Blood Moon

by Patrick Laplante

  “It’s so rare to see someone with such a strong spiritual force for his cultivation level, and with such exquisite control. What profession do you practice, young man?” Zhang Yifeng asked.

  Cha Ming clasped his hands together and gave him a short bow. “Master Zhang, I’m a mildly proficient talisman artist. My achievements aren’t anything worth mentioning.”

  The old man laughed. “How modest. The talismans for the auction must have come from you, then. They are sixth-grade talismans, so it’s very impressive that you were able to craft them at the fifth level of qi condensation. Were you assessed with very high innate soul force?”

  “I was fortunate to be assessed with full innate soul force,” Cha Ming replied.

  Zhang Yifeng nodded. “Very good. I confess myself impressed. What can I help you with today? I owe you three instances of pill concoction, as stated by the auctioneers.”

  “Master Zhang, I would like to request one batch of a high-level spirit pill that can aid me in making cultivation breakthroughs in qi condensation. I also expect that establishing my foundation will be very challenging. As such, I would like to request two batches of foundation-establishment pills tailored to my qi method.”

  “Establishing your foundation will be challenging, as you say. As for the high-level spirit pill, it sounds like you are looking for Barrier Breaker pills. What is your talent grade, young man?” the alchemist asked.

  “Alas, my talent is only third grade,” Cha Ming answered. “I find myself taking more and more time to break through each level of qi condensation. If I can get the batch of Barrier Breaker pills tomorrow, I am confident I can break through to the sixth level of qi condensation prior to our departure. I am also fifty percent confident in breaking through to the seventh level of body cultivation.”

  “Interesting. Fifty percent success, you say?” Zhang Yifeng said. “Training the body is much more difficult than training qi. You must have a special method. Very well, what you are requesting will cost twelve hundred mid-grade spirit stones. Can you afford it?”

  Cha Ming gritted his teeth and withdrew a small mountain of crystalized elemental essence. “Will this be sufficient?” he asked.

  The older man chuckled. “So rich at such a young age. Come, stand in front of me, and don’t resist. I’m going to take an imprint of the qi in your dantian. I’ll be using it to tailor the composition of your pills to your cultivation method.”

  Cha Ming nodded and immediately stood in front of the experienced alchemist.

  Instead of forming some complicated hand seals, the older man took out a plain bronze mirror, which he held in front of Cha Ming’s dantian. Of course, the mirror was anything but ordinary. As soon as the older man began pouring qi into it, the plate emitted a sucking sound and began consuming his qi. Cha Ming moved instinctively to resist it.

  “Don’t resist!” the man yelled, reminding him. Cha Ming relaxed as the plate slowly absorbed increasing amounts of qi. Engravings, which had previously been hidden on the mirror’s surface, began to light up one by one. They lit up at five points in five different colors, and the points eventually expanded. After the five glowing engravings ceased their growth, a white circle and a black star had imprinted itself onto the bronze mirror.

  “Done!” the man said, breathing quickly. The sweat on his brow indicated that this was no simple process, even for a foundation-establishment expert. “You can go on home now. I’ve decided to have your first batch of pills ready for tomorrow afternoon. Don’t disappoint me, young man.”

  Cha Ming bowed and quickly exited the room.

  Seeing the young man scamper off, Zhang Yifeng looked at the imprinted mirror once more. “Five-element cultivation?” he thought out loud. It had been many years since he’d prepared custom pills for someone who cultivated this method.

  It seemed that things would be tricky for this batch of foundation-establishment pills, to the extent that he might even have to take a loss. Unfortunately, he’d already quoted a price. He quietly berated himself for this foolish mistake.

  Fine, fine, he thought. It’s not every day that I get to help out such a promising youngster. If only the situation wasn’t so dire… I don’t want to throw so many talented youths to the wolves, but it seems I have no choice.

  Looking at the plate again, he finally noticed the white circle and the black star. Is this creation qi and destruction qi? Shit. He was definitely going to take a loss on this one. Who the hell even gave that boy that cultivation method? He’d never heard of a cultivation method that could generate seven types of qi in one body, much less creation qi and destruction qi!

  Sighing, he called out to the next person on his list. This time, it was a young lady. Water and wood element cultivation. And a spirit doctor apprentice. Another good seedling who probably wouldn’t get to see the next month.

  But what choice did he have?

  * * *

  1 Kukris are a type of curved dagger, commonly associated with the Nepalese Gurkhas. They are well suited to hacking and slashing but are inadequate for stabbing motions.

  Chapter 16: Master Smith Bei Ling

  A group of two youngsters, a young man, and a fox were walking along a shabby road in an otherwise resplendent city. In the merchant district, the philosophy of fashion over function had prevailed. Here, only function existed.

  On the right, they observed a billowing forge out in the open air. A spiritual blacksmith pounded a piece of heated metal continuously, not stopping for a single breath. His apprentices were both channeling flames into the furnace, struggling to keep the metal at a consistently high temperature. Everyone was sweating profusely.

  The smith used a spiritual hammer to forge the piece of metal. It was clear and fragile-looking yet harder than any metal Cha Ming had ever heard of. It shone with a bright white glow. Hong Lai had instructed Cha Ming on the subject previously. The clear hammer was condensed with pure spiritual force, which meant that it was also free from any material imperfections. It was the perfect instrument for forging an enchanted weapon.

  Soon their group had passed the forge and stumbled upon an open-doored shop. Hong Lai motioned for the group to follow him inside, where they were greeted with a dazzling spectacle. To one side, a pile of roughly cut colored stones was stuffed in a corner. The odd loose stone had found its way to the path that ran through the middle of the store.

  On the other side, there was a clear display case. Bright and colorful gems and intricate carvings had been mounted inside. One of the carvings, a life-sized statue of a fierce rabbit, had been carved out of pure emerald and covered in glittering runes. Its eyes were made of rubies, which appeared to be naturally embedded in the giant emerald gemstone. But could such a coincidence really occur in nature? The rubies glittered fiercely, and somehow Cha Ming could sense a baleful aura emanating from the carving.

  In another corner of the workshop, a cluttered work desk was covered in glittering piles of dust. These were evidently precious gem shavings, which had been chipped off with specialized carving tools. Hong Lai explained that these tools were all composed of soul alloy and were inscribed with runes that increased hardness and sharpness. A middle-aged man was using one such carving tool to carve a small dragon out of a piece of purple jade. His motions were fluid and well practiced, a testament to the many years he had spent perfecting his craft.

  Hong Lai was here for a few specific pieces. He paid an unknown amount of spirit stones to obtain eighteen uncut and unpolished red stones. They were covered in a familiar metallic sheen. Clearly Hong Lai was planning on crafting them each into a protective lotus brooch to fulfill his prior promise.

  “Brother Hong,” Cha Ming said, “with everything that you’ve done for us so far, there’s really no need to compensate us for the brooch any longer.” The recommendation he was about to receive was worth much more than these minor trinkets.

  “Nonsense!” the man replied with full gusto. “It’s not only to compensate you. Rather, I want t
o see the result of the final product after modifications. I also want you to evaluate the final product. It’s something you owe me, after all.”

  Cha Ming was unable to deny the man’s request. After the purchase was completed, they continued onward down the same ill-maintained street. As they walked, the buildings became more and more decrepit. There were even several abandoned buildings with for-sale signs attached to them.

  Finally, at the end of the road, they saw a small wooden shack. It was covered in holes and seemed like it could barely stand up to the light morning breeze. Hong Lai didn’t stand on ceremony and directly entered the building. Cha Ming and the others followed suit. The inside of the building was completely different than what they had imagined.

  They were now standing in a warmly lit brick house draped in luxurious velvet carpets. Several pillars supported the ceiling on this single-floored abode. They were decorated with simple yet beautiful carvings, which infused the mansion with a lively and playful atmosphere.

  A few loud footsteps were heard as a wiry old man of average height walked out of a room off to the side. A pair of goggles was hanging around his neck, and his toned body was covered in a layer of sweat. He had clearly been busy in his workshop until just a few moments ago. Retirement was obviously a relative term in the weaponsmithing world.

  “Welcome to my humble abode,” said the white-haired old man. “I hear one of you wants me to craft them an obscenely large weapon out of pure soul alloy.” Not waiting for them to speak, the man grabbed a towel from a nearby shelf and wiped the grime from his face and arms. The blue towel was covered in a thin white powder.

  Cha Ming stepped forward and greeted the elder. “Master Bei, Brother Hong has informed me you are the best spiritual blacksmith for forging soul-alloy weapons in the city. I’ll be heading out on the rescue mission in one week, and I was hoping to have you craft me a new battle staff by the time I set out.”

  “All right,” the man said. “Exactly how much soul alloy do you have on you? You might not know this, but looks can be very deceiving with this material. It’s also surprisingly heavy. People just don’t know about this little detail because they are used to dealing with small, thin objects like carving knives or herb-gathering knives.”

  Rather than explaining in words, Cha Ming dumped out a small pile of refined soul alloy onto the floor. There were 240 chunks in total. Without standing on ceremony, Master Bei walked up to the pile and brought up one of the soul chunks to his eye. He then took out a vicious-looking knife from his tool belt and chopped the ball in half. He observed the insides carefully and even licked the freshly cut surface.

  “Not bad,” Master Bei said, nodding. “This will be enough. How much do you weigh? And how long do you want the staff?”

  “I weigh about 190 jin. Ideally, the staff would be seventy-two inches long and two inches thick,” Cha Ming replied.

  “Fair enough. The primary consideration for building the staff is its unmodified weight relative to yours and its length. The thickness can be adjusted accordingly. Let’s step outside for a bit,” the old man said. He led them to a brightly lit courtyard. His “humble abode” was obviously a spatial treasure, as the shack they had seen previously most certainly could not accommodate such a large mansion. The man brought them to a small dueling pad, which the man stepped onto.

  “Show me what you got, boy! Don’t hold anything back!” the man yelled as a clear sledgehammer materialized in his hands. Though he was a foundation-establishment expert, he had restricted his cultivation to the sixth level of qi condensation. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to restrict his fleshly body strength; the pressure of a dual body and qi refiner flooded out from him like a breached dam.

  Cha Ming didn’t hesitate and took out his staff. Simultaneously, a group of seventy-two white soul pearls spread out to restrict the man’s movements. They moved into a complex formation whose basic shape was akin to the simplest snowflake. As a result, the cold-based suppression on the man’s movement reached an all-time high. As Cha Ming moved, the snowflake formation followed with Cha Ming as its center.

  Since this was a demonstration and not an all-out battle to the death, Cha Ming displayed every movement he could. He zipped around with his Shearing Staff Art and Seven Cloud Steps, utilizing his advantage in movement speed. Despite his best attempts, Bei Ling’s physical body was much too strong, and the slight cuts he managed to inflict on the older man’s fierce body healed almost instantly.

  Cha Ming attempted a different approach. If physical strikes didn’t work, he would try energy attacks. Instantly, the snowflake formation surrounding him formed a vivid forest. The forest quickly burst into flames, surrounding the man in a blazing inferno.

  “Hah!” the older man yelled, holding out his arms arrogantly. “You dare to use fire against me, a person who plays with fire during his every waking hour?”

  The smug look was replaced with a look of shock as the flaming power was quickly converted into a formation that looked like several overlapping circles. The wood-and-fire-fueled quaking formation concentrated all its powers of vibration on a single point, greatly weakening the man’s defense and stability. Cha Ming took advantage of his surprise to increase his weight using Mountain Stance, and he smashed downward with a vicious Quake Staff.

  For the first time, the older man was forced to block. Unsurprisingly, Cha Ming was forced backward due to the recoil of his technique. Yet he pressed forward quickly with Burst Steps and used Sword Staff to leave a few nicks on the man’s torso.

  “My turn!” the man exclaimed. He grabbed his war hammer with both hands, lunging forward with incredible speed. Cha Ming was forced to cancel his quake formation and rematerialize the frost formation. With Bei Ling’s speed decreased, he managed to deflect a few fierce blows with his Wading Through the Reeds Staff Art, complementing it with his White Willow Shade movement technique. His deceptive movements were used to walk around the fierce man’s relentless assault.

  After a few breaths, the man’s attack pattern changed. He was now anticipating Cha Ming’s movements. He was clearly an experienced fighter. Accordingly, Cha Ming decided to prevent the man’s assault with his Trapping Staff Art. Sometimes he interrupted the man’s footwork for fractions of a second, buying himself time to outmaneuver him. Other times he proactively struck the man’s hammer at the beginning of its movement arc, nullifying the attack entirely and disrupting his rhythm.

  Frustrated, the man flung himself backward. “Let’s see how you receive this technique!” Suddenly, the clear hammer he was holding started glowing with a metallic sheen. He then blew out a burst of roaring flames, which were also infused into the hammer. He raised the hammer up above his head and unleashed a fast and powerful strike. Seeing that he couldn’t dodge this blow, Cha Ming could only block.

  Cha Ming’s heart palpitated as he reacted quickly. His pearls underwent three transformations. An inferno was infused into the quaking formation, which then infused itself into a peerless blade. The blade struck out, splitting apart the oncoming wave of power with pure sharpness.

  The response was very effective, greatly diminishing the man’s attack power. To confront the remaining power of the attack, Cha Ming held out his staff and executed the rarely used Flaming Wheel Defense Technique, which specialized in absorbing energy and projectile attacks. This managed to cancel out most of it, but the remaining power struck Cha Ming straight in the chest. Instead of taking it directly, however, he used the force to propel himself backward and skated into the direction of the force. The remainder was dissipated over a short amount of time, and Cha Ming finally came to a halt at the edge of the dueling platform.

  A trickle of blood ran down Cha Ming’s mouth, an indication of internal wounds. The original blow to his chest had still hit him, despite his best efforts at negating it. In response, he quickly formed a healing formation, completely restoring the damage he had just sustained.

  “Now that was the best fight I’
ve had in ages! I barely ever get to fight anyone nowadays, and my old bones can’t stand traveling like they used to.” Bei Ling’s hammer dissipated, revealing his joyful expression. He wasn’t even breathing hard.

  With a wave of his hand, the man brought out a copper mirror. “Have you ever taken a qi imprint before?” Seeing Cha Ming nod, the man repeated the process that Cha Ming had undergone previously with Zhang Yifeng.

  After retrieving the plate, the man walked off toward his workshop. “I’ve gotten some inspiration for your weapon, so I’m starting right now. I won’t be seeing you off. Come back in six days to collect your staff, and I’ll keep the rest of the soul alloy as my fee.” With those words, he shut the door to his workshop. A click indicated that he locked the door from the inside.

  “How was my teacher, Cha Ming?” Hong Lai asked when Cha Ming emerged. He had an expectant look laced with a slight bit of concern.

  “Your teacher seems to be in excellent health, Hong Lai. If I were to describe his fighting style in any way, it would be: tyrannical, vigorous, and domineering!” Hearing Cha Ming’s words, Hong Lai let out a sigh of relief.

  “That’s good,” Hong Lai said. “Master is pushing one hundred and seventy years. You should know that foundation-establishment experts have a maximum lifespan of 200 years. However, that’s in an ideal case. Every injury sustained can reduce this substantially, and my teacher is no stranger to battle and hardship.”

  Cha Ming, Gong Lan, and Huxian left Hong Lai at his master’s abode. They left the shabby shack and the rundown street and made their way to the middle of town, where Zhang Yifeng resided. They were greeted at the door of an opulent house by a neatly dressed butler. He escorted them to a well-furnished lounging area, where they didn’t wait long before the aged alchemist walked in.