Nirvana Flame Is a Little Foodie

Nirvana Flame Was a Foodie

Prince Heng's branch of the family had once possessed a ducal residence in the Imperial Capital. After Qin Lan had been granted the title of Prince Heng, most of the estate had gone to his paternal uncle, Count Tongyuan Qin Xiaoren, leaving only a separate courtyard 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. This time, when Qin Mo came to the Imperial Capital, he simply stayed in the military camp—out of sight, out of mind.

The dead of night in Fengtai was quiet. Other than the sentries on night watch, no one moved through the camps. Everything was governed by wartime regulations. If not for the faintly spreading air of slaughter, one might have mistaken the place for an abandoned wilderness.

Qin Mo cultivated silently within his great tent. Ever since Nirvana Flame had been reborn through nirvana, it spent most of its time curled up within the mark on his chest, only occasionally coming out for a stroll and scattering specks of black light to strengthen and transform Qin Mo's body. After observing it several times, Qin Mo finally discovered that while this fellow strengthened his body with black light, it would draw wisps of black Black Flame Fire from his flesh and devour them.

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

In any case, ever since Nirvana Flame had been reborn, droplets of Vital Essence fluid had begun to remain in Qin Mo's Dantian. His long-parched Dantian gradually brimmed with vigorous life. Qin Mo controlled the Vital Essence fluid in his Dantian into a vortex. As the vortex slowly spun, the Vital Essence between heaven and earth was drawn over, seeping into his body through his mouth, nose, skin, and flesh, then sucked into the vortex, cast away, and fused.

Not all 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 off the violent Vital Essence that was difficult to fuse, absorbing 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's, it was upright and peaceful, with a solid foundation. As long as one cultivated step by step, one would eventually reach the Mysterious Realm. The Great Xia Imperial Clan relied on the strength of its bloodline and the reliability of the Guixin Scripture to nurture great numbers of high-level cultivators.

But this day was destined to be anything but ordinary. For many days, Qin Mo had been traveling and could cultivate for no more than an hour at a time. Today, settled in his own camp, his heart at ease, he cultivated for longer. The violent Vital Essence gathered within him was far denser than usual. Qin Mo's body was already so powerful that it barely seemed human, fully capable of resisting the invasion of violent Vital Essence, so he simplified the step of casting it away, planning to cultivate for several more cycles before expelling it.

Yet Nirvana Flame, which had been lazily sleeping within the mark on his chest even in broad daylight, poked half its body out. Two slender horns extended from its head as it continuously prodded at the dense violent Vital Essence, like an infant seeing some unknown and amusing toy.

Qin Mo was greatly alarmed. Nirvana Flame had never emerged while he cultivated; he had never encountered such a situation before. He swiftly slowed the rotation of the Vital Essence fluid vortex in his Dantian, about to end his cultivation. Just then, a sudden change arose.

Nirvana Flame seemed to have tasted the Vital Essence and found it extremely delicious. It shot straight into the dense, violent Vital Essence and began devouring it with abandon. It merely circled Qin Mo's internal organs twice before clearing away every trace of violent Vital Essence. Then, still unsatisfied, it began circling the Vital Essence fluid vortex in Qin Mo's Dantian, as though searching for an easy corner to bite into, preparing to feast heartily.

"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 cursing. What was this glutton trying to do? Could it be that Vital Essence and Nirvana Flame had forged an irreconcilable blood feud during their nearly twenty years of struggle?

Perhaps sensing the violent fluctuations in Qin Mo's emotions, Nirvana Flame acted like a child who had been scolded by an adult. After a brief daze, 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 the Vital Essence fluid he had painstakingly cultivated would be swallowed in a single gulp by Nirvana Flame.

He dried the sweat from his body, changed into fresh 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 was located at the southwestern corner of the imperial palace in the Great Xia Imperial Capital. It belonged to the Ministry of War, one of the Great Xia Court's six ministries. It was responsible for the recruitment, training, garrisoning, and defense against enemies of Great Xia's armies. The Ministry of War formulated policies and strategies, while the Central Military Office controlled troop sources and deployments. Though subordinate to one another, they also kept each other in check.

Today was the deadline specified in the conscription order. Qin Mo and Wu Shengze arrived at the Central Military Office early to wait. As the sun climbed higher, noblemen arrived in twos and threes, gathering before the Central Military Office's gates. All were aristocrats summoned to defend the northern borderlands. Wu Shengze carefully explained the people he recognized to Qin Mo. That one was Prince Anyang's heir, this one was Marquis Huibo's heir. They were mostly heirs and eldest sons; it was rare for a family head to come in person.

"Ha ha ha ha! Mo, after three years, you've gotten even prettier!" A strange laugh reached Qin Mo's ears and drew the attention of those nearby. Qin Mo's appearance was truly unusual, while Wu Shengze's standing position made it obvious at a glance that he was a retainer and personal soldier, showing that Qin Mo was the one leading the troops. Everyone was wondering whose son this was. How could such a frail body withstand the frost and wind of the Northern Frontier?

Qin Mo looked at the gazes around him. They all carried pity and regret, making his teeth grind audibly. 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-shouldered, burly young man ran over from afar, spreading his arms as he pounced toward Qin Mo. The mischievous smile on his face was enough to make anyone laugh. Qin Mo, however, did not let him succeed. He flashed aside directly, leaving him clutching at empty air.

"Mo, what are you doing? I've missed you terribly all these years, brother!" Seeing Qin Mo dodge away, the young man wore a face full of grievance, like a courtesan abandoned in a brothel. Yet paired with his robust physique, he looked more ridiculous the longer one looked at 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 fellow had led the muddleheaded him to a brothel. Qin Lan had caught him red-handed, and the only beating Qin Mo had ever received in his life was thanks to this man.

When the young man saw that his pitiful act had failed, his face immediately blossomed into a bright smile. He chattered away without the slightest reserve, and as he spoke, he slung an arm around Qin Mo's shoulders. This time, Qin Mo did not dodge. After all, there were barely any friends in his memories, and this was one of his closest.

"Qin Yumu, I remember you weren't Marquis Kaiyang's heir. Why are you here this time? Are you planning to earn some military merit in the Northern Frontier?"

"Wuwu! It's all tears when I speak of it, Mo. My eldest brother fell from his horse and broke his leg, and my grandmother is especially fond of me, so the title of heir fell onto my head!" Qin Yumu chattered on, launching into another stream of complaints.

Qin Yumu was Marquis Kaiyang's second son and Qin Mo's distant cousin. Both belonged to collateral branches of the imperial clan. When they met three years ago, they had hit it off at first sight. Qin Mo had spent his life in Dayuan doing nothing but cultivating, so where had he ever found companions to gather with and run wild? The group had rampaged through the Imperial Capital for a time, only stopping after Qin Lan gave Qin Mo a fierce lesson.

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

"He knows the hell out of martial arts. He reached the Yellow Realm long ago. Though his talent isn't as good as this heir's, he's still among the best. Hmph! If he's afraid of death, he's afraid of death. Why make up such a rotten excuse?"

Qin Mo understood in an instant. He was an only child, without brothers or sisters, and had grown up alone. Yet having many brothers in an aristocratic family did not necessarily mean familial affection ran deep. There was no shortage of blood relatives tearing each other apart for their own interests, and scheming behind one another's backs or throwing stumbling blocks in secret was even more commonplace.

"Mo, I'm already at the Yellow Realm Peak. Follow your brother this time—no matter what demons, monsters, ghosts, or freaks come along, they won't be able to harm you." Qin Yumu looked unbearably pleased with himself, his expression plainly saying, Praise me already!... Praise me already!

But Qin Mo did not praise him, because Qin Yumu's words had stirred up several fragments of memory. Those events had left extremely deep imprints among the memories Qin Mo had absorbed. It seemed they had hurt him very badly, very deeply.