"Sister Qin, could you lend me some Talisman Money for an emergency?"
No sooner had Jiang Yi left the Labor Affairs Courtyard than he arrived at the Engraving Room.
Of Crimson Flame Peak's three workshops, the work here was the easiest.
Polishing bone materials and carving artifact patterns required no more than care and steady hands, unlike the exhausting toil of being steamed by heat waves in the Quenching Room or swinging hammers in the Forging Room.
"What trouble have you run into, Yi?"
Concern and worry were written all over Widow Qin's face. As she spoke, she pressed her freshly paid Talisman Money into Jiang Yi's hand.
"If this is about Old He, let's swallow this anger for now!
"Zhang San and Dong Si are both at the third level of Qi Refining, and they fight dirty. Don't meet them head-on... Is that enough? If not, I'll get you some more after work!"
Jiang Yi accepted the roughly two thousand in Talisman Money notes and said softly:
"If you have enough to spare, Sister Qin, could you lend me another ten thousand? I'll repay you within ten days, without fail!"
Widow Qin's heart tightened. Her callused hand abruptly seized Jiang Yi.
"Yi! I can lend you ten thousand Talisman Money, but don't do anything foolish! Why pit yourself against jackals and wolves? Zhang San and Dong Si are vicious men who've drawn blood!"
Jiang Yi grinned.
"Sister Qin, do I look like I'm about to stake my life in a fight? It really is for an emergency."
Doubt lingered in Widow Qin's eyes. She studied Jiang Yi closely and muttered:
"Don't you deceive your sister, Yi. Borrowing so much Talisman Money all of a sudden-if you're not going to lock wrists with Zhang San and Dong Si, what is it for?"
Jiang Yi grew serious.
"I've spent too much buying medicinal ingredients these past few days. Every last coin is gone.
"I offered a secret prescription to Duty Officer Yang earlier. He said the Inner Peaks would give me a reward, but I still haven't seen it.
"So I can only come begging to you, Sister Qin. Rest completely assured: I'll repay you as soon as the Talisman Money arrives."
Only then did Widow Qin breathe easier. She really feared that Yi, young and hot-blooded, would rashly rush off to fight Zhang Chao and Dong Ba to the death.
"I can lend you ten thousand Talisman Money. I don't normally spend much, so I won't press you to repay it."
"But about Old He, Yi, you must listen to me. There's no need to rush into revenge just to vent our anger."
Jiang Yi nodded with a solemn air.
"I've always treated others kindly. You know that, Sister Qin."
Looking at Jiang Yi's sincere face, Widow Qin gradually set aside her worries.
To her, Yi was an honest, dutiful, hardworking boy, handsome and kindhearted. It truly was a pity that he had ended up in a Demonic Path Lineage.
"All right! Wait until I finish work, then..."
Widow Qin released his hand, a hint of a smile appearing at the corners of her eyes.
That Yi could ask her for money meant they were no longer so distant.
That was a good thing!
"All right. I won't keep you from your work, Sister Qin."
Jiang Yi took his leave, but rather than returning to the Large Compound, he headed for the Yang residence.
The month's end had passed, and all of Crimson Flame Peak's workshops had met their quotas in full.
Without pressure from the Inner Peaks to hurry them along, Yang Xun naturally no longer came to supervise every day.
He was sitting in his backyard study, circulating his cultivation, gathering and refining Spirit Chance to strengthen his fire nature.
He heard the young Daoist attendant report:
"Master, Inspection Officer Jiang requests an audience at the gate."
The blazing firelight surging and streaming from Yang Xun's nose and mouth gradually faded. He opened his eyes and said softly:
"Show him in."
The Quenching Room Duty Officer seemed to have been waiting for Jiang Yi to come knocking.
Hmph. Though the Lesser Forging Origin Fire-Control Art is only ninth-grade, it's hardly something a Mortal Laborer with no foundation can understand!
Yang Xun had generously imparted the art and permitted Jiang Yi to cultivate it precisely so that the boy would come asking for guidance.
This boy has a nimble tongue. Who knows what flattering words he'll concoct to coax me this time... Fine, fine. I'll reluctantly hear him out.
Before long.
Jiang Yi entered the backyard and appeared outside the study, bowing respectfully.
"Greetings, Duty Officer."
Yang Xun feigned composure.
"What brings you here?"
Jiang Yi cupped his hands.
"I have a presumptuous request. I can only trouble you, Duty Officer."
Yang Xun worked to suppress the smile tugging at his lips lest he lose his dignity, then said unhurriedly:
"Have you come to ask this old man about difficulties in cultivation? No matter. Tell me each one. I don't mind the trouble."
Jiang Yi did not beat around the bush.
"I'd like to borrow money from you, Duty Officer."
"The most important thing about this Lesser Forging Origin Fire-Control Art... What?"
Yang Xun froze, staring straight at Jiang Yi, and asked again:
"What did you say?"
With an earnest expression, Jiang Yi said solemnly:
"You told me earlier that offering a Secret Method for use in the workshops would earn a reward of Talisman Money from the Inner Peaks."
"I'd like an advance from you, or to borrow some Talisman Money to put out this fire at my eyebrows. I'll repay it later."
Yang Xun pondered in silence. Several expressions crossed his fierce face, making him look like a brooding mountain eagle.
What does he need money for?
Could he have picked up some bad habit?
He scrutinized Jiang Yi, then suddenly asked:
"You've reached the third level of Qi Refining?"
Jiang Yi nodded.
"I broke through just yesterday. I'm still consolidating it."
Yang Xun asked again:
"Have you been using medicine?"
He smelled a faint medicinal scent on Jiang Yi.
"Yes. I bought some medicines to strengthen my body and boiled them into a paste. I've applied it a few times, and the results were decent."
Jiang Yi had no intention of deliberately concealing it. Besides, he could not hide it.
Such a rapid leap from the first level of Qi Refining to the third was bound to invite questions.
Yang Xun nodded and asked no further questions, seemingly unwilling to probe what medicines Jiang Yi had used or what paste he had applied.
Under Demonic Dao rule, among those of its Dharma Lineage—whether Mortal Laborers, duty officers, Inner Peaks disciples, or promising True Disciples and Dao Talents—
Unless they came from extraordinary backgrounds, few built their foundations steadily, honed their cultivation, and pursued perfection.
Such niceties belonged to the Immortal Dao!
Those of the Demonic Dao, especially those of lowly origins from minor households,
Had always used whatever methods they had, each deploying their own means to climb first and worry later.
Yang Xun pondered, then said:
"How much do you want to borrow?"
Jiang Yi seemed to calculate carefully before answering:
"Thirty thousand in Talisman Money."
That isn't much.
To the Quenching Room's duty officer, that little sum was a single hair off nine oxen.
Yang Xun nodded.
"This old man can lend it to you."
He paused, then asked:
"Do you truly have no cultivation difficulties to ask this old man about?"
Jiang Yi straightened his back and answered with complete confidence:
"With your permission, I retrieved the Lesser Forging Origin Fire-Control Art from the Labor Affairs Courtyard's records room. I carefully read and copied its passages, and gained considerable understanding from a little study. At present, there's nothing I don't understand."
Seemingly unconvinced, Yang Xun asked hesitantly:
"You've read the entire formula, understood its meaning, and are about to attain initial mastery?"
Jiang Yi replied calmly:
"Duty Officer, not initial mastery. Minor accomplishment."
What?
Yang Xun's eyelid twitched, and his fierce face quivered as he fought to suppress the astonishment rising to his throat.
This boy!
Could he be a one-in-ten-thousand genius at Spell Refinement?
With thirty thousand in Talisman Money secured, Jiang Yi returned to the Large Compound, sat cross-legged in his room with a tranquil mind, and began cultivating.
Two applications of the Tiger-Wolf Medicinal Paste clung to his flesh, melting like candle wax and slowly seeping into his sinews and bones, setting his Qi and Blood boiling.
Once his True Qi completed its circuit, its strands seemed tempered by fierce flames, condensing into a thread of fire-nature radiance that shone even more brilliantly.
Sweat drenched Jiang Yi's entire body, as though he had been hauled out of water.
As his pores opened and closed, they released astonishing heat.
He then took Green Zhi Pulp to replenish his depleted and expended Primordial Essence.
The two prescriptions seemed to complement one another, actually allowing his cultivation to keep growing.
At this rate, reaching the fourth level of Qi Refining before spring, as Duty Officer Yang said, shouldn't be difficult.
Bare-chested, Jiang Yi went straight into the courtyard, drew a bucket of water, washed himself clean, and changed into a clean Daoist robe.
The lingering sunset glowed brightly, spilling orange light.
He waited until Widow Qin returned from work and quietly brought him ten thousand in Talisman Money.
No wonder people said older women knew how to care for someone.
His sworn elder sister even knew to spare Jiang Yi's pride, deliberately avoiding the Large Compound's other residents.
"Thank you, Sister Qin."
Jiang Yi did not stand on ceremony. He tucked the ten thousand in Talisman Money into his robe, then smiled.
"If you ever need your little brother for anything, just say the word."
Seeing that Jiang Yi was still in the Large Compound and had done nothing unusual, Widow Qin finally felt her suspended heart settle.
Her bright eyes blinked, and she said softly:
"Why be so polite? When your elder brother passed away, he left no savings. I nearly had nowhere to go.
"You were the one who lent a hand, Yi, paying two months' rent for me..."
Jiang Yi smiled.
"We live under the same roof. Helping someone when something happens is only natural. To think you've remembered it all this time, Sister Qin."
Widow Qin shook her head.
"Fawning on the high and trampling the low is what's normal. Someone willing to lend a hand is what's rare.
"Our outer sect has never lacked jackals and vicious dogs eager to pounce on someone for a mouthful of flesh and blood."
Jiang Yi remained calm and offered no comment.
He thought He Laohun was right. Only Dao traditions were divided into immortal and demonic; what difference was there between Commoners and cultivators?
Did being born in the Immortal Dao mean one would pity all living beings?
Did belonging to the Demonic Dao mean one had to commit every evil?
Then are people cultivating the "Dao," or is the "Dao" devouring people?
With the Talisman Money tucked in his robe, Jiang Yi skipped his meal and returned to his room to continue tempering his thread of fire-nature radiance.
He also summoned the Heavenly Book.
[Supplicating the Heavenly Book, show me whether anything unexpected will occur if I attack Zhang Chao and Dong Ba of Crimson Flame Peak tonight.]
[Matter under inquiry: combat]
[Deduction time: two hours]
**Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!** The cold wind swept past with a chilling howl. Snow was falling hard tonight, weighing down the treetops until they creaked and swayed. Knock, knock, knock. Jiang Yi gently knocked on the plank door of He Laohun's shack. "Yi, it's so late..." Ever since his bout of weeping last night, He Laohun had been like a frost-stricken eggplant, wilted and unable to muster any spirit. "Brother He, let's step outside and talk awhile." Unwilling to say more, Jiang Yi left him with that one sentence and walked out of the Large Compound. He Laohun's expression shifted as he wrestled inwardly. Suddenly, he gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and hurried after Yi, who had stepped through the courtyard gate. The wind blew fiercely, and the snow fell thick. Following close behind Jiang Yi, He Laohun asked in a trembling voice: "Wait for me! Yi, are you going to look for Zhang San and Dong Si?" The latter smiled. "Exactly. Brother He, would you show me the way?" He Laohun stared blankly at Brother Yi, who was usually so friendly and amiable. For a moment, he felt that the young man had changed enormously! He was like a blade tempered in raging fire and icy water, his gaze keen, his edge fully bared! "I understand now!" He Laohun said fiercely: "Brother Yi, you're standing up for me! I won't be a coward! Let's fight Zhang San and Dong Si together!" Perhaps the oppressive wind and snow, with their bone-piercing cold, had instead forced out a sliver of courage. He Laohun, usually so weak and spineless, had actually found some backbone. He strode ahead of Jiang Yi, making straight for the large tiled house at the other end. It was a fine place that cost a thousand Talisman Money to rent. Spacious and bright, with a heated brick bed, it was incomparably more comfortable than the Mortal Laborers' shacks. Whoooo! The bitter wind blew down the piled snow. When the large tiled house came into view, He Laohun's heart began to falter again. He unconsciously slowed his steps and lowered his voice: "Brother Yi, if Zhang San or Dong Si-or both of them-are there, let's just throw out a few harsh words. There's no need to fight those two vicious dogs! They have strength in numbers..." As He Laohun spoke, he tilted his ear to listen. Raucous laughter carried over from far away; presumably, Zhang Chao and Dong Ba were together. "This is bad. Looks like we picked the wrong time. Inside..." **Bang!** Jiang Yi never stopped. Head held high, he strode forward and kicked open the poorly barred wooden gate. Then he swept past He Laohun and stepped into the courtyard like a gust of wind. On the golden page flickering in his eyes, tiny tadpole-like characters gleamed.
[Deduction result: all but certain]
Below that. There was another question, its result only just appearing.
[Supplicating the Heavenly Book, reveal whether Zhang Chao and Dong Ba of Crimson Flame Peak harbor ill will toward me!]
[Subject of inquiry: human hearts] [Deduction time: one hour] [Deduction result: Zhang Chao envies the favor you receive from the labor overseer and your success at a young age... Dong Ba sees you as a fat sheep ripe for bullying and intends to fleece you...]
"Just as I thought! Both have earned their deaths!"
Jiang Yi's gaze was icy, his killing intent surging. In a flash, he charged into the large tiled house.
"What was that noise..."
Dong Ba, who was drinking wine and eating meat, pricked up his ears and looked outside.
Before he could rise, the thick curtain tore apart. Wind and snow poured into the room like a dragon, chilling everyone into shivers.
"Who's there?"
Dong Ba roared.
He was an old hand, a seasoned mounted bandit and ruthless mountain brigand. Sensing something wrong, he snatched up the long wooden bench beneath him and hurled it behind him.
Crack!
Wood splinters flew!
The bench shattered as though it had struck an iron plate!
Using that exertion, Dong Ba twisted at the waist and steadied himself, getting a clear look at the intruder.
It was a young face, still bearing traces of boyishness!
"You, Jiang..."
A thick, murderous Sha Qi rose across Dong Ba's dark face. A brat whose hair had not even fully grown dared come looking for trouble.
"I thought you were a spineless good-for-nothing like He Laohun!"
True Qi surged through Jiang Yi as he shattered the cloth curtain and stepped over the threshold into the room.
He swept his gaze around, first fixing it on Zhang Chao, who remained seated beside the square table, then turning back to Dong Ba.
"If you walk out of my door tonight, I'll write my name backward!"
Dong Ba displayed his full bandit nature. There were two reasons he and Zhang Chao could throw their weight around on Crimson Flame Peak.
First, they had trained in fist and foot, making them fiercer than the other Mortal Laborers and able to keep everyone in line;
second, they were ruthless and full of dirty tricks. Anyone who provoked them was sure to suffer.
"Brother Yi, you've refused the toast and insisted on drinking the forfeit! We brothers thought highly enough of you to offer you a share of the money.
"By refusing it, you denied us face! By refusing it, you also made things very awkward for us!"
Zhang Chao held a porcelain cup. The fine wine, warmed before serving, gradually cooled in the cold wind.
"Face often matters more than heaven itself. Brother Dong was indeed impatient. He slapped He Laohun and made him crawl between his legs... but ultimately, you slapped our faces, and we stripped you of yours. That's perfectly fair."
Dong Ba stood there like an iron tower, his frame burly.
The third level of Qi Refining was blood renewal: replacing old blood and producing new. Once he unleashed his presence, he was as ferocious as a savage tiger!
He stared hard at Jiang Yi, who had not spoken since entering, and said mockingly:
"Brother Zhang San, let's make him crawl between our legs too! Teach him a lesson! Trying to show kindness without the ability to back it up, playing the good-"
Hiss!
Expressionless, Jiang Yi merely raised a hand and formed Hand Seals. A line of fire shot out, swift as lightning, instantly piercing Dong Ba's neck and burning a charred hole through it.
"Kh... kh..."
Dong Ba did not even have time to react. He only felt pain in his throat, then could no longer squeeze out so much as a word.
Jiang Yi still said nothing, only stepping forward.
He spread his fingers and pressed his hand onto the head of Dong Ba, who had slumped to his knees.
Fire tempered by True Qi erupted like a red-hot branding iron, scorching the skin and flesh of that dark face until they split open!
But with his throat pierced, Dong Ba could not make a sound. He endured seven or eight breaths before finally breathing his last.
Zhang Chao's eyes widened as though he had seen a ghost, and he stammered in terror:
"Spell Refinement... where did you get a graded Cultivation Method to master a Daoist spell?"
Among Crimson Flame Peak's many Mortal Laborers, never mind Spell Refinement.
They could barely even master the commonplace "Proper Meridian Qi Circulation Art."
That was why people said a method was worth ten thousand gold, while a single spell was hard to obtain!
Against a Method Formula or Daoist spell trained to minor mastery, the bodies of cultivators at the third or fourth level of Qi Refining were practically made of paper!
"Brother Yi! I submit! From now on, you call the shots on Crimson Flame Peak! Wherever you point, I'll strike..."
Zhang Chao had lost all his dignified bearing. He truly had been scared out of his wits.
He had spent nearly ten years on Crimson Flame Peak with Dong Ba. When had he ever seen a Mortal Laborer use a Daoist spell?
Jiang Yi finally spoke, pointing at Dong Ba's cold corpse:
"He was at the third level of Qi Refining. His skin, flesh, and bones should be worth twenty thousand Talisman Money. The same goes for you.
"I borrowed from everyone I could before scraping together enough to buy both your lives."
Zhang Chao was even more horrified, as though he had plunged into an ice cellar.
"Master Jiang! Just think of me as a dog. Have mercy and spare me! I... how about I serve as your dog from now on? Woof, woof, woof, woof!
"Why spend another twenty thousand Talisman Money on my worthless life!"
Zhang Chao truly could bend or stand tall as circumstances demanded. As he spoke, he dropped onto all fours and began barking like a dog.
"Ah, you're right. Why not save some money when I can?"
Jiang Yi looked toward the two Mortal Laborers cowering by the wall and said softly:
"Take good care of Inspection Officer Zhang. With both legs crippled, he won't be able to work anymore. You two will have to wait on him."
With that, he drove his True Qi, and a line of fire shot out, sweeping horizontally like a hot knife.
Crack!
Zhang Chao's legs were severed at their roots!
Jiang Yi turned away without even looking at the now-crippled Zhang Chao, letting him howl and scream.
His eyes flickered, and the golden page appeared.
[Supplicating the Heavenly Book, reveal where Zhang Chao and Dong Ba of Crimson Flame Peak hide their money!]
Then, under Zhang Chao's hateful gaze, Jiang Yi rummaged through chests and cabinets, successfully finding two stacks of Talisman Money.
"You beast! You beast! That's my hard-earned money..."
Zhang Chao was so furious that his vision darkened. As he gasped violently, he saw the two Mortal Laborers he usually drove like beasts of burden slowly approaching.
"Let's go, Brother He."
Barely a quarter of an hour had passed between Jiang Yi's entrance and exit.
"I told you, from now on, no one on Crimson Flame Peak will be able to cause us trouble."
He Laohun stood frozen like a wooden chicken. He craned his head to look into the large tiled house. Dong Ba's corpse lay by the doorway, charred beyond recognition, while Zhang Chao wailed like a ghost, suffering who knew what torment.
"This... Brother Yi, wait for me!"
At the summit of Crimson Flame Peak, the Yang residence.
Yang Xun was still dwelling on the day's events. Thinking of Jiang Yi's answer, he murmured:
"He only obtained the method a few days ago. How could he have trained it to minor mastery already? It makes no sense! Back in my day..."
The young Daoist attendant suddenly poked his head in and said respectfully:
"Master, Inspection Officer Jiang is here again!"
Yang Xun said irritably:
"Just because he doesn't sleep at night, does that mean I don't need to sleep either? He just borrowed Talisman Money. What does he want now?!"
The young Daoist attendant tucked in his neck and said timidly:
"Inspection Officer Jiang said he accidentally killed Dong Ba of the Forging Room just now and injured Zhang Chao of the Engraving Room.
"He has come especially to pay compensation as a sign of remorse!"
Yang Xun froze at those words, as though doubting his own ears.
Zhang Chao and Dong Ba? Weren't those two vicious dogs at the third level of Qi Refining?
Jiang Yi had dealt with them both?
A moment later, Yang Xun's aged, long face with its bare brows began trembling uncontrollably, and he burst out laughing:
"Hahahaha! So that was it! Borrowing money to buy lives-what a talent for the Demonic Dao!"
Before you continue