The Illusion of Favor
"Thank you, Lord Dragon." Whether it was an act or genuine, Han Cheongyu accepted the alchemical pill and expressed his gratitude. Jekyeong exchanged a few meaningless pleasantries with him before sending him on his way, without uttering a single word about the other human subordinates.
There were no secrets on Heukgyodo. This was especially true among the human cultivators, who possessed an innate instinct to band together. They formed groups to ease their loneliness, multiply their joys, forget their fears, and feed their vanity.
"Cheongyu, has your cultivation progressed?" The human cultivators of Heukgyodo immediately noticed that the aura and demeanor Han Cheongyu exuded were different from the day before. This was not because Han Cheongyu had bragged, nor because they were exceptionally perceptive or overly nosy. It was simply because on this dull island, it was difficult to find any pleasure other than comparing oneself to others and savoring the small joys of achievement.
Of course, they no longer considered Han Cheongyu—who was astonishingly diligent and talented—to be their direct rival. Yet, that only made them pay closer attention to him. After all, the one at the top always draws the most eyes.
"Yes. Lord Dragon bestowed an alchemical pill upon me."
"Lord Dragon gave you a pill? Why?"
The human cultivators felt a mix of envy and resentment. They believed Lord Dragon was showing far too much favoritism toward Han Cheongyu. Even if Han Cheongyu's cultivation realm was the highest among them and he had served Lord Dragon the longest, wasn't this level of partiality a bit excessive?
Han Cheongyu could easily read his companions' burning gazes and inner thoughts. How could he not? Though he poured most of his heart into his cultivation, he was not entirely blind to the atmosphere around him.
"Lord Dragon asked if I would accept the Blood Contract Restriction," Han Cheongyu replied. "I told him I would gladly accept it, and Lord Dragon, pleased with my attitude, rewarded me with the pill."
"The Blood Contract Restriction? What is that?"
Some furrowed their brows, while others' eyes lit up. The former felt an instinctive aversion to the ominous-sounding name, while the latter perked up at the mention of alchemical pills and rewards.
Han Cheongyu explained slowly and calmly. He had already deduced Lord Dragon's true intentions. This Blood Contract Restriction was a means to control the human cultivators more securely, and those who did not accept it would no longer be allowed to remain under Lord Dragon's command. Of course, before even reaching that point, one had to wonder if they could even survive after refusing it.
'Lord Dragon is using me to minimize their resistance to the restriction.'
Why was he the only one who had received the restriction so far? Was it because his late Qi Condensation cultivation was a threat? Han Cheongyu was no fool. Once he filtered out the absurd theories, only one logical conclusion remained: he was a decoy. A lure to make the restriction look like a symbol of favor.
Realizing this, Han Cheongyu knew exactly how he had to act. He needed to do absolutely nothing. There was no need to step forward and exaggerate Lord Dragon's benevolence, nor did he need to gloss over the restriction as if it were nothing. Thoughts forced upon others by someone else never took deep root or lasted long anyway; it was best to let them come to their own conclusions. Thus, Han Cheongyu behaved as calmly as usual. If there was one small detail he paid attention to, it was leaving a faint, lingering scent of the alchemical pill on himself.
'It seems to have worked well.' Han Cheongyu kept his mouth shut as he watched his visibly shaken companions.
About ten days after Han Cheongyu had left with his pill, Jekyeong felt the atmosphere had ripened. He summoned another cultivator. This one's cultivation was mediocre, but he was the most diligent among them, second only to Han Cheongyu. Perhaps having guessed why he was called, the man arrived looking somewhat flushed with excitement.
Just as he had done with Han Cheongyu, Jekyeong asked for his thoughts, and the man accepted the restriction as if he had been waiting for it. To an outsider, it would have looked as though the restriction were a grand prize rather than a shackle.
'The effect is excellent.'
Was this due to the few bottles of alchemical pills, or the subtle illusion Han Cheongyu had woven? Whichever it was, his fishing expedition had yielded a successful catch.
Once a second person received the "reward" after Han Cheongyu, the human cultivators of Heukgyodo could no longer hide their true feelings. When Han Cheongyu had received the reward, they could accept it with a slightly bitter stomach because, after all, he was undeniably the best among them. But this time was different!
The fellow summoned this time barely ranked in the middle of the pack in terms of cultivation, and possessed absolutely no outstanding traits other than his simple-minded honesty. Why on earth had someone like him been called by Lord Dragon to receive a reward? They pondered in jealousy, and before long, they arrived at a plausible, if doubtful, answer.
Simple-minded honesty. In other words, diligence. Or, to put it in completely different terms... loyalty?
It might have been an absurd overinterpretation and a stretch of suspicion, but they truly could not think of anything else. Even if it was a doubtful answer, if it was the only one available, they had no choice but to believe it. And so, they did. That belief was cemented when the third person was summoned.
The third person summoned was of a similar mold to the second. His skills were nothing to write home about, but he was simple and honest by nature, rarely complained, and frequently spoke of his gratitude for Lord Dragon's benevolence. By this point, they could no longer doubt it. The so-called Blood Contract Restriction was a symbol of favor, and the condition for receiving that favor was not ability, but loyalty.
As cultivators, they desperately wanted Lord Dragon's alchemical pills—no, his favor. But it seemed this favor was not easily won. If the condition was loyalty, how on earth were they supposed to prove it? Did they have to rip open their chests to show them their hearts?
As those receiving the "reward" emerged every few days, and their numbers surpassed six, the hearts of the remaining cultivators grew as heavy as if pressed by iron weights. Now, it was no longer just about the reward; they began to worry that Lord Dragon was doubting their loyalty.
In truth, however, Jekyeong was not thinking about them at all. The delay in bestowing the "rewards" was simply because his mastery of the Blood Contract Restriction technique was progressing slowly. With Jekyeong's current level of achievement, controlling even ten people was a strain, so how could he hand out the "rewards" in rapid succession? Unaware of this reality, the human cultivators of Heukgyodo could only blame their own lack of devotion and lament that they could not lay bare their hearts to Lord Dragon.
The reaction of the human workers was far more intense than Jekyeong had anticipated. While he was satisfied with this outcome, he was also slightly puzzled. Did these fellows not understand what it meant to place their lives in someone else's hands? No matter how good the alchemical pills were, and no matter how much they hated falling behind, wasn't this a bit too enthusiastic?
Was it because he was currently a beast that he could not comprehend these humans? Or had the humans of the Heukgyo Water Territory been subjugated for so long that they could accept a leash without a second thought?
'Well, whatever.'
The immediate priority was to practice the Blood Contract Restriction more diligently so that he could bring at least all the humans on Heukgyodo under his control. To that end, Jekyeong immersed himself in cultivation, forgetting the passage of day and night. After three full months of this, Jekyeong was finally able to place the restriction on every single human cultivator on Heukgyodo.
'For now, I've done what I can.'
What the Blood Contract Restriction controlled was merely the lives of those marked by it; it could not govern their thoughts or hearts. In short, there was no way to prevent those under the restriction from playing tricks if they were willing to risk their lives. Jekyeong could do nothing about this limitation. He might find other methods if he took his time, but for now, he had to be satisfied with this.
Having completed his training in the Blood Contract Restriction, Jekyeong began to frequent Bul-mang-won in earnest to investigate the strange stone. He first inquired with the seniors of the Mansi Assembly. However, neither the experienced U Do-baek, nor Choi Ju-tang, whose background and identity were highly suspicious, nor Yeo Janggyeong, who ought to have known much as a sect cultivator, knew anything about the stone.
'This is getting more and more interesting.'
Jekyeong considered the senior cultivators of the Mansi Assembly to be quite knowledgeable, even among human Foundation Establishment cultivators. This was a conclusion he had reached after occasionally conversing with other cultivators in Bul-mang-won. Yet, even they did not know the origin of this strange stone.
"Well, I haven't a clue."
"There are too many stones like that. I'd have to see it in person to know."
"Isn't it just a contaminated Spirit Stone?"
Since the erection of the Teleportation Pillars, the number of people traveling across Bul-mang-won to network broadly had increased. They actively sought out new encounters and did not shy away from exchanging information in various fields. The cultivators Jekyeong met this time were of that sort. However, because Jekyeong did not have much to offer them in return, the information he could gather was limited. Unless they showed a spontaneous interest in the strange stone, all Jekyeong could extract from them were a few half-hearted remarks.
As several months passed and his motivation began to wane, Jekyeong met a certain cultivator. The man recognized at a single glance that Jekyeong was of the Beast Race, which alone convinced Jekyeong that his interlocutor was a late Foundation Establishment cultivator. The cultivator, who introduced himself as So-an, asked Jekyeong about various things. Most of his questions pertained to life as a beast cultivator, and since none of it was particularly uncomfortable to share, Jekyeong answered him sincerely.
"Fascinating, truly fascinating," So-an said. "Ah, please understand. Information regarding the cultivation world of the Beast Race is hard to come by. It is even rarer to hear it directly from one of its members. If I could, I would gladly listen to your stories for days on end."
"That would be difficult," Jekyeong replied. "It is not that I wish to hide anything, but I truly do not know much. It is hard enough just to quietly survive day by day, so what interesting tales could I possibly have?"
"Not at all, not at all! Even the trivial details Fellow Daoist deems mundane sound incredibly intriguing to my ears."
Once the atmosphere had warmed up sufficiently, Jekyeong casually brought up the strange stone. So-an showed little reaction at first, but as Jekyeong described a few of the stone's characteristics, his interest was instantly piqued.
"Hmm. Hearing Fellow Daoist's description... a Blood Crystal comes to mind," So-an mused. "Of course, it could be something else. It might be a stone engraved with talismanic runes, or something else entirely... but for now, the likelihood of it being a Blood Crystal seems high."
"A Blood Crystal? What is that?"
"A Blood Crystal is, quite literally, a stone formed from solidified blood," So-an explained. "Of course, it is different from an ordinary stone. You could call it a type of Spirit Stone. It is an object where a powerful surge of vital blood acts as a core, drawing in the surrounding spiritual energy until it solidifies like a rock. Generally, it is a rare sight."
"A rare sight? Why is that?"
"It is simple. Once the blood of any powerful being leaves the body, it becomes an external object. No matter how much power is contained within it, that power gradually dissipates over time. Thus, a Blood Crystal cannot exist for long."
Jekyeong understood So-an's explanation. However, he recalled that the stone in his possession—which was highly likely to be a Blood Crystal—had not changed in the slightest over several months. According to So-an's words, shouldn't that stone have vanished long ago? Could it be that the stone was not a Blood Crystal after all? When Jekyeong questioned him on this point, So-an answered without hesitation.
"There is nothing incorrect in what I said. A Blood Crystal is indeed a rare sight under normal circumstances."
"Are you saying the one I possess is unusual?"
"Assuming Fellow Daoist's item is indeed a Blood Crystal, I have two hypotheses. First, that the Blood Crystal was not formed naturally. If so, its properties could differ from those formed by nature."
Upon hearing this, Jekyeong immediately recalled the stone he had observed countless times. Had there been any traces of artificial manipulation on it? At least to his knowledge, he had found none.
"Second, the blood contained within the Blood Crystal is no ordinary blood. Not all blood is created equal, and certain types are unaffected by the erosion of time. A prime example of this is Essence Blood."
"Essence Blood..."
So-an went on to explain various other kinds of "special blood," such as the venomous blood of certain toxic beasts, or the miraculous blood of some spiritual creatures. Jekyeong listened to every word with rapt attention.
"However, Fellow Daoist, it is also possible that the stone is not a Blood Crystal. So, keep all possibilities open."
"Of course, I must."
Though he spoke thus, Jekyeong's mind was already heavily inclined toward the theory that the stone was a Blood Crystal.
'I'll know once I test it.'
Jekyeong continued to converse with So-an for a while longer, parting ways only when they had truly run out of topics to discuss, promising to meet again.
'Crack the shell with Dharma Power, then steadily extract the blood contained within.'
According to what So-an had taught him, handling a Blood Crystal was much like handling a delicate egg.