The world outside continued to move. Since the Youjin clan decided it was a perfect time to implement Yung’s terms, they held no hands back.
In a few days, the most remarkable transformation had taken place in the slum. What was once composed of poverty and despair was now illuminated by the smiles of its inhabitants. In their eyes, Yung could see doubt and uncertainty, but there was more than just that. In some places, colourful walls gradually replaced the dilapidated shacks that once littered the area. In others, the faint laughter from children playing echoed through dark alleys that were once deathly silent.
“Break the stream, lads! Don’t let the water spill over.” A man said, overseeing a group of madlander youths, both men and women. He was a mason by the markings on his traditional garb.
The madlanders were building a dam at a portion of the Dirt Stream, the polluted waterway that carried waste from the fiend butchery to the Red Hole, passing through the Madlander Slums.
It would filter out most of the garbage before it could wash downstream. At a distance, more madlanders were digging another canal.
“Wait up, brats!” A roar resounded.
A group of children ran out of a newly constructed stable at the entrance of the slums, raising neighs from tamed chaosfiends and with straws stuck in their knotted hair.
"Dun wanna! Why do we gots to do this study thing?" Replied a rebel boy, and the group scattered before the scholarly-looking madlander with the slick goatee could catch them.
“They’ll come around by noon for the free food.” A woman said, nudging the first man, who sighed. They locked up the stable and went another way.
Yung kept walking, the dirty cobblestone path under his feet gradually turning to proper roads. It was an illusion. The stones hadn't been replaced or repaired. Just scrubbed and washed, and that made a world's difference. Yung took in all the changes with a light, fluttering heart.
This is awesome! Right, Silky?
“Kii~.”
He passed by the southern gate and entered the city's southeast quadrant.
The Baishui clan's territory, the white town.
Or, it was.
Madlanders ran to and fro, bringing cartloads of materials pulled by strange goat-looking chaosfiends. They neighed the same way as the fiends in that stable, and their convoy departed en masse from the slums with playing children at the ready, towards the clean white town to claim their new home.
The native ren were nervous, and Yung could feel the undercurrent of fear. But Free Sparrow’s orders were strict. No fights broke out.
The city was yet heavy from the sudden cancellation of the sect recruitments. But for the madlanders, it was a happy day. For the eastern uptowners, it was a day they could dare to dream of a secure future.
And for the White town natives, it was a day when foreigners came in to take what was theirs.
The Youjin clan also sent guards to oversee the shift. Tens of thousands of madlanders would be moving in. So some chaos was unavoidable. But they did their best to minimize the harm.
Clothes were given out. Libraries were made public. The imminent return of the foxmoths was preached on every street corner, infusing the White town native population with a renewed sense of possibility, and diffusing their fear of the changing future as much as possible.
Above it all were paintings of the Fortune fox totem, plastered as the idol behind all the change.
Silky, you silly goober. Why’d ye not tell me it would feel this bad. Ugh!
Yung felt bloated. His Heart qi came surging forth from all the worship faster than he could convert it to True qi.
For the first time since he could remember, he felt like a rich man. And it felt horrible.
After returning Youjin Chao’s mirror fortress, he walked around the city to see if any shop sold Heart qi storing jades, which could keep a cultivator’s Heart qi for later use like a battery. So that he could use them to relieve the burden of bloating Heart qi, but none did. Only the Zheng clan had a supply, and they refused to open their gates to a barbarian.
“Stupid stuck-up nerds!”
“Kii!!!”
“You bet they have cooties.”
And Yung didn’t suddenly find a new Heart qi artefact either. So he rolled around, constantly feeling like his bladder was about to burst. That’s when the auction house called for him with new wares.
***
“We have been expecting you, Master Yung,” the Dim gold auction house manager said. He was the same old elder with that impeccable smile on his face. If he had sat on a swivel chair and had a cat on his lap, he would look quite well suited for a Chinese triad Bond villain.
Yung sat down, dizzy. It’d been a few days. He spent them talking philosophy with Nanya about life and love and sex. Only when she let him hold her hand did the Heart qi pressure relieve itself. But the vixen was stingy with skinship. And she refused to give him anything for free without him returning the favour. Which, of course, boiled down to expressing his undying, true love.
At least she isn’t trying to solve all my problems for me. Yung could appreciate the honest refusal.
Yung had thought to consult the foxfire creek heart sutra. He learnt that ‘burning Heart qi’ willy-nilly wasn’t a good thing.
Yung had tried nevertheless, then scrunched up at the extreme ball-kicked pain.
He had positively hollered at the news from the auction house. Apparently, they had heard of his plight. He'd sprinted over as fast as he could, squeezing his dantian and his legs, raising weird glances from women and children alike. If this were any other context, Yung would worry about his privacy. But talking context to a man with a bulging dam looking for a toilet was the best way to get punched.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Without touching the tea, Yung asked the crucial question, “Let me see the artefacts.”
“Why yes, most certainly.” The auction house elder called for a servant. An auction employee in elegant Youjin qipao pushed in a cart covered by a veil. The elder continued with a grimace, “We could only find four artefacts. And the one you seek might be problematic. You must understand, Master Yung, that we had to commit far more staffing to this at your urging.”
“Got it, and I’m sorry for that.” Yung wiped the sweat from his forehead. Om in, Om out. It was like holding in a sneeze, but worse. “Because of that Dusk valley lion king, two of the previous artefacts were ruined.”
The sword was never found, probably flung away to some crack between rocks in the forest. The defensive bangle had shattered after protecting Yung’s life from the Dusk valley lion king’s enraged outburst.
Or was it Floofy… Su Nanya’s doing? I don’t think a normal Imperfect Heaven 1st grade artefact of the common class would’ve been able to shield me.
“Indeed, a means to protect oneself is necessary.” The elder said, lifting the veil. The employee bowed, then stood by the door dutifully.
Another sword.
Yung hated swords.
And a short spear.
Correction: Yung hated anything that would force him to do close combat. He would do things the modern, American way from now on. With long distance ordinance.
At least it had a longer range than swords. But not by much, this one. It was pretty though. The short spear was a lightweight weapon with a glossy black wooden shaft adorned by intricate patterns of black and gold. Its slender silver surface exuded elegance, leading to a lethal, curved blade at the tip that gleamed with a silver sheen. The handle ensured a secure grip, featuring a solid metal guard for protection against slashing strikes. Its blunt butt enhanced versatility, allowing for effective parrying and disrupting the enemy's balance.
“Uncommon class, this one.” The elder said, “Heart qi and spears are a rare combination.”
Yung absentmindedly nodded, but his eyes lit up at the third artefact. A bangle identical to the one he had.
He picked it up immediately, then bound it with a bit of True qi. His Heart qi flowed into the artefact, and Yung felt some pressure relieved immediately.
“Ahhhh," He couldn't help but moan out. It was the same feeling as finally achieving release after finding that one hidden underground toilet, releasing the waterfalls, and watching the steam rise up in utter bliss.
“We are pleased that Master Yung likes it.” The elder commented with a smile. But that smile soon turned upside down.
“The fourth artefact, I fear, might not suit your tastes. Though it is the one you seek for your… condition, shall we say.”
Yung gestured for the man to go on.
“You see, Master Yung, we acquired this from a mercenary. A stigmata building cultivator who responded to Youjin clan’s call.”
Despite all the boss mobs gathering there, the Youjin clan still planned on going after the foxmoths. Yung was quite happy with the turn of events. Recovering the foxmoths was a must, and he had been worried that the clan would turn tail after scouting out the situation.
But I do need to mass produce the newer version of the sound transmission tokens… A small price, but damn tedious… Wait, I can Fiverr it!
“This object, is a mystical artefact of the highest wrongness.”
Yung sat straight in his seat, “A mystical artefact? You sure?”
Wrongness?
The elder nodded, “According to the mercenary, this item is one he acquired after slaying a devil cultivator.”
Yung perked up, “A devil?”
“Precisely so.” The elder said, “In a small village far to the east in a neighbouring kingdom, this devil made his cult.”
“So the villagers were in on it?”
“It is more complicated than that,” The elder wiped his forehead with a napkin, visibly distressed. “Cursed they were, but even so, they were truly the most heinous people I had heard of. They revelled in shame and sin. For them, no man was innocent; no woman was pure. They filled their filthy dens with depravity. All to feed this mystical artefact's never-ending unwholesomeness, may the heavens smite them all. But the good news is, after the master devil cultivator was slain with an epoch-changing battle, the villagers were released from the curse. Although I fear their community is ruined.”
“… so, if I could see this artefact.”
“Patience, Master Yung, for I must warn you. This artefact may be just Imperfect Heaven 1st grade, but by the powers that be, it had tainted good people far stronger. All mystical artefacts are of the epic class, and none are to be underestimated.” The Elder took out a sealed box from the second row of the cart. He put it on the table and took out a key. After wiping it until shiny, he inserted the key into the keyhole.
With a clack and a click, two ledges opened. The elder grabbed them both and channelled his qi. The raw aura hummed like the low sound of a resting engine.
How elaborate.
The box opened to reveal the cursed devil artefact with all its glory.
It was a pink ring with a heart-shaped ruby.
Yung looked, then looked again. It was hazy, and there was something strange about it.
“Kii?”
“The pink heart ring,” The elder shuddered, eyeing Silky with a doom-filled visage. He picked the artefact up with an inscribed clothe and passed it to Yung.
"I mean, it's fine, I guess?" Yung commented, turning it over. "Pink is a bit tacky, but to each their own." But even as his words tapered off, the ring in his eyes changed, and his heart rate quickened.
In his vision, the ring gleamed with a rosy hue that lasted throughout the night, evoking the image of blushing cheeks. A delicate scent, reminiscent of sweet candy, emanated from it, though it gradually faded the more Yung concentrated on it. Within the depths of the inlaid ruby lay a mysterious oil pool of blood-pink fire, its warmth exuding a strange soothing hymn. Like a lullaby, yet sung by a mother who had sinned. Yung felt it in his gut; the concealed darkness in the ruby led to treacherous paths, akin to a murky river flowing with unmentionable dirt.
“I kid you not, Master Yung, for this vile apparatus can send men, women, children, cows, birds, and even fiends into a spiral of unimaginable pain—”
“Oh, that sounds cool!”
“—and carnal pleasure.”
“Gods dammit.”
“It is a qi leech too. Constantly drawing upon the owner’s Heart qi, so its unending lust is satiated—”
“Oh so that’s why you said this can fix my condition.”
“—if it is not, it will send leg-numbing, bladder-spilling sensations back to its owner.”
“…”
The elder took out more napkins to wipe his sweat and passed one to Yung, who graciously accepted. “It observes and records all sensual pain and pleasure in the surrounding. Stab wounds, burns, childbirths, coital bliss, and even, I dare say, especially, animals mating during the season. Even insects, even the fiends. Although it takes some moments to prime, discharge the blasphemous art inscribed in it at your foes, and they will feel the full brunt of all that is rotten and foul. Most defensive artefacts of similar quality cannot block it, as the pink beam-shaped art is disguised as a healing wave that nourishes both the body and soul. In Master Yung’s case, for you cultivate Faith qi, this blasphemous art will turn into a numinous one. But by our extensive testing, the vile effects seem to get sneakier. The worst part is, if your foe can withstand the attack, they become stronger!”
“And… it sends all this back to the owner if I cut off its qi supply?”
“A vile tool indeed, Master Yung. Though the artefact spirit has not been formed, there is potential yet, for it is a mystical artefact. Once in his life, the mercenary had plans to use it to his ends, but alas….”
“What happened?”
“He had run out of Heart qi amidst an intense debate with a monk from a rival religious sect in the eastern part of the the Warring twilight region. The unfortunate man had discharged his filth with excretion and vomit, climaxed, and then bled out from his lower body orifices whilst moaning and groaning. All in front of a symposium of ten thousand reverents.”
“Christ almighty.”
“His master spat blood and had qi deviation. The cultivator was exiled from his sect, and now he lives as a hired hand thousands of li away from home. According to him, his chronic haemorrhoids had been healed after that incident, so had his knee pain and seasonal cold. But the price was too much to bear. For his social life. I would assume that he rushed here because of our auction house’s call to buy Heart qi artefacts and not Youjin clan’s call to arms.”
“And you guys bought it?” Yung was amazed.
“If anything, it has collection value, with a deep, disturbing history. Many a nobleman love this sort of trinket, given enough time. Besides, it merely costs five ironcast spirit stones. For a mystical artefact, it’s a bargain.”
Yung went silent. He rocked his feet and thought hard on the matter.
“It can use all types of Heart qi and not just Fear qi? You said its innate blasphemous art can be cast as a numinous art too.”
“That is correct.”
“I—I'll take it!" Yung said with gritted teeth. Come hell or high water, he needed to dispel the bloated feeling from his dantian, or honest to Moira, he'd pop.