Evening.
The station outside the window had long since vanished into the distance. A red sun, not quite set, shed its last light and warmth, teetering above the distant mountains. Fortunately, the scorching air was gradually cooling. Feeling the refreshing evening breeze sweeping through the windows, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, their pores opening as their agitation eased.
It was too hot.
August was the height of summer, and they were all crammed into this carriage. During the day in particular, it had been like a steamer; even the wind was hot. But once it cooled down, the children in the carriage grew lively too, chasing one another through the aisle with pinwheels in their hands. No amount of shouting from the adults did any good. Barely a few words later, they were making a racket again.
Lian Youming sat beside the aisle with his arms folded, wearing a shoulder bag that held just two things: the Geng Metal Sword Know-how Junk King had given him and the copy of Journey to the West from Li Da.
He had already skimmed through the Geng Metal Sword Know-how. It was what was known as a Daoist Elixir Sword technique. Whereas the Toad-Fishing Skill condensed qi into an elixir and drew that elixir into force, this Elixir Sword refined Geng Metal lung qi, then used the circulation of internal breath to transform qi into a sword. The sword was like an elixir pellet. Once sufficiently developed, a movement of the throat and tongue could send forth a breath that killed. It was extraordinarily mysterious.
Junk King had also emphasized in the book that combining this extraordinary technique with the Tiger Roaring Golden Bell Cover would be like giving a tiger wings. With lips and teeth parted, the breath would strike out