Chapter 49
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 49
Five days later.
The Crimson Sky Immortal-Ferrying Boat departed the royal capital of the Anreung Kingdom, heading first for Saknyeong Province.
In each county and township, royal officials had already gathered the children of eligible age who had yet to undergo spiritual root testing.
Vwoooom—
Each time the colossal immortal-ferrying boat emerged from the clouds, people across the towns and walled cities dropped what they were doing and looked up at the sky in awe.
“It’s the immortals!”
“They’ve come from the immortal sect!”
The children’s parents knelt along both sides of the roads in reverence.
Following Jang Gyeong-ik’s instructions, the State-Resident Cultivators stepped onto their flying magical artifacts in an orderly fashion.
Lee Hyun also rode his Flowing Cloud Disk, gliding down from the deck of the Crimson Sky Immortal-Ferrying Boat and pausing about ten zhang above the ground.
Once he confirmed that hundreds of eyes were fixed upon him, he descended slowly. The wind blew favorably, making his Crimson Sky Sect outer-sect long robe flutter artfully.
He paused once more at a height of just over three zhang.
Sshk.
Without kicking up a single speck of dust, the Flowing Cloud Disk touched down in the clearing.
At the sight, the gathered crowd pressed their foreheads to the ground in unison.
“We greet the revered immortals!”
The children, however, simply stood slack-jawed, staring up at Lee Hyun.
It certainly makes an impression, he thought.
The spiritual root testing took place in the spacious government offices or open grounds of the townships. One by one, the children stepped forward and placed their hands on the transparent Spirit-Measuring Bead.
When a child without spiritual roots touched it, nothing happened. Most of them prodded and turned the Spirit-Measuring Bead several times before taking their parents’ hands and turning back, their shoulders slumped in disappointment.
Occasionally, a light would bloom from within the bead.
Hummmm—
Red, yellow, white, and black hues swirled together.
“Four spiritual roots: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water.”
A State-Resident Cultivator recorded the child’s name, birthplace, and parents’ status.
The parents wept with joy. The child, not understanding what had just happened, merely looked around in bewilderment.
Some children burst into tears before the Spirit-Measuring Bead upon hearing they had to leave their parents.
“Can’t Mom come with me?”
The mother wept as well, yet forced a smile and gently pushed the child’s shoulders forward. “You must listen carefully to what the immortals say.”
“No, I don’t want to! I want to go home!”
Jang Gyeong-ik did not rush the child. He waited quietly until the parents had comforted their son and said their farewells.
Starting with Saknyeong Province, they made their way through Baekha Province and Unreung Province in turn. All three were mountainous, sparsely populated regions within the Anreung Kingdom. Although the royal officials had gathered the children in advance, word traveled slowly to remote mountain valleys, so some families only arrived on the very last day.
As the sun was setting, a man came running along a distant mountain trail with a child on his back. His straw sandals were frayed and ragged, his feet dripping with blood.
“Has… has the testing not ended yet?”
Lee Hyun brought out the Spirit-Measuring Bead he had already packed away. “Set the child down.”
The young girl who had been on his back placed her hand on the bead.
Not a single trace of light bloomed.
A shadow of deep disappointment crossed the man’s face.
Lee Hyun handed the man some healing salve and a few pieces of silver. “Take your child and head back. The mountain trails are dark, so it would be best to rest at the government office tonight before departing.”
“Thank you, Immortal. Thank you so much.”
The man bowed his head repeatedly.
And so, the selected children boarded the Crimson Sky Immortal-Ferrying Boat and headed for the royal capital.
* * *
Within the sprawling walls of the Immortal Ascension Selection Courtyard in the Anreung Kingdom’s capital lay courtyards and pavilions of various sizes. The nineteen children chosen for the Crimson Sky Sect were housed there together.
The royal house provided the children with clean clothes, warm food, and comfortable beds, assigning physicians and maidservants to attend to them. The children, who had cried every night at first after being separated from their parents, gradually grew accustomed to their new life after a few days. Some were even thrilled by the lavish food they had never tasted before.
Two days before the departure for the main mountain, Jang Gyeong-ik handed Lee Hyun a ledger.
“Take a look over this.”
It was the Immortal Ascension Selection ledger, listing the names, spiritual roots, and origins of the children chosen from each region. Beside it lay a list of tributes the royal house was to offer to the Crimson Sky Sect.
Lee Hyun examined the names and numbers of the children one by one. “There are no issues.”
“I will escort the children to the main mountain myself. I intend to settle my accumulated contribution points from state-resident duties and drop by the sect’s market.”
“Understood.”
“Four of us, including myself, will escort the children. Junior Martial Brother Lee, please take charge of the Immortal Service Courtyard in the meantime.”
Like Jang Gyeong-ik, Lee Hyun was a cultivator at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, and his combat prowess was great enough to overwhelm Yuk Gyeong-cheon and Wan Cheong-jo. Within the Immortal Service Courtyard of the Anreung Kingdom, he was already regarded as one of the leading State-Resident Cultivators representing the Crimson Sky Sect.
“Understood.”
“The round trip won’t take even a month,” Jang Gyeong-ik added.
The next day, dozens of carriages bearing the banners of the Anreung royal house halted outside the Immortal Ascension Selection Courtyard. Royal kin and officials led twenty-three royal scions aged six to twelve, all clad in splendid attire, into the courtyard.
Even the King of Anreung came in person. Though an old man pushing seventy, he was remarkably hale for a mortal. His back was straight, and his face bore no trace of illness.
The King of Anreung bowed deeply to Jang Gyeong-ik and the other State-Resident Cultivators. “I greet the revered immortals of the Crimson Sky Sect.”
Just then…
Buzz.
A faint vibration came from the spirit-insect pouch at Lee Hyun’s waist, and the Fluffy Bees inside suddenly grew agitated.
What is this?
Keeping his expression neutral, Lee Hyun rested his hand on the spirit-insect pouch. The three that had mutated after consuming the Meridian-Softening Jade Silkworm were especially excited. It was the exact same reaction they had when discovering prey insects.
A spirit insect here?
The royal entourage gathered nearby all seemed to be ordinary mortals. A few rogue cultivators employed by the royal house had accompanied them, but they remained far off near the outer wall.
The King of Anreung spoke up. “I have a humble request to make of the revered immortals.”
“Speak.”
“These are children of the royal family of eligible age who have yet to be tested for spiritual roots. Might you check whether they, too, possess immortal affinity?”
“Certainly.”
The royal scions came forward one by one to the Spirit-Measuring Bead. As each child placed a hand upon it, they stared into the transparent orb with tense expressions. Yet no change occurred.
Meanwhile, Lee Hyun observed not the children, but the reactions of the Fluffy Bees. Whenever the children moved, the royal kin and officials shifted their positions as well, yet the bees’ reactions remained constant. All three were pointing in the exact same direction.
Toward where the King of Anreung stood.
Hmm…
The last child pulled their hand away from the Spirit-Measuring Bead. In the end, not a single ray of light had bloomed from the orb.
Jang Gyeong-ik spoke. “Regrettably, none among this generation possess a spiritual root.”
The King of Anreung’s disappointment was evident. “It seems immortal affinity eludes our royal house once again.”
Behind the royal children draped in resplendent silk stood the commoner children who, until just days ago, had lived in mountain valleys and farming villages. Some among them had entered the Immortal Ascension Selection Courtyard without even proper footwear. Yet it was they who would become disciples of the Crimson Sky Sect. No matter how noble their birth, the royal children could not step onto that path.
The King of Anreung gazed at the nineteen children for a long moment.
Meanwhile, Lee Hyun quietly took two steps to the side. Three royal officials now stood between him and the king. The Fluffy Bees still strained in the direction of the king.
Just then, the King of Anreung stepped forward to speak with Jang Gyeong-ik, and the distance between him and Lee Hyun narrowed.
Bzzzzz.
The spirit-insect pouch vibrated once again. This time, the reaction was distinct enough to cause the hem of his long robe to flutter faintly. Lee Hyun applied pressure with his fingers, holding down the pouch.
Hesitating, the King of Anreung spoke again. “Revered Immortal. I know this is an unreasonable request, but…” He looked back at the royal children behind him. “Could you take even just one of these children to the immortal sect? They could serve as a mortal attendant or laborer.”
The State-Resident Cultivators exchanged glances. After a moment’s thought, Jang Gyeong-ik answered, “As a rule, mortal laborers for the main mountain are appointed separately by the Outer Affairs Courtyard.”
The King of Anreung’s expression darkened.
“However,” Jang Gyeong-ik continued, “it wouldn’t be difficult for our Immortal Service Courtyard to recommend a young child as a candidate for mortal labor.”
“Then…!”
“We can take one.”
The king’s face brightened. “That is more than enough.” He bowed deeply once more to the State-Resident Cultivators. “Thank you immensely for granting such an unreasonable request.”
The king’s gaze slowly swept across the royal children. A young scion standing at the very back stepped forward. He appeared to be six or seven years old, wearing silk robes with far fewer adornments than the others, and his frame was somewhat frail.
The boy knelt before the King of Anreung. “This grandson will go.”
The King of Anreung looked at the boy’s face for a moment before nodding. “Very well. Then you shall go.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
As the royal entourage prepared to leave, the royal scions returned to their carriages one by one. Only the chosen young royal scion remained in the courtyard of the Immortal Ascension Selection Courtyard. A commoner child playing nearby looked at him. Until recently, that child had been wearing worn-out straw sandals, but now he was dressed in clean garments provided by the royal family. The commoner boy’s eyes held only innocent curiosity, yet the silk-clad royal scion lowered his head first.
The King of Anreung walked out the gates of the Immortal Ascension Selection Courtyard. Lee Hyun probed outside with his divine sense. Once the king boarded his carriage, the horses began to move.
Clip-clop. Clip-clop.
As the king’s carriage drew further away, the frantic movements of the Fluffy Bees gradually subsided. Even though royal kin, officials, and bodyguards still lingered in the courtyard and outside the gate, the reaction faded all the same.
It’s certain, then. Lee Hyun removed his hand from the spirit-insect pouch.
To receive a Life-Bonded Insect implant, one had to be at least a martial artist who had reached the Transformation Realm. He had heard that the King of Anreung practiced martial arts in his youth, but he hadn’t known what realm he had attained. Until now, he had not sensed any trace of Insect-Origin True Qi or a spirit insect from the king’s body. Even when scanned with divine sense, he had appeared merely as an old man in robust health.
Yet the reaction of the Fluffy Bees could not lie.
The King of Anreung harbors a Life-Bonded Insect.
The question was where he had obtained it. The Anreung Kingdom had no Insect-Rearing Courtyard, nor were there any known inheritances or techniques for creating or implanting Life-Bonded Insects.
There was only one prime suspect.
The Heavenly Yang Kingdom?
Lee Hyun decided against informing Jang Gyeong-ik for now. Jumping to the conclusion that the king was an Insect-Bonded Warrior based solely on the Fluffy Bees’ reaction was premature. He didn’t know what kind of Life-Bonded Insect the king held or for what purpose. Explaining how he could detect an Insect-Bonded Warrior would be troublesome, and he had no desire to reveal his Fluffy Bees.
Furthermore, no incident had actually occurred thus far. Even if someone planned to take advantage of the opening created while some State-Resident Cultivators of the Azure Gauze Sect and Crimson Sky Sect were away escorting the children, it mattered little to him. An enemy weak enough to see an opening in the mere absence of a few Qi Refining cultivators posed no real threat to Lee Hyun.
Besides, they would have no reason to rebel against the Crimson Sky Sect and Azure Gauze Sect. State-Resident Cultivators are nothing compared to the sect’s main forces. The Anreung Kingdom wouldn’t be ignorant of that… Still, I should look into what’s going on.
The following day, the Crimson Sky Immortal-Ferrying Boat touched down in the wide courtyard of the Immortal Ascension Selection Courtyard. Tributes offered by the Anreung royal house—precious metals, specialty medicinal herbs, fragrant woods, and minerals—were packed into large crates and loaded into the lower cargo hold. These tributes were bulky relative to their value and were hardly precious in the eyes of cultivators. There was no need to waste space in storage pouches; hauling them in the flying magical artifact’s cargo hold was more than sufficient.
Next, the nineteen disciple candidates and one mortal laborer candidate boarded the boat in turn. Four State-Resident Cultivators from the Crimson Sky Sect, including Jang Gyeong-ik, were to escort them.
Boom—
A drum beat signaling departure sounded. The hull of the Crimson Sky Immortal-Ferrying Boat rose slowly into the air.
Lee Hyun watched it disappear into the sky before returning to the Immortal Service Courtyard.
* * *
A few days later, Lee Hyun sat in a pavilion overlooking the martial training ground south of the royal palace, watching two men spar.
Clang!
Two silver long spears collided in midair. Yuk Gyeong-cheon and Wan Cheong-jo stepped back simultaneously.
“Let us call it here.”
“Commander Yuk wins again today.”
Yuk Gyeong-cheon returned his spear to the weapon rack and walked over to the pavilion. “Immortal Lee, forgive us for keeping you waiting.”
Wan Cheong-jo followed close behind. “Where were our shortcomings today?”
When Lee Hyun pointed out a few minor openings the two had shown during the spar, they immediately returned to the training ground. Yuk Gyeong-cheon raised his spear once more, and Wan Cheong-jo repeatedly drilled the movements Lee Hyun had indicated. Only after nearly half an hour did the two sit down in the pavilion, their expressions satisfied.
An attendant served tea and fruit. Lee Hyun took a sip of tea and asked casually, “Commander Yuk, have you served the royal house for long?”
“It has been forty-six years.”
“Then you must have served His Majesty closely even in his youth.”
Yuk Gyeong-cheon nodded. “When I joined the Royal Guard, His Majesty was already on the throne.”
“Was His Majesty also well-versed in martial arts?”
“Indeed. In his youth, His Majesty attained the Transformation Realm. Had it not been for state affairs, he might have reached even greater heights.”
So he was in the Transformation Realm. He met the minimum condition required to receive a Life-Bonded Insect implant.
That night, Lee Hyun moved through three different spots around the outskirts of the royal palace, tracking the Fluffy Bees’ reactions. Though their orientation shifted each time he changed locations, all three lines of bearing intersected directly beneath the Royal Inner Pharmacy.
* * *
The following night, beneath the Royal Inner Pharmacy.
Ssshk.
The surrounding soil and stone parted like water. An artificially reinforced passage appeared between the strata below the building. Lee Hyun moved forward, monitoring the reactions of the Fluffy Bees within his pouch. They reacted most violently before a stone chamber at the end of the passage.
The entrance to the chamber was sealed by a thick iron door, seemingly impossible to breach quietly by ordinary means. But Lee Hyun had no need to go through the door. He phased into the stone chamber’s wall as if melting right through it.
The interior was smaller than expected, roughly five zhang long and three zhang wide. Along one wall, black wooden boxes and medicine bottles were neatly arranged; on the opposite side stood a small desk and a chest of drawers.
In the center, ten jade tubes stood lined in a row. Each was two chi long and as thick as an adult’s forearm. Approaching the jade tubes, he could faintly discern what was inside. Within a clear liquid, larval spirit insects lay curled and dormant. The other jade tubes were identical. However, their grade could not be determined. A spirit insect’s potential was difficult to gauge in its larval state, nor did Lee Hyun possess knowledge deep enough to identify breeds of Life-Bonded Insects by appearance alone.
Ten Life-Bonded Insects…
In the Anreung Kingdom, even a single one was virtually impossible to obtain. Even for the Heavenly Yang Kingdom, which possessed multiple Insect-Rearing Courtyards, ten was not a quantity to be handed over without a hefty price.
If extending his own lifespan were his only goal, he wouldn’t need this many… Does the King of Anreung dream of making his realm as powerful as Heavenly Yang? Or has he simply become their pawn?
Bzzzzz.
Even though the pouch was still closed, the Fluffy Bees inside stirred wildly. He commanded them to calm down through the Spirit-Nourishing Seal, then examined the jade tubes more closely. On the stopper atop each tube was a small insignia—the very same Black Sun Bureau emblem carved into the iron token carried by the Black Marten.
It’s definitely from the Heavenly Yang Kingdom.
Lee Hyun inspected the wooden boxes and drawers in turn. The boxes held only medicinal herbs and preservation fluid for spirit insects, and the drawers yielded no records shedding light on their origin or purpose.
What should I do with this…?
One option was to report it to the Crimson Sky Sect. He could simply tell Jang Gyeong-ik everything the moment he returned and let the sect investigate the royal house. The jade tubes and the Black Sun Bureau emblem were more than enough evidence. In any case, no one was in a position to demand a fair trial from a cultivation sect; if the Crimson Sky Sect said it was so, that was law. The King of Anreung would find it hard to evade interrogation, and Lee Hyun would be rewarded with contribution points for his discovery.
But supervising the royal family was the Immortal Service Courtyard’s duty to begin with. The sect would claim the jade tubes as spoils of war, and the contribution points he received would likely be mediocre at best. Above all, this wasn’t something that would bring substantial profit to the sect.
In the eyes of any sect, an elder or disciple was only hailed as a hero if they resolved a catastrophe after it had already wrought bloody havoc, or if they returned bearing immense, tangible spoils. Snuffing out a crisis in the dark before it could ever spark to life was almost always brushed aside as a mundane, trivial affair. At best, he would receive a polite nod, a handful of lukewarm praise, and a modest allotment of contribution points that hardly justified the trouble.
On the other hand, what if he simply pocketed all ten jade tubes without uttering a single word to the sect?
Lee Hyun harbored little personal interest in the Life-Bonded Insects sleeping within the tubes, but the swarm of Fluffy Bees resting inside his beast pouch yearned for them with desperate, insatiable hunger.
If he fed these ten Life-Bonded Insects to his swarm, there was a very real possibility that several of the bees would successfully break through, stepping into the realm of Tier 2 spirit insects.
A miserable pittance of sect contribution points versus the invaluable evolution of his Fluffy Bees to Tier 2—there was no need to weigh the options on a scale. The choice was obvious.
Besides, silently gutting the covert schemes of Heavenly Yang and Anreung served the interests of the Crimson Sky Sect all the same. The end result was practically identical to filing a tedious official report, only this path offered far greater rewards.
Hmm… an opportunity to secure such exquisite nourishment for my Fluffy Bees doesn’t come every day. As their master, how could I possibly walk away from this? I’ve already firmly bound them with the Spirit-Nourishing Seal, so even if a few do advance to Tier 2, there won’t be the slightest risk of backlash or losing control over them. Of course, feeding them here in the royal palace is out of the question. I should secure the loot first.
Lee Hyun carefully turned each jade tube over in his hands, examining them from every angle to ensure there were no lingering tracking markers, spiritual residue, or covert curse seals etched into their surfaces. He scrutinized them thoroughly, finding neither concealed formations nor subtle defensive mechanisms.
Swoosh.
With a gentle sweep of his sleeve, the ten jade tubes vanished smoothly into his storage pouch.
Nothing remained atop the stone chamber’s center except ten cold, empty pedestals.
* * *
A short while later, Lee Hyun slipped past the royal palace’s defenses and made his way back into his personal quarters within the Immortal Service Courtyard without raising a single whisper of suspicion.
His physical constitution was remarkably resilient and completely unburdened by fatigue, yet beneath his ribs, his heart drummed with a strange, buoyant thrill.
Even though a cultivator of his standing had long surpassed the mortal need for sleep, Lee Hyun lay back on his bed anyway. He pulled the blankets up to his chest and lay there wide-eyed, staring up into the quiet shadows of the ceiling.
He had just acquired an astonishing fortune through sheer plunder—a roguish, illicit act he had never once attempted, not even across the entire span of his past life. Simply imagining the bewildered, blood-drained expressions on the King of Anreung and his courtiers when dawn broke and they discovered the stripped, empty chamber made his lips twitch upward into an uncontrollable smirk.
What in the world is this exhilarating rush…?!