Third-rank Vajra!
When they saw Xu Qi’an display the perfected Vajra Divine Art, the tribesmen of the Strength Gu tribe immediately fell silent, then all retreated in unison, their footsteps chaotic.
“A Vajra from the Buddhist sect?”
“This is a beyond-mortal…”
“Go home and fetch weapons, let’s get him!”
The Strength Gu tribesmen shouted non-stop, their eyes wary and tinged with hostility.
During the battle at Shanhai Pass, the Buddhist sect and the Great Feng were allies, and many shaman experts died at the hands of Buddhist monks.
“A newly advanced Vajra of the Buddhist sect?”
The Grand Elder leaned on his cane, face grave.
He had not paid attention to outside affairs for years, and the Vajra before him was not in his memory.
“I’m from the Central Plains, unrelated to the Buddhist sect. I happened to learn the Vajra Divine Art by chance.”
Knowing the shaman tribes had no access to outside information and could not easily be given a full explanation, Xu Qi’an said lightly,
“As for this Vajra physique, I killed two Vajras and consumed the divine blood of one of them.”
Learned Vajra Divine Art by chance, killed two Vajras? The grand elder turned his head to look at Longtu:
“Could you do it?”
Longtu grinned, “If it’s one-on-one, no problem. If it’s two against me, at most I wouldn’t lose.”
This burly and tall tribe leader glanced at the outsider, a fighting spirit flickering in his eyes.
The Grand Elder nodded slightly, “So, this lad is trying to scare us, using fierce manners to… what was it, to give himself courage.”
Not even Longtu at peak third-rank could kill two Vajras. What’s more, knowing the Buddhist sect’s vengeful style, if this one really had killed two Vajras, he’d have already been sent off to samsara by an Arhat or Bodhisattva.
The elder on the left said seriously, “Grand Elder, it’s ‘fierce manners to give inner courage’.”
The elder on the right corrected, “No, it’s ‘fierce manners to give inner clarity’.”
The Grand Elder tapped his cane to interrupt their squabbling and beckoned:
“Lina, come here.”
Lina strode over with her long legs and said, irritable,
“What is it, you old thing!”
The Grand Elder asked in Southern Marches dialect,
“Where did this boy come from? Since when did the Great Feng have such a beyond-mortal expert?”
The elder on the left added,
“The Buddhist sect has no such Vajra either.”
“Xu Qi’an, you know, Silver Gong Xu of the Great Feng. How can you not know him?”
Lina acted like a city girl recently returned home, looking down on the “country folk” who lacked knowledge, “Haven’t the merchant caravans from the Central Plains brought back any news?”
The shaman tribes of the Southern Marches were semi-secluded, rarely venturing out, and outsiders were not allowed into their territory.
Only a few Central Plains merchant caravans approved by the tribes could trade with them.
For information about the outside, the tribes mainly relied on those merchants, with a few bits of news coming from their own people, depending on the subject.
Longtu said in a deep voice,
“The Great Feng has fallen into chaos, it’s been a long while since any caravans came.”
Major events like turmoil in the Central Plains or rebel uprisings, those they did know of.
“Xu Ningyan…em…Xu Qi’an is now the number one martial artist in the Great Feng, adored by the masses.”
The Grand Elder frowned, “Isn’t the Zhenbei King the number one martial artist of the Great Feng?”
Lina looked at him like he was an idiot, “That was in the past. So much has happened here in the past year.”
Her father, Longtu, also frowned and asked, “Did he really kill two Vajras?”
Lina nodded, “Yes, just within the last month.”
She then gave a short summary of Xu Qi’an’s feats: killing the Zhenbei King, killing Dukes, killing the Emperor…and lately, single-handedly challenging the young Asura King, al-Asura, in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
When she finished her little speech, she found the elders had all fallen silent for a long time.
Longtu knitted his brows, and as he stared at Xu Qi’an his eyes showed both apprehension and excitement. His eyes gleamed and his heartbeat quickened.
Lina knew this meant the blood of her belligerent father was boiling, but due to many concerns he was restraining himself.
She had never seen anyone provoke such restraint in her father before.
The elders began muttering amongst themselves. Then the Grand Elder coughed, looked at Xu Qi’an, and said,
“Since you are a beyond-mortal expert, we won’t cause you trouble. Take your younger sister and leave.”
Though the words were blunt, the Strength Gu tribesmen all nodded, none feeling the Grand Elder had lost face.
Among the Strength Gu, a powerful rival or companion was worthy of great respect.
Xu Qi’an said,
“My younger sister wishes to take Lina as her master. I hope the elders can make an exception.”
As it concerned Xu Lingyin’s future, he wanted to fight for a chance.
The Sevenfold Gu in his body was different from other Gu arts: this thing was connected to the Gu God itself, so long as it was fed as needed, it could grow.
The Gu God’s power and secrets were not needed for this.
Therefore, Xu Qi’an could not teach Little Pea how to refine the strength Gu. In any case, the Heaven Gu Grandma was with the Heaven Gu tribe, and regardless of her attitude toward him—
From the point of view of the divisions between the seven shaman tribes, Xu Qi’an worried that the Heaven Gu Grandma might not be able to interfere in the affairs of the Strength Gu.
I really am like those parents in my previous life, grovelling so their kids could get into a good school… he grumbled silently inside.
If being polite and diplomatic did not work, he was ready to use his fists to make the Strength Gu tribe yield.
Lina chimed in,
“Lingyin is a genius, a genius never seen in the histories! I’m doing this for the good of our Strength Gu tribe, to recruit a talent.”
“We shaman tribes don’t have histories.”
The bright “Azi” girl praised by the Grand Elder piped up.
Lina was instantly stumped. Back in the capital, she’d often heard Xu Cijiu saying things like, “For a thousand years, throughout history, never seen before, after reading every record…”
After hearing such phrases so often, Lina had come to believe that if something was never recorded in history, it must be especially remarkable.
This girl’s not bad at witty comebacks… Xu Qi’an glanced at the dark-skinned, refined-looking girl.
The Grand Elder spoke slowly,
“Our shaman tribes are never short of geniuses, every generation sees several born. Your father was one, you are one, and as for this Central Plains girl, even if she is a genius, so what?
“Does that mean we shaman tribes should treat her as a rare treasure? Should we rush to take her as a disciple?”
One rhetorical question after another left Lina speechless.
Longtu glanced at his daughter, then asked,
“How many bowls of rice can she eat in one meal?”
Lina answered,
“She can eat ten bowls per meal. If there are no side dishes, she can eat fifteen.”
The Strength Gu tribesmen present all froze, and the Grand Elder examined Xu Lingyin with some surprise:
“Her aptitude really is good…”
Other elders nodded in agreement.
“She can eat ten bowls? My son is her age and can only eat five.”
“It’s fifteen bowls. Your son eats five bowls of plain rice. She eats fifteen.”
“Seems her aptitude is indeed quite good.”
The Strength Gu tribespeople discussed back and forth, their faces obviously surprised.
… Xu Qi’an felt somewhat out of place. The entire tribe’s style was so different that he could hardly blend in.
Staying with these people, the generational and cultural gap just felt insurmountable.
The Grand Elder coughed, silencing the surrounding conversation. Puffed out his proud chest, and said,
“She is indeed not bad, but there are several children in our tribe who eat as much as she does.”
He wore a face full of pride as he said this.
Xu Qi’an was not surprised. Though Lingyin had a large appetite, there were bound to be others in the Strength Gu with similar capacity. Judging talent by appetite, there were surely other children with comparable gift in the shaman tribes.
Lingyin was not unique, so they would not break tribe rules just for her.
The girl called “Azi” looked at Xu Lingyin, her brows furrowed, as if she had thought of something.
“Grand Elder…”
Miss Azi called out, and when everyone looked her way, she hesitated and said,
“But, all the children in the tribe had their Life Gu implanted at birth.”
The Grand Elder replied grumpily,
“Did you need to say that? Isn’t everyone implanted with their Life Gu from an early age…”
He suddenly froze, then twisted his stiff neck to look at Xu Lingyin.
“Li—Lina, when did Lina go to the Central Plains?”
The Grand Elder’s voice was cautious, as if probing, as he asked Longtu behind him.
As soon as these words left his mouth, the surrounding Strength Gu tribesmen, as well as the other elders and Longtu, widened their eyes, as though a realisation had struck them.
This child is not from the Strength Gu tribe…
Longtu said, enunciating every word, “This summer!”
Right, Lingyin had only accepted the Strength Gu for a short time, at most three or four months. In those mere three or four months, she has already soared from no foundations to the peak of ninth rank… Xu Qi’an thought with satisfaction.
At this moment, Mu Nanzhi sighed softly,
“These people are so strange. If I stay with them any longer, I feel like my brain will stop working.”
Suddenly, Xu Qi’an’s body stiffened, and a suspicion floated through his mind:
Why did I just use appetite as the measure of talent? Why did I not realise Lingyin had only harboured the Strength Gu for three or four months?
“A genius, a genius never seen in the histories…”
The Grand Elder was so moved that his cane nearly fell from his hands. He strode quickly up to Xu Lingyin, his gaze examining her as if she were a priceless treasure.
“I remember when Longtu was young, when he was nine he had only just reached ninth rank. He ate plain rice for a whole nine years, and it’s still nothing compared to this girl’s three or four months.” The Grand Elder voiced in loud reproach.
Longtu looked deeply embarrassed.
You can’t count it like that, the time in infancy shouldn’t be added up… Xu Qi’an retorted silently in his mind, regaining his intellect.
The Grand Elder began kneading and pressing Xu Lingyin’s shoulders, arms, and thighs, suddenly shouting,
“Strong tendons and bones, full of energy and spirit, this is a body born for the Strength Gu.”
The remaining five elders and Longtu rushed over, squatting down, also assessing Xu Lingyin’s bones and muscles. Their expressions gradually changed, from surprised to astonished, from astonished to overjoyed.
The Grand Elder looked at Xu Qi’an in excitement, “Has she always had a prodigious appetite since childhood?”
Three big bowls every meal, not even counting the side dishes… Xu Qi’an replied with an expressionless “Mhm.”
“Did she often complain of hunger?” another elder asked.
“Mhm.”
“Does she want to eat anything she sees?” Longtu chimed in as well.
Baiji, who was nestled in Mu Nanzhi’s arms, subconsciously shrank back.
She even wanted to eat ghosts… Xu Qi’an nodded again.
After receiving positive answers, the elders became even more excited,
“Excellent, excellent, a genius who completed the first stage of maturity within three or four months.”
Lina stood proudly, hands on her hips, “See, see? Didn’t I say she was a genius?”
The Strength Gu tribesmen all gazed at Little Pea in astonishment.
Xu Qi’an took advantage of the moment and said, “Since that’s the case, can my younger sister take Lina as her master to learn the secret arts of the Strength Gu?”
The expressions on the elders’ faces gradually subsided. They took a deep look at Little Pea, then exchanged glances. The Grand Elder was the first to speak, shaking his head,
“Not suitable!”
“Indeed, not suitable,” an elder echoed, shaking his head.
“Letting Lina be her master is not suitable,” another elder shook his head.
“It’s suitable for us to be her masters.”
“Yes, indeed!”
Lina was dumbfounded and stomped her foot, “She’s my disciple!”
The Grand Elder looked at her, “We are the elders. What we say goes.”
Lina glared furiously, hands on her hips, at the elders and called out,
“Dad, help me out here!”
“Letting the elders be her masters is also not suitable,” Longtu shook his head, supporting his daughter.
“Dad…” Lina called out sweetly, acting a little coy.
“Letting me be her master is suitable,” Longtu said, without glancing at his daughter.
Xu Qi’an glanced sideways at Lina. The joy on her face froze little by little, like a still painting or sculpture.
…
Heaven Gu tribe.
In a house with a courtyard well, the Heaven Gu Grandma, clothed in azure homespun clothes, sat on a small wooden stool and single-mindedly sorted through just-dug, pupa-like larvae.
They were plump and white, their bodies ringed and fatty.
This was the larva of a Gu called “meat silkworm.” When mature, the meat silkworm was jet-black and highly poisonous, capable of easily killing a ninth rank martial artist.
But in its larval stage, it was nothing but fat and stored energy. Five such larvae could fill the belly of an average person for a meal. Whether fried or boiled, they tasted wonderful.
Below the courtyard well, five people sat, from left to right:
The leader of the Corpse Gu tribe, shrouded in a cloak and hood, emitting a stench of rot, present as one of his animated corpses.
A gorgeously robed woman cradling a scorpion in her palm; her earrings were two slender, red snakes biting their own tails, forming a ring.
A middle-aged man in animal skins, sitting on the ground, absent-mindedly taking out all sorts of poisonous creatures from his bag, munching on them contentedly.
A charming woman dressed in a chest wrapping and white knickers, draped with a thin veil. Long, toned legs, a flat abdomen, well-defined abs, and an ample bosom made up a living, luscious figure.
Her light-blue eyes glittered, brilliant and luminous.
Finally, a handsome and refined young man in white, calm and elegant, a scholar’s manner, yet without lacking masculine resolve.
“Why hasn’t Longtu arrived yet?”
The cloaked man asked hoarsely, full of impatience.
“The message has already been sent.”
The Heaven Gu Grandma calmly sorted the larvae, answering unhurriedly.
The young man in white smiled, “One who seeks to do great things should not be impatient in the moment.”
The enchanting beauty in sheer veils chuckled,
“Well said. And I daresay, one who seeks to do great things surely won’t begrudge fulfilling a woman’s desires. General Ge, tonight I’ll be waiting for you in the Desire Gu tribe.”
The young man in white stiffened for a moment, but quickly recovered, and replied with a light laugh,
“When our enterprise is complete, what difficulty would it be for this general to present Chief Luanyu with one hundred thousand able men?”
He glanced toward the east, his eyes lighting up, “Chief Longtu is here.”
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