Chapter 338
Gale grabbed the unconscious man by the collar and dragged him over to the spike's wall. Propping him up against the rocky exterior, he made sure the guy was sitting upright before reaching for the mask.
The mask came off easily, revealing a young face underneath, around mid-20s that was still definitely older than himself. On his cheek was a tattoo. It looked like a hat. Its exact shape was this: 血
It had a little thread at the top, but for what? Gale didn't know. Fashion always remained a mystery to him.
"He's got a hat on his face," Gale said.
"That's not a hat," Rachel said. "It's the Chinese character for blood."
Even though she said it was the character for blood, it was hard to believe. It looked exactly like a hat.
"The child is correct. The physical attributes of the letter are of the appearance of a hat," Erin said.
"Well, it's not! So that's the end of the discussion!" Rachel shouted.
"Rachel, wake him up," Lily called out.
Rachel crouched down beside the unconscious man and placed her palm on his forehead. Green flames suddenly engulfed his whole head, yet the flames did not look to be burning his skin. For a couple of seconds, he remained motionless until his eyes snapped open.
Immediately, the man started thrashing and patting his own head to clear it of the green flames. Once they dissipated, his hand reached for a hidden knife to stab himself in the neck with.
Gale's hand caught the man's wrist, twisted, and the knife came out of his grip. The dagger fell onto the floor where Kyle kicked it away.
"No running away, hat man," Gale said.
"It's not a hat..." Rachel grumbled.
Kyle cracked his knuckles menacingly, making the man flinch. Clyde crouched down to meet the man eye to eye with an expression that looked like he didn't even care for the man's safety.
"We can do this the easy way," Clyde said slowly, "or the hard way."
"Easy way!" the man shouted immediately. "I want easy way!"
"That's boring. Let's do the hard way." Kyle smirked.
"No! I tell you everything! Just do it easy way! I'm just follow orders! I don't know anything! Please!"
"Eh, what the hell. Booooring," Kyle stood up straight. "Just like that Bob guy."
"Hey, it works," Clyde shrugged. "Guy probably doesn't wanna die. Can't blame him."
The man's eyes darted between each member and towards the sand dunes to the west. His gaze lingered on Rachel, where a look of contempt was clear in his eyes. Gale wondered why he would have such a strong reaction specifically to Rachel but had a softer look towards Lily.
"My real name is Wang Guang," the man said suddenly. "And it looks like Ann heiress remove my death mark."
"What's a death mark?" Rachel asked.
"Elder of our sect place it on us during initiation," Guang said. "If we betray sect, we die. If we try run away, we die. Instant death. No return. Nothing we can do but follow orders."
"Classic evil sect things," Kyle said.
"Does the Ming cult still do that?" Clyde asked.
"Take this seriously," Lily pinched Clyde's arm, who then rubbed the spot where she pinched.
"But mark gone now," Guang said as he touched his butt. "The green fire burn it away. I no longer feel it."
Kyle crouched down and slapped Guang across the face, hard enough to get his attention back on to him. "Alright, Gary. Tell us everything we need to know. Or else."
"You don't need to slap me!" Gary shouted. "I said I tell you everything already!"
"Why are you so willing to talk anyway?"Clyde asked. "Most Blood Blade operatives we've dealt with would rather die than betray their sect."
"Because I just want job! Like Huang Bo," Gary said.
"Who?" Rachel asked.
Kyle coughed. "He means Bill."
"Who?" Gary asked.
"Huang Bo," Clyde said. "You want a job like him? Why though?"
"I want normal life. Go to North America. Maybe Canada. Meet pretty white girl. Have house. Have dog. Maybe even cat. I don't want do Aur jobs anymore!"
Everyone stared at Gary. Gale was about to pull out a beef jerky from his own pocket, but Rachel held his hand, slowly shaking her head at him. Guess this man did not need any comfort food.
"They kidnap me as teenager," Gary said, looking down at his own hands. "I was study for IELTS. Very good grades too. My dream was to go Canada, Vancouver. Go to U.B.C. But Blood Blade sect stole me. Put me in cave to train. No sunlight. No internet. No web novels!!"
"No web novels?" Gale asked.
"Gale, let's just listen for now," Rachel put a hand on his shoulder.
"Just sword training and blood qi cultivation to honour the ancestors. Not my ancestors. Their ancestors."
"That's..." Kyle paused. "That's actually really lame."
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"This guy has no ambition," Clyde said.
"What about the money?" Kyle asked Gary. "Being a cultivator pays well."
"What about the fame?" Clyde added. "You could be famous. Strong cultivator, respected by everyone, biggest muscles in the world. Honour and glory in death and steel!"
"I don't want money!" Gary shouted. "I don't want fame! I want to watch football on Sundays and eat hot dogs and go to Costco on weekends like normal person!"
Lily chuckled. "Actually... I think what Gary wants is admirable. A simple life. Nothing wrong with that."
"Thank you!" Gary said.
"But why specifically a white girl?" Lily asked.
"Chinese woman too difficult," Gary's eyes pointed at Rachel. "You see she is all trouble. Too much noise and fire."
"Gary's got a damn point about that one," Kyle said. "OW! What was that for?"
"Idiot," Rachel muttered.
"You understand?" Gary looked at Gale.
Gale put a hand on his shoulder. "I understand very much, Mr. Hat man," he nodded.
"Hat man?"
"Your tattoo looks like a hat," Clyde said. "Don't worry about it."
"Did you have a bad experience with a Chinese girl?" Rachel asked, eyes wildly glaring at Gary. "Is that why?"
Gary looked away. "I don't wanna say. It is trauma."
"This is a no-judgment zone," Rachel said softly. "You can share. We're not going to make fun of you."
"You are Chinese. You are making me relive the trauma," Gary said.
"The woman of fire's heritage reflects itself through the trauma of Gary. Fascinating," Erin said.
"What the hell? I thought you were Korean," Kyle said.
"An is Chinese," Rachel said.
"What about the Korean food?" Clyde asked.
"That's grandma's preference," Rachel said.
"Can Gerard also make lemon chicken?" Gale asked.
"No, that's not Chinese," Rachel said.
"But lemon chicken is good," Gary said.
"What about General Tso?" Lily asked.
"ENOUGH!" Kyle shouted, throwing his hands up. "This is an interrogation! We're not doing this again!"
"What do you mean 'again'?" Lily asked.
"Don't ask," Clyde said. "Shit happened at Sterling."
"Alright, Gary," Kyle said. "Tell us what you know and we'll give you a temperature sigil. It's hot as balls out here."
Gary looked down at his robes, already soaked with sweat. The desert sun blared at them, except they didn't feel it due to Lily's comfortable sigil.
"I want pardon for crimes first," Gary said. "United Knights won't let me go. They arrest anyone with Blood Blade tattoo. I go back, I die in cell."
"I'll have that covered," Rachel said. "As long as you tell us everything."
"How I know you keep promise? I need proof. Peace of mind. Otherwise I just die in UK cells anyway... please?"
Lily pointed at Gale's chest. "See that?"
Gary squinted at the small device strapped to Gale's tactical gear. "GoPro?"
"Yup. I'm going to say this for the camera, but whatever you say here will be used as evidence for any court of law that tries to put you in jail. The United Knights should use this as evidence to take you into protective custody, not jail. Aur law states that defectors for the greater good cannot be held against their actions according to..." Lily trailed off.
"Article 2, Section 1, Line 3. Faction Laws states that defectors from a negatively aligned guild, minor faction, or vagrant clan may not be prosecuted as their actions are for the positive effect of Aur," Erin finished.
"Thank you, Erin," Lily said. "Now talk."
"Okay. I talk." He rubbed his face with both hands. "But I don't know where to start."
"Start from the beginning," Kyle said. "Specifically, how did the Jiuling know about this rift? Why did they want to come here?"
Gary took a deep breath. "It start six months ago. Elders find out about new rift in Guatemala. Very good news. But then..."
He paused as if he saw something horrific.
"Then what?" Clyde asked.
"Then meetings."
"Meetings?"
"So many meetings." Gary's voice cracked. "Over six months, there was three team lead meetings. Then three local sect meetings. Then three agenda meetings to discuss what talk about in meetings. Everything need approval. Everything need vote."
"That's... a lot of meetings for six months," Lily said.
"That not even all," Gary said. "There was also meeting about meeting schedule. Meeting about how take notes in meetings. Meeting about how often we can go to bathroom during all-day meetings. Conclusion was two time per session, maximum ten minutes each, unless medical emergency."
Lily slowly turned her head to glare at Kyle and Clyde.
"What's she glaring for?" Kyle asked.
"We told you," Clyde said. "But you don't believe us."
Lily grumbled something inaudibly and incomprehensible. "I hate it when you're right."
Kyle and Clyde shrugged.
"We never exaggerate. Meetings are sacred. Meetings are glory. Trauma is the way," Kyle said.
Clyde laughed.
"Gary. Why specifically this rift? There are dozens of rifts around the world. What made this one special?" Rachel asked.
"Blood Blade sect Grand Elder was here when rift first open. Before anyone register it. Before United Knights know. Before Path know. Grand Elder explore inside, find blue green gems."
He tapped the spike behind him.
"Fraedium," Erin said.
"Don't know name of it. Just blue green gem. It store lots of Qi. More than any other material like Jade. Blood Blade can store enough Qi then create multiple Grand Jiangshi."
Kyle pumped his fist. "We fucking called it!"
Gale clapped. The twins' genius was undeniable. They had figured out the ritual theory with nothing but circumstantial evidence and pattern recognition. As expected of the twins being able to stereotype everything!
"I commend the loud one and the quieter one of the loud ones for their deduction ability," Erin said. "Their reasoning was sound despite the limited information available."
Clyde waved his hand dismissively. "No need to clap, folks. We have a lot of time for autographs later. Form an orderly line. One per person. Unless you bring a twinkie, then two."
Rachel's fist ignited with green fire. Shaking her head, she let the flames dissipate, breathing out slowly through her nose.
"Gary," she said through gritted teeth. "Continue."
Gary looked at Rachel nervously. "If Blood Blade sect create Grand Jiangshi army, sect can take one of spots of nine major sects. Jiangshi not outlawed by Jiuling alliance laws. Strange loophole. No one thought ban undead army because no one think anyone crazy enough to try."
"But Blood Blade is crazy enough," Kyle said.
"Blood Blade very crazy," Gary confirmed. "Plan is to take ninth spot from Beggar Sect. Beggar Sect looking weak lately. No one need beggars anymore when everyone have phone to look at 'The Daily Witching' and 'North Star' for news."
Gale raised his hand. "What's the Beggar Sect?"
"Intelligence sect," Rachel explained. "They used to be one of the most important sects in the Jiuling because they had informants everywhere. Beggars on every street corner, gathering information, reporting back to the sect."
"That kinda makes sense though," Lily said. "I don't see beggars in Canada anymore. Not the Aur kind anyway. Once news outlets matured and everyone got smartphones, their whole business model became obsolete."
"Ok folks, we got what we came for," Kyle stretched his arms. "Lily, you're up."
Lily whispered under her breath and a temperature sigil appeared on the back of Gary's neck. The effect immediately made him sigh in relief as he no longer had to feel the heat of the sun.
"Rachel, you're next," Lily said.
Rachel pulled out something from her pocket and handed him a red business card. "The United Knights should know what this means. Just tell them it's from me and they'll put you in a safe house till we're out of here."
"Thank you, Ann Family Heiress," Gary said.
"You're welcome, Mr. Hat man," Gale said. "Now go. You are now free! Live on. Live a long life and find a pretty white girl."
"Thank you, feral-like boy," Gary said, standing up. "Let us meet again in Costco and eat hotdogs."
"We'll see you there!" Gale saluted.
Gary ran in the direction of the exit rift, disappearing into the distance in a couple of minutes.
"Looks like we have to solve this shit first before going," Kyle said.
"Is Erin ok with that?" Lily asked.
"I trust the young lamb's decision on this matter. If his choice is to solve, then we must solve," Erin said. I suspect the corruption is at hand. There is a lingering residue on that man you have named as Mr. Hat Man.
Erin guessed correctly. Gale had already felt a tinge of corruption on the other ones that died. The moment that Rachel's green flames touched Gary the first time, it cleaned most of the corruption off of him. A strange interaction with the flames, but that also proved that fire can purify.
In this case, if this rift had something to do with the corruption, then it must also be solved.
Author’s Note:
Refer to Chapter 115’s Author’s note.
安 = An = Ann