Chapter Eighty-Five: Recovery from Injury

The Immortal Elder suddenly said, “Mortal, I have changed my mind. Not only will I send you out, I shall also have you lend a hand to your master.”

Zhou Qian was taken aback. “But didn’t you say there were still two days before the great seal can be broken?”

The elder said with disdain, “That is under ordinary circumstances. This Geng-Ding Five Yin Void-Husk Palace Barrier turns once every seven days. When that time comes, with my knowledge of the threefold and fivefold workings of this formation, I can naturally take you out with ease. But if I spend a little of my essence blood, the cycle will speed up by at least half. One day will be enough!”

“Then thank you, Elder!” Zhou Qian said gratefully.

“Don’t thank me yet. I have something for you to do as well.” The Immortal Elder glanced sideways at him. “When you enter the Windshade Cave, the place where your master has gone, there will be a suspended talisman plaque to the south within the cave. When the time comes, smash it. That will count as repaying this elder’s kindness, and I shall be able to leave this cursed place.”

“But if you know the workings of the formation, Elder, why can’t you leave?”

At once, the Immortal Elder flew into a rage, cursing, “Isn’t it all because of that Five Desires wretch, that honey-tongued, dagger-hearted, shameless villain? He relied on the identity of an adopted disciple of the Extreme Yin one to trick me into coming here. That alone would have been bad enough. With his half-baked tricks, he still could do nothing to me. What is most hateful is that little thief also laid down a layer of Dark Yin Black Veil inside the embryo-seal formation. The moment I break the formation, I will trigger that veil, and it will reverse the workings of the array and snatch me back here again. Bah! Such rotten luck!”

Zhou Qian understood at last. So there was this reason behind it all. Yet why was this elder so coveted? His master wanted to refine him, and even his disciple wanted to refine him. What earth-shaking evil had he committed?

He was about to ask when a sudden heat surged through his body. His blood boiled wildly, his sinews swelled, and the sensation was similar to when he had accidentally eaten the mysterious scarlet fruit years ago. Fortunately, Zhou Qian was no longer the reckless youth he had once been. He quickly sat cross-legged and guided his essence and blood into order. Within him, that thread of immortal energy seemed to catch the scent of sweetness as well, rising and falling without rest, drawing in the spiritual force transformed from his blood essence.

His body felt as though it were being roasted in fire. Yet this was entirely different from the fruit. If the greatest effect of the fruit had been to improve sinews and bones, then this sudden change was meant to strengthen his blood and qi. Even when he forced the swelling down, blood still seeped from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. After so many fierce battles, his vital force had been depleted; now that a great tonic had arrived all at once, his body was struggling to bear it.

The Immortal Elder laughed coldly again and again. “Serves you right for trying to snatch food from me! Having trouble now, are you? These vegetables of mine are watered every fifty years with elixirs cultivated over ten thousand years, and they have been nourished in this way for more than a thousand years. Do you think a mere mortal like you can bear them? You think this elder is trying to steal your delicacies? Of course I am! No, no, there is a deeper meaning to it! Mere mortal, you understand nothing at all! This time we shall see whether you can endure it. As for this elder, I can help you no further!”

With that, he no longer paid Zhou Qian any mind and strode to the mist. He pinched his fingers repeatedly and chanted under his breath, sending streams of green light into the void.

“... Embryo-seal, heavenly one, nine palaces, five yin seizes the earth, Buddha pagoda, the world opens! Break!”

One profound seal after another flashed out of the void. Some were as large as ten zhang, some no bigger than half a chi. Finally, the Immortal Elder bit his index finger, and golden blood splashed out, corroding a small hole in the mist. The mist roiled violently. With a flick of his little hand, the seals poured in, and that bottomless hole gradually stabilized and even showed signs of widening.

The Immortal Elder nodded in satisfaction and thought to himself, the boy has done all I can do. Whether it succeeds or not will depend on you!

Zhou Qian had both eyes closed at the moment. Each exhalation and inhalation lasted the span of incense stick, and faint colorless ripples spread from his body. He was using his essence blood to nourish yang energy, and with yang energy he was embracing the core.

By the Daoist explanation, this core was not an inner core but an outer one: essence and qi gathered inward to form a perfect circle, and in every movement there was a sense of warm jade and inwardly restrained锋芒, in subtle accord with the Daoist principle of calm emptiness.

Zhou Qian only felt as though he had been reborn. In an instant, or perhaps after a long while, he opened his eyes and found a new radiance within them. Suddenly there was a great clamor beside his ear. In confusion, he discovered that the Immortal Elder was snoring loudly on the ground. Just as Zhou Qian stepped forward, his vision blurred, and a small hand seized his collar and hurled him into the fields. He hurriedly bent his waist and lowered his stance, only then avoiding a hard fall into a muddy pit.

Before he could catch his breath, a hoarse old voice was already cursing in his ear, “A mere mortal dares to make this elder wait eight whole hours? You have some nerve! Do you think this elder cannot do without you, or what—”

The abuse continued for at least the time it took to burn an incense stick. At last the elder licked his lips and saw Zhou Qian standing there in a daze. His anger flared again.

“You brat, what are you spacing out for?!”

“My injury near the shoulder blade seems to have recovered by seventy or eighty percent! I can use my sword again!” Zhou Qian felt boundless joy. Though he did not say it aloud, ever since his battle with Ren Xie, he had worried whether he would ever wield a sword again. His swordsmanship was no longer merely his own: it carried his master’s expectations, the trust of his friends, and the burden of those he must protect. Too much depended on it for him to afford any loss. The state he was in now was already a delight beyond words.

“Nonsense. The vegetables grown by this elder can bring the dead back to life and restore flesh to bone. What is your petty wound worth?” said the Immortal Elder grandly. “Besides, what is so great about mortal swordplay? Another day I shall teach you a few immortal arts and guarantee you lifelong benefit!”

“Elder, are you willing to teach me how to cultivate immortality?” Zhou Qian asked in delight.

“Uh...” The Immortal Elder’s eyes darted about, clearly realizing he had spoken too boldly. “...It’s not that I am unwilling to teach you. It is only that the techniques I cultivate are suitable solely for plants and spirits, and mortals cannot practice them. That is of no importance. Once I get out, I shall find a few acquainted Daoist friends and introduce you to a righteous sect. Emei, Green City, or Heavenly One Gate—you may choose whichever you like. How about that?”

“Oh...” Zhou Qian’s face fell with disappointment.

“All right, boy, hurry and go. The great embryo realm has already been broken open by me. Once you enter, you will be able to reach the mouth of Windshade Cave directly, unlike those mortals who must still pass through five layers of illusion.” The Immortal Elder waved his hand, and a phantom of a great formation rose out of nowhere, his old vigor returning. “See that? The little dots on the outer edge are the mortals who entered the tomb. By my estimate, few of them will be able to break through all five illusions. You are fortunate indeed to know this elder. It is a stroke of heaven-sent fortune, understand?”

Zhou Qian nodded. “Then let’s begin, Elder.”

Only then did the Immortal Elder stop his endless chatter. His face became uncommonly solemn. With a hand seal, the black hole at once bloomed with five-colored radiance, like a demonic illusion from the heavens.

“Crystal extreme realm, five yin transforms, heaven and earth inverted, Geng-Ding open!!!”

With a thunderous roar, Zhou Qian had no time to react before he was flung into the cave. He felt as though he had been spun hundreds, even thousands of times, nausea rising in his throat. Five colors swam before his eyes. After an unknown length of time, he crashed to the ground with a thud, so dazed that his head spun. Before he could rise, the old voice of the elder came from beside his ear again.

“Mortal, listen well. The depths of Windshade Cave are the place where the Extreme Yin one once cultivated in seclusion. A thousand years can pass in the blink of an eye, and most of the restrictions within should already be damaged and useless. However, the Extreme Yin one once said that he left behind an yin demon as a safeguard. This yin demon is formless and without substance, and it is the hardest of all to harm. Fortunately, with your master’s strange skill, plus the Fire-Departure Pearl in your hand and the ten yin-devouring sword fingers, you may well have a fighting chance. The things your master seeks, and that talisman plaque, are both in there, beneath the Dark Yin Black Veil. The veil is useless against mortals, but I cannot go there, nor can I help you there. From this point on, you must rely on yourself!”

Zhou Qian listened carefully, then thought about it and said, “I understand. Does Elder have anything else to say?”

“I heard that your master entered the Extreme Yin cave mansion in pursuit of immortality and the Dao?” the Immortal Elder suddenly asked.

“Yes.” Zhou Qian was puzzled.

“Your mortal master is not bad. Truly, not bad at all,” the Immortal Elder said with feeling.

The unease in Zhou Qian’s heart grew stronger and stronger. He wanted to ask, but did not know where to begin. The elder said no more. After a moment’s hesitation, Zhou Qian walked toward the depths of the cave, where the wind carried a chill like death.

By then, the Immortal Elder was lying on a bed, panting heavily. His childish little face was pale. After a long while, he muttered to himself, “Haven’t made a move in many years. That was exhausting.”

Then he suddenly remembered something and cried out in alarm, “Damn it! I still don’t know the mortal brat’s name! How am I supposed to find him after I get out?”

He hurriedly invoked a heaven-and-earth-spanning technique, but there was no longer any trace of Zhou Qian to be found. He could not help sighing. “That boy runs fast. Is he afraid I’ll eat his food and drink his wine? He crossed the Dark Yin Black Veil so quickly that I can no longer contact him. Hm? Why are there so many strange happenings today? A mortal really passed through five illusion realms? Let me see who he is. Mm, a bald head... and someone dressed all in red...”

At the same time, Zhou Qian had already slowly entered Windshade Cave. Behind him, a wall of black mist blocked the entrance. Around him gray fog drifted, and the strange rocks stood jagged and sharp. After turning seven or eight bends, he found a stone chamber. When he pushed the door open, there was only a jade bed and a meditation mat; beyond that, the room was empty.

Zhou Qian was puzzled. Could it be that the Extreme Yin Immortal lived in such a place?

The jade bed seemed carved from a single block of jade, with a smooth, warm sheen. It was cold to the touch, yet sitting on it calmed the mind and steadied the spirit. Even the restless blood within him quieted down. He could not help but think it a treasure. He did not know that this was in fact carved from ten-thousand-year warm jade, a rare treasure of the Emei Sect. Sitting upon it nourished the primordial spirit, and more than a decade later, Emei and Green City would entangle themselves in its cause and agree to fight a duel over it. But that is a story for later.

Zhou Qian tried to move it, but it did not stir in the slightest. He judged it to weigh at least ten thousand jin. He searched the stone chamber again and again, yet found no clue at all. This only confused him further. Could this not be the place where the Extreme Yin one cultivated? Otherwise, why was there no talisman plaque the elder had mentioned? And how was this warm-jade bed to be explained?

Before he could think further, faint sounds drifted from the passageway. He hurriedly pressed himself against the door and peered out quietly. Three figures were emerging from the darkness...