Chapter Forty-Eight: The Green-Robed Talisman Soldier Who Exhausted All Spirit Stones

"Fifteen hundred spirit stones, for the third time—bang! This elixir now belongs to Buyer Number One." Shopkeeper Gu's aged face seemed to bloom into a smile as he struck the final gavel, sealing the result.

Xu Shi stood up from his seat with a beaming grin, cupping his hands in a demonstrative salute toward the elder in the blue mask from before—Elder Weng Xinan of the Western Mountain Sect—his demeanor radiating arrogant pride, enough to rile anyone watching.

"Hmph, you brat, don’t get complacent. This elixir not only alters one’s spiritual roots, but can also help a cultivator at the third layer of Qi Refinement break through to the fourth. Now that you’ve won this Bone-Transforming Elixir, be careful to keep it safe," the blue-masked elder spat with a tone dripping with sarcasm, clearly angry at having lost the bid.

"Bah! Boy from the Golden Flame Sect, count yourself lucky—you managed to snatch away an elixir that can raise a cultivator by a whole level. It’s just your good fortune," Weng Xinan echoed, his own mood sour. He hadn’t brought enough spirit stones today and, in the end, was outmatched by the local advantage of the Golden Flame Sect youth.

Xu Shi was overjoyed at their words. He didn’t know the blue-masked elder, but he recognized Weng Xinan’s voice. Hearing both men praise the elixir so highly, he felt his fifteen hundred spirit stones had been well spent.

Miss Yi’s expression was momentarily blank with surprise.

Ding Yuan’s mouth hung open. "It really can raise someone by a whole level..."

"There’ll probably be bloodshed tonight," Ding Yuan finally muttered after some time, glancing at the cultivators being led away by the maids in yellow. He spoke with a tinge of regret, as if the price fetched by the elixir had been too low.

...

The goateed Shopkeeper Gu respectfully handed Jiang Yan a treasure pouch, his face wreathed in flattery. "Young master, here are the fourteen hundred and fifty spirit stones due to you from the auction, along with your flying artifact, now repaired by our humble establishment. Please check them."

Jiang Yan took the pouch, flipped his wrist, and stored it in his Sect Master’s ring. With the spirit stones in hand, he was close to completing his main quest. He was eager for the rewards the quest might bring; as for the wooden crane artifact, it no longer mattered much to him.

He declined Shopkeeper Gu’s offer to see him out and left the Pavilion of Wonders alone, preparing to hurry back to Mount Hua that very night.

Night had fallen over Linqing Prefecture, but the streets were ablaze with the glow of rune-lit lamp posts. The cobbled road shimmered under the colored lights flickering from the rune plaques above the shop doors, illuminating Jiang Yan as he hurried on his way.

Unwittingly, he found himself outside the monastery where he’d once lodged for a night. Glancing up at the dark plaque above the gate, Jiang Yan cursed himself for not even knowing the name of the place where he’d stayed.

He only cast a brief look at the monastery’s open gates before moving on, intent on leaving the city by nightfall. He had been away from Mount Hua for some time; hopefully, nothing untoward had happened to his sect in his absence.

Just as he quickened his pace past the monastery gate, a clear and steady voice called out, "Layman, please wait."

Jiang Yan turned in curiosity and saw the young novice who’d seen him off that morning, palms pressed together before his chest, stepping out of the monastery. Seeing Jiang Yan look back, the novice smiled and intoned a Buddhist greeting. "Amitabha, layman. This humble monk greets you."

Jiang Yan returned the gesture cheerfully. "Little master, is there something you need from me? If not, I must be on my way and cannot stay to hear your teachings tonight." For some reason, he found the novice’s presence refreshing, the very image of an accomplished monk, and he spoke to him with marked politeness.

"Layman, please understand. I stopped you because there will be a fierce battle in the east of the city tonight. Your cultivation is insufficient; it would be best not to get involved."

Jiang Yan’s face took on a hint of mockery. "So, little novice, you say there’s to be a battle, yet as a monk, a man of compassion, why don’t you go to stop it?"

The novice pressed his hands together and bowed slightly. "Layman, it is not that I am indifferent, but monks must avoid contact with women. The center of tonight’s conflict is a group of women in purple. I dare not entangle myself with them. Besides, as a monk of Huasheng Monastery, it is not my place to interfere in the internal affairs of cultivator sects in Linqing Prefecture. Among those fighting tonight is a cultivator at the peak of Qi Refinement; ordinary practitioners stand no chance. Since fate has brought you and our monastery together, I could not bear for you to come to harm, and so I called out to you."

Jiang Yan frowned. Fate with monks was rarely good; he had no wish to become one himself.

"Women in purple?" Jiang Yan was startled. Could it be the disciples of the Violet Garment Sect? Among them, the highest cultivation should be Zisu at the sixth layer of Qi Refinement, but faced with a peak Qi Refiner, she’d be hopelessly outmatched.

"Little monk, those women are acquaintances of mine. I’m afraid I must go check on them." After a moment’s thought, Jiang Yan decided to go. He would save whoever he could, and if worse came to worst, he was confident in his newly-learned Golden Light Evasion technique to escape if necessary.

He thanked the novice for his concern and continued toward the east city gate. His route to Mount Hua would take him through the east; going by any other gate would be far out of the way. Whether for the sake of the Violet Garment Sect or to hasten his return, he had to pass through the east.

"Amitabha," the novice intoned softly. In a flash, he appeared at Jiang Yan’s side and walked with him toward the east city.

"Our humble monastery and the layman are bound by fate. If you risk yourself tonight and something happens, we would lose a destined friend. For the sake of our monastery, allow me to be your Vajra protector," the novice said calmly, matching Jiang Yan’s stride.

Jiang Yan was taken aback, never expecting the novice he’d just met to offer him help. "Little monk, you want to help me? But the enemy includes a peak Qi Refiner. What could you do?"

"Amitabha," the novice murmured, hands pressed together. "Layman, you worry too much. As a Vajra guardian, I naturally possess the power to subdue demons and protect the faithful. Mere Qi Refinement cultivators are beneath my notice."

His words were light, but to Jiang Yan they sounded like thunder. "Mere Qi Refinement cultivators"—was this little monk actually a Foundation Establishment master?

"Little monk, don’t try to fool me..."

"You jest, layman..."

As Jiang Yan and the novice conversed, their figures gradually disappeared down the road to the east city.

From the monastery gate, the abbot—clad in his kasaya—stepped out, pressed his palms together, and chanted a Buddhist prayer. He muttered in puzzlement, "Why is the little junior uncle so eager to help this layman..."

Among Buddhists, "layman" was a term for those with karmic ties to the faith. Only those with true affinity were addressed thus by monks. Jiang Yan had no idea he truly was fated with the monastery.

...

Outside Mount Hua’s main gate.

Meng Lu of Tianshan stood in astonishment before the sect’s protective array. "A Grade One Protective Array," he murmured in wonder.

It was surprising: an obscure little sect like this actually possessed a mountain-guarding array. Tianshan itself, despite now being a Grade Two sect, still lacked a worthy array due to shallow foundations. In Linqing Prefecture, only the very top sects had arrays of such power.

A flash of malice crossed Meng Lu’s eyes. He landed before the main gate and strode forward, determined to test the might of this little sect’s Grade One array.

Mist began to swirl around the foot of Mount Hua as the array activated in response to his intrusion. Meng Lu’s vision was quickly obscured by thick fog, and in the next instant, he was lost within it.

He wandered through the layers of mist for some time, unable to find his bearings.

"Quite impressive," he muttered to himself. He hadn’t thought a Grade One array would be so sophisticated.

Clang! After wandering for a long while without nearing the gate, Meng Lu, now irritable, lost patience. Light flared behind him. His Frostlight Sword appeared above him, and, forming the necessary hand seals, he immediately unleashed the first form of the Frost Shadow Sword Technique: Meteor in the Night.

With the sword dancing in his grasp, the mist thinned, no longer able to obscure his sight. Meng Lu followed the mountain path toward the sect gate.

Just as he arrived, a green shadow flashed before him: a talisman soldier in green robes silently blocked his path. This was the guardian Jiang Yan had left behind to watch the sect’s entrance.

"Out of my way," Meng Lu barked, forming his fingers into a sword and pointing them at the guardian. In his mind, this nameless sect—even with a protective array—would be easily swept aside by someone at the seventh layer of Qi Refinement.

But in a flash, the talisman soldier seized his Frostlight Sword midair, completely halting his Meteor in the Night.

Meng Lu was stunned, rooted to the spot. To catch his sword barehanded would require at least the ninth layer of Qi Refinement! Against such a master, he—a seventh layer practitioner—was nothing but meat on the chopping block.

With a clang, the talisman soldier tossed the Frostlight Sword aside and lunged at Meng Lu, its palm whistling through the air toward his chest.

Just as the blow descended, Meng Lu snapped out of his shock and narrowly escaped by activating his recently perfected Inch-Shift technique, dodging by a hair’s breadth.

The talisman soldier missed, spun, and attacked again, hounding the now-panicked Meng Lu.

Once more he dodged with Inch-Shift, narrowly escaping the relentless strikes.

Though the talisman soldier’s strength rivaled a ninth-layer Qi Refiner, it lacked advanced techniques and, without a controller, could only attack with brute force, unable to counter Meng Lu’s instantaneous evasions.

Again and again, Meng Lu barely slipped away, now filled with terror. How could this seemingly ordinary green-robed man be so formidable?

Suddenly, faint green light began to glow from the talisman soldier’s body as it charged toward Meng Lu...