Cha Ming, who was swiftly plunging down toward her, felt his blood run cold as a vicious killing intent swept through his flesh and blood, paralyzing him momentarily. This greatly reduced the momentum he had struggled to build for this single strike. Unfortunately, he was committed to the attack. Therefore, he gripped his staff on its end with both hands, sending the remaining five feet crashing down with unparalleled might.
Quake Staff!
His most powerful strike collided with hers, forcing them both back like kites with their strings cut. Both he and Gong Lan coughed up blood as they stared at each other, both of them weakly climbing up on one knee. Cha Ming was shocked by her ferocity and killing intent. Clearly she had not just fought normal battles over the last two months. No, she had been fighting death matches!
The thought overwhelmed him with sorrow. Why had such a pure and innocent girl transformed into a such a berserker for his sake? While it was her decision to make, he found it to be a huge shame. He had liked the gentle side of her, but it now seemed remote or nonexistent. It was like the old Gong Lan was dead.
No words were spoken as they sat down cross-legged to recover. Cha Ming revolved his Healing Circle manifestation, which quickly improved their rate of recovery.
Once they had completely recovered, Cha Ming let out a reluctant laugh. “You’re pretty tough! At this fifth level of qi condensation, I have a ludicrously high soul force, and I’ve trained my body to the sixth level, yet we’re evenly matched! I’m impressed!”
Her expression turned gloomy as she responded, “All I had to do was lose myself. That’s the price I paid.” She then averted her gaze as though ashamed of what she had become.
As Cha Ming wracked his brain to recover from the awkward conversation, their silence was interrupted by loud yipping noises from Huxian. Cha Ming also received a mental message. He laughed wryly as he lifted his staff over his shoulder. He sighed. “Huxian is so impressed that he wants to fight a two-on-one now.”
“Oh, a two-on-one? I guess I can fight the both of you if you like,” she replied. Her doting expression implied that she would go easy on him.
“You misunderstand. He’d like to fight us. Unfortunately, he’s much stronger than me,” Cha Ming said.
“How is this possible? He’s only a three-month-old spirit beast!” Gong Lan asked in disbelief.
Cha Ming walked beside her and took out his staff.
“You’d better be ready, Gong Lan. Since it’s two of us, he might actually take us seriously.”
Cha Ming gulped as he manifested a metal-reinforced freezing circle targeting only Huxian, as well as two preemptive healing hands. After all, this was really going to hurt.
A while later, the three of them met Wang Jun and Hong Xin at a nearby restaurant. Hong Xin had not seen Gong Lan in ages, so they chatted about all sorts of things while Cha Ming and Wang Jun spoke for the second time that day.
“You really weren’t kidding when you said a mutual friend would be coming by soon. She’s seriously strong, so much so that we’re evenly matched,” Cha Ming said quietly.
Wang Jun lifted one eyebrow as he digested this piece of information. “So, she beat you up?”
“I said evenly matched! But then again, Huxian beat us in a two-on-one afterward. Still, she’s seriously strong.”
“Are you talking about this big sister?” Gong Lan interrupted with a proud air.
“Big sister, my ass! Huxian beat up the both of us, and I’m his older brother. You’re definitely the little sister in the pecking order,” Cha Ming snapped back.
As if wanting to confirm Cha Ming’s words, Huxian dutifully jumped up on his lap and started licking his hand, causing the whole table to burst into a fit of laughter.
“So does this mean our dear little sister is going to accompany Cha Ming on his trip?” asked Wang Jun.
“What trip? Cha Ming never told me about a trip,” Gong Lan said while shooting Cha Ming an evil glare.
In response, he coughed lightly before replying. “I never got a chance to bring it up. This bloodthirsty little sister dragged me to the arena five minutes into afternoon tea. Then she decided to try skewering me with her sabers. Finally, we fought Huxian, and we’ve been recovering from his ‘beating of love’ ever since.
“Anyhow, like Wang Jun was saying, Huxian and I are going to Fairweather County for an adventure. There’s apparently some excitement there, and while I’m at it, I need to go commission some medicinal pills and get a staff forged. Unfortunately, Wang Jun can’t come along this time because he needs to take care of some family business.”
He didn’t mention Hong Xin. From what he could gather, she’d been so emotionally scarred by the event in the woods that she had given up all attempts at cultivation. Now she cultivated with minimum effort, barely driven by the fact that cultivating would help her maintain her youthful looks.
“How convenient!” Gong Lan exclaimed. “I heard that there’s a lucrative mission happening in Fairweather. Many mercenaries in my brother’s company will be traveling there in three days. We can just join their group to travel there.”
It was too convenient, in fact. If Wang Jun hadn’t explained how fate was basically begging him to travel there, he would have suspected a conspiracy. From the sounds of it, this “lucrative mission” was exactly why he had to travel there.
The matter was quickly settled. He spent the last three days visiting with friends and saying farewells. He made sure to visit the Hong family for supper one night, where he was pestered with questions about the mysterious Wang Jun that Hong Xin had started dating.
For some reason, Cha Ming couldn’t help but feel he might never return to Green Leaf City again. This feeling was reinforced when he visited Elder Ling. Elder Ling essentially trapped him, forcing him to play several games of Angels and Devils while concurrently lecturing him on talisman crafting. Before parting, Elder Ling gave him a strange object. It was a glowing ball containing swirls of black and white. He was instructed to open it only once he reached foundation establishment.
When Cha Ming asked why he was giving him such a precious gift now, Elder Ling only replied that it was destiny, and that he would know the reason in the future. At this point, Cha Ming was fed up with destiny. However, he obediently accepted the gift and kowtowed three times to his teacher. Would they ever meet again?
The next morning, Cha Ming, Huxian, and Gong Lan walked out of Green Leaf City with ten Fierce Blood mercenaries. It was time for another dangerous adventure, one that would change their lives forever.
Chapter 11: Fairweather City
The pungent smell of iron and oil assaulted Cha Ming’s senses as he waited at a table with Huxian for Gong Lan and the mercenaries to finish a pile of paperwork. They were seated at a small table in the corner of a larger hall, which was crowded with rowdy mercenaries. Many of them were waiting, carefully sharpening their swords. Others were oiling their armor, their knives, and various metal instruments susceptible to rust. After all, mortal-grade weapons were expensive, and not everyone could afford them.
The mercenary hall in Fairweather City doubled as a lounge. A few tables closer to the bar, six mercenaries were busy drinking their fill. It was noon, and it was clear that many people had revised their definition of “too early to start drinking.” Drinking was an occupational hazard for most mercenaries.
The large hall was spacious enough to accommodate up to two hundred rowdy men. Certain missions had very large manpower requirements. The innkeepers, while relishing the mercenaries’ business, were less than happy to have a few dozen of them scaring away their regular alcoholic customers. Therefore the large mess hall and bar was a necessity, even in this small city.
Located near the slums, the mercenary hall wasn’t exactly built on prime real estate. Many places found mercenaries to be an unsavory bunch that should be kept away from the general population. The aged wooden bar tables reeked of ale. Cha Ming put up with the pungent smell, however. He was here on a
mission. While they continued waiting for Gong Lan and her group to finish, a nearby mercenary began yelling loudly.
“Are you serious, Brother Hou? That sounds way too good to be true!”
This loud outburst was accompanied by the sound of a mug slamming down on a creaky wooden table. The burly man speaking was clearly drunk.
“Of course I’m serious. It’s listed on the mission wall.” The lanky mercenary pointed to the other side of the tavern, where various pieces of parchment and paper were nailed to a wall made of soft wood. “The two professionals in town are the ones funding this mission, after all. As such, they’ve decided to auction off a variety of premade goods in this restricted auction. This includes pills, spirit weapons, etc.
“In addition, everyone will be able to put any surplus goods up for auction prior to the main auction, so that everyone can liquidate their assets. Anything that isn’t bought by others in the auction will be bought by the auction house for 70% of list price.”
“This is great!” said another one of the mercenaries. “People rarely get the opportunity to buy Master Han’s spirit weapons and Master Zhang’s pills. They’re very particular about picking their clients, and they usually refuse to mass produce lesser-grade goods. Why have they made an exception this time?”
He chuckled. “You might not know this, but it seems that Han Jinlong and Zhang Yifeng both have family in the surrounding towns. They have not received any news from these towns, and the county lord refuses to investigate. Therefore, they had a falling out and are currently recruiting us mercenaries. Better yet, aside from mass producing these lesser-grade spirit weapons, they’re also auctioning out ten slots each. These slots are opportunities to have spirit weapons and medicinal pills custom-made prior to heading out. At cost!”
A fourth mercenary chimed in, scoffing. “At cost. It’s not like they’re actually supplying these services at cost. After all, they are auctioning out the slots! They’re bound to make a killing, even if the auction is restricted to participants in this mercenary mission. I’ve also heard that they’ve sworn not to sell any weapons to anyone for the next year, with the exception of those who participate in the mission! This will surely drive up the price.”
“Look, they’re using both the carrot-and-stick approach. While they are going to make money at this auction, there’s no way it will be enough to offset the bite of refusing business to non-participants for a full year. Besides which, auctioning these weapons out is a clever move on their part,” the lanky man replied.
“Oh? How so?”
“Do I have to explain everything, you stupid fatty? Obviously, there are two types of people that can win in the auction. First, there are powerful and rich adventurers. Making these people even stronger before the outing is a perfect way to ensure better success for the mission.
“The only other people that can participate in such an auction are influential people. These people are most likely to bring followers along. In addition, to prevent people from participating just to buy things, they have restricted the auction for these custom slots to sixth level and higher cultivators. Any family who sends someone of that level will feel the bite if they lose him, therefore, they are more likely to send additional support.”
“I see. That’s very clever. But how will they control the qualifications for the auction?”
“Through a testing stone, of course. A qi testing stone will be used for qi condensation cultivators, and a strength testing pillar will be used to test body cultivators. Use your head.”
The remainder of the conversation was no longer interesting, so Cha Ming and Huxian stopped listening. Gong Lan just happened to return from the mission desk at this point in time.
Most of the details were identical to what they had just heard. Apparently there had been many attacks on neighboring villages. The wealthy individuals in town, worried about the lack of news in the surrounding regions, posted an investigation and rescue mission.
The mission stated that they were disappointed with the support they received from the Fairweather County lord and had taken matters into their own hands. Over the next week, they would recruit a large force to investigate five nearby towns and escort the residents back to Fairweather City. If they found those responsible for the recent attacks on the neighboring villages, the mercenary force was to invade the attackers in the hopes of rescuing any prisoners taken.
The compensation was indeed very generous:
First Level Cultivators—100 spirit stones
Second Level Cultivators—500 spirit stones
Third Level Cultivators—1,000 spirit stones
Fourth Level Cultivators—5,000 spirit stones
Fifth Level Cultivators—10,000 spirit stones
Sixth Level Cultivators—50,000 spirit stones
Seventh Level Cultivators—100,000 spirit stones
… and so on.
The reward for foundation-establishment cultivators was a whopping 1,000 mid-grade spirit stones, in addition to a custom weapon forging slot with Han Jinlong. For every cultivator, a quarter of the reward was payable up front, and the remaining three quarters was payable upon completion of service.
The auction details were the same as explained previously, with one major difference: Instead of a large auction to liquidate assets, the auction house would allow cultivators to set up their own market stalls in a large hall the day before the auction. In addition, the auction house would purchase goods worth more than a certain amount at 75% of the list price. Cha Ming had had his doubts about the veracity of holding an auction for trinkets from various cultivators, but if the auction house truly decided to auction off these various trinkets, this auction alone would last weeks. By then, the mission would already be completed. Setting up an easy trade location was a pragmatic solution.
Yet a final piece of information shocked their small group thoroughly. The two leading craftsmen in the city, Han Jinlong and Zhang Yifeng, would be spearheading the search and rescue mission! Given this detail, Cha Ming concluded that the situation was very dire. He suspected that they had some sensitive information that indicated the need for immediate action. With or without the king’s army.
Since the auction would take place on the next day, the three of them registered for the mission and found a nice inn to occupy. The ten mercenaries that had accompanied Gong Lan proceeded to a less savory establishment. Another “occupational hazard” in the mercenary world.
Later that evening, with nothing better to do, the group decided to wander around the merchant district. While Fairweather City was not a large city, it was still about the same size as Green Leaf City. Instead of being known to produce medicinal herbs, Fairweather City was known for its artisans.
Every street corner was graced with beautiful sculptures—a rare display of wealth in public areas. The various shops—at least, the ones lucky enough to own their own buildings—had hired master artisans to carve and paint the outside of their stores. The philosophy behind this was quite simple. Standing out from the crowd with a beautiful shop would undoubtedly lead to people heading inside out of sheer curiosity or appreciation. The competition in Fairweather was fierce, leading to a luxurious merchant quarter that overshadowed the entertainment district.
All sorts of craftsmen flourished in this city. Unlike in Green Leaf City, the craftsmen of Fairweather looked beyond function. For example, even the lowliest starting weapon on sale was a work of art. Anything less than beautiful was considered trash, something the weapon artisan wouldn’t dare sign his name to.
Even something like medicinal pills were artistic creations, decorated with beautiful patterns or shaped like sparkling gems. Further, the bottles containing them were art products made of crystal. These decorations complemented the function of the medicinal pill. One that was meant to improve vitality, for example, would be decorated with patterns of vines or even be contained in a bottle shaped like a dragon. Some alchemists even housed their wares in stained-glass bottles, using
color combinations to hint at their effect. In one shop, Cha Ming had seen a healing pill that was deep purple. It had been stored in an azure heart-shaped bottle.
These factors led to an amazing pricing phenomenon—huge price disparities could be seen for any and all goods. The same grade of spirit weapon, made of the same materials and supplying the same benefit in combat, could be worth anywhere between 80 and 150% of the usual list price.
Many thoughts went through Cha Ming’s mind as he picked up an intricately carved soul-alloy dagger. The weapon was a third-grade spirit weapon, hardly worth any mention. Normally a weapon like it would be worth eight hundred spirit stones, more than double the amount of a dagger made with normal materials.
However, this weapon was worth fifteen hundred spirit stones. The abnormally inflated price was due to the high level of skill required to craft such unforgiving material. Each of the craftsmen qualified to forge such weapons were well known, and their prices were sky high. Even a blind man would be forced to admit that it was truly a beautiful dagger. It was clear as the purest ice, from tip to hilt. The handle had been engraved with a textured pattern. This decorative artwork, which featured beautiful leaves, vines, and flowers, rendered the handle non-slip.
On another shelf, Cha Ming spotted a beautiful spirit sword. The runes engraved on it were written in flowing script, much like an exercise in calligraphy. Strictly speaking, crafting weapon runes was akin to painting talismans. Runic characters had very specific shapes. Any deviations, while they could enhance the beauty of the resulting talisman or engraved weapon rune, ran the risk of ruining the character itself.
Cha Ming thanked his lucky stars that Elder Ling had been strict in this regard, forcing him to practice calligraphy while crafting his talismans. While the process of beautifying characters was initially risky, an artisan with sufficient skill would eventually learn that there were certain rules to beautifying a character, much like regular calligraphy. Only rules that didn’t conflict with function could be used in runic calligraphy. Due to his various experiences, Cha Ming’s talismans were much better looking than the average textbook talisman.
Blood Moon Page 11