"I see your body wreathed in roaring fire while the other four phases lag slightly behind. Is this because you have only opened the Heart Mansion? When I first met Sukong and Suxing, they could not have been much older than you are now, yet they had already opened all Five Palaces and awaited only the Palace Breakthrough. You are a latecomer, so you must not fall behind us old folks."
Knowing Yunqi's identity, Tian Fang spoke with utmost amiability. Of course, it was also possible that the Daoist was simply an approachable person by nature, and he was still bantering with Yunqi at the moment.
Yunqi cupped his fists, flushing with embarrassment. "Daoist, you flatter me. My seniors possess even loftier talent, leaving me far behind in the dust. Moreover, I have yet to open my mansion, merely acquainting myself with the grand circulation. I am truly ashamed."
The Daoist looked somewhat surprised.
"That hardly seems to be the case. I see the fire-energy around your person blazing like a torch and your vital breath rising like smoke. Walking in the sunlight, you even give off a sense of harmony with the dust and light. I have also seen some Inner Alchemical Daoist practitioners of the first realm; even those who have opened the Heart Mansion do not match your aura. In my impression, only Sukong and Suxing could compare with you. Yet even they had already opened their Heart Mansion back then, heh, so that is why I said just now that we still must look to you youngsters."
Yunqi cupped his fists. "You praise me too highly, Daoist."
"Still, you certainly seem like Wen Sukong's disciple. The two of you are both bold of heart-one dares to walk away, the other dares to let go. How can you bear to stay cooped up in the mountains?"
Yunqi smiled. "Before entering the mountains, I stayed in a small town. My parents were getting on in years and found travel difficult. After I took up the Dao, I could no longer sit still, always longing to come out and see other realms. Daoist, just look at how magnificent the Miao Borderlands forests are, with golden chickens and white dogs beneath the stilt houses. If I had remained locked away in the mountains, goodness knows when I would ever have laid eyes on this!"
Hearing this, Tian Fang clapped his hands. "Well said, little friend! I have stayed in this realm for so long that I am reluctant to move my bones anymore. I ought to take a page from your book."
Yunqi repeatedly claimed he dared not.
After walking toward the mountain with Tian Fang for two quarters of an hour, they began to catch sight of various shrines and temples. Yunqi noticed that the roofs of these buildings were all tiled in cyan, with their eaves shaped like blue dragons raising their heads. The dragon heads were partially concealed among the lush, verdant tree branches, making them appear both mysterious and majestic.
Tian Fang led Yunqi into a shrine, where passing people all hailed him as Master Yu, Senior Brother, or Grand-Senior-Uncle, and the Daoist smiled and nodded to each in turn. Thinking back on how he had traveled alongside Master Sukong and was already at the early second realm back then, he should now be a third-realm cultivator. Yet he appeared so easygoing and was even keeping watch at the mountain gate-truly, appearances could be deceiving.
"Master of Accounts, this is a traveling Daoist friend from the Azure Cloud Abbey on the Eastern Green God Mountain. He wishes to register as a temporary guest here at the Azure Dragon Cave, and I am acting as his guarantor."
The person Tian Fang addressed as the Master of Accounts was a middle-aged Daoist who looked roughly the same age as Tian Fang, though his actual age should have been much younger than Tian Fang's. Upon rising, he nodded repeatedly and invited Yunqi to write down his name, sect lineage, and today's date in an account book.
Once Tian Fang led Yunqi away, the Master of Accounts stared at "Green God Mountain, Azure Cloud Abbey" in the account book and scratched his head. He felt as though he had heard the name before, but try as he might, he could not recall why.
Emerging from the accounts room, Yunqi glanced across at the bustling crowds and spotted the exact place where command arrows were distributed-which was the original purpose of his registration. He therefore asked Tian Fang,
"May I ask, Daoist, in your esteemed abbey, can a traveling Daoist like myself who has already registered as a guest collect command arrows?"
Tian Fang nodded. "Since you registered in the accounts room just now, naturally you can. Besides, with the great turmoil in the Southern Wastes recently, the abbey is worried about a shortage of people taking up command arrows. It's just that you have just arrived-won't you rest a while?"
Yunqi smiled and said, "I rested enough in my first dozen years or so. Now I just want to move around more. Please bear with me a moment, Daoist."
Tian Fang nodded, and Yunqi stepped into the affairs room.
The affairs room was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with people either accepting assignments or reporting back on completed ones. Reporting back and collecting rewards required waiting in line, but picking up assignments was very convenient. Numerous red cloth strips hung down from the rafters, clearly detailing the task, the reward, and the items required for completion. Tied directly beneath each strip was a command arrow bearing a serial number. Anyone wishing to take a task could simply pluck the command arrow and register on the spot, a swift process that required no queuing at all.
Yunqi swept his gaze over them rapidly and found several that genuinely suited him, especially a few whose completion rewards were precisely what he wanted.
Consequently, he squeezed into the crowd, swiftly snatched a few command arrows, and went to register.
The person in charge of registration was a female Daoist. She accepted the command arrows, glanced at the serial numbers to identify the tasks, and asked a preliminary question:
"What is the Daoist friend's name?"
"Cheng Qieqing. He as in grain, qie as in moreover, and qing as in clear water."
The female Daoist's brush flew like a dragon in flight as she murmured aloud,
"Cheng Qieqing. Three arrows claimed. Namely: supply talismans for the Seven-Mile River Market for one month or one hundred pieces. Namely: Filth Refining with thunder and fire at the Seven-Mile River Market for one month or fifty times. Namely: slay twenty demon soldiers."
After writing them down, the female Daoist continued, "Daoist friend, once you complete the designated quotas for these three command arrows, you may come to collect your rewards, or you may accumulate them beyond the quota and claim them all at once. Also, hum, this is the Moon-Reflecting Mirror. It can be used to capture images when matters are urgent or when a task's completion is difficult to prove. However, this item must also be returned when you hand back the command arrows, so do not lose it. It is very expensive and you will have to compensate for it. The rest of the details are clearly written on the cloth strips. The demonic tide is surging, so do all things with care, Daoist."
Yunqi nodded in thanks, took the command arrows and a palm-sized jade mirror, and left the affairs room.
Seeing Yunqi emerge holding three command arrows, Tian Fang smiled and said, "You are getting busy the moment you arrive."
Yunqi cupped his fists to Tian Fang while holding the command arrows. "Thank you, Daoist, for leading me into the mountain and acting as my guarantor for registration. I won't stay to lodge in the abbey after all; I plan to head straight to the front lines. The long sword at my waist has remained hidden in its scabbard for years-it is just like my heart, truly difficult to keep still!"
Tian Fang smiled and nodded. "Go on, then. Youngsters are all like this: refining magic, slaying demons, building a reputation-these are all good things. Still, exercise caution in all things. If you grow tired, return to the abbey to rest before heading out again. This kind of war has always been a protracted one."
Yunqi thereupon took his leave and departed.
The Seven-Mile River Market lay some seventy or eighty li south of Spring-Gazing Mountain, sitting on the same line as Three Rivers Gorge. It was a small stronghold at the frontline of combat bordering the Miao territory. Because of the Seven-Mile River, it was named the Seven-Mile River Market.
Yunqi traveled rapidly all the way with the dog, soon arriving in the vicinity of the Seven-Mile River.
The Seven-Mile River was a small stream no more than twenty paces wide, located within a dense forest. If he had not checked the route ahead of time at the Azure Dragon Abbey, it would truly have been difficult to find.
Yunqi headed upstream along the river, walking deeper into the dense forest. After only a few steps, he was intercepted by a few people from a Miao stockade who still bore various minor injuries. Yunqi pulled out and waved the command arrow he had tied to his back, which was embroidered with a coiled-dragon pattern. The expressions of those few lit up with joy as they spoke,
"So it is the little Daoist master from the Azure Dragon Abbey."
Yunqi replied, "I wouldn't dare. You must be the market guards. I have accepted command arrows for drawing talismans and Filth Refining. Please lead me to the Azure Dragon Abbey's stall."
The men readily agreed, and one of them stepped forward to lead Yunqi deeper into the forest.
After walking only a short distance, the sounds of voices gradually grew bustling and loud. Along both banks of the small stream lay densely packed straw huts and woven mats, with wooden houses perched in some of the trees. Some people were setting up stalls to sell goods, others were sitting in meditation to accumulate magical power, and still others were tending to their wounds. The majority of them carried injuries, and the severed heads of certain fiends lay discarded upon the ground, destined no doubt to be hauled back shortly to their respective stockades or abbeys to report on tasks and claim rewards.
The sudden appearance of Yunqi-an unfamiliar face and a young Daoist-drew a few glances from passersby. But seeing that Yunqi carried the Azure Dragon Abbey's command arrow and was followed by White Dragon, they harbored no guard against him whatsoever, and quite a few people even took the initiative to greet him.
At last, the Miao market guard led Yunqi to a straw hut stall, stating that this was the Azure Dragon Abbey's stall and that Yunqi only needed to raise the banners. The previous person in charge had vanished the day before, though whether he was dead or had gone off somewhere to nurse his injuries was unknown.
Yunqi looked inside the straw hut to find tables, chairs, chests bearing the Azure Dragon Abbey's paper seals, and several banners lying on the ground. Words such as "Filth Refining," "Drawing Talismans," "Alchemical Refining," "Artifact Repair," and "Healing" were written upon them.
Yunqi walked inside, picked up the "Filth Refining" and "Drawing Talismans" small banners together, and planted them at the entrance. This was to signal to everyone in the market that the Azure Dragon Abbey had dispatched personnel, and those whose magical tools had been defiled or who needed talismans could come here to have their matters resolved.
Chapter Two is presented.
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