18. The Golden Dragon's Revenge

“What happens if you use them together?” the Golden Dragon asked.

“Whoever takes the pill becomes especially sensitive to this powder. When the one who ingests the pill feels as if they’re burning alive, you can sprinkle the powder on Xie Wuji. Even if the pill-taker is a thousand miles away…” As he spoke, Old Yu gave the Golden Dragon a knowing look.

The Golden Dragon narrowed his eyes. “And then?”

“The one who took the pill will track down whoever carries the powder’s scent… and then, for three days and nights!” Old Yu clicked his tongue in amusement.

A chill ran down the Golden Dragon’s spine. All he had to do was sprinkle the powder on Xie Wuji and find the ugliest, most brutish man to deal with him—Xie Wuji would be haunted by this shadow for the rest of his life. Wasn’t this far more satisfying than simply killing him?

Since Xie Wuji couldn’t be killed, then let him live—a fate worse than death.

The Golden Dragon took a gold ingot from his robe. “I’ll take your item. Here’s the gold, and you can keep the pill. Isn’t there a Zhang Danian in our rear mountains?”

At the mention of Zhang Danian, Old Yu shuddered. “The master is ruthless as ever! Zhang Danian is built like an ox—they call him ‘the Beast Maniac.’ He loves nothing but raising spirit beasts. He has no cultivation, but he grew up suckled by monsters in the wild, so he’s freakishly strong. Even I find him hard to handle.”

“Hmph! Not just you—even I do. Zhang Danian’s strength is boundless. If he takes the pill and I sprinkle the powder on Xie Wuji… just imagine…” The Golden Dragon smirked, already picturing Xie Wuji’s torment at Zhang Danian’s hands.

“My lord, let me be the one to speak with Zhang Danian. With my silver tongue, I’ll tell him it’s some miraculous elixir and coax him to swallow it!” Old Yu volunteered.

“Very well. I’ll see to sprinkling the powder on Xie Wuji myself—let him suffer what it means to beg for death but be unable to die!” declared the Golden Dragon.

Once their plan was set, the two split up to carry out their parts.

Old Yu made his way to the valley of Greenhide Mountain, where a beast pen housed many domesticated spirit creatures. Though tamed beasts were not as good as their wild counterparts, ordinary disciples rarely had the chance to encounter wild ones. The beasts here were meant for them, and when a disciple advanced to the Condensation Realm, they could claim a spirit beast from the pen—a coveted goal for many.

The area around the pen was a veritable paradise, birds singing and flowers blooming, an earthly utopia. Amid this scene strode a burly man with a broad back, balancing a massive water vat on his shoulder as he walked toward the beast pen.

This was Zhang Danian. He stood a full two meters tall, his body a map of explosive muscle, each lump like a boulder. A thick swath of chest hair descended in a single line to his navel—a walking embodiment of masculine vigor.

His face was dominated by bristling, upright eyebrows and a wild beard, giving him the look of a mountain savage. The huge vat on his shoulder looked to contain more than two hundred pounds of water, and he bore it with ease.

“Steward Yu,” Zhang Danian greeted as he spotted Old Yu.

Old Yu felt a twinge of unease at his approach. Zhang Danian was known for his unpredictable temper, and few dared get close. His obsession with beasts bordered on mania—he valued them above people, an attitude few could understand.

“It’s been a while, Old Zhang. Why lug such a huge vat around?” Old Yu asked, stepping onto the stone path with a friendly smile.

“My mother’s here,” Zhang Danian replied with a nod.

“Your mother? I thought you said you had no mother?” Old Yu was surprised.

Zhang Danian seemed in a good mood. “Don’t you remember who raised me?”

“Wait… You mean that one-horned azure wolf?” Old Yu was astonished.

Zhang Danian nodded and led Old Yu into the beast pen, where a massive blue-gold wolf lay on the ground. As they approached, the wolf raised its head, sensing their presence.

Old Yu’s eyes widened at the sight. “Old Zhang, I heard you were raised on beast’s milk…”

“That’s right.”

“Was it… this one-horned azure wolf?” Old Yu asked, staring at the giant beast with its blue-gold horn arching over its nose like a reversed longsword.

Zhang Danian grinned like an overgrown child. “Yes, this is my mother!”

“But… that’s a male wolf. You said you drank beast’s milk… How could a male produce milk?” Old Yu’s mouth twitched in disbelief.

Zhang Danian looked puzzled. “I’m not sure. But when I was young and hungry, my mother always fed me until I was full.”

“Fed you…” Old Yu wiped the sweat from his brow, a sense of foreboding creeping over him. But business was business. “By the way, the sect recently received a distinguished guest who presented the master with a miraculous pill. The master, generous as ever, chose not to keep it but to reward you with it, recognizing your ten years of hard work in the beast pens.”

Zhang Danian was a straightforward man. He accepted the box and said, “Well, I won’t be shy then. My thanks to the master!”

“We’re all one family. My errand here is done, so I’ll take my leave!” Old Yu clapped Zhang Danian on the shoulder, eager to depart—the one-horned wolf’s gaze was fierce, as though it could see through Old Yu’s every pretense.

After Old Yu left, Zhang Danian stared blankly at the pill. “The master is truly generous,” he murmured.

The one-horned azure wolf sidled up to him, nuzzling his shoulder. Zhang Danian chuckled, “Don’t fuss. You raised me, and though I have nothing to repay you with, now I’ve been granted an immortal elixir. I’m no good at cultivation, but I’m sure this pill will help you more than me. Why don’t you take it?”

The wolf let out a howl and opened its mouth wide, allowing Zhang Danian to toss the pill in.

The moment the mid-grade earth-rank wolf swallowed the pill, something strange occurred. Its fur began to change color, and its body grew feverishly hot.

…

In the Treasury Hall, Xie Wuji received a pair of black-iron vambraces. Though only mid-tier earth-rank, they protected his arms and shoulders—very practical. His fists were as hard as steel, but his elbows and arms were not invulnerable, so these vambraces were a welcome addition.

They had a special feature, too. Crafted with fire crystals, they gave off warmth. In the depths of winter, wearing them was like having a hot-water bottle on your shoulders—very comfortable.

Yuan Xiao accompanied Xie Wuji into the library, but only because his father had ordered it. In truth, Yuan Xiao itched to kill Xie Wuji with every passing moment.

The more Yuan Xiao thought about it, the more furious he became. Having to accompany Xie Wuji to collect treasures was a humiliation. Though few in the Qingyun Sect used vambraces, this pair was the finest of their kind. There were less than five earth-rank spirit artifacts in the whole sect, and now Xie Wuji had lucked into one. Worst of all, Xie Wuji acted as if earth-rank items were as common as dirt.

Yuan Xiao’s own treasured sword was only a top-grade human-rank weapon. Though it was the best of its class, it was still a far cry from earth-rank. Right now, he figured he had only a fifty or sixty percent chance of overcoming Xie Wuji.

Besides the fire crystal vambraces, Xie Wuji also received a ring—an unassuming wooden band, but one of the sect’s prized treasures.

What mattered most to Xie Wuji, who traversed between two worlds, was his backpack. He’d once had a bracelet with great storage capacity—about as much as a minivan. The ring was slightly inferior, holding only half that. Yet according to Yuan Xiao, this ring contained a spatial formation crafted by a great sect. Though only human-rank, such spatial artifacts were exceedingly rare.