Ping Yun nodded, lifted the Jade Box, and tapped it with a finger. The little lock on it shattered at once. He glanced at the patterns carved into the box and said, "The Golden Sword Gang really was prepared well in advance. Who knows when they discovered this Spirit Candle Fruit? They even had a Jade Box carved with preservation talismans ready."
He opened the Jade Box. A flash of red light passed, revealing two fist-sized red fruits inside, along with a rich, strange fragrance. Ping Yun's face lit up. "I never imagined there would be two Spirit Candle Fruits. We really have been lucky." But as soon as he finished speaking, his expression shifted slightly. He looked the fruits over again, then showed disappointment and reluctance as he murmured, "These aren't Spirit Candle Fruits."
Ping Fei was startled. "What? Could Yan Chihuo have dared to switch them?"
Pingyun shook his head and said, "Father, don't wrong someone who's innocent. I don't think Yan Chihuo swapped it out. Gao Bing must have mistaken it for something else from the start. This item is far rarer than Spirit Candle Fruit; nobody would use it to pull off a switch."
Ping Yun shook his head. "Father, don't wrongly accuse an innocent man. I don't think Yan Chihuo switched them. Gao Bing must have misidentified them in the first place. This item is far rarer than the Spirit Candle Fruit. No one would use it to switch them out."
Ping Fei stared blankly. "Then what is it?"
Ping Yun said, "It's called a Demon Immortal Fruit. If a Spirit Candle Fruit is one in a hundred, then a Demon Immortal Fruit is one in a million—and even that's an understatement. The Demon Immortal Fruit looks almost exactly like the Spirit Candle Fruit, but there are two differences. First, the Spirit Candle Fruit's leaf stem is red, like a flame, while the Demon Immortal Fruit's is pink. Second, Demon Immortal Fruits always appear in pairs—never more, never less. No wonder Gao Bing was so lucky as to find two Spirit Candle Fruits at once."
Ping Fei asked, "What use is this Demon Immortal Fruit? Can you take it?"
Ping Yun said, "After someone takes a Demon Immortal Fruit, one of two things can happen, and no one can tell beforehand which it will be. In the first case, the cultivator's body undergoes an abnormality, giving birth to a special ability, such as eyes that can see through a thousand miles, or a body as light as a swallow and astonishingly swift movement. There are all kinds of possibilities. In the second case, the person is poisoned and dies."
Ping Fei said, "How could that be? How can you tell which will happen?"
Ping Yun said, "That's why it's called the Demon Immortal Fruit. As for how to find out, you can only get a cultivator to try it. It has no effect on ordinary people. And hardly anyone has ever used this method."
Ping Fei asked, "Why?"
Ping Yun said, "The Demon Immortal Fruit's effects are polar opposites: either you gain an extremely useful ability, or you die and your cultivation comes to nothing. Finding someone to test it is difficult. If you choose someone close to you, you fear they'll be poisoned and die; if you choose an enemy, you worry they'll benefit from it. The only option is to secretly test it on someone unrelated. But the Demon Immortal Fruit is so rare that calling it a once-in-ten-thousand-years find isn't an exaggeration. Where could you easily find a suitable person?"
Ping Fei said, "So, in other words, this Demon Immortal Fruit is a double-edged sword?"
Ping Yun's eyes turned, and he said, "There's a way to handle it right now."
Ping Fei was taken aback, then immediately understood. "You want to use Yan Chihuo again? No. If he's poisoned and dies, where would I find another aide like him?"
Ping Yun said, "Father, your martial arts are astonishing, and you rank among the very best in this age. You're only one step away from entering the Dao through martial arts, but you're still no cultivator. That's the difference between heaven and earth. If the Demon Immortal Fruit proves useful, my strength will greatly increase, and I'll have a voice in the Cloud Soaring Sect. With Second Master's standing in the sect, I could ask for a marrow-cleansing pill to help you transform your body. Then you'd have a good chance of entering the Dao and becoming a cultivator yourself. Wouldn't that be far better than things are now? You could have as much power and wealth as you wanted in this world—though by then, you might not even care for them."
Ping Fei was beginning to waver. But when he imagined Yan Chihuo poisoned and dead, leaving him with nothing and costing him his right-hand man, he felt reluctant. He couldn't bring himself to choose, and only sat in silence, pondering.
Ping Yun knew Ping Fei was tempted and continued, "Yan Chihuo has already cultivated the Spirit Jade Vajra Art and become a cultivator. Sooner or later, the secular world won't be able to contain him, Father. You can't keep him at Tiger Roar Manor forever. If the Demon Immortal Fruit is useful, he'll be even more grateful to you after taking it. If he's poisoned, you'll only lose an aide who would have left you sooner or later anyway."
Ping Fei sighed. "Fine. If you hadn't said that only a cultivator could test the Demon Immortal Fruit, I wouldn't have agreed. Call him in."
Back in his room, Yan Chihuo quietly turned over Ping Yun's words in his mind, but couldn't understand what he had meant. He took out the Snake Scale again and ran his fingers over its patterns, which still felt perfectly smooth. He had spent the entire journey studying the scale. He didn't dare try the technique that attacked with boulders again, and he couldn't practice the method that increased his speed. All he could do was repeatedly test the technique that covered his body in a layer of scales.
He had made some progress over the past few days: the time it took to form the scales had shortened by a tenth, and they lasted a little longer. But for him, it was still of little use.
Just then, someone came to his room and told him Ping Fei wanted to see him. He went to the small hall and found Ping Fei and his son waiting for him. After greeting them, Ping Fei said, "Chihuo, I just learned from Yun that the Spirit Jade Vajra Art you've been practicing isn't an internal martial arts technique, but Daoist magic. So Yun plans to take you with him to the Cloud Soaring Sect to cultivate. What do you think?"
Yan Chihuo froze. He had never expected that to be the matter at hand. It was such a wonderful opportunity, yet it would fall to him? He could hardly believe it and couldn't help wondering what Ping Fei's words really meant. Ping Yun said, "Chihuo, don't you want to go? You can't imagine what a place of cultivation is like. It's the dream of countless people."
Yan Chihuo's heart tightened. He didn't know Ping Yun well, but he knew Ping Fei all too well: Ping Fei always kept his word and wouldn't give him room to consider. He quickly replied, "How could I not agree? I was just so overjoyed by the news that I couldn't react for a moment."
Ping Fei nodded. "Good. By the way, there are two Spirit Candle Fruits in all. Yun has already taken one, so you can have the other. Yun says the fruit is very useful for improving a cultivator's strength, but a person can only take one in their lifetime. Taking more won't help, so this one is yours."
Only then did Yan Chihuo realize that the treasure they had taken this time was actually an item of cultivation. No wonder Ping Fei had been so deliberate. But for him to give away such a treasure just like that was completely out of character, and Yan Chihuo grew even more puzzled.
Ping Fei continued, "To be honest, if this fruit could be taken by anyone other than a cultivator, you wouldn't have gotten it, Chihuo. Still, even though you're the most suitable person, there are reasons I'm giving it to you. First, you did great service in taking this fruit. Second, you've worked hard under me for many years. Third, once you enter the Cloud Soaring Sect, you and Yun can support one another, and seeing your strength grow will be a fine thing."
Before you continue