29 School Mates

A fire was crackling in the dark woods. The bright red embers of the fire would occasionally burst, causing sparks to float around like fireflies for a single breath. This was Cha Ming and Huxian's first night outdoors since exiting the tunnels. They would never have dared light a fire in the tunnels; they had always been worried about the accumulation of smoke and burning any of the stagnant air in the tunnels. They took full advantage of the opportunity to warm their cold bones for the first time in weeks.

The young man that they had dragged away after killing the leopard finally awoke with a loud gasp. At first he was confused, then he finally realized that Cha Ming had rescued him. He winced in pain as he struggled to sit up. The gash on his leg didn't seem quite as bad as before, and thankfully there was no sign of infection.

"Thank you for saving me. I thought I was truly a goner after fighting that snow leopard pride. You came at just the right time, and I doubt that I would have lasted more than a few breaths. My name is Zhou Xian, and I'll definitely remember the favor I owe you."

Cha Ming now recalled where he had seen the man previously. He and Feng Ming had almost bumped into him on campus, and he was one of the few fifth-grade talents in the academy. Despite being in his second year, he had already reached the eighth level of qi condensation.

"Ah, I had wondered how you could possibly have gotten injured fighting against a single snow leopard," said Cha Ming. "When did you leave the academy?"

"Oh? You are also a student at the academy? What a great coincidence. Are you planning on returning soon?" Zhou Xian inquired.

Cha Ming nodded. "Yes, we were just heading back. Unfortunately, I got lost a few weeks ago, and I've finally found another fellow student. Do you know the way back?"

"Of course I know the way back! If we stick together, we would be much safer on our return to the academy. I've accomplished the mission that I had accepted before setting out, and besides which, I have a serious injury. If I don't get it treated in time, I'm afraid that my leg might be crippled for good." Zhou Xian seemed relieved. Then he frowned.

"Junior brother, would you perhaps be called Cha Ming?"

Cha Ming was perplexed. How could such a prominent and aloof figure like Zhou Xian possibly know his name?

Zhou Xian laughed. "Don't be surprised. A few weeks ago, a high-priority mission was posted through the Jade Bamboo Auction House. Specifically, it was a resource-gathering mission with disproportionately high rewards. The mission specified that all the resources must be gathered in a specific area surrounding Greatwood Bridge, and the reward offered for each item was very high.

"There was also an important note at the end of the mission posting: a vivid picture that looks exactly like you, albeit cleaner, instructing that if anyone could locate Du Cha Ming, they would be entitled to a reward of 50,000 spirit stones from the Jade Bamboo Auction House."

Warmth spread through Cha Ming's body as understanding came to him. Clearly Wang Jun had spent a lot of resources trying to find him. The expense of such a grand mission posting was clearly not limited to the 50,000 spirit stones.

Seeing Cha Ming's reaction, Zhou Xian laughed again and slapped the ground. "My luck is pretty good, it seems. I may have been injured, but as a result, I ended up finding you. Let's head out tomorrow morning. Our journey back will be a lot easier since we can proceed directly to a Jade Bamboo exchange point. They will be able to escort us out of the woods with mounts, and we'll be back in the city in less than a day.

"Unfortunately, my leg is injured, and it might take us the whole day to get there." Zhou Xian sighed at his misfortune.

"I think I can help you with that," said Cha Ming, smiling. He quickly used his wood qi supported by his water qi to manifest a spiritual bandage, which quickly healed the gash on Zhou Xian's leg. Afterward, they decided to split the night watch, with Cha Ming taking the first watch since Zhou Xian was injured and required immediate rest. Zhou Xian only stayed up for another half hour after eating his rations. Before going to sleep, he quickly recorded his day in a little black notebook.

--

It was currently two hours before dawn. The fire was still crackling merrily, casting shadows away from their campsite. Cha Ming and Huxian were sleeping soundly beside each other. Zhou Xian was walking around the campsite for the twentieth time of the night. He paused right before Cha Ming and Huxian for a hundred breaths, like he had the time before, with a complicated expression on his face.

Zhou Xian continued patrolling and completed another four rounds around their campsite, keeping a vigilant eye out for potential wild beasts. He didn't hide his aura, because his aura would serve to scare away any weaker beasts in the woods. The odds of suffering attacks from stronger beasts in the nearby woods were miniscule, unless an enemy took the trouble of luring the beast to this specific location. Besides, he was now in full fighting form thanks to Cha Ming's healing.

He walked once more to where Cha Ming and Huxian were sleeping, pausing just like before. This time, however, he heard a sound. Slowly, he pulled out his black sword from his soft leather belt. He didn't keep a scabbard, which would cause noise every time he drew his sword. Silent and deadly, that was how he preferred to fight. If possible, he would rather kill an enemy in his sleep.

While that thought ran through his mind, he looked down once again at the sleeping duo. Yes, it was time. Without any warning, his blade plunged down toward Huxian's hip. He had evaluated that, while Huxian hadn't displayed any of his strength during the previous fight, such a precious prize couldn't possibly be weak. Cha Ming could be dispatched at his leisure once Huxian was crippled. Any damage caused to Huxian could be mended with extravagant medicinal pills. His brother would take care of these minor details.

Sensing no reaction from the sleeping duo, a look of glee flashed across his otherwise calm face. Success! However, just as his blade was about to reach Huxian, the air distorted, and Huxian disappeared.

Shit, an illusion?

As he thought of the possible reasons for Huxian's appearance, he was surprised by a wide strike from below by Cha Ming's heavy staff. He had clearly been ready for his attack.

Zhou Xian quickly jumped up to avoid the blow, but to his surprise, two figures darted toward him from opposite directions. One was a white fox, while the other was a black fox. He quickly stretched out his right hand, causing a blue shield to shoot toward the black fox, forcing him backward. Simultaneously, he struck out with the sword in his right hand, slashing across the white fox's head.

Clang! The sounds of metal on metal rang out. Zhou Xian grunted in surprise as he almost dropped his sword. The white Huxian was not completely uninjured. A shallow red line ran across his face, though such a small mark would hardly affect Huxian's ability to fight.

"How did you know?" he asked, calmly facing his two opponents. He had now given up the initiative, and according to his evaluation, their combat prowess was approximately equal. He needed to think of another way to take them by surprise.

"It's simple," said Cha Ming. "Such a cold and lonely figure like you, instantly becoming our best friend over the course of a few hours? We just had to give you an opportunity to strike. All I did was superficially heal your wound and give you a false sense of security."

Zhou Xian's face turned ugly once he saw that the "healed" wound on his leg had resumed bleeding. Gritting his teeth, a few hand seals flashed as a green-and-blue glow surrounded him, and the bleeding wound on his leg started closing.

"What are you after? Why did you suddenly attack us, and why did you take the trouble to lure a snow spirit leopard from the middle of the spirit woods just to set up this ambush?"

While Cha Ming didn't want to negotiate with such a despicable fellow, they were currently outmatched. Huxian could defend himself with ease, but Cha Ming would not be able to resist for long if Zhou Xian launched an all-out attack.

Zhou Xian laughed. "So I was found out since the beginning? Interesting. All right, let's negotiate. I want that fox of yours to follow me obediently. Otherwise, I'll kill you and take him anyway. He can't escape, and I've already placed a tracking mark on him. At least this way, both you and the fox will be able to survive." Zhou Xian grinned smugly while retrieving a scroll from his bag of holding.

"This is as beast-taming contract I've prepared just for it. It only requires that he serve me for five hundred years, and then he will regain his freedom. Pretty good deal, no?"

Cha Ming frowned, wracking his brain to find a way out of this predicament. Just as he was about to continue the discussion, he heard a fuzzy voice in his head.

"Coming … soon … Wang … 500 … breaths."

Cha Ming was startled by the faint voice, which was clearly not coming from the Clear Sky Brush. Was it Wang Jun? Did this mean that he would be here in 500 breaths? He wasn't sure how Wang Jun was able to find him, but he was more surprised by the voice transmission inside his mind. This was something that only foundation-establishment cultivators were capable of using. If a foundation-establishment cultivator was on his way, it was very possible that they would survive.

"What are the exact terms of the contract? I can't make any decisions for Huxian, and I know that it will be very difficult for you to catch him. Also, he is just a little beast and can't understand these things. I can ask questions and clarify on his behalf, what do you think?" Cha Ming asked this calmly, hoping that he could continue to stall for time.

Zhou Xian appeared to be in no hurry. Cha Ming guessed that he was stalling for time in an attempt to heal his leg. Zhou Xian waited for a dozen breaths before responding.

"Oh, so you're saying that if the terms are favorable, you'll convince the little fox to be obedient?" Zhou Xian asked.

"Yes, if its not too unfavorable, I would advise him to accept the contract. How about you read the contract line for line?"

Zhou Xian, complied happily and read the contents of the contract out loud.

Once Zhou Xian finished stating the terms of the contract, Cha Ming brought forth several conditions he wanted included. He argued that 300 years was more realistic, and that the contract should immediately cancel in case of gross mistreatment. In addition, the owner of the contract could not order Huxian to perform activities that would surely lead to Huxian's death. Further, the owner of the contract could not change unless approved by Huxian. He went on into detail about ideal remuneration for services, while Zhou Xian continued looking at them with a fake smile plastered on his face.

Eventually, they came to an agreement, and Zhou Xian swept his finger across many portions of the contract, changing them to the new terms. The contract was now twice its original length.

"What do you think now? Would you advise the little fox to comply?" Suddenly, Zhou Xian frowned. "Oh wait, I've remembered a very key condition that I've forgotten to include. How negligent of me, it can't be left out!"

"Oh? What's that?" said Cha Ming, his grip on his staff tightening as a terrible feeling of dread crept through him.

"Oh, it's very simple. I just need you to die!" Zhou Xian instantly darted out in a straight line, aiming straight for Cha Ming's heart. Just before the sword landed, however, Huxian darted forward, knocking the sword back with his black clone and attacking Zhou Xian with his white clone. Zhou Xian landed safely with both feet on the ground, and his leg was now fully healed.

Huxian bared his teeth and growled. Just as he was about to charge forward, Cha Ming collapsed, clutching his chest. Huxian looked at Cha Ming. Black veins were creeping up from underneath his shirt. Poison!

"This sword is very useful, no? This kind of trick won't work on a Godbeast of your level, but on someone like him, who is multiple levels weaker than I am? Very effective. Even if he does have an abnormally strong body, he can't resist this ultimate move of mine. Now then, be obedient and submit, otherwise I'll have to use force!" Zhou Xian pulled out a thick wad of talismans from his bag of holding; they were all high-level talismans.

Huxian let out a howl of rage. He attacked without reservation, his two true bodies darting around at a much faster speed than before.

--

The white Huxian was blinding and aggressive; Zhou Xian lost track of Huxian's second self, which had blended into the shadows. He didn't have time to worry about this, however, as the white Huxian suddenly started to glow brightly with an oppressive light. Zhou Xian was shocked—his qi was eroding. He quickly dodged out of the way, repelling Huxian with a shield of poisonous water. As the shield dissipated under the purifying light, Zhou Xian quickly threw out one fire talisman after another. Whenever a talisman approached Huxian, it would crumble into dust before materializing the stored Daoist magic. He was practically invulnerable.

Zhou Xian cursed his luck and began stalling for time. There was no way a spirit beast one whole level weaker than himself could sustain such a powerful ability indefinitely. There had to be a time limit. As these thoughts ran through his mind, he paled. A large, shadowy maw was creeping up behind him. He dodged backward, but not quickly enough. After all, the shadow had not been attacking him but his shadow. He cried out in pain as bite marks appeared on his shoulder. This ability couldn't be dodged, because these injuries had already been inflicted to his shadow.

Gasping for breath, he made a swift decision and popped a pill in his mouth. As soon as he swallowed the pill, his aura grew until it reached the ninth level of qi condensation. With renewed strength, he took his black sword and plunged it into the ground. A blue-and-green mist burst outward from the sword.

"Poison Swamp Realm!" Zhou Xian exclaimed, leaving his sword firmly planted in the ground. The blue-and-green mist now occupied a radius of one hundred feet.

The brilliant light surrounding Huxian shrank down significantly, as the purifying effect could only erode the nearest foot of poisonous qi. The white light was also diminishing at a rapid rate. The black Huxian was in a pitiful state. He had been forced out of the shadows and was paralyzed by the poisonous miasma. Zhou Xian quickly picked up helpless Huxian by the throat.

"Do you yield?" he said viciously.

A whistle shrilled in the distance. His eyes narrowed, and he quickly let go of Huxian, just in time to see a dagger slicing through the air where his wrist had previously been. Zhou Xian jumped back quickly and withdrew his sword from the ground, causing the Poison Swamp Realm to recede. An elderly man in green robes with pure white hair was floating on a flying sword just a few feet away. The man quickly stepped down from the flying sword to allow a smaller, blond-haired figure to step off after him.

"Zhou Xian, are you looking to die?" the young man asked.

Huxian let out yips of excitement. Wang Jun had arrived!