Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Rescuing Young Master Xiao
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Chen Shi desperately wanted to leap down, hoist one of those Red Yi cannons onto his shoulder, and plant it at the village entrance. It would look mighty impressive, and the kids in the village would drop to their knees, kowtowing to King Chen, wouldn't they?
"Once we're back in the village, I can ascend the throne!"
Unfortunately, the carriage didn't stop.
Chen Shi's gaze swept over the corpses littering the ground. They were dressed in the uniforms of the Divine Engine Battalion, but each had a small hole in their forehead—no bigger than a finger's width, and incredibly thin.
The carriage sped away, carrying him onward.
Not far ahead, another Red Yi cannon came into view. Its barrel had been severed clean, surrounded by more bodies—all Divine Engine Battalion soldiers.
Each bore an identical wound at the center of their brow, like the mark left by fingernails pinching from above and below.
But fingernails couldn't pierce a person's skull.
The further they went, the more corpses there were—and the more Red Yi cannons, too.
Chen Shi's heart raced with dread. Last night, he'd only glimpsed a silhouette standing atop the mountain peak, encircled by a cold gleam weaving through the summit. He hadn't seen anything fly down from the mountain to slaughter them!
"What kind of weapon could leave wounds like that?"
Along the way, Chen Shi spotted two or three hundred bodies, and dozens of Red Yi cannons with their barrels ruined.
Sun Simiao of the Daoist school had been revered as the Medicine King and Medicine Saint. He invented gunpowder, which contained the ultimate yang and unyielding power of thunder.
For cultivators and gods and demons alike, nothing was more feared than thunder. Even heavenly tribulations were led by heavenly lightning.
From that moment on, mortals possessed the power to slay gods and immortals.
Over time, gunpowder evolved into firearms like fire lances, bird guns, thunderclap bombs, and cannons. Enhanced with cultivators' inscribed talismans, their might was terrifying.
The Divine Engine Battalion was the emperor's personal guard. Any new firearm could be found there.
But their most common weapons were still bird guns and Red Yi cannons. Against any expert who defied imperial orders, they unleashed cannon fire.
Even a Nascent Soul cultivator with a forged Primordial Spirit would be blasted to soul-scattering oblivion by a single shot's fivefold thunder explosion!
This time, the Divine Engine Battalion had deployed so many Red Yi cannons and troops, intent on certain victory. Yet they'd suffered devastating losses.
The carriage raced forward, and along the entire path, they encountered not a single living soul!
Ahead loomed the mountain peak shelled last night, still wreathed in smoke and flowing with unset lava.
That was the horrific destructive power of Red Yi cannons inscribed with Grand Five Thunders Talismans!
But now, no thunder rumbled, and the cannon fire had ceased.
Chen Shi looked up. Half the peak had been flattened by bombardment, leaving only a massive stone pillar, dozens of feet thick, standing at the center.
The pillar towered over sixty feet high, scarred everywhere by cannon blasts and lightning strikes. Molten lava pooled at its base, steaming with heat.
The carriage driver cracked his whip, urging the four steeds onward—straight toward that stone pillar.
A clanging rang out from the pillar, like metal striking stone.
The sky was still dim, the bright moon just closing its eyes as the sun began to peek open. The heavens glowed dark red, distant vistas blurred.
Suddenly, strange sounds emanated from atop the pillar—arcane and incomprehensible, like gods and Buddhas murmuring. To them, it might be a whisper; to Chen Shi, it boomed like thunder in his ears, burrowing into his mind with a relentless buzz!
Dazzling divine light erupted from the ground, shooting into the clouds!
There, amid the clouds, sat a supreme deity wreathed in golden radiance, immense beyond measure. No one knew whose Primordial Spirit it was, its brilliant halo encircling its head. It leaned down, hand reaching to slap the pillar!
In an instant, a streak of cold light pierced the heavens with a whoosh, flashing past. Light seeped from the deity's neck as its head slowly slid free.
A wretched scream echoed from the pillar, followed by a corpse tumbling down, landing before the carriage.
The headless deity in the sky shattered, dissolving into spiritual energy that formed auspicious clouds, invigorating the spirit. The vegetation on nearby peaks grew lusher.
"Young Master Xiao is truly extraordinary. I've learned my lesson!"
A woman's silhouette fled swiftly through the sky. By her voice, it was the one Chen Shi had seen last night—the golden-red tassel figure.
The pillar was nearly vertical; the carriage couldn't climb it. Chen Shi jumped down.
The driver said, "Thank you for your trouble, Young Master Chen."
Chen Shi listened closely. All around was only the crackle of cooling lava—no other sounds.
Steeling himself, he began to climb, hands and feet working together. Soon he neared the top, just steps away.
Splash—
Some loose stones dislodged underfoot, plummeting into the lava below.
Chen Shi nearly slipped, but his hand caught a crevice. Looking down, the carriage seemed palm-sized, while the lava pool beside it spanned half an acre.
"If I fell, even Grandpa's Water-Fire Tempering Art couldn't save me."
Chen Shi steadied his nerves and pressed on, finally reaching the pillar's summit.
Scattered across the top lay several corpses, each radiating immense majesty even in death, their presence pressing down on Chen Shi like a weight on his chest.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!"
Chen Shi shouted to bolster his courage, then advanced, searching around. Behind a boulder, he found Young Master Xiao.
Young Master Xiao lay on his back, blood pooling beneath him.
Stuck in the rock before him was an impossibly bright slender sword—eight-sided, narrow at the waist, its hilt inlaid with hawksbill shell, turquoise, and other treasures.
A gentleman among swords—humble and mild.
That was the impression it gave Chen Shi.
As he approached, a shrill whine pierced his ears. A cold gleam brushed past his eyes.
Chen Shi halted abruptly.
Strands of his hair drifted down gently.
A crack sounded behind him, followed by the grind of stone on stone. That boulder had been sliced open by invisible sword qi, slowly sliding away.
Chen Shi froze, not daring to move. He called out loudly, "Senior Xiao, it's Chen Shi! Can you hear me?"
Young Master Xiao made no response for a long time.
Chen Shi tentatively lifted a foot. No sword qi struck.
He exhaled in relief, about to step down—when his foot froze midair.
At his brow appeared a tiny sword, no longer than three or four inches, yet its hilt, guard, and eight facets were perfectly clear.
The exquisite little blade hovered, aimed at his forehead, forbidding any rash move.
Now Chen Shi understood how those Divine Engine Battalion soldiers below had died.
Young Master Xiao wielded two swords, one long and one short.
The long sword cleaved incoming shells; the short one flew down the mountain, slaying foes and severing Red Yi cannon barrels!
Their perfect coordination had secured his victory!
"Senior Xiao, it's Chen Shi!"
Chen Shi shouted again, but Young Master Xiao remained still.
Sweat beaded on Chen Shi's forehead. He didn't dare lower his raised foot. These two swords clearly had spirits of their own, guarding their master autonomously.
The long sword emanated sword qi; the short one flew to kill.
Any wrong move, and they'd strike him down on the spot!
Chen Shi fixed his eyes on the tiny sword before his brow, slowly—agonizingly slowly—moving his hand toward his bosom.
After what felt like ages, he withdrew it.
In his hand were several sticks of incense!
With his other hand, he sluggishly reached for his fire starter.
It took forever, but at last he lit the incense.
"Both seniors, I'm Chen Shi, Senior Xiao's friend. I've come to rescue him. If we delay, we might lose him."
The incense smoke wafted toward the swords. The long sword suddenly flew up with a ding, sheathing itself nearby. The short sword hesitated, wavering.
Chen Shi held the incense steady. "If we don't save him now, it might be too late."
The little sword paused, then buzzed to his ear, tracking his every shift—as if ready to sever his head the moment he harmed Young Master Xiao.
Chen Shi breathed easier. He'd guessed the swords had spirits, so he'd thought of communicating with incense.
"Granny Sha was right: Respect opens every path; irreverence turns the road to life into the road to death."
Chen Shi stepped forward, checked Young Master Xiao's breathing—still there—and examined his wounds. They were grievous: scars from lightning and cannon fire, plus cuts from spells and weapons. His breath was a faint thread.
"If it were me, I'd have died long ago."
Chen Shi lifted him and carried him to the pillar's edge. By now, daylight had broken fully, the sun rounding from its flattened dawn shape.
Chen Shi hesitated. He wouldn't dare jump from such a height alone—let alone carrying an unconscious, wounded Young Master Xiao.
But how to get down? That was the puzzle.
Just then, Young Master Xiao's eyes fluttered open groggily. Seeing him, he rasped, "Hurry... Jin Hongying will come back..."
"We can't get down the mountain! We can't escape!" Cold sweat dripped from Chen Shi's brow.
Young Master Xiao's arm dangled limply. One finger twitched toward the long sword.
The long sword, with its sheath, flew up and hovered motionless before Chen Shi's feet.
An idea struck him. He gingerly stepped onto the sheath. It dipped slightly, then bore him down slowly.
Soon, his feet touched solid ground. Joyfully, he said, "Senior Xiao, we're down! Senior Xiao?"
Young Master Xiao said nothing, passing out again.
Chen Shi rushed him into the carriage. "Quick! To Granny Zhuang!"
The driver looked puzzled, unsure where Granny Zhuang was.
"Follow me!"
Chen Shi leaped down and dashed off.
Seeing this, the driver cracked his whip. The four horses pulled the carriage in hot pursuit.
Chen Shi ran dozens of li, reaching the outskirts of Gangzi Village and plunging into the mountains. Another dozen li of mountain paths brought them to Granny Zhuang's abode.
"Wait here! Please, Granny Zhuang, extend this man's life first!"
Without further ado, Chen Shi set Young Master Xiao down and bolted into the mountain stream and woods.
Half a shichen later, Granny Zhuang's tree hollow was crowded with "people." Several tigerish, chubby toddlers sulked, clutching their heads—their ginseng spirit fruits plucked again to feed the man on the bed.
"He's eaten the ginseng spirit fruits; his life is no longer in danger. But his other injuries are too severe for them to heal," Granny Zhuang said apologetically.
Young Master Xiao remained unconscious. His external wounds had mended, but the lightning and spell damage from the Divine Engine Battalion experts lingered most dangerously.
Such wounds defied medicine and acupuncture.
"Thank you, Granny! Thank you, little ones!"
Chen Shi thanked them profusely. The chubby toddlers crowded him, heads tilted up, pudgy hands gesturing—they wanted more toys.
Chen Shi promised them, then lifted Young Master Xiao back into the carriage. "To Mirror Lake Manor."
The driver set off once more, the carriage thundering away.
At midday, Mirror Lake Manor remained as chilling and silent as ever—no cicada chirps or bird calls.
The pool water bit like ice, towering trees blocked all sunlight. The carriage rumbled to a stop outside the manor.
Chen Shi carried Young Master Xiao inside, peeling back the coffins layer by layer and laying him within.
As he prepared to reseal them, the long sword flew in, settling into the coffin.
The short sword circled the coffins leisurely, standing guard outside.
Chen Shi closed the five layers and sighed in relief. He murmured, "Mirror Lake Manor can save him. Senior Xiao came here to recover from his last injury. Outsiders can't enter, so even if Jin Hongying tracks us, she can't breach the manor."
Mirror Lake Manor had been built by Grandpa and Young Master Xiao and others. The coffins already held residents whose prowess matched or exceeded Young Master Xiao's.
If Jin Hongying came, she'd face several such powerhouses!
"With Senior Xiao safe, those Red Yi cannons and my ascension..." Chen Shi's heart burned with excitement as he eyed the carriage outside the manor.