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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 6: Vermilion Bird Essence
Qian Feng ignored Meng Hai's teasing, a smile on his face, though it was more of a forced grin. "It's been a long time since we last met. Five years have passed, and you, Grand Envoy, truly have some skills. Half the people below are searching for you, yet you manage to hide so quietly. I must admire you for that."
Qian Feng's flattery didn't faze Ji Zichen at all. Ji Zichen replied with a light smile, "I just went to a place without white."
Qian Feng knew where that place was but pretended not to. He chuckled awkwardly, "A place without white? That sounds enviable; it must be quite fun there."
Qian Feng scrutinized Ji Zichen closely. "You look clean and unscathed; it seems you haven't encountered anything life-threatening."
Ji Zichen asked, "How long have you been here?"
Qian Feng replied, "Five days, but I didn't expect the Eight Cities Order to be with you."
Meng Hai, unable to hold back from Qian Feng's rambling, interjected, "Why aren't you at the Regulation Pavilion? What are you doing here? Are you trying to trade someone for a reward?"
Qian Feng laughed, "I'm not interested in rewards. In this world, he isn't the only Fugitive. After five years of searching and finding nothing, many have lost interest; the wanted notice is no different from a piece of scrap paper now. However, I can help you restore the Grand Envoy's identity. I wonder if you're interested?"
Meng Hai exclaimed, "I don't believe you have any way to help him restore his identity."
Restoring his identity was a huge temptation for Ji Zichen. He asked, "Could it be that in just five years you've become the Pavilion Master?"
Qian Feng forced a laugh. "Not quite. Your expulsion from The Divine Alliance Under the Covenant was due to the situation at that time; now..."
Ji Zichen interrupted him, "Is this the Pavilion Master's intention? What are you plotting? Restoring my identity—aren't you afraid someone will come looking for trouble with The Divine Alliance Under the Covenant?"
Qian Feng smiled leisurely this time, genuinely amused. "This is not the same as before; the place without white is the Divine Realm Rift, right? I've already heard about it."
Ji Zichen was taken aback, half surprised as she asked, "How did you know?"
Qian Feng replied with a smile, "Of course, it was someone from the Divine Clan who spread the word."
Ji Zichen thought to herself, "Could someone have escaped from the Gap?" She then reasoned, "If we can get out, others can certainly do the same."
Ji Zichen looked at Qian Feng suspiciously and asked, "What do you mean by 'this time is different'?"
Qian Feng knew Ji Zichen was clever and simply stated, "I know you took the Vermilion Bird Essence."
Upon hearing this, Ji Zichen sneered, "So it’s for Divine Dawn that you want to restore my identity."
Qian Feng laid it all out, saying, "You can think of it that way if you want. Obtaining the Primordial Dan will make it easier to locate the ruins. The Divine Alliance Under the Covenant is where you were raised; you can't possibly consume all that wealth alone. So, how about coming back to the Divine Alliance Under the Covenant? Together we can find the ruins."
---
"Whoosh, whoosh..." Lin Chuyu was in the inn's backyard, wielding a Vajra and stabbing at an innocent oak tree repeatedly. The tree bore over a dozen fine puncture marks as Lin Chuyu glared at it with rage, as if she were looking at a Mad Bull.
A sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy observed her from a distance. Dressed in a silk shirt and looking quite presentable, he walked through the archway and approached Lin Chuyu with a smile. "What are you doing?"
Lin Chuyu shot him a glance and replied, "Just go away; it's none of your business."
The boy seemed to sense something and said, "The tree is dead; people are alive. You can't hurt anyone by stabbing like that."
His curious gaze fell on the Vajra. "That knife looks really nice. Can I take a look at it?"
Lin Chuyu felt a surge of caution and took a few steps back, hiding Vajra behind her. "Who are you?"
The boy smiled kindly. "Your skills are so poor; it's a waste to use such a fine blade. Let me take a look."
Before Lin Chuyu could react, the boy reached out and snatched Vajra from her grasp. Startled, she lunged forward to retrieve it, but the boy had already leaped onto the rooftop, flipping Vajra in his hands with delight.
"This is quite strange," he remarked. "It's neither a sword nor a dagger, but it does look exquisite."
Seeing the boy perched on the roof, Lin Chuyu realized she couldn't match his agility. "Quickly give me back Vajra!" she urged.
The boy called down from the rooftop, "Vajra? That sounds like the name of some magical artifact. What elements does this Vajra possess?"
Lin Chuyu glanced around and picked up a small stone, pretending to throw it. "Vajra has no elements; it can only traverse souls. Return it to me, or I’ll throw this!"
The boy chuckled and jumped down from the roof. "If you want it back, you'll have to take it yourself."
Determined, Lin Chuyu discarded the stone and reached for him. The boy sidestepped slightly, and she missed her grab. He smiled knowingly. "You won't get it back that way."
Frustrated, Lin Chuyu flailed her arms in a wild attempt to catch him, but he always managed to evade her grasp. After several failed attempts, she slipped and fell to the ground. The boy seemed to take pity on her and said, "You're just wasting your energy like this. Think about where I'll dodge after you miss."
He twirled Vajra in his hands gracefully, demonstrating fluid movements. "First, you need to anticipate my moves before you try to snatch it."
Lin Chuyu was growing increasingly irritated. "Shut up! What do you want? Just give me back Vajra!" She lunged at him again in frustration.
The boy danced away effortlessly, retreating several paces. "Hey, why don’t you listen? You need to predict my movements first. But I can see you're too flustered to understand right now. I could return it to you easily, but doing so without any effort seems a bit..."
The young man paused for a moment before saying, "You are very beautiful. If you tell me your name, I will return the Vajra to you."
Lin Chuyu was already furious at the boy's stubbornness and had no intention of revealing her name. Suddenly, she reached out to grab him, but he shifted to the right. At that moment, Lin Chuyu changed her approach and lunged forward, managing to tackle the boy to the ground.
Sitting on his stomach, Lin Chuyu reached for the hand holding the knife. The boy easily gripped the Vajra in his right hand, and despite her best efforts, she couldn't pry his fingers away.
Seeing Lin Chuyu tackle him down, the boy chuckled, "I thought you weren't paying attention. I didn't expect you to learn so quickly."
Lin Chuyu was momentarily taken aback as she gazed into his dark eyes. She had indeed made a prediction to bring him down. The boy then relaxed his grip and said, "Go ahead and take it. Can you let me up now?"
Realizing she was sitting on him, Lin Chuyu felt her ears flush red as she hurriedly got up with the Vajra in hand.
The boy stood up and brushed off the dust. "Miss, don't be angry. I was just teasing you; I didn't really want to steal your Vajra."
Lin Chuyu asked, "Who are you? Why are you teaching me martial arts?"
The boy laughed heartily. "What martial arts? I just found it curious when I saw someone rubbing a tree trunk with a Vajra, so I came over to take a look."
Lin Chuyu bit her lip and replied, "Do you think I enjoy rubbing trees? I don't have your skills. If I had even half of your ability, I wouldn't be here letting you make fun of me."
The boy's smile faded as he sighed deeply. "Am I skilled? Perhaps in your eyes, but to others, it's hardly worth mentioning."
Noticing a hint of concern in his expression, Lin Chuyu casually asked, "In whose eyes is your skill not worth mentioning?"
The boy hesitated to reveal his thoughts in front of others and repeated his smile. "No one in particular; what I mean is that there are always people better than you."
"Are you a guest at the inn?" Lin Chuyu asked, looking at him intently.
The young man smiled slightly. "I suppose so."
"Ah~~"
At that moment, both of them heard a chilling scream coming from the alley outside.
The young man's brow furrowed. "I'll go take a look!"
He leaped onto the roof and headed toward the alley.
"Wait!" Lin Chuyu called out. She didn't have the same agility and could only exit through the inn's main door and turn into the alley.
As soon as Lin Chuyu turned into the alley, she saw the young man standing solemnly beside eight headless corpses. Lin Chuyu gasped, "Ah!"
The center of the alley was soaked in blood, splattered like ink, with the eight bodies sprawled haphazardly on the ground.
Lin Chuyu's face turned pale as she asked, "Who... killed them?"
The young man frowned deeply. "From their attire, they appear to be Qingyang City Soldiers. Eight of them make up a Patrolman team, and all eight have been slain. But where are their heads?"
"Dripping..."
Lin Chuyu and the young man felt a shadow loom over them, blocking out the light. They instinctively looked up and saw eight bloody heads falling from above.
Lin Chuyu felt a tingling sensation on her scalp as she twisted her body to evade. The boy pulled her out of the alley, and once they were outside, they saw that a Green Demon Eagle was perched above the alley.
This Green Demon Eagle was the largest Lin Chuyu had ever seen, about the size of an adult wild elephant.
At that moment, another team of Patrolmen arrived. The captain shouted, "What a Demon Beast! How dare it cause trouble in the city! Fire the explosive arrows!"
Seven Patrolmen drew their bows, and the tips of their arrows glowed with fireballs. Seven arrows flew simultaneously towards the Green Demon Eagle, exploding upon impact and igniting a cloud of white mist. The boy pulled Lin Chuyu back several yards. "We need to get out of here!"
The Green Demon Eagle screeched wildly within the white mist.
Hearing the cries, the captain let out a slight sigh of relief. "We've dealt with it. That vile Demon Beast! Once the mist clears, we'll count how many people have died."
Before long, the white mist dissipated, revealing that the Green Demon Eagle's outer skin was slightly scorched but not severely injured. It raised its sharp claws and lunged at the Patrolmen. In an instant, the Patrolman team was shattered, and with a powerful flap of its wings, the Green Demon Eagle soared into the sky.
The two ran down the street and watched as the Green Demon Eagle flew overhead. The boy stopped and said, "It's gone."
Lin Chuyu asked in astonishment, "What? Are Demon Beasts frequently attacking Qingyang City?"
The boy shook his head. "This has only started happening recently. Normally, Demon Beasts would avoid crowded areas, but lately they seem to have gone mad, attacking towns across the Desolate Central Plain. It's not just the Green Demon Eagle; there are other Demon Beasts as well. They seem to be searching for something."
Lin Chuyu inquired, "What are those Demon Beasts looking for?"
The boy shook his head again and speculated, "I can't say for sure, but I suspect it's for Vermilion Bird Essence."
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