51 Soldier of Fortune

Cha Ming's face paled, and he quickly ran to his friend's side. He was subsequently swatted away by the agitated doctor.

"Get back! All of you! I need as much space as possible to have any chance at saving the poor boy," the doctor exclaimed.

His fierce demeanor frightened everyone in the room. They quietly backed off to the side, vacating the side of the room that contained the bed. But that apparently wasn't enough.

"Get the hell back to the entrance, you little runts!" the doctor snapped. "And don't you dare step more than ten feet into this room without my permission!"

Everyone shuffled once more, at a loss for why the doctor needed so much space. Their confusion was soon cleared, however, when the old man manifested several strands of what appeared to be flat wet rope. The rope wrapped around Feng Ming, causing him to levitate off the bed and over the infirmary's floor. The makeshift ropes then disappeared without a trace. Without pausing, the doctor summoned his 108 needles once more, this time distributing them among various acupoints not located on his chest.

He followed up by manifesting a huge azure hand, which traveled to Feng Ming's chest. It pressed down on his chest thirty times at a moderate pace. With every compression, azure energy flowed into his chest, complementing the hand's motions.

After thirty compressions were completed, the man manifested another object, a small bellow, which he used to inject air into Feng Ming, causing his chest to rise and fall ever so slightly. At the doctor's instruction, the hand continued its compressions. He alternated thirty compressions to two breaths in a seamless fashion. Cha Ming recognized these motions—it was much like CPR in his previous life, though it was obviously an improved version that used qi to enhance the chances of resuscitation.

Three minutes later, the old man's robes were drenched in sweat. He was clearly exhausted. Cha Ming wasn't sure if it would help, but he tentatively extended two strands of qi, one for wood and one for water. The man looked toward him in surprise but didn't hesitate. He quickly made use of the qi that Cha Ming provided and continued for another minute.

Just as he was about to quit once more, Zhang Yifeng fed him another two strands of qi. He was clearly a triple cultivator in water, wood, and fire; only this combination would enable him to have water qi as an alchemist.

Unfortunately, transferring qi was not a highly efficient process. This was especially so for Zhang Yifeng, as his foundation establishment qi was too strong for Hai Tuo to handle. The doctor was only able to sustain his motions for another two minutes.

Seeing that no one was going to step up, Cha Ming created a white thread of creation qi. He was not experienced in converting his creation qi to water and wood, but he tried his best. The resulting qi enabled the man to last another thirty seconds, after which he collapsed to the floor, completely spent.

"This is all I can do. I'm sorry, everyone," the doctor said.

Cha Ming wasn't ready to give up on Feng Ming just yet. He quickly ran over to Feng Ming's side and started conducting manual CPR. While imperfect, the crude method might just give him a fighting chance. He completed thirty compressions and then tilted his friend's chin back and blew two breaths in through his mouth.

"Young man… it's admirable that you want to try saving him with this crude technique, but I'm sorry to say that your friend is dead." The old man shook his head. He got up and brushed his robes off. Cha Ming ignored him and continued compressing his friend's chest. He couldn't give up, no matter what!

If only Feng Ming had my last portion of luck, he thought. I haven't prayed in this new life, but if there is a God, please help me save my friend. I beg you!

As he thought this, he continued his compressions. The dozen people present were enthralled by his perseverance. Even the county lord, who had previously tried to trample him like the ant he thought he was, couldn't help but look at him in admiration.

Come on. Come on! I just need to get lucky!

Suddenly, Cha Ming felt a hot sensation travel from his upper back. It continued down his arms as he executed his compressions. He didn't dare stop now to give Feng Ming a breath. A miracle was about to occur.

The warmth continued to travel down his forearms and onto his hands, which were pressed on Feng Ming's chest. A bright white '幸运' character appeared, which could only be seen by Cha Ming. This encouraged him to continue his efforts.

As his compressions continued, the character flickered repeatedly. It followed a rhythm that Cha Ming couldn't understand, as though it was looking for the right moment to intervene. And intervene it did. After five minutes of compressions, the mark on Cha Ming's hands disappeared and flowed into Feng Ming's heart. He immediately removed his hands as Feng Ming gasped deeply for breath. Everyone in the room, including the old doctor, was shocked at this sudden miracle.

The doctor had wasted no time in recovering a small amount of his qi and spirit. "Be quiet and let me treat you, you lucky son of a goat," he said as he began healing Feng Ming, whose eyes were still wide with shock. The old man's eyes continued to light up as he checked one thing after another. He was unable to contain his shock.

"Incredible," he whispered. "When his heart stopped, the qi deficiency in his body was regulated by my original chest compressions. Since his blood had stopped flowing, the azure healing qi that I injected also neutralized the various poisons in his body. He is now recovering at an astonishing pace!"

Everyone in the room let out a sigh of relief, and they patiently waited for the doctor to complete his treatment. No one noticed the brooding expression in Feng Ming's eyes.

***

Previously

Feng Meng was delirious. He didn't know what was happening; he only knew that misfortune after misfortune happened to befall him. But he didn't give up. He continued to linger on the border of consciousness. After an indeterminate amount of time, he heard voices from the darkness.

"Holy hell, is this a sergeant from the royal army?" the voice said. "Quick, assemble the stretcher. Let's get him back to the city for treatment."

"We need to bring him back to the barracks directly first. County's lord's orders," a cold voice said.

"But he's dying!" another voice said.

"Don't forget your place," the cold voice replied. "We'll bring him back to the barracks and let the lord decide. Do I make myself clear?"

***

Feng Ming was now floating in a white space. It surrounded him, enveloped him, and embraced him. He felt comfortable in this space.

Am I going to the underworld now? Am I off to the Yellow River? He also noticed that his "body" was wreathed in a light layer of black flames. Is this my sin? Why the hell am I carrying so much sin?

"You idiot!Your stupid peacock posturing stopped his heart!" the voice of an old man yelled. The voice was faint, but it confirmed Feng Ming's guess. He was dying.

He sighed inwardly. It's not so bad. I tried my best. Maybe my death will warn Fairweather City that something dangerous is out there. At least this time I made a difference, he thought.

His mind drifted back to his reliance on Cha Ming and Wang Jun back in the spirit woods. He had gone to the army to make up for his failure. As far as he was concerned, he'd succeeded.

As he reflected on his waste of a life, the white light surrounding him began take on a grayish hue. It began shrinking, and soon Feng Ming could "see" darkness in the distance.

And here comes death. These past few weeks have left me with no regrets.

***

"How can you give up so easily?" a pleasant voice said from the darkness. "Your luck hasn't run out yet."

The darkness began to recede as a white glow spread out from Feng Ming's spiritual body. Before long, the black shadows that had previously overtaken him completely disappeared.

"This is…" Feng Ming said uncertainly.

"This is your spiritual sea. Myself, I'm nothing more than a remnant. It's a miracle that I survived for so long. Some people call me Good Fortune, but that was long in the past." An old man in a purple robe appeared in front of Feng Ming's spirit body.

"You don't have a lot of time. Only an hour in relative terms, since time passes by very quickly in this space. Use this time wisely and try to comprehend this inheritance, which I left behind just in case."

The man waved his hand, and glowing purple scripture appeared in front of Feng Ming. He couldn't understand the words, but as he concentrated on it, he felt like he was becoming aware of a universal truth, something that transcended language. The purple robed man didn't interrupt his concentration.

As Feng Ming's eyes wandered across the scripture in a haphazard manner, the characters he gained enlightenment on disappeared one by one, only to reappear on his spirit body. He felt a wonderful energy course into his soul with every character he gained. Accordingly, his speed at reading the characters increased drastically for each one absorbed. It was like a virtuous cycle.

Coincidentally, this was exactly what these characters were all about. Before long, he had completely absorbed the scripture. The old man dressed in purple had disappeared, and in the man's place, he found a poem.

Good fortune.

A virtuous cycle that is never ending.

Selfless deeds lead to true happiness.

A pure heart never dies.

Before awakening, he noticed that his spirit body was no longer wreathed in black flames. He had also gained an initial understanding of the vast amount of information branded into his soul. Inside his mind, he found a book. It read: Good Fortune Scripture Volume One: Soldier of Fortune .

***

Under Hai Tuo's intensive care, Feng Ming soon recovered his presence of mind and managed to muster up enough energy to speak.

"Who is everyone? Is this Fairweather City?" he asked, then looked toward Cha Ming for answers. He had known for some time that Cha Ming was still alive; Wang Jun's messengers had somehow found him in the middle of a field operation. The man's efficiency frightened him.

"Feng Ming, you are currently inside Fairweather City's guard barracks. Aside from Gong Lan and Huxian, whom you already know, the spirit doctor who treated you is named Hai Tuo. These men are Bei Ling, Han Jinlong, Zhang Yifeng, and the county lord. They are all foundation establishment elders. Wait, I never got the county lord's name." Cha Ming looked toward the county lord with a cold expression. "What's your name again?"

The county lord snorted. "You may call me Lord Sun Chuan. Now then, care to explain how you arrived in front of my city in such a miserable shape?"

A displeased expression appeared on Feng Ming's face, but he steeled his heart and began his tale.

"It all began when we were scouting Crystal Meadows…"

Feng Ming described the murder of his captain and companions, his escape, and his journey to Fairweather City without any interruption. As he spoke, Han Jinlong and Zhang Yifeng's eyes reddened and tears ran down their face. Cha Ming and Gong Lan were shocked by the revelations, and at his description of those evil beings that ate steel and were immune to pain.

Han Jinlong sighed. "It is as Yifeng and I suspected. We had tried to investigate the area previously, but these rebels possessed sufficient strength to repel us. However, no one would believe us, and we were forced to recruit mercenaries for this rescue mission. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to reveal these details to the mercenaries because they might refuse to participate.

"While we were out scouting, we noticed a thick stench of blood and several sites where devilish rituals had been conducted. However, these aberrations you described didn't make any appearances; we only had our suspicions. Now, however, we can strongly assert that these 'rebels' are in fact a devil-worshiping cult. Are you happy now, Sun Chuan? Will you send out your troops to support us now?"

"Based on a lone sergeant's words?" Sun Chuan retorted. "I am responsible for maintaining peace in this county, not fighting a war. This is clearly beyond the scope of my responsibilities. If I lend my troops to help you, the city will remain undefended. I can only stand by and send this sergeant and one of my trusted messengers to Green Leaf City, where they can inform the General. Only he can make a decision like this, and I stand by all my previous decisions on this matter."

"Have you lost your mind?" Han Jinlong yelled. "The evidence is right here, and the people out there can't wait for someone else to make a decision. We need to act now!"

"My word is final until it is overturned by someone with greater authority. You may do as you wish," Sun Chuan replied and walked out of the room toward the exit. Han Jinlong and Zhang Yifeng were seething with rage. Then they looked at Cha Ming and Gong Lan.

"I'm sorry for not telling you the truth, my young friends. You don't have to participate in this matter, and I will relieve you of your contractual obligations," said Zhang Yifeng.

Cha Ming shook his head. His blood was boiling after everything he had heard. There was no way he could back out now, not without getting revenge for his friend's injuries! Gong Lan seemed to share the same opinion. Her killing intent had peaked in the middle of Feng Ming's explanation, frightening their old friend. Feng Ming might have stopped speaking if not for the fact that he had just escaped these devilish cultivators, experienced extreme hardship, and briefly come into contact with death's door.

"There's no need, Elder Zhang," said Cha Ming. "It wouldn't feel right leaving any of these rebels alive. They can't even be considered as people anymore, only devils."

Han Jinlong and Zhang Yifeng both looked at him gratefully and bowed in thanks. They then left the room, leaving only Feng Ming, Cha Ming, Gong Lan, and Hai Tuo. The latter was currently meditating, recovering his energy for the next round of treatment.

"What are your plans now?" asked Cha Ming. While he wanted his friend to tag along on the rescue mission, he knew that he had other obligations.

Feng Ming shook his head. "I need to recover quickly and set out to deliver a message to my father as soon as possible. Normally, I would need to report in to my commander. However, the situation is very urgent, and the closest general is in Green Leaf City. Besides, my father and my current commander are good friends, so this move won't ruffle any feathers and will allow the king's army to react as efficiently as possible."

They sat quietly for a few moments, not sure what to say. Finally, it was Feng Ming who broke the awkward silence. "Cha Ming, Gong Lan, there's more to this than meets the eye. Aside from those devilish cultivators that ate metal and ignored pain, I'm even more concerned about that Li Piao. Why was she able to bewitch my captain so easily? It's easy to brush it off, but the captain definitely wasn't acting like himself. Further, most of our men were assassinated in the same manner without putting up a fight. I can't help but think that the enemy has the ability to bewitch people, making them experts at assassination and espionage.

"If that's the case, then what other devilish abilities are they hiding? And are they limited to this immediate area? Also, there is something else that I didn't tell the others. When I finally felt that I had escaped my pursuers, my luck suddenly turned for the worse. I tripped where I shouldn't have. I was poisoned accidentally by countless plants. My wounds worsened instead of healing. Further, when I was at death's door, I managed to see my spiritual body. It was lightly covered by black flames. They felt despicable, evil. Where did these flames come from, and how did they affect my soul?"

Cha Ming and Gong Lan were at a loss.

Hey, Exalted Teacher, do you know what could have caused this? Cha Ming asked mentally to the bearded man.

After a few breaths, the bearded man replied. It seems to me like your friend was cursed when he escaped. Those flames sound like the flames of sin. It is very difficult to curse your friend with sin, and unless he has a dark past he didn't mention, it should be impossible for him to have accumulated enough sin to lightly coat his soul in black flames.

Unfortunately, Cha Ming didn't know how to explain this concept to his friends. He could only remain silent. It was then that the spirit doctor opened his eyes.

"Young man, if I've guessed correctly, you were cursed in some fashion. With misfortune. This is why the freakish series of events made it so difficult for me to heal you and revive you. It is a miracle that you survived, and that your friend Cha Ming was able to revitalize you with his crude technique."

"Crude technique? What crude technique did he use?" Feng Ming asked curiously. He also wondered how he had acquired the Good Fortune Scripture.

"Well, you see…" When the old doctor finished describing the sequence of events, Gong Lan blushed furiously, while Cha Ming considered himself fortunate that his friend was injured and in no shape to fight. He had a feeling that this inside joke would never die, and that he would always be remembered as the man who stole Feng Ming's first kiss.