Published at 18th of January 2021 03:38:03 PM
Chapter 32
C32 . Sugar Ball
When Shi Feng returned, it was late at night, and Yuzhou City’s curfew had begun .
It was no longer snowing . A time-announcer[1] took a swig from the jug of wine at his hip, rubbing his fingers as he patrolled the western region of the city . There was not even so much as a stray cat on the streets . Neither did he see someone standing on top of the wall of a house at the end of the alley .
Shi Feng had not gone in immediately as he had seen his junior brother in the courtyard .
After his two-day absence, there was now a thick stone table in the courtyard which held some items that mortals often used for ancestral worship . Chen He stood by the tree, changing the water in the large earthenware jar .
It had snowed for two days . It was only a little, but there was still a layer of white on the roofs .
The shadows of the trees and the faint light of this snowy night accentuated the handsome figure of the youth working hard in the courtyard .
Very carefully, Chen He held up the jar . He had thought of using spiritual energy to hold it, but feared that it would spook the fish, so he could only tilt the jar slightly and pour the fish and water out . This went into another larger container which held a fine-mesh sieve used for sieving medicine .
The whole process was extremely slow, without so much as a splashing noise .
The water flowed down the side of the earthenware jar . The fish, which had hidden under the leaves, entered the container along with the water, only swimming upwards once they touched the sieve .
A hint of a smile showed on Shi Feng’s face .
—cultivators connected themselves with the Qi of the universe, and their presences did not disturb other living beings .
Only demonic cultivators would plunder the Qi of the universe and be shunned by the divine order .
Naturally, Shi Feng was heartened to see that his junior brother was cultivating well and progressing by leaps and bounds .
In the courtyard, Chen He placed the empty jar on the table, looking up randomly . When he saw the familiar red silhouette, his eyes lit up immediately .
One moment he was still patting his clothes, and the next moment, Shi Feng was standing before him .
“Senior Brother, you’re back . ” Chen He was brimming with curiosity .
The cultivators’ market managed by the Heluo Sect—what did they sell, did they set up stalls like mortals did? Or did they put everything in their mustard seed storage treasures and stand in front of the stalls handsomely, spacing out next to their signboards?
Did the market have food? What did they use for currency? Silver?
Did the beasts go about in their true forms, or was there any rule stating that they had to be in human forms? No, wait, if they appeared in the market, would they be knocked unconscious, drugged unconscious, kidnapped…basically, sold off?
—since Senior Brother had not brought him along, it was probably quite the perilous place .
“Senior Brother, I hope you’re all right . ” Chen He became anxious when he noticed that the edge of Shi Feng’s sleeve had some damage .
Shi Feng’s clothes were not cut from any cloth made by mortals; the material was waterproof and fireproof . If it were damaged, the opponent must have used some magic items at the very least .
If even powerful individuals like Senior Brother had to fight hard at the market, then shopping in the cultivation world must be quite the tough task .
That was just like trying to buy vegetables from the Yuzhou market on a snowy day like this one . One had to be swift, severe, and sharp, and willing to spend as well . That was how Auntie Wang next door managed to come back with two piles of cabbage, while the ones who did not manage to get any cabbage could only buy pickled cabbage . How could pickled cabbage compare to fresh produce?
Chen He silently added a reminder to his cultivation checklist: Without strength, one cannot buy anything good at the market .
Of course, Shi Feng had no idea that his junior brother’s thoughts had run away faster and further than a wild horse free of its reins .
The first thing he saw when lowering his gaze was the worried expression on Chen He’s face . He could not help but stroke the latter’s head .
“Worry not, it is common for cultivators to engage in duels . ”
This casual tone made Chen He remember just how hard Auntie Wang had fought for those cabbages…
Chen He shook his head . He could not imagine his Senior Brother looking like that . Since Senior Brother was so powerful, everyone would probably avoid him the moment he made a move .
“About that…Senior Brother, are there many Immortalisation-level masters in the cultivation world?”
“Not many, but there are quite a handful of them, definitely more than ten . But half of them are living in seclusion . ” As soon as Shi Feng finished explaining, he saw Chen He look like a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders . He smiled, touching his junior brother’s forehead .
It seemed his junior brother had been concerned about him .
Shi Feng had a dummy bring him a bowl . He tossed the clambeast pearl, which was wrapped in spiritual energy, into the bowl .
—ah, so this was the big cabbage .
Chen He observed the pearl and the wisps of white mist that seemed to be curling off it . He looked back up at Shi Feng .
“This is a clambeast pearl, formed from the clambeast breath exhaled by the clam demons of the South Seas . ” Shi Feng was glad that Chen He did not reach out to touch this unfamiliar object . He explained patiently, “Clambeast breath causes one to see many illusions . A clambeast pearl can record everything that happens around it, and it can also remember the illusions seen by people who are enveloped by this breath . Once a mortal enters the South Seas and becomes enveloped in the clambeast breath, they will no longer be able to find their way out . ”
Chen He blinked . He noticed that the pearl was surrounded by spiritual energy which held the white mist back .
He suddenly looked up . Contrary to Shi Feng’s expectations, he said, “Senior Brother, I’ve learned the Hundred Points Circulation, you don’t have to cultivate using the foundation practices every day now . ”
Clunk .
The clambeast pearl rolled around the bottom of the bowl .
Shi Feng’s expression darkened, becoming unreadable .
“What did you say?”
“I didn’t know in the past, but later on, Senior Brother told me that you practiced the sect’s techniques to the point that they were butchered . The All-Destroying Essence is so scary; if even your blood can destroy the life force of any living being, your true essence must be even stronger than your blood . The cultivators of major sects break their true essence down to spiritual energy to help their disciples cultivate, so Senior Brother, you—“
“I have said before that you and I use the same cultivation practices . How could there be any obstruction?” Shi Feng’s tone was harsh .
“It’s that way now, but what about when I just came to the valley?” Chen He’s head hung lower and lower, and his last sentence was as weak as the snowflakes dusted off the roof by the wind . “When I wasn’t even at the Qi Fostering stage…”
Even if Shi Feng broke his true essence down to spiritual energy, it could only be used to kill .
It was no issue if his blood dripped on Chen He, since they used the same cultivation practices . But for a six-year-old child who could not even remember the previous day’s events, it would be impossible for him to cultivate on his own . Then who had been the one who cleared his meridians and helped him foster his Qi? The other people in Black Depths Valley? No, the practitioners of a sect could only be assisted by people of the same sect, and Shi Feng was all that was left of the Beixuan Sect .
There was only one answer .
When Shi Feng needed to use ‘actual Beixuan spiritual energy’, he would transfer all true essence to his dantian and empty all meridians to generate new Qi—due to the unique properties of his true essence, any new spiritual energy he generated would eventually be consumed . It could only be wasted away .
The cold winds blew the accumulated snow off the roofs . All was quiet in the courtyard .
After a long while, Shi Feng asked slowly, “When did you discover this?”
Chen He dared not say a thing .
“Say it . ”
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“After coming to Yuzhou . ” Chen He grabbed Shi Feng’s sleeve uneasily . “Senior Brother, I’ll be able to form my Golden Core soon . I’ll work hard to cultivate, and when I become like Senior Brother in future—“
“Be quiet!”
After being chastised by Shi Feng so harshly for the first time, Chen He regained his calm, standing solidly with a firm gaze .
“That is not the case . ” Shi Feng’s feelings were thrown into chaos .
The Beixuan Sect had been around for thousands of years, and the records from ancient times had long since been lost . But for the past three millennia, there had been other members of the sect who had ascended; though they had much stronger cultivation bases, none of them had over-practiced like him .
The problem was not with the Beixuan techniques at all, but with Shi Feng himself .
—no matter how much Chen He cultivated, he would never become like Shi Feng, with a true essence that quashed all life .
“I practiced the fundamentals every day to find a way to break through and perhaps return to normal . All this newly generated spiritual energy would otherwise disappear . Would that not be just the thing to help you cultivate?”
“Senior Brother isn’t lying to me?”
“I am not lying to you . ” Shi Feng’s feelings were in chaos, but he could not do anything either . He could only draw the stupefied Chen He into his embrace .
Ever since his Junior Brother had grown up, Shi Feng had never hugged him like this, aside from the time they met Liang Qianshan .
“The clambeast pearl…” Chen He mumbled .
Shi Feng had to continue explaining, “This pearl can only be stored in special containers . I did not wrap it in spiritual energy for you to see; I intend for you to eat it . ”
“Eat it?” Chen He was startled .
Shi Feng let go, gesturing for Chen He to take a seat .
“This pearl can create illusions, so it should be for crafting magic items!” Chen He peered at it . The round pearl had a sense of danger about it, and it looked nothing like a sugar ball .
“Yes, eat it and seal it in your upper dantian[2] using the Stone-borne Flame!”
Shi Feng tapped between Chen He’s brows, saying softly, “After this, you will be able to remember all that happens each day . ”
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Chen He froze .
Fortunately, the bowl was not in his hands, or it would have fallen and shattered .
“All right, you should eat it tonight . ” Shi Feng turned his head, looking at the strange assortment of New Year’s prayer items . “What are these?”
“…I saw some for the God of Wealth, some for the Kitchen God, so maybe we should…about that, the Beixuan Sect has a founder, right . ”
For fear of triggering Shi Feng’s unhappy thoughts, Chen He could only answer indirectly .
Shi Feng nodded without saying a word as he led his junior brother into the room .
When dawn was near, Shi Feng opened the door, coming into the courtyard .
When away from Chen He, he always appeared cold and uncaring . With a swish of his sleeve, the door to Chen He’s room closed silently . Through the gap, he could see Chen He asleep under the thick blankets, his cheeks flushed red .
Shi Feng stood alone in silence .
Two days ago, he rushed from Yuzhou to the capital and duelled with Grandmaster Huanjian .
Although neither of them had exerted their full strength, it was far from easy to face up to someone whose strength far surpassed that of a late-stage Immortalisation-level cultivator .
Shi Feng touched the corner of his eye, appearing somewhat tired . He believed Grandmaster Huanjian could not catch him, but at the same time, he did not know if the strongest cultivator of the demonic Dao had any more cards in that hand, and it was unwise to become an enemy of Grandmaster Huanjian . In the end, he had only wanted the clambeast pearl, and there was no need to get involved any further once he obtained what he wanted .
Shi Feng quietly made his way to the stone table, tidying up the things Chen He bought .
Candlesticks, offerings, incense burners…all common items used by mortals . Last of all was an empty altar for ancestral worship, which had nothing written upon it .
Shi Feng had no plans to put any words on it, either .
He slowly removed the red box from his mustard seed storage treasure, placing it in the centre of the altar . After being silent for a while, Shi Feng took three steps back, kowtowing .
“As our forebears above know, Beixuan may soon be finished . Nanhongzi, my master, was wiped out by my own hands . This incompetent Shi Feng only wishes for the safety of his junior brother . ”
And he left the courtyard without a second glance behind him .