CHAPTER 55: CHAPTER 55: TRACING THE TRUE MEANING

Absurd Village.

Severed limbs and arms lay scattered in heaps. Four shadows intertwined frenziedly. Fists and feet collided with dull thumps, like relentless, roaring thunder.

Alone, Qi Xiu faced the onslaught of three Corpse Children. His eyes were sharp, and he pushed his Crimson Sand Palm and Swallow Soar techniques to their absolute limits. Each engagement at this moment resembled a hammer striking hot iron, with the resulting insights splashing like sparks. Bursts of Divine Marvel surged from within him. Every cell, organ, piece of flesh, and bone in his body rejoiced, voraciously absorbing this Divine Marvel, strengthening him and advancing his cultivation. The aura emanating from his pores changed with every passing moment. He was like a small plant on fast-forward, growing visibly with each passing second.

As the exchanges continued, Qi Xiu’s movements became steadier and more composed. His palm force was thicker than before, the Inner Qi surging through his body grew more robust, and a vague outline of a mysterious entity began to form in his mind. Where he initially needed to concentrate fully to handle the assault from the three Corpse Children, he was now single-handedly overpowering them. Qi Xiu flicked his sleeve and swept his palm, his movements as smooth as flowing water and drifting clouds. The three Corpse Children were forced to retreat again and again, the frequency of the Corpse-Control Bell ringing ever higher.

DING—

The renewed ringing of the Corpse-Control Bell then paused eerily, as if abruptly cut off. Without the Divine Marvel of the Corpse-Control Bell, the Corpse Child whose neck Qi Xiu had shattered with a palm strike writhed a few times before falling still in death.

"It seems Yuan Baiyi has finished his task."

After quickly defeating the other two Corpse Children, Qi Xiu was enveloped in white steam. His sweat evaporated from the intense heat, making him appear like an Immortal descending from the clouds. As he spoke, a streak of light flew back from the distance.

Holding a bloodstained, shriveled fox head, Yuan Baiyi was covered in cuts, his hair flecked with fine jade fragments.

"How did it go?" Qi Xiu glanced sideways at Yuan Baiyi. Looking like this, did he not win?

"That Jade Bodhisattva demon tried to flee but was pinned by my Xuanzhong Sword. Unable to break free, it eventually chose to self-destruct. I found this Fox Demon’s head at its hiding place." Shaking the fox head in his hand, Yuan Baiyi breathed a sigh of relief. "With the Jade Bodhisattva’s self-destruction and the Fox Demon beheaded, this demon-slaying mission can be considered passable, though it’s regrettable the Jade Bodhisattva wasn’t captured alive."

"It self-destructed?" Taken aback, Qi Xiu’s eyes showed a flicker of surprise. He had clashed with the Jade Bodhisattva several times and was well aware of its cunning and treachery. He never expected it to choose such a drastic measure as self-destruction, preferring death over falling into Yuan Baiyi’s hands.

"I owe much to Brother Qi’s help this time. When we return to the city, I will surely repay you handsomely," Yuan Baiyi said, tying the fox head to his waist and clasping his hands towards Qi Xiu in gratitude. If Qi Xiu hadn’t been there for this mission, Nie Xun would likely be dead by now, among other things. Moreover, if Qi Xiu hadn’t held off the three Corpse Children—those tough, fearless monsters capable of indefinite resurrection—he might not have been able to pin down the Jade Bodhisattva and force it to self-destruct.

"Ah, Lv Shuai, you’re too kind," Qi Xiu said with a smile, waving his hand and looking curiously at Yuan Baiyi. "Do you still have any True Cultivation Power?"

Yuan Baiyi was speechless. I was just being polite. You’re truly not holding back.

The wind swept up dust, rolling along swathes of yellow sand. The figures of Qi Xiu and the other two at the outskirts of the village grew more distant. Eventually, their silhouettes were about to vanish over the horizon.

A crystal-clear fragment of a jade eye lay quietly on the roof of a house in the desolate village, silently observing the retreating backs of Qi Xiu and his companions.

"I’ve finally broken through to the First Realm."

Rubbing his sore eyes, Qi Xiu, smeared with various colors, let out a long breath of turbid air. The floor of the room was almost covered with all sorts of painting papers, piled up so thickly they rustled underfoot.

It had taken eighteen days. Building from the ground up, Qi Xiu had finally advanced his [Painting] skill to the First Realm.

"There are still twelve days left in the month I agreed upon with Yuan Baiyi." Stretching his stiff body, Qi Xiu slowly exercised his fingers.

The Five True Powers. Yuan Baiyi had given him a month. When the time was up, he would only be allowed to keep one of them. All the rest had to be returned to the West Wind Army. But who would be willing to return something they had already acquired? If he didn’t want to return them, he had only one option: find a way to replicate them.

The challenge of duplicating True Cultivation Power lay in its True Intent Diagrams. A True Intent Diagram itself is an abstract painting imbued with special significance. Mere copying would only yield an abstract image, hollow and without its essence. Only painting skill at the First Realm could replicate the special meaning and Divine Marvel contained within.

"Twelve days. Excluding the one True Cultivation Power manual I can keep, I’ll need to replicate one True Intent Diagram roughly every three days. That’s no small feat."

Painting skill at the First Realm could be used to copy True Intent Diagrams, but just barely. It required meticulous attention to detail, tracing them little by little. If even one detail was wrong, he would have to start over, as any mistake would affect the True Intent Diagram’s effectiveness.

No other choice. I just have to paint.

Massaging his temples, Qi Xiu stood and fetched a large supply of well-ground colors, pigments, and some fine minerals from the inner room. After the Fox Demon and the Jade Bodhisattva were slain, the West Wind Army lifted the blockade and martial law on Baoho County, allowing trade caravans to circulate once more. Otherwise, Qi Xiu wouldn’t have been able to buy enough pigments.

Dipping the brush lightly in colored ink, Qi Xiu unfolded a piece of tanned beast-skin paper. The True Intent Diagram contained Divine Marvels. Ordinary paper could not withstand it, easily cracking and curling. Only tougher beast-skin paper could bear the markings.

HISS—

No sooner had the first stroke landed than Qi Xiu’s brush suddenly emitted smoke. As if ignited, sparks visibly arose, and the burning intensified. He quickly dunked the brush into a bucket of water nearby. The flame went out.

Qi Xiu stared blankly at the scorched and bare brush tip, offering a wry smile. Great, copying True Intent Diagrams is truly a high-risk job.

Copying a True Intent Diagram was akin to standing before a Divine Marvel. One misstep could provoke a backlash from the Divine Marvel. Incinerating the brush was the least of it. In the worst case, it might even provoke a Divine Marvel backlash equivalent to a strike from a True Intent Realm Martial Artist.

Realizing the danger of copying True Intent Diagrams, Qi Xiu steeled himself, focusing all his attention on the task to prevent any further accidents.

"Lv Shuai, the demon-slaying tally has been sent back to the military town," the adjutant reported, handing a letter to Yuan Baiyi. "Additionally, this letter from the Huangtan Prefecture Governor has arrived. He hopes we can march to Qingliu County and join forces with the Kanglong Army stationed there."

"Qingliu County?" Yuan Baiyi’s eyes narrowed slightly as he held the letter. "The same Qingliu County that recently repelled the Golden Flower Maternal Sect Rebel Army?"

"Yes. Intelligence reports suggest that after Li Jiufang, the County Magistrate of Qingliu, crushed the rebels, the Golden Flower Maternal Sect sought reinforcements from their main altar, intending to attack Qingliu County again. Currently, the Huangtan Prefecture Governor is mobilizing forces from all quarters to head to Qingliu County to join in the resistance against the Golden Flower Maternal Sect Rebel Army. Besides us, the Tingtang Army and Huaye Army, who are currently on demon-slaying missions in other counties, have also received letters from the Prefecture Governor," the adjutant continued.

"Things are escalating," Yuan Baiyi mused, tapping his fingers on the desktop as he examined the letter.

"Lv Shuai, if this is the case, I’m afraid the Regional Commands will also focus on Qingliu County, and might even... alter their itineraries for it."

"That’s right. All the armies will likely mobilize upon hearing this news. That’s why the Huangtan Prefecture Governor dared to bypass the military town command and send us a private letter inviting us to Qingliu County."

Leaning back slightly, resting against the chair, Yuan Baiyi gently caressed the sword at his waist.

Qingliu County...