A Farewell Gift by the River
Feng Jiutian’s request didn’t sound hard to fulfil, but it wasn’t simple to actually carry out. The solo notorious robber he wanted me to apprehend used the nickname “Ride the Wind in the Rain”, which was basically a way of saying, “To profit in troubled times.” This Bu Xusan person was also on Liu Shan Men’s wanted list. If you thought Bu Xusan was a real name, you were an idiot. It’d take a one-of-a-kind idiot thief to use divulge their real name.
Bu Xusan supposedly had a respectable level of martial arts and qinggong competence, but his thievery skills were good enough to even steal from Red Prince’s home. Although Red Prince was a decent fighter, Chu Yinghua told me he was seldom home due to his hobby of travelling and being a hero. How true was that? I had no clue. If it was true, though, then it wasn’t too difficult to steal from Red Prince’s abode. After all, even stupid burglars waited for home owners to leave before they broke in, let alone a Prince’s home. Having said that, I had to give credit where it was due. Bu Xusan had to have had balls of steel to steal from a Prince. Had it not been for the achievement, he wouldn’t have ended up Liu Shan Men’s wanted list as he never committed any other heinous deeds.
Security issues were a grey area that the three offices handled. As long as the matter wasn’t too serious, and losses weren’t too damaging, the three offices handballed the cases to each other. Low-level thieves were hard to trace down since there was little information on them, and they’d be virtually invisible as long as they laid low. Therefore, nobody wanted to risk wasting their time for small-time thieves.
“Did Bu Xusan cross you, Brother Feng?”
For the last two months since he knew me, Feng Jiutian had been trying everything to get closer to me. The fact that he was even willing to get his hands on Elise cemented the fact that he wasn’t going to spare any opportunities of convincing me to help him. If there was nothing to gain or lose, he wouldn’t have gone so far. Moreover, I was only a constable of Liu Shan Men when he first approached me, so I couldn’t figure out what he saw in me.
“Haha, there is no enmity between us. I have only cared for one thing – making friends – and my favourite types of friends are those involved in the pugilistic world. Whatever jewellery, luxury good, toy, or whatever it is they desire, they can help themselves to it. I consider it but offering a free meal. Bu Xusan, however, crossed the line because he stole my family heirloom – Nirvana Bloodmarrow.”
For a second, I was lost for words when I heard the name. It wasn’t a jade item, but an amber-ish bloodstone supposedly produced from condensed blood from a phoenix. Due to phoenixes being a creature of legends and seldom seen, its value was extremely high. That being said, Mount Daluo saw it differently.
“Nirvana” was the name of one of Six Evils. Its might was only slightly inferior to Pangu, but it possessed the ability to revive itself infinitely. Hence, not even a dragon could’ve exterminated it, which records from long ago proved. Nirvana was the only entity that could rival Pangu. The only thing worth celebrating was that they were too proud to form a group or reside with another creature. Other than that, it was the issue of fiery wings ruining the thick miasma when flying. They didn’t reproduce. They didn’t have an army, and so they didn’t sacrifice too many lives.
Pangu had nine sons, while Nirvana had five siblings. Though Nirvana’s siblings were far weaker than itself, all five of them were fiercer than Pangu’s sons. The only saving grace for the five siblings’ opponents were that the former five couldn’t endlessly return from the dead.
Nirvana was the most acknowledged beast among Six Evils. Nirvana didn’t enjoy feasting on human beings, but its siblings loved snacking on humans. The five siblings emitted an incredible amount of miasma and raised wild beasts. Nirvana typically became a threat when its siblings were attacked. Aside from those acts of retaliation, it preferred to isolate itself from the realm of man.
As Nirvana rarely took lives when it appeared and due to its appearance that gave off the vibe of the sun transforming, it was a sight to behold. Consequently, a number of people worshipped it. As Nirvana liked to travel around, it was sighted plenty of times, which led to many legends speaking of its beauty being left behind. When its feathers landed in the world below, people treated it as a rare treasure and rightfully so because its feathers could be used to forge top-of-the-line weapons. Its saliva was worth an incredible amount of money once it was converted into glazed fire pearls. When Nirvana bathed somewhere, the vegetation in the vicinity became wood as tough as iron. The benefits they provided was the reason that phoenixes had a large following of supporters in the human realm.
The states in Nanjiang were examples of people who worshipped phoenixes. The divine bird they worshipped was suspected to be Nirvana from long ago. Mount Daluo didn’t comment on the debate; we probably didn’t share the same opinion. That was why I couldn’t confirm if they were the same entity or not if questioned.
Owing to the facts that Nirvana had ample support, performed very few bad acts, and was immortal, exterminating it became an impossible task. Predecessors had sealed it to prevent it showing up again, but that was only a temporary solution due to jerks undoing the seals.
In the opinion of many, a trapped evil beast was just the world’s sceptre. In the previous dynasty, there was a group of morons who removed the seal. Nonetheless, Nirvana went completely missing not long after that and still hadn’t been heard of now.
Nirvana Bloodmarrow’s uniqueness was attributed to its source. Besides Nirvana’s ability to revive itself, its healing abilities also put Pangu’s to shame. Pangu cornered me numerous times thanks to its healing ability. Thankfully, it decided to prioritise sleep in the end. The difficulty of injuring Pangu enough was secondary to outlasting it. I never wanted to have to fight it again ever after feeling the exhaustion of trying to fight it endlessly. Never again. If Nirvana’s recovery was even superior, then it was easy to imagine how tough it would’ve been to make it bleed. By extension, you could imagine its flames would’ve erased any blood it spilt virtually instantaneously, so how hard would it have been to collect a fist-sized amount of blood for the jade item? The only way that was possible was that Nirvana and Pangu squared off, and Pangu must’ve consumed human flesh prior, meaning it must’ve been in a berserk state.
Not only did the piece of jade contain Nirvana’s blood, but it probably had Pangu’s blood mixed in there, as well. Considering the blood was drawn in battle, the violence of the blood was self-explanatory. It was said that the item could not only restore bones and flesh, but it also granted an armour power. I didn’t buy the claims.
“Restoring blood and flesh of the living and dead is a lie, but as long as one is still alive, placing this on their chest will give them a chance of resuscitation,” stated Feng Jiutian.
I nodded.
“I heard that placing this inside the head of someone who has had their skull sliced open can preserve their life.”
“Is said person still alive?” I asked.
“He is my uncle.”
“… Feng Qizhi’s dad?”
Wearing a hapless smile, Feng Jiutian bobbed his head.
No wonder why Feng Qizhi isn’t right in the hard. The aggressive qi in the blood must’ve burnt some cells.
Never thoughtlessly place something associated with Six Evils in any body. See how Feng Qizhi inherited something he shouldn’t have?
Will my kid be a glutton if traits are hereditary?
Nevertheless, proof of Nirvana Bloodmarrow’s potency was just proven. It was more valuable than the Nine Dragons Fire Jade that I stashed. For the aforementioned reasons, Nivarana Bloodmarrow was among the “Ten Greatest Treasures”.
Nirvana Bloodmarrow wasn’t special to just Mount Daluo in terms of its significance but also in the research of Six Evils. It wasn’t something the nation should’ve ignored, either.
“From what I know, it’s the previous dynasty’s national treasure, right?”
The former dynasty had birds as their symbol, and the phoenix happened to be the greatest among birds, so it was considered the greatest symbol. Feng Clan happened to be a merchant family that nobody could overlook in the former dynasty, so the “Feng” (phoenix) surname was no coincidence.
Over a century ago, Nirvana Bloodmarrow was stored in the imperial city. It was said that many Emperors benefited from it. After the downfall of the dynasty, Tianfeng Clan’s survivors came to leech from Mount Daluo, while Nirvana Bloodmarrow ended up in the pugilistic world, eventually ending up in Feng Clan’s possession today. Feng Jiutian’s claim that it was a family heirloom wasn’t a claim corroborated in the wider world. It was understandable for them to not make it public they had their hands on it.
“Correct.” Feng Jiutian started to look uncomfortable. “It is an important item and the erstwhile dynasty’s… antique. Feng Clan and the imperial court work closely together, so there is no disagreement. The only concern is that if somebody sees it and gets their hands on it.”
That explained why Feng Jiutian acted with haste and was willing to risk the consequences of rescuing Elise to obtain my assistance. While Feng Clan’s businesses were booming, their risks were also massive. Brilliant Consort would inevitably have had enemies inside the imperial palace, while the rest of the family outside would have others eyeing their assets. People were just lacking justification to hound them. Now, they had the opportunity to accuse Feng Clan of supporting the previous dynasty, planning an insurgence, and they had a surname that was easy to fabricate a story off. His Majesty didn’t need to believe the accusations. Merely suspecting Feng Clan ever so slightly was enough for suspicion to spiral into fear of Feng Clan utilising their assets for a revolt. It was particularly easier to fan that flame now that His Majesty was trying to launch a war on the White Princes. Gold and Silver Sect, for one, were probably dying for Feng Clan to fall from grace, which would’ve granted them the chance to offer up a maiden so that they could replace Feng Clan.
Ah, that’s why Jin Zhaoying is staying in the capital and has been encouraged to get closer to His Majesty. Thankfully, His Majesty hasn’t fallen for her, or this would be awkward as hell. If Jin Zhaoying was married to His Majesty, Jingan would likely give up on Jin Zhaoying, right? Man, that’s one way to disgust someone. There really is something new every day.
“Retrieving it is not the most important matter. No matter how rare it is, it is still only an object at the end of the day, and it is just a business transaction no matter how much it is worth. What is most important is not letting Bu Xusan disclose where he obtained it from. If people find out that it is at my place, my family will likely face a disaster. Not even Brilliant Consort would be able to help.”
For a clan as influential and big as Feng Clan, losing His Majesty’s trust was more dangerous than losing a jade item.
“So, in summary?”
Feng Jiutian earnestly answered, “Should you help me retrieve it, the least I can do is gift it to you as an expression of gratitude.”
I’d be lying if I said his sincerity and the allure of the reward didn’t sway me, but there was one thing I still wanted to know.
“When did Bu Xusan steal it?”
“It has been three months.”
“Three months? It’s likely there are more people who know than those who don’t.”
“That is not a concern.” Feng Jiutian smiled. “Aside from the fact that Bu Xusan is a loner, according to my knowledge, there is already a buyer. Besides avoiding trouble by admitting he stole it, there is no reason for him to tell anyone else he has the item when there is a buyer.”
“Someone hired him to steal from you?”
“It would be much simpler if that was the case since I could’ve sought out the buyer instead of Bu Xusan. Bu Xusan only searches for buyers after he steals goods. He has picked the capital as the meeting place this time. As you are aware, Fiends Genesis went on a rampage two months ago, so security in the capital is tight. No matter how skilled Bu Xusan may be, sneaking into the capital to complete a transaction is not a risk he could shoulder. He is likely in the capital now, but the buyer I have eyes on seems hesitant to meet up with Bu Xusan in case there is more trouble in the capital.”
“If you know who the buyer is, why are you still trying to capture Bu Xusan. Why not just buy it from the buyer after he purchases it? Surely he wouldn’t refuse Feng Clan. If you feel it’s a loss financially, you could make it back when you sell it. Alternatively, you could work together with him and send your own men as his replacement, then grab the thief and retrieve the item on the day of the exchange.”
“I had considered that.”
If Feng Jiutian already thought of it, then he didn’t carry it out because it wasn’t viable.
“The buyer is far, far away. It would take around a dozen days just to reach him, and I cannot wait for him.”
“You can’t wait? Didn’t you say you weren’t worried Bu Xusan wouldn’t spread the word?”
Feng Jiutian sighed. “I am not worried about Bu Xusan spreading the word. I am worried about the venom inside Nirvana Bloodmarrow.”
“Venom?”
“Yes. Though it did heal my third uncle, he constantly suffered phases of madness. Whenever he lost his mind, his strength would jump several folds out of the blue, and he would indiscriminately hurt everyone in sight. He chose to become a monk, only for him to lose his mind and kill dozens of people at the temple. My father paid the temple hush money to keep the matter a secret, but the government still arrested my third uncle. My third uncle went mad and escaped their clutches. In the end, Divine Constable Yan Shisan killed him before Qizhi was two. The item can save lives, but it can also drive them to madness.”
I couldn’t reveal that the problem was a product of Pangu and Nirvana’s fight. Phoenix blood had an aggressive attribute to begin with. Humans could’ve considered it holy all they wanted, but it didn’t change the fact that Six Evils were evil. Consuming their power without purifying it first was just planting seeds for trouble. Feng Qizhi and the innocent people his father killed were pitiable.
Feng Jiutian heaved a heavy breath. “… My third uncle is not the only case of that madness. Others have had different experiences. The most common outcome has been people who can’t neutralise poison slowly succumbing to the venom and perishing.”
“So your concern is that Bu Xusan won’t survive for much longer.”
“Exactly. If he dies before he can sell it, by the time his body is found, who knows who would have gotten their hands on the item. If they dig deeper, they may eventually find out Feng Clan’s involvement.”
I agreed with his assessment, but my query wasn’t answered. Looking Feng Jiutian dead in the eyes, I asked, “This is a serious matter, and there are plenty of people after the item. Although the buyer isn’t present, I don’t think he’s after it for treating a cough or something. There is an overflowing abundance of wealthy and influential people in the capital, so there’s no concern in times of finding a new buyer. A huge number of people will be involved, and all of them have affluent backgrounds. Why do you think I can help you?”
Feng Jiutian looked left, right, outside the window, and under the table, then gave me a smile. “I do not believe there is anything Jiangnan’s Face-Slapping King Night Fortress’ master cannot resolve.”
So that’s how you found out about me! I must’ve been referred. So you were ready from day one. Whoever says Feng Clan has no talent is blind. Did you hear the man’s evaluation of me?
“If that’s how you’re going to play it, then I’ll tell you…”
“So you ran away so fast to drink here in secret.” The maiden with the sword I came across on the street rocked up and cut me off before I could switch to my boss mode.
Tie Hanyi and Long Zaitian, how did she outdo you two? You two embarrassments might as well hand in your resignation letters now.
Wearing a courteous smile, I acknowledged her with a nod.
“Hahaha, welcome, Miss Ling.” Feng Jiutian stood up and said, “Allow me to do the honours. Brother Ming, this is Mount Lu Sword Sanctuary’s Interim Patriarch’s only daughter, Ling Jialan, Miss Ling. I requested Miss Ling’s aid with this job. Miss Ling, this is Mount Daluo’s senior disciple, a man soaring up the ranks in the imperial court, the man who placed second on the recent imperial exams, a man who is as mighty as he is wise, Ming Feizhen.”
Ling Jialan looked at me with an ambivalent expression. “Ming Feizhen? You said you weren’t Ming Feizhen before.”
I offered a propitious salute. “I have been busy recently, and strangers have constantly been trying to seek my attention. As I did not know if you were hostile or friendly, I did not dare to identify myself. I beg your pardon.”
The maiden ranked among the Seven Jade Goddesses and rank three on Pink and Red Reflection was the target of lust of many men. It was said that she rivalled Song Clan’s Song Yanluo, which was where the “Jialuo Goddesses” moniker came from.
“It is an honour to meet Goddess Ling. I have wished to meet you for a long time. Please, have a seat. I shall personally select a few dishes from the kitchen for you and some wine. Brother Feng, please accompany me.”
Ling Jialan gave Feng Jiutian a smirk, then sat down casually. She seemed to be in a better mood – perhaps thanks to my flattery. Of course, it wasn’t enough. She was only going to be satisfied once she marginalised me after I served up the dishes and wine. I was more than happy to let a beautiful lady vent on me, but I was busy.
“Brother Ming, are you leaving?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Did you not wish to meet her for a long time?”
“And I’ve met her, no? There’s no reason to see her for life.”
As I went to leave, Feng Jiutian grabbed my sleeve. “Um, about my request.”
“I got you. Don’t worry!” I sped out of the building.
I got you loud and clear. Don’t worry. I will not do fulfil the request for you.
Trivia
The majority of the titles going forward in this volume are lines from real poems written centuries ago. Why is the author using them? I don’t know. The majority of them have no connection to the content of the chapter.
Previous Chapter l Next Chapter
