“This is…”
Youshi could not help but blurt out these two words. Inwardly, he resisted, not wanting to fall into Xu Qi’an’s trap.
But when he saw this ancient corpse, his eyes moved against his will. His emotions were in turmoil and his desire surged like a raging tide, overwhelming his reason.
It was too perfect. This corpse was too perfect.
More perfect than any corpse he had ever seen, even more alluring than any puppet of the Corpse Gu tribe.
Even though it looked tattered and broken.
Xu Qi’an did not answer his question, but smiled and said,
“If Chief Youshi is interested, why not take a closer look.”
“Hmph, I am not interested.” Youshi stubbornly retorted, but his wings fluttered involuntarily, landing him by the edge of the coffin.
He silently stared at the ancient corpse for a long time. Then, with both claws moving, he circled the coffin. His steps were very slow, completely focused, like an antique collector appraising a priceless, ancient relic.
Suddenly, Youshi gave a surprised “Oh?” and forcefully pecked the face of the ancient corpse.
His sharp beak moved like lightning, clearly using full force, but it failed to damage the corpse, nor did it produce the sound of metal clashing.
Youshi abruptly raised his head and looked at Xu Qi’an. He hesitated for a moment, then could not restrain himself and asked in a deep voice,
“This doesn’t seem to be the corpse of a Martial Artist, yet its physical tenacity and strength even exceed my third rank walking corpse.”
Xu Qi’an smiled.
“An expert indeed. You’re right, this is not the corpse of a Martial Artist. This body was the cast-off shell of a Daoist master from thousands of years ago. He was at the peak of the second rank, and after failing in his tribulation, shed his old body, leaving this corpse behind.”
In truth, the estimate of ‘peak of the second rank’ was quite conservative.
Youshi’s tone was slightly rough: “Peak second rank, are you sure it was peak second rank?”
As he spoke, his wings beat a few times unconsciously, as if reinforcing his words.
“A third rank Yang Spirit could never possess such an imperishable body.” Xu Qi’an smiled.
Youshi could not refute him. Daoist Yang Spirits indeed lacked such a physical body, and he had just tested it himself, this was not a Martial Artist’s flesh.
“Why is it so damaged?”
Youshi strove to keep his tone even, not letting Xu Qi’an hear his heartbreak and intense longing for the corpse.
If you knew it had once birthed intelligence, you would be even more madly obsessed… Xu Qi’an pondered briefly and decided to tell Youshi the whole story, to add weight to his offer and make refusal all the more impossible.
“It’s a long story. This corpse once developed intelligence and self-awareness, no different from a living being. I sealed it in the ancient tomb where I found it. Much later, I returned by chance, only to discover that its body had been shattered and its soul annihilated.”
Everyone clearly saw the giant bird stiffen and stand motionless for a long time.
“You’re lying! You’re lying! You’re lying!”
Youshi was more agitated than ever, shouting furiously.
Among those who commanded corpses as a profession, the highest academic goal of the Corpse Gu tribe was to bring a corpse ‘back to life.’
This was different from a powerful soul taking over a corpse, which was called possession or inhabiting, instead, the Corpse Gu Master wanted corpses to truly live again.
Someone who had truly died naturally could not return to life, but another form of returning to life existed, that is, the corpse developing intelligence.
Yet, throughout thousands of years, none in the Corpse Gu tribe had ever achieved this goal.
Longtu and the others exchanged glances, wearing odd expressions. Especially Luanyu and Chunyan, there was clear disgust in the eyes of these two beauties.
For they recalled something: The ancestors of the Corpse Gu tribe had theorised that a remnant soul left in the body of a walking corpse, if cultivated properly, could evolve into a true soul, and the corpse would then give rise to intelligence.
And thus, be revived and reborn.
But how could a remnant soul with no self-awareness possibly evolve into a true soul? It was as preposterous as humans creating bodies without a nine month pregnancy.
To the other six clans, this was merely an excuse made by the Corpse Gu tribe for their twisted relationship with corpses, an attempt to forcibly humanise walking corpses.
Faced with Youshi’s questioning gaze, Xu Qi’an cast his mind back and said,
“It once told me that when that Daoist shed his old body, a remnant of his soul remained. Through some special technique, the Daoist repaired it, making it a complete soul.”
The other chiefs were dumbstruck, staring at Youshi and finding him frozen in place.
“So it’s true! So it’s true! The ancestors’ speculation was correct. There truly is a method for ‘bringing the dead back to life.’ There truly is a precedent, it isn’t some intangible fantasy…”
The more Youshi spoke, the more excited he became. By the end, his wings flapped unceasingly, like a person waving their hands in wild gesticulation.
Xu Qi’an waited a moment, until this chief of the Corpse Gu tribe had calmed somewhat, and then said,
“So, may this ancient corpse persuade you not to side with Yunzhou?”
Longtu and the others all fixed their eyes on the giant bird.
…Youshi remembered his earlier impassioned statement and stiffened a little.
But in the end, his longing for the ancient corpse outweighed shame or dignity. After a cough, he rasped,
“Longtu is right. Wei Yuan is dead, and the enmity is ended. I should not let my own obsessions lead my people to needless sacrifices. As for this ancient corpse, your story is but your own word, I won’t take it at face value.
“But since you have already convinced the other six clans… very well, I will grudgingly accept…”
Xu Qi’an smiled. “That’s good.”
As he spoke, he replaced the coffin lid and put the coffin away into his Earth Book fragment.
“Hey, you…” Youshi shouted, barely restraining his anger, and said in a deep voice,
“I said I wouldn’t ally with Yunzhou, didn’t you hear?”
“I heard you.” Xu Qi’an’s smile did not change.
“I said I would give you the ancient corpse, and I will, but not now. Once the war in the Central Plains is over, I’ll keep my promise.”
Youshi could hardly bear this. It would have been tolerable had he never seen the ancient corpse, but after seeing it, he would not allow himself to lose it.
Who would let go of their life’s greatest love?
“Why should I trust you to keep your promise?” he sneered hoarsely.
Xu Qi’an sneered back:
“And why should I trust you? If you go back on your word and secretly align with Yunzhou, what would I do then?”
Youshi was tough and would not back down, retorting,
“Either you leave the corpse, or we’re done talking.”
“Farewell!”
Xu Qi’an turned and left, silently counting down: three, two, one…
As a fellow Corpse Gu Master, Xu Qi’an was absolutely certain Youshi could not refuse him, just as he himself could never refuse his little aunt.
“Wait!”
Youshi shouted, hastily stretching his wings. When Xu Qi’an stopped and looked back, he quickly folded his wings again and turned his bird head aside.
“Return my third rank walking corpse to me.
“And, you must, with my people as witness… write a written pledge.”
Without hesitation, Xu Qi’an produced brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and, before Heaven Gu Grandma and the rest, wrote out a written promise and stamped it with his seal.
“Keep it safe. All Central Plains folk know that this Silver Gong keeps his word.”
Xu Qi’an blew the ink dry, folded the paper, and handed it over.
The giant bird snorted coldly. “I will come to the Strength Gu tribe later for my walking corpse.”
With that, it carefully stretched out its head, took the paper in its beak, and soared into the sky.
It flew slowly, gently, steadily, as if afraid that flying too fast would ruin the written promise in its beak.
Hey, aren’t you going to avenge your father’s death? Xu Qi’an watched the bird flying high and gave a silent shout in his heart.
The negotiations were over. Now he truly knew himself and his opponent, and could win in every battle… He withdrew his gaze, glanced at Luanyu and Chunyan, and said with a smiling squint:
“Let me heal your wounds now, dear sisters.”
He summoned the Stupa tower, letting the shadow of the Medicine Buddha Dharma Aspect appear above the tip of the tower.
Luanyu and Chunyan had witnessed the Stupa tower repairing the remains of the walking corpse’s body just now, and now, seeing the legendary Bodhisattva’s magical treasure, they were both shocked and amazed.
The jade bottle scattered light like shards of gold, resembling spring rain as it fell and enveloped them.
The pain from their broken bones slowly faded away, replaced by a coolness that refreshed them to their core.
Luanyu spread her arms, twirling gracefully, her long sheer skirt blooming like a flower. She became once more that bewitching seductress, smiling as she teased:
“With this blessing, I no longer fear Silver Gong Xu’s vigour in bed.”
In her heart, she had already fully accepted the gap in strength between them. With such a wondrous magical treasure, their side could not possibly win, and he had indeed shown mercy just now.
Chunyan nodded demurely, expressing her thanks.
Are you ready for your intestines to be pierced and your guts to burst… Xu Qi’an shot a glance at the seductress with no particular expression, then nodded to Chunyan in return.
At this point, Xu Qi’an finally had time to deal with other matters:
“Grandma, where is Ge Wenxuan, the one from Yunzhou?”
The shadow answered blandly:
“We fought against you, there’s no way he would have stayed. He’s probably already run off by now.”
Xu Qi’an remained silent, then took out an Earth Book fragment once again, pouring out a damaged bronze mirror.
“What do you want from this Master now?”
The Huntian Divine Mirror sounded a little impatient, but its attitude was still acceptable. Earlier, the Taiping Sabre had been summoned to do some work, which had soothed its mood somewhat.
“Centred on me, illuminate a hundred miles around.”
Xu Qi’an instructed.
The Huntian Divine Mirror did not waste words. The bronze mirror became ethereal, as clear as glass, and then scene after scene flickered past like a revolving lantern. Xu Qi’an’s keen eyesight imprinted each of these images firmly in his mind.
The mirror had not planted a mark on Ge Wenxuan, so it could not locate him directly and could only trace him in this “simple” way.
It can talk? Is that a magical treasure…? The chieftains of the shaman clans were startled. Just how many good things did this man have?
Seeing this, Chunyan stepped aside and let out a clear whistle.
A few seconds later, dense flocks of birds converged from all directions, swirling overhead in a cloud and crying noisily.
Their calls were chaotic, and most were saying “didn’t see him”.
A few said, “gone, gone…”
Chunyan listened for a moment, then said:
“He was just in the woods to the south a short while ago, left not long ago, and headed southwest.”
Xu Qi’an also understood the “language” of the birds and instructed,
“Scan towards the southwest, no limit on the range.”
The Huntian Divine Mirror’s scenes continued to flash by, one after another, whizzing past until it reached the limit of its range.
“Didn’t find him.”
He put the mirror away, shaking his head in disappointment.
“He’s no more than an insignificant character, why bother?” Luanyu sashayed over, wrapping herself around him as she cooed,
“Xu Lang, is that what you Central Plains girls call their lovers?”
Even from afar, Xu Qi’an could see Mu Nanzhi’s sharp, cold gaze.
He solemnly pushed Luanyu away, deliberately showing an angry expression under Mu Nanzhi’s watchful eyes.
“What, do you want to break your promise?” Luanyu asked, aggrieved.
“No, what I want to say is, in the Central Plains, men and women can only be intimate after dark when the lights are out. By day, please observe proper manners, Miss Luanyu.”
Xu Qi’an forced out this line with an angry expression. After all, Mu Nanzhi couldn’t hear him, she would only assume he was rebuking the seductive wench from the Southern Marches.
Sure enough, far away, Mu Nanzhi showed a satisfied expression.
“Sure, how interesting!”
Luanyu said with a teasing wink.
Xu Ningyan’s getting up to his usual flirty mess with women again… Lina thought with some annoyance, while she fished an Earth Book fragment from her clothes, turning her back to everyone.
Ever since Chu Yuanzhen had finished speaking just now, someone had sent a message through the Earth Book every twenty seconds.
Lina, preoccupied with the battle, hadn’t had a chance to check; now she could finally send the members of Heaven and Earth Society a message to let them know she was safe.
【FIVE: It’s over!】
She had just finished writing the characters and was about to continue, when suddenly, the chat erupted.
【TWO: Why are you only replying now! I’ve sent messages so many times, did you not see any of them? Or has something happened to Xu Ningyan and that’s why you dare not reply?】
【ONE: How is he? What happened?】
【SEVEN: Xu Qi’an, that troublemaker, the scourge of a thousand years, he’s, hmm, I suppose he’s fine, right? Or did he run away?】
【SIX: Miss Lina, how is Sir Xu, is he badly hurt?】
【FOUR: Quickly tell us, what happened?】
There was less than five seconds between each message at most. Judging by the length, they must have been writing at the same time.
Coincidentally, Lina’s second message was ready:
【FIVE: Xu Ningyan won.】
The Earth Book chat group immediately fell silent. The stillness was so complete that Lina wondered if Daoist Jinlian had muted her.
Even the most hot-tempered Li Miaozhen didn’t reply, let alone the others.
After a whole twenty seconds, the first to write back was Li Lingsu:
【SEVEN: We’re done for, Xu Ningyan’s dead, Number Five doesn’t dare tell us the truth so she lied.】
But those who understood Lina’s character knew this was actually the truth, Xu Ningyan had won.
【TWO: How did he do it, he can’t possibly have advanced to second rank so quickly.】
Li Miaozhen’s fingers were almost shaking as she wrote this, unclear whether her feelings were excitement or pure shock.
This was different to the battle in Jianzhou. In the battle at Quanrong Mountain, Xu Qi’an had summoned Emperor Gaozu’s heroic soul to turn the tide.
But afterwards, Xu Qi’an had told the group of companions who had faced death at his side many times that this move could not be used again, and the Sovereign Sword had also been handed over to Sun Xuanji to be returned to the capital.
【SIX: Perhaps, when he fought al-Asura in the Hundred Thousand Mountains he already began to grasp the bottleneck of second rank?】
Chu Yuanzhen offered a barely plausible explanation, but Li Lingsu shot it down:
【SEVEN: No, there’s still demon-sealing nails in his body.】
A brief silence. Then Chu Yuanzhen wrote:
【Can you tell us in detail what happened?】
【FIVE: Mm.】
Her writing was slow, and faced with unfamiliar characters, she would hesitate for a long time, leaving many mistakes. Even so, the members of Heaven and Earth Society read exceptionally carefully.
Until Lina said: 【I’m finished.】
Chu Yuanzhen sent a message in admiration:
【SIX: It feels like only yesterday that his cultivation was sealed by the demon-sealing nails. In just two months, he has already trained the Sevenfold Gu to such a level. With his third-rank martial strength, defeating the shaman tribe chieftains is not too difficult.】
Aside from sighing in amazement, the members of Heaven and Earth Society had no other thoughts. They even wondered whether, not long from now, they would no longer feel even this awe, only numbness.
【ONE: Have the shaman clans agreed to break their alliance with Yunzhou?】
After a brief moment of amazement, Huaiqing was the first to remember the main objective.
The members of Heaven and Earth Society perked up, recalling the reason Xu Qi’an had fought in the first place.
【FIVE: Yes.】
Lina sent the message in her usual concise style.
【TWO: Wonderful. If the shaman clans don’t join the war, the Great Feng will still have a fighting chance against the Yunzhou Rebels. All the Great Feng’s soldiers should thank Xu Ningyan, once again, he has saved the dynasty.】
Though he wasn’t present at the battlefield, he had done so much for this coming war sweeping through the Central Plains.
【ONE: His achievements will not be buried. The soldiers and common people of the Great Feng will know all he has done.】
Huaiqing wrote.
【SIX: Sir Xu has never let this humble monk down. I too must work harder at my cultivation to repay Sir Xu for saving my life, and not disappoint him.】
Master Hengyuan, those words sound a bit strange… like soldiers making vows before going off to war… Li Miaozhen thought.
Master Hengyuan’s words sound odd… Lina was about to reply, when suddenly her father’s voice came from behind:
“Lina, let’s go home.”
Startled, she hurriedly put away the Earth Book fragment and feigned nonchalance as she replied to Longtu, who was standing behind her:
“Oh, got it.”
“What were you doing just now?” Longtu asked.
“I, I wasn’t doing anything!” Lina insisted.
Longtu nodded with satisfaction. Lina had always been clever and quick-witted since she was young, not like her stupid brother, who couldn’t hide a thing.
On the other side, just as Xu Qi’an was making his way toward Mu Nanzhi, he suddenly halted in his tracks, abruptly turned back to look at Heaven Gu Grandma and the others, and said gravely:
“Something’s not right!”
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