Nirvana Flame, the Little Glutton

Nirvana Flame Was a Glutton

Prince Heng's branch of the family had originally owned a Duke's Residence in the Imperial Capital. After Qin Lan had been retitled Prince Heng, most of the estate had gone to his paternal uncle, Count Tongyuan Qin Xiaoren, with only a separate residence left as Prince Heng's foothold in the Imperial Capital. Yet in the year since Qin Lan's death, this uncle had not sent a single word. When Qin Mo came to the Imperial Capital this time, he simply stayed in the military camp, preferring not to see it and spare himself the irritation.

Fengtai was quiet in the dead of night. Apart from the sentries on watch, no one moved through the various camps. Every regulation followed wartime rules. If not for the faintly spreading air of grim slaughter between heaven and earth, one might have mistaken this for a desolate wilderness with no one around.

Inside his own great tent, Qin Mo cultivated in silence. Since Nirvana Flame had been reborn through nirvana, it spent most of its time curled up inside the mark on his chest, only occasionally coming out for a stroll and scattering specks of black radiance to strengthen and reshape Qin Mo's body. After observing it several times, Qin Mo finally discovered that whenever the little thing used its black radiance to strengthen him, it would draw out wisps of black Black Flame Fire from his flesh and devour them.

He possessed the Nirvana Flame Physique, so Black Flame Fire would inexplicably arise within his body. After the Phoenix Mark devoured it, it transformed it into newly born crimson-black Nirvana Flame. Yet that crimson-black Nirvana Flame fed on the original Black Flame Fire. So the black radiance strengthening Qin Mo's body was Nirvana Flame paying for its meals!

In any case, after Nirvana Flame's rebirth, drops of Vital Essence liquid had begun to remain in Qin Mo's dantian. His long-dried dantian gradually brimmed with vigorous life. Qin Mo controlled the Vital Essence liquid within it into a vortex. As the vortex slowly turned, the Vital Essence between heaven and earth was drawn over, seeping through his mouth, nose, skin, and flesh into his body, where it was sucked in by the vortex, flung away, and fused together.

Not all the Vital Essence between heaven and earth was docile. The vast majority was exceptionally violent. After drawing it into his body, Qin Mo had to circulate the Guixin Scripture to cast out the violent Vital Essence that was difficult to fuse, taking only the mild and gentle portion for his own use.

That was the profundity of the Guixin Scripture. It could perfectly strip away and break down mild Vital Essence, while casting the violent Vital Essence harmful to the body outside. Though its advancement speed was not as heaven-defying as the Breaker Manual, it was upright and peaceful, with a solid foundation. As long as one cultivated step by step, one would eventually reach the Mysterious Realm. Relying on the strength of their bloodline and the reliability of the Guixin Scripture, the Great Xia Imperial Clan had cultivated a great number of high-level cultivators.

But this day was destined to be unusual. Qin Mo had spent many days on the road, cultivating for at most an hour each day. Now that he was in his own camp and his heart was settled, he cultivated for longer. The violent Vital Essence accumulated in his body was much denser than usual. Qin Mo's body was already so powerful that it scarcely seemed human, fully capable of resisting the assault of violent Vital Essence, so he simplified the step of casting it out, intending to cultivate for several more cycles before doing so.

Yet Nirvana Flame, which had been lazily sleeping inside the mark on his chest, poked out half its body. Two slender horns extended from its head as it kept probing at the dense, violent Vital Essence, like an infant that had spotted some unknown and fascinating toy.

Qin Mo was greatly alarmed. Nirvana Flame had never come out while he cultivated; he had never encountered such a situation before. He swiftly slowed the rotation of the Vital Essence liquid vortex in his dantian, preparing to withdraw his cultivation and stop. Just then, a strange change abruptly arose.

Nirvana Flame seemed to have tasted the Vital Essence and found it delicious. It shot straight into the dense, violent Vital Essence and began devouring it in great gulps. After circling Qin Mo's internal organs twice, it had cleared away all the violent Vital Essence. Then, still unsatisfied, it began circling the Vital Essence liquid vortex in Qin Mo's dantian, as though looking for an easy corner to bite into, ready to feast to its heart's content.

"Stop, stop, stop... damn it, that's family... If you eat any more, I'll be stuck in the Mysterious Realm forever!" Qin Mo could not help swearing aloud. What was this little glutton trying to do? Could it be that Vital Essence and Nirvana Flame had forged some world-shaking blood feud during their nearly twenty years of fighting?

Perhaps sensing Qin Mo's sharply fluctuating emotions, Nirvana Flame behaved like a child being scolded by an adult. After briefly staring blankly, it reluctantly retreated into the Phoenix Mark on his chest and began snoring.

Only after Qin Mo stopped cultivating did he realize that his entire body was drenched in sweat. Just now, he had truly feared that Nirvana Flame would swallow the Vital Essence liquid he had painstakingly cultivated in a single bite.

He wiped away his sweat, changed into another set of clothes, and lay on the bed with a sigh of relief. Then his thoughts began to run wild. If Nirvana Flame could be controlled in the future and only devoured the violent Vital Essence that the Guixin Scripture could not refine, would he not be able to cultivate faster?

The Central Military Office of the Great Xia Empire stood at the southwest corner of the imperial palace in the Great Xia Imperial Capital. It belonged to the Ministry of War, one of the six ministries under the Great Xia Court. It was responsible for the recruitment, training, garrisoning, and defense of Great Xia's armies, among other matters. The Ministry of War formulated policies and strategies, while the Central Military Office controlled troop sources and deployments. Though they stood in a subordinate relationship, they also kept each other in check.

This was the deadline designated in the conscription order. Qin Mo and Wu Shengze arrived at the Central Military Office early to wait. As the sun rose higher, noblemen arrived in twos and threes, gathering before the gates. They were all nobles summoned to fight and defend the northern border. Wu Shengze carefully explained the people he recognized to Qin Mo. That one was the heir of Prince Anyang; this one was the heir of Marquis Huibo. Nearly all of them were heirs or eldest sons, and very few family heads had come personally.

"Hahahaha, Mozi, you've become even prettier after three years apart!" A strange laugh reached Qin Mo's ears and drew the attention of everyone nearby. Qin Mo's appearance was truly distinctive, while Wu Shengze's standing position made it obvious that he was a family retainer, showing that Qin Mo was the one leading the troops. Everyone wondered which family this youth belonged to. How could such a body, thin enough to be blown over, withstand the frost and wind of the northern lands?

Seeing the gazes around him, all carrying expressions of pity and regret, Qin Mo ground his teeth until they creaked. He had absorbed few memory fragments, but this oddly voiced fellow was one of the rare important figures in Qin Mo's memories.

A broad-backed, thick-waisted young man ran over from afar, spreading his arms as he pounced toward Qin Mo. The mischievous smile on his face was comical enough to make people laugh. But Qin Mo did not let him have his way. He flashed aside directly, making the young man leap at empty air.

"Mozi, what are you doing? It's been years since we last met—I've missed you, big brother!" Seeing Qin Mo dodge away, the young man wore an aggrieved expression, like a courtesan abandoned in a brothel. Yet paired with his burly body, he looked ridiculous no matter how one viewed him.

Qin Mo ignored him completely. Three years ago, when he had come to the Imperial Capital to pay homage for the new emperor's ascension, this very fellow had taken the muddleheaded him to a brothel. His father, Qin Lan, had caught him red-handed. The only beating Qin Mo had ever received in his life was all thanks to this guy.

Seeing that his pitiful act had failed, the young man immediately broke into a radiant smile. His mouth rattled on without the slightest reserve, and as he spoke, he draped an arm over Qin Mo's shoulders. This time, Qin Mo did not dodge. After all, he had hardly any friends in his memories, and this was one of the closest.

"Qin Yumu, if I remember correctly, you aren't Marquis Kaiyang's heir, are you? Why did you come this time? Looking to earn some military merit in the north?"

"Boohoo! It's all tears when I tell the tale, Mozi. My eldest brother fell off a horse and broke his leg, and my grandmother likes me especially well, so the title of heir landed on my head!" Qin Yumu rambled on, launching into another round of complaints.

Qin Yumu was Marquis Kaiyang's second son, and counted as Qin Mo's distant cousin. Both belonged to branches of the imperial clan. When they had met three years earlier, they had hit it off at first sight. Qin Mo had spent his time in Dayuan doing nothing but cultivating—where had he ever had companions to gather with and run wild? Thus, the group had swaggered through the Imperial Capital for a time, until Qin Lan gave Qin Mo a harsh lesson and put an end to it.

"Your eldest brother doesn't know martial arts? How did he fall and break his leg?"

"He knows no martial arts, my ass. He reached the Yellow Realm long ago. Though his talent isn't as good as this heir's, he's still above average. Hmph! If he's afraid of death, then he's afraid of death. Why find such a rotten excuse?"

Qin Mo understood in an instant. He himself was an only child, with no brothers or sisters, and had grown up alone. But having many brothers in a great clan did not necessarily mean familial warmth. There was no shortage of siblings turning on one another over their interests, and scheming in secret or throwing stumbling blocks in each other's path was even more commonplace.

"Mozi, I've already reached the Yellow Realm Peak. Follow your brother this time—no matter what demons or monsters come, they won't be able to hurt you." Qin Yumu looked immensely pleased with himself, his entire expression screaming, Praise me... praise me!

But Qin Mo did not praise him, because those words had stirred up several fragments of memory. Those events had left deep marks in the memories Qin Mo had devoured. It seemed they had wounded him terribly, deeply.