The waning moon hung lonely in the sky, amidst the pitch-black night, with sparse cold stars scattered above.
A shadow howled through the air, sweeping over the vast Yongzhou City, before flying toward a mountain range thirty miles to the south.
As it approached the mountains, the shadow began to slow, eventually hovering before a cave entrance halfway up the mountain.
“Looks like I’m the first to arrive.”
Chu Yuanzhen glanced around but saw no sign of the Heaven and Earth Society members, so he landed lightly, sat cross-legged on a large boulder with his sword in his arms, and silently waited.
After an hour, Chu Yuanzhen’s ears twitched slightly as he heard a faint rumbling from the ground.
He turned his head to the left, and saw a figure leap up into the air and then crash down heavily with a thunderous boom.
It was the brawny Warrior Monk Hengyuan, dressed in azure patched robes.
Because coarse Warrior Monks, like martial artists, could not ride clouds or fly swords, and their brief aerial leaps could not sustain long journeys, he had run all the way here at full speed.
Running hundreds of li in a single night was enough to display the Warrior Monk’s extraordinary stamina.
“Master Hengyuan, it seems you weren’t far from Yongzhou,” Chu Yuanzhen said with a smile.
“Amitabha!” Hengyuan pressed his palms together and said,
“Benefactor Chu, your aura is even deeper than before. Have you touched the threshold of the third rank?”
Chu Yuanzhen pondered for a moment, then replied frankly,
“If it were only a matter of reaching the combat power of third rank, I could attain beyond-mortal status within three months.
“But my particular path comes with great side-effects. I could have beyond-mortal strength, yet not the longevity of a beyond-mortal. Therefore, I’m letting my foundation settle further, not breaking through yet, seeking a more perfect path.”
Frightening… thought Hengyuan silently.
He knew Chu Yuanzhen took martial arts as his foundation while cultivating the Human Sect sword arts, which made his path unusual, neither martial nor Daoist.
If one had to classify him by force, Chu Yuanzhen would be a sword cultivator!
“You might as well break through first. Once you reach beyond-mortal, you can then try to perfect your cultivation. Perhaps you could create a whole new system,” said Hengyuan.
Once you’ve reached a certain height, reverse-engineering a cultivation system was far easier than struggling to create one from scratch at a weak, early stage.
Chu Yuanzhen stroked his chin and said,
“Since we’re talking about it, there’s something I find quite odd.
“Among all the major systems today, the Daoist Venerable is the supreme master of the Daoist system. The Warlock God, while founding the Warlock system, borrowed much from Daoist arts in his spells.
“It follows that in former days, the Warlock God must have practised Daoist arts first, then blazed a new trail upon reaching high rank, and established the Warlock system.”
Hengyuan nodded and continued,
“Martial arts have always existed, Gu arts come from the Gu God, arcanists are an offshoot of warlocks, but only the Confucians and the Buddhists created their disciplines out of nothing.”
The spell systems of Confucians and Buddhists differed entirely from all others, sharing no similarities.
Chu Yuanzhen, resting his sword across his knees, stroked its back and corrected him,
“Master Hengyuan, what I wish to say is, among all the systems today, only the founder of the arcanist system, the first Jianzheng, can be confirmed as someone who explored the arcanist system step by step, starting from nothing.
“He is the most unreasonable of all the system founders.”
Although the first generation originated from the Warlock system, at that time, he was still a nobody following Emperor Gaozu to war, not someone entitled to an overview grasp.
“I’ve also tried to develop a new cultivation path; and only so have I truly appreciated the exceptional genius and near impossibility of what the first Jianzheng achieved.
“I really wish I knew how he managed to create the arcanist system in those days.”
Chu Yuanzhen sighed with feeling.
While chatting idly, the two of them turned their heads simultaneously to look northeast.
Out of the deep night came a shadow riding a sword, whistling through the sky towards the mountain and coming to land at an angle.
On the sword’s back stood a figure in light armour, a crimson cloak fluttering behind, a silver spear in hand, with a high ponytail, looking heroic and valiant.
Li Miaozhen had returned to the outfit she wore while suppressing bandits in Yunzhou: a dashing female general.
The crimson-garbed hero!
…
Sitianjian, the bedroom.
Xu Qi’an opened his eyes, extended his right hand from under the quilt, and snapped his fingers.
“Hiss!”
The candle instantly lit, casting a dim yellow glow.
He withdrew his hand and pinched Mu Nanzhi’s soft yet springy peach-shaped buttocks. The sleeping Flower God noticed nothing.
Xu Qi’an took out the Earth Book fragment, summoned the Stupa tower, and released Baiji.
“Stay here and keep her company. I’m going out to deal with something.”
Xu Qi’an patted the little fox on the head and instructed.
Baiji stood on the bedside, her dark eyes staring at Mu Nanzhi’s back as she lay on her side, snorting delicately,
“Spineless!”
You clearly said you’d ignore him, but when Silver Gong Xu pestered you, hugging and kissing, you just pretend to resist. Then you conveniently lie down and say you need to rest and not to be disturbed.
Isn’t it obvious you want to go to bed with him?
“Auntie, you’re spineless…” Baiji pounced beside Mu Nanzhi, waving her little paws to give her a set of turtle punches.
Mu Nanzhi was in a deep sleep, so she could not hear its protests.
Fully dressed, Xu Qi’an said,
“I’m going to Yongzhou. There will be a fierce battle today. Stay here in the Sitianjian, and if you’re bored, go stroll in the city, or visit Xu Manor.”
But do not reveal our relationship, or Auntie and Lingyue will gang up to punish you… With that, Xu Qi’an turned into a shadow and vanished.
As soon as he left, Mu Nanzhi immediately woke, knocked Baiji on the head, and said crossly,
“What do you know? Auntie was punishing him, making him serve me to make up for his mistakes.”
Baiji gazed longingly at the Flower God, who wasn’t wearing a bracelet.
…
Li Miaozhen leapt down from the sword, glanced around, and saw that only Hengyuan and Chu Yuanzhen were present.
“Brother Chu, Master Hengyuan!”
She did not perform the Daoist salute but instead cupped her fist.
After greetings, the three waited patiently. In less than a quarter of an hour, a clear light appeared not far away, Li Lingsu and Yang Qianhuan had arrived.
“Ah, they’re over there!”
With a quick sense, Li Lingsu easily located Chu Yuanzhen and the other two.
His chosen spot was where he’d helped ‘Xu Qian’ enter the tomb, accompanied by Miao Youfang and the National Teacher.
That was some distance from the cave entrance that Chu Yuanzhen and Hengyuan had chosen.
Yang Qianhuan, wearing a silk-veiled hat, took a step, and both of them instantly vanished, reappearing before Li Miaozhen’s trio.
“I’ve brought a strong ally for the Heaven and Earth Society. With Brother Yang supporting us, we need have no worries at all.”
Li Lingsu smiled, glanced around, and said,
“Ah, Xu Qi’an and Daoist Jinlian aren’t here? Perhaps Daoist Jinlian is still far off, and as for Xu Ningyan, he’s probably lying on some woman’s bed enjoying himself.”
He sat casually, produced a few jars of wine from his Earth Book fragment, and smiled,
“It’s still a while until dawn. We’ve finally gathered, how could we not have wine?”
Chu Yuanzhen, being fond of wine, accepted with a smile, and Warrior Monk Hengyuan, not abstaining from meat or drink, joined in.
They lit a campfire, sitting in a circle by the flames as they drank.
Only Yang Qianhuan stood a short distance away, stock-still, stubbornly striving to present everyone with a mysterious and unfathomable figure.
Li Lingsu, taking a sip of wine, started a topic of general interest,
“Does anyone know who number eight is? Male or female?”
“We’ll find out soon enough!” Li Miaozhen glanced at her martial brother and chuckled,
“Even rabbits don’t eat the grass by their own burrow. If she’s a girl, you’d best not get any ideas.”
Why can you flirt with Xu Qi’an, but when it comes to me, it’s ‘rabbits don’t eat the grass by the burrow’… Li Lingsu grumbled inwardly. He was really just curious about number eight’s identity.
“What a joke, Brother Li has three confidantes by his side and enjoys music and pleasure every night, how could he possibly be someone who has never seen a woman before and is desperate for one?”
Not far away, Yang Qianhuan spoke up to defend his brother.
Li Miaozhen and the other two turned their heads in unison to look at Li Lingsu, and the thought that flashed through their minds was:
“As expected of you”, “No wonder you also trained in martial arts”, “Is the Heaven Sect really about cultivating detachment from emotions?”
…Li Lingsu gave an awkward laugh:
“I do not know military strategy nor can I command troops, so I found a few confidantes skilled in these areas to assist me.”
He really is something else. When Xu Ningyan said the Holy Son of the Heaven Sect had confidantes all over the Central Plains, I thought he was exaggerating, but now, not at all… Chu Yuanzhen was filled with unspoken criticisms in his heart.
Li Miaozhen, knowing exactly what her senior brother was like, was not surprised at all and returned to the previous topic:
“Number Eight cannot be very high-ranked.”
Daoist Jinlian would not give the Earth Book fragment to someone too advanced in rank, as they would have no cultivation potential and be hard to control. Instead, he chose someone with the potential to become a regional ‘Lord’ in future.
From this, it could be deduced that when Number Eight received the Earth Book fragment, like the other members, his cultivation must not have been high.
Li Lingsu gave a laugh:
“If he is below fourht rank, then we can send him back. However, since Daoist Jinlian did not stop him, it shows Number Eight is somewhat formidable.”
Chu Yuanzhen agreed with the Holy Son’s view:
“He must be at least fourht rank to be eligible to participate in the joint attack against the Earth Sect daemon.
“If this operation is completed smoothly, our promise to Daoist Jinlian will be fulfilled, and the Earth Book fragment will completely become our magical artefact.”
Li Miaozhen pulled a face:
“Even so, it’s meaningless. Daoist Jinlian profits without risk.”
As they spoke, the five of them sensed something and looked to the north-western sky.
Beneath the curtain of night, an old Daoist walked through the air. With every step, a lotus flower, condensed from golden light, formed beneath his feet, as if he trod on lotus blooms with every stride.
And as he lifted his foot, the lotus flower would dissipate into motes of light.
“Daoist Jinlian!”
Li Miaozhen and the others greeted him loudly.
At the same time, everyone signed in their hearts: now this was the presence a beyond-mortal expert should possess.
Daoist Jinlian slowly descended, golden light still scattering behind him, making him appear otherworldly and resplendent, the image of a great man.
“My friends, six months apart, and you are all looking better than ever.”
Daoist Jinlian smiled broadly as he spoke.
It sounds like you are praising yourself… all the members of the Heaven and Earth Society thought in tacit agreement.
“Daoist, Xu Ningyan and Number Eight have not arrived yet,” said Li Lingsu.
As soon as he finished, Daoist Jinlian looked at the shadow at Li Miaozhen’s feet, twisted and uncertain by the firelight, and smiled:
“He arrived long ago.”
The shadow suddenly swelled and turned into a pitch-black human shape, then the features became clear. It was none other than Xu Qi’an in a splendid azure robe.
“Everyone, long time no see.”
Xu Qi’an smiled and cupped his hands.
Li Miaozhen was startled. She looked down at her shadow and a blush appeared on her fair cheeks as she said angrily:
“What were you doing hiding in my shadow!”
It is certainly better to emerge from the shadow of a beautiful girl than from that of a rough man… Xu Qi’an turned to Yang Qianhuan and said:
“Senior Brother Yang, you’re here too.”
Yang Qianhuan let out an “Mm”, speaking in a casual, unconcerned tone:
“I heard you helped the Eldest Princess ascend the throne? Nicely done.”
He is clearly envious enough to bang his head against a wall… Li Lingsu grumbled internally. He then glanced up at the sky and said:
“It’s nearly five, why hasn’t Number Eight arrived?”
Daoist Jinlian and Xu Qi’an said at the same time:
“He is here.”
As their voices fell, from the forest beside them, a giant nearly nine feet tall slowly stepped out, dressed in a kasaya of red and yellow, a string of prayer beads around his neck.
He looked ugly, with a prominent brow ridge and piercing, hidden eyes.
For all his ugliness, he gave an impression of vigour and martial bravery.
When Li Lingsu saw the man, whose stature far exceeded that of an ordinary person, he knew Number Eight could not be the fine beauty he had hoped for, and was somewhat disappointed.
But when Number Eight entered the circle of firelight and his appearance became clear, Li Lingsu was startled:
“Asura Clan?!”
Back in Yongzhou, Li Lingsu had encountered the Asura Vajra Dufan before, so he was much more familiar with the Asura clan than were Li Miaozhen and the others.
“A Buddhist?”
Li Miaozhen, Chu Yuanzhen, and Master Hengyuan, upon seeing Number Eight’s kasaya, were dumbfounded.
Li Lingsu took out his Earth Book fragment and waved it:
“Number Eight?”
The burly monk drew a jade mirror from his garments as a token of his identity.
So it really is Number Eight… Li Miaozhen and the others gave up any remaining hope and helplessly accepted the reality.
To be honest, they had not expected Number Eight to be a Buddhist disciple.
The present enmity between the Buddhist Sect and the Great Feng is like water and fire. For Number Eight to belong to the Buddhist Sect, it’s hard to judge whether he’s friend or foe… Li Miaozhen frowned repeatedly.
Chu Yuanzhen had similar concerns. After hearing Li Lingsu call out the Asura clan identity, he abandoned the idea that he might be like Master Hengyuan; he was sure that this person came from the Western Regions.
For only the Western Regions were home to the Asura clan.
Out of trust in Daoist Jinlian, he suppressed his doubts and glanced at the others, finding similar worries in their faces.
“Sit!”
Xu Qi’an beckoned to Asura.
Without the slightest ceremony, Asura sat by the fire, took the wine jar Xu Qi’an passed him, drank deeply, then looked around at the others and said with a laugh:
“Since leaving seclusion, this is the first time I have met you all. Please take care of me.”
Perhaps it was his good-natured attitude and gentle conversational style, but Li Miaozhen and the others felt somewhat reassured.
Chu Yuanzhen considered for a moment, then said:
“Number Eight, you know well about the conflict between the Great Feng and the Buddhist Sect, and the meaning behind our attack on Heilian.
“Since you are a Buddhist, why do you wish to take part in this?”
Zhuangyuan Chu was always open and frank, stating the risks outright.
As all eyes fell on him, al-Asura said unhurriedly:
“Though I wear the robes and clothes of a Buddhist monk, I do not consider myself a Buddhist disciple. The grudges between the Buddhist Sect and Asura clan are well known to you all.”
At these words, the Heaven and Earth Society members felt a little awkward and rueful. They had once revealed to Number Eight the connection between the Buddha and the Asura King.
They had spoken at length about the tangled relationship among the Asura King, Asura, and the Southern Marches Nine-tailed Celestial Fox.
To suddenly learn that Number Eight himself was from the Asura clan was inevitably a little embarrassing.
“That’s good, then!”
Identifying him as a friend, not a foe, Li Lingsu hoisted the wine jar and said:
“I have crossed paths with the Asura clan a few times, but you are the most unique Asura I have seen.
“Asura Vajra Dufan, the Asura King, and his young son al-Asura have all become the most devout believers of the Buddhist Sect.
“Vajra Dufan died in Jianzhou, and al-Asura was, time after time, suppressed by Xu Qi’an of our Heaven and Earth Society.
“Only you have remained true to yourself, unconverted by the Buddhist Sect.”
The others nodded slightly, feeling this was precisely why Daoist Jinlian had chosen Number Eight.
From their observations, they could tell that Number Eight’s cultivation was not high, around the Fifth Rank or Fourth Rank.
But he certainly had his unique qualities.
After speaking, Li Lingsu took a drink and asked:
“By the way, I still do not know your name.”
Al-Asura swept his eyes across the crowd and smiled slightly:
“Al-Asura!”
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