Three Heads and Fifteen Stars – Xianxia Cultivation Story

“I can’t believe you can mingle with them.” Qianxue berated Hanmei as she led the others through the streets.

“What’s so wrong with it?” Hanmei asked incredulously. She glanced toward Wanxia and Ningguang, hoping one of them might speak up for their sect brothers. Instead, she met only arrogant eyes from one and deliberate avoidance from the other.

“Sister Hanmei, they… he… cut down our legs.” one of the youngest disciples said meekly, still too afraid to even refer to the Xuan by name.

“And?” Hanmei replied without hesitation. “They could have killed us. Thirty nine others were slaughtered before us. Our legs were severed, yet we were spared. Even after that, they could have left us stranded in the mountains. Instead, he allowed us into their carriage.” All things considered, the entire group had been treated far more generously than most would have expected from people they had once stood against.

“Hmph. If we hadn’t talked sense into them, they would have been killed without hesitation.” Wanxia chimed in. “Besides, they are supposed to escort us to Jiushuang sect, but instead Sister Ningguang and I were dragged into even more trouble.”

Hanmei looked towards Wanxia as if she was a fool. “Then you were never supposed to be traveling with us in the first place. Don’t you realize how irresponsible…”

“Enough!” Qianxue shouted, no longer able to grit her teeth and keep her temper in check. “You keep defending them! Are you a disciple of Jiushuang Sect or Tianhe Sect!?”

That single sentence silenced Hanmei. Even her own sisters began giving her sidelong glances. She frowned. She did not deserve this kind of treatment. But before she could speak again, a hand gently tugged at her sleeve. Ningguang had already moved to her side.

“Thank you for speaking up for our brothers.” Ningguang said softly. “But it’s alright.”

“That’s right. Sister Ningguang is better off with us.” Qianxue said, drifting behind Ningguang and placing her hands on her shoulders like an overbearing older sister. “She’s more of a Jiushuang disciple than a Tianhe one.” Ningguang could only nod meekly.

“I agree. Didn’t you hear that the Xuan himself admitted it? Reenacting wars and killing people for sport?” Another Jiushuang disciple finally chimed in.

“That’s right. Even if it was only an illusion array, it’s still too much.” Another added.

“I knew from the start that the Xuan is a demonic cultivator. How else could he be so strong?” a third added, pouring more fuel onto the fire.

Hanmei could only watch the exchange in disbelief. It was already clear that she had been ostracized. The treatment stung, but she could endure it as she had decided for herself. She was a disciple of the Jiushuang sect and she must put her sisters above the rest.

But still… Hanmei looked at Wanxia and Ningguang, Her opinion of both had dropped sharply. Just as it was expected of her to prioritize her own sect, it should have been expected of them to do the same. Both were regular guests at Jiushuang sect, yes, yet the fact that they seemed closer to the rest of their group than to her own sisters felt… suffocating.

A fleeting thought crossed her mind, to maybe just leave this group and look for the other three. They acted with a level of trust and honesty among themselves that she found far more preferable to the hollow camaraderie her sisters had just displayed. How easily she had been set aside. But of course, she could not do that. A woman traveling alone with three men? What would the others say? What would her master say?

So Hanmei stifled her feelings and followed behind the others in silence.

As for Qianxue, she finally enjoyed something at last. The past two weeks had been miserable for her. When she first received the intel that Ningguang was traveling with the Xuan’s group, she had been overjoyed. At last, she could kill the bitch and still maintain plausible deniability. After all, who would have expected the bastard daughter of Elder Guyue to travel with the infamous adopted son of Elder Luochen?

Eighty cultivators had gathered to hunt the Xuan. With the array in place, a strategist leading them, and such numbers on their side, she should have easily been able to kill Níngguāng amid the chaos. But of course, no great plan lasted long. The Demon Hunting Heaven and Earth Net had turned out to be a complete sham. Thirty nine cultivators! More than half of which are Foundation establishments have all died in a single day! Against only five people!

Still, she had already suffered Ningguang's presence for nearly as long as she could remember. She could endure it a while longer. There would be other opportunities later. Yet the fact that Ningguang was not traveling under Elder Guyue’s direct protection remained an incredible chance. Qianxue did not want to let it slip away, but the presence of the Xuan complicated everything. He had already killed five cultivators from powerful families and emerged largely unscathed, and now he had slaughtered thirty nine more. It was clear he was extremely dangerous, and some part of her felt as though he could see straight through her.

The group finally arrived at the magnificent inn that Jiushuang Sect disciples usually frequented when out on missions. The moment they finished booking their rooms, however, the ring on Qianxue’s left middle finger began to vibrate, a signal that he was here and requesting a meeting.

“All of you can go ahead first. There’s something I need to address first.” Qianxue told the others before leaving the group.

She followed the direction she sensed through the ring, heading toward one of the better-maintained districts of the city. The security is vastly tighter. Most residences belonged to wealthy rogue cultivators or served as private mansions for sect disciples. Eventually, she reached a quiet, isolated garden near the edge of the city.

“What are you doing asking for a meeting here?” Qianxue whispered. “There’s a much better locati… what happened to your arm!?”

The person who appears is Jiying. The thief who stole from Xuan and three others defending the capital of Jin. His black robe hung loosely over his lean frame, the fabric stained and torn at the edges. His usually refined features were now haggard and pale, with dark circles under his sharp eyes and a thin layer of dust clinging to his messy hair. The entire right sleeve of his robe was empty and tattered, ending abruptly where his arm should have been.

“I refuse to meet at the red light district.” Jiying answered, his voice laced with clear fear.. “The Xuan is there.”

Immediately Qianxue understood. Jiying has encountered the Xuan before which resulted in losing his arm. Then, the reason the security is much tighter is…

“What did you steal now?” Qianxua asked in horror.

“Does it matter?” Jiying deflect. “Remember, you owe me.”

“What do you need?” Qianxue asked.

“The city is under lockdown. The City Lord has activated the defensive array. No one can leave without his personal permission or a permit issued by him directly.”

“Then go steal one!” Qianxue replied in irritation.

“It is not so simple. If the permit switched hands without permission of the previous owner, the city lord would know. I have tried.” Jiying answered.

Qianxue thought for a moment. Then an idea came to mind. There might be something she can do to achieve so many things at once.

As for the Xuan…

—

“Go on then,” I said, still pointing a railgun at his grinning face. “Let’s have a chat.”

“Oh, how cold,” the man in the dark robe replied, putting on an exaggerated performance of a rejected damsel. “I like it.” He grinned from ear to ear once more before rising from his seat.

Then, without warning, he dropped to one knee and cupped his hands above his head. Every cloaked figure in the room followed suit.

“We Xiàomiàn Bān (笑面班|Smiling Face Troupe) greets young master Xuan!”

“…A what now?” I asked, as usual sounding like an idiot. I glanced at Huiran and Wendao, both of whom looked taken aback.

“The Troupe that slaughtered the savages!?” Huiran suddenly remembered.

“Mhmm.” The leader of the troupe nodded.

“The ones who massacred three smaller sects?” Wendao noted.

“One of our finest moments.” the leader said with clear pride. Then he looked toward me expectantly, as if waiting for praise.

Oh God! More Lunatics!

“A demonic sect?” I asked carefully.

“No, no, no. We don’t eat human flesh or drink human blood. We don’t kill mortals, nor do we use them as materials,” the leader explained. I tasted no lies in his words. When I looked toward Huiran and Wendao, both remained silent.

“Then why the color scheme?” I asked.

“We like this color.”

“Why all the killing?”

“We like killing.”

“Hmmm.” I should have asked better questions. “I don’t remember my father ever telling me anything about you.”

“Oh, of course he never told you,” the leader said eagerly. “We were nothing but insignificant mortals back then. The great Elder Xuechen slaughtered tens of thousands of cultivators who were ravaging our lands during the civil war. He avenged every last grudge we carried. After that, our ancestors swore that future generations would serve the great Elder in return.”

“I’m sorry, he killed how many?” Something definitely flew over my head.

“Tens of thousands,” the leader repeated.

“There were that many cultivators?”

“You don’t know?” Huiran and Wendao asked me at the same time.

“No.” Looks like me and my father gotta have a long conversation again.

“Moving on… so, uh…”

Fuck, how do I do this!?

“All of you…” I pointed at these undoubted lunatics and psychopaths, “…want to serve me?”

“Yes! Spying, assasination, massacre, torture, war…

I clapped my hands sharply to cut off his enthusiastic explanation. “Can I have some time to think this over?”

“What is there to think over? You are a Xuan! Your future is bloodshed. So lead us to the slaughter!”

“Mmmm.” I shook my head. Huiran and Wendao were both staring at me now. Waiting for my decision.

Think, me, think! What could inevitably happen if I accepted an army of psychopaths? It certainly wouldn’t do my reputation any favors. Then again, people already seemed eager to brand me a demonic cultivator, appearances aside. On the other hand, having these lunatics available at critical moments could prove extremely useful. The real problem was how easily their obvious bloodlust could be controlled. Of course, the morally correct choice was to refuse.

“I refu…”

“Don’t be so quick to refuse, young master.” The lunatic’s grinning face suddenly appeared right in front of my eyes. “I’m certain you will find our services very useful. But…” His unnaturally elongated neck retracted, returning his head to its proper place.

“Of course, it would be incredibly rude of us to expect an immediate acceptance. So please…” He offered a black jade token. “Call us when you need to.”

Then, just as swiftly as they had arrived, the Smiling Face Troupe vanished without a trace, leaving only the black jade token on the floor. I stared at it for a moment. Should I take it? Should I not? Before I could fully decide, my hand had already picked it up. I didn’t know why, but something told me this token would become very important.

We ended up neither eating nor booking a room at the inn. The innkeeper was… clearly traumatized by the experience, and more specifically by me. As usual. So we walked back toward the bus through the red-light district streets in silence.

“Guys…” I finally said after a long while. “What is a Dao Heart again?”

“It is one’s conviction and principles,” Wendao answered first this time. “How unshakable they are, and the strength of the reason why you cultivate.”

“May I know what your ‘why’ is, then?” I asked. Wendao glanced at Huiran, letting him answer first.

“Well, you already know me. I just want to live longer. See more beautiful women, paint more portraits, enjoy life, and such,” Huiran answered in his usual manner.

Then I looked at Wendao.

“There’s someone I want to kill,” he stated simply. There was an undeniable sharpness in his words that made both of us stop whatever we were doing for a brief moment before we resumed breathing.

“What prompted this question?” Wendao asked.

“Hmmm. I don’t know.” I shrugged. “I just feel like… it’s going to be important very soon.” The leader of the Troupe’s excited shout still echoed in my mind. That I was a Xuan, and my future was bloodshed. Looking back, I had already killed a lot of people.

‘Is this related to you not wanting to get used to killing people?’ Huiran asked through telepathy this time.

‘Something like that,’ I answered honestly.

‘Then I’ll tell you this, brother. Back in the Southern Mountain Range, when we killed those thirty-nine cultivators… you couldn’t stop grinning.’

Huiran’s words hit me like a splash of cold water. My steps halted for a moment before I forced myself to continue.

‘I did that?’

‘Yes,’ Huiran confirmed. ‘It was a little hard to make out, but that’s what I sensed when you opened your mouth. The one where you revealed all your jaws. The wolf under the deer, the serpent under the wolf, and the human jaw underneath everything.’

‘I’ll… take note of that.’

“BIG TROUBLE!” a voice suddenly shouted toward us. It was the stable boy Wendao had tasked with following the other group. He ran toward us in clear urgency.

“What happened?” Wendao asked.

“One of the Jiushuang Sect disciples has been attacked and is dying! Also…” He struggled to catch his breath.

“Rumors are spreading that someone named Ningguang has the Nine Yin Constitution!”

~ Valarion