Legend of The Young Master

Chapter 146: The command is yours

Wuyi remained alert. At the top of the hill, the figure of horror—the specter—stepped out for all to see and raised his arms. It vanished from its spot, and in the next moment, it was in front of Wuyi, staring deeply at him. The Massive Specter, with gaps in its dark, enchanted robes revealing skin of a deep, black crimson hue—as if soaked in demonic Qi—held a staff the color of blood.

Its elongated fingers, akin to the claws of a demonic raven, rendered this being truly formidable, almost triple the size of Wuyi.

The massive being stared closely at Wuyi, who could feel emotions from it: hunger, curiosity, and more. As the being moved its bony hands towards Wuyi, he disappeared before it could touch him.

Confused, the being turned around to find the Red Daoist standing behind it, who smashed his fist, covered in red Qi, onto the foreboding specter. The specter did not fall, but the red Qi affected it; the specter became ethereal and then dissipated.

"To horse!" Wuyi roared.

Behind him, on the foreboding mountain, the specter reappeared. Wuyi could see fresh hordes of monsters arriving behind the specter on the mountain.

The massive specter raised his hand again, and a flash of gray fire covered the hillside. It fell short of its potential, sparing some lives, but a few archers at the edge of Wuyi's group were reduced to bones—a Qi initiate warrior burned gray like a hideous beacon for three heartbeats before vanishing—and dozens of wounded demonic creatures on the ground were immolated as well.

Behind Wuyi, warriors were mounting; Qi initiates and archers hurried. This was one of their most practiced maneuvers: escape.

Wuyi mounted Haruki, his spirit beast, as he stared at the specter on the mountain.

The Specter, reaching out with his staff, sent gray fire spreading across the ground again like a rising tide, immolating everything in its path—scarring trees, reaping grass and flowers, and boiling squirrels in their skins. It struck the air in front of Wuyi's horse, resembling a sand-castle succumbing to the power of the waves.

Wuyi's horse, a spirit beast that craved battle, screamed and bolted.

Wuyi and his group hurried back to the camp without stopping. Upon return, all Wuyi wanted was to rest. His attendant, Jia, helped him take off his heavy cloak and put on a light tunic.

"Ask everyone to clean their weapons and clothes," Wuyi muttered. "These demons, called Swamplings and Duskreavers; I've heard their blood is caustic, and the Qi is tainted."

"Swamplings, Tainted Qi?" Jia repeated, shaking his head. He took a deep breath and asked, "Did we win?"

"Ask me that in a month, young Jia. How many did we lose?"

'Six Qi initiates and three archers, during the retreat when the specter began to rain fire on us,' Jia answered with a shrug.

Their retreat had turned into a rout. Most of the men had ridden back to camp almost blind with terror as more and more monsters crested the summit and entered the field, following the terrifying, fire-raining figure.

"Well," Wuyi allowed his eyes to close for a moment, struggling to believe the day's sights, then jolted awake. "Sigh! I have to inform the Pavilion Mistress."

"They might attack us again at any moment," Jia warned.

Wuyi gave him a hard look. "Whatever they are, they know fear. They do not want to die either. We hurt them today."

"So what now?" Jia inquired.

"We retreat into the fortress. And that thing, along with its armies, might come and attack us," Wuyi said, rising slowly to his feet.

Upon Wuyi's arrival, Lady Xueyan granted him an immediate audience.

"Your men seem quite rattled," she observed, avoiding eye contact.

"That's putting it mildly," she conceded.

He offered a weary smile. "Pavilion Mistress, if only you could see the condition we left our pursuing enemy in."

She chuckled. "Is that bravado or fact?"

"We eliminated around a hundred Swamplings and about fifty Duskreavers. Maybe even some Demon Claws," he stated, not exaggerating. He had left the Red Daoist behind to inflict damage while they retreated to a safer distance.

"We've certainly stirred up the hive," he added, his expression turning serious. "I sensed their leader—a mysterious specter-like demonic cultivator whose level I couldn't gauge. Very malevolent." He shrugged, trying to shake off the unsettling feeling. "He was massive."

She nodded, acknowledging his report.

He stored that nod in his memory for later reflection. Despite his exhaustion, he sensed she was aware of something more.

She gestured, and an intricate ivory box materialized in her hand. This time, she opened it to reveal a jade talisman engraved with a lotus. The talisman turned red as she chanted, and a flame materialized in her hand, engulfing the jade piece. She then tossed it into the fire, nodding at him to indicate that the Lotus Sect had been informed.

"What would you have us do, Mistress?" Wuyi inquired, too drained to think clearly.

She pressed her lips together. "You tell me, Young Master Black," she responded. "The command is yours."

The encampment beneath the stronghold was disassembled as swiftly as it had been set up. Tents were folded and stowed into carts, which were then pulled up the steep incline into the fortress. The immediate task at hand was finding accommodations for the Wuyi's group.

Wuyi and Lady Xueyan briskly toured the Dormitory Quarters, the Grand Chamber, the Lotus Pavilion's Sacred Hall, the horse stables, and the storage areas, making decisions on how to allocate space.

"We'll have to bring all my people inside," Lady Xueyan mentioned.

Wuyi pondered for a moment, eyeing the courtyard. "We might need to put our tents back up here eventually," he suggested. "Will you be using the Grand Hall?"

"Absolutely. It's being cleared as we speak," she replied. "We're in the month dedicated to honoring our Lotus Sect ancestors, so all our valuable items have already been stored away."

One of the large carts from their group was just making its way through the main entrance. It barely cleared the doorway.

"Show me all your storage areas," Wuyi requested.

She guided him through various basements and storage rooms, eventually leading him down a long, winding, and stuffy staircase that descended deep into the bedrock below. They reached a natural spring that filled a pool about the size of a small pond. "Is there another way out from here?" he inquired.

She nodded. "Certainly. Who would carve out this space within the mountain and not create an exit? But I don't have the energy to show you now." They came back up through a hidden door located behind the altar in the Sacred Ancestor Hall of the Lotus Pavilion.

As soon as they emerged, Lady Xueyan was swarmed by members of the Lotus Pavilion, all dressed in grey and clamoring for her attention—issues ranging from altar maintenance and floral arrangements for the upcoming service, to complaints about the newly manned walls being cursed by rainfall.

At some distance from them, they heard the words, "All you slackers, get your armor on, or I'll bite off the tops of your skulls and sleep with your mothers." Baijian was instructing his group of warriors who were about to take their positions on the wall. His tone was casual, but it filled a brief silence and echoed throughout the fortress.

Wuyi sighed; these were skilled Qi warriors, and Baijian was a Qi master now, not an ordinary person. Yet, his language could put even demonic cultivators to shame.

An elder of the Pavilion looked at Lady Xueyan, silently pleading as if complaining about the coarse language they had to endure now that these unrefined warriors had entered the fort and were using foul language without any fear of the heavens. What intrigued Wuyi was that many of these elders would only communicate through their eyes; they would not speak a single word.

"Have some of your elders taken a vow of silence?" Wuyi inquired.

Lady Xueyan nodded. "They generally speak once a week; that's how it should be. But the truth is, novices and elders speak when they feel the need, which is rare for elders and common for novices."

She gestured gracefully. "I act as their voice to the outside world." She pointed to a hooded figure following her. "This is Elder Yueli, my advisor and deputy. She's also free to speak. If you have any doubts and I am not available, you can find her."

Wuyi bowed to Elder Yueli, who gave a slight nod in return. Lady Xueyan added, "But she usually chooses to remain silent."

Wuyi sensed that, unlike the elders of the Pavilion, Lady Xueyan perhaps enjoyed speaking more than she let on, especially with him. She seemed to enjoy guiding him as if he were a child, yet being flirtatiously adult.

He had no doubts about her sincere faith. In Wuyi's view, beliefs fell into three categories: false, hypocritical, and deeply genuine. He believed he could distinguish between them.

At the far end of the Sacred Ancestor Hall of the Lotus Pavilion stood Monk Zhen. He appeared disheveled and stressed, Wuyi observed. What had the poor monk gone through to look so tired?

He looked at the pavilion mistress. "Your monk looks exhausted," he said.