“This one, on the other hand,” Yung continued, shaking off his pondering. He pointed at the avian with three heads, “is also an Imperfect Heaven 2nd order fiend. A chaosfiend called the Three-headed marauder with a 1-star species rank.”

Yung had to marvel at the names. They were so wordy yet so descriptive. Truly what he had expected from all the stereotypes.

The Three-headed Marauder was a fearsome avian with a sleek black body, marked with shimmering silvery-white patterns. Its three heads were each unique, with sharp beaks and fiery red eyes. According to the scrolls, when agitated, it could emit a strange wave-like orb from its beaks to ensnare, enthral, or explode its prey. Its tripod talons were razor-sharp, and its deep metallic feathers shimmered in the light. Different from their Imperfect Heaven 1st order variety, the 2nd order one that Yung had seen in Silky’s vision had a massive wingspan. Its three heads had cried out in a cacophony of howls and screeches the moment it had spotted the spelunking foxmoths.

“Not a matter. I’ve got one’s head hanging in me room,” Ziyou Maque patted his chest.

Yung tutted, then tapped the final drawing. “I can’t find any mention of this one.”

He was most worried about this creature. He had tried his best to draw it, even adding green paint. In the hazy memory Silky had shown him, the monstrous serpent skeleton hovered in mid-air as though it had maglevs set under its spine. Its immense body was coiled and stretched out, with its ribs radiating albedo mist under the strange circuitry all voidfiends seemed to have.

Its bones, a pallid white, were also illuminated by veins of glowing green light that pulsed with eerie energy through its length. The creature's sharp snout was lined with rows of razor-jagged teeth, and the upper part of its spine was covered in shimmering scales that caught the light and seemed to shift and change colour. Its eyes glowed a bright and ghostly green, flickering with an unnerving sentience. Despite its size, the serpent had moved without a sound, slithering through the air as its green eyes gazed back at Silky with utter disregard. But it had a stench Silky still remembered to this day. As though the smell from an ancient graveyard littered with thousands of corpses had been given a malicious shape. Rancid, nauseating, foul, and decayed, no other fiend dared to even get close to it.

Yung had to admit, this creature possessed a certain reptilian allure, yet at the same time, the serpent's undead appearance and ungodly effluvium made it seem more like a being from a horror movie rather than a xianxia world.

“That’s because it hardly shows itself.” Ziyou Maque said. “Are you sure you saw this fiend?”

Yung nodded.

“I trust Silky’s vision. He has no reason to deceive me.”

“This complicates things.” Ziyou Maque sighed, scratching his scar. “Youjin Liu, you planning on backing out?” He grinned.

“Worry about yourself.” The Youjin patriarch brushed away the provocation. “It is a Bone-eating putrid python. A 2-star voidfiend, and this one is currently in the Imperfect Heaven 3rd order. It rules a voidrift in a chasm below the ground, where most renyao dare not venture. The last time anyone had seen it, it had wreaked havoc on one underground herb field the Baishui clan had tried to expand.”

Yung dropped his quill. He was ready to pick up his bags and call the whole thing off.

“It usually stays in its hole. Why would it be here? The forest near our city has its own ruler. an Imperfect Heaven 3rd order chaosfiend called the Dusk valley lion, which are 2-star fiends.”

“So there is a chance that there are two fiends as strong as a core formation realm cultivator?” Yung gaped. His plan had fallen through in seconds.

“Perhaps. Perhaps not.” Youjin Liu said, “The Dusk valley lion is an old creature nearing the end of its life and detests renyao, who have been encroaching into its territory. It doesn’t like to take on equal opponents. Even when the previous clan patriarch organized a team to hunt it for its fiend core, it ran away at the first hint of danger. I doubt it would hang around an area with so many powerful fiends present. We can’t discount it completely, though. It’s a shrewd monster. Although it is usually solitary, detesting other Dusk valley lion prides who have found a stronger leader; it likes to play with its prey and mess with their minds before going for the kill. Are you adamant about seeing this through, Ziyou Yung?”

“I don’t have a choice.” The foxball is there, and I have to get it. By the way, is that what is attracting the fiends?

“Then we will hire mercenaries.” Youjin Liu ordered. “Fiends are usually stronger at the same cultivation level. Though renyao have the advantage of thought. Leader Free Sparrow, what do you propose?”

“We’ll need at least ten cultivators at the Imperfect Heaven 2nd realm and two more at the third. I don’t suppose Young Yung has an army of Imperfect Heaven 3rd realm cultivators hidden somewhere?”

“Heh! I wish.”

“Then that settles it. We’re gonna need to prepare thoroughly. Scout out the area, lay traps, and call in favours. Lord Yaoguai last saw these fiends a year ago. So who knows what’s changed.”

“The foxmoths probably won’t be in danger during that time. Silky can sense them even now, and they’re safe. They managed to survive five years; they can manage more.” Yung said. Internally, he crossed his fingers.

“That is good,” Youjin Liu said, “Our clan has ten Imperfect Heaven 2nd realm cultivators on hand. Seven foundation building and three meridian building. Mostly above the 6th stage, with me being at the 12th. I can also call for our clan’s people currently serving in the various sects. My elder brother is an early tier core formation cultivator, and should be willing to lend a hand regarding the Bone-eating putrid python. And Leader Free Sparrow is at the 11th stage of meridian building.”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

Yung rejoiced to hear that the Youjin clan had more strength hidden away. If they had not signed the contract, this same information would have made him feel the complete opposite.

“The Free sparrow gang has two more Imperfect Heaven 2nd realm body cultivators.”

“I’m surprised. We thought Leader Free Sparrow had the reigns by himself all this time.”

“In our line of work, we all need hidden pieces. Both of them are in the early stages. But I swear I’ll invest all the resources my gang can gather within the next few days, though I doubt we can come even close to your clan, good patriarch.” Maque passed the baton to Patriarch Liu again, who smiled wryly.

“We can’t do the same. Not immediately.” Youjin Liu said.

“Why?” Yung had been happy to stay quiet as the two leaders figured out the details. But he wouldn’t allow the Youjin clan to sidestep their responsibility.

“The Baishui clan.” Youjin Liu explained, “I must station at least four elders to fend them off. The Zheng clan are also an issue. Our relationship has not been the best ever since my wife caused a certain incident.” Youjin Liu shook his head, his daughter facepalmed, whilst Ziyou Maque grinned as though he had remembered something funny.

Now I’m curious. It’s probably best to stay on topic though.

“Both of them, in total, have four Imperfect Heaven 2nd realm cultivators,” The Youjin patriarch continued, “Who knows what else the Westmoon royal family and the Duan clan have concealed. Not to mention the Malignant moon sword sect, who we had some disagreements with recently.” He cast a sorrowful glance at his daughter. “I doubt they will have the gall to attack, but security must be maintained. If I send a long-range sound transmission today, my brother and the others can arrive a few days before phase one of the sect recruitments, hopefully.”

“Carrion eaters,” Ziyou Maque ground his teeth. “They don’t want to see the Youjin clan bounce back. They’d stop them from recovering the foxmoths at all cost.”

“Then we do it after phase one.” Yung decided, “I’ll take it to Fairy Nanya. See if we can get some leeway.” He made a list of flatteries he would throw in the vixen’s direction. Yung happened upon the idea as he was speaking. “Why do they need to know we’re going in to recover the foxmoths? We say we are going to search for the missing foxball under Fairy Nanya’s orders!”

“Oh, that….” Ziyou Maque rubbed his chin, thinking it over. “That could work.”

“Who dares to get in the way of the Su fox clan? Patriarch Liu, do you think the Baishui and Zheng clans will ignore Fairy Nanya’s decree?”

“Good heavens, no. They are greedy, not suicidal.”

“Then we either rope them in or rope them out.” Yung said.

There was a twinkle in Youjin Liu’s eyes. Yung could see the resemblance between father and daughter. He looked at Yung with a peculiar gaze, “But that means we won’t announce the recovery of the foxmoths in advance? If I remember correctly, one of the reasons to do so was to placate the eastern upper town residents.”

Shit! I did not think that through. Wait, I can salvage this!

“The truth of the matter is that the only way I can find the foxball is if Silky helps me with his Heart qi powers, and his main priority is to get his flock back. After all, Fairy Nanya still expects me to complete her test, and other than my actions, the foxmoths themselves are of no concern to her.”

“We can make that work. Though perhaps we can retell this fact in a way that suits our goals more succinctly.” Youjin Liu said as he exchanged glances with Ziyou Maque. Yung did not know what they were thinking, but he’d have to trust them.

From within his dantian, Silky chirped. Yung hushed the critter.

They don’t need that—Disclosure? No, they don’t need to know that the foxball is in the cave either. Okay, five sprigs of grapes. No! What do you mean I will regret keeping it a secret someday? Why you little!

“Come to think of it,” Ziyou Maque said, “Why are them fiends gathering by this cave the foxmoths hid in? You mentioned a shadowy barrier?”

Yung did his best to keep his pulse steady. Om in, Om out. “The fiends have kept the place guarded for at least five years now. It must be a hell of a treasure.” I hope hiding this fact won’t cause anyone to die. That’ll really be it then. Oh shut it Silky!

“Perhaps it is a stray planar fragment. Newly formed or drifted.” Youjin Liu said.

“I agree,” Ziyou Maque nodded. “I’ve seen them around the forest since the space around there is so unstable. Some types only let cultivators or fiends under a set power level enter. Young Yung, you said it repelled the stronger fiends?”

“Yeah. I can’t say about the weaker ones. But Silky didn’t see any weaker fiends enter.”

“A higher order fiend would be highly territorial. If not the voidfiends, who are mindless murderers, then at least the chaosfiends, who usually act like normal beasts. If they can’t get what they want, no way they would let lesser beasts slip past them. I say it’s not an immediate concern if the fiends can’t enter the planar fragment. Just means more loot for us later.” Ziyou Maque grinned savagely.

What a liar, Yung read the gang leader’s empathic link. Ziyou Maque suspected something. But not foul play. Well, as long as Floofy can get the foxball first, their objections won’t matter. Yung crossed his finger. Silky’s comment about disclosure was bugging him still.

Youjin Liu clapped, signifying the end of the meeting. “Then we will proceed according to this plan. I will put a notice for mercenaries under the Youjin name and send the letter to my brother. The Baishui and Zheng clan patriarchs must also be made aware of Fairy Su’s, ahem, decree.”

Ziyou Maque and Yung talked some more, and Patriarch Liu agreed to send Elder Gangkai on Yung’s first excursion in the forest.

Yung remembered what Ziyou Maque had said, “Even if you bring an army of guards, that ain’t sure protection in the Warring twilight forest.”

Well, I have my army, Yung thought, the first part of his plan going without too many issues. I’ll worry about the rest later.

***

The market square was located at the centre of Dim Gold City. To the north were the upper towns, and south, the lower towns and the madlander slums.

The jade slip shop Yung and his grandfather before him worked in, was on the third northwest street, five to ten minutes of walking from the Dim gold hotel.

It was here that Yung had decided to spend his morning. There was something he wanted to try.

“Don’t break anything.” The Youjin clan old man who had taken over the shop after Yung’s grandfather died grumbled. He was discontent because Yung had come in like he owned the place. A written writ from the patriarch confirmed that he might as well have.

Yung waved the old croon away with a rude squint. He remembered clearly how much this man had ‘taken care’ of him before. But he was in no mood to settle petty grievances.

Yung went to his workbench. It was located in the back room of the shop, along with five other benches where apprentices laboured.

Yung took out a jade slip and read the contents.

“Dim gold sound transmission token creation manual.”

Sound transmission tokens were a variety of jade slips that could pass on the user's voice to another token of the same kind. But these tokens had a pitiful range on the Void connecting land bridge.

Yung had heard that an Imperfect Heaven 1st grade common class token like the ones he usually crafted could send a voice across hundreds of miles in the Gilded Radiance continent.

Even an Imperfect Heaven 2nd grade token on the land bridge could barely do that, and it needed to be of at least uncommon class craftsmanship. And then, that range was radically shortened again in the Warring twilight forest, an area rife with hidden worlds, planar fragments, chaos-springs, and voidrifts.

The Youjin clan’s “Dim gold” brand of tokens, created from silk taken from the Dim gold foxmoths, seem to last just a bit longer, with a range just a bit farther than their typical counterparts.

“Silky,” Yung poked the critter’s fuzzy belly. “Come on, do the thing.”