Nirvana Flame and Its Brothers

Nirvana Flame and Its Brothers

It was already late autumn. The chilly rain drenched the warriors, deepening their homesickness. A long dragon wound through the mountains and valleys north of the Imperial Capital, slowly wriggling forward in silent march toward the north. Brightly colored banners had been soaked by the drizzle and hung limp against their poles like hanged ghosts.

After merely two days of marching, most of the enthusiasm in the hearts of those second-generation nobles had been ground away. It was as though only now did they realize that they were truly heading to a battlefield to fight and kill, not taking their retainers and lackeys into the mountains for a hunt. Armies packed the road before and behind them, shoulder to shoulder, yet they could not bring those young nobles any greater sense of security.

There were many routes from the Great Xia Imperial Capital to Ulan City in the Northern Wasteland, but the main—and easiest—one was to leave the Imperial Capital northward for Xuanhua Prefecture, then head northwest to Guihua City. From there, traveling north would bring one to Ulan City. Ulan City, known in ancient times as Ulan City, was Great Xia's northernmost city. It stood across from Trading City, the traditional territory of the Orc Tribe.

The traditional grazing lands of Hu Ba's Tatar Tribe lay west of the Chile River, not far from Guihua City. This time, Qin Mo had agreed to trade sea salt for his warhorses, leaving him overjoyed. At only one-third of the market price! The Heir of Prince Heng was the finest nobleman; compared with him, all the other Great Xia nobles were bloodsucking horseflies.

His Highness had built countless carts, some with two wheels and others with four. They were loaded with sea salt, dried meat, and pickled fish, all stored in large-bellied jars. There were also sweet raisins. At the thought of those delicious dried fruits, Hu Ba's saliva flowed without end.

Qin Mo had made thorough preparations for this northern journey. Although the court would provide provisions for the army after the commander had been appointed and the campaign begun, he held little hope for the benevolence of the feudal ruling class. It was already good enough if they let you eat your fill—did you still expect a balanced spread of meat and vegetables?

Sure enough, most of the first batch of military rations he received consisted of grain that had been stored for years. They said this was already considered good, since it had been mixed with some fresh grain. The other nobles received nothing but old grain; they ought to count their blessings if it was not moldy. At times like this, the various seasonings Qin Mo had brought proved immensely useful. Dayuan produced an abundance of spices, especially star anise. It could conceal the flavor of old grain and stimulate one's appetite.

"Reporting to the general, a camp left behind by the vanguard has appeared ahead." A mounted scout galloped over, only dismounting to report when he was thirty yards from Qin Mo's central army. Scouts with red pennants stuck behind their backs were the only warriors besides Qin Mo's personal guards permitted to approach his central army.

"Pass down the order: make camp and rest. Follow all wartime procedures." Qin Mo looked at the sky. Though nightfall was still far off, there was a ready-made camp ahead, so they might as well settle in and spare the warriors further fatigue. That was the advantage of following closely behind Chen Xuanji's central army. Other troops might throw up tents at random and call it a camp, but Chen Xuanji, as commander-in-chief, would never be so careless. The site selection and construction of his camps were done properly, benefiting the private forces of the nobles following behind.

Qin Yumu's and Qin Yuanze's troops were some distance from Qin Mo's. Bored on his own, Qin Mo could only start putting his own troops through their paces: forced marches, simulated ambushes, shifting from marching formations into defensive formations to engage the enemy, and so on. As for night reconnaissance, he sent scouts dozens of miles out. They all fought for the assignment, because they would receive a flask of strong liquor to ward off the damp autumn cold.

Qin Mo had not ordered Dayuan's alcohol workshops expanded, yet Lin Bo had increased alcohol production at a speed beyond anyone's imagination. Sea salt was shipped out of Dayuan, while grain or low-proof liquor was brought back on the return trip. Then strong liquor flowed endlessly into Qin Mo's camp, under the pretext of helping the army withstand the cold. Qin Mo knew full well what schemes those old men had in mind, but helplessly resorted to military orders to set a daily quota of strong liquor for them. No one was allowed to drink too much; excessive drinking would be dealt with under military law. During wartime, alcohol was prohibited outright.

"All right, Kaihime, go get some rest. I can manage on my own." Qin Mo spoke to the Fusang beauty making his bed. Ever since Xu Liyan had accepted her as his adopted daughter, she spent her days in the wounded soldiers' camp studying under Old Xu. At night, she was assigned to serve Qin Mo. She had set up a tent beside his command tent, washing clothes, folding bedding, serving tea, and bringing meals. She attended to Qin Mo quite comfortably.

"Please rest well, Your Highness. If you need anything, Kaihime will be nearby. I shall take my leave." After neatly arranging Qin Mo's bedding, Kaihime returned to her own tent to contemplate the Breaker Manual. She had already begun to sense the existence of Earth Vital Essence, though she still could not guide it into her body.

Chen Xuanji was an Earth Realm cultivator and was extremely sensitive to Earth Vital Essence. Vital Essence could be dense or sparse depending on the terrain and mountain formations, and every location Chen Xuanji chose for his command tent was rich in Vital Essence. This was also one of the reasons Kaihime had begun to sense its existence. When she had first started serving Qin Mo, she had been unwilling, but after Xu Liyan told her that Vital Essence was densest around Qin Mo, she became exceptionally attentive to him, afraid that His Highness would send her back to live in the wounded soldiers' camp.

Qin Mo opened the window at the top of his command tent and sat cross-legged in the center. He began drawing in the Vital Essence around him to cultivate. Over the past several days, a notion had grown stronger and stronger in his heart. Today, he had finally made up his mind to attempt an unconventional method of cultivation.

After drawing Earth Vital Essence into his body, Qin Mo circulated the Guixin Scripture and separated the gentle Vital Essence from the Earth Vital Essence saturated with violent Vital Essence. He drew the gentle portion into his Dantian, merged it, and refined it.

The Guixin Scripture essentially had two functions. One was to draw gentle Vital Essence into the Dantian and use a secret technique to merge and liquefy it. The other was to cast the remaining violent Vital Essence out of the body, preventing it from harming the cultivator. The reason the Guixin Scripture could become one of Great Xia's foremost cultivation methods was precisely because of the strength of its second function: it protected a cultivator's foundation.

Today, Qin Mo did not hasten to expel the violent Vital Essence. Instead, he allowed it to accumulate to a certain concentration. Then, carefully, he extended his consciousness into the mark on his chest and tried to communicate with the Nirvana Flame that lay lazily coiled within.

"Hey, hey, do your master a favor and swallow this Vital Essence." ...No response.

"Look at this Earth Vital Essence. Didn't you enjoy devouring it last time? Hurry over here." ...Still no response.

Qin Mo was somewhat discouraged. Finally, he gave it one last try. "Dinn... er... is... served!"

The lazily lounging Nirvana Flame immediately stirred. It extended its tiny head out of the mark. Upon seeing that huge mass of violent Vital Essence, it did not immediately gulp it down. Instead, it cautiously swallowed a tiny thread. After sensing no reaction from Qin Mo's consciousness, it swallowed another clump... then its courage grew. Like a child who had received a great lump of candy, it happily plunged straight into the Vital Essence.

Nirvana Flame swiftly cleaned out every trace of violent Vital Essence within Qin Mo's body. Then, licking its lips again, it darted over beside the Dantian and began circling it. The last time it had come here, it had received Qin Mo's stern warning. Today, it wanted to see whether it could feast to its heart's content.

"Nirvana Flame... those are your brothers... I'm the father of both of you... You can't devour them. You two must love one another..." Qin Mo continuously seeped his consciousness into Nirvana Flame. Countless intricate runes covered its body, and once Qin Mo's intent entered them, it vanished without a trace.

Qin Mo did not know whether today's gamble was right or wrong. Nirvana Flame had never truly been under his control, and the last time he had stopped it from devouring the vital liquid inside his Dantian, he had only narrowly escaped disaster. He could only keep altering his thoughts to influence Nirvana Flame, hoping for a favorable result.

At first, Nirvana Flame circled the Dantian, poking about and looking around. Then it gradually stopped, like a child pondering after encountering a difficult problem. After a long while, it seemed to make up its mind and plunged headfirst into Qin Mo's Dantian.