A debt repaid in gold and stone

"Recording Conch."

Yunqi murmured the name of something he currently lacked.

It was not as though he had no spirit iron or refined gold; he still had some of Autumn Water's rations left.

He had no engraving knife, but Autumn Water could serve that purpose too.

Only the Recording Conch was missing.

He turned the talisman arrow over and over in his hands until he was certain he understood the restrictions inscribed on it.

Then he held two fingers of his right hand together, and a speck of flame rose from their tips.

Holding the talisman arrow in his left hand with its tail angled downward, he slowly brought the flame in his right hand toward its rear end, as though lighting incense with a candle.

Yunqi was patient. He first kept the flame well away and gave the arrow a tentative roasting. Only after seeing that nothing happened did he slowly move closer, letting the tip of the flame gently lick the talisman arrow.

He had forgotten one thing, though: before long, the heat became unbearable for his left hand. He had to rest the talisman arrow on Autumn Water and hold Autumn Water instead.

After roughly half a quarter-hour, Yunqi noticed the arrow's rear end beginning to melt. The corners of his mouth twitched, but he did not rush, continuing to roast it slowly over the small flame.

Another half-hour passed, and Yunqi melted away a short section at the rear of the arrow.

He withdrew the flame and waited briefly for the arrow to cool. Then he held his palm beneath the opening at its rear, tilted the arrow, and gently poured out its contents.

It was a sheet of talisman paper.

Somewhat surprised, Yunqi shook the arrow gently, but nothing else came out.

He brought it close to his eye to peer inside, then chuckled softly, as though he had discovered a clue.

He summoned another flame, but this time he burned the point where the arrowhead joined the shaft.

The arrowhead was surprisingly thin, and he was even more practiced now. In less than half a quarter-hour, he burned it free.

He picked up the arrowhead and examined it. It was hollow, and sure enough, a tiny conch was hidden inside.

The tiny conch was shaped like a nail and fitted entirely within the arrowhead, its tail pointing toward the tip and its opening facing the shaft. On closer inspection, its opening was sealed with grayish-white earth. Yunqi sniffed it and caught a fishy smell.

Yunqi closed his eyes to recall what he knew. When constructing the Bright Palace in his mind, he had memorized information on quite a few spiritual materials, including metals, stones, earth, and wood.

He remembered now. This was an earth-aligned spiritual material called "mud-hardening earth."

The stuff seemed timid by nature. So long as it was left quietly undisturbed, it remained a stone-like clod of earth. But if anything struck it, it immediately went limp with fright and dissolved into a puddle of muddy water.

Yunqi smiled. He understood.

Keeping the arrowhead steady, Yunqi examined the talisman again. He spread it open and smiled once more. It was a fire talisman he could hardly have known better: the Fire-Rain Molten-Gold Talisman.

Its ink contained phosphorus powder and cinnabar, while its inscriptions held such fire element principles as [shattering], [Explosive ignition], and [scorching heat]. Once triggered, it would turn into a shower of fire. If that fiery rain fell on someone, water could not extinguish it; it would burn through clothing and skin, searing its way into bone and blood.

After a moment's thought, Yunqi went into his room and took a piece of lake stone from his bundle, muttering,

"Who would have thought these lousy stones would keep coming in handy?"

He stuck the fire talisman onto the stone and threw it straight into the lake.

Just as the stone was about to disappear from view, he curled a finger and flicked the arrowhead.

"Ting!"

A clear note rang out. The arrowhead trembled, and at the same time, the earth sealing the little conch's opening swiftly dissolved into muddy water and fell to the ground.

"The Calamity Hound sets forth, a rain of fire greets him-burn!"

An incantation issued from the conch's opening. The voice was unmistakably the Thin Daoist's.

"Bang!"

As the incantation sounded, the fire talisman beneath the lake exploded, though it made no actual noise. Looking down, Yunqi felt as though a firework had blossomed in the water.

Meanwhile, the mud-hardening earth lay undisturbed on the ground and became a clod of earth again.

Yunqi gently picked it up between his fingers and put it back into the conch's opening. The conch had escaped the damage to the talisman arrow and could still be used. He now knew how to make talisman arrows, too.

Such things were not recognized by the sect, which considered them petty tricks of the lowest order. They had also only appeared in recent years, so none of the artifact-refining manuals Yunqi had read mentioned them. Yet he felt that, used properly, they were very convenient. For a minor Qi Refining cultivator like him traveling abroad to gain experience, they were especially valuable treasures for protecting oneself and slaying demons.

Early the next morning.

Jiang Yuexing and his son arrived with a woman.

There was no need for much explanation: the family had come to express their thanks. Yunqi welcomed them and invited them to sit in the hall.

The young hero's mother had red-rimmed eyes; she had clearly been worried sick yesterday. His father, meanwhile, looked relaxed, suggesting that the young hero's injuries were no longer a concern.

The couple first showered Yunqi with praise, then said that Three Pure Ones Mountain truly lived up to its reputation as an immortal mountain and exalted sect, its disciples extraordinary indeed, and so on. It left Yunqi thoroughly embarrassed. After all, all he had really done yesterday was recite a few words.

His parents plainly did not see it that way, however, and thanked Yunqi a thousand times over. After this brief conversation, Yunqi also came to understand the young hero's standing within the Jiang family.

Everyone in the Golden Aspect Sect bore the surname Jiang. Over more than a thousand years, they had divided into several halls, each managing its own group of people. Their chief responsibility was overseeing all the mortals of this island nation, as well as providing for the Golden Aspect Sect's daily food, clothing, lodging, transport, and every other expense.

There was another rule here: whenever a cultivator from any hall reached the third realm, he automatically left that hall and went to Taixi Peak on the island to advise on major sect affairs or devote himself to cultivation, severing his ties to the halls' worldly business.

Jiang Yuexing belonged to Bright Light Hall. In his generation, its main lineage had produced two second-realm cultivators: himself and his elder brother, Jiang Yanxing. Jiang Yanxing now governed the hall, so the servants called him the family head and addressed Jiang Yuexing as Second Master.

Jiang Yanxing had declared long ago that he had no wish to marry or have children in this life; he wanted only to seek the Great Dao.

Fortunately, his younger brother Jiang Yuexing was still a man of many affections, with a wife and several concubines. Yet so far, the young hero, born to his principal wife, was his sole seedling. Even this son had been conceived while he was in the first realm, leaving still slimmer hopes for more children in the future.

In other words, the main lineage of an entire hall rested on this one boy. No wonder they were so anxious about him.

After chatting for a while, the couple took their leave, telling Yunqi only to make himself comfortable and ask for anything he needed.

The young hero stayed behind.

The two exchanged a glance and could not help speaking in unison:

"Benefactor!"

"Young hero!"

The young hero's expression stiffened with unbearable embarrassment. "Had you not saved me, benefactor, I would already be buried in a fish's belly. How could I deserve to be called a young hero? Also, I should let you know that I am fifteen, my surname is Jiang, and my given name is Nanjing. Those close to me call me Jiang Nan. You may call me Jiang Nan or Nanjing, whichever you prefer."

Yunqi smiled. "I'm a year older than you. Just call me Yunqi. But you're wrong there, Jiang Nan. A hero is judged by his heart, not his deeds. You had the will to capture a demon, and you're so young. Of course you deserve to be called a young hero!"

Jiang Nanjing shook his head repeatedly. "My benefactor is my benefactor. How could I address you directly by name?"

Yunqi was about to say more, but Jiang Nanjing interrupted him, taking a Sandalwood Box from inside his robe. It was small, like a jewelry box for bracelets or earrings.

"Benefactor, there is truly no way to repay you for saving my life. My family has prepared a few modest gifts. Please, you must accept them."

Yunqi waved a hand. "As I said yesterday, we all follow the Dao. Helping you was only right. There's no need for thanks."

Jiang Nanjing's youthful face grew stern, his bearing solemn and righteous. "You may say you need no thanks, benefactor, but my family cannot leave you unthanked."

The young hero opened the box. Inside lay a piece of velvet bearing two objects: a white cord bracelet strung with a small bead resembling white glazed glass, and a golden Seal Knob nestled in the bracelet's center.

"This Seal Knob is from my own collection. Today, allow me to engrave it into a seal for you. This void grotto stone is a gift of thanks from my uncle and my father."

The young hero rose and presented the wooden box to Yunqi with both hands, saying:

"Benefactor, nothing less than the weight of gold and stone could express our thanks for saving my life!"

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