Ave Xia Rem Y

~~~

Below the Cloudstorm Arena, there are several large chambers that once served as rooms for its most esteemed fighters and later as cages for Murong Bang’s many fearsome beasts. Today, it is only Xiao Nan and Liu Jin’s copy inside one of those rooms. They are surrounded by a wide variety of cultivation resources: pills, elixirs, rare fruits, and more.

Most of them were purchased from the Five Blessing Group, but some had come from the Imperial Treasury and even been donated by the Eternal Flame Clan’s Apothecary. All of them are there to help Xiao Nan and the Duke reach the next level. However, there is something that must be done first.

Away from prying eyes and behind several protective barriers, Liu Jin places his hands on Xiao Nan’s back and carefully examines his Qi. Other than his master and Ruan Goutin, Xiao Nan is the strongest person whose Qi he has been in such close contact with. At a glance, it feels almost peaceful, but that is simply because Xiao Nan’s Qi is moving so fast that it is hard to make out its many wild fluctuations.

“You have become unreasonably strong,” Liu Jin says.

Xiao Nan laughs.

“I have always been incredibly gifted, Little Brother. I’m simply too amazing.”

Liu Jin snorts softly. No matter how much Xiao Nan has tried to control it, the Renegade Realm has noticeably swollen the size of his already sizable ego.

“Is it really a problem?” Xiao Nan asks. There is a note of worry in his voice. “Little Brother, I know my power better than anyone. As much as I’m thankful for your offer, it is okay if you do not do this. I do not need it to become an Emperor.”

The power of a Renegade is all perfectly contained within Xiao Nan’s body, but that just means being near him is akin to being near an active volcano. If Liu Jin dares meddle with his power, he might end up burnt to ashes.

What a pity that meddling with Xiao Nan’s power is what Liu Jin intends to do.

Meridians are the pathways through which Qi flows through the body. However, these pathways are rarely free of obstructions. Most people are born with a few or many meridians blocked, then develop more blocks over their lifetimes. These blocks are often the result of doubts and inner turmoil. In the worst-case scenario, a person with them might go on to develop a Heart Demon.

Regardless, the quickest way to improve someone’s cultivation is by removing those blocks, but it is not easy to alter the meridians of high-level cultivators. As a person grows in cultivation, their meridians enlarge and improve in quality to better handle their increased power, making it harder to tamper with them.

To attempt to alter the meridians of a high-level cultivator is difficult.

To attempt to alter the meridians of a Renegade borders on suicidal.

Xiao Nan is right in that Liu Jin does not need to do this. Considering Xiao Nan’s natural talent, it is only a matter of time until he reaches the Emperor Realm.

However…

“I… We do not have time,” Liu Jin says.

As long as Serene End is out there, no one in the Empire is safe. Someone from the Death Fashioning Scripture can easily turn an entire city into a horde of monsters, which would then be let loose on the Storm Dragon Empire. Before something like that happens, Liu Jin needs to be ready to respond with overwhelming force.

“Elder Brother, you are strong, but I need you to be stronger still,” Liu Jin says. “I apologize that I demand something so outrageous of you, but that is exactly why I must be willing to take this risk.”

Xiao Nan does not answer right away.

“You know, it’s funny,” Xiao Nan says. “Sometimes, I look at you, and I see you as you were in Eastern Port City. Then, something happens, and I realize how much time has passed. Go on, Emperor Qing Jin. Do what you must with my meridians. I trust you.”

It is the first time Xiao Nan calls him by his full title. Liu Jin feels something warm in his eyes, but he quickly blinks it away.

“I will not betray your trust, Elder Brother,” Liu Jin says as he begins to work.

Removing a block is a fairly simple process. However, it is not an easy one. Liu Jin first has to harmonize the flow of his Qi with that of Xiao Nan, but the power of a Renegade is too fast and furious. The core in the center of Liu Jin’s body is quickly pushed to its limits as he forces more Qi through his meridians.

“Little Brother!”

“It’s okay!” Liu Jin shouts as some blood flows out of his mouth. “I can do this.”

His Qi enters Xiao Nan’s meridians, and the raging Qi within threatens to drown it immediately. Liu Jin cannot possibly fight against the current, so he must allow himself to be carried without losing himself in the greater flow. Every passing moment forces Liu Jin to push more of his Qi into Xiao Nan, trying to locate every obstruction.

It comes as no surprise that Xiao Nan only has a few blocked meridians. Some of them are recent, a product of the Renegade Realm. No matter how well Xiao Nan has been trying to handle it, the Renegade Realm always takes its toll. Liu Jin’s Qi snakes around an obstruction. Sweat shines on his forehead as his Qi begins to squeeze, targeting the obstruction from all sides until he has broken it.

Blood spurts from his back.

“It is okay!” Liu Jin yells before Xiao Nan can do anything. “It’s okay!”

As soon as the obstruction was removed, Xiao Nan’s Qi rushed to flow through the now open pathway. Such a large amount of Qi could not be contained, so it was natural for it to spill over. Since Liu Jin’s Qi is connected with Xiao Nan’s Qi, it flowed into him, and he suffered a backlash. That is all. He fully expected something like that to happen.

It’s fine. The first one is done.

Now, it is time for the others.

“It is not okay, Little Brother!” Xiao Nan yells. “You have done enough! If you want to continue, do it after you have healed!”

“I have gone this far already. There is no point in stopping,” Liu Jin counters. “You will become stronger after this, and that will make removing obstructions more dangerous. It has to be now.”

Xiao Nan’s body trembles with repressed emotions.

However, he does not move.

“Thank you,” Liu Jin whispers as he sets to work once more.

The second obstruction is easier to remove. Liu Jin already knows where it is located, so it is just a matter of exerting more power to allow his Qi to reach it.

Another wound opens on his body, further staining the room with his blood.

The more he works, the wilder the backlash from Xiao Nan’s Qi becomes. Xiao Nan is trying his hardest to contain his Qi, but there is only so much he can do. New wounds keep appearing on Liu Jin’s body. That he isn’t already dead is proof of the control Xiao Nan has over his power. Dangerous as this might seem, everything is completely under control. Because…Because…

He is a copy.

Even if his body is destroyed, it doesn’t matter. He is merely a soul fragment in a physical vessel. It doesn’t matter if his flesh breaks. It doesn’t matter if his organs burst one by one. If the worst happens, he'll simply return to the original.

Ultimately, there is nothing safer than this.

Thus, one by one, Liu Jin finishes removing all the obstructions in Xiao Nan’s body.

“Congratulations,” Liu Jin says, lying on the floor. “Your cultivation will be much improved after this.”

Xiao Nan does not say anything. The prodigy of the Xiao Sect takes in his wounded form in silence.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

“How are you not in pain?” he asks.

“I turned off my ability to feel pain long before the process began,” Liu Jin replies. “Don’t worry. It looks terrible, but the damage is mostly physical. It will heal in a few hours. My Qi will take longer to regenerate.”

He laughs.

“What is so funny?”

“I was just thinking that the easy part is now done,” Liu Jin explains. “The Duke is more set in his ways, so it will be harder to work on his meridians.”

Predictably, Xiao Nan does not laugh with him.

~~~

Liu Jin looks at the blood he just coughed out, feedback from the strain suffered by his soul fragment. A flash of his Qi burns it away. It is a good thing that his meeting with Elder Xue finished a few hours ago. It would have been awkward to explain why he suddenly started coughing blood. Liu Jin was not entirely sure it would happen, but he is not surprised that it did. A cultivator on the level of Xiao Nan cannot merely do physical damage anymore.

Regardless, things have been progressing well. Improving the Duke’s meridians is going to be far harder than he initially assumed, but that just means he needs to take several precautions beforehand. He might even need to sacrifice a soul fragment, but it doesn’t matter. Once it is all done, it will only be a matter of time until the Duke and Xiao Nan become Emperors.

Liu Jin sighs.

In front of him, there is a transparent, floating map of the Storm Dragon Empire. Marked on it are all areas where suspicious activity has been reported. Anything from ghost stories, unusual migration and weather patterns, and even testimonies from local drunks. Nothing is too small or fanciful for the army to investigate. However, Liu Jin does not have high hopes. People such as Serene End or the disciples of the Temple of the Thousand Shadows will only be found when they want to be found.

He needs to be ready when they do, and part of that is understanding exactly what it is about the knowledge Old Jiang left him that somehow completes the arts of the Death Fashioning Scripture. Lu Mei was right in what she said the night he destroyed Serene End’s body. If Liu Jin can figure out how it all fits together and complete the Death Fashioning Scripture on his own…

If he could change a person as easily as the masked woman changed his master. If he could make others strong so easily… If he could make himself strong so easily… If he could make himself more than what he is…More than a Renegade…More than an Emperor…It is scary to think about. Terrifying.

If he could do that, everything would suddenly be within reach.

However, the book Old Jiang left hidden in his soul does not deal with matters of body modification. It is all about the soul, knowledge written down because of how little time Old Jiang had to teach him of higher mysteries. It does not fit at all with what he knows about the arts of the Death Fashioning Scripture.

There is also that memory.

The memory that started it all.

~~~

“I never thought you’d be the one to invite me.”

Like all the other memories in the jades his master left him, Liu Jin experiences it through his master's senses. His master is already a grown man in this one, though he still lacks the long white beard he will develop in his later years. He holds a cup of tea in his hand and drinks it, testing it for poisons only out of habit.

“Is it so rare?” asks the person sitting across from him, a man with small eyebrows and a thick black beard. His head is shaved bald.

A white horned mask lies beside him, and there is a similar mask next to Old Jiang.

“We did not part on the best of terms last time,” Old Jiang says, putting his cup down.

“And I regret that. I really do,” the bald man says. “However, I’d regret it more if I never saw you again. You’re stubborn, argumentative, vindictive, petty, opinionated, cheap-”

“Is there perhaps a compliment at the end of that list, you bald bastard?”

“No, it was just more insults,” the bald man replies honestly. “My point was that you’re so horrible that even the kindest, noblest, bravest soul will end up insulting your family for up to ten generations if exposed to your presence for too long. What chance did I, who is neither noble nor kind, have?”

“You forgot to say brave.You’re not very brave either,” Old Jiang notes.

The two men glare at each other for nearly a full minute before bursting into laughter.

“I missed you. I truly did,” the bald man says. “The people around here don’t have the courage to look me in the eyes.”

“Well, how could they ever risk offending Young Master Cao Bian? That’d be the height of impudence,” Old Jiang says before looking at the tea kettle with distaste. “Don’t you have something stronger? If we are to catch up, I don’t want it to be over something so soft. Surely, you must have some millennia-old alcohol with some deeply moving story attached to it.”

“First of all, I want you sober,” the bald man says. “Second, I’m the Head of the Clan now. I was a Young Master for centuries. I’m tired of hearing it.”

“Oh, the perils of being born rich and powerful. How dreadful that must have been for you.”

The bald man snorts. “You were poor and weak for less than two decades. No more than the blink of an eye. You seem to think that has given you license to never spend a coin. If I look inside that bag of yours, won’t I find some millennia-old alcohol with some deeply moving story attached to it? Why do you want mine?”

The memory stutters. There are now several empty bottles around the two men.

“Remember that? She was so furious with you!”

“It was your fault that she was furious with me, you dunce!” Cao Bian shouts at him, banging his fist on the table. “You nearly ruined my marriage before it began!”

“I was helping a friend. You got a good view, didn’t you?” Old Jiang asks. “Quelled your doubts about the future, eh?”

“I missed you, you heartless bastard,” Cao Bian says, laughing so hard he can barely get the words out. He takes a deep breath to sober himself. He points at himself and Old Jiang. “This right here? This is good. I am now convinced this was the right choice. If the Death Fashioning Scripture is to succeed, I need you working side by side with me.”

“Isn’t this a conversation you should be having with my master? Or were you too scared of having to face her?” Old Jiang asks him, raising an eyebrow. “Is that it? Do you want me to speak to her for you when she leaves isolation?”

Cao Bian shakes his head. “That’s not necessary. Not anymore. The woman reached the greatest mystery, yet she never had any intention of passing it down to the rest of us. However, she passed it down to you, didn’t she? That means there is no longer any need for her approval. If you join hands with me, that will be it. The Death Fashioning Scripture will become the strongest in the continent. We’ll be more than ready for what happens after.”

Old Jiang looks at him and sighs, his good mood immediately evaporating.

“Cao Bian, don’t tell me you’re still thinking about that idea of yours!” Old Jiang says, putting a hand on his forehead. “Trying to bring the barrier down is foolishness!”

“Living behind it is nothing but denial,” Cao Bian rebukes him. “The only reason it has not come down yet is that the strongest demons do not dare sacrifice themselves to match the price paid to build it. However, time passes for everyone. They will eventually figure out a way to bring it down. Better for it to happen under our own terms than to keep living in a peace that only benefits the Peerless Heavenly Sword Peak. When demons are available to use, their corpses will empower our arts.”

The memory stutters again.

“Even if I wanted to help you, my master would never allow it,” Old Jiang tells him

“That’s not a problem," Cao Bian says, looking down at his cup. “After today, that woman will no longer be an issue.”

Old Jiang does not understand it right away. Confusion swirls inside him, followed by doubt. Denial hits next.

“No… You couldn’t have…” he says with growing horror. “You told them where she’d be!?”

Cao Bian stays silent.

“She’s your sister!” Old Jiang shouts.

“She’s an outsider who should have never been chosen!” Cao Bian shouts back. “She never had any respect for this place, and her association with the Roaming Thief only caused trouble for us with the Peerless Heavenly Sword Peak! It’s better to let them have her and be done with the issue! Don’t expect me to pretend you care for her. You have never had a kind word to say about her.”

Old Jiang’s Qi rises.

“As you say, I am stubborn, argumentative, vindictive, petty, opinionated, and cheap,” Old Jiang says. “However, I’m not an unfilial disciple! Did you really invite me here and expect me to betray her?"

“I invited you here to spare you from having to do so. It was mercy. Take comfort in knowing there is nothing you can do to stop it. Thus, there is no need for you to feel guilty," Cao Bian says. His Qi rises as he stands. “Even if you run as fast as you can, you won’t make it in time. You are free from your obligations, so you can make your choice unburdened by them. Staying here is the best path for you.”

Old Jiang feels it then. Numerous barriers suddenly go up around the room. All of them designed to keep him contained.

“You are wrong,” Old Jiang says. “There is another path. As long as I don’t help you, you won’t dare bring down the barrier.”

“Do you really think I’d have gone this far if I wasn’t willing to take the risk?” Cao Bian asks him.

“I do,” Old Jiang says, smiling sadly. “It’s like I said before, Cao Bian. You are not brave. You won’t dare bring down the barrier while you have hope.”

“Do not do this, you stubborn fool! This is the only place where you’ll be safe! If you leave, you will be hunted down by everyone!” Cao Bian tells him. “We're on the brink of obtaining everything. Will you really throw it away for one miserable person? Do you really not understand you do not owe her anything anymore?!”

His master is already running, moving as fast as he can despite knowing he will never make it to his master on time.

~~~

In every memory Old Jiang left him, there is a lesson. His master didn’t leave him that memory only so he’d know not to trust Cao Bian and the Death Fashioning Scripture. Nor did he want him to take up his feuds. At that moment, just as Old Jiang started running…

He entered the Seventh Step of Art of the Roaming Thief.

Cao Bian tried his hardest to find Old Jiang after that, but it was impossible for him. Their infection of the Storm Dragon Empire was another way of chasing his trail, but the attempted harvest of the Storm Dragon’s heart marked a clear escalation. With Old Jiang’s death, Cao Bian most likely saw no choice but to proceed forward with his plans.

“Your Majesty!”

A soldier desperately knocks on his door. Liu Jin felt his approach several seconds ago. In the Storm Dragon Palace, there is nothing that can catch him by surprise.

“What is it?” He asks after letting him enter.

“We think we found something,” the soldier says. “It’s not like the previous rumors. What’s been found… the animals…You need to see it with your own eyes.”

Liu Jin sees the horror on the soldier's face and immediately realizes its source.

Finally, Serene End makes her move.

~~~