In the cultivation world, there was no such thing as an object claiming an owner by a single drop of blood.
Specifically, it would be wise to abandon the idea of becoming the owner of some powerful magic treasure just by sacrificing one drop of blood. Something like accidentally cutting your finger, dripping blood on a jade waist ornament[1] and suddenly gaining some sort of amazing power – no one would believe it even if the story-tellers were to put it into their stories!
No, the Stone-borne Flame had to be bathed in blood.
But Stone-borne Flames only resided in fist-sized stones. Ordinarily, would anyone just drench a roadside stone with large amounts of blood? Besides, it was also dependent on whether the Stone-borne Flame wished to acknowledge this master.
Fourteen years ago, by the pond in the Chen residence.
That child, who had been catching katydids, was pushed into the water. Whoever had come up with this scheme must have given orders to their trusted servant – pretend to save the child, and under this cover, they would pick up a stone, smashing it into the back of the struggling child’s head. That stone must have been thrown into the pond after the deed had been done.
It was expected that the Stone-borne Flame would be so restless, since it had been placed in an environment full of water, after all.
Only—it made Shi Feng boil with rage whenever he thought about this, and his emotions would all be up in the air.
Back then, he had taken little Chen He with him in the hopes that his junior brother would no longer have any karmic implications with the Chen household. Unfortunately, it seemed that they were still related to this day.
He did not cause any trouble for the one who had ordered this attack on him, but he had still gotten dragged into such a great disturbance…No matter how cultured and restrained a person was, they would be furious to know that the little lump they had painstakingly raised had suffered so much.
“Now Yunzhou City is bursting with cultivators who hunger for the Stone-borne Flame, and it won’t be long before the mortals in positions of power join the fray,” Elder Long-Brows fretted. “The Stone-borne Flame is ruthless and tyrannical by nature. Chen He is still young, and his cultivation level is not very high. Once he assimilates the flames into his dantian, I fear his character may change, and he may fall to the path of demonic cultivation.”
Shi Feng frowned, remaining silent.
Turning his head to look at Chen He, who was still seated there as he performed his cultivation, he felt that it was not a big deal even if Chen He was influenced by the ruthless nature of the Stone-borne Flame and became a demonic cultivator. If the jade orb fell off his wrist, or the jade orb was burned to nothing by the True Samadhi Fires, Chen He would no longer remember his eleven years in Black Depths Valley, and he would lose his junior brother forever.
“But it would also be a great hazard if the Stone-borne Flame were to be left alone,” the Valley Master said heavily. “Thousands of years, a Stone-borne Flame appeared in the world, and it had also acknowledged a master. No one had any idea, and they simply fought for it. No one had expected either, that the Stone-borne Flame, born in Nature, had long since developed a spiritual sense. The moment it was touched by the cultivator’s hands, it broke free from the stone with its spiritual force—that poor cultivator was incinerated on the spot, leaving behind nothing but a pile of ashes.”
The True Samadhi Fires could only be extinguished by the True Waters of the Four Seas. Back then, the fire spread far and wide, with nothing able to stop it, and ended up burning all six hundred li of the Jacquard Mountains[2] to the ground, killing many living things in the process.
“Yunzhou City is one of the more prosperous provincial capitals of the southwest, and the province minister of the nineteen counties of Yunzhou has their office set up there. If the Stone-borne Flame is carelessly awakened, and one of the thirty-six major provinces of the land disappears without warning, it would result in an immense karmic debt that we would not be able to repay even if we were to be reincarnated seven times over!”
The cultivators of Black Depths Valley despaired, wringing their wrists and stamping their feet.
Shi Feng’s expression was cold and solemn. Things had not yet reached the point of no return. Taking hold of Elder Long-Brows, he gestured towards Chen He.
“Other than the members of my sect, no one else knows that the owner of the Stone-borne Flame is in Black Depths Valley,” Elder Long-Brows replied, immediately recognising what he wanted to ask. “Only, those of the wayward paths have their own twisted ways, and we do not know how long this secret may be kept.”
“At least they could tell that the owner of the Stone-borne Flame is not in the Chen household,” the Valley Master mused, stroking his beard. “This has saved the Chen family from danger.”
Otherwise – since they did not know who the owner of the Stone-borne Flame was, and did not dare to touch the Stone-borne Flame so carelessly – they would have massacred all of the Chen family in the middle of the night.
“But if Chen He was in the Chen residence, the Stone-borne Flame would be able to sense its owner, and would not be so restless that it drew the attention of us cultivators.” The Valley Master muttered to himself, then shook his head, “That would have only stalled for a while, too. So long as a cultivator stepped within the range of the Chen family’s backyard, the Stone-borne Flame would still be discovered. The only difference would be that it wouldn’t be discovered this year.”
After he had spoken, everyone breathed a sigh of relief in Shi Feng’s stead.
—the heavens were harsh. If Yunzhou City would become engulfed in flames because Shi Feng had not returned Chen He to the Chen family back then, it would cause him more than enough suffering, whether he was to pass tribulations or go to the underworld.
Shi Feng’s features were cold as he lowered his gaze to the prayer beads on his wrist.
“Ah, Shi Feng, my boy, what are we to do…” Before Elder Long-Brows could finish speaking, he suddenly saw Shi Feng press his fingers together, using his spiritual energy to write silvery words in the air.
Everyone was shell-shocked. It was the Valley Master who spoke first again:
“What, you’re bringing Chen He out of the valley? This—Black Depths Valley is notorious…ahem…” He coughed awkwardly. “I mean, Black Depths Valley has a barrier that is not easy to pass through, and we are here to protect your junior brother. Who would dare to run amok in Black Depths Valley?”
Shi Feng was not swayed by it.
If it was about protecting his junior brother, he alone would be enough. The most pressing matter would be to neutralise this crisis.
“I believe Sir Shi Feng is making a wise decision!” an old, rosy-faced[3] cultivator argued. “If the Stone-borne Flame goes out of control, the heavens may give all the karmic debt and punishments to Chen He. Shi Feng taking his junior brother out of the valley and finding a way to resolve this stalemate would be the best solution.”
After pondering this, everyone realised that it made sense.
They had all watched him grow up, ever since he had been that plump little lump with short legs. Although Chen He was already seventeen years old, he was still a child in the eyes of these old fellows whose ages were in the three-digit range.
Divine punishment was enough to destroy any cultivator. If Chen He were to suffer such misfortune, he would have absolutely no luck with the path to immortality. And if he did not want to redeem himself from karmic debt by endless reincarnation, his only option would be to practice demonic cultivation.
“What if someone tracks Chen He down through divination…” Elder Long-Brows was still being anxious about it.
“Are you becoming senile? Black Depths Valley doesn’t have legs, it can’t go anywhere. But after Chen He leaves the valley, he’ll be brought everywhere by Sir Shi Feng, and it will be difficult to pinpoint his location. Aren’t you an expert at divination, Ol’ Long-Brows? Don’t tell me you’ve lived this long and can’t even disrupt someone else’s divinations? Then you could create other false omens in the other areas and make it difficult to distinguish truth from lies. Whatever you do, make their heads spin, make it so bad that they don’t even trust their own divinations!”
“What a good idea, Valley Master! Indeed, our Valley Master is cunning and crafty, and is a great step ahead of us in terms of tricks and traps!” Everyone seemed to have gained a new awareness.
“That is right.” Instead of being ashamed, the Valley Master stroked his goatee proudly, clearly pleased with himself.
Shi Feng did not speak a single word, but his features were visibly more relaxed. Looking at the various cultivators of Black Depths Valley, he placed his left hand over the other fist and bowed deeply.
—the cultivators in the valley were supposed to have nothing to do with this, but now they were part of this karma because they had helped him and his junior brother.
“Ah, ah, Shi Feng, my boy, no need to stand on ceremony!” Elder Long-Brows rushed forward to help him up. “We have known each other for many years; this matter is hardly enough to hang off the teeth.”[4]
“Hang off the teeth? Shi Feng’s practising the Silence Meditation, you can’t hang anything off his teeth even if you tried!” someone interjected at once.
“How disrespectful! Are you that dead set on picking on me?”
Elder Long-Brows rolled up his sleeves and brawled it out with that person. Very soon, they were pushed to the side and treated as if they were nonexistent.
“Aye, that little one used to be so obedient and well-behaved, but we’ve bullied and teased him, which has made him shed so many jars’[5] worth of tears. If it’s for his safety, this much is nothing.”
Even more people began to voice their opinions:
“The Stone-borne Flame is ruthless by nature and difficult to control. We do not wish for our own descendants and disciples, who are still at the lower levels of cultivation, to fight for it. Since it belongs to Chen He, then let it be that way.”
“Of course, if it’s possible to bring it back and convince the Stone-borne Flame to give up on Chen He, I wouldn’t mind keeping a ball of fire around to play with…Ouch, don’t hit me, are you picking on me for not having gained insight into the Dao through martial arts?”
They clamoured for quite a while before someone raised a sensible concern.
“I have many millennium-old bodhi seeds; Sir Shi Feng, you could leave your prayer beads behind, and I could use the bodhi seeds and my Seven Buddhas Pagoda in place of you for your daily cultivation in Black Depths Lake,” a bald monk in kasaya[6] robes proposed, placing his hands together.
Shi Feng hesitated a little after hearing these words.
“Master Lingguo has a high level of cultivation, and the Seven Buddhas Pagoda is his strongest magic item; it can suppress the dark energy of Black Depths Lake. You have been tempering the prayer beads for many years, too, and with the bodhi seeds, it will be no different from having you around.”
Although it was true, this meant that the cultivation he had been doing would now be lacking – the cultivation which he had continued every single day for twenty-one years, for the sake of his disciples who had died as innocents.
Shi Feng felt a little terrified. He had been so resolute when he decided to take Chen He out of the valley earlier, which was indeed the best solution. However, if he truly had to ask himself…were the dead really less important than the living?
He slowly removed the prayer beads from his wrist, then held them up with both hands and handed them solemnly to Master Lingguo.
After receiving them, the latter clasped his hands together, then silently left the entrance of Shi Feng’s cave estate.
Only when he could not see any trace of them did Shi Feng remove the soundproof barrier at the entrance. Then he went back in and hastily packed some belongings—most of them were Chen He’s daily necessities, for Shi Feng had been utterly alone when he arrived in Black Depths Valley; what could he possibly have to bring on him?
Thus Chen He did not see the usual food laid out for him when he finished his cultivation that day.
“…Senior Brother?” Chen He cautiously watched Shi Feng, who seemed to be thinking so hard that he was in a daze.
Going by Chen He’s level of cultivation – no Golden Core had been formed, but he was close to completing the Foundation Establishment stage – he should have stopped consuming mortal foods. However, Shi Feng and everyone else in Black Depths Valley felt that Chen He was still too young, still at the stage where his body was developing. They would rather let his cultivation progress slow down than make him cease consumption of mortal foods; either way, he had to cleanse his meridians when he had formed his Golden Core.
Chen He was unlike most worldly cultivators who had to be mindful of impurities in their body in order to successfully form their Golden Cores. He had the talent for cultivation, a good senior brother, and a large group of ‘senior predecessors’ who had watched him grow up. For him, forming the Golden Core was only a matter of time, not a matter of success or failure.
Chen He behaved himself, fearing that he would disturb Shi Feng while the latter was in a daze.
According to the notes he had left behind in that jade orb, Shi Feng had many memories he did not wish to bring up. Every day, Chen He would read those notes and remember the advice that his fifteen-year-old self had left him: Do not speak of it. You must be mindful when Senior Brother thinks about it as well; do not make him sad.
When he saw Shi Feng’s head turn abruptly to look at him, he was so startled that he accidentally blurted out what he had been meaning not to say:
“Senior Brother, I’m hungry.”
Only then did Shi Feng remember.
Right, Chen He still had no idea.
Touching his junior brother’s hair, he took hold of Chen He’s hand and led him out of the cave estate.
“Ehh? Are we going to eat somewhere else today?” Chen He followed, feeling uncertain.
They passed through the forests of pear trees, crossed the streams, walking further and further away. Chen He counted the cave estates they passed, and was wondering if Shi Feng was preparing to go settle a score with someone, when his head felt cold, as if he had passed through a body of water.
Before he could react, the view before his eyes changed rapidly, and the wind whistled in his ears.
When his feet were firmly on the ground again, he could see tall, ancient city gates before him. On the arched doors were the large words: YUNZHOU CITY.
Chen He was stunned. He wondered if he had been talking about wanting to leave the valley in his sleep. There could be no other reason why Senior Brother had brought him to the city gates when he had only said he was hungry.
Were they going into the city for a feast at a tavern?
Raising his head to look at Shi Feng, Chen He said carefully, “Senior Brother, today isn’t my birthday.”
Notes:
[1]: (Gonna ramble a bit here) Originally 玉佩; it’s something hung from a cord and tied to the waist. Since jade was pretty expensive (and still is to this day!), it used to be an indication that your family was sufficiently well-off; rich people in the old days almost always wore jade waist ornaments. And they were just that…Ornaments, worn more as a display of wealth than anything else. However, in xianxia novels, they would probably be crafted as magic items or enchanted, to serve an actual purpose as well.
(FYI, it’s not mentioned explicitly, but later on, MC does get an enchanted jade waist ornament that can protect him from attacks dealt by higher-level cultivators.)
[2]: Original name in the text was 锦绣山. 锦绣 generally refers to any beautiful (or beautifully made) silk fabric – it could be decorated with intricate embroidery, or it could refer to the ones made with special weaves. Think damask, jacquard, brocade, etc. I chose to go with ‘Jacquard Mountains’ simply because it sounds nice.
[3]: Original term 鹤发童颜; this describes an elderly person who is still very healthy in appearance. 鹤发 likens their completely white hair to the white feathers of a crane; 童颜 likens their healthy complexions to that of young children, hence ‘child’s face/visage/appearance’ (whichever you prefer). It’s fairly common for the elderly to have sallow or pale complexions, but children have rosy cheeks (blood circulation and stuff, y’know), which is considered a sign of good health, vitality, blah blah blah.
[4]: Original term 何足挂齿, sometimes written as 区区小事，何足挂齿, is also written as 无足挂齿. Figuratively it means something so small that it’s not important at all; literally it means something so small, it wouldn’t be enough to hang off your teeth (showing how small it is). The cultivator made a joke with this and the fact that Shi Feng is practising the Silence Meditation i.e. he cannot open his mouth, so you can’t even get to his teeth. So I decided to use the literal meaning in order to preserve the joke.
[5]: Original term 缸; this is a kind of earthenware jar/jug/urn, with a small base and a large opening at the top. Often used to store liquids, although its use is not limited to that. The size varies greatly depending on the usage.
[6]: This comes from the original Sanskrit name for the robes worn by a fully ordained Buddhist monk or nun.