Chapter 16: You Ask When I’ll Return, My Lord; I Can’t Give a Time
The sight of Xu Qing illuminated by the evening sun was a complete shock to Flamecrow. He was a veteran scavenger. But if he was some other person, even someone with a superior cultivation base, he would have been astonished into immobility by this turn of events. However, despite the surprise that shook him to the core, the deadly rage he felt caused his eye to burn with killing intent.
“Okay, you little wolf pup. I’m going to rip out your teeth one by one and keep them as trophies!”
With that, he tore off his damaged shirt, revealing his wizened torso. Not paying attention to the chunk that had been sliced off his ear, he performed a double-handed incantation gesture to summon a fireball far larger than any of the previous ones.
Xu Qing’s pupils constricted, then he burst into motion.
“Release!” howled Flamecrow, and he threw his hands out, causing the massive fireball to split into five parts.
Rumbling sounds echoed out as the fireballs spread out and then bore down on Xu Qing. However, Xu Qing simply went on the attack, going for the spirit power barrier with two fists.
The incoming fireballs burned him and shoved him back, but his momentum kept him going forward. And thus, he and Flamecrow started fighting fiercely in the jungle.
As the battle grew more and more intense, it became sadly obvious that Xu Qing was simply not on the same level as his opponent.
The spirit power barrier and the fireballs made it extremely difficult to get close enough to land blows. At the same time, they posed a dangerous threat.
Xu Qing’s advantages were his spectacular powers of regeneration, allowing him to rapidly heal his wounds without any negative effect on his battle prowess. His body was strong, and though the endless pain had an effect on his psyche, he had grown up in the slums, and had mental fortitude that surpassed ordinary people.
Most importantly… the strong mutagen in the surrounding spirit power didn’t have any effect on him. It was a different story for Flamecrow, though. The wound to his ear wasn’t worth worrying about. But his chest injury was getting worse. And then there was his spirit power….
His cultivation base was in the fifth level of Qi Condensation, but he couldn’t just burn through power endlessly. He had to absorb spirit power from around him to keep going.
And Xu Qing was putting a lot of pressure on him, making it impossible for him to have any time to rest. As a result, mutagen was building up within him.
Soon, Flamecrow went from being angry to being nervous. And then, anxiety became plainly visible on his face.
Things were going wrong within him with the mutagen building up, and at the same time, there was obviously something very strange going on in the person he was fighting.
Ordinarily speaking, a third level opponent like this couldn’t possibly take so many hits from fireballs. In fact, even a fifth level opponent would have been killed by now.
Not even Flamecrow himself could survive a situation like this. Though the young man in front of him was heavily wounded, from the very beginning of the fight, he hadn’t lost an ounce of speed or power.
Flamecrow was feeling increasingly unsettled. The mutagen within him continued to grow, and as he got closer and closer to the point of mutation, he started to get incredibly anxious.
Captain Bloodshadow was still fighting Sergeant Thunder, but at the same time, kept an eye on the other fight. At a certain point, he angrily shouted, “Flamecrow, you piece of trash, hurry up and beat him!”
He was inclined to help, but Sergeant Thunder was going all out to prevent him from doing so.
To Sergeant Thunder, it was obvious that Xu Qing was trying to force Flamecrow into mutation.
He wasn’t sure where Xu Qing got his confidence from, or how he managed to keep fighting considering the pain he was obviously in. But everyone had their secrets. Sergeant Thunder knew that well, for he was the same. Instead of wondering about the details, he did everything he could to prevent Captain Bloodshadow from helping his comrade.
The fighting continued.
The increasingly frustrated Flamecrow launched three more fireballs, all the while being peppered with curses from his captain. With every moment that passed, his apprehension grew, until it turned into pure madness within him.
All of a sudden, he smacked himself in the chest with his own palm, causing himself to cough up a massive mouthful of blood. Before the blood could drop to the ground, he reached out and grabbed it.
Then he started muttering an enchantment that turned the blood black.
Xu Qing’s pupils constricted, and he felt a sense of intense crisis building up within him. Lunging forward, he attempted to interrupt whatever magic his opponent was trying to unleash.
Unfortunately, Flamecrow launched the magical technique with incredible speed. Xu Qing had just started moving when Flamecrow looked up, his expression twisted and distorted with brutality as he waved his right hand out in front of him.
The black blood therein expanded rapidly into a head-sized blood sphere.
The sphere bubbled, surging with shocking power as it shot in Xu Qing’s direction.
“Time to die!” Flamecrow howled. He was visibly drained after launching the technique, and as mutagen surged within him, his legs trembled weakly.
Meanwhile, killing intent raged in Xu Qing’s eyes. Sergeant Thunder had guessed correctly that Xu Qing was trying to force Flamecrow into mutation. However, there was one thing that Sergeant Thunder didn’t realize: Xu Qing had never given up on the idea of trying to kill his opponent before that happened.
He no longer held his dagger or his iron skewer, yet he was still looking for an opportunity to strike a fatal blow. Upon seeing Flamecrow sag limply, he knew his opportunity had arrived.
The instant the blood sphere appeared, Xu Qing pushed himself forward with even greater speed.
However, he didn’t move in a straight line toward his opponent. He shifted slightly to the side, allowing him to pass Savage Ghost’s corpse.
The corpse was charred and burned thanks to the fireball attacks. However it was still there, and next to it was… Savage Ghost’s equipment!
His wolf tooth club, and the two pieces of his steel shield.
Xu Qing was specifically aiming for the larger piece of his shield. As he sped by, he reached down and picked it up. Using it to cover his skinny frame, he raced onward toward the black blood sphere and Flamecrow.
A huge boom rang out when the blood sphere hit Xu Qing, or more specifically, the shield. Countless drops of blood exploded out.
In the blink of an eye, the shield shattered into five pieces. Nevertheless, it still absorbed the majority of the force in the attack.
Xu Qing was hit by some of the black blood, but not enough to be fatal. Gritting his teeth, he kept moving, becoming a streak of afterimages that closed in relentlessly on Flamecrow.
A mocking gleam appeared in Flamecrow’s eyes, and he didn’t even bother to evade the incoming attack. His hands flashed in a double-handed incantation gesture, causing the countless drops of black blood behind Xu Qing to rise into the air, then turn into arrow-like streaks that shot toward him.
Xu Qing’s escape route had been cut off, but… he was never planning to retreat in the first place.
All that did was ensure that Xu Qing didn’t even have the option of retreating.
Closing in, he clenched his left hand into a fist. And yet, it was his right hand that actually delivered a punch.
RUMBLE!
Cracks exploded out onto the surface of the spirit power barrier protecting Flamecrow. Blood sprayed left and right from Xu Qing’s right fist. However, it was also possible to see something scaly in the mangled flesh in his hand.
Before Flamecrow could see exactly what was happening, Xu Qing unleashed a second fist strike.
The barrier shattered, lashing Xu Qing with a backlash, forcing him away and making it impossible for him to advance. The mockery in Flamecrow’s eyes grew stronger.
However!
Seemingly out of nowhere, Xu Qing managed to unleash a scrap of additional power. Unlike before, he didn’t actually back up because of the backlash from the shattered barrier. Forcing himself to move again, he reached out with his right hand and viciously grabbed Flamecrow in the chest, exactly where the iron skewer had stabbed him earlier.
Apparently, Xu Qing’s last scrap of energy only allowed him to do this one thing; instead of landing a fatal blow, all he managed to do was open up Flamecrow’s wound a bit more, then fall back.
Flamecrow’s face flickered in surprise, and he shoved himself away from Xu Qing.
However, when he realized that this move of Xu Qing’s wasn’t a big threat to him, he laughed cruelly and focused on his black blood attack.
Except, only a moment later, his face fell, and he looked down at his chest.
Within the flesh and blood of his wound, there was… a crushed fang and some scales.
Even as he looked down, the flesh around his wound started to rot and decay, and poisoned blood started pouring out of the wound. Then, the rotting effect began to spread. Unbearable pain surged through him, forcing Flamecrow to unleash a bloodcurdling scream. Immense terror filled his eyes.
Continuing to fall back, he looked at Xu Qing crouched some distance away, and noticed him toss aside a mass of shredded flesh and fangs. If you took that mass and put the pieces back together, it would look like the severed head of a snake. It was the very same viper Xu Qing had used to dispose of corpses in the past.
As for his left hand, it trembled slightly as he opened it up to reveal a crushed piece of amber. As the chunks of amber fell to the ground, they revealed the tail of a ghostface scorpion, pierced directly into Xu Qing’s palm!
One hand contained a deadly venom used for attack, and the other gave him that slight burst of power he needed to break through the spirit power barrier!
“You…” Flamecrow growled. Then he howled in grief. He could barely talk, let alone think about escaping this battlefield alive. The terror in his eyes grew more intense as he tried to wipe the poisoned blood off of himself. However, it just kept pouring out of the wound, causing his life force to slowly fade.
Xu Qing took a deep breath as he knelt there. His battle with Fatmountain had proved to him how formidable the violet crystal’s regenerative powers were. It also helped to prove definitively that the crystal could neutralize poisons.
That fact was driven home when looking at his hand, which had been infected by the snake venom, yet wasn’t rotting.
This was the fatal attack he’d prepared. Standing up, he started moving toward Flamecrow.
As Flamecrow watched Xu Qing approach, the terror in his eyes turned into despair. He struggled to move away, and even managed to desperately scream, “Captain! Help!”
Looking over, Captain Bloodshadow’s eyes went wide. He wanted to save his subordinate, but Sergeant Thunder was making it impossible for him to do so. He could only watch as Xu Qing closed in on Flamecrow with increasing speed.
At this point, Flamecrow’s mental state collapsed, and at the same time, the mutagen within him surged out of control.
Even before Xu Qing could reach him, he went stiff. Mutagen spread through him, and then a pop rang out as… he exploded into a mist of blood. When experiencing mutation, some people turned into greenish-black corpses, and others exploded.
Xu Qing stopped in place and gazed at the spot where the blood fog was now dissipating into the air. Then he turned with cold eyes to look at Sergeant Thunder and Captain Bloodshadow fighting.
The evening sun was setting, but the dome of heaven looked different from before. Instead of welcoming the darkness of night, the entire sky seemed a strange red color.
As that red color covered Xu Qing, it combined with the wounds that crisscrossed his body, and his cold eyes, to create an indescribably intimidating image.
It was something so intimidating that Captain Bloodshadow, whose cultivation base far surpassed Xu Qing, trembled in fear. The miserable death experienced by Flamecrow had been a huge blow to him.
The sustained combat with Sergeant Thunder, and the sight of Xu Qing fighting with such vicious tactics, caused Captain Bloodshadow’s mind to crack. Seeing Xu Qing approaching, he threw a punch at Sergeant Thunder and then started backing away.
He was done fighting.
Sergeant Thunder was inclined to pursue him, but then he looked up at the bizarre redness in the sky, and his expression flickered. Seemingly affected on an emotional level, he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. Then, as greenish-black coloring spread out across his skin, he started swaying back and forth as if about to topple over.
Xu Qing hurried over and offered him a steadying arm.
Sergeant Thunder gasped for breath as Xu Qing helped him over to a nearby tree and sat him down. Then Xu Qing turned and looked at the fleeing Captain Bloodshadow.
Sergeant Thunder grabbed his sleeve. “Don’t go after him alone. He won’t accomplish anything now that Squad Bloodshadow is wiped out.” The old man looked up into the sky. “And this red sky. I feel like I’ve seen this before….”
“That man is a potential calamity,” Xu Qing said.
He didn’t like the idea of leaving loose ends around. What was more, he felt like he had an advantage in the forbidden region. If he could drag Flamecrow into death, maybe he could do the same with Captain Bloodshadow. However, Sergeant Thunder’s words struck him, and he found himself looking up into the sky.
Right then….
The faint, indistinct sound of singing drifted through the jungle.
All of the howling mutant beasts out in the trees went completely silent.
The Singing grew clearer.
It was like a woman, bitterly complaining about her husband’s departure. As the song echoed, a thin red fog appeared in the area where Captain Bloodshadow sped away. The fog spread, covering everything in the area.
Xu Qing shivered. And Sergeant Thunder, leaned up against the tree, also trembled. Both were looking in the direction the Singing came from.
The former seemed incomparably vigilant, while the latter… seemed dazed or even confused.
As the song entered Xu Qing’s ears, he felt an indescribable coldness filling him, almost like the coldness he felt in the blood rain back in the city ruins.
Despite being in the third level of body refinement, he felt like he might not be able to take the cold. His teeth started chattering, and he felt like he couldn’t move. His mind reeled as he suddenly thought back to the three dangers that Crucifix had mentioned back when they first entered the forbidden region.
Off in the distance, Captain Bloodshadow suddenly stopped in place and started shaking.
It was almost like some unseen figure had approached, and was draining him of the power to run.
As Xu Qing watched, streams of white energy seeped out of Captain Bloodshadow’s eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, and flowed into the surrounding blood fog.
Then Captain Bloodshadow’s body disintegrated, transforming into a desiccated corpse. Then the corpse collapsed into dust, leaving absolutely nothing behind.
The floating fog then rolled across the ground toward Xu Qing and Sergeant Thunder.
As it neared, Xu Qing trembled. And that was when he noticed that, in the spot where Captain Bloodshadow had died, there was… a tattered pair of red women’s boots.
What…? Xu Qing’s breath came in ragged pants, and his eyes were wide as he watched those boots start walking slowly toward him. Above the boots… was nothing but the bitter song, getting closer and closer.
It was as if an invisible woman wearing red boots was there, singing and walking.
What was more, it seemed like she was walking specifically toward Xu Qing.
The bizarre scene caused his pupils to constrict, and he felt the urge to flee, except he couldn’t move. He was so cold he was frozen in place, his teeth chattering loudly. He could only watch as the boots neared, step by step, until they were less than two meters away. The threat of death filled Xu Qing’s heart and mind. But he was stuck in place as countless blood-red strands of fog swirled toward him.
The pair of red boots took another step in his direction. But then… a hoarse, quavering voice spoke. It was Sergeant Thunder.
“Taohong… is that you…?” he asked, sounding uncertain.
The moment he spoke, the strange song stopped.
The boot, which had been about to step down, shifted direction. It made it seem like the woman had turned and was facing Sergeant Thunder.
Sergeant Thunder shivered visibly and was having a hard time breathing steadily. He was exhausted, and seemed to barely have the energy to stay conscious, yet his eyes shone with unprecedented brightness as he looked at the empty spot above the boots. It was as if his eyes were able to perceive a woman standing there, a woman who was incomparably important to him.
They looked at each other, separated by the void, by the world, as distantly as yin from yang.
Sergeant Thunder, strong and resilient, couldn’t stop the tears from welling up in his eyes and flowing down his cheeks.
“You’re… you’re back…?” he said, reaching out with a trembling hand. The red boots slowly took a few more steps until they were right in front of him.
The invisible woman seemed to be kneeling in front of Sergeant Thunder, tenderly taking his trembling hand and putting it onto her face.
Except that Sergeant Thunder’s hand wasn’t touching anything.
His hand dropped. And his tears… flowed harder. He muttered something, indecipherable, yet filled with sorrow.
A long moment passed, and the woman sighed. The red boots turned around and walked away, circling around Xu Qing, and then disappeared along with the red fog.
“You ask when I’ll return, my lord; I can’t give a time.
“Hidden in the fog are scattered emotions; the song fades like smoke.” [1]
The song continued, bitter and sorrowful, ever fading into the distance. The fog flowed past Xu Qing and Sergeant Thunder. Eventually, the Singing became too faint to hear and… the fog vanished.
Finally, Xu Qing felt he could move again. Eyes filled with shock, he turned to look at Sergeant Thunder sitting there against the tree. The old man was looking off into the distance, tears still flowing down his face.
Xu Qing didn’t say anything. He didn’t ask any questions.
Now wasn’t the time.
After a long while, Sergeant Thunder spoke in a soft voice. “I bet you’re wondering what that was about.”
Xu Qing nodded silently.
“Like Crucifix said, I’m one of the few people who has heard the Singing.” He continued to gaze off into the distance. “You know, most people who hear it end up dying. Those who survive are rare indeed.
“Any who live to tell the tale receive a little ‘gift’ from the forbidden region. And that is… the second time they hear the Singing, they’ll see the person they most want to see. I used to think it was just a story. And yet, it’s because of that story that I’ve stayed in the basecamp for decades, my hair turning white…. Today, I saw it.”
As the words left his mouth, Sergeant Thunder seemed to grow much older. The wrinkles on his face deepened, and weakness spread through him.
“Is there someone you’re separated from as distantly as yin from yang?” Sergeant Thunder muttered bitterly. “If so… don’t be like me. Don’t wait around this place. I saw the one I wanted to see, but now I feel empty….”
He closed his eyes, yet the tears continued to flow through the wrinkles on his face and fall onto his clothing.
Xu Qing looked back to the spot where the Singing had vanished, and felt himself being lost in memories.
There were people he wanted to see.
People he wanted to see very, very much.
1. The first line is from a poem called ‘Sent North on a Rainy Night’ by late Tang Dynasty poet Li Shangyin. The second line is written by Er Gen ☜
Deathblade's Thoughts
This unusually long. In the future I'll probably split chapters like this, but for now I'm not going to worry about it.
Thanks so much to aichaeon, Jobbie6488, and Unpale for the reviews. Er Gen and I appreciate it a lot! 🙏