Chapter 31: Madam Rouge
Within Elder Ku's hall, Xiao Nanfeng had requested a private audience with his master. The doors to the hall were sealed shut as master and disciple discussed the cursed effigy.
"Master, the cursed effigy almost managed to enter my dreamscape completely! What's going on?" Xiao Nanfeng recounted what had happened in worry.
Elder Ku was silent for a moment. He sighed. "It's grown stronger!"
"Stronger?"
"For it to be able to manifest in reality suggests that its strength is going beyond that of the illusory. Otherwise, it would not have been capable of escaping the restrictions I had imposed last time," Elder Ku replied, his face distorting in concern.
"Has it grown stronger by killing others?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.
"That's right. As you saw in various mental worlds, each person it kills will form a cloud of smoke, which it can absorb. That smoke represents a person's soul, awareness, and spiritual power. It grows stronger by killing more people."
"Just what is this cursed effigy? Why has it set its sights on me? There are so many other disciples around the Vault of Scriptures!" Xiao Nanfeng wondered.
"It was my fault. It had been targeting me," Elder Ku admitted wryly.
"I'm sorry, Master?" Xiao Nanfeng still seemed confused.
"I'm not certain of its origins, but I know that there are plenty of such cursed existences within hidden realms. Even if they're killed, they can revive and regenerate indefinitely, and they represent a grave evil. I encountered this particular cursed being, Madam Rouge, within one such realm," Elder Ku explained.
"Madam Rouge?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned. Who gave the bleached skeleton such a feminine name? What madman did so?!
"Indeed. I once ventured into the realm which it had made its home. On a stone tablet was engraved its true name, 'Madam Rouge'. I'm not the first victim that it's gone after—but all others whom it has targeted have died. I've thought of many possible ways of killing this Madam Rouge, but even if it 'dies', it simply reappears after some time. It hadn't shown up for quite a few years, and I thought it had finally let me go—until its reappearance a month ago during the recruitment trials." Elder Ku sighed again.
"Has this Madam Rouge now set her eyes on me, then?" Xiao Nanfeng shuddered.
"Let's have a look at your arm." Elder Ku's face was deathly serious.
Xiao Nanfeng rolled up his sleeve and held it up to the moonlight that filtered in through a window. On the exposed part of his right shoulder was the image of a skeleton's upper half-body.
"Ah, what's this?!" Xiao Nanfeng's eyes widened.
He tried to rub at the mark, and as he did so, it slowly vanished.
"Master, I saw a mark on my shoulder—the upper half of a skeleton! But after I blinked, that mark vanished." Xiao Nanfeng was certain that this boded ill.
Indeed, Elder Ku replied seriously, "You may have become its target. I was wondering why my mindscape had been so free of its pestilence lately—because it's made you its target instead!"
"What? No! Why would it?" Xiao Nanfeng cried out.
"If I may hazard a guess, you likely offended it during your previous confrontations with it. It's particularly fond of revenge, and it'll hound you until you die," Elder Ku analyzed.
"Have I offended it...?" Xiao Nanfeng fell deep in thought. I... may actually have done so. The first time we met, I broke its neck. The second time, I allowed Elder Ku to restrain it. The third time, I ignored its illusion and didn't touch my master's body, foiling its plan.
"Master, I barely evaded its attack tonight. How should I deal with future attempts? No one can hear me if I scream in my dream. What should I do, Master?" Xiao Nanfeng looked toward Elder Ku glumly.
Elder Ku hesitated. "Perhaps it's only a passing interest? Don't worry too much. It might lose interest quickly."
Xiao Nanfeng: ...Master, are you trying to comfort me? Why am I only getting more and more frightened?
"I might be able to go a few days without sleeping, but if it keeps trying to attack me, I won't be able to survive much beyond that. After all, it's not as if I can avoid sleeping entirely! Won't it strike the moment I start to dream?" Xiao Nanfeng replied.
"The dreamscape can only be accessed during light sleep, but not during deep sleep. As long as you can enter deep sleep quickly enough, preventing yourself from dreaming, it won't be able to access your dreamscape. Over the next few days, I'll use my guqin to lure its attention. Can you bear with it for the time being? The Vault of Scriptures contains quite a few records regarding deep meditation, which should be able to help you accomplish this goal. Allow me to find one for you," Elder Ku suggested.
"There's no need, Master! I've already read three such scriptures," Xiao Nanfeng replied, smiling.
Elder Ku: ...Just how many scriptures has my disciple read over the last month?!
"Furthermore, strong though the cursed effigy might be, it's not invincible. As long as your spiritual power is strong enough, it won't be able to kill you in dreamscapes or illusions. Cultivate steadily and focus on growing strong, and no enemies will be able to hurt you easily," Elder Ku advised.
"Yes, Master!" Xiao Nanfeng replied.
Outside the hall, Ye Dafu and his clique had been seized by a group of enforcement disciples. They were waiting anxiously outside Elder Ku's hall.
"Is all this necessary? They were just a few small rocks, and he wasn't injured at all!" Ye Dafu fretted.
"Right, we didn't mean to do it!"
"How could he report such a minor matter to Elder Ku? What should we do?!"
Ye Dafu and his clique despaired. They had intended to take revenge on Xiao Nanfeng while it was dark and no one could see them, but far too many had! What were they to do? They had been caught red-handed!
With a bang, the doors to the hall swung open.
Elder Ku and Xiao Nanfeng walked out with unhappy expressions.
"They're the ones, Master." Xiao Nanfeng pointed at Ye Dafu and the others.
Ye Dafu and his clique stilled. Had Xiao Nanfeng really reported them?
"Elder Ku, We can bear witness to the events. We saw them toss rocks through Junior Brother Nanfeng's window into his bedroom. Fortunately, Junior Brother Nanfeng was unharmed." An enforcement disciple stepped forward and gave his testimony.
"We did it as a prank, Elder Ku! We didn't mean it!" Ye Dafu cried out.
"Yes, Elder, we were only doing it as a joke! There won't be a next time," his lackeys added.
Elder Ku ignored them and turned to Xiao Nanfeng instead. "How do you want to deal with them?"
"Master, would you do the honor of personally picking out two Taoist scriptures for each of them to recite based on their current cultivation, so as to lay the foundation for their future?" Xiao Nanfeng requested.
"What? Memorizing more scriptures?!" Ye Dafu grew alarmed. We all just finished one scripture each! You're sending us back to that hellish place just for pelting rocks at you?!
"It's for your own good," Xiao Nanfeng stated.
Although Ye Dafu and his clique had been seeking revenge on him, they had unintentionally helped him out. Xiao Nanfeng wanted to return the favor, and he had requested that his master personally assign them scriptures as a reward. Who else would be able to receive such personalized, expert guidance? Surely they would thank him!
"You—you're joking! How in the world is this good for me?!" Ye Dafu's eyes looked as though they were about to burst into flames.
"There's no need to thank me. You deserve this," Xiao Nanfeng replied, nodding approvingly.
Ye Dafu: ...Deserve this? There's nothing I hate more, and you want me to thank you for this?!
"Elder Ku, this is my fault. I struck your disciple with a rock. I'm happy to stand here and have him throw one back at me to get his revenge. Would that do? Please don't force me to recite scriptures. I'll even let him hit me multiple times!" Ye Dafu begged.
"What techniques do you cultivate? How is your cultivation?" Elder Ku asked, ignoring their pleas. Clearly, he was intending to adopt Xiao Nanfeng's suggestion.
"Boss, we just escaped from a nightmare! Are we going to be forced back into it?" Ye Dafu's lackeys looked as though they were about to die.
Considering how close Xiao Nanfeng was to Elder Ku, Ye Dafu knew that they wouldn't be able to get out of this punishment.
He stepped forward bravely. "Elder Ku, please allow me to take responsibility for my actions. I was the leader in charge of this prank! This has nothing to do with my brothers. They only listened to my ill-advised suggestions. Please let me shoulder the blame, and not the others!"
"Boss!" His lackeys were ready to tear up.
"Since this was your plan, then I'll pick out two scriptures for the rest of them and four for you," Elder Ku replied.
Ye Dafu froze in shock. No, no! Did I just get two more scriptures added to my punishment? Why? No!
"Thank Elder Ku," Xiao Nanfeng urged.
Ye Dafu and the others: ...Thank him? For what?!
Ye Dafu and his clique had no further recourse. Elder Ku personally picked out a few scriptures for each of them.
Thus was a calamity averted. The eleven young men who had just been freed from the depths of meditation and recitation, teary-eyed, found themselves back in its embrace.
The next morning, Ye Dafu and his clique recited their scriptures as they cursed Xiao Nanfeng, who was absorbing the dawn qi not far away. They were aggrieved, their eyes bloodshot, but none dared call out to him or curse him—because Elder Ku was seated by his side.
Xiao Nanfeng spat out a mouthful of turbid air and opened his eyes.
"Demonstrate Hegemon's Fist. I'll give you a few pointers based on your current understanding of the technique," Elder Ku commanded.
"Yes, Master!"
Xiao Nanfeng took a stance and released a flurry of punches, causing miniature explosions in the air. Dust clouds rose from the ground, not dissipating for long moments.
"Gusts of heat... Have you managed to integrate the essence of pure yang with Hegemon's Fist?" Elder Ku exclaimed in shock.
Xiao Nanfeng nodded. "Yes, Master. The scriptures about pure yang qi that you had me read dealt with such matters. So say the scriptures, 'Merge essence with qi, then qi with strength.' This greatly enhanced the power of my technique and allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the essence of Hegemon's Fist."
Elder Ku: ...You've already learned what I was about to teach you from these scriptures! How am I supposed to give you pointers now?
"Master, have I misunderstood something?" Xiao Nanfeng asked curiously.
"No, your understanding is excellent. I'm very gratified, and you've saved me quite a bit of effort." Elder Ku could only nod with some exasperation. He couldn't teach faster than Xiao Nanfeng could learn!
"Master, would you be willing to select a few relevant scriptures for me? Whenever I head to the Vault of Scriptures, I feel as though I'm trying to pick a needle out of a haystack. Your advice would save me countless trouble, Master," Xiao Nanfeng requested.
Elder Ku nodded with satisfaction. Xiao Nanfeng 's ability to study would serve him well in the long run.
Not far away, Ye Dafu and the rest of his clique glared at Xiao Nanfeng with disdain. You bootlicker! As if you could get anything out of those cryptic, abstruse scriptures! Your pretenses are shameless!
"Right, Master, if you have any spare time, would you mind paying attention to Ye Dafu and the others? With your guidance, Elder, I'm sure they would be able to understand the scriptures faster." Xiao Nanfeng pointed at Ye Dafu and his clique.
Ye Dafu and his lackeys blanched. What? Haven't you caused us to suffer enough? What are you pulling now? All we did was toss rocks into your bedroom! Aren't you going to relent? You're vicious, truly vicious!
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