Chapter 31: Demonic Heresy

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The teasing of the two special commissioners continued for nearly ten minutes, until Captain Huaisu, red-faced with anger and humiliation, threatened to throw the crystal out the window. Only then did the shameless middle-aged man and the snake agree to stop.

After everyone recounted what had happened during the day, the group fell silent in thought.

“Let’s take things one at a time. We’ll start with Jie Wen’s message.” Ji Qiufeng spoke first. “Youyou, do you remember anything about this?”

“I had completely lost consciousness back then. I didn’t even know when he left the city,” Youyou said dejectedly. “Damn it... I don’t even have the strength to cast the hexagram now...”

The final ingredient was an unsolvable dead end. Jie Wen had been racing against time when he acted, and by the time he returned to the city, his injuries were too severe. He had not even managed to leave a final word before dying, entrusting them with nothing more than the pestle. Not only had the panicked Jie An failed to react in time; even Youyou had been caught off guard. Now, they had no way of knowing what arrangements Jie Wen had made back then, let alone finding any clues.

“I may have an idea,” Jie An said softly.

Everyone immediately fell silent. Even through the crystal, the anticipation in the room was palpable. Jie An shrank back instead, stammering, “It may not be right. I’m just guessing...”

“Spit it out!” Ji Huaisu said bluntly.

“We’ll have to look into it first. It’s hard to say.” Jie An was deliberately vague. “Chu Hengkong, this afternoon, help me investigate a few more shops that sell ‘wet tea.’ Find out which prescriptions sell best, and what illnesses have been common over the past two years.”

“Sure.” Chu Hengkong agreed at once. “You suspect a plant?”

“More or less. I still have a fairly good sense of what my old man means when he talks.” Jie An smiled.

“What? How did we get from that to plants?” Ji Huaisu asked, utterly bewildered.

The others tacitly ignored the confused girl. Captain Ji was, after all, a precious combat specialist. Her role in meetings was to hear the conclusions, not to participate in the discussion.

Chu Hengkong continued, “The second matter is the enemy hiding in the shadows. I took a serious beating today, and I have no intention of swallowing it forever. What kind of technique was that immobilization spell?”

“That was hardly a loss worth complaining about.” Ji Qiufeng sounded unhurried. “No matter how formidable you are, you’re still only a pair of ‘Deft Hands.’ Naturally, you couldn’t defeat a ‘Cornerstone’ backed by a whole group of ‘Glimmers.’”

“Cornerstone”... He had heard that term before. Jie An called himself a “Cornerstone.” As one of the higher-ups in the group, he was certainly an Ascendant as well. Youyou had also mentioned other paths...

“Are Cornerstone and Glimmer both First Particles?” Chu Hengkong asked. “I thought the starting point for those two paths was also Deft Hands.”

“Great Inspector, don’t assume everyone has a head full of muscle like you do. If one couldn’t Ascend without practicing martial arts, how would anyone with a normal brain survive?” Jie An said sarcastically. “The First Particle, ‘Cornerstone,’ requires either keen powers of observation or possession of an item with extraordinary power. After Ascension, one can make efficient use of the environment and unleash an item’s power to its fullest extent.”

Jie An’s description was vivid and animated.

“That Cornerstone must possess a powerful mind-control relic. He used the environment to conceal the Luminous Corpses, then used the enhanced relic to trip you up from a distance, taking advantage of the opportunity to send in an ambush and overwhelm you! He meant to pin that country bumpkin who had never seen the world into the mud and crush him to death!”

Chu Hengkong had no time to retort. He carefully replayed the deadly trap in his mind. That Cornerstone had been able to pinpoint his location with precision, which meant the enemy possessed some means of observing beyond line of sight. He had been able to command the Luminous Corpses at will, proving that the relic’s power was remarkably strong...

And a simple killing trap was often the most effective. He could no longer remember how many underworld big shots had been shot dead by some passerby. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that without Ji Huaisu’s arrival, he would almost certainly have died. This had truly been a narrow escape.

At that moment, Ji Huaisu began nitpicking.

“Chef, your reconstruction of the scene is missing something. What happened to the puppet at the beginning?”

“That wasn’t the Cornerstone’s doing.” Jie An shook his head immediately. “No matter how powerful a relic is, it still needs a ‘spirit’ to control. It’s like how you can’t use hypnosis to control a plate of grilled squid. You could wave your hand until your arm went numb, but it would still be a plate of dead flesh, not a living creature.”

“Then the assassin was someone else...” Ji Huaisu curled her lips. “Too bad we didn’t get any clues.”

After the commotion caused by the mud-coated Luminous Corpses, the battered puppet had vanished without anyone noticing. There must still have been accomplices of the assassin within the settlement, but the situation had been too chaotic for the two of them to search systematically.

“It was most likely another product of the Black Workshop. The only difference is whether they acted on their own or someone else commissioned them,” Ji Qiufeng said. “As for those mud-coated Luminous Corpses, they were ‘Glimmers.’ Can you guess what power a Glimmer possesses?”

He was asking Chu Hengkong, who answered without hesitation.

“The First Particle of light, I presume. Like Ji Huaisu.”

“Correct!” Ji Qiufeng said. “But only halfway. Huaisu is the Second Particle, ‘Shadow Reversal.’”

Ji Huaisu thrust out her chest, looking immensely pleased with herself.

The First Particle was light, and the Second Particle was shadow. Ji Huaisu’s path of Ascension sounded like something out of an elemental mage’s repertoire, yet she had somehow turned that power into the strength of a berserker. It certainly had her personal style.

Ignoring his partner’s expression, which practically screamed, I’m incredible, praise me already, Chu Hengkong said calmly, “Next, let’s discuss the Luminous Corpses...”

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Ji Huaisu slapped the bed and sprang to her feet.

“Hey! Shouldn’t you at least say something like ‘Captain Huaisu’s divine technique is invincible’ first?”

“It’s common knowledge. There’s no need to keep repeating it.” Chu Hengkong tried to soothe her. “If the Luminous Corpses are Glimmers too, then wouldn’t the swamp now be covered in First Particles? Are Ascendants really that cheap?”

“You’re quite right. Ascension shouldn’t be so easy, which is why the Luminous Corpses are an aberration from the forbidden paths.” Disgust colored Youyou’s voice. “I’ll deal with this. Little An, work a little harder over the next two days and make a few more pills. I’ll put some effort into repairing several armored vehicles and crush these things completely, before they have any chance to raise their heads.”

Ji Qiufeng offered only a brief addition.

“Huaisu, Hengkong, you two be careful as well. Don’t come into contact with any more mud-like Luminous Corpses.”

Chu Hengkong frowned. Ji Qiufeng had provided far too little information this time. That was not the attitude of a responsible man.

As if anticipating his dissatisfaction, Ji Qiufeng gave a soft laugh.

“Hearing too much is bad for your destiny.”

“Bad for what?” Chu Hengkong asked in surprise.

“Destiny. Repeat after me: destiny.” Youyou solemnly repeated the ridiculous word. “Some knowledge contains malice. The more deeply you understand it, the more it affects you, and the more likely you are to encounter things you were never meant to see. By then, your destiny will have been contaminated, and you’ll never escape the vortex of madness for the rest of your life. So don’t dig too deeply whenever something happens. If someone tries to explain the enemy’s background to you in the future, that only means he’s full of wicked schemes and wants to harm you.”

•

“Luminous Corpses are a special kind of ‘Glimmer,’ born from the lingering aura of certain higher beings. These unnatural walking corpses are the residue of dead life, monsters formed from broken desires and tangled emotions. In the world beyond Whirling Dragon City, they are called ‘Calamity Species.’”

Incense smoke drifted through the secret chamber, while the liquid in the jeweled cup was as murky as mud. The great mage Adali sipped his medicinal wine absently, his attention fixed entirely on the other man’s words.

The speaker kept half his body concealed in shadow. He wore a snow-white top hat, and his gleaming leather shoes reflected the candlelight. His magnetic voice was brimming with confidence. Anyone who heard it would think him a gifted storyteller, capable of capturing another’s attention with only a few words.

“You may think the name is an exaggeration, but that is precisely what they are. For the Luminous Corpses, feeding is equivalent to reproduction. They absorb the strength and emotions of the living, leaving behind only glowing fragments within the corpse. The gnawed remains become new Luminous Corpses, which, driven by desire, devour the members of their former kind. Once, they destroyed an ancient kingdom in this manner. Afterward, they continued to feed upon one another amid the barren ruins.”

Adali imagined Luminous Corpses wandering through ruined castles, and grotesque bodies swelling into enormous forms after devouring too much power. Even his usual composure could not keep a chill from creeping over him. A wasteland without hope could be nothing else. Compared with it, even Whirling Dragon City seemed like paradise.

“Is this how higher beings exterminate civilizations?” Adali asked.

“How could it be?” The storytelling man chuckled. “The higher beings were merely passing by, just as a human might unknowingly breathe while walking past an anthill.”

Adali drew a deep breath. He stared across the table at the man as a venomous snake might stare at another beast.

“You sold me something extraordinary.”

“I have always provided my customers with quality goods.” The man raised his cup.

“And all I paid was a mere thirty demonic hosts,” Adali continued. “That price is far too cheap. I cannot afford something so precious.”

The man shook his head.

“You’re mistaken, Adali. Demons are even more wondrous forms of life. You simply don’t know how to draw out their power... This is a perfectly fair transaction. I can even grant you an additional request.”

“Then I want you to remember my name.” Adali spoke each word distinctly. “When you leave Whirling Dragon City, I want a place aboard your ship.”

The man was taken aback, then smiled. His smile turned into laughter. Pressing down hard on his hat, he laughed until he could scarcely close his mouth.

“Forgive me, forgive me. I had no idea your misunderstanding ran so deep! I have no intention of leaving. I love this city. Whirling Dragon City is my homeland and my refuge. Would you ever leave your homeland forever?”

This time, Adali was genuinely shocked. He felt as though he were speaking to a madman.

“You released Luminous Corpses in your own homeland.”

“It will give the place a little vitality after so long.” The man did not seem to care. “To be honest, I never expected you to be willing to buy them. With your abilities, you could live quite well in the swamp. Even if the Calamity Knight truly came, they would merely recruit you. There’s no need to fight to the bitter end.”

“Recruit me?” Adali sneered. “How interesting. I thought you had learned a great deal from those major clients of yours, but it seems they failed to tell you the most important thing... Where do you think you are?”

The man in the top hat listened with interest.

“I’m in Whirling Dragon City.”

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“Yes, you’re in the city. This city has no sky, only the Whirling Dragon Waterfall. It hangs down from the heavens all the way to the farthest reaches of the inner court, where it intersects with itself at a depth greater than the swamp, forming the ‘bottom.’ What do you think this city looks like from the outside?”

The man in the top hat took out a flowing water orb and placed it on the table, watching the currents endlessly circle within the sphere.

“A treasure in a glass bead.”

“You’re not stupid. This is a bead made of water. Now answer my final question.” Adali’s voice turned grim. “Where does the water in the Whirling Dragon Water Curtain come from?”

The man in the top hat froze.

He was a native of this place, born in the workshop and raised beneath the water curtain. To him, the torrents that carried weapons along were simply a natural part of the world. The sky was supposed to be water, and the water was supposed to contain all manner of strange things. There was no “why,” just as light and air had always existed in the world.

But Adali felt that it should not be this way. If the sky had never possessed water, where had all that water come from? So many torrents hurried in and hurried away, carrying weapons from every corner of the world...

The candlelight flickered, and the man in the top hat’s eyes grew profound.

With a mocking curl of his lips, Adali picked up the water orb and dropped it into the cup. Ripples spread through the emerald-green medicinal wine.

“This is the truth.”

The disturbance caused by the falling orb briefly cleared the murky liquid. The bottom of the cup was filled with writhing darkness. The things steeping in the wine were living insects—one after another, all alive.

Startled awake by the disturbance, they uncurled from their egg-like shapes and bared their sharp teeth at the water orb. Layer upon layer of ugly insect bodies swallowed the crystal-clear bead, which finally shattered inside the cup with a faint crack.

“I am the great mage of the Assembly of All Spirits. I can hear the voices within the currents. You cannot imagine how many eyes exist beyond the glass bead. They speak of greed and hunger, while ignorant fools call them gods!”

Adali laughed hysterically. He lifted the jeweled cup and drained it in one gulp, tearing the long insects apart and swallowing them into his belly.

“Oh,” said the man in the top hat. “No malice. I’m not particularly fond of your health tonic.”

Adali leaned back in his chair, the smile gradually fading from his face.

“The City Lord’s Office has concealed the truth all this time. They would rather seal off the water curtain and let everyone wait for death in this dead end! And you call that recruitment? I intend to fight those charlatans who deceive the world and steal its fame to the bitter end!”

No wonder the man always wore such a loathsome expression. He hated all of this from the bottom of his heart, and by extension hated everyone in the city. He thought the ignorant people of the swamp were idiots and the City Lord’s Office in the inner court a pack of villains. Since everyone was destined to die sooner or later, he could use human lives without the slightest psychological burden.

The man in the top hat met his gaze, and for some reason felt that he was truly pathetic. He rose and pushed open the door, then turned back before leaving.

“That was the most religious you’ve ever sounded. Your feelings were genuine and your conviction persuasive. You certainly live up to your name, Great Mage Adali,” he said. “But I still can’t help adding one thing: if you’ve just bought Luminous Corpses, could you please stop pretending to be some great champion of justice?”

The man gave a contemptuous laugh.

“Fool the fools if you like. Just don’t fool yourself.”

“Remember the additional compensation you owe me,” Adali said.

Adali allowed him to leave the secret chamber. Their partnership had ended. From that point onward, neither of them had any say over what the other chose to do.

He sat in silence for a while, feeling the dying insects writhe in his stomach and drawing strange vitality from them. Once he felt better, he pushed open the door.

Beyond it, voices surged like an ocean. Beneath the blinding light, frenzied shadows writhed like a nest of snakes.

The secret chamber led directly to the upper reaches of a chapel. Outside the carved glass windows, bright yellow petals drifted through the air like snow. The church stood amid a sea of flowers, and nearly every inch of its interior was packed with worshippers. Flowing water orbs and relics had been piled upon the altar into a small mountain.

Adali climbed to the high pulpit. Thousands of eyes followed his steps. He tapped his staff, and its bell chimed. The crowd instantly fell silent, waiting for his command.

Monks in white robes entered the crowd carrying pills in granular form. Adali casually traced several marks in the air and said impatiently, “Come and receive the spirit medicine. In the name of the gods, I grant you peace.”

In an instant, the crowd’s cheers rose like a tidal wave. The ecstatic believers leaped, sang praises, and fell to their knees in prayer.

Adali looked down upon the believers of countless different races and felt that he had done nothing particularly significant. The swamp was already a gathering place for the walking dead. Mindless, soulless believers were as easy to control as mud.

Compared with them, the Luminous Corpses merely possessed a little more light.

“By the generous grace of the gods, I shall now deliver a new revelation...”

Adali had already prepared his speech. Killing those two would be difficult, but driving them away would be easy. All he needed was one small lie...

A lie about the Calamity Knight’s shield, and the light within the Luminous Corpses.

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