Vermilion Bird Tower is on the side of a mountain, perching over a dizzyingly high cliff. Looking down from that cliff, one can see a great lake, which is so deep that its water looks nearly black. In the shade, the lake is still, like a jade that has the colour of ink.
The Vermilion Bird was born from fire in the South. Full of light, it is the lord of all birds.
The tower has the reputation of being a divine relic, which gives off a holy aura. However, when approaching, one only sees a shabby building. Because the climate of the South is hot and humid, the surrounding walls are covered in rashes of mold. Like a handful of ash that remains after the glory has been lost, a bit of cinnabar still lingers on the roof of the tower. The tower stands in loneliness, at the end of the world.
Outside the Vermilion Bird Tower, the walls have half-collapsed. The red mud from the bricks and the green stones mix with each other everywhere. The weeds are higher than a normal house, but no one clears them up. Even without any wind, they sway on their own from time to time.
No smoke from cooking can be seen within a considerable distance.
Yan Zhengmingâs group received the news a bit too late. Itâs still three days from the fifteenth of the eighth month. They thought they could avoid the crowd, but when they arrive, the area around the Vermilion Bird Tower is already packed full of people.
However, none of these cultivators can get close to the tower, because there is a ring of energy around it. This energy is like a guardian beast circling around the tower, giving off an invisible but fierce and relentless flame. Whoever dares to set foot within its area, his face will be burnt off.
Like a swarm, the cultivators gather about three miles away from the Vermilion Bird Tower. They all hope that maybe theyâll be in luck and get to enter the tower, which may contain some kind of miracle that can help them to win fame and glory.
The cultivators that have some wealth all bring artifacts that create shelters for them. The poor ones have to use the ground as bed and the air as blanket. The atmosphere is like a market of mortals. Some of the clever locals bring food to sell to the cultivators who canât practice inedia yet. However, the local customs are simple, and the people here arenât as keen on business like those near the Eastern Sea, so the scope of commerce is limited.
Li Yun glances around and suggests, âMost senior brother, so many people are here already. I think itâs useless to be impatient. Letâs rest for a night here. Youâve just crossed the âforming the bladeâ threshold, so youâll need to reinforce it. I too have to try and find a way to turn our little sister back. As a bird, she tempts people more than as a human.â
Yan Zhengming agrees and takes out a stone the size of a pigeon egg. At first glance, it looks like a stone for exercise the hand, but inside it is a life-like building.
That stone gets larger and larger, becoming increasingly translucent. Finally, it turns into a small building with a garden that can house several people inside, separate from the outside. That small stone turns out to contain a small world inside it.
The building has everything from bonsai to the tiny replica of a mountain. The small rooms form a circle. In the middle is a swing with a unique design.
When one enters the building, one immediately escapes the hot weather around him, as the air inside is pleasantly cool. As soon as the artifact is activated, it immediately attracts countless amazed gazes from the surrounding.
âThe Stone Seed,â Li Yun takes a few steps inside. As he touches the cleverly made swing, he comments with a shake of his head. âMoney Hunting Young Master, all these years, you have been smuggling banned goods on the surface, but youâre in fact keeping the good stuffs to yourself.â
Yan Zhengming teases, âWho can we rely on to keep our family fed then? You? In that case, weâd starve before we could practice inedia.â
Then, he sweeps his gaze around the area outside the Stone Seed, as the âforming the bladeâ sword will is still on him. Under his gaze, which is as sharp as a knife, all of the prying eyes around them quickly turn the other way.
Back then, on the Azure Dragon Island in the Eastern Sea, he didnât know anything besides enjoying his luxuries, so he insisted on acting contrary to his Masterâs will and took the large boat, which caught the attention of countless people. Yet he felt proud of himself for being good at showing off, not knowing that he was attracting jealousy, or that it would lead to countless humiliations for himself.
In the present, even if he uses a boat made of gold and silver, who would dare cause trouble for him?
However, Yan Zhengming doesnât feel proud at all. He only feels a vague sorrow.
Peopleâs hearts are full of malice, such that wearing a jade is already considered a sin. With his current ability, he can show off without fear in the presence of this crowd, but he canât open the seal on Fuyao Mountain.
However, to get only this far, he already feels exhausted. Maybe he simply isnât good enough.
In this life, nothing hurts a person more than the idea of ânot good enoughâ. Yan Zhengming feels that he has been bearing that thought for so many years, that it nearly becomes a part of his body. Luckily, the Heavens grant him the ability to take life easier than most people. Otherwise, heâd already be crushed by that thought.
Can it be that his Master handed over the sect leader seal to him back then, because he liked that quality of his?
When that thought appears, with some self-mockery, Yan Zhengming takes it even easier.
âLetâs rest here first,â Turning his head to glance at Cheng Qian, Yan Zhengming says, âIs it cooler here?â
Cheng Qian is so surprised that he is momentarily speechless. His body was forged in the ice lake, so he doesnât like heat. However, his constitution is unique so he doesnât sweat. He himself doesnât say anything, so he thought no one would notice that. Unexpectedly, his most senior brother knows and remembers it.
Seeing his awkward face that doesnât know how to react, Yan Zhengming canât help a sigh. He says, âCome here and protect me. I have to reinforce my cultivation level.â
For a sword cultivator, reaching âforming the bladeâ isnât just an increase in cultivation level. Itâs more like entering a new world. Yan Zhengming carefully meditates on it, and only wakes up from his trance after a long while. As he opens his eyes, he sees that Cheng Qian is indeed loyally watching over him.
Even Li Yun and Puddle are present, but they are half asleep.
With a slight cough, Yan Zhengming asks, âWhat are you all occupying my place for?â
Li Yun is startled awake. The sleepiness still lingering on his face, he blurts out. âWhat does it feel like to reach the âforming the bladeâ mystic knowledge?â
He isnât the only one who is curious. They all are. If one isnât a true cultivator of the sword, one simply canât enter the realm of âforming the bladeâ. In the entire Fuyao Sect including Han Yuan, only their sect leader and most senior brother is guided to the Tao by the sword.
Even Cheng Qian sits up expectantly.
After thinking for a good while, Yan Zhengming carefully replies. âThe world is vast.â
These words are so cliche that they are effectively a non-answer. Only Cheng Qian, who has learnt a bit of Sea Tide Sword, seems to realise something from them.
Seeing his thoughtful expression, Yan Zhengming smiles ruefully to himself in his heart and swallows what he is about to say next: But Iâm imprisoned here.
The world outside is endless, but I alone am in a prison.
This is the sensation the realm of âforming the bladeâ gives him.
And the stage next to âforming the bladeâ is âsheathingâ.
Unlike the other paths, the sword cultivators very rarely have moments of enlightenment. For them, the stronger they are pressured, the more ferociously they fight back. In that fight, Yan Zhengming was suppressed by the soul of a true dragon. Then he was spurred by Cheng Qianâs unknowing words. Cornered by both sides, he managed to force out a sphere of sword energy at âforming the bladeâ level.
Sword cultivators can do whatever they like in the Nine Provinces, but they very rarely reach the supreme heights, because this path truly isnât easy at all.
At that moment, Cheng Qian senses something. He springs up and reaches the gate within seconds. As he opens the gate, there is an old man with bent back standing at the gate of the Stone Seed. His hand holding a lantern flickering in the wind, he stands there waiting in complete silence.
This old man doesnât look like a cultivator. Although a cultivatorâs physical conditions deteriorate when theyâre about to die, but they very rarely seem to be truly old. Yet the aura this old man gives off isnât that of a mortal.
The head of the old man reaches Cheng Qianâs chest. Seeing that the door is opened, he slowly looks at Cheng Qianâs face. His eyes are opaque like those of the blind personâs, yet his gaze are like a needle point full of rust.
He looks closely at Cheng Qian from head to toe, Then, his sagging mouth corner moving slightly, he quietly says, âYoung man, seven rounds of tribulations by lightning are over, but three disasters and nine misfortunes, are you done with them yet?â
The surrounding is dead silent. No one discusses how this old man suddenly goes to the groupâs place with an attitude like attending a funeral, because in the witness of the crowd, he emerges and crawls step by step from the Vermilion Bird Tower himself.
However, the old man no longer pays attention to him. As if having difficulty with walking, he slowly goes past Cheng Qian to Yan Zhengming, and says in a low voice, âSect Leader, please follow me. My lord left something for you.â
Before Yan Zhengming can reply, the old man already turns and walks outside, seemingly certain that he will follow.
Yan Zhengming hastily waves at Li Yun then chases after the old man. Taking the lesson about the âtempting peopleâ incident before, Puddle hesitates between Cheng Qian and Li Yun, then she decisively hides in Cheng Qianâs sleeve, leaving Li Yun behind to take care of the Stone Seed like an old maid.
In the admiring, resentful, or confused gazes of the crowd, the group follow the old man, who emerges from the Vermilion Bird Tower. No one dares to say anything. The Vermilion Tower opens every year, which has been going on for a hundred years. If there is really anything good inside, it surely has been taken. The powerful cultivators all care about their reputations, so they donât want to stoop so low as to salvage what is left behind. Those who want to try their luck here are all the riff-raff kind, so the group isnât bothered by anyone.
Following the steps of the old man, the fierce heat current around the Vermilion Bird Tower splits up and leaves a path to get in. Because ice and fire oppose each other, Shuang Ren makes a loud buzzing sound. Cheng Qian can bear it, but he feels very uncomfortable. At that moment, a very malicious gaze stabs at his back. He immediately turns his head and sweeps his gaze through the crowd in a distance. Then he sees the carriage of the spoiled brat whom they taught a lesson earlier.
âHeâs just a negligible brat who canât even concentrate his mind yet,â Thus thinking, Cheng Qian withdraws his gaze.
Nevertheless, whether because itâs too hot in the area around the Vermilion Bird Tower or something else, he is filled with anxiety, as if something is about to break loose from the primordial darkness.
The old man is slow, so it takes a while for them to reach the Vermilion Bird Tower. There are several rusted bells on the half-fallen door. As if sensing that someone is coming, they swing slightly and give off a heavy sound. The old man pushes open the door with some difficulty and says quietly. âGet inside.â
Yan Zhengming says, âSenior, we donât come here for the Vermilion Bird Tower. Itâs just that, my Master sealed our sectâs mountain and left behind a key, part of which is a password in the keeping of Senior Xu. We are here toâŚâ
Itâs pitch dark inside the Vermilion Bird Tower. Frowning, Yan Zhengming lifts the hem of his robe and leads the group inside. The current of heat swirls outside, but itâs cold and humid inside. The total contrast and the sudden change in temperature causes one to shudder.
Panting, the old man lights up the lanterns in the tower. The ground smells of mud. As there is no window, darkness surrounds them from all sides, creating a kind of oppressiveness.
Cheng Qianâs body was forged from a divine artifact. Although he may be ignorant about the treasures of the world, he is very sensitive to the sacred or infernal energy such artifacts contain. However, as he looks around, he realises that this place isnât a hoard of treasures like the legend says. On the contrary, itâs completely empty.
The old man leads them up a narrow staircase to the top of the tower. There is a lifelike statue delicately carved from stone here. The statue portrays a thin man, whose features can be seen very clearly. His eyebrows are delicate, giving his face a feminine touch.
The old man respectfully bows to the statue and says, âMy lord, your guests are here.â
As it turns out, this stone statue is none other than Xu Yingzhi, the lord of this place.
Remembering that he has a favour to ask of the people here, he hastily dons the most humble and polite expression. Acting like he were dealing with a real person, he stops at a short distance from the old man and performs the courtesy required of a junior. âApologies for disturbing you, Senior.â
The old man glances at him. Although the old manâs face is expressionless, he is probably pleased. He burns some incense for the stone statue, then takes out an ancient-looking wooden box from behind the altar and brings it to Yan Zhengming. He says, âI am the spirit of this Vermilion Bird Tower, whose life is maintained by the spiritual energy of my lord. My lord passed away a long time ago. The Vermilion Bird Tower is about to meet its end. Iâve been worried that I canât return this to your esteemed sect, but I can finally be at peace.â
Yan Zhengming opens the wooden box. Inside are three old coins.
Surprised, he looks at the spirit of the tower with some confusion.
The old towerâs spirit doesnât explain much. He just says with a wave of his hand. âItâs yours.â
Then he transforms into a faint gust of smoke and flies into the lantern over the head of the stone statue.
Yan Zhengming dares not touch the three ancient coins, because he doesnât know which mystery they may contain. As he is about to ask Li Yun, who claims to âknow everythingâ, the bells in the Vermilion Bird Tower suddenly ring. The lantern over the stone statueâs head flickers, as countless shadows rustle and crawl up from all directions. A chalk-white hand suddenly destroys the protective array on Vermilion Bird Tower, and reaches for Yan Zhengming.
Yan Zhengming thinks, Do you want to die?
Before the hand can come close to him, itâs already severed by the sword energy around him. The part from the wrist flies off, but not a drop of blood is spilled. Only a cloud of black energy appears. It falls down and transforms into countless pitch-black snakes, which stare hungrily at the group in the middle.
The one with the severed hand walks out from the darkness. It turns out to be the spoiled brat they encountered earlier. Strange black energy wraps around his body. On his face is a stiff and bizarre smile. As he opens his mouth, what comes out isnât human words but a hissing sound.
The lantern over the stone statue flickers and extinguishes. The towerâs spirit is nowhere to be seen.
Cheng Qian asks in a low voice, âWhat is this?â
Li Yun shakes his head with a heavy face. Itâs true that demonic beings can possess people, but this spoiled brat doesnât seem to be possessed. He looks more like he himself were a demonic cultivator.
However, theyâve just fought him during the day. That canât be the case.
Cheng Qian sweeps his gaze around him. He realises that the small black snakes appear more and more, but they donât come close to the others. It seems that Yan Zhengming is their only target.
He immediately draws Shuang Ren, his frosty will charges directly at the spoiled brat. At that moment, a hand suddenly grasps his shoulder from behind. Yan Zhengming drags him to one side and growls. âStep aside-â
Seeing the sign of the demon of the heart flashing on Yan Zhengmingâs forehead, Cheng Qian is suddenly scared. âWait, youâŚâ
Yan Zhengmingâs body transforms into a sword wind. As the spoiled brat is blown away by that sword wind, the smile on his face becomes even more malicious, and his all-black eyes become like a bottomless abyss. Seemingly without any effort, he jumps around the Vermilion Bird Tower on the tips of his toes, and opens his arms, as if wanting to embrace the extraordinarily sharp sword energy. Then, with a swooshing sound, he is slashed from head to toe into two parts by Yan Zhengming. The two halves of his body behave differently. One of them falls down, spasms, and then becomes dead. The other half turns into thick black fog. The black fog doesnât avoid Yan Zhengming, but charges directly at him.
The three coins in Yan Zhengmingâs hand jingle, making the black fog pause a little. At this moment, Cheng Qianâs attack has come. The thick white frost quickly forms an ice wall that keeps the black fog out.
The three coins suddenly escape the wooden box and fly into the sect leader seal on Yan Zhengmingâs chest. With a pounding sound in his head, Yan Zhengming feels that his primordial spirit is once again pulled out of his body into the sect leader seal by an irresistible force.
All of the chaotic images swirl by. With a click, the Vermilion Bird square in the âearthâ layer is opened. Darkness falls on Yan Zhengmingâs eyes. When he can see again, he finds himself in an unfamiliar place. The stone statue becomes a living person, who is sitting in silence with his head hanging behind a stone table. His hand is holding three coins.
Yan Zhengming terrifiedly looks at the reflection in the bowl of tea on the table, realising that he once again takes the viewpoint of his Lord Beiming disciple grandfather.
He cries a little inside, as he wonders what kind of link he has with their disciple grandfather who defied morals and rebelled against everything.
Tension hangs over the two sides of the stone table. There is a wooden plate with its face down on the table. The lord of Vermilion Bird Tower Xu Yingzhi turns the plate over. On the plate is the three characters âHan Muchunâ.
Yan Zhengming feels his heart tremble. Part of it comes from his own surprise to see his Masterâs name at this place. The other part comes from what is in the heart of Lord Beiming.
Then he hears what comes out of Xu Yingzhiâs mouth. âWill die young.â