Chapter 40: Inner Core
Xiao Nanfeng fell from high in the sky, crashing down through a thick canopy of branches before landing heavily on the ground. He sprayed out a mouthful of blood and lay paralyzed for long moments.
"It hurts... but I won!" Xiao Nanfeng glanced at the golden crow spiritbeast's corpse beside him in relief. He arduously stumbled toward the golden crow's carcass and pulled out his dagger from its head.
"No wonder this dagger was worth three hundred taels of gold. It really is sharp—ahem, ahem!" Xiao Nanfeng fell into a fit of coughing.
He sliced at the golden crow's abdomen, causing huge quantities of fresh blood to splash onto Xiao Nanfeng's face. However, Xiao Nanfeng was beyond caring at this point. He rummaged through the crow's abdomen, then quickly brightened. He retrieved the purpleveil poison orb that was now covered in blood and stomach fluids.
"There's still a sixth of it left, at least! This golden crow spiritbeast's carcass is surely worth a thousand taels of gold, so I haven't lost out!" Xiao Nanfeng carefully kept the remaining sliver of purpleveil poison.
Suddenly, as though just having thought of something, Xiao Nanfeng continued digging through the crow's abdomen. Not long later, he plucked out a small golden orb, which seemed to be burning with flame. It was scorching hot and slowly dissipating into the air as it burned.
"The inner core of a golden crow spiritbeast? This is truly a treasure!" Xiao Nanfeng's eyes lit up.
The core's energy had been consumed to a significant extent during its fight against Ye Sanshui, and was now dissipating into the atmosphere. Even so, Xiao Nanfeng could sense the tremendous energy of fire currently contained within the core.
"Being wasteful is a sin, so I'll distill your essence straight away!" Xiao Nanfeng glanced expectantly at the core, then swallowed it whole, ignoring his wounds.
As he ingested, a tremendous yang energy filled his limbs and bones. He felt warm and feverish all over, and the rampant energy running through his body caused him to spray out a mouthful of blood.
"What tremendous power..." Xiao Nanfeng murmured. He hurriedly sat down cross-legged in meditation as he circulated his qi in the manner of Rites of Dawn.
A gentle, golden glow emanated from his body, and it almost seemed as though golden flames were being exuded from his skin. The flames burned his body, causing him a great deal of pain, but he gritted his teeth and continued the distillation of the core.
Two hours later, the golden glow suffusing him finally vanished. An incredible burst of qi came from Xiao Nanfeng's body, causing the leaves and branches all around to shake and tremble.
Xiao Nanfeng slowly opened his eyes. "The ninth stage of Acquisition? The amount of yang qi contained within this core is truly immense!"
Although he had broken through, the internal injuries he had suffered would take some time to heal. Xiao Nanfeng looked at the golden crow spiritbeast's carcass, then covered it up with some nearby branches as he stumbled toward a small lake not too far away.
He jumped into the lake, washing off the bloodstains all over his body.
Above his head, a few crow spirits cried out. Xiao Nanfeng raised his head as they flew by. Perhaps because it was dark and because he was mostly submerged in the water, they didn't notice him.
"Are they searching for the golden crow? I can't stay here long, then," Xiao Nanfeng murmured.
"Grandpa, isn't that man rather strange? He's actually bathing in the lake! Doesn't he sense how cold it is right now at the start of spring?" a little boy piped up.
Xiao Nanfeng turned his head to the source of the voice, only to see an old man with a wicker basket for medicinal herbs on his back. By his side was a young boy, about ten years old.
"Please don't mind, young man. My grandson's still young, and he hasn't quite learned how to respect others. I apologize." The elderly man pulled the child close by.
"No matter," Xiao Nanfeng replied, still coughing as he climbed back onto shore. He had washed the bloodstains off his body, but his clothes remained tattered.
"Might I ask where this place is?" Xiao Nanfeng inquired.
"We're in the wilderness up on the mountains—there's no specific name for it. Our village is at the foot of these mountains. What are you doing here, young man?" The elderly man smiled at Xiao Nanfeng.
"I was being chased by a wild beast, but I accidentally stumbled and lost my way. Since it's almost nighttime, might I head to your village with you to find lodgings for a night? I'm happy to pay," Xiao Nanfeng informed him.
"There's no need to worry about money. Be welcome as a guest—I'm happy to offer you a stay at my humble abode," the old man replied grandly.
"Thank you!" Xiao Nanfeng bowed.
"I'm Wang. Just call me Old Wang."
Within two hours, they had descended the mountain and reached the village by its foot. Old Wang brought him toward a small cottage, whereupon an elderly woman welcomed them at the door.
"You're finally back! We have an honored guest," the old woman informed him, bustling him into the house.
"An honored guest?" Old Wang seemed rather surprised.
When she saw Xiao Nanfeng beside him, she suddenly grew far more reserved, then whispered a few words into Old Wang's ear.
"What? He's here! We have to have a good drink tonight, then!" Old Wang suddenly seemed to grow animated. Then, he turned toward Xiao Nanfeng. "Ah, I've forgotten—I have an honored guest here myself. Lad, how are your injuries? Let me show you to a guest room. I'll bring you some medicinal alcohol and food in a bit. Why don't you rest in my home overnight?"
"That would be more than sufficient. Thank you," Xiao Nanfeng replied.
He was allowed the use of a guest bedroom, and Old Wang's grandson brought him food, medicinal alcohol, and some clothes.
However, Xiao Nanfeng didn't rest. Rather, he sat cross-legged in meditation, shoring up his foundations. By the end of the night, Xiao Nanfeng had completely digested the golden crow's inner core, healed his internal injuries, and advanced his cultivation.
At dawn, Xiao Nanfeng spat out a mouthful of turbid air as he stood up.
Suddenly, Old Wang's grandson ran over. "Mister, Grandpa had me come get you for breakfast!"
"I won't be having breakfast, thank you. Please, hand this to your grandfather as a token of my appreciation. I'm going to be leaving now." Xiao Nanfeng passed the child a pouch of bits of gold.
"Grandpa said not to take your money!" The child immediately refused the pouch. "Furthermore, if I take your money, I won't be able to raise my head in front of my brothers any longer. I don't want to ruin my reputation!"
"Haha, your reputation? What sort of reputation?" Xiao Nanfeng suddenly found this child very amusing.
"That of the future village chief, of course! I'll inherit my grandfather's position and become the village chief of Dawangzhuang!" the child declared proudly.
"Dawangzhuang? What Dawangzhuang?" Xiao Nanfeng's smile froze on his face.
"This village is Dawangzhuang!" the child told him.
"Really?"
Yesterday, at the village that had been invaded by crow spirits, the villager they had rescued from death's door had mentioned Dawangzhuang, that the crow troops that had invaded their village and slaughtered them were chasing after a person called Zheng Qian, who had headed to the village for a visit.
"Of course! Is there a problem?" the child asked.
There was a huge problem. How had he appeared in the vicinity of Dawangzhuang? Was this a coincidence? Had the golden crow coincidentally brought him to Dawangzhuang? Xiao Nanfeng wouldn't believe it. Perhaps it had been making for the village itself!
"Quick, I need to see your grandfather. There might be big trouble at the village!" Xiao Nanfeng cried out.
"What?" The child seemed perplexed.
Suddenly, hoofbeats could be heard from outside the window.
Xiao Nanfeng glanced out the window to see fifty black-armored warriors riding toward the village.
"There are children within the village! You can't ride through it on horseback." Quite a number of villagers were gathering near the entrance to stop the riders, but they only drew their blades and beheaded those villagers in their way.
"Murderers!" Shrieks rang out throughout the village as a group of black-armored warriors slaughtered the villagers. The shrieks continued as over a dozen villagers were killed. All the remaining villagers were panicking.
"All those who oppose the crow troops will be killed on the spot!" one black-armored warrior howled out.
"Killed!" the other warriors echoed, fifty of them in all.
The villagers were cowering in fear from the sudden appearance of so many bloodthirsty warriors.
"All you villagers, assemble in this plaza, now!" one warrior howled.
Small groups of warriors spread out and guarded the various paths out of the village. The fifty of them unsheathed their blades and glared fiercely at the trembling villagers. Any who dared to make a run for it were summarily beheaded.
Xiao Nanfeng hid the child underneath the bed and walked out of the house before the black-armored warriors burst through. Then, accompanying the cowering villagers, he was herded toward the village plaza.
The villagers were shaking in fear, not daring to resist.
These are the crow troops that slaughtered the previous village? Ten Immanence-realm and forty peak Acquisition-realm cultivators? Xiao Nanfeng considered his opponents carefully.
"Please, warriors, don't kill any more of us! I'm the village chief. Our village, Dawangzhuang, has been paying its taxes on time. We've not missed a single payment! I beg you to show clemency!" Old Wang pleaded.
The captain of the troops glared at Old Wang. "Where's Zheng Qian?"
"Zheng Qian? Who?" Old Wang shook his head, frightened.
"I'll ask one more time. Where's Zheng Qian? If you refuse to answer me, I'll kill everyone present," the captain of the troops warned, pointing his blade at the villagers.
"I, I don't know..." Old Wang lowered his head in fear.
"You don't know?" the captain of the troops replied in a chilling tone. "In that case, all of you might as well die!"
"Don't kill us! Please, have mercy!" Many of the villagers were so scared that they began to kneel and weep.
The black-armored warriors ignored their pleading. They raised their blades.
"Hold it! I'm right here!" a voice came from beside Old Wang's house.
The entrance to an underground cellar opened up as a middle-aged man in gray walked out.
The man looked stern and unyielding, but also deeply exhausted.
"Ah, why did you come out?" Old Wang glanced at him regretfully.
"Old Wang, I came to visit you yesterday intending to catch up with you, but I didn't expect to bring trouble to your village. They're here for me, and I won't be able to escape them," Zheng Qian replied, a wry smile on his face.
Old Wang sighed again.
"Sir Zheng, you've caused a huge commotion," the captain of the crow troops called out.
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