At the summit, a white-robed sword cultivator stood alone, immovable as a mountain.
Xu Ziqing stepped onto the peak and broke the stillness. “Senior Brother.”
Yun Lie turned. “Are your preparations complete?”
Xu Ziqing smiled. “Everything is ready.”
After thinking it over, he had asked Chonghua to carry him back to the Ten Directions Pavilion to exchange some merit for talismans. Such items would conserve his true essence in battle. The sect had already provided him with ample medicinal pills.
Yun Lie nodded slightly. “Let’s go.”
“Yes, Senior Brother,” Xu Ziqing replied.
Chonghua had grown older, and his intelligence was no longer as immature as before. Understanding his purpose on this journey, he jumped down from Xu Ziqing’s shoulder and resumed his true form.
He stretched more than ten zhang from head to tail. When he spread his wings, they resembled clouds blotting out the sky. His hooked beak looked forged of refined steel, his talons were sharp as hooks, and his tail feathers like blades. Flecks of gold gleamed across his plumage. He had become a splendid and formidable sight. The weakness of his early years was gone. Now he could unleash a powerful innate ability with a cry, and the demonic energy concentrated within each feather was so dense it seemed almost solid.
This third-rank demonic beast now crouched, presenting his back.
Xu Ziqing leaped up and turned with a smile. “Senior Brother, why not let Chonghua carry us both? We can see what he’s capable of.”
Yun Lie appeared beside him with a slight movement. “Very well.”
The two sat side by side. The eagle’s back was broad enough for four or five people to sit abreast without crowding. It was far more comfortable than in the past.
Chonghua gave a ringing cry, spread his wings, and soared into the clouds!
So fast!
Wind roared in their ears as the scenery rushed backward, blurring into long streaks too swift for the eye to follow.
Even Xu Ziqing could not distinguish the landscape below. He saw only broad swaths of color streaming past.
Chonghua was determined to show his abilities, and he flew with all his strength.
That trace of Great Peng blood was truly remarkable. Even the small amount in his veins made such speed possible.
He was only third rank. How much faster might he become after advancing further?
Xu Ziqing had never demanded great accomplishments from Chonghua, but he could not help feeling proud.
Clearly, the beast cores Chonghua had eaten over the years had not been wasted.
Yun Lie remarked, “Once he matures, he’ll be a useful ally.”
Xu Ziqing smiled. “Chonghua has always worked hard. I’m sure that day will come.”
Chonghua’s senses were keen. Hearing his masters praise him from above made him fly faster still.
Demonic beasts had abundant endurance and could often fly for days and nights without tiring. Chonghua’s speed came from his bloodline, so even flying so swiftly did not strain him unduly.
After one day and one night, they were nearing the Taigu Desert.
A small town near the desert had once provided lodging and supplies for merchants. Since the demonic bandits occupied the desert, however, travelers had grown scarce, and many residents had fled. Ordinary cultivators no longer visited.
Unfortunately, as the population dwindled, the bandits grew displeased. Those who had not escaped early were no longer permitted to leave, and suffered under their oppression day after day.
Chonghua landed outside the town. Xu Ziqing intended to investigate before proceeding.
The mission had described dreadful crimes, and the likelihood of a mistake was extremely small. Even so, he preferred to see the truth for himself rather than decide blindly.
Chonghua transformed into a small young eagle about a foot long and perched on his shoulder. Yun Lie stood on Xu Ziqing’s other side, and the three entered the town.
The town was desolate and sparsely inhabited. Those they passed were mortals, all terribly thin, wearing plain, worn clothing. Clearly they had endured hunger and hardship for years. They hurried by without looking at the newcomers, anxious not to invite trouble.
Farther inside, the brothers saw that the town was quite large. Its wide streets suggested former prosperity. The bluestone paving was even, and the houses showed thoughtful craftsmanship. Had everything not been so dilapidated, the buildings would have been beautiful.
There were no open shops along the streets. Former storefronts stood empty.
In a narrower lane, houses crowded together, every door tightly shut as if their occupants dared not let anyone inside.
It was a desperate and fearful attempt at self-protection.
Xu Ziqing frowned at the sight.
The inhabitants must live in constant terror, concerned with nothing beyond surviving another day.
After a moment, Xu Ziqing glanced at Yun Lie.
Understanding his meaning, Yun Lie nodded.
Xu Ziqing approached a house and knocked softly.
There was no answer.
He sighed and knocked several more times, a little louder.
At last hurried footsteps came from within. Someone opened the door.
A gaunt man in his forties stood there, apologizing repeatedly. “I’m late, I’m late! Please don’t blame me, please don’t…” He muttered fearfully, evidently terrified that a moment’s delay might bring punishment.
Xu Ziqing sighed inwardly but kept his expression gentle. “My senior brother and I are passing through. We have a few questions. Would you be willing to help us?”
Although he was a cultivator, he did not consider ordinary mortals beneath his respect and treated the man with proper courtesy.
But this very politeness only confused the householder.
The gaunt man looked startled and examined Xu Ziqing closely.
Ordinary travelers had long stopped coming here. Cultivators who flew in typically carried themselves with arrogance and never addressed townspeople so courteously.
For a while, he could not tell whether this mild, refined young man was an inexperienced swordsman wandering the mortal world, or one of the flying immortals who came intending to eliminate the local monsters.
Mortals could not see spiritual radiance or distinguish cultivation levels. He stood there uncertain how to behave.
Xu Ziqing patiently waited for him to collect himself.
After studying Xu Ziqing, the man looked toward Yun Lie. He immediately drew a sharp breath.
The young man in green was so gentle that the householder had failed to recognize his status. But the man in white gave off an overwhelming pressure, leaving him breathless.
The householder hastily forced a smile. “So you’re two immortal masters! Please come inside.”
Xu Ziqing smiled. His senior brother’s bearing certainly carried more weight than his own.
Hoping to learn the local situation, he stepped inside. Yun Lie followed.
The gaunt man closed the door immediately and led them into his sitting room.
A woman, just as thin and sallow as her husband, hurried to polish two of the better chairs again and again with a cloth. Her voice shook. “Honored immortal masters, please… please sit.”
Yun Lie and Xu Ziqing sat down.
Seeing that the visitors appeared approachable, the couple relaxed a little.
The man cautiously asked, “May I know what the honored masters wish to ask?”
Xu Ziqing considered his words. “Only a small matter. My senior brother and I passed through hoping to find an inn where we might rest, but the streets seemed almost deserted. We were curious, so I knocked at your door.”
Sorrow passed across the man’s eyes. He shook his head and sighed. “Immortal master, it’s a long story. If you believe this humble man’s advice, leave immediately. Do not linger here. That would be wisest.”
Xu Ziqing’s heart tightened.
The assignment on the Merit Pillar was likely truthful. Otherwise the town would not have become so desolate, nor would its ordinary residents be so miserable.
Before he could respond, someone knocked at the outer door.
This time the knocking was loud and rough, as though the visitors would soon force their way inside.
The man’s expression turned frantic. “Do the honored masters have some spell that will let you leave at once? If you do, go quickly! If you stay another seven or eight minutes, then… then…”
His wife was even more distressed. She hurried toward the door, calling anxiously, “Coming! Coming! Please forgive the delay!”
Xu Ziqing understood a little more but pretended otherwise. “Why must we leave? Who’s outside?”
The gaunt man grew still more desperate. Evidently it was too late.
Before long, two figures strode into the room with their hands tucked into their sleeves.
They were tall young men with a strange glint in their eyes. Both wore gleaming cultivator robes, and both had cultivation at or above Foundation Establishment.
Xu Ziqing immediately activated his aura-concealing technique, suppressing his apparent cultivation to middle Foundation Establishment.
Yun Lie was much stronger. With a slight adjustment, he made his cultivation appear similar to Xu Ziqing’s, while the threatening aura that surrounded him faded almost completely.
As soon as the newcomers saw the martial brothers, their eyes lit up.
What a striking pair of beauties!
The householder knew there was little hope now and felt miserable for his guests. He had spent so long imprisoned in this town that he had witnessed many cruel and shameful events. What terrible fate awaited these two seemingly honorable immortal masters?
His wife hunched farther down, hoping the newcomers would not notice her.
This time the two young men paid her no attention. Their eyes remained fixed on their newly discovered visitors, their smiles unpleasant despite their polite words. “To think we’d meet two fellow Daoists here! I am Niu Shengyu, and this is my own younger brother, Niu Shengque. May I ask what brings you to this place?”
Xu Ziqing thought, So these are the men? But he only smiled. “Fellow Daoists, I am Yun Qing, and this is my senior brother Yun Jian. We are disciples of… the Thousand Magpies Sect.”
He was naturally graceful and handsome; with a smile he seemed still warmer and more inviting.
The two young men exchanged a glance, privately delighted.
What excellent catches.
The Thousand Magpies Sect? Merely a ninth-rank little sect. Nothing worth worrying about!