Chapter Twenty-Two: The Strange Flame

Facing the spear thrust at his eyes, Zhang Xiao turned his hand and slapped it aside, seizing the long spear in his grip. No matter how much force the other man exerted, he could not move it in the slightest.

“Hmph! How dare a grain of dust compete with the sun!” Zhang Xiao sneered coldly, squeezing his fingers. With a crisp snap, the long spear shattered in his grasp, breaking clean in two.

“How dare you attack the city garrison! Guards! Guards! There's a mutiny!” The man, startled by Zhang Xiao’s formidable strength, was immediately filled with fear. Yet, his eyes flickered and he shouted to the surrounding guards. In an instant, dozens of soldiers rushed forth from below. Unlike the sect disciples present, these guards were wreathed in a killing aura from head to toe. Though they were not butchers like Bai Qi, they too had crawled from mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Zhang Xiao’s eyes narrowed. He immediately recognized these soldiers as those who had emerged after the founding of the nation—armored men from the era of the First Emperor of Qin. After the First Emperor’s resurrection, these soldiers too had risen, their strength enhanced by the Way of Heaven. The weakest among them had reached the Foundation Establishment stage. While there were no true Golden Core experts among them, Zhang Xiao was certain that, should they unleash their power, they would be no less formidable than a Golden Core expert at mid-stage.

As Zhang Xiao was surrounded, the sect disciples nearby gleamed with anticipation. Malice crept into their faces as they looked upon him. Rumor had it that Zhang Xiao possessed a supreme treasure. If they killed him, perhaps that treasure would be forced out and fall into their hands. With this thought, even those disciples who had previously hesitated began to shout, accusing Zhang Xiao of rebellion.

“Silence! You lot, shut your mouths! Whether or not this is rebellion is for me to decide!” A veteran soldier stepped forward, sweeping his gaze over them. Though his strength was not the highest since his resurrection, his seasoned eye was sharp. Seeing Zhang Xiao’s calm composure amid the encirclement, the old soldier sensed he must be someone of status. The jeering disciples fell silent at his rebuke, for though they were Golden Core cultivators, they dared not challenge their superior. Moreover, despite these old soldiers’ low cultivation, in a real fight, the outcome was far from certain.

Only the disciple with a grudge against Zhang Xiao stepped forward, presenting his broken spear to the veteran. “Sir, look, this man wantonly destroyed my weapon and nearly injured me. He has no respect for the law!”

Taking the broken spear, the old soldier asked, “You’re one of the sect disciples serving in the army. What’s your name?”

“Sir, I am Fang Biao, a disciple of Mount Mao Sect,” Fang Biao replied honestly.

At this, Zhang Xiao recalled Fang Biao—once, during a sect tournament, this man would never stop until he had killed his opponent, even when victory was assured. He had been Wang Yanbo’s lapdog for a time, and with Wang Yanbo’s fall from grace, Fang Biao had likely been sent here for forced service because of it.

The old soldier cast Fang Biao a glance and tossed the broken spear back to him. “You fool. Your weapon was destroyed. When you return to camp, report to the discipline hall for fifty lashes.”

Fang Biao’s face changed, and he pointed at Zhang Xiao. “Sir, it wasn't my fault! That man is too powerful. He just fought with our garrison—surely that's rebellion!”

The old soldier slapped Fang Biao aside. “Did you not hear me? Stand to the side and stay quiet.” Then he turned to Zhang Xiao. “Sir, do you have anything to say?”

Though it was but a brief inquiry, the old soldier’s tone was extremely polite. Zhang Xiao admired his shrewd and tactful handling of the situation. Unsure of Zhang Xiao’s identity, he first placed the blame on Fang Biao to curry favor, hoping to draw out Zhang Xiao’s background.

Zhang Xiao saw through the old soldier’s methods but could not be bothered to expose him. With a turn of his palm, he produced a jade token and handed it over. At a glance, the old soldier’s face turned ashen. He returned the token with utmost respect. “Lord Protector, please forgive these green recruits. They know nothing and dared speak nonsense. I will see them severely punished upon my return.”

With that, the old soldier pointed at Fang Biao and the other sect disciples, ordering the nearby soldiers, “Seize these fools and take them to the military prison to await judgment!”

“Yes, sir!” Dozens of soldiers instantly drew their weapons and pressed them to Fang Biao and the others’ necks. Fang Biao froze, unable to believe what had just happened. He had only heard that Zhang Xiao was expelled from Mount Mao Sect; he had never heard that Zhang Xiao had become a Lord Protector. With not even a chance to resist, he and the others were subdued by the veterans.

Not only Fang Biao, but the other disciples were stunned as well, crying out their innocence. The old soldiers ignored their protests, dragging them away toward the barracks. The veteran then turned to Zhang Xiao. “Lord Protector, these miscreants have been apprehended. If you wish, you may hold court in our command tent.”

Zhang Xiao simply smiled. He had no interest in the likes of Fang Biao and waved a hand, declining. He then led Zi Yan into the city, not sparing a thought for Fang Biao’s fate.

The old soldier breathed a sigh of relief. Though he had handled the matter well, it had occurred under his watch. If Zhang Xiao had reported it to the general, he would not have escaped punishment. Knowing Zhang Xiao harbored no resentment, the old soldier felt at ease.

After entering the city, Zhang Xiao was struck by novelty at the sights before him. What fascinated him was the fusion of ancient architecture with modern structures, a refreshing and eye-opening scene. The streets were broad enough for eight four-wheeled carriages to travel side by side. Countless shops lined the thoroughfares, their signs advertising everything from Treasure Hall to Artifact Pavilion to Pill Houses—everything related to cultivation could be found here. There were even rare and exquisite ornaments that dazzled Zi Yan.

Yet, as a spirit of an artifact, Zi Yan had no use for jewelry and could only admire them with her eyes. The street food stalls, in particular, made Zi Yan’s heart yearn, but, bodiless as she was, she could not taste anything. Seeing Zi Yan’s pitiful, longing gaze, Zhang Xiao suddenly remembered a puppet art he had read about in the Lunar Profound Sutra—a technique that allowed spirits or ghosts to possess a puppet body. He wondered if it could be used for Zi Yan.

But even if he wished to try, he was powerless. The puppet art was only mentioned, with no instructions for its creation. Otherwise, with Zhang Xiao’s current status and wealth, he could easily gather the materials and craft a puppet. Of course, he wasn’t certain that a technique for ghosts and spirits would work for an artifact spirit like Zi Yan, so he chose not to mention it. After all, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment—and there was no need to give Zi Yan false expectations when he didn’t even know how to forge the puppet.

If one day he truly found a solution, it would not be too late to tell her then.

“We at Dragonrise Auction House are selling rare and precious treasures today! Fellow cultivators, come take a look!” On the street, a Foundation Establishment youth was handing out flyers while shouting energetically. Zhang Xiao was taken aback by the familiar sight—since the upheaval, people had been focused on advancing and cultivation. Who still handed out flyers on the street?

The scene made Zhang Xiao feel a wave of nostalgia. He walked over and took a flyer. The front bore the bold characters: Dragonrise Auction House! On the back was a long list of dozens of items to be auctioned that day. Zhang Xiao studied the list. Though the items were valuable, none caught his eye. Shaking his head, he flicked his wrist and burned the flyer to ash.

Seeing Zhang Xiao’s disappointed expression, the youth hurried over. “Senior, are you not interested in what we have up for auction?”

Zhang Xiao smiled at the boy, who looked only sixteen or seventeen. “At your age, you should be focusing on cultivation. Why waste time handing out flyers?”

Though everyone could cultivate since the world changed, the younger one started, the greater their potential. Now, apart from those who joined sects at the very beginning—like Zhang Xiao—the nine great sects had become increasingly strict in their recruitment.

The youth grinned. “I have no choice. Dragonrise Auction House belongs to our Shushan Sect. I made a mistake in the sect and was sent down to do hard labor as punishment. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be wasting time here.”

Zhang Xiao nodded and prepared to leave, but the youth quickly said, “Senior, our auction house has many rare treasures. There’s even a supreme treasure up for auction today. Would you be interested?”

“A supreme treasure?” What could it be that he did not already possess? His Bone Ring’s space contained the amassed wealth of two ancient monsters; his journey to Japan had yielded great rewards at Ise Shrine. Once he completed the first layer of the Sevenfold Mysterious Heaven Technique, he could lift some seals. What supreme treasure could possibly interest him? If it truly were a supreme treasure, the Shushan Sword Sect would never let it be auctioned off so simply.

Seeing Zhang Xiao’s indifferent attitude, the youth was not convinced. “Senior, I promise it’s a true treasure. I’ll tell you quietly—it is…”

As he reached the final words, the youth used a sound-transmitting technique to whisper to Zhang Xiao. At those words, a gleam flashed in Zhang Xiao’s eyes. “Really?”

The youth nodded firmly. “Really!”

Zhang Xiao’s face lit up with excitement. He accepted another flyer, and following the address, set off. Zi Yan, seeing Zhang Xiao’s fervor, asked curiously, “Young Master, is it truly a rare treasure?”

Zhang Xiao nodded, then shook his head. Zi Yan, unsatisfied, clung to his arm, pouting coquettishly. Faced with such a beguiling girl, Zhang Xiao’s resolve quickly crumbled.

“All right, all right,” he surrendered, “I’ll tell you. It’s rare, yes, but not truly a supreme treasure—just a wisp of primordial heavenly fire.”

—(The following is not part of the story)—

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