“He’s right here,” Xiang Xian replied. “Do you want to use him to brew the tea?”
Xiang Xian produced a small Glazed Bottle. Inside appeared a rotating seed laced with faint black qi—the remnant from the great battle outside Gaochang City, where Mr. Liu had been exorcised.
“I don’t understand—how did you do it?” Xiang Xian asked. “Without the Wisdom Sword or the Heart Lamp, you dispersed his Demonic Qi?!”
“Big Brother naturally has Big Brother’s ways,” Xiao Kun said as he dried his hair, still bare-chested. “You still have much to learn. Hand it over.”
Xiao Kun took the Glazed Bottle, which was etched with strange Talismanic Runes—undoubtedly another magic treasure from Xiang Xian’s sect for suppressing evil and capturing demons. He explained, “The reason I could disperse and severely wound him was because I used my blood.”
“Oh?” Xiang Xian stared at Xiao Kun.
“You know that after the Blood Sacrifice, Senluo Wanxiang can cleave a Demon Person’s body and shatter their Demonic Qi,” Xiao Kun continued. “Do you remember the Seven Great Primordial Lights? Sun Wheel, Moon Shadow, Star Rays, Blazing Flame, Thunder Lightning, Bone Phosphorus, and Heart Lamp.”
“Mm.”
“The sixth light,” Xiao Kun explained, “is Bone Phosphorus, also known as the legendary ‘Netherworld Blazing Fire.’ The power of the Netherworld’s light resides in my body. After the Blood Sacrifice, it breaks Demonic Qi with the power of ‘death.’”
“Impressive! Truly impressive!” Xiang Xian exclaimed. “Big Brother is amazing!”
Xiao Kun: “…”
Xiao Kun often couldn’t tell if Xiang Xian was being sarcastic or genuinely praising him.
“But this ‘Seed’ can’t be fully destroyed without the Wisdom Sword or Heart Lamp,” Xiao Kun said.
“Hm, toss it into some Baleful Qi,” Xiang Xian said, his expression turning serious. “Given time, it might slowly regenerate.”
Xiao Kun held the Glazed Bottle up to the firelight for a closer look. The black seed inside was still alive but had lost all its power. It rotated slowly, and with no nearby Baleful Qi to absorb as sustenance, it remained in a state of extreme weakness.
“We’ll study it more carefully later.” Xiao Kun tossed the Glazed Bottle back.
Xiang Xian stowed it away. “So what’s next? Hold onto Mr. Liu as a hostage and wait for those Demon Persons to come rescue him?”
“He can’t serve as a hostage. King Mu doesn’t care at all. Even if all his subordinates are wiped out, with the Wheel of Fate, time will regress when the moment comes, and everything will return.”
Xiang Xian had considered this too. In the great battle outside the Gaochang Uyghur lands, the enemy could only be described as suffering a crushing defeat. Mr. Ying and Yan Yan were badly wounded, Mr. Liu captured, and Mr. Qin purified. King Mu’s plan to lead the Ba Army through Yumen Pass and invade the Central Plains had been thoroughly dismantled.
Why hadn’t he activated the Wheel of Fate yet to reverse causality? What was he waiting for? This perhaps confirmed their earlier speculation—the Wheel of Fate couldn’t be used at any time; it required a moment brimming with Demonic Qi or the accumulation of sufficient power.
Hulü Guang returned, carrying a string of rabbits.
“Master, do you want something fresh? Only rabbits this time.”
“Roast them,” Xiang Xian said. “I’m starving.”
Since leaving Yumen Pass, they had been eating irregularly. At least tonight they had a cave and didn’t have to camp in the freezing snow—a rare mercy. That night, a fierce blizzard howled, and the Kunlun Mountains grew even colder. Blasts of wind carried ice and snow pouring in occasionally. Xiang Xian lay across the cave entrance, blocking the wind.
Hulü Guang dozed off, leaning nearby on watch. Wu Yingzong shifted into his Ape Body form and held Chaosheng close to keep him warm.
“Bai Ju Er, go sleep. No need to stand watch,” Xiang Xian said. “Everyone, sleep. It’s too cold.”
Hulü Guang, bleary-eyed, crawled to the White Ape’s side. Xiao Kun lay down on the side closest to Xiang Xian—he simply couldn’t bring himself to curl up in Wu Yingzong’s arms like Chaosheng. A Huang curled up by Xiang Xian’s head. Though at the windward side, it still emanated warmth.
Xiao Kun said, “The winters in Great Liao were colder than this.”
The cave fell utterly quiet. Xiang Xian closed his eyes, unable to shake the thoughts from earlier that evening. But Xiao Kun had his back turned and said nothing.
Xiang Xian sometimes couldn’t help wondering how Xiao Kun saw him.
As a friend? A brother? A superior and subordinate? Or something else? That day in the Abyss Divine Palace, when Xiao Kun had shielded him with his own body and taken a Demon Spear for him in that instant, Xiang Xian knew he would never forget it for the rest of his life.
Blood had splattered, trickling down his neck and chest, soaking into his entire body. The sensation had shaken Xiang Xian to his core. The scorching blood felt as if it seeped into his skin, mingling with his own.
“What are you thinking about?” Xiao Kun suddenly asked.
Xiang Xian: “Can’t sleep?”
Xiao Kun: “Maybe I’ve gotten used to fighting. Now that things are calm, I can’t fall asleep.”
Xiang Xian pulled himself briefly from the memory and refocused. “Thinking about the snowy night we first met.”
“Mm.” Xiao Kun replied, “In Xuan Yue Mountain, I followed you for a long way.” He flipped over and added, “Tonight is much colder than that night.”
Xiang Xian teased, “I think you’re just too cold to sleep.”
“You’re right,” Xiao Kun said, starting to sit up. “I need to move. You’re not cold at all?”
Xiang Xian glanced inside the cave. Hulü Guang was nearly asleep, leaning against the Giant Ape, while Chaosheng had burrowed entirely into Old Wu’s embrace.
“No space inside,” Xiang Xian said. “Come here. I’ll hold you.”
Xiang Xian’s body was very warm. He embraced Xiao Kun from behind, letting him pillow on his arm. Xiao Kun shifted slightly and felt Xiang Xian’s chest radiate like a blazing sunrise, warming him right up.
