Chapter 14: Arc 1: Chapter 13

Lin Shuming wasn’t an idiot. He knew that his pride could get him carried away at times, resulting in some bad decisions, but in this instance, he was certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that there was something wrong with Bianca.

Appearing out of nowhere, she had been benefitting from Xi Village’s generosity and stealing from it for weeks, getting close to Song Ming among others, clearly trying to forge connections with the people of the village with some potential and talent, in order to accomplish something that she did not yet disclose, likely because it was of a demonic nature.

At first, his evidence was indeed limited. She had played the part perfectly, and even when he attempted to confront her – while she had been trying to further ingratiate herself with Song Ming, just as he expected – she showed no response. However, the arrival of the Calm Skies Sect changed that.

He witnessed first-hand the energy within her meridians, shining brightly when she channelled it – if darkness could shine. It was grim and vile, exactly matching every description of demonic cultivation methods that he had heard before this. How she managed to hide it at first, before being forced to reveal it to the Calm Skies Sect’s disciples, he couldn’t understand, but now that it was out in the open, he received all the proof he needed.

Energy like that wasn’t obtained by accident, and certainly not when no demonic cultivation tomes were anywhere near Xi Village. That meant that all she had to work with was the technique of the Calm Skies Sect and her own memory, so even if she truly lacked a cultivation before this, she was clearly able to swindle a planar shard and recover her past cultivation easily.

With her excuse, she could wander around as if she was still innocent, but he was determined to ensure that none would be tricked for long enough to let her carry out her plan.

‘But… why does she not listen?’ he stared in confusion at Song Ming, whose crossed arms and firm expression went completely contrary to what he expected, “Did you not hear anything I said, either of these times? Her actions are blatant, meaning that she’s going to act soon! Do you want Xi Village to be sacrificed for some selfish goal?”

“I thought I made myself clear the last time, Lin Shuming. Must I explain myself again?” Song Ming spoke sternly, “I was there when she gained her cultivation. She has no idea why it is like that, and she never did anything wrong. She… She is kind, and understanding, and pleasant to be around. You, on the other hand, have become so obsessed with finding a target that you simply cannot let her go! Stop it already! Just leave her alone, let her and the Calm Skies Sect figure it out, and if there is some inherent danger in her planar energy, I am sure it can be resolved. Bianca herself is not an enemy, nor a thief, nor a killer, nor a demon!”

“You…” Lin Shuming could barely stand after seeing something so… strange, for lack of a better word, “You’ve been with her the longest, so surely you’d have noticed that she isn’t behaving correctly. Haven’t you?”

“I…” for a moment, a spark of something flashed in her eyes, her expression changing subtly, but the next, more anger filled her gaze, “Go away. Don’t approach me again until you’ve stopped this.”

‘Why is she like this? I know Song Ming would never be tempted by wealth or power, so… is she really this trusting of a stranger?’ Lin Shuming could tell that he wouldn’t get through to her now, so, before he had the chance to push too far, he stepped back, both physically and in conversation, “Very well, I shall not bother you. However, if you finally notice something-”

“Then I will speak with my father, with the Calm Skies Sect, with the village, with the heavens, maybe with the forests, then and only then would I ever consider speaking with you.”

‘Hah… at least she isn’t resistant to the idea completely. If she was to ignore a revealing action from Bianca just to spite me… that would end terribly for not just us, but Xi Village as a whole,’ he recognised the success, slight as it may be, and nodded, beginning to walk away, “Goodbye, Song Ming.”

“Go away, and stop stalking us.”

 

When he was out of sight, Song Ming blushed, the thoughts he had prompted earlier finally having a chance to bounce around her head. She recalled Bianca’s touch, her tongue, her overall beauty and more, making her feel warm inside.

However, it also brought to her attention the danger that Bianca was in. With the strange energy that Bianca had obtained, Lin Shuming had gained some actual evidence for his nonsense, and she knew that she wasn’t the only one he had spoken with about this. Some did not have a close connection with Bianca at all, so they might well believe him if he kept on talking long enough, and convincingly enough. Most in the village were no threat to her or Bianca – as she now had a cultivation and a basic notion of how to use it – but she remembered the lessons from ten years ago well.

‘Before the fourth realm, a cultivator can be made mortal with a single well-placed strike, as a shattered dantian is irreparable. Even in the fourth realm, the core protects only the dantian, and has only so much durability. With enough effort and determination, even a child could take out a master,’ she glanced at the village, where hundreds of people lived, ‘If he managed to bring them onto his side…’

It was a thought too terrible to explore, and she at least hoped that it was also too unrealistic. People had to have enough sense not to be fooled by his petty hatred, and there ought to be enough sane minds among the villagers, like her father, that could calm everyone else down and let them look at the facts of the situation.

Unfortunately, that simply wasn’t enough to calm her worried heart, and so she focused her attention on where the members of the Calm Skies Sect were at this moment.

‘I should get a combat technique for her. That way, she can have the strength to defend herself, which should scare off anyone that is convinced by Lin Shuming,’ she decided, and headed straight there, not willing to risk another moment of uncertainty.

Even ignoring the… connection they’d recently made, Song Ming did not want an innocent, kind soul like Bianca being left at the whims of a mad man that Lin Shuming turned out to be. She had suffered enough thanks to losing her memories, so whatever happened before then, even if Bianca had done something terrible, didn’t justify this other, unrelated person being harmed – at least in her eyes, whether it truly made sense or not.

The place where she and Lin Shuming chose to converse was not far from the village, so it didn’t take her long to reach her destination, stepping into a residence the Calm Skies Sect members were using.

The first person there was one of their third realm disciples, a taller man with long brown hair, whose energy radiated the aura of metal. It wasn’t a big surprise that different members of the Calm Skies Sect used different techniques, but when the Sacred Rivers Sect came by, they had only one member with a different cultivation technique. It was a curious thing to learn about at first, anyway.

“Excuse me, Senior, could I ask for something?” she addressed him, being as respectful as she could.

He, meanwhile, glanced at her with a dismissive look and immediately shifted his attention away, replying lazily, “What do you want?”

She kept the polite smile on her face and answered, “I wanted to request a technique for a friend of mine. I know that you would have come with some basic combat skill, so-”

“How far will you go for that?”

“I-I’m sorry?”

“Will you suck my dick for it?”

“What? That’s disgusting!” Song Ming couldn’t keep her composure and backed away, the sheer displeasure most certainly showing on her face, “Is this how the cultivator of a righteous sect acts? Are you serious?”

“And are you serious about-”

“Junior Rong, that is enough. Junior Song Ming, please come with me,” Liu Min showed up in a doorway, not looking particularly disturbed by the situation.

Although she was reluctant to go along with her instruction after the immense disappointment that this Senior Rong provided, she didn’t have much of a choice, and from what she had seen, Liu Min was a far more reasonable person overall. Hence, after giving him one last displeased look – something she was getting better at thanks to Lin Shuming offering her opportunities for training – she followed Liu Min into a separate room, the door shutting behind her without any physical movement from the senior cultivator.

There was no chair or table in the room, only some shelves, so neither could sit down.

“Apologies for that, but if it’s any consolation, he did not intend to take advantage of you.”

“If I may say, that is not at all the impression I received from his words,” Song Ming refused to accept the statement just like that.

She couldn’t have been the only one, as Liu Min exhaled a tired sigh, “It’s a habit formed from his time outside the sect. There, people that have a great desire to cultivate within a prestigious sect find him from time to time, and often they will refuse to accept a simple rejection. The women – and, from what I’ve heard, even some of the men – will proceed to attempt to bribe him, taking a while until they reach their bottom line.”

“Trading their own bodies for the chance?”

“Is that much of a surprise? Your friend seemed intent on cultivating, so now imagine someone older, in a worse state, feeling their life flowing away from them with every moment. To some, sleeping with a man they find attractive is hardly a terrible price to pay… Personally, I disagree, but I have enough sense to know that I was somewhat lucky in my life.”

“So, does he encourage such advances? Is that really something you or the Calm Skies Sect will condone?”

“He tries to push it along and reject them as quickly as possible, though I do agree that his approach is not the most effective in this regard,” Liu Min nodded, “It nudges some into considering the possibility when it would have never entered their mind prior to this… I doubt that is what you came here to discuss, though. So, let’s focus on that, and I will focus on how I instruct the disciples that have been left in my care.”

‘I still don’t think this is appropriate, but… they will leave this place in a week or two at most. Bianca may be placed in danger long after that,’ Song Ming assessed her priorities and accepted the proposition, “I wish to ask for a combat skill for Bianca, the friend you mentioned.”

“A second request for the same person? Did she ask you to do this?”

“No, I simply fear for her safety,” she shook her head, looking out the only window in the room, as if Lin Shuming would be spying on her again, “I am not sure if you know, but there is someone that believes her to be a demonic cultivator infiltrating our village, and is intent on getting rid of her, one way or another.”

“I recall something of the sort. Unfortunately, I don’t fully understand the situation myself, but reaching out to the elders over something so insignificant – to the sect as a whole, of course, not necessarily to you – would not be reasonable.”

“What theories do you have?”

Liu Min leaned back against the wall and shrugged lazily, “Most likely, if everything Bianca has stated is accurate, then she would have cultivated a Heart of Dao prior to this. They are notoriously difficult to remove from oneself, especially if you cannot recall what it was. There’s a reason the west calls them forbidden skills. I’d guess at the specific Heart of Dao, but even out of the most famous ones for every archetype, I don’t believe there’s anything that matches it exactly…”

She pondered the matter for a while, and Song Ming did not interrupt, as she was very curious to hear her thoughts. It was a long while since she had spoken with a capable cultivator like her, after all.

“Scourge of Existence? No, the primary shade of her energy ought to be crimson, not black… Absolution of Decay shouldn’t be like this either… Truly, it is impossible to guess without more information, but that will not come unless her memories return, and at this point, I highly doubt it will ever happen,” Liu Min said, “She has shown no signs of recovering them since she awoke, correct?”

“Yes. I had suspected such a thing, but it is too unpleasant a thought.”

“Understandable. So, assuming that everything she has said is true, we won’t learn before we leave, and you likely won’t find out anything unless you obtain the aid of another cultivator in a higher realm,” she stood up and got closer to Song Ming, “No offense intended, but you are only in the second realm. Your spiritual perception is too weak to determine the specifics of her state, though you ought to understand that well enough without my reminder.”

“… I know, I do. You mentioned other possibilities, though,” Song Ming didn’t back down – she had nowhere to go, so she had little choice.

“You won’t like it, but if she had the remnant of a cultivation, then absorbing energy could awaken it again. Hence, she might well be a demonic cultivator of some type, though, contrary to what the people of your village might believe, it is never that simple. A lot of things are labelled demonic nowadays, but the only types of techniques that ought to be opposed are those that harm others, like those that use people’s blood or life to enable progression,” Liu Min said, “There are some techniques that produce eerie energy – Scourge of Existence being a Heart of Dao that does such a thing, incidentally – but are not inherently harmful to anyone, be it the user or those around them.”

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“Could you give some examples?”

“Well, have you heard of the warband forming to the south? They, and their opponents, have cultivators of the Terror archetype, which can produce a terrible landscape and a very eerie energy, but it isn’t… inherently evil… usually… technically…” she frowned, “Okay, bad example. Think of the Necromancy archetype, or the Poison archetype, or even the Exarch archetype. The last is particularly important, as the technique does not have any inherent demonic aspect as far as I know, and yet the only known cultivator of it is…”

“Exarch?”

“If you don’t already know, it’s nothing to concern yourself with. That figure may not have restraint in some aspects, but even they know not to pick a fight with the sect of the Eastern Continent.”

She was still curious, but it appeared that there wasn’t much that she would learn about this aspect in particular. Hence, Song Ming tried to look into other possibilities while she still had the chance, “What other causes could there be? A physique, maybe?”

“Unlikely. The likes of the Devil General do exist, but I found no sign of an active physique within her. The most unusual aspect of her body was the general absence of significant impurities, but if she had taken care of herself before this, it wouldn’t be surprising. Either way, there is little point to speculation like this,” Liu Min promptly shut that attempt down, “You wanted a skill for her?”

“Just something that she could use to keep herself safe, if she ever got attacked.”

“… We do have something to give to disciples, and it isn’t limited like the planar shards were. Furthermore, if she was a demonic cultivator of some sort, she’d already have a combat skill or two, and getting a basic one would not help her much. Very well.”

Liu Min reached into the shrinking bag between her boobs, forcing Song Ming to look away for a moment. Before, this sight hadn’t provoked much within her, but after experiencing Bianca’s affection, big boobs suddenly felt so… erotic, sexy, maybe even hot, to quite Bianca. She could keep her calm when simply seeing them, but when focus was drawn directly to them, it suddenly became a lot more difficult.

“This, the Fragmented Strike, is based on a third realm skill named Plentiful Shrapnel, but the essence was extracted and contained within a move that could be performed by anyone with planar energy,” Liu Min explained, handing a thin manual over, “If she has a good enough mind, she ought to be able to learn and perform a basic version of it within a week, so she’ll have some security after we leave.”

Song Ming accepted it without hesitation, “Thank you very much, senior. I hope nothing forces her to use it.”

“Unlikely. Even if it isn’t a person from your village, there could always be some other threat that requires our skills as cultivators. If our power was worthless, the world wouldn’t have been driven into a frenzy by one figure from a different continent.”

“I’ll take my leave, then. Thank you for your time.”

“It’s not like we have much more to do here. Your village is generally fast on the uptake, and Bianca… she’s an interesting one, actually.”

“How so? Other than her energy, of course,” Song Ming couldn’t help but ask.

“She usually struggles a great deal at first, but after a single success she is unable to fail, and generally handles herself very well. This only extends to her cultivation and energy handling, though – her physical skills and fighting talent in non-existent, as far as I can tell. This might be for the better, if you ask me.”

“I find that difficult to believe given her circumstances.”

“In the long term, though, she may be driven towards the great arts, towards various utility skills that others would pay a fortune to benefit from. If she finds the right skills and provides them to the right people, she could earn enough to build a village like yours every hour out of pristine materials.”

Song Ming nearly gasped at such a high assessment of Bianca’s abilities, “Are you certain? Is there any chance that-”

“We won’t take her in. We are no traders or masters of the great arts, as you should know from our list of publically known techniques. Not one crafting method there,” Liu Min said, “It would be best for her if she sought out a different sect. Provided she has luck with her cultivation, I’d imagine some would be more than happy to accept her, even if she’s older than usual for new disciples.”

“I see… Again, thank you, Senior Liu,” she bowed and retreated from the room, leaving the building soon after, ignoring Rong Shenmu on her way out.

Even if she wished to confront him, she lacked enough strength, and she didn’t know whether what Liu Min told her was true.  As such, she would just make a fool of herself if she did attempt something, so it would be best for her to leave things be and let the sect itself handle such things. If they were as just as they presented themselves, they would surely punish a disciple that outright solicited sexual favours from others.

‘I hadn’t expected it to feel so disgusting on two fronts, though…’ Song Ming thought for a moment, but threw it out of her mind quickly.

 

She headed towards the training ground that she and Bianca shared, and luckily enough, she found her there, practising the use of her planar energy in motion. There didn’t seem to be much of a need for it, as Bianca was handling it perfectly, but she appeared intent on trying over and over again to achieve some result that Song Ming could never understand until she finally saw it herself.

Still, she wasn’t one to tell others to give up their dreams and pursuits, so she supported her as best she could.

“Bianca, I’ve brought something for you,” she said, holding out the manual with both hands to make sure that it couldn’t be missed, “I hope it proves suitable for you, but if not, I can attempt to impart my technique to you as well.”

Bianca dropped her attempts right away and looked over, wiping the sweat from her brow with the back of her arm, also brushing away some brown hair that got in the way.

“Another manual? What’s that one supposed to be?”

“It’s a combat skill from the Calm Skies Sect. The technique you obtained was of the metal element – though I cannot be sure what it is now – so this technique should suit you. The reason I got one… I don’t think I need to remind you of Lin Shuming’s activities…”

“Has that asshole decided to go after us again?” Bianca spoke more crudely than before, but Song Ming could hardly fault her for it.

She merely struggled to be quite as brave as she was, and to use such terms even against Lin Shuming was rather challenging. It didn’t help that simply speaking with Bianca was enough for her to blush, even if she didn’t actively think about what they did just three days ago… and now that she had recalled that, it was outright impossible not to feel her cheeks warm up.

“He tried to convince me to turn against you again, but since I obviously didn’t go along with him, I’m concerned that he’ll try to incite others in the village to do the same. In case one or more try to hurt you, I’d like you to have at least one technique to use for self-defence.”

“Oh… well, I suppose I… should…” she seemed more hesitant than expected, but after a moment of thought she walked over and accepted the manual, finally allowing Song Ming to lower her hands.

It was difficult not to notice the scent of sweat sticking to Bianca, challenging her ability to keep her composure even further. Perhaps as a result of her cultivation, that faint smell became even more appealing to her, though it was somewhat balanced by the growing unpleasant aura around her, produced by that same energy.

She hated the fact that it was just as intimidating to her as it appeared to be to Lin Shuming, but…

“A-Alright, I guess I’ll have a look,” Bianca said, though there was something odd about her cadence ever since she accepted the manual.

Somehow, it seemed as if she was also afraid or apprehensive of something, which was very much not how Song Ming would have reacted if someone brought her a cultivation manual of any kind. Although they weren’t rare in the world as a whole, in a place like Xi Village it was hard to get anything other than what the three sects would bring over, each sect coming ten years after another, taking some youths as disciples and leaving others with basic foundational techniques to pass on to their descendants or friends, if they so choose.

Given that Bianca had been amazed about the concept of cultivation as a whole, a proper skill to use with it should have been even more amazing to her, yet she seemed wary of the manual itself, as if it could come alive and eat her.

‘Well, maybe her current technique came to her when she read the cultivation technique manual, so now she’s concerned it will happen again,’ Song Ming guessed.

That was such an obvious conclusion that she probably should have arrived at it earlier than this, but it was too late for either of them to regret it as Bianca finally gathered up the courage to open up the small book and read it. It wasn’t exceptional on its own, but the moment after Bianca looked at the first words of the manual, something happened.

A great darkness surged out of the book, flowing into her body and mind, briefly seeming to darken the entire forest.

It lasted only for a moment, yet it felt like a lifetime.

‘W-what was that? That darkness… it is so much worse than her energy…’ Song Ming looked to Bianca in the hope of answers, and when she looked back, her expression contained a mixture of emotions, but no sign of surprise at the phenomenon.

“Did you… see that as well?”

“Yes,” Song Ming nodded, “Is this what happened when you read the manual for the cultivation technique?”

Bianca nodded back, and glanced at something to Song Ming’s side, though when the latter looked, there appeared to be nothing there.

 

Just like the Glimpse of Sky somehow produced the Tyrannical Deity, the technique Song Ming brought also produced something strange, slotting into one of the five empty slots, the one directly above the centre. From the cover, it seemed like the skill should have been called Fragmented Strike, but the panel displayed the words ‘Dominion’s Light’.

With it came the same influx of knowledge that she could recognise yet not locate or understand, though the moment she thought of it, she knew that she could execute the skill flawlessly if she so wished.

‘Not sure I want to, though… My Tyrannical Deity is certainly out of the norm, so if Dominion’s Light is also suspicious and powerful, then…’ she looked back to Song Ming, noticing her glancing to her side in confusion, and finally replied to her question, “More or less the same thing, yes…”

She couldn’t admit to seeing the panel and having the Demonic Tyrant, not when Song Ming was trying so hard to help her in the belief that Bianca was just as clueless as she was. Besides, revealing that would open up a whole host of other questions that she wasn’t sure she was ready or willing to handle at the moment, so she kept her mouth shut for now and pretended to have simply been lost in thought.

“So, Bianca… shouldn’t you try it? Just in case?”

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