“Unhand me,” Ming Feizhen smiled once again, “or you’re going to be one hand less.” Still airborne, Ming Feizhen pivoted so that he could whip his free leg at Lord Miguo.
Neither Shaolin, Wudang or Mount Daluo taught disciples to kick with their spare leg when one leg got caught.
Ming Huayu’s motto for his students was, “Learn to extrapolate from a smattering of information,” for all skills. To be able to read ahead or see beyond what was shown was pretty much an innate talent one was born with or otherwise. Ming Feizhen didn’t have the talent to figure out his opponents and design a counter as fast as his teachers. One could say he was “less Mount Daluo” than his siblings in that facet. That said, Ming Huayu only expected them to replicate what they saw, not learn everything they saw. As long as they mastered their own discipline, then that was plenty. Ming Feizhen’s stabbing kick was a recreation of Zhuo Fengru’s sword thrust.
Ming Feizhen’s swift kick failed to budge Lord Miguo just as Zhuo Fengru failed to budge him when they fought. Lord Miguo swung Ming Feizhen by the leg he had a hold on, cracking the ground with Ming Feizhen’s body. Next, he hoisted Ming Feizhen up and, again, slammed Ming Feizhen into the ground.
“He’s in a trouble now,” Zhuxing Wuchang opined. “Nobody besides Lotus Cult’s leader has ever mastered two disciplines. Love him or hate him, Lord Miguo is one hell of a man.”
“What does that mean? How did the monk suddenly grow stronger?” Hua Qing questioned.
“The monk has now mastered the most advanced level of Lotus Cult’s Vajra Realm. In addition to possessing an impregnable body, he can also withstand attacks directed at his insides. That’s how he emerged from the true qi explosion unscathed. His resistance to damage isn’t the only part that makes him tough now. Thanks to his advancements, he can virtually absorb infinite energy. Right now, the kid is eating the true qi he dished out before with his kick.”
Lord Miguo stopped using Ming Feizhen as a hammer, but he continued monitoring Ming Feizhen through the dust. Yet, Ming Feizhen managed to slip his leg out of Lord Miguo’s grip and then pummelled Lord Miguo’s head from above, driving Lord Miguo into the pile of rubble.
When Ming Feizhen reappeared outside of the dust screen, not even his clothes were damaged. To the contrary, he was beaming. He utilised Tai Chi to dissolve all of the damage he should’ve suffered from Lord Miguo’s wrestling.
Lord Miguo, too, emerged without any damage sustained.
“Absorbing your opponent’s, giving them a taste of their own power and possessing a body that’s impervious to physical harm.” Ming Feizhen cracked his neck as he dusted himself off. “I must ask: how much energy and how much damage can you absorb?”
Ming Feizhen jumped up at a milder velocity than previous times and forced Lord Miguo into a trading war. Both of them abandoned defence and logic, treating their confrontation as a slug fest. Lord Miguo went along with Ming Feizhen’s thoughtless boxing, matching the latter’s power punch for punch. The difference was that Lord Miguo’s output came from Ming Feizhen. The billowing winds each time they unleashed a punch travelled dozens of metres and continued to extend their reach as the amount of force Lord Miguo returned built up.
A slug fest was another phrase for a war of attrition, and this match was no exception. Ming Feizhen constantly expended energy, while Lord Miguo had a sturdy body that could endure immense damage. Yet, Ming Feizhen’s eyes continued to gleam brighter and brighter right before Lord Miguo’s eyes. The glow combined with Ming Feizhen’s growing fuel tank impelled Lord Miguo to do the last thing anyone would expect – disengage.
Ming Feizhen stalked Lord Miguo with the excitement of a beast smelling blood.
Bai Tianbin: “What are you running for? Let’s go after them.”
“Please do not go.” One of Miguo Branch’s disciples placed his fist and palm together. “The forest in that direction is our group’s confidential zone. Outsiders are prohibited from entering.”
Bai Tianbin blew his beard. “And if I insist?”
“His Excellency ordered us to kill all those who trespass. We may not be your match, but we will go down trying. You did not come all the way here to fight with us, did you?”
Indeed, Bai Tianbin couldn’t make an enemy out of Miguo Branch yet for the sake of his primary objective. The other two unorthodox factions were in the same boat.
Hua Qing would’ve gone after them, “would’ve” because he had no clue where the two had gone off to. Moreover, without Zhuxing Wuchang’s protection, he’d immediately become a captive.
***
Ming Feizhen pulled over in the forest, where Lord Miguo was standing ready for him. “Given you led me to this place that not even a rat would want to take a piss at, you must be plotting something malicious.”
Lord Miguo murmured a Buddhism phrase under his breath, then pointed to a white rock underneath the foliage beside him.
Whenever sunrays hit the white rock, the rays went through the transparent rock. Ming Feizhen wasn’t remotely educated on gems and the sort, but he could tell how precious it was based on the amount of uncanny energy stored within.
“I chose Shennong as my base because of the abundance of special rocks in the area. The volume and types here were the perfect for constructing the lotus platform.”
Ming Feizhen picked his nose, then blew his finger. “You mean the thing I crashed into?”
“… Yes.” Though Lord Miguo didn’t raise his voice, he was displeased. “Among the rocks here, there are sun and moon rocks.”
“Never heard of them. How much they worth? A hundred thousand?”
“Yes.” Lord Miguo pointed to the enormous white rock again. “Sunlight and moonlight rocks are natural rocks that possess either purely yang or purely yin properties. Sunlight rocks can neutralise yin qi, making it the weakness of all yin-based disciplines. Likewise, moonlight rocks are the weakness of Buddhism disciplines. Normally, a small sunlight stone is enough to immobilise a yin-based practitioner for a day. You could sell thirty-eight grams on the black market for two blocks of gold. A rock of this sold only exists on this mountain, and it’s the only place I’ve seen one of this side. They are priceless. I’ve already found a use for moonlight rock. This one is a sunlight rock.”
“That thing… must be worth more than a million…”
“I’m not your match.”
Ming Feizhen wiped his drool. “What was that?”
“… Even with mastery of two coveted disciplines, I may not be in the same realm as adepts.”
“Sounds like you really are referring to some specific realm.”
“Indeed. It’s the zenith of martial arts, a realm that grants you an ability to do as you please. We call it Amoghavajra Secret Realm. If I’m not wrong, your people refer to it as Divine Realm.”
Ming Feizhen locked eyes with Lord Miguo.
“Like you, I’m a step away from reaching it. If we’re in the same realm, I can’t beat you,” Lord Miguo continued.
“… So, we’ve moved on to the part where you beg me for mercy?”
“Of course not. I told you I brought you here because of this rock.”
“You wouldn’t have hid a sword in it to stab me or something, would you?”
Lord Miguo smiled.
Ming Feizhen sifted through everything Lord Miguo said to figure out the source of his unease. “If you plan to use a rock of legends to beat me, shouldn’t you use another one? Surely you’re aware what discipline I’m a practitioner of…” Ming Feizhen suddenly wobbled as his vision was fuzzed.
“I know you’re a practitioner of authentic Buddhism martial arts; however, monsters will always be monsters.”
Ming Feizhen’s eyes turned red whilst he felt a surge of energy come forth inside him. The only thing that kept him from stepping over to the other side of his sanity was the scant rationality in his head. Although it was only a short moment, Ming Feizhen felt as though he had been wrestling with the urge to cave in for days to bring his torso back up, steady his legs and drive out the red in his eyes. Nonetheless, he perspired more fighting it off than his entire round one against Lord Miguo.
Despite regaining control over his body, Ming Feizhen felt as though his body weight had multiplied several folds. Even though he managed to expel the foreign energy that displaced the balance inside him, the effects lingered. He saw seven maidens standing in seven locations and some sort of inscription on the ground.
“You have my respect from escaping the illusion so fast. It took you only five minutes.” Reading the question in Ming Feizhen’s eyes, Lord Miguo elaborated, “As a creation of nature, the rock can’t impose its power by itself. The only way to restrain people with it is through a formation that is powered by blood. This is the most standard formation for restraining strong people. Your discipline teaches you to tackle illusions, but it can’t restore freedom of movement. If I were you, I would stop resisting now.”
“Fine by me.” Ming Feeizhen at down on the ground and grabbed his head. “If you can kill me, go ahead. Why haven’t you? Saving me for New Year or something? I’ll bet anything this thing can’t kill and that you can’t kill me while I’m inside the formation. Given it uses blood as its foundation, it’s inevitably connected to the blood and qi of the caster. Once the caster gets into a fight, they may just die first.”
“Smart kid.”
Ming Feizhen swept his gaze around. “Pretty ladies, correct me if I’m wrong, but you come from a group with ‘Sky’ as the first word, correct?”
Neither of the seven maidens replied.
Ming Feizhen rubbed his chin. “Really? I thought you were employees of Sky Palace Court.”
“Who are you calling takeaway?!” One of the maidens yelled, only to receive a silencing glare from one of her allies.
Sky Palace Court was the most famous brothel in Jingchu.
“Miss Ruisi, don’t scold her. I honestly identified you by your smells. I still remember the taste of your lips and the smell of your breath when we kissed. It’s not your friends’ fault.”
Ruisi’s six subordinates looked to her, prompting the maiden wearing a face veil to stomp her foot.
“So you’re helping Miguo Branch, huh? I was wondering how this coot managed to develop so much in a matter of years.” Ming Feizhen laid onto the ground.
Lord Miguo said, “There was once a man like you, indifferent even when he had a blade at his neck. Like him, you’re weak, too.”
Ming Feizhen looked over to Lord Miguo.
“You have a special energy inside you. Thanks to the formation, I can sense it. The energy is the polar opposite of Buddhism, yet it’s a natural creation of violence. Had you used the energy from the beginning, I might not have had any chance. It’s too late now, unfortunately for you. You are the one who will fall. I don’t know what your shifu, One Word to Change Worlds, taught you, but someone who is afraid to commit murder is a weakling waiting to be murdered. Sit here and watch as I sacrifice your friends one by one for my ceremony.”
Glossary
Jingchu – Now Hubei Province.
