Cha Ming held his hand to his chin. “Is it possible for me to take a look at the king?”
Wang Jun raised his eyebrow. “You’re a spirit doctor now? There are human limits to success, you know.”
Cha Ming flushed in embarrassment. “By no means am I a spirit doctor, but I studied under a mortal doctor for some time, so I am familiar with human physiology.” He looked back toward the Quicksilver Empire, recalling the lavish buildings the spirit doctors occupied. “Besides, I don’t think I trust spirit doctors anymore. They are conceited and think themselves infallible.”
“Very well,” Wang Jun replied. “A small matter. I’ll make it happen.” He looked at Huxian and Lei Jiang. “What about you two?”
“We’re following Brother Cha Ming, of course,” Huxian said.
“I’m following Brother Huxian,” Lei Jiang replied.
Wang Jun massaged his forehead. “Fine. I’ll arrange something for you to appear like Cha Ming’s tamed beasts.” Cha Ming frowned when he heard this. “It’s just the way of the world, my friend,” Wang Jun said. “Every human empire has a rule—all beasts, if not imprisoned, must be tamed. Otherwise, they are to be killed on sight.”
“It’s fine,” Huxian said. “It’s far better than being separated again.”
Cha Ming’s expression softened after getting Huxian’s approval.
A day passed, and they finally exited the forest and saw their first glimpse of civilization. There were villages and a large city nearby. Farmers were tilling their fields and sowing seeds during these first few days of spring. Just as they were leaving the forest, a silver glint appeared overhead. Soon, a tiny bird was perched on Huxian’s now enlarged form.
“Are you tagging along too?” Huxian asked.
“Of course,” Silverwing replied. “What kind of friend would I be if I stayed behind?”
Cha Ming could barely discern a softly glowing “friend” character on his forehead.
Make that three mouths to feed, he thought. Then he looked to Wang Jun, who chuckled. “Three fake beast-taming collars won’t cost much more than two,” he said lightly. The remainder of their trip was naturally spent housebreaking Silverwing, who was just as bad as Huxian and Lei Jiang.
Feng Ming was annoyed. All he wanted was to kill devils while leading the army. And now he was confined to barracks until his father arrived. Naturally, there was nowhere to run. He was surrounded by good men, and he didn’t want them to suffer if he escaped.
Just what could make my father act like this? he thought. His father had given him free rein until recently. Now he had chosen to swiftly retract Feng Ming’s leash. As a senior general in the army, his father’s orders weren’t questioned.
He slept on his flat bed, not touching any food or drink as he waited miserably for his father to arrive. While waiting, he heard some interesting rumors. Was the king dead? No, he had only collapsed. He had been sick for a long time. But who would take over as king now that he was incapacitated? The crown prince? The third prince?
He heard conversations and questions from every angle. Apparently, troops were getting pulled back from all corners of the Song Kingdom. All the great generals were convening their colonels and stationing their troops in ways that indicated their political position.
So that’s what it is, Feng Ming thought. Political games while the kingdom is falling apart. In his opinion, politicians and devils were of the same breed. They spoke sweet words but veiled their true intentions. They deceived the world while accomplishing their greedy goals.
Well, he thought, I won’t have it. I refuse to participate in these lousy games. There was a war to be fought, and people had forgotten it far too soon.
The final ghost dissipated as Gong Lan decapitated it with a blade of light. The surrounding air was purified. With time, the trees would grow near the decrepit graveyard. Just like it would with the 107 others.
“Where do we go next, Bodhi?” Gong Lan asked, wiping the sweat from her brow.
“Next, we go to the most central location in the kingdom,” the bodhi seed said. It appeared on her shoulder. This time, its expression was serious.
“You mean the capital city?” Gong Lan asked.
“Heavens, no,” the bodhi seed replied. “The capital is relatively new. We must go somewhere older. Somewhere ancient. We must go where the destiny of the nation accumulates, where the spirits of its kings are buried. We must follow the path of corrupting crimson and stop the enemy where the evil spirits gather.
“But what are they after?” Gong Lan wondered.
The bodhi seed sighed. “The Ancient Emperor’s Seal of Pure Jade.”
-- End Book 4 --
The Cultivation Systems
Qi Cultivation
• Qi Condensation – condense the qi of heaven and earth into a liquid in your dantian
o Stages 1-3: form a qi pool
o Stages 4-6: form a qi lake
o Stages 7-9: form a qi ocean
• Foundation Establishment – form pillars from your qi, setting a firm foundation for your future cultivation.
o Traditionally, a cultivator forms between one and nine pillars, which are affixed to the bottom of the qi oceans.
o The liquid qi in this stage is more viscous, its quantity and quality is dependent on the number of pillars.
o Pillars are grown from the bottom up, gradually forming the foundation with which to form your core
• Core Formation – condense your foundation into a core, the basis of your future growth
• Rune Carving -???
Body Cultivation
• Body Strengthening – basic body strengthening and purification. Typically, the body is fed with qi and then refined with an opposing qi, removing any impurities
• Bone Forging – bones are the basis of strength and durability. The strongest body is nothing without strong bones supporting it.
• Marrow Refining – marrow is the basis of your blood, which feeds the remainder of your body in turn.
Soul Cultivation
• Innate Soul – cultivators are born with an innate soul, and it grows as the cultivator advances in qi condensation. Eventually, the soul will make a rapid breakthrough into incandescence.
• Incandescent Soul – the soul begins to shine with incandescent light. Advanced soul manipulation of objects and mental communication is now possible.
• Resplendent Soul – wrap the soul in a resplendent vestment
Note to Readers
If you’ve enjoyed this book, I would greatly appreciate it if you left a rating on the site where you purchased it. Ratings lead to credibility in this competitive marketplace, and by leaving one, you signal to the world that this book is worth reading.
As some of you might know, I release each book as I write it. It wasn’t necessary for you to buy this book, but your support is greatly appreciated. If you are so inclined, you can continue reading as I write at:
https://royalroadl.com/fiction/16320/painting-the-mists
I can’t promise fully edited or proofread content, but I will do my best to continue maintaining frequent and high-quality releases.
If you would like to receive bimonthly updates on writing progress, releases, and the life of Patrick Laplante, subscribe to the Painting the Mists newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dymvO1. You can also find a link to the newsletter at www.paintingthemists.com. As a bonus for subscribing, you’ll receive exclusive biography sketches for each of the key characters, starting with Huxian!
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Acknowledgments
As I continue to write, I find that this list of acknowledgments grows. There are far too many people to thank—if I missed you, I’m sorry. It wasn’t intentional. This time, I’d like to specially acknowledge this book’s beta readers: Denis Laplante (my brother), Dave Yeung (who has been providing feedback since the start of
the series), Sarah, Psiioniic (RR), Astrael (RR), and Savane (RR).
Just like before, I would like to acknowledge my parents, who continue to encourage me on my journey in writing this novel series. Likewise, thanks go to my two brothers and my sister. Thank you once again, Denis, for joining the beta team, and thank you, Levi, for finally starting to read the novel.
Thank you to all my friends once again. I recently took some time off work to focus on writing, and after talking to them, I’m convinced that I’ve made the right decision.
Thank you to my girlfriend, Xing Wen, who continues to support me as I write this series.
Many thanks to Crystal Watanabe for her excellent support while editing my novel. My writing continues to improve with her help, so I’m glad to have her on board.
Thank you once again to Michael Vasilev for the excellent cover. As far as I can tell, they keep getting better and better.
Thank you to my patrons. Though I am ending my Patreon account for various reasons, thank you for your unquestioning support.
Finally, thank you to my readers. I write to tell stories to people, and a story is worth nothing if it isn’t shared.
About the Author
Patrick Georges Laplante was born in a small town in the Canadian prairies in 1987. He began publishing Painting the Mists online under the pseudonym RedMirage in January 2018.
An engineer by trade, he graduated from the University of Alberta in 2009 and completed his master’s degree in 2011. While writing and engineering have little in common, he actively utilizes his experiences and attention to detail in fleshing out a vivid world and answering the “whys,” which are often left unanswered in Xianxia fiction.
As an avid vegan, he aims to prompt internal reflection in his readers through various themes like non-violence, choice, and begging the question: Is personhood restricted to humanity? And what is proper conduct, morality, and love?
His work is inspired by a combination of Western fiction, Dungeons and Dragons, Chinese web novels, and various Japanese, Korean, and Chinese comics and illustrated novels.
Pure Jade Page 39
