“Are there other types?” Cha Ming asked, his eyes flickering.
“Yes, the more mysterious ones are pride devils and envy devils,” Dongfang Hao replied. “Pride devils are lightning based, while envy devils are wind based. I’m not too familiar with their abilities, but all I know is that they are immensely difficult to kill using physical means.”
“What is most effective against them?” Cha Ming asked.
“It seems energy-based attacks work best,” Dongfang Hao said. Lightning, fire, and wind work best. Ice to some extent. Earth, metal, and wood attacks are useless against them, as are physical blows.”
“Many thanks,” Cha Ming said. Then, without any warning, he used his movement technique to strike at a small figure in the room. It was the child who had asked Cha Ming if he could become a cultivator. He struck quickly, leaving no time for Dongfang Hao and Xuehua to react. As his staff struck down, the figure of the small child vanished into the wind.
“You are certainly cunning, envy devil,” Cha Ming said aloud.
“How impressive that you spotted me,” a voice said from inside the cave. “May I ask how you did it?”
Cha Ming chuckled. “I see no reason to share this secret with a devil that’s about to die.”
Swift as the wind, he darted toward an empty spot in the room. It was empty to everyone but him, whose Eyes of Pure Jade could detect the invisible devil. It resembled an ochre mist. It wasn’t surprising that it couldn’t be harmed with physical damage. Fortunately, Cha Ming had a plan.
He threw a Nine Heavens Lightning Talisman at the seemingly invulnerable figure. Nine colored bolts shot out and caused the ochre figure to wail in pain.
“How is it that you thought to bring lightning talismans?” the figure shouted.
Cha Ming, seeing that it could still hold out, threw another. He only had three of these talismans left, and after them, none of his techniques would have any effect.
“Lightning is the bane of devils and evil spirits,” Cha Ming said. “It was naturally important that I create these.” Then, seeing that the lightning was losing its potency, he threw yet another talisman.
The nine colors of lightning grew in quantity and intensity. As the envy devil tried to escape, Cha Ming used his powerful incandescent force to form a cage around it. The disparity in their souls was quite large, and the devil was injured. Cha Ming wasn’t worried about it escaping in the short term.
“You have no idea what you’re dealing with!” the devil said in desperation.
Cha Ming, seeing that three talismans weren’t enough, threw out yet another Nine Heavens Lightning Talisman. This time the ochre mist started to shrink.
Almost there, he thought.
“How about I teach you how to make a contract?” the devil implored. “You’re a kind soul, and I can tell that the power you would gain is unimaginable. In fact, I don’t see why you couldn’t devilize more than once! You could become a greater devil beyond compare!”
What useful information, Cha Ming thought. However, I can’t leave him any breathing space. I need to eliminate him for good. “I’ll consider it,” Cha Ming said.
“Truly?” the devil asked.
“Yes, I’ve considered it,” Cha Ming said. “You can go back to hell where you belong.” He threw out his remaining Nine Heavens Lightning Talisman.
The devil, of whom only a tiny wisp remained, evaporated into nothingness. The last vestiges of its ochre glow vanished. Unknowingly, two additional runes had now appeared in Cha Ming’s eyes, one green and one azure.
“Impressive,” Luo Xuehua said. “I never would have thought that an envy devil was hidden among the captives. How did you discover him?”
“I have an eye technique that can see devils,” Cha Ming said. “Devils appear ochre while devil cultivators appear yellow. As an added benefit, I can also see that you both have jade merit halos. Therefore, I was able to trust you immediately.”
“What a useful technique,” Dongfang Hao said. “If I might be so bold, is this something you can share with us? I can see that you are one who abhors these creatures.”
“If only I could,” Cha Ming said, shaking his head. “I once gained an inheritance called the Devil Sealing Scripture. Unfortunately, the jade slip I learned it from has already lost its power.”
“A pity,” the man said. “Well, we should find a way to return these people right away. Now that they are fed, it’s only right that we return them to their homes.”
Cha Ming agreed, and they got to work right away.
It took three days to migrate everyone to Goldbar City for processing. They were greeted at the city gates by the city lord and the family members of those who had disappeared. They were invited to a congratulatory feast, which Cha Ming accepted, but the other two rejected graciously. They did, however, accept their portion of the reward to recover some of their losses.
The feast was extravagant, but Cha Ming was more concerned about networking with the local lord. It never hurt to have more connections. Once his status as a talisman master was revealed, the lord opened up and discussed their local mining business.
“This city is called Goldbar due to the presence of a gold mine,” the city lord said while eating a large piece of chicken. The decorations in the dining hall were heavily laden with gold. This reflected their pride in their mining business. “But few people know that it was named for other reasons.”
“Are there other gold-related resources here?” Cha Ming asked.
“Naturally,” the city lord replied. “A thousand years ago, immortal gold jade was our primary export. Unfortunately, this has all been exhausted. Now we mostly extract varieties of gold and liquified elemental essence. However, there is one product that has been kept secret. We mostly sell it to the royal family and to the Talisman Artist Guild.” The man approached a wall in the dining room, and after prodding certain locations, it opened a secret compartment. He entered some sort of combination before withdrawing a tiny vial. It contained perhaps a jin of a golden liquid.
“Gold evanescence,” Cha Ming whispered.
“Exactly,” the city lord said. “It’s a precious resource that is generated deep in the mines using an extraction formation. This is also where we gather liquified elemental essence. As an additional token of our thanks, and as a selfish gift to forge better ties between us, I would like to offer you this small vial.”
It was a heavy gift, one which Cha Ming would normally reject. But at that instant, he felt the Clear Sky Brush vibrate, indicating it wanted him to accept it. “This… I won’t deny that I need this vial,” Cha Ming said. “However, the value is far too great. Could I perhaps purchase it from you?”
The city lord frowned at the refusal. “It is meant as a gift, and I insist that you accept it.”
“How about I purchase it from you at the same price that you would sell it to the royal family or the Talisman Artist Guild?” Cha Ming suggested.
“Fine, we can do that,” the city lord said. “We sell it to them at half the retail value. This small bottle would sell for ten high-grade spirit stones.”
Though it caused his heart to ache, Cha Ming took out ten spirit stones in exchange for the vial. The favor was still worth ten high-grade spirit stones, which was ten times the value of the reward they had received.
“I owe you a favor, then,” Cha Ming said.
The city lord shrugged. “Just come by whenever you are free in the future. I always need talismans, but the city would benefit the most if you could offer pointers to our talented youths.”
“Then it’s settled,” Cha Ming said. “I am not free now, but I will return in the future.”
Their conversation continued for a short while before Cha Ming finally left for Quicksilver City.
The wind fluttered through Cha Ming’s loose hair as he ran above the ground.
Traveling is much more convenient as a foundation-establishment cultivator, Cha Ming thought. It was a moonless night with not a cloud in the sky, a night
with an overbearing silence that forbade even the nightly creatures from coming out to announce their presence.
Cha Ming’s mind shook as his core-transmission jade vibrated. He established a link with the jade to allow for audible communication only. “Brother Jun, what’s bothering you so late at night?”
“Where are you?” Wang Jun asked. “Are you in the city yet?”
Cha Ming frowned. “No, not yet. Should I be?”
“Get to the city as soon as possible!” Wang Jun said. “Xiao Heilong has returned from his mission, and his cultivation has increased to upper foundation establishment. My sources say he just left the city.”
“So fast?” Cha Ming increased his pace. “But he’s got a compass to track me. What do I do?”
“You need to somehow evade him and get inside the city,” Wang Jun said. “He wouldn’t dare cause trouble within city limits. There are dozens of core-formation cultivators in the city that won’t tolerate a ruckus.”
“Many thanks,” Cha Ming said. “How are things—”
His sixth sense alerted him to a sharp dagger flying toward him. He swiftly cut off the connection and used Seven Cloud Steps to evade, but three more daggers had already arrived at his destination, and he was forced to summon his Clear Sky Staff to bat them away. The daggers burned with a crimson glow.
“Why does it have to be this way?” Cha Ming shouted. “Can’t we discuss?”
A large figure appeared in front of him. He wielded two daggers and wore obsidian-colored armor. “What is there to discuss?” he said. “You killed my subordinate, and I will kill you in revenge. Even better, you rejected the Obsidian Syndicate’s invitation. There’s no one who can save you.” The man was surrounded by an ochre flame.
Wrath devil.
Cha Ming quickly used his core-transmission jade to send a brief message. He couldn’t stay distracted for long. The man seemed to notice his intent and quickly appeared in front of him, his curved daggers slashing down at his chest.
So fast! Cha Ming thought. He pushed himself away in midair and used his Flaming Wheel Defense to guard. His staff deflected a dozen blows, but one managed to sneak past his guard. Intense pain shot through his shoulder, and skin, muscles, and nerves melted away like butter. Fortunately, his bones were hard like magic treasures and didn’t shatter.
“There’s no use running,” the man said. “How about you save us both some trouble and give up. Then I won’t have to use your friends and family to quench my anger.”
Cha Ming ignored his taunting and activated a Myriad Ice Shield Talisman. A shifting crystalline shield enveloped him, absorbing another two blows that threatened to pierce his heart. He used this moment of respite to dash away at his fastest speed, forsaking defense in favor of distance.
“You think your pathetic speed and defenses can stop me?” Xiao Heilong said. His figure transformed into a blur, appearing in front of Cha Ming and threatening to decapitate him.
Cha Ming quickly zigzagged around him, using his Gentle Staff Art to deflect the six blows that threatened to kill him. Only one came through, but it was absorbed by the myriad ice shield.
I need to get to the city quickly, he thought.
The city was only twenty miles away, which was nothing for a foundation-establishment cultivator. But under the threat of Xiao Heilong’s vicious blades, he could only take the least efficient route. Blow after blow weakened his shield, which finally shattered a quarter of the way in. Cha Ming promptly activated yet another talisman. Then a second, a third, and a fourth. They were still five miles away when Cha Ming heard a cold voice whisper in his ears.
“I hate it when I lose my temper,” it said. A cold shudder ran through Cha Ming’s body as Xiao Heilong appeared in front of him.
Contrary to what his words hinted at, his devilish figure wasn’t bursting with anger. Instead he was cold and calm like the night. His flaming daggers had changed as well. They no longer raged with blazing flames but burned coldly with icy black flames.
Along with this transformation, the surrounding temperature dipped to that of a cold winter day. The little humidity in the air changed to frost on the grassy ground, and Cha Ming felt his limbs numbing and slowing.
Just five more miles, he thought. He didn’t notice the dagger approaching him from behind until his ice shield began cracking. Xiao Heilong’s presence was now undetectable, as though the dissipation of his anger was shielding him.
Cha Ming could only dash away in a straight line was quickly as possible. Two stabs. Four miles. Three stabs. Three miles. Two stabs. His shield broke at the two-mile mark.
This is bad! Cha Ming thought. He was forced to slow down, taking his staff out to probe his surroundings as he moved. There. A slight shudder in the air. Cha Ming struck out in its direction with his Hard Staff Art. Unfortunately, this left his arms numb.
Are you almost here? he sent via core-transmission jade.
No one answered. The surrounding temperature dipped even further. A blue light shot out and struck an inconspicuous area, which burst into a blue ice lotus. It broke immediately, revealing Xiao Heilong.
Quick, we need to run to the city, Xuehua’s voice said. He’s much stronger than us.
Luo Xuehua and Dongfang Hao appeared beside him. Fortunately, Xuehua had water-based Daoist spells that surrounded them, keeping them from being surprised by Xiao Heilong. As a result, they were able to advance while defending. What didn’t get detected by her spells was discovered by Dongfang Hao. His hundreds of swords orbited around them, and they detected Xiao Heilong’s presence whenever one of them disintegrated or shattered.
As they approached, the city gates became visible. Surprisingly, they were wide open and waiting to welcome them.
We used our connections to have them open the gates, Xuehua explained as they dove into them.
Xiao Heilong naturally didn’t follow. Since he had come out in the middle of the night, he clearly had his own connections to let him in and out of the city.
It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the Talisman Artist Guild.
“I’m in both your debts,” Cha Ming said, thanking them profusely.
“Not at all,” Dongfang Hao said. “You saved us previously. Besides, when fighting devils, we’re always willing to go the extra mile.”
“Regardless, feel free to come by the guild anytime,” Cha Ming said.
“We won’t hold back,” Dongfang Hao said. “Those lightning talismans are awfully handy, and so are additional elemental talismans for different opponents.”
“If that’s the case, I’ll give you a discount,” Cha Ming said.
“Then I’ll be impolite,” Dongfang Hao said. Then he and Xuehua took off to a different part of the city. After briefly contacting Wang Jun, Cha Ming collapsed on his bed.
He was far too exhausted for cultivation.
Interlude: Filial Piety
A large fire illuminated the night sky above a small army encampment. It only held fifty or so men, but anyone who knew anything about their recent military exploits would rather face an army of a thousand than these elite troops. Ten thousand, even.
Ten soldiers in fifty kept careful guard as their companions slept. They did this even though no unlucky encounters had happened for years under their colonel’s watch. “Prepared men make their own luck,” the man had once said. And these soldiers listened to his words like they would a royal decree. They were always prepared.
In the distance, a white figure grew larger as it approached. It was a white-clothed messenger riding a white horse. If it were war times, such clothing would be frowned upon. However, in the current peaceful times, it was customary for a messenger to wear white to alert allies before arriving.
“Greetings, messenger,” one of the soldiers said.
The young man riding the horsed hurriedly hopped off and bowed as he delivered the letter.
“For Colonel Feng,” the man said. The soldier that received him summoned his partner and sent him off
with the letter. He invited the young man to sit by the fire.
“Will you be leaving shortly?” he asked, serving the man a bowl of stew. He looked exhausted, as though he’d been riding for days on end.
The young man shook his head. “I must return with Colonel Feng’s reply as soon as possible. A meal and a bed for the night would be nice.”
“We’ll take care of that, don’t you worry,” the soldier said. “Corporal Liu!” he barked.
One of the patrol members ran over and stood at attention. “Set up a tent for this fellow.”
The soldier bowed and went straight to work, quickly setting up the tent with military precision. It only took him a quarter hour.
Just as the tent was completed, a tall figure in black armor could be seen walking from across the camp.
“Colonel Feng!” the soldiers and the messenger said, standing at attention.
“At ease,” Feng Ming said. His men relaxed but didn’t reduce their vigilance against the things that might be lurking in the darkness. With these men, he could brave hell or high water. They protected him, and he protected them in return.
“Have you prepared a reply, Colonel Feng?” the young messenger asked expectantly.
Feng Ming shook his head. “No need. Please tell my father that I won’t be returning. I am accomplishing many important things, and I won’t get involved in political squabbles.”
The messenger paled. “Could you please write something short for my sake?” he implored. “I have a pen and paper ready for you to use.”
“Fine,” Feng Ming said. “For your sake.” He wrote a short hundred-character message and sealed it with wax and the ring on his finger. “Stay the night before you leave,” he said. “This message isn’t so urgent that you shouldn’t rest.” The messenger hesitated but nodded, visibly relaxing. “As for all of you, I don’t want to hear any rumors about this conversation. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Colonel!” they shouted.
Feng Ming didn’t join them by the fire. Instead, he sat in his tent and pondered. His father had sent him a letter, asking him to return home due to the current political instability. For the sake of the family, he said. But to Feng Ming, filial piety only went so far. While he was out here leading his men, he prevented much suffering and chaos in the kingdom. Could he really abandon these people just to please his father?
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