Youth must be seized in its prime; how can one remain forever young? Chapter Two: The Duel beneath the Scorching Sun

Bai Qingzhou stared ahead in shock at Qin Feng, who was slowly lowering his bow. That arrow had been loosed by Qin Feng himself—one shot, one kill.

"Qin Feng, you..." Bai Qingzhou exclaimed in disbelief.

To the eyes of ordinary people, immortals who had set foot on the path of cultivation could ride clouds and fly, their bodies clad in invisible armor that rendered them invulnerable to mortal weapons.

Qin Feng placed his bow on the ground and said to Bai Qingzhou with a note of dejection, "Qingzhou, Second Chief was burned to death by him..."

Bai Qingzhou fell silent for a moment before saying, "But you shot him dead too. We must leave this place quickly. If any more immortals arrive, we'll be doomed."

As he spoke, he reached out to grab Qin Feng's wrist, intending to pull him away from the scene.

But Qin Feng shook him off, replying in a low, firm voice, "Wait. I have to bury Second Chief." Without another word, he hurried forward. Bai Qingzhou, knowing how close Qin Feng was to Second Chief, gritted his teeth and followed.

The air was thick with the stench of blood. Corpses littered the ground, blood flowed freely, and the ferocity of the fighting had left a pungent, nauseating odor that assaulted their senses. Bai Qingzhou nearly gagged.

When they came upon Second Chief's charred body, Qin Feng dropped to his knees at the corpse's side, his expression vacant, lost in thought.

"Second Chief..." he murmured.

Bai Qingzhou knew that Qin Feng often went hunting with Second Chief and their bond ran deep. Now, seeing the once lively men all lying motionless, burned to blackened husks, Bai Qingzhou felt a wave of grief and sorrow.

He watched Qin Feng staring into space, his mind whirling with thoughts.

After a short while—

Rustling footsteps suddenly broke the silence. Bai Qingzhou's heart leapt; he turned quickly and saw six or seven furtive figures approaching. Peering intently, he recognized them: it was Chief Jin Huo and several other seasoned bandits.

The group advanced cautiously, with Jin Huo calling out from a distance, "Bai Qingzhou, what happened to that Xuanyang Sect man? Why did he go quiet?"

None of them dared venture too close.

Bai Qingzhou answered directly, "He's dead."

"How was he killed?"

"Shot through with an arrow."

Jin Huo craned his neck for a better look, then said, "Go check his body again."

Realizing Jin Huo didn't believe him, Bai Qingzhou understood his concern—that the Xuanyang Sect man might be feigning death. With no other option, he went to the palanquin to investigate.

Zhang Dehai was slumped against the palanquin door, an arrow jutting from his face, still oozing blood. Talisman papers were scattered around him. There was no chance he had survived.

"He's truly dead," Bai Qingzhou reported.

Only then did Jin Huo and the others dare to approach. After confirming the man was dead, they finally relaxed.

Jin Huo patted his chest, remarking with lingering fear, "Damn it, that scared the life out of me. The bastard could use fire! Lucky for me, I ran fast enough."

"Yeah, it was terrifying. Look at Second Chief—such a fierce man, gone in a blink."

"Good thing he dropped dead suddenly. Otherwise, we'd all have been burned alive."

"We escaped death this time—there must be good fortune ahead!"

"Did anyone see who killed him?"

The bandits, realizing they had survived a calamity, began chattering all at once, their emotions running high.

Jin Huo turned to Bai Qingzhou. "Hey, who shot that bastard? Did you see?"

In the chaos of their flight, none had witnessed Qin Feng fire the fatal arrow.

Bai Qingzhou pointed to Qin Feng, still kneeling, and replied honestly, "It was Qin Feng."

"Qin Feng, the man's dead already—what are you kneeling for? Get over here!" Jin Huo beckoned impatiently.

Qin Feng stood, wiped the tears from his eyes, and walked over to the group.

"So it was you who finished him off?" Jin Huo asked.

Qin Feng's eyes were still red, but he replied simply, "Yes."

"How did you do it?"

"I saw him burn Second Chief..." At the mention of Second Chief, a trace of sorrow crossed Qin Feng's face. "In a fit of rage, I shot an arrow at him—didn't expect it would kill him outright."

The group murmured in disbelief, surprised that such a so-called immortal could be so vulnerable.

Jin Huo laughed heartily, clapping Qin Feng on the shoulder. "Good lad! First time in a real fight and you take out a so-called immortal—there's a future for you!"

But one nervous bandit asked, "Chief, what do we do now?"

"Yeah, Chief, he's from Xuanyang Sect. If they find out we've killed one of their own..."

The group was at a loss. They had no experience dealing with the aftermath of killing a cultivator.

Jin Huo looked around at the seven men who had followed him—usually the bravest among the bandits, but now each one looked uneasy. He barked, "What are you afraid of? It's just one lousy cultivator. What's done is done. What can they do?"

He paused, then continued, "We simply keep this to ourselves! Immortals or not, they're no different from common folk—just toss all the bodies in a ravine. I don't believe Xuanyang Sect will ever find us."

Though still uneasy, the men drew some reassurance from his words and nodded slowly.

"Besides, he must have something valuable on him. Go check!"

Jin Huo's words snapped them from their fear, and the group swarmed over Zhang Dehai's corpse to search him.

When it came to loot, all fear vanished. In no time, they had stripped Zhang Dehai bare and ransacked the palanquin.

Upon inspection, they found his body was no different from any ordinary corpse—a fact that eased the nerves of these blood-hardened bandits.

After tallying up the spoils, their haul consisted of a set of gray robes, a silver hairpin, a pair of boots, a book, twenty-seven yellow talismans, a Xuanyang Sect waist token, and seven hundred and twenty taels of silver.

It was quite a bounty.

"Chief, how should we divide these things?" one bandit asked quietly.

Jin Huo glanced around, noting the various expressions. He knew he couldn't claim everything for himself without inciting anger. After a moment’s thought, he declared, "Here’s how it’ll go! I’ll take the robes and boots. The hairpin goes to Qin Feng—he did the killing. The talismans and silver are split among you, and the book is for all ten of us to study together. Agreed?"

The group exchanged glances in silence.

"What about the waist token?" another bandit asked.

"Idiot! If you take that out and people see it, we're all dead! Throw it away!"

"Yes, yes..."

Jin Huo thought for a moment more. "As for the book, Bai Qingzhou will keep it for now."

Bai Qingzhou was surprised. "But something this valuable..."

"Only you can read. You keep it. Tonight, you’ll explain it to us—understood?" Jin Huo paused, then added menacingly, "But don’t get any funny ideas. If I catch you lying, I can crush you with one hand!"

Bai Qingzhou replied nervously, "I understand..."

Everyone kept their own counsel, but no one objected to Jin Huo’s plan. Though he claimed the choicest items, the rest of his division was fair enough to avoid open dissent.

After a long silence with no objections, Jin Huo waved his hand. "Enough thinking—it's settled!"

The loot was quickly divided. Bai Qingzhou and a silent Qin Feng each received ninety taels of silver and three talismans; Qin Feng also got the silver hairpin.

During the division, Bai Qingzhou caught a glimpse of the book’s title.

"Sunfire Scripture"

Seeing those words, Bai Qingzhou recalled the powerful talisman magic from earlier—was this an immortal technique?

With the loot settled, the group set about dealing with the bodies. Bai Qingzhou helped Qin Feng bury Second Chief. It took them an hour to dispose of all the remains in the mountain ravine, and another half hour to erase signs of the fight. Bai Qingzhou, who had helped with the cleanup, was left panting with exhaustion.

Before dawn, they hurried back toward their mountain stronghold. The hideout lay deep in the mountains, behind a secluded gorge, and it took them another half hour to reach it.

Upon their return, they found the place nearly deserted; only the old, weak, sick, and disabled remained. Clearly, those who had fled earlier—having learned they had crossed Xuanyang Sect—had taken their families and fled in the night.

Jin Huo paid it little mind. He offered a few words of comfort to the remaining villagers, then led his men to Bai Qingzhou's courtyard.

All ten who had shared in the spoils gathered there, as Bai Qingzhou’s home had no family members and was more remote—Jin Huo deemed it the safest spot.

He ordered the stone table in the center of the yard removed, and the group sat cross-legged on the ground. Bai Qingzhou took out the "Sunfire Scripture" and skimmed through it. The book was thin, barely more than ten pages, but the text and illustrations were clear and simple—not difficult to understand.

After gathering his thoughts, and under the expectant gaze of the others, Bai Qingzhou began to read aloud:

"This book is called the 'Sunfire Scripture.' It is the entry-level cultivation method of Xuanyang Sect. Mastering it allows one to reach the first stage of Qi Refinement and, at best, the third stage."

"Qi Refinement—is that the cultivation of immortals?"

"So it really is a Xuanyang Sect manual!"

"Does this mean we can all become immortals...?"

The group erupted in excited chatter.

Even Qin Feng listened with rapt attention.

Once the excitement subsided, Bai Qingzhou continued, "Cultivating the 'Sunfire Scripture' draws spiritual energy into the body. Your abdomen heats up, the energy circulates throughout, and when a cloud of energy forms in your dantian, you reach the first stage."

"When the spiritual energy in your dantian thickens, you advance to the second stage."

"When it fills completely, you attain the third stage."

Bai Qingzhou flipped through the remaining pages and read aloud, "There are twelve more pages, each with an illustration and a short verse. The book says that by assuming the postures shown and reciting the incantations—which it calls circulating the Grand Cycle—you can sense spiritual energy. Once it enters your body, you become a cultivator."

The courtyard burst into excited clamor; joy shone in everyone’s eyes. The path to immortality was finally within reach!

Jin Huo was beside himself with delight and shouted, "Quick, explain the incantations clearly!"

Bai Qingzhou dared not hold anything back. He recited every word from the book, as faithfully as he could.