Chapter 101: V2C44: Uncovering Mysteries

By the time Wei Yi returned, Lao Kai had gone somewhere else, allowing her to cross the bridge and then return to the mostly empty bar where Liu Qi resided without anyone witnessing her.

Just as before, she remained in place, randomly polishing the exact same clay cup. She suspected that if she gave her enough time and kept watching, she would be able to see her rub all the way through the clay and then be forced to get a new cup.

Wei Yi had figured out how to restrain the enormous aura of killing intent around her, and she had also understood how to create specific pockets of stabilised mental energies in areas around her. She left one behind near the area where she broke through, mostly to experiment with the way that this new ability worked, and despite her going far away from it, the small sphere of her killing intent remained stable.

She was still unsure whether this would be as harmful to the female hatred avatar as the last time she attempted this, so she decided to fulfil her obligation to inform her about this attempt after funnelling more of the Beast’s energy towards her, “Liu Qi, I will be trying to fully correct your state, whether mentally or physically. This might hurt, if you can feel pain, so get ready.”

“Ah-”

Before she had the time to say anything, Wei Yi created a large sphere of her own killing intent around her, stabilising it with the power of the planar anchor. To avoid anything going wrong due to her taking too much time to complete the process, she decided to get it done in the shortest time possible, infusing every single part of the woman’s body with her hatred and doing her best to replicate the current structure that was allowing Liu Qi to live.

Liu Qi dropped the clay cup and sank down to the ground, her hands quivering in pain while her mouth hung open in complete silence, though Wei Yi was sure that if she hadn’t blocked her throat with spiritual will, she would be crying out in excruciating pain.

‘I don’t know how the nervous system of a hatred avatar works, but the sensation she is currently feeling is entirely incomparable to developing four more sets of meridians. She’s overreacting to something like that,’ Wei Yi commented within her mind, modifying her flow of killing intent to limit the pain that this woman would sense to prevent similar situations in the future.

Her killing intent completely penetrated Liu Qi’s physical form, the majority of it sinking into the mind of the hatred automaton to grasp onto the vague threads of thoughts and memory that remained within it, linking them together and doing her best to do so in a fashion that wouldn’t lead to her losing all traces of her existence. Meanwhile, the remaining quantity of killing intent stimulated her body, attempting to prompt the long-dead elements of her body to recover, even if it was just to resemble a normal human just a little bit more.

When both attempts seemed to be yielding some results, she also infused her vitality into the hatred avatar, driven more by the desire to succeed than anything else.

Somehow, the added vitality mixed with the increased quantity of hatred and united with it. Flesh, skin and bones momentarily trembled as if to the beat of the long-dead heart within Liu Qi’s body, being surrounded in the dull light of life itself, then slowly began to regenerate.

Fair skin developed atop crimson flesh, quickly covering the entirety of her body. Muscle that had long lay dormant awoke within her, another rumble of force emerging from her as they restored themselves to their peak state. The black and red eyes of a hatred automaton, dull and devoid of all life, seemed to be burned away and replaced with white, a mixture of red and amber, and black, the pupils dilating for a second as they adjusted to the lack of light.

Even the ash-like hair on her head grew, not due to the mere influence of vitality, but to recover its previous form, stopping only at her lower back at the same time as its colour changed to a deep black.

All of this paled in comparison to what occurred near the still heart of the hatred avatar, however. Despite her half-dead state remaining as it already was, the vague force of a killing intent structure grew within her, slowly pulling in Wei Yi’s own hatred in order to complete the shape of an inhuman heart that overlaid the real one, beating even while the latter did not.

Unlike the cultivation of the male hatred avatar, this sudden growth to the third realm of killing intent did not sever Liu Qi’s connection to the one that provided her with killing intent, but actually appeared to bring her closer as the beating foreign heart acted in tandem with Wei Yi’s own intent. If she desired to slow down the beat, or stop it completely, she knew that she could, for even that simple thought affected it, or if she wished to provide the woman with further energy, she could do so without the target needing to process it.

‘Is this the advantage that being alive gives me? The Beast cannot understand anything about the people attempting to cultivate it’s force, and thus anyone that goes against the current state of things breaks their resonance towards it,’ Wei Yi understood, compressing her field of killing intent so that it clung closely to Liu Qi’s resuscitated flesh, ‘To cover one humanoid costs me roughly 0.5% of the total stable area that I can currently possess, meaning that I could have up to 200 hatred avatars be supported by my energy at once, potentially more if I isolate it to simply keeping them animated and not looking like they are alive… Furthermore, now that I have a full planar anchor, I ought to be able to increase this without requiring any actual cultivation to take place – I merely need to learn superior techniques.’

She would have continued her thought process if not for the fact that Liu Qi slowly lowered her hands from her head, her expression no longer contorted in excruciating pain.

As it turned out, this hatred avatar was once incredibly beautiful, with the uniqueness of the amber and red eyes only adding to her appearance. She appeared to be fair and soft, suiting Wei Yi’s own tastes, but there was also an element of power beneath her skin – literally, as well as figuratively – that reminded Wei Yi of her former image.

“Where…” the hatred avatar muttered, before her eyes suddenly widened and she shifted her position to kneel before Wei Yi, “Master, I apologise for the failure of my mission. I naturally accept all punishment that you intend to give me.”

‘What the- wait, whether this is some kind of joke that I do not understand, or her misinterpreting the situation upon the recovery of fragments of her memory, I can use this. The more information I can get out of anyone, the better, and if Liu Qi happens to be someone that give to me, I have no reason to reveal anything about the truth until I learn everything,’ she decided, looking down at the kneeling hatred avatar, “Before that, tell me who you are.”

“My true name is Min Lian, Seventh Claw of the Scorching Blades.”

‘Scorching Blades… the assassin organisation founded shortly after the death of the Lady of Ashes, inspired by her attempt to use the blood of a dragon to increase her power and prolong her life? They do not use actual blood, but they do use a series of techniques based on draconic properties and attempt to make themselves more suitable for a blood transfusion in the future, once the issue of complete madness from absorbing the blood of a dragon is corrected by their masters… It is said that they have some connection to the Blood-tinged Church, and that they might even be in possession of Chao Jianhong’s body…’ for a second, Wei Yi was stunned into complete silence, though Min Lian did not appear to mind, obediently remaining in place, “What mission was assigned to you?”

“I had to eliminate the third-generation member of the Great Chen family, Chen Zhong. However, I was apprehended when the first-generation Chen Huang passed through the area and imprisoned me.”

“Since I see that you are in the Condensed Shot realm, I assume that you did not perish immediately.”

“No, I did not, Master. I adapted our Dragon’s Heart technique and used it to cultivate to this realm, but I lost my life beneath the ground after my breakthrough to the third stage.”

‘If she is telling the truth, I have a talented and powerful person that is perceiving me to be her master, someone that she would never go against… The best way to check this would be to…’ she considered a few options before deciding on the most practical, albeit the less entertaining, one, “Share everything about your new technique and the Dragon’s Heart technique.”

There was no sign of hesitation on Min Lian’s face as she nodded and read out the technique manuals for both from her memory. Not a single detail appeared to have been altered, and when the last word of the Dragon’s Heart method was spoken, Wei Yi was able to transform her cosmic energy into flame and witness it become brighter and more powerful, resembling the flaming breath of a dragon attuned to the element of fire.

Similarly, when she implemented the principles of Dragon’s Mirage, the killing intent technique, into the prison realm-like endless battlefield within her mental landscape, she found that the concentration of killing intent within the centre of the realm grew significantly.

‘Either her lies have somehow created incredibly powerful techniques, or she is telling me the truth… Since both of them seem to be to my advantage, I will observe her while getting the most that I can out of her,’ Wei Yi decided, “Rise, Min Lian. Since exit from the prison realm is not currently available, you will serve me and fulfil every task I give you.”

“I understand, Master,” the hatred avatar said, rising from the floor but keeping her head bowed.

“For now, follow me and continue to use the fake name of Liu Qi. You must contribute to my efforts in forcing Automaton Point to cooperate with me, or outright subjugate it, to unify the prison realm and escape.”

“Very well, Master. I shall follow your lead,” she only raised her head then, “Do you require me to serve you in any other way?”

The avatar’s gaze drifted downwards, making the exact meaning of her question all too obvious to Wei Yi, who wasn’t surprised in the least, ‘As expected of the various assassin masters… Lust permeates all of humanity, and although I am no exception, I will not abuse this while there are plenty of people who are offering the exact same service willingly, and for their monetary benefit.’

“No, just act naturally, as if you have recovered your mental faculties but no particular memories.”

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“I will do my best to encourage confidence in you, Master,” the assassin nodded, being forced to look up at Wei Yi even as she straightened her back to look less submissive, “So, does that mean that I will not receive punishment?”

“Do you want to?” Wei Yi asked, raising an eyebrow – if it had been her, she wouldn’t have brought the matter up if she had no interest in it.

“That isn’t the case. I apologise if I have misled you. I was simply making sure that I hadn’t distracted you from the matter with my report on my Dragon’s Mirage technique,” Min Lian apologised profusely.

“No, you did not…” she replied, though a slight smile appeared on her face the second after, “However, since you clearly believe that you have failed the Scorching Blades, you can prove your sincerity and commitment to our path by reciting the rest of the techniques that you are familiar with. Such a thing would not be difficult for a loyal Claw, would it?”

“It would not, Master. I can begin the moment that you are comfortable.”

 

After she introduced Draconic Punch, Draconic Force, a palm technique, Draconic Claw and the core combat technique of the Scorching Blades, the eponymous Scorching Blade technique, it became clear that the assassin organisation had plenty of methods to study and that it would be best not to discuss them in a random bar-like area, which even Min Lian could not remember the purpose for, resulting in them leaving the area and heading towards the residence Wei Yi had decided to occupy.

None of the meat that had been left there had been moved, nor were there any traces of other activity, allowing them to settle down without the worry of interruption.

“Master, as a member of the five hundredth and sixty seventh generation of the Claws, I had been trained in various infiltration and disguise methods, which included learning several techniques to assist in the relaxation of others. If it is not inconvenient for you, I could offer you a massage to make up for my failure.”

“Min Lian, you seem really keen to do this…”

“I am not,” she denied instantly, no traces of emotion appearing on her face, “As I said, I must make up for my failure, and simply reciting techniques will not achieve this. After all, my mistake has likely delayed the Scorching Blades’ project to end the supremacy of the Great Families for far too long…”

‘Honestly, I am tempted to seek this assassin organisation out in the future, since they seem to be perfectly aligned with two of my main goals: to end the Greats, and to study the path of the Lady of Ashes in furthering one’s power. If I can control them as easily as I appear to be ordering this one around – which is unlikely, even if it is an enticing possibility – then I could ensure that they do not take any other actions that are detrimental to the future of Yi City,’ Wei Yi thought, sighing, “In that case, you may demonstrate your current proficiency in this while proceeding with your recital.”

“Thank you, Master,” said Min Lian, moving a chair into the middle of the room for Wei Yi to get a comfortable seat.

When she sat down, the assassin got onto her knees beside her feet and slowly brought her hands towards them, except she suddenly froze and looked around with a trace of panic showing through her neutral expression.

“Master, there is a poison gas filling this room! It is toxic to living things! Are you using the Dragon’s Constitution method to prevent poisonous substances from affecting you?”

The sudden change in her voice and expression, almost as if the assassin saw her loved one in danger and was making sure that they were alright, caused Wei Yi to freeze for a moment before checking her own body with her spiritual perception, finding that there were indeed some traces of poison in her blood, although most of them were already being burnt away by her physique energy. To lessen Min Lian’s worry, she gathered what little remained of the poison and spat it out in the form of a black, thick liquid. As it splattered onto the stone floor, it had no reaction with the ground nor the air, but the mere aura of the fluid made it obvious that it was toxic.

“I have my methods. Since you’ve brought it up, recite all of that technique as well.”

Min Lian clearly had to restrain herself from breathing a sigh of relief as she nodded, began to massage Wei Yi’s feet, and read the manual for Dragon’s Constitution from memory.

While she did that, Wei Yi did her best to focus on analysing the exact structure of the poisonous substance as well as how it could have entered the room, quickly discovering that it was a poison that was only effective against living creatures, such as her, and was meant to shut down her various bodily functions without significant harm to her actual form.

With further searching, made doubly more difficult by how oddly pleasant and relaxing the foot massage from the trained and powerful killer was and how it was tempting her to keep someone to do this and more while she was strategizing in the future, she also found a small hole in the wall that connected to a set of channels that spread out all throughout the cave, all of them leading to one of the largest rooms within the entirety of Automaton Point: Fen Fang’s room.

‘That bastard didn’t look hostile at all… No, perhaps he was not, even if he was the one responsible. The hatred avatars naturally prefer those with resonance to those without – hopefully, that won’t mean that Min Lian will be excluded, though her resonance ought to be similar to theirs – and perhaps they believed that by ending my life and allowing me to change into an avatar will be an improvement for me…’ she considered, ‘The key is whether this is standard practise for them, and whether the others are aware of this. If they are, I might have some difficulties persuading them to side with a bunch of mortal men and women that need to breathe and eat, since they would want to kill them all and change them, but if this was only Fen Fang’s doing, then I have a lot more to work with…’

“Min Lian, do you have any memories of Fen Fang, the leader of Automaton Point?”

“Automa- ah, this domain of hatred avatars. I am not too familiar with him. Is there something precise that you desire to know about him, Master?”

“Yes. Tell me about the common opinion about him, and whether the common population would be open to him being replaced with somebody else with the ability to communicate with ease,” Wei Yi nodded.

“Most do not have a particular attachment to him. If he was to… vanish, anyone could take over,” Min Lian stated, glancing at Wei Yi’s daggers, “Do you desire his end?”

“It seems to be the best option at the moment. You don’t happen to possess a suitable weapon for the operation, do you?”

“My apologies, Master,” the assassin shook her head, “My Scorching Blade, as well as my identification talisman and clothing, have all been lost a long time ago. I have no memories of them since my transformation into a hatred avatar, and the first memory I have is of being in a similar state of clothing to my current state. By the way, Master, do you wish me to get dressed?”

“The people of Automaton Point don’t care, and neither do I. Do whatever you prefer,” Wei Yi shrugged, briefly considering which of the daggers to lend to the woman when she suddenly felt someone passing through the small sphere of stable killing intent that she had left behind.

According to their particular energy signature and the way they disrupted the killing intent, they appeared to be living, though they were not killing intent cultivators, but physique cultivators. Several of them had a clear aura of power that was noticeable even in spite of the distance, and one might have even been actively repelling killing intent from his or her position, though the effect was minor to the point of only nudging it away by an inch or two.

What was clear was the fact that they were angry, and clearly heading in the direction of Automaton Point.

“Min Lian, you are physically capable, are you not? If there was some major distraction to aid you in your task, could you successfully kill Fen Fang, with or without a weapon, and make it seem like he was slain by a physique cultivator?”

“To my knowledge, he is physically weak. I will accomplish this mission even without a blade,” the Scorching Blades assassin went back on one knee before her, lowering her head, “Is that your wish?”

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