“Though I’d love to spend more time with you, I was planning on visiting Brother Fan in the Violet Heart Sect,” Zi Long said. “He promised to let me study their illusion arts, and I’m itching to give them a try.”
“Then I’ll accompany you after I break through,” Luo Xuehua said. “You’ll wait for me, right?”
“Of course,” Zi Long replied, a light smile gracing his usually serious lips. But before he could say anything else, he heard a soft tone in his mind. Annoyed, he took out a core-transmission jade, a useful but expensive communication device. A small purple mark was glowing on it. “Speak of the devil. It’s Brother Fan.”
Zi Long poured his incandescent force into the orb to retrieve the message. His grip tightened as he listened.
“What’s wrong?” Luo Xuehua asked. Zi Long was always calm and composed like she was. Not many things, not even a nightmare wasp queen, could faze him.
“Take a look at this,” Zi Long said, handing her the core-transmission jade. The blind woman seeped her incandescent force into the object and furrowed her brow.
“What does it mean?” Luo Xuehua said.
“I don’t know,” Zi Long replied. “But I’m afraid to find out. It seems my visit to the Violet Heart Sect will be more work than pleasure.”
“Be careful,” Luo Xuehua said as Zi Long immediately flew away, not daring to waste a single moment.
I’m always careful, he chided mentally. I just hope that Brother Fan can hold out until I get there. He flew north while Luo Xuehua finished collecting the lotus. As he flew, he took out the core-transmission jade and inspected the message once more. It only contained a single recorded voice message, and the voice message consisted of a single word.
Help.
Chapter 5
“It’s time for dinner, sleepyhead!” a cheerful voice yelled from the small shack.
Ling Dong opened his tired eyes and pulled his torn and bitten limbs back into the confines of his hammock, prompting a disappointed whimper from his scaly companion. A two-foot-long dark-blue drake jumped onto Ling Dong’s stomach, chirping with delight as he greeted his favorite playmate.
What did I do to deserve this? Ling Dong thought. He grasped the drake by the scruff of its neck, forcing the tiny reptile to submit like a newborn kitten. Then he brought it to the front of the cabin where a fifty-foot-long demon beast was roasting on a spit.
Huoying, the icefire eagle, was busy rotating the meat with a crude handle on a misshapen wheel. That the fierce demonic beast had developed more than a passing interest in barbecue amused Ling Dong to no end.
As he arrived, Lan Yin walked out of the shack with two large buckets. She poured them into a giant vat that was a few hundred times larger. The hot water inside it bubbled and hissed as it turned red from what she’d just poured in.
“It’s your turn,” Lan Yin said, motioning to the giant roast.
Ling Dong nodded and drew his greatsword. He ran his finger along its edge, wincing as he felt the notch. Soon, my friend, he thought. Soon.
Huoying lifted the demon carcass and held it out for the larger man. Ling Dong recovered from his daze and struck out a dozen times with practiced ease. His every stroke cut thick slabs of oily meat off the giant roast beast’s body. They fell onto a platter that Lan Yin had placed before he began his messy work.
Once most of the flesh was carved off, Ling Dong moved on to the most difficult part—trimming the meat off the bones. His blade became a whirlwind of destruction, and he expertly shaved off remnant flesh. Once that was finished, he exercised a small portion of his strength and cleaved through the arms and legs, Huoying’s favorite parts. He also cut out large sections of ribs for the oversized bird, who gleefully grabbed these most delicious morsels. Ling Dong, Lan Yin, and the drake got what remained.
“It’s a lot bigger than the last one,” Ling Dong remarked between mouthfuls. As he ate, he fed smaller pieces to the tiny drake beside him, scolding it when it almost bit off his fingers.
“Huoying got lucky this time around and managed to hunt a violetskin ox, his favorite prey,” Lan Yin said. “While he wanted to devour it immediately, his love of barbecue won out, so here we are.” She then looked to the happily dancing drake and frowned. “He seems to like you a lot. Unfortunately, he’s gotten rather unruly.”
“I’ve had little choice in the matter,” Ling Dong said helplessly. “My instinct is to discipline him, but you said it would be counterproductive. I can only defer to your better judgment. I sealed my Demon-Subduing Intent like you told me, so not an hour goes by without me getting bitten.”
Lan Yin chuckled at his misfortune. “You’ve had to suffer a lot,” she said, “but now the time for games is over. If we’re going to get him to behave like a member of our family, we’re going to have to teach him proper manners. He needs to learn that good behavior is expected, and that he can’t have everything for free.”
“Can the runt even do anything?” Ling Dong asked skeptically. “Pardon my ignorance, but he’s the size of a small dog.”
“Oh, he just stays that way because he thinks we’re his parents,” Lan Yin said. “Appearing larger than us would be disrespectful without permission. If we tell him it’s fine, his wingspan should be around thirty feet wide.”
Ling Dong whistled loudly. “There’s a lot of things a big demon like that could do. Though, there’s not much to do around here. The plateau is completely empty and barren, save for the oasis and a few large rocks.”
“Is that what you think?” Lan Yin asked. “You might not be aware, but this is actually a very rich land. While it doesn’t contain much greenery, it’s filled with valuable ores. If not for Huoying’s laziness and the nearby oasis, we would have excavated it long ago.”
Ling Dong rolled his eyes. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that you were pinning blame on an innocent party.”
“You caught me.” Lan Yin chuckled, putting her hand to her mouth. “I was just too lazy to prod him into doing it, and I lost all interest once I found the Drakey’s egg.”
Ling Dong looked at the small, innocent-looking creature. “Will he even listen? We can’t even communicate.”
“He understands you, even though he pretends he doesn’t,” Lan Yin said. “Demons are extremely intelligent. It’s just that he’s young and mischievous. He figured you didn’t know, so he’s playing you for a fool. I, on the other hand, never fell for his act. That’s why he always behaves around me.”
The small drake’s ears pulled back in shame, but only for a brief moment, and then he turned to another large piece of meat. Oily fluids splashed around as Ling Dong sat, deep in thought.
“I can help you mine it, but that seems like a lot more work than I signed up for,” Ling Dong said. “I want something in return.”
“What’s that?” Lan Yin asked.
“I want to share Huoying’s ice essence flame,” Ling Dong said. He used a towel to wipe the grease off his lips before interlocking his fingers and awaiting Lan Yin’s response.
The redhead’s eyes narrowed. “How did you know about it?”
“It’s not difficult to figure out,” Ling Dong said. “Only a powerful natural treasure can generate such a strong demonic field, and ice fire happens to match Huoying’s elements perfectly. Given the combination of arid terrain and the icy pool, nothing else comes to mind. But before you give me an answer, I’d like to be clear on one thing: I just need to borrow the ice essence flame to forge my bones. I don’t want to keep any of it.”
Lan Yin sighed. “Let me talk to him.”
A few tense moments passed. While Ling Dong seemed cool and collected, his anxiety was mounting. It was far too difficult to find such an ice flame, and the only other way to obtain it was finding a high-grade elemental wood to burn. The expense would be astronomical.
Lan Yin turned back to Ling Dong, shaking her head. “He doesn’t know you well enough,” she said. “I can give you a twenty-five percent cut of the or
e deposit for your trouble, but if Huoying refuses, there’s nothing I can do.”
More barbecue it is, Ling Dong thought, rubbing the space between his eyes. “I’ll work on it. Can I trouble you to find a giant wok for me?”
“I think he just wants different kinds of barbecue, to be honest,” Lan Yin said knowingly. “But he needs someone to lather sauce and cut meat and the like. Eagles aren’t exactly the most dextrous of creatures. You know, with their giant claws and all.”
“Let’s take a look at this ore you mentioned,” Ling Dong said, changing the topic.
His little ruse discovered, Drakey increased in size and joined them. They walked on the plateau’s solid slate ground as Lan Yin directed.
At one point, they stopped, and she took out a crystal mounted on a chain from her bag of holding and poured her incandescent force into it. It shot out to the east and remained fixed in place on the end of the taut chain. They followed it until the crystal altered its direction and pointed directly downward.
“The highest concentration of ore is down there,” she said. “I don’t know how far down you’ll need to dig, but this pendant has never been wrong.”
“As a beast tamer, why would you have a dousing pendant?” Ling Dong asked.
“Yes, why would someone who travels over uncharted, unexplored territory all year round carry a device capable of detecting undiscovered wealth?” Lan Yin said sarcastically.
I don’t know how long it will take to dig up the ore, but that’s secondary, she sent mentally. I’ll warn you ahead of time: Drakey won’t cooperate. Even so, don’t rush him. Just makes sure he stays near you and doesn’t misbehave. You can freely use your Demon-Subduing Intent now.
Does he have a name other than Drakey? Ling Dong asked.
He has one, but we don’t know it, Lan Yin replied. Just keep calling him Drakey for now. It’d be presumptuous for us to guess his name. He’ll tell us when he reaches the purification realm, or when he signs a contract.
Ling Dong nodded slowly. He rummaged through his bag of holding before discovering an unused pickaxe. It weighed around a thousand jin, which was a pittance compared to his total strength.
No wonder Teacher Han said a smith should always carry a pickaxe, he thought. He’d been sitting on it for so long without using it, but now a mountain of ore had shown up on his doorstep.
He looked around and noticed that Lan Yin had vanished. Sighing, he swung the heavy pickaxe and pierced the rocky ground. Shards of dense shale flew out in all directions and hit both him and the small drake. Not wanting to be crushed by the debris, Drakey grew larger. He then looked around, unsure of what to do as Ling Dong worked away tirelessly.
A half hour passed. The debris piled up higher, but Ling Dong had yet to show any signs of fatigue. Concerned, Drakey approached the pit, only to be forced back by flying debris. Aggrieved, he turned to return to the cabin. It was at this moment that Ling Dong stopped digging. As he climbed out of the pit, Drakey pounced on him. Ling Dong, who was used to his antics, caught the now two-foot drake and pet it between the ears.
“Daddy’s busy now, so you’ll have to stay here and behave, all right?” Ling Dong said.
The drake looked at him, perplexed.
“Don’t use those eyes with me, Drakey, I know you understand.”
Drakey pouted but sat down nonetheless. He looked on as Ling Dong took out a large, thin metal plate and shoveled the small mountain of debris onto it. Drakey, unsure of what to do, followed along. He knocked several pieces of shale onto the plate like it was a game.
Once all the shale was loaded, Ling Dong grabbed the plate and pulled with all his might. His arms and legs bulged, and qi protruded from his feet in the form of sharp, metallic spikes. He dragged the plate forward at a slow pace while thanking the heavens that the plateau was as smooth as it was. As a body cultivator and a blacksmith, he’d long since learned to tune out the loud screeching noises resulting from dragging the sled. Drakey, curious as to what was happening, followed along cheerfully.
They walked for a quarter hour before Drakey got bored. The small drake, upset at what little attention he was getting, hopped onto the pile of shale.
Ling Dong looked back and frowned. “It’s one thing if you’re not helping, but don’t think I’m going to pull you along when I have all this shale to pull as well.”
Drakey pouted. Then, contrary to what Ling Dong expected, he refused to budge. It was as though he was saying he wasn’t that heavy, and that it shouldn’t make a difference whether he was riding or not.
“It’s a matter of principle,” Ling Dong said. “You could be pulling this shale with me, but you’re just watching. And now you’re wanting a ride. It was fine while we were on vacation, but now we need to work.”
Still, the drake refused to budge. He stared at Ling Dong for a while before yawning and lying down on the large pile.
Seeing that the drake wouldn’t cooperate, Ling Dong infused a small wisp of Demon-Subduing Intent into his incandescent force. His eyes glowed with faint purple light as he flicked at Drakey’s forehead. The small lizard, sensing the frightening presence, scrambled off the pile. He looked around worriedly before realizing that Ling Dong was the responsible party. His nonchalant look from before had turned to one of awe and reverence.
Seeing his apprehension, Ling Dong chuckled and dragged the metal plate to the edge of the plateau. He swept the rock, which would have been far too heavy for his bag of holding, off the cliff. The creatures in the woods below scrambled to escape as their sixth senses warned them. Unfortunately, it was a too late for some. He couldn’t help but feel regretful at the senseless loss of life.
Having dumped off his heavy cargo, Ling Dong summoned his flying sword and patted his shoulder. Drakey looked at him warily, choosing instead to transform into his larger form and follow beside Ling Dong. They soon arrived back at the mining pit, where Ling Dong continued his toiling work. Drakey, bored of the game they were playing, chose to wander about. Every time he wandered too far, Ling Dong’s Demon-Subduing Intent was waiting to herd him back in.
Feeling mistreated, Drakey didn’t help Ling Dong, who ignored him. Before long, he’d finished ten rounds of mining. Though nothing he’d mined yet was useable, it was only a matter of time before he cleared the surface layer and reached an ore vein.
They returned to the cabin at nightfall, where Huoying was patiently waiting with a demon beast carcass. After some deft swordwork and exquisite flame control, they were rewarded with a table full of barbecue. Ling Dong, Huoying, and Lan Yin dug in.
Just as Drakey was about to plunge into one of the plates, however, Huoying let out a sharp cry filled with indignation. The drake froze, as did Ling Dong. Lan Yin looked at the icefire eagle and back to Drakey before explaining to Ling Dong.
“He says Drakey didn’t help you much today,” Lan Yin said. “Is that true?”
Ling Dong gave a sidelong glance to Drakey. “It is and it isn’t. He helped me load some slate at some point. Don’t forget that he’s still just a kid. He can’t do much at his young age.” Though Drakey looked indignant, he said nothing. Instead, he drooled while looking at the piles of meat, hoping that his senior, the icefire eagle, would give him permission to eat.
Hearing Ling Dong’s response, the icefire eagle let out a snorting caw. A gust of wind pushed most of the dishes toward his side of the table, leaving behind only a small dish for Drakey, who roared in indignation. The icefire eagle glared at him and cawed back. After several rounds of argument, Drakey could only look at his plate bitterly and nibble away his meager portion.
“Huoying knows very well how strong Drakey is,” Lan Yin explained. “Though he’s young, he’s already stronger than most initial bone-forging cultivators. And that’s only fist strength—given his large body, his carrying capacity is much greater. Since you mined, and Brother Huoying and I went through a lot of trouble to catch this skytreading horse, he’s just a little indignant Drakey is freeloadin
g. In his opinion, even this small plate of food is more than he deserves.”
Ling Dong coughed lightly. “But he’s young and growing,” he said. “Shouldn’t he get some extra food for now? I’m sure he’ll make it all up later. What do you say, Brother Huoying?”
The eagle glared. He looked to Lan Yin for guidance.
“You won’t be lazy tomorrow, will you?” Lan Yin asked Drakey.
The small reptile shrank back and shook his head.
Seeing his regret, Lan Yin passed him one of the larger trays. “You can eat more tomorrow if you work harder.”
Drakey nodded his head eagerly. The evening passed quickly, and Ling Dong soon fell asleep in his hammock with a little drake curled up on his belly.
Ling Dong woke to a familiar jabbing pain. He tumbled out of his hammock and noticed blood dribbling down his arm through shallow teeth marks. It wasn’t much harm to a bone-forging cultivator like himself, but he decided to be a little more proactive this time around.
He flicked the small reptile on the forehead while infusing a little more Demon-Subduing Intent than he had the day before. Drakey cowered back but recovered swiftly. He tilted his head to the side, and only now did Ling Dong understand—he was gesturing toward the large pit, and he had bitten him to tell him the workday had already started.
“It’s enough if you just pull on my arm,” Ling Dong muttered, opening and closing his large hand as the bleeding stopped. “It really stings when you bite me like that, no matter how fast it heals.”
Drakey nodded impatiently. They both flew over to the pit, where Ling Dong began mining once more. After observing Ling Dong digging for a while, the black drake brandished his claws and scraped away at the rocky ground. To his disappointment, only a few loose chips of rock fell off.
“You need to understand the material,” Ling Dong said, demonstrating with a blow of his pickaxe. Large chunks of slate fell to the ground beside Drakey’s dust. “You’re not trying to scratch the wall but dig in and pry it apart. Otherwise, you’ll only manage to waste your energy and make hard-to-move sand. And while sand is sometimes good material, this particular sand isn’t worth the effort.”
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