Chapter 32: Bloody Spray

Xiulan thrust her spear through another serpentine creature. The spiritual beast—a two-headed water snake—thrashed before dissolving into mist. Its spirit stone clinked against the others in Ren Chun’s pouch.

“That’s the fourth one today.” Xiulan wiped sweat from her brow.

A rustle in the reeds drew her attention before Ren Chun could respond. A pack of marsh wolves emerged—their bodies translucent like living water.

Xiulan spun her spear in a defensive arc as three bounded toward her. Her spear tip pierced through the first wolf’s chest. It burst into droplets before reforming, only to meet Xiulan’s follow-up strike. The second and third wolves fell just as quickly to precise thrusts.

Ren Chun dispatched two more with casual sword swings. “These beasts grow weaker the deeper we go.”

A screech echoed across the water. A crane-like creature swooped down, its wingspan twice Xiulan’s height. Its beak sparked with spiritual lightning. Xiulan ducked under its attack and drove her spear upward, catching it mid-flight. The beast crashed into the swamp with a thunderous splash.

“Watch out!” Ren Chun’s warning came just as a scaled tail whipped toward her legs.

Xiulan leaped backward. Another crocodilian beast surfaced, its eyes glowing with malevolent qi. Unlike the others, this one possessed real danger. The creature’s jaws snapped shut where she’d stood moments before.

Ren Chun’s blade flashed. The beast roared as steel bit into its flank. Xiulan seized the opening, driving her spear through its skull. The creature thrashed once before dissolving.

Xiulan watched as Ren Chun collected the spirit stones. He had gathered at least fifty already. Her earlier choice to reject the stones that she contributed to after their deal started to chafe.

“There.” Xiulan pointed toward a raised section of land through the mist. “Solid ground ahead.”

They reached it quickly. She flexed her toes in her boots at the relief of releasing Water Stepping Foot. It wasn’t truly an issue, just a discomfort. At least as long as she wasn’t expected to sleep on top of the water, anyway…

Ren Chen continued forward, scanning the swamp’s murky horizon.

Xiulan’s eyes narrowed as she spotted a cluster of yellow growth near his path. “Stop,” she said, her voice firm.

Ren Chun took another step. “What?”

“Stop!” Xiulan shouted, urgency cutting through the air.

He began to turn toward her. “Freeze! Dammit, stop moving your fucking feet.”

Ren Chun froze, confusion etched across his face. He glanced down, then back at her. “Have you lost your senses from the qi density?”

The pressure from the qi in the swamp had been building, making it slightly more difficult to breathe. She had been releasing a small stream of energy to keep the pressure at bay.

But that wasn’t the problem.

She approached Ren Chun cautiously, kneeling beside him. Her pack thudded softly against the ground as she set it down.

Ren Chun smirked. “I know I’m amazing, and I know you’re grateful for my help, but this isn’t the time or place to kowtow to me!”

“Shut up.” She started digging through the muck. Her fingers brushed past the delicate yellow stalks mixed with swamp grass. The wet earth yielded to her probing hands, revealing a round tuber beneath the surface.

The potato-like growth pulsed with faint spiritual energy. Xiulan’s lips curved into a smile as she extracted it carefully from the swamp soil. Of course. The swamp biome always held Earth-Heart Roots. Any experienced player knew to gather these for reinforcement pills.

“What is that?” Ren Chun peered down at the muddy tuber in her hands.

“Earth-Heart Root.” Xiulan moved a few paces to the right and unearthed another one. More yellow stalks dotted the ground around Ren Chun’s feet, though several lay crushed from his earlier steps. The flattened plants had already lost their spiritual glow. “The ones you stepped on are ruined.”

“Wait.” Ren Chun’s eyes widened. “Are you an alchemist? Did I just stumble into a great relationship?” He grinned. “How much are these worth?”

Xiulan’s lips curled into a savage smile. “Oh? Is the price important to you? Each root will probably fetch five to ten spirit stones at market.” A playful giggle bubbled up from her throat. “Still think you’ll get the better end of our deal?”

Ren Chun shifted from foot to foot while Xiulan dug around him, her hands moving with practiced efficiency through the muck. The Earth-Heart Roots filled half her pack before Ren Chun broke his anxious silence.

“There won’t be any room for the Blood Lotus!”

“The lotus can go on top.” Xiulan patted the pack. “They’re light—won’t take much space.”

The harvested patch left her pack significantly heavier. Each Earth-Heart Root added substantial weight with its dense spiritual matter. She brushed mud from her hands and looked up at Ren Chun.

“To answer your earlier question—I know some cultivation recipes. If I’m feeling generous when we reach Blackmere, I might make you a reinforcement pill.” She tilted her head. “Do you need earth qi? These roots excel at developing early earth affinity.”

“It’s—it’s rude to ask about someone’s affinity!” Ren Chun puffed up his chest. “Such things should be learned through observation and competition!”

Xiulan stood and raised an eyebrow.

“Haah...” Ren Chun’s shoulders slumped. “Fairy Lin is so strange, so why not? I’m mostly water-aligned, but I aim to develop water-earth qi to follow my master’s Rising Stone River Sword Style. My water affinity is low but earth is non-existent, and adding to it would help immensely.” He glanced away from her. “The Four-Element pills at Treasure Pavilion cost too many spirit stones.”

A wide grin spread across Xiulan’s face.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Please don’t look at me like that.” Sweat beaded on Ren Chun’s forehead.

“Like what?” Xiulan hummed. “You’d better be nice to me~”

“I’m already nice to—”

A thunderous roar cut through the swamp. They spun toward the sound, weapons at ready.

A second roar erupted in the same direction as the first. The sound rippled across the water, sending ripples through the murky surface.

“Should we investigate?” Xiulan adjusted her grip on her spear.

Ren Chun bounced on his toes. “Something that loud must be worth challenging! Think of the spirit stones!”

Xiulan winced. The Blood Lotus remained their primary goal, but the opportunity for getting more things… “Fine. Let’s check it out.”

They crept through the mist-shrouded terrain toward the source of the commotion. The ground trembled and water splashed beneath their feet. Through gaps in the foliage, Xiulan spotted movement—a massive shape charging through the swamp.

A spirit boar crashed through the reeds, its tusks gleaming with spiritual energy. The beast stood taller than three men, its hide crackling with power. But what caught Xiulan’s attention made her blood freeze. She grabbed Ren Chun’s shoulder.

“What?” Ren Chun whispered.

“We’re staying out of this fight.” Xiulan pulled him back a step.

“Why? That boar would make an excellent—”

“Look what it’s fighting.” Xiulan pointed to the crimson form writhing in combat with the boar. “That’s a Blood Lotus.”

The plant-beast towered over the boar, its petals sharp as blades and stained with previous victories. Each movement released waves of blood-red qi into the air.

Ren Chun scanned the area and pointed to a withered tree. “We can observe from there.”

They retreated silently and leaped into the dead tree’s branches, settling into position to watch the battle unfold.

The giant spirit boar charged at the Blood Lotus, tusks gleaming with spiritual energy. The lotus retaliated, its crimson petals slicing through the air like blades. Each impact sent shockwaves through the swamp, churning the water into a frothy mess.

Xiulan watched intently from their perch in the dead tree. The boar landed a few solid hits, but the Blood Lotus wrapped its thorny vines around the beast’s legs. The boar struggled, roaring in defiance, but the vines tightened, drawing blood. With a final, desperate bellow, the boar collapsed, its life force drained by the relentless thorns.

The Blood Lotus dragged the boar’s carcass under the murky water. Ripples spread across the surface, then slowly subsided. Silence settled over the swamp once more.

Ren Chun shifted beside her, but Xiulan placed a silent hand on his arm. They waited as minutes ticked by. The water remained still until a new Blood Lotus floated to the surface. Its leaves glowed vividly crimson, a stark contrast against the dark water.

“That’s what we need,” Xiulan whispered. “Not the main plant—the new one.”

Ren Chun frowned. “So we have to attract many beasts? It will be hard to fill your pack. Why can’t we use the parent?”

“The parent is useless for Blood Lotus petals,” Xiulan explained. “Killing it might earn some spirit stones, but for value, it’s the small, ungrown flowers we need. I have a plan to get more.”

Ren Chun’s brow furrowed. “So you’ll just need me to protect you while you harvest?”

“Exactly,” Xiulan said. “You need to keep the parent at bay while I work. Then we can escape.”

Ren Chun looked skeptical. “And not slay it?”

“If we slay it, finding more Blood Lotus will be harder in the future,” Xiulan said.

Ren Chun shook his head. “That’s looking so far ahead. Why do you think like that?”

Xiulan smirked. “Because I’m smart.”

Ren Chun studied her for a moment. “I’ve never met a cultivator like you before.”

“Yes, that makes sense,” Xiulan said, rolling her eyes. “Because there’s only one of me.”

Xiulan leaped from the tree, landing gracefully on the water’s surface. The ripples spread out beneath her feet. Ren Chun followed, his sword drawn and eyes scanning.

Xiulan drew one of her daggers, its blade glinting in the dim light. She stopped two dozen paces away from the Blood Lotus, feeling the weight of the moment. She hadn’t been entirely sure how she’d handle this before learning Water Stepping Foot, but...

If she could channel qi through her foot to walk on water, what stopped her from using it to manipulate the wind too?

She visualized the flow of her qi, imagining it extending beyond her body. While she lacked formal training in wind techniques, her extensive knowledge from collecting scroll fragments in the game provided a solid foundation for what was actually possible.

She probably had a better understanding of the highest levels of various schools than their lower members.

If anyone discovered she knew about Skyward Institute’s Heaven Shattering Sword, Celestial Lotus’s Divine Judgement Array, Whispering Shadow Sect’s 28 Night Blossom Cloud, or any of the others, they’d likely torture her to find out how she knew the information.

Although, perhaps there were already rumors about those techniques...

Ren Chun cleared his throat. “Fairy Lin? You aren’t panicking, are you?”

Xiulan snapped back to the present. “Of course not,” she replied, her voice steady. “Just... strategizing.”

She raised her knife and pressed it against her left palm. The blade bit into her flesh, creating a deep gash. Blood welled up, pooling in her hand.

“What are you doing?” Ren Chun’s eyes widened in alarm.

Xiulan ignored him, focusing on the sensation of her qi flowing through her meridians. She pulsed the energy into the wound, then swung her hand outward and shoved on her qi with a vise-like pinch.

The blood splatter exploded into hundreds of qi-infused droplets, each one shimmering with power. They landed on the water in a rain, glowing softly before dozens of vines emerged from the depths to claim them.

The vines rapidly retreated, pulling the droplets beneath the surface.

Xiulan repeated the process. The droplets landed again, glowing brighter this time. More vines reached up, eager to absorb the energy.

Satisfied, Xiulan wrapped her hand with a bandage, tightening it to stem the bleeding. The second batch of blood sank into the water.

Ren Chun shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

“Just wait,” Xiulan replied, a hint of a smile playing on her lips.

A minute later, the water began to ripple. A carpet of Blood Lotus plants rose to the surface, hundreds—no, thousands—of them covering the swamp in a crimson blanket.

“I infused the blood with much more qi than that beast had,” Xiulan explained.

Ren Chun stared at the spectacle. “The Blood Lotus doesn’t seem like it’s going to attack?”

Xiulan laughed. “That will start as soon as I start collecting petals.” She turned to Ren Chun. “Are you ready?”

Ren Chun grinned and saluted her with his sword. “Not a single vine will pass me to reach you!”