Chapter 18- Into The Wind

The dagger was the best thing they found. To their immense frustration, the Gu Masters weren’t actually poor. They were quite rich. It’s just that their wealth was in their curse-insects and the things needed to cultivate curse-insects. There was some debate about whether to incinerate all of it, but they decided to hang on to everything for now. First, because neither of them were confident in making a fire hot enough to burn such evil things, and second, technically it wasn’t valueless, which meant it was reportable loot to be divided.

“It’s going to go to a Treasure Weighing Magistrate.” Hong lay sprawled against the red sands, moodily munching on a steamed bun. The twice-baked pork had been long since devoured, and even the vegetables had been eaten clean up. They were just filling in the corners of their stomachs now, and to both their surprises, they were ravenous.

After seeing the slaughter around the wagons, both had wondered if they would ever want to eat again.

“What’s a Treasure Weighing Magistrate?”

“When there is a conflict over how to divide loot, or the origins of the loot are too complicated, it goes to an expert on the sect regulations to sort out,” Hong recited. Then her face shifted slightly. Tian wondered if she knew her expression changed when she was reciting things she had been told. “In our case, there are the heretics you killed, the heretics I killed, the loot from the wagons, the loot from people killed by our Brothers and Sisters, and whoever was killed by Martial Uncle Ku. Each one is entitled to varying shares of each source of loot, and to make things more complicated, we don’t know exactly who killed what.”

Tian nodded. He decided to run away and live in the jungle if anyone ever tried to make him a Treasure Weighing Magistrate. Hong was moving better than he thought she would be. The book said the poison would leave her weak for about a week. Maybe because she hadn’t been ‘dead’ for that long?

“Well, at least we got two hundred and thirty four spirit crystals out of them. That’s two hundred and thirty four more than I was expecting.” Tian said, optimistically. “Plus there are some talismans. That’s good. And wine. We can trade that. I don’t want to drink the tea, though. It doesn’t look safe at all.”

“True.” She sighed. “I just,” she waved her hands. “A whole caravan worth of treasure and the loot from twenty or so level nine cultivators, and it’s just this much. I wanted more.”

I wanted more too. The dagger is something at least, but I was hoping for something… dramatic. Another strange statue would have been good. I had some hopes for that eerie picture but it’s just a visualization technique for some fifth rate evil art. Why are all these heretics so damned disappointing?! They are driving this old man crazy!

Tian nodded, agreeing with both of the voices. He fiddled with the snake dagger. It was a nasty thing. He wasn’t quite sure what the curse was supposed to do, but he was betting on some kind of poison. Not that he would use it to attack someone. It was just a cultivation aid for him.

“You really like that dagger.”

“It works well with my body.”

“Huh? You mean your physique?”

“Something like that.” He nodded. Grandpa had made it very clear he shouldn’t talk casually about the Hell Suppressing Sutra. A mildly interesting physique was fine. Telling people you had a statue that could transform you into a body capable of eating curses was simply courting death.

“Hah. Well. For what it’s worth, my physique will have me ready to fight by midday tomorrow.” Hong smiled bitterly. “Better than ever.”

“Oh? What’s your physique?”2

“Southern Mountain.”

Tian blinked and took a second look at her. There were red hairs mixed in with the black stubble on her head, and if he remembered correctly, she practiced a fire related spear art. “I was sure it was fire related.”

“It is.” She didn’t look happy about that fact, rubbing her shoulders roughly against the sand.

“I don’t understand.”

“Phoenixes.”

The fire crackled, the winds blew, and sand rasped against sand. Eventually, Tian looked up from the fire and said “I have a theory that I can fix your brain if I just kick you in the head enough. Now seems like a good time.”

“Ancestors give me strength!”

“They did, you come from a cultivator family.”

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Hong buried her face in her hands and muffled a scream. “The physique. Is related. To where phoenixes live. The auspicious beast is said to live on an immortal parasol tree on a mountain in the extreme south. And some other places, but the mountain in the south is why the physique has that name.”

“Oh.”

“And phoenixes are associated with…?”

Tian looked at her curiously. Eventually Hong gave up.

“The physique isn’t very good at any one thing, but it does let me get better, quicker from minor things. I never got sick even when I was a mortal, and I can train until my body is about to break and be totally fresh the next day. It’s less good at serious wounds, but it’s better than many.”

“That’s a good thing. I’m not sure why you look like it’s a bad thing.”