center of the array. "These are the dreams and pains of a tribe, preserved by time."
Sang Qi stood in the center, uncharacteristically silent. He felt a pull—as if the hall had been waiting for him to return. "It's waiting for me," he whispered.
A beam of light descended from the ceiling like a vine, gently wrapping around the Yao-mark on his arm.
[Wood Yao Trial Initiated—The heart's memory shall manifest.]
The world shook. Shards of memory swirled like falling leaves. A "Gateway of Memory" appeared in the center of the hall, bearing an inscription:
"Only by facing the pain of the past may you find the power to heal."
A barrier of Yao-energy prevented the others from following. "It's his trial," Cang Yuan said. "We cannot enter."
Sang Qi stood before the door, struggle visible in his eyes.
"If you regret it, I can blow the door up for you," Luo Ye muttered.
"Shut up, Firecracker," Sang Qi snapped back. Then, he reached out and touched the door.
[The Trial · Visions of the Past]
Soft light swept across his vision. The air became warm and moist, like spring rain.
Sang Qi opened his eyes to a sight he hadn't seen in years: a small hut deep in the Floating Mist Forest, a porch draped in wisteria, and the scent of herbs and earth.
It was his childhood home.
A lean boy, about seven or eight years old, poked his head out of the door. "Mother! If we don't leave now, we'll miss Elder Shan's lesson!"
A woman stepped out—gentle, but weary. She adjusted the boy's oversized medicine bag. "Don't run, the paths are slippery. Bring back White Deer leaves and Night-vein vines. Don't just play."
"I won't play! I have to learn how to cure my sister!" the boy said proudly.
Sang Qi's heart tightened until he could barely breathe. That was his mother's voice—a memory he had kept locked away for so long.
The scene shifted. He was back in that room, but the bed was empty. A youth who looked exactly like his younger self stood before him, his gaze cold. "You said if you learned that one medicine, you could save her, right? But you failed. She died. And you chose to escape? To forget?"
The hut collapsed into scorched earth. Sang Qi saw himself returning from a herb-gathering trip to find his village in ashes. He knelt in the debris and picked up a charred wooden box containing a letter from his parents—their final words.
"Qi-er, we never truly blamed you. We were just in too much pain after losing your sister... we forgot that you were suffering too. You are not a god; you were never meant to carry such a heavy burden. We are proud of you. Always."
Sang Qi knelt in the ashes, his voice trembling. "Why... why didn't you tell me sooner?"
An old, blind Yao-physician—his teacher—appeared beside him. "The living are those a healer can save, not the dead. You chose this path because you want to save people, not to make up for a mistake."
Sang Qi finally let out a sob. He realized he wasn't being held back by the past, but by his own refusal to forgive himself.
"I will continue to be a healer," he cried out. "Not to fix the past... but because I believe I can still save those who are here now."
[Awakening · Trial End]
The light faded. Sang Qi walked out of the gate, his expression calm but his aura transformed. His Yao-mark glowed with a steady, emerald light—like spring returning to the world.
Gu Xingyu was the first to reach him. "Sang Qi, are you okay?"
Sang Qi hesitated, then waved a hand dismissively. "I'm fine. I'm Sang Qi—nothing stops me."
Luo Ye leaned against a pillar. "Oh really? Your eyes are swollen to twice their size. Don't tell me it's allergies."
"Shut it," Sang Qi glared at him.
Cang Yuan smiled. "Old Sang, do you need to borrow a mirror?"
Sang Qi touched his cheek. "Is it that obvious?"
"A man only cries when his heart is truly touched," Gu Xingyu said gently, coming to his rescue. "Let's not tease him."
Sang Qi looked down, saying nothing, but the weight on his shoulders had finally lifted.