That voice was clear and pleasant, but the two who had been arguing fell silent at once.
Wan Chengke recognized it as belonging to the senior who should have been waiting inside, and panic seized him.
He had worked so eagerly to please Xu Ziqing. Now he realized that his argument had delayed him so long that the senior had come looking for him. How could he not feel utterly helpless? He regretted his actions. Even taking a harder line with his colleague would have been better than this. He feared that instead of earning favor, he had invited punishment!
Despite his alarm, Wan Chengke quickly steadied himself and hurried forward with a broad smile. “Why has Senior come out here? I was just about to deliver the book, but it seems I was one step too late. I hope Senior will forgive me.”
Xu Ziqing nodded toward him, then looked at the other man.
He was a somewhat plump young cultivator with round cheeks and narrow, slit-like eyes. There was something rather calculating about his appearance.
The young man instantly understood who Xu Ziqing was. Though still unwilling to accept defeat, he could only speak quietly. “This junior is Ying Peng. Greetings, Senior.”
Xu Ziqing knew exactly why the two had been arguing, but did not intend to pursue the matter. All that concerned him was that someone else also wanted the reference book, and he could not bring himself to surrender it.
The art of talismans was incredibly broad. Much of its knowledge could not simply be engraved onto a jade slip through spiritual sense; it had to be written out by hand. Furthermore, a talisman master could not perfectly reproduce a pattern that he did not understand. The author of Comprehensive Principles of Talisman Patterns must therefore have been a great expert who understood every pattern contained within it. Who knew how profound his cultivation had been? The patterns he left behind were surely reproductions of his own hand, making the book extraordinarily precious.
Moreover, because the patterns were drawn by the master himself, they would inevitably preserve traces of his understanding of the talisman arts. Studying the book would thus make the art much easier to comprehend, which explained why it cost so many merit points.
Xu Ziqing said no more about the dispute. Instead, he looked at Wan Chengke and asked, “Have you brought the book?”
Wan Chengke smiled. “Please rest assured, Senior. I’ve already spoken with the steward. You need only accompany me to settle the account, and the steward will present the book to you with both hands.” Still afraid Xu Ziqing might misunderstand, he explained more carefully, “The book is far too valuable for a servant of my status to handle. That is why I couldn’t simply bring it out. Please forgive me, Senior.”
Xu Ziqing sighed inwardly. That made sense. Wan Chengke was merely a servant working in the Heavenly Works Pavilion. If such a precious reference could be casually passed from hand to hand, it would be absurd.
With that thought, he replied, “Very well. Just take me to the steward.”
Wan Chengke happily led Xu Ziqing away. Ying Peng could only give Wan Chengke a resentful glance before departing in disappointment. There was no longer any chance of his earning a commission on this transaction.
Everything that followed went smoothly. Xu Ziqing promptly transferred five hundred thousand merit points and received his copy of Comprehensive Principles of Talisman Patterns. He placed it in his storage ring with the utmost care, afraid of anything happening to it. Then, to study the basic spiritual patterns, he purchased two hundred lower-grade spirit talismans, fifty middle-grade spirit talismans, and ten upper-grade spirit talismans, spending another several tens of thousands of merit points. Wan Chengke was so delighted that he practically served Xu Ziqing as though he were a living ancestor.
When Xu Ziqing finally prepared to leave, Wan Chengke was almost reluctant to part with him. He could only hope that Xu Ziqing would return seventeen or eighteen more times so that he could earn a few more substantial commissions.
After leaving the pavilion, Xu Ziqing returned directly to Little Slaughter Peak.
There was no protective formation in front of the mountain. Its only barrier was the sword intent Yun Lie had laid down.
When Xu Ziqing entered, however, that sword intent did not attack him.
He had not returned in five months. As he walked up the mountain, looking around as he went, an intense feeling of familiarity welled up in him.
The lower half of Little Slaughter Peak remained bare. But from halfway up, green growth spread thickly across the slopes. Every plant had been planted by his own hand, and every inch of green earth carefully tended by him.
At the summit, an endless icy killing intent covered everything. The powerful killing thoughts had condensed into a white frost, forming clusters of icy flowers that were at once beautiful and forbidding.
Before long, he reached the cave just below the summit.
Yun Lie had personally excavated this cave abode, but it was Xu Ziqing’s residence.
Just as he was about to approach, a fierce gust of wind suddenly rushed toward him.
Sand flew and stones rolled beneath a startlingly powerful rush of air.
Xu Ziqing was caught off guard. But the aura within the wind was so familiar that he did not try to evade it.
A moment later, something struck him squarely, knocking him backward.
Soft green grass cushioned his fall, while a heavy creature pressed down upon him and rubbed its eagle head repeatedly against the side of his face. It was Chonghua, whom he had not seen for months.
Xu Ziqing could barely breathe beneath the eagle’s weight, and its affectionate rubbing tickled his cheek. Yet he was smiling and feeling warmly moved. He stroked the back of Chonghua’s head and laughed. “Chonghua, have you gained more weight?”
The eagle gave a few low calls as though acting spoiled, then flapped its wings, hopped to one side, and cocked its head to look at him.
Propping himself up on one elbow, Xu Ziqing examined Chonghua carefully.
After so long apart, Chonghua really had grown several times larger. Its body was now half a zhang long, and its wings stretched a full zhang across. It looked far more imposing than before.
Its feathers were smoother than ever. The black feathers were as deep as ink, while the golden ones gleamed like fragments of gold, dazzling to the eye and giving it a magnificent appearance.
Xu Ziqing had missed Chonghua too. Seeing that the eagle was now much stronger in body and that its demonic power had become far richer, he was delighted. He stood and embraced the creature around its head and neck.
Chonghua’s eagle eyes were filled with happiness. If it had refined the transverse bone in its throat, it would probably have greeted him with a stream of words. Unfortunately, refining that bone was extremely difficult, and it could only flap its wings and call a few times in welcome.
As the man and eagle enjoyed their reunion, someone suddenly descended from the summit.
The newcomer wore a rather drab gray robe. He was not tall, but his back was as straight as a long spear, and he had a somewhat solitary, distant bearing.
After descending a few steps, he saw Xu Ziqing playing with Chonghua and stopped in surprise. Then he hurried over, bowed, and said, “Greetings, Immortal Master Xu.”
Xu Ziqing smiled at him. “Yan Shuang, it’s been a long time. You’ve taken good care of Chonghua.” He rubbed Chonghua’s head again and asked gently, “Chonghua, have you been bullying Yan Shuang?”
Although Chonghua could not speak, it could already understand human words. It shook its head repeatedly and let out several low cries.
Yan Shuang replied respectfully, “It is this servant’s duty. I dare not accept Immortal Master’s praise.”
Xu Ziqing studied Yan Shuang and only now noticed a rare glimmer of genuine joy in his eyes. Curious, he asked, “Yan Shuang, has something good happened to you?”
He suspected that, since Yan Shuang had just come from the summit, his senior brother must have bestowed some benefit upon him to make his usually reserved servant reveal his emotions so openly.
Yan Shuang was normally restrained, but among spiritual birds he was still quite young, and he had only recently taken human form. At this moment, he revealed something of a young man’s excitement. “Master has permitted this servant to visit the summit every day and observe his swordsmanship. That is why I am so happy.”
Xu Ziqing understood. “Then congratulations are in order. You must work even harder from now on.”
Yan Shuang replied solemnly, “This servant understands!”
For a spiritual bird, the opportunity not only to take human form but also to observe a sword cultivator of such power at close range was a rare stroke of fortune. Even if it meant remaining a servant, what did that matter?
Xu Ziqing admired Yan Shuang’s determination. He glanced at Chonghua again and beckoned to it.
This time, Chonghua did not clutch Xu Ziqing’s shoulders or perch upon him. Instead, it turned around, lowered its body, and crouched close to the ground.
Xu Ziqing paused, then laughed. “Chonghua, are you able to carry me now?”
Chonghua nodded repeatedly, its eyes sparkling with excitement.
Xu Ziqing smiled fondly and obliged, leaping directly onto the eagle’s back.
Chonghua was still not as large as some fully grown flying birds, but its back was already quite broad. Carrying a slender youth like Xu Ziqing was not particularly difficult.
Once Xu Ziqing sat cross-legged, Chonghua spread its wings and soared upward, rapidly becoming a small black speck in the sky.
Xu Ziqing had ridden flying birds before, but the sensation this time was entirely different.
His legs rested against Chonghua’s warm back, and he could almost sense the blood coursing beneath its skin and flesh. Chonghua was his beast companion, linked to him in heart and mind. As they flew, Xu Ziqing felt as though their blood itself had become connected.
He discovered that whenever he willed them to fly in a particular direction, Chonghua immediately followed. Regardless of when or where he wished to go, the eagle never made a mistake.
Chonghua flew swiftly through the sky, even showing off a little. It seemed to merge with the flowing wind, perceiving the slightest touch of air against its body.
At that moment, Xu Ziqing felt almost as though he and Chonghua had become one. The eagle’s senses were his own, and each movement of its muscles felt as though Xu Ziqing himself were flying freely…
Man and eagle raced wildly through the sky, circling in exhilarating freedom for a long time.
Eventually, Chonghua tired of flying, and Xu Ziqing returned to himself.
With a shift of his thoughts, Chonghua turned downward and headed straight for the summit.
The summit of Little Slaughter Peak.
An overwhelmingly powerful aura of slaughter filled the air, carrying a merciless conception. Countless killing thoughts had condensed into frost flowers that adorned the barren rock, making the summit resemble a frozen wasteland.
Several deep sword scars crossed and intersected, carving the mountain summit into a jagged landscape. Yet these marks had not been made at random; they seemed to contain some profound underlying principle.
Incomparably sharp, incomparably steadfast, incomparably formidable…
A stern man in plain white sat among the countless sword scars, his eyes gleaming with profound inner light.
Deep within his gaze, a pitch-black longsword seemed to appear and disappear. It carried a sense of danger that was almost imperceptible yet utterly impossible to ignore.
He was refining his sword intent, honing his sword heart at every moment.
Then, without warning, the sound of something tearing through the air disrupted the conception that seemed frozen around him.
The man raised his head and saw a mighty eagle sweeping toward him. Its wings spread like clouds hanging from heaven, casting a dark shadow below. On the eagle’s back, a youth in green brocade robes smiled warmly before lightly descending to the ground.
“Senior Brother Yun, I’m back!” the youth called.
Yun Lie raised his head and nodded slightly.