Corrupted Crimson

by Patrick Laplante

  “The first is a Mid-Grade Spiritual-Detection Grand Formation,” the chaplain explained. “It needs to encompass the entire church grounds. With it, we will be able to passively detect evil spirits. In addition, I need you to set up a Mid-Grade Exorcist Formation. Both would best be installed by a Buddhist monk, but no thanks to our order, they are in very short supply on the continent.”

  Cha Ming looked to Wang Jun, who nodded.

  “Very well,” said Wang Jun. “Cha Ming will first set up a light-gathering formation and then help you with both other formations. However, you will supply spirit stones for the activation and maintenance of each project.”

  “And you have no problem with me not owing you anything?” the chaplain asked doubtfully.

  “The church being prolific in the Song Kingdom is to our advantage,” Wang Jun said. “As Cha Ming has explained to you previously, devils are running rampant in the Song Kingdom. This must stop, or my businesses will suffer. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

  A few days later, Huxian was lazily lounging in the Church of Justice. He felt drained, and reasonably so. In a corner of the church, Cha Ming was steadily syphoning out his light qi into complex sub-formations. They were fixed to the floor via formation crystals, which had been secretly installed behind screens of light energy.

  Huxian, please go get the chaplain and tell him the preparations are ready, Cha Ming said.

  Huxian yawned and stretched out and trotted through the church unimpeded. The inquisitors and guards on duty had all come to know him. In fact, the pastors had preached the lesson of light and darkness, causing much of their initial apprehension to fade away. Now, only three of them disliked Huxian. They had told him straight to his face and then refused to speak with him further.

  Huxian walked up to the chaplain’s prayer room and scratched on the door with his tiny paw. The door soon opened and allowed him inside.

  “Brother Cha Ming’s preparations are ready,” he said. “The formation needs one thousand high-grade spirit stones to activate. You should all get into position prior to its activation.”

  “Excellent,” the chaplain said cheerfully while handing Huxian a bag of holding. “Please give these high-grade spirit stones to your brother and tell him to await the signal for activation.”

  As Huxian walked toward Cha Ming’s location, he noticed many inquisitors swarming to the entrance and channeling their qi into shields of light. Many parishioners, who were kneeling at pews, began muttering amongst themselves.

  “Do not panic,” the pastor said in a soothing voice. “The chaplain will be holding a demonstration soon. It will be very beneficial to our church if you stay.” The parishioners began speaking in excited whispers.

  Huxian walked through a door toward the screen of light where Cha Ming was located. He dropped the bag of holding to the floor and cuddled up to his brother’s leg for petting. Cha Ming scratched the back of his ears as they waited. The pleasant sound of a gong prompted him into action, and he immediately directed the high-grade spirit-stone energy through the nearby light-gathering formation. The formation roared to life and sent out beams of light as thick as an arm through the walls.

  One by one, the pieces of the complex formation lit up. The light-gathering formation creaked and groaned under the strain of converting all thousand high-grade spirit stones in a short instant. It was a sacrificial formation, and it would break apart after the initial activation of the grand formation. By the time the last spirit stone was consumed, it collapsed into motes of light that were also absorbed by the larger one. Each node thrummed, and a light golden sheen spread out throughout the church.

  A bloodcurdling scream caused Cha Ming to dart out into the hallway. An old servant who had been cleaning nearby was surprised by the sudden appearance of a ghostly figure. It was transparent, and its pitch-black eyes were filled with malice. Crimson veins completely covered the apparition.

  Cha Ming sent out a lightning-based combat formation, instantly disintegrating the evil spirit. He continued along the outskirts with Huxian in tow. Nearby, a group of inquisitors brandished blades of light to banish the apparitions as they found them. They moved in a sweeping pattern that led them to the center of the church, where the pews were located.

  “Reporting to the chaplain: We’ve slain three evil spirits!” an inquisitor yelled.

  “Reporting to the chaplain: We’ve slain two evil spirits!” another yelled.

  The reporting continued. When the chaplain looked to Cha Ming, the latter only held up a single finger. The man nodded and continued the tallying. It wasn’t long before another scream sounded out. This time, it came from the pews.

  “What is happening to you, honey?” a woman yelled.

  Cha Ming looked toward an aged man who was covered in crimson veins from head to toe.

  “It will be all right,” the chaplain said reassuringly. He walked toward the man, who was struggling to free himself. The chaplain summoned the man against his will. “Miss Ji, your husband will return safe and sound. I promise.”

  Red-eyed, the woman nodded and bit back her tears.

  After a full hour, the reports ceased to trickle in after six possessed individuals had been apprehended. The chaplain looked over to Cha Ming.

  “You may begin,” he said.

  Cha Ming nodded and withdrew thirty-six white crystals, which he placed on the floor inside a nine-foot circle. He leafed through his memories and reviewed the information one last time before summoning the Clear Sky Brush.

  The brush glowed with white demonic light as he painted two hundred complex lines with light essence. Painting the lines took a full incense time, and as soon as the last one was completed, the formation glowed as a single unit and rumbled to life.

  Cha Ming bowed to the chaplain. “The Mid-Grade Exorcism Formation is ready.”

  The chaplain nodded. “Master inquisitors, with me,” he said.

  Nine figures in golden armor walked up to nine key points in a rehearsed manner. The men followed his instructions and began pouring qi into the formation. The chaplain waved his hand and summoned the older man he had captured before. He placed him in the center of the circle and bound him with his resplendent force.

  “And the Blessed Mother did say, do not suffer the presence of remnants,” the chaplain intoned. “For they are children of the shadows, and they do not belong in this world.

  “Let not karma bind you with vengeance. Pass into the light and leave behind no regrets, for I am the light and will guide you to justice.

  “Do not be tempted by corruption, whose crimson color blinds your eyes and binds your soul. Keep free from fetters that incite you to stray, for I am the sight that will lead you to glory.

  “Do not doubt in your fellow man. If they be wrong, I will judge them accordingly. Trust in me, for I am the truth and will lead you to salvation.”

  The evil spirit screamed as the chaplain’s incisive words wore away at its corrupting influence. Once the final word was completed, the crimson on the old man’s body vanished. He prostrated himself weakly before the golden-robed man.

  “Thank you, Chaplain,” he said tearfully.

  “Do not thank me,” the chaplain said. “The goddess, in her mysterious ways, has saved you.”

  It didn’t take long for the six possessed victims to undergo the same treatment. The chaplain allowed everyone to leave after their exorcism was completed. As they departed, the chaplain instructed them to guide their friends to the church for protection.

  It was night by the time Cha Ming left with the payment of ten scrolls. To his surprise, it wasn’t ten least-grade scrolls but one for each grade. He guessed that in the chaplain’s opinion, having more light-based formations and talismans in the world could only be a good thing.

  “Huxian, can I get a little light?” Cha Ming asked.

  The fox cast a small white globe, which floated above them and illuminated the streets. They had stayed in the brightly lit church for three d
ays. After so much time in the light, it was difficult to adjust to the darkness.

  Chapter 7: Gambling

  “So why exactly is now the best time to gamble?” Cha Ming said as they walked toward the entertainment district. The morning sun had just crept over the horizon. Its soothing light seeped into the cold paving stones that could only be found in this remote part of Songjing City.

  “I’m not sure,” Feng Ming said. “I just woke up at an ungodly hour with an itch to go gambling. You can’t just ignore feelings like that—you need to go with the flow. Unless you had something better to do?”

  Cha Ming thought of his gigantic backlog of formations but pushed them to the back of his mind—a single day of gambling would greatly improve his dire financial situation. More to the point, Feng Ming attracted trouble like honey did flies. Cha Ming needed to blow off some steam, and now was the perfect chance to do it.

  Ten paces away from them, a restaurant was preparing for the busy day. Men and women folded dough and created tiny dumplings and buns for steaming. A little farther on, kitchen staff members were busy preparing ingredients: They precut vegetables and deboned meat while the chefs busily organized the menu for the morning rush. There were no customers to be seen, and most establishments were closed.

  They traveled a little further before arriving near the inns and taverns. These, too, were closed. The tavern staff had not yet begun preparing like the restaurants, while the hotels ran on skeleton crews that awaited any impromptu orders from needy clients. This was also where Feng Ming veered them off to a nearby alley. The dim morning sunlight didn’t reach these narrow streets; instead, they were brightly lit with spirit lamps.

  Everywhere they looked, taverns were still brimming with rowdy customers. Pawn shops, money lenders, and other unsavory establishments waited for the constant trickle of desperate customers that came their way. They were situated right by the casinos, which rapidly gobbled up the small fortunes their clients accrued. The brothels were also there; their red spirit lamps beckoned invitingly to both the lonely and the depraved.

  They soon entered a seedy tavern, which was brimming with customers despite the early hour. Dozens of sweaty gamblers were busy tossing away their fortunes while barmaids served them one drink after another. A customer would occasionally grope one of the barmaids, and her response to this lewd behavior depended less on the quality of the groper and more on the size of their wallet.

  “Not again!” a man shouted. He and three men stood opposite a dealer. The pale man looked to the side of the room nervously. A cloaked figure beckoned, and the man hobbled to the table and began explaining himself in hushed whispers.

  “I can win it back, I swear!” the man said. “Just give me another loan. I’m good for it. I still have my house and my business.”

  “And a wife and kids, and a healthy young body,” the man said calmly. “I know your entire financial situation. I can give you a loan, but this time the interest will be double. You need to give me fifty percent every week, or I’ll take you to the cleaners. Even your wife and two children won’t be able to escape.” A menacing light flickered from the man’s eyes.

  “Thank you,” the pale man said, accepting a small pouch.

  Cha Ming wasn’t sure how much it contained, but it was likely enough to push the man to the brink.

  “Let’s go play Dragons,” Feng Ming suddenly said, pulling Cha Ming’s attention to a long table in the back. The table’s dealer tossed him a chit, on which he placed a mid-grade spirit stone. Cha Ming followed his lead.

  “In this game, you hope the guy keeps rolling the same numbers,” Feng Ming explained. “If he rolls dragons, they eat up everything on the table.”

  “Shut up,” an aged man said. He was half bald, and a long, thin scar ran down the side of his face. Despite his unkempt appearance, Cha Ming determined that the man had reached the peak of qi condensation and was only a single step away from establishing his foundation. This single step was also a monumental one that the man wouldn’t take for the rest of his life.

  “My apologies,” Feng Ming said. It’s rude to explain the rules at the table, Feng Ming sent. It’s considered bad luck.

  The same man tossed two dice that bounced off a soft board at the back of the table. They landed on a pair of threes. Their bet was shifted by the dealer, and while Feng Ming seemed to know what was going on, Cha Ming was completely lost. Spirit stones trickled to their side of the table as he placed the same bets as Feng Ming did. It wasn’t long before everyone started copying Feng Ming.

  “All right, time to switch tables,” Feng Ming said when the dealer glared at them. They picked up their money and moved on to another game. It was a simple card game that reminded Cha Ming of blackjack. Like the dice before, the cards were built from a material that repelled soul force and qi.

  Excited murmurs surrounded their table as their bets doubled continuously. Soon they were the only active table in the tavern, and some of the dealers stood nearby with their arms crossed while others were busy chatting with the moneylender.

  This one’s less a game of chance and more a game of strategy, Feng Ming sent as they approached a table with twelve players. The crowd followed them and sat down to join the excitement.

  Each man had three hidden cards, and four additional cards were exposed in the middle over time. The game was remarkably like poker, and Cha Ming used his strong soul and sharp mind to quickly adapt what he knew to this new game. He used these superior skills in combination with Feng Ming’s freakish luck to quintuple his holdings.

  At first, the dealers didn’t make a big deal when they moved over since they made money on the rake. Unfortunately, many dissatisfied customers left the tavern with accusations of cheating. Before long, a well-dressed foundation-establishment cultivator headed their way.

  “Gentlemen, my name is Hu Fa,” the man said. “Senior Ba wishes to meet with you. Would you be so kind as to follow?”

  Seeing that the hand had just finished, Cha Ming shrugged. Feng Ming nodded, and they followed Hu Fa to a small table in the back. It was none other than the moneylender’s table.

  “Let me introduce myself,” the black-robed man at the table said. “You may call me Senior Ba, and I am the manager of this establishment.”

  The fact that the moneylender was also the owner was very telling.

  “Can we help you with something?” Cha Ming said.

  “Most certainly,” Senior Ba said. “It’s a pleasure to meet both Master Du and Colonel Feng. I must say that the rumors of Colonel Feng’s good luck aren’t the least bit exaggerated. Therefore, I’ll have to remind you both that there are limits on how lucky one can get in my tavern. Do you understand?”

  “Perfectly,” Feng Ming said.

  “Excellent,” Senior Ba said. “Then please continue enjoying the free refreshments. Do let me know if there’s anything else you need.”

  They soon left the premises with their winnings. “Well, that ended fast,” Cha Ming said. “Thanks for the quick cash.”

  Feng Ming chuckled. “You thought I brought you here to make a small amount of money? Surely you know me better than that.”

  Cha Ming pondered for a bit before taking a stab at it. “Who’s the owner of the casino?”

  “Smart,” Feng Ming said. “The owner, at least indirectly, is the crown prince. I trust my instincts, so if fate is willing to let me bleed him dry, he mustn’t be up to any good.”

  “Then what next?” Cha Ming said.

  “You’ll see,” Feng Ming replied with an impish smile. They soon arrived at another casino. This one was significantly better furnished than the last one, and each of the tables was managed by a beautiful female dealer. The drinks here were served by gorgeous foundation-establishment cultivators with low-cut dresses. They spoke with the customers and laughed at their jokes, all for the sake of keeping them and their money in the building for a few more guests.

  We had to stop by the other casino because here, ther
e is a minimum bet of fifty high-grade spirit stones, Feng Ming explained.

  Cha Ming’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Exactly how much money does this place make in a year?

  Now that he looked at them, the walls were adorned with exquisite paintings that resonated with the heaven and earth qi in the room. Each one was worth thousands of mid-grade spirit stones and served to stabilize one’s cultivation and temper one’s soul.

  It’s difficult to say, Feng Ming said. It depends on foot traffic, and the casino’s edge is small. This makes them especially susceptible to losses, thus the man’s reaction in the other tavern.

  Cha Ming nodded as Feng Ming guided him through another cycle of games. They never stayed at a single table for too long, but regardless of the game, their funds increased by leaps and bounds. They’d made a combined total of 10,000 high-grade spirit stones before getting kicked out.

  “Now what?” Cha Ming asked, addicted to the feeling of ripping off casinos.

  “Now we head to the arenas,” Feng Ming said.

  Intense yelling drowned out vicious roars as a large crowd of cultivators rooted for their favorite sprit beasts. In the arena, a large dire wolf was fighting against a slightly larger spirit bear. The odds in this fight were three to one in favor of the larger bear. The were both covered in deadly gashes, but it was clear that the bear’s endurance was winning out. The spirit wolf would soon join the pile of corpses at the base of the arena.

  Cha Ming’s stomach churned as he made his way to a desk at the back. He’d originally refused to place bets, but Feng Ming convinced him that the best way to stop such places was to shut them down. Cha Ming jumped at the chance.

  “Can I help you?” a clerk said from behind the desk. He was busy scribbling in a black ledger. Some words he wrote, but others appeared on their own.

  “I’d like to take out a loan,” Cha Ming said. “As big as you can give me.” The mere thought of borrowing money from such an establishment had Cha Ming sweating bullets.