Chapter 17: The Office of Tranquility and Security (Revised)

The thunder pearl rolled down his throat into his abdomen, unleashing a barrage of thunderous explosions inside the fiend corpse. The creature howled in agony, utterly unable to resist any longer. The breathing technique operated at full force, thunderclaps echoing through the entire mine. Bursts of lightning interwove with flashes of the blade. The saber drew arc after arc of light, each slash faster than the last, raining down upon the wound at the fiend corpse’s neck until it was slain on the spot.

Over a hundred strands of thunder spiritual energy were refined, and with a resounding crack, the fourth meridian, the Belt Vessel, was broken through. Ling Chi sensed the surge of spiritual energy within him, but knew he was still some way off from refining energy into spirit. He dared not linger. Swiftly, he left the mine and rejoined his fellow disciples.

The members of the martial hall exhaled in relief when they saw Ling Chi emerge unscathed. Seeing that everyone was safe, Ling Chi, too, felt reassured. Yet the two hidden figures who had not acted remained a pressing concern. With Xiao Yu, Zhao Lei, and Xue Li—three Open Meridian cultivators—now powerless, the matter would require careful planning.

After meeting up with the constables, the group began their return to Crane County. The situation in Willow Town was clearly too treacherous; without Open Meridian strength, it was tantamount to courting death. They stopped by Willow Town to retrieve horses, letting the wounded take turns riding. All the way, Ling Chi pondered the talisman master and the mysterious figure—after painstakingly cultivating that fiend corpse, how could they simply abandon it?

He glanced back into the distance. His instincts told him that those spying on him were in that direction, but with so many injured in his group, he had no time to worry about it.

As they left the mine, two figures watched them. One appeared old and frail, leaning on a cane, with a massive black coffin standing beside him. The other was dressed as a wealthy young master.

"This youngster is quite alert, and skilled in thunder arts. Losing a fiend corpse is of little consequence to the grand scheme, but it will be hard to explain to the General," the old man in black said.

"Zhao Qing from the Seven Stars Martial Hall is at the seventh level of Qi Sea Realm; dealing with him now would be troublesome. Besides, how do you know they don’t have hidden cards? You need to recuperate. Once you’re healed, you can craft another," said the young master, his face expressionless.

"It’s not that easy. This fiend corpse was forged from the lives of all Willow Town. Lin Xiao, time waits for no man."

"Old Qu, the Corpse Refining Sect still owes me what was promised. How long are you planning to stall?" Lin Xiao replied with mocking nonchalance.

The other possessed something he had long coveted. For this treasure, he had agreed to the massacre of Willow Town. In pursuit of greater strength and vengeance against his enemies, he was prepared to pay any price.

The black coffin abruptly rattled and swayed. Old Qu placed his withered hand upon it with a gentle tap, and the coffin stilled once more.

Weary and battered, the group returned to Crane County. The constables split into two teams—one to take their chief for urgent treatment, the other to report to the magistrate. The Seven Stars Martial Hall members returned to their hall. Mistress Yang Shu had been waiting anxiously at home.

Uncle Hai, the gatekeeper, rushed in to report their return to Yang Shu, and together they hurried out to greet the disciples. Seeing Xiao Yu and Zhao Lei so pale and weak, Yang Shu was relieved that at least they were alive.

After settling the wounded for healing and rest, Yang Shu sat in the front hall to hear her three disciples recount their ordeal. When she learned that Willow Town had been slaughtered, she was appalled.

"You should rest here tonight. Your master will return from the provincial capital this afternoon; he has matters to discuss with you. Uncle Hai has prepared some medicinal salve for you. Go and train. The more effort you put in now, the better chance you’ll have to survive in the future," Yang Shu said, regaining her usual warmth.

The three disciples bowed in acknowledgment.

"Third Brother, Fifth Brother, do you know what this is about? Is Master planning something big?" Ling Chi asked eagerly, being the youngest of the group.

"No idea. We can’t possibly guess Master’s intentions," Li Shui and Zhao Shanhe both shook their heads, tacitly in sync.

"It’s not sustainable for us to keep supporting the county office like this; our strength is too meager. Even now, just thinking about today’s events makes my heart pound. If those two mysterious figures had acted, all of us brothers would’ve perished," Ling Chi said with lingering dread.

"Exactly. Luckily, Sixth Brother reacted quickly. Otherwise, among the direct disciples of Seven Stars Martial Hall, only Eldest Brother would be left," Li Shui agreed.

The three senior brothers made their way to the training grounds. To maximize the effects of the medicine, they needed a proper warm-up. Ling Chi began as usual with his breathing technique. After a complete cycle, thunder rolled across the training field. The registered disciples could only look on in envy. Everyone knew the hall possessed a half-finished body-forging art called the Golden Thunder Technique, but none dared to cultivate it.

Ling Chi’s achievement with it was publicly attributed to his exceptional talent, but in truth, it was thanks to the breathing method and thunder pearl from his previous life. Ling Chi had no intention of helping others; fortune that comes unbidden is not true fortune.

Respect others’ destinies; do not attempt to play the savior.

After completing the breathing exercises, Ling Chi practiced a set of saber techniques. Lately, he had been working on combining the Taiyi Calamity Crossing Saber with the Seven Stars Saber Method, hoping to create a new style. But this was a gradual process, not to be rushed.

He then swung a stone lock for a while to finish warming up, collected his medicinal salve, and soaked with Fifth Brother in a large wooden tub, suffering yet enjoying the process.

The ointment not only tempered the skin and body but also accelerated the sensing of spiritual energy. Immersed in the tub, Ling Chi’s spiritual energy whirled furiously within him, pushing to break through the Yin Heel Vessel. Located on the inner side of the body, attacking this meridian was painful and risky.

Breaking through from refining essence into energy to refining energy into spirit was a formidable challenge. Spirit was the martial artist’s will. To refine energy into spirit, one must first refine essence into energy and awaken the martial will—an endeavor reliant on fate, with no guide to follow, only a path to be forged step by step.

"Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother—Master’s back. He’s waiting for you in the front hall," Li Shui suddenly announced as he entered.

Ling Chi hurriedly climbed out of the tub, dressed, and made his way to the hall, with Fifth Brother following behind.

The front hall was filled with people, even the wounded Xiao Yu and Zhao Lei were propped up in chairs, and the eldest brother, Xiao Zhan, who was preparing for seclusion and breakthrough, was present as well.

There were also several officials in black brocade, the leader of whom exuded an imposing and steely presence—a face marked by authority and the air of someone hardened by countless battles, clearly a veteran from the ranks.

Zhao Qing sat at the head, holding a tea bowl and sipping quietly. As he listened to his son Zhao Lei recount the events in Willow Town, his expression grew grave. Seeing his son’s pallor, he felt a surge of relief; had his wife not acted decisively and dispatched the three disciples to help, his son and second disciple might have been lost.

Once everyone had gathered, Zhao Qing set down his tea, surveyed the room, then cupped his fist respectfully toward the leader, and spoke slowly:

"This distinguished gentleman is Lord Cao Hubao, a Silver Emblem Captain of the Imperial Security Division, stationed in Yingzhou Prefecture—a half-step Spirit Pearl Realm expert. The Spirit Pearl Realm is the fourth realm."