Marshal Feng maintained his composure as he walked over to a small table near the door, where a light breakfast had been left for him. He calmly sat down and had a cup of his favorite tea before continuing their conversation. “Have you sent anyone inside for reconnaissance? And has the Church of Justice dispatched any troops?”
“We haven’t been able to breach the darkness, and neither have they,” General Tang said. “We thought it was a formation, but no flags, focuses, or sigils have been detected. Therefore, we speculate that it is a technique.”
“A domainlike technique…” Marshal Feng said. “Very well, let’s take a look.” He donned his black-and-gold cape and flew outside his window, his resplendent force carrying General Tang alongside him. As they traveled, he sent his resplendent force out to probe the disturbance. To his surprise, however, it was devoured as soon as it made contact.
The dome vanished as he landed. In its place was a razed building, a pile of corpses, and several hundred unconscious men and women tied up with hempen ropes. Marshal Feng floated down to the corpses where he found a note stuck to a wall with a mortal-grade dagger. They flew to his hand, and as he read it, a smile appeared on his lips. The note read as follows:
Dear Marshal Feng,
This band of evildoers was found frequenting an establishment that bought and sold slaves. According to the laws of the kingdom, this is a capital offense. We have gone through the trouble of executing these criminals.
Please report this matter to the crown prince at your earliest convenience. I am sure this news will lighten the load on his heavy heart.
Sincerely yours,
Anonymous
“Silly,” he muttered as the note burst into flames. “If you want to be anonymous, at least hide your handwriting a little.”
“This has a huge impact on our plans,” Prince Tian said to Zhou Li.
They were both sitting in his guest chambers drinking wine. The large room was spartan, containing only two couches, a fireplace, and a small table. No paintings adorned the walls, and the curtains and rugs were plain but durable. While the crown prince was austere and hard on his subordinates, he was twice as hard on himself.
“We’ll have to go with the backup plan, then,” Zhou Li said. “It’ll be messy, but I have confidence that we can unite the kingdom starting from the capital.” He grimaced as he drank the inexpensive wine in his cup. The prince’s austerity didn’t merely extend to his decorations.
“There are too many variables,” Prince Tian said. “Most importantly, that Feng Ming’s luck is ungodly. How the hell did he even find the auction in the first place?”
“That is why I told you to send him out of the city,” Zhou Li said. “If he stays, your forces won’t even be able to put up a fight. Who knows what will happen—maybe they’ll contract the plague the night before a decisive battle.”
“And what about his friend, this Du Cha Ming,” Prince Tian said. “It seems to me like he and his three beast companions did most of the heavy lifting.”
“I have a plan to get them outside the city as well,” Zhou Li replied. “Your coup won’t work without both of them gone.”
“Fine,” Prince Tian said. “I’ll find a way to relocate General Feng.”
“I do have some good news, however,” Zhou Li said. “Our efforts against Wang Jun are bearing fruit. This will remove the last remaining shred of uncertainty from the equation. The succession will proceed as planned.”
The crown prince walked toward the window and gazed at Central Square, where the Jade Bamboo Auction House was located. Despite the late hour, it was still bustling with activity. “Just why do you pay so much attention to him? Have you ever wondered if your actions are having the opposite effect?”
“Wang Jun is inscrutable, and I’d rather remove him from the equation,” Zhou Li said. “Although he is not like Cha Ming, my inability to read him concerns me. We at the Southern Alliance are trying to change the destiny of the realm. The plane’s will won’t sit back and relax while we go about our business.”
Prince Tian sighed. “If only we weren’t located in such a strategic location. Then our kingdom wouldn’t have to bear the brunt of the suffering that’s about to unfold.”
“People can wish all they like, but they can only play with the hand they’re dealt,” Zhou Li said. “I’ve been dealt a poor hand for more lifetimes than I can remember.”
A soft knock interrupted their conversation. “What is it?” Prince Tian asked.
“Your Highness, Marshal Feng has come to report important events that have transpired this morning,” his guard said.
Prince Tian signaled for Zhou Li to disappear through his secret entrance before replying. “Let him in,” Prince Tian said. Marshal Feng walked in with a pleased expression. “What happened?” Prince Tian asked.
“A large devilish cult was located inside the city, and their members were executed by vigilantes,” Marshal Feng replied.
The crown prince’s heart clenched. “That’s great news,” he said with a smile. “Did they leave a name?”
“It was anonymous,” Marshal Feng said. “At first I was unconvinced, but all was made clear once we questioned the slaves that were freed. That is, the ones who didn’t immediately commit suicide.”
“Regardless, we owe this hero a favor,” Prince Tian said. “On an entirely unrelated note, I was wondering if I could ask you a favor.”
“Of course, my liege,” Marshal Feng said. “What can I do for you?”
“Your son, Feng Ming,” Prince Tian said. “His ungodly luck is a huge asset that shouldn’t be wasted. I was wondering if we could mobilize him to aid Marshal Yong in the south.”
Marshal Feng frowned. “You promised he could stay here in the capital, where it’s safe. You know full well how dangerous it is out there.”
“But it’s like he has a guardian angel protecting him,” the prince pleaded. “You know how difficult it is to find good men, and your son happens to be one of them.” He softened his voice when he noticed the marshal clenching his fists. “I know it’s difficult for you—he’s your only son. I’ll tell you what, he can report directly to Marshal Yong, who requested his help recently. You’re both old friends—surely you can trust him to keep your son safe?”
Marshal Feng hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Very well. I’ll talk to Marshal Yong to confirm the arrangements.”
“Then it’s settled,” Prince Tian said. “Are you still free this afternoon for our weekly meeting?”
“Of course,” Marshal Feng replied.
Sending my son away as soon as he destroys a bunch of devil worshippers. Do you take me for a fool? Feng Chuan thought. This is the last straw. You think I’m upset, but I’m happy my son is being sent outside of this devil-infested hellhole.
He’d thought that the crown prince would win an easy victory. He knew now that he’d placed too much confidence in the normally competent man. Although his military advantage was large, his finances were in shambles. And with his strong reaction to the death of those devil worshippers, he finally figured out where all the mystery money in the prince’s accounts had been coming from.
Since he’s lost his finances, it’s only a matter of time until he starts the war preemptively, Feng Chuan thought. Otherwise his brother will continue to grow stronger.
He sighed. He predicted it would happen within a month.
Interlude: Of Mice and Men
Huxian was in his element. He slithered skillfully through the shadows of the Shen family compound, carefully avoiding the many guards that now patrolled its tall and sturdy walls. He knew they couldn’t find him even if he told them where he was, but he still liked making a game of it. Sometimes, he would scurry past their legs. At other times, he would slightly nip their arms, making them scream out in pain out of nowhere, sparking a search for ghosts or other such creatures. He snickered as he watched the pitiful fools guarding their pitiful dwelling, or what was left of it.
&
nbsp; After traveling through a crack in the wall, he ate his way to one of the few remaining geomantic cores. He carefully peeled away the rocky outer shell and slurped out the purest formation power. It might not be the most delicious one he’d tasted, but it was a cut above most. The key was to eat it in the appropriate fashion; consuming it with the coarse outer shell would leave a bitter aftertaste.
He shook as the last vestiges of stability left the wall he occupied. As the wall fell, he ate his way down a few floors to a network of tunnels where Lei Jiang was hard at work, gnawing away at the building’s crumbling foundation.
“How many more tons of demon-bone concrete do you need to eat before your breakthrough?” Huxian asked.
“It’s hard to say,” Lei Jiang said between mouthfuls. “At least a thousand, but it could be as much as ten thousand. Most of what I eat ends up going to waste. All I’m doing is sifting through the debris to find the delicious pieces of demon bone.”
“So that’s why you’re eating it,” Huxian said. “And here I thought you were just being a glutton. That’s good thinking on your part. You’ll be able to break through to core formation very soon this way.”
“How about you, boss?” Lei Jiang asked. “When will you be breaking through to core formation?”
“I’m in no rush,” Huxian said as he took a casual bite out of the concrete. He spat it out immediately. “I want to wait until Cha Ming does. Although he should survive with his strong body, I don’t want to take any risks this time.”
“Smart,” Lei Jiang said. “That’s why you’re the boss.” The ground suddenly quaked when he took a bite that shattered a structural pillar. “Looks likes it’s time to run.”
“Let’s do it,” Huxian yelled. His fur suddenly glowed with black-and-white runes that condensed into a suit of armor. He and Lei Jiang tore through space before arriving in the sewers right below their next target. “This battle armor I had Cha Ming paint for us is awesome! We can sneak anywhere we want, and it’ll reduce the damage we take in battle by quite a bit.”
Lei Jiang zipped past him. He was a blur of black, white, and purple. “It also doubles our speed. How did you come up with this great idea?”
“It was my ancestor’s brother who invented it,” Huxian sighed. “He was an unparalleled formation master and talisman artist.”
“Do you think he’s still alive?” Lei Jiang asked as he began his assault on the structural pillars of the Sima family.
“I don’t know,” Huxian said. “My ancestor spun off these memories aeons ago when he had his first child. The trail ends there. The only way to find out is to attain immortality. He could be anywhere in the higher realms.”
“What was his brother’s name?” Lei Jiang asked.
“I’m not sure,” Huxian said. “All I know is that he created the bagua. Before my ancestor met him, he was a normal many-tailed fox. He feared the heavens, which resented his existence. Then the man who became his brother asked him a question that changed his life: If the heavens resent you, why not fight them? Why live under the painter’s rules when we can make our own?
“The bagua lineage began that day. We would no longer seek to sprout the ninth tail that would spell our demise. Instead we would search for something greater. A bagua fox will only sprout eight tails before he begins his search for perfection. He will remain this way until he finds it.
“What a deep story,” Lei Jiang said. “My father once shared a story with me, and I’ve never told it to anyone. I think it’s time I shared it.”
“What’s that?” Huxian said. “Is it some inherited wisdom for ages past? A forbidden legacy?”
“It’s something he perfected on his own,” Lei Jiang said solemnly. “Listen carefully as I share with you the perfect way to eat a geomantic boa’s egg.”
Chapter 21: Winds of Change
Cha Ming stood atop the Jade Bamboo Auction House’s roof and watched his friend exit the city with a team of a hundred soldiers. He wasn’t sure why, but he saw Feng Ming’s departure as a turning point in the struggle for the crown. The Lucky General wasn’t one to stand idle when he was needed somewhere, so there must surely be a reason he wanted to leave.
“At least he knows what to do,” Cha Ming muttered. With the slaughtering formations in place, he didn’t have much left to do but craft talismans in a feeble attempt to restabilize his foundation. Sometimes he would go teach Feng Huoshan’s many students.
“Big brother, what are you thinking about?” Huxian said. He appeared beside the cross-legged Cha Ming and rubbed his muzzle against his elbow.
“It’s just too strange,” Cha Ming said. “The devils in the city make sense, and so does the king’s poisoning. But what is it with the evil spirits? And why is Zhou Li playing both sides? He just purposefully decimated his own forces without batting an eyelash. I can’t help but think that he wants a civil war in the kingdom, rather than the crown prince’s victory.”
“Isn’t he a pretty despicable person?” Huxian said. “Isn’t wanting many people to die only natural for someone like him?”
Cha Ming shook his head. “People do things for a reason. Even the most atrocious devil would usually have a motive for the trouble he causes. Living beings are ultimately rational, even the psychopathic ones.”
“So you’re saying he’s benefitting from all this chaos?” Huxian said.
“Yes, Zhou Li is a very rational person,” Cha Ming said. “He’s benefitting some way or another. I suspect that even Wang Jun’s haunting was orchestrated by him and that evil spirits and devils are working together in this plan of his.”
“What can we do, then?” Huxian said.
“We can only prepare,” Cha Ming said. “I’ll focus on making talismans and studying formations. In the meantime, let me know if there’s anything else like the battle armor you want me to make.”
“There is one thing,” Huxian said. “You should know that I can break through at any time. The next tribulation is the Swamp Tribulation.”
The colors on his fur faded, and he produced a small pill-like object. Cha Ming popped it in his mouth and became enlightened on a special technique—Swamp Tribulation Totem. They could be used on any creature, man or beast.
“I’ve been waiting until you broke through,” Huxian said. “Lei Jiang is strong, so he shouldn’t have any problems. You, on the other hand… Well, I don’t want to take any chances like last time. But it’s better to be prepared, and these totem markings can reduce the strength of the tribulation by thirty percent.”
Cha Ming’s heart warmed at the consideration. “I didn’t know you’ve been putting off your advancement. Give me a week, and I’ll definitely master these markings and make one for each of us.”
A man was walking calmly on his way to Songjing. He had a young face, and his long black hair was covered in thin streaks of white. As he walked, all of creation made way for him. Birds flew away, and rodents jumped; even the earthworms struggled to create some distance between them.
Despite their struggles, the man didn’t harm them. Instead he spent his time enjoying the familiar scenery. “Songjing, how I have missed you,” Zhou Bei said. He passed by a familiar stream, where he used to fish before his constitution was activated. He passed a peach orchard that used to produce fruit before he’d accidentally laid waste to the land. It was also where a single unmarked grave was kept. His late wife was buried there. She was the reason why he’d rebelled against the family in the first place.
“Zhou Fan, why are you here?” he said as he stared at the patch of grass beside the largest peach tree. A pale, black-robed young man with red pupils matching his own walked out.
“I think you have me mistaken for someone else, Ancestor Bei,” the young man said. “My name is Zhou Li, a member of the younger generation.”
Zhou Bei shook his head. “I’d recognize you anywhere. Back then, you were the one who convinced me to have the Zhou Clan defect to the Southern Alliance. And although I finally realized m
y foolishness with her death, the damage was already done. When I tried to expose the family, you framed me as a traitor and had me chased out of the kingdom. Regardless, you shouldn’t be here, seeing that I killed you.”
“This junior is fortunate enough to know some family history,” Zhou Li said. “It’s unfortunate that Ancestor was treated so unfairly. I’m sure that the family would welcome you with open arms.”
Suddenly, Zhou Bei rushed toward Zhou Li and swiped at him with his fingers. A corrosive poison caused the air to sizzle as Zhou Li barely dodged the strike and blocked the poison with a flaming black shield. Zhou Bei twisted in midair and kicked at Zhou Li, releasing a poisonous flood dragon that wormed its way around the black flame shield.
In response, Zhou Li summoned chains of black fire that bound the poisonous flood dragon, which fell to the ground and dissipated.
“I hope Ancestor can calm his anger,” Zhou Li said.
Zhou Bei chuckled and shook his head. He walked away from the orchard toward Songjing. “I knew it was you. I’d recognize that honeyed tongue from a mile away. Take care, Zhou Fan. Your plan didn’t work then, and it won’t work now.”
Come to the main lobby immediately, Elder Bai sent mentally. Cha Ming, who was busy studying the Swamp Tribulation Totems, immediately dropped his brush and made his way over. He passed several guards and attendants with pale complexions. It was only once Cha Ming entered the lobby that he understood what had happened.
“Grandmaster Bei,” Cha Ming greeted. “I take it you’ve made some progress in your research.”
“Yes, I finalized a cure just this morning,” Zhou Bei said as he glanced around at the surrounding paintings. “Whoever decorated this hall has good taste. I’ve always enjoyed Bai Suyan’s paintings.”
Cha Ming chuckled. “I’ll show you around later. Let’s go see the king as soon as possible.”
Corrupted Crimson Page 23
