171 Deterioration

A week passed by without complications. Aside from the occasional conversation with Prince Lei and his daily visits with Wang Jun, Cha Ming immersed himself in talisman crafting and the mystical Swamp Tribulation Totem. He focused on supplementary or "buffing" talismans to aid his physical prowess but didn't ignore other utility talismans.

During the day, he spent some time assisting Feng Huoshan in teaching budding young talents. While Feng Huoshan and his friends were very experienced, they knew far less than Cha Ming did about runic characters. He was very rigorous in his approach. As he taught, he kept an eye out for any talents that might be worthy of accepting Fuxi's legacy.

Since Songjing was a large city, there were seven talents that possessed high innate soul force and five-element affinity. However, none of them had accrued a merit halo. He found that three of the seven had a good character. He encouraged them to focus on their heart and good conduct as they cultivated and gave them much more pointers than he did everyone else.

Among the other students, there were two with an affinity for shadow that came after hearing of his rare ability to teach them. The Church of Justice also sent three talented inquisitors to learn light-based runic arts from him. He wished these peaceful days could continue, but he knew this was only the calm before the storm.

***

A thrumming sound interrupted Cha Ming as he was painting a complex high-grade talisman. He frowned and sent a generic automated message to the recipient, indicating that he was busy. Moments later, however, the ringing resumed. He sighed and reabsorbed the ink from the near-perfect talisman before checking who the message was from.

"I hope this is important," Cha Ming said to Prince Lei. Their relationship had turned a lot more collegial than before.

"It's a matter of life and death," Prince Lei said in a worried voice. "Please come over as quickly as possible."

Cha Ming dropped what he was doing and hopped out his office's window. He used the power of the void to quickly fly through the city streets. He ignored the indignant guards at the palace gates and immediately flew to the king's chambers, where Prince Lei awaited him.

"It makes no sense at all," Li Yin whispered to the other doctors. "His qi is fine, but his vitals have all given up."

"I can't detect any poisons," Zhou Bei said. "No poisons should be able to escape my senses now that the qi-binding venom has been purified."

Cha Ming swiftly walked into the room. He immediately activated his Eyes of Pure Jade and his Demon-Subduing Eyes but detected nothing out of the ordinary. "Huxian?" he asked. The cute two-tailed fox jumped out of his shadow and awaited instructions. "Please fetch Wang Jun. Perhaps he can shed some light on this situation."

"But Brother Jun is…" Huxian started.

"This is just a precaution," Cha Ming said. "Please help Protector Ren escort him. I'll be fine on my own."

Huxian nodded and disappeared back into the shadows. Through their bond, Cha Ming could tell that he'd immediately arrived at Wang Jun's bedside.

Without saying a word to the three doctors, he quickly set down thirty-six array flags. His proficiency had greatly increased, so it only took him thirty breaths to install it. He immediately shared control with the three doctors and Li Yin, who scoured his organs.

"There are no traces of demonic or devil influences," Cha Ming said.

"Medically this doesn't make sense," Dr. Dong said.

"The timing is also very strange," Li Yin said. "As soon as the clock struck midnight, his condition immediately worsened."

Cha Ming glanced at the ancient clock in the room and confirmed that it was only an incense time past midnight. "At this rate, he won't last more than an hour."

Hurried footsteps sounded from across the door before Princess Guo suddenly rushed in. "What happened?" she asked worriedly.

"The king's condition has worsened," Dr. Dong snapped, "and I would greatly appreciate if everyone stopped asking me questions while we're trying to save him!" The red-faced doctor turned back and continued his conversation with the other medical experts. They were currently employing powerful healing techniques to fight for the king's rapidly failing body.

Suddenly, a black door opened into the room. Huxian and Wang Jun suddenly appeared inside the king's chambers. Wang Jun looked extremely gaunt and fatigued. "What can I do for you today, Brother Cha Ming?"

"Remember how you said you couldn't read the king's story?" Cha Ming asked. "Can you read it now?"

Wang Jun focused his gaze on the comatose king. He held his hand out and tried to grasp invisible threads, but to no avail. "I still can't do anything. It seems that the poison wasn't the only thing afflicting him."

While Cha Ming wracked his brains for a solution, heavy footsteps sounded outside the king's chambers. "We need to speak to Prince Lei," a guard said. "It's urgent!"

"What is it now?" Prince Lei said as he left and closed the door.

Cha Ming cocked his ear to the door to catch the gist of the conversation. They'd just received a message from the southern battlefield that the south's attacks had suddenly intensified. Marshal Yong's battlefront was faring particularly badly. This was also the battlefield where Feng Ming was headed.

Suddenly, bells tolled within the palace. Cha Ming walked out and looked to Prince Lei, who frowned. "There's an intruder in the city," the prince said. "How much more bad luck could we ask for in a single hour?"

***

A figure in an orange kasaya walked through the streets. Wherever she walked, people shied away. Any guards who tried to stop her immediately put down their swords and renounced their violent ways. Occasionally, a foundation-establishment cultivator popped out of the woodwork and attacked her with a qi-based technique. She swiftly spoke a soothing mantra, which formed runic characters that blocked his attack and rendered him unconscious.

There's one, Gong Lan thought.

She pushed off from her location, traveling three hundred feet in the blink of an eye. An old man gasped as a blade of light cut right through him. A dying wail pierced the air as specks of crimson dissolved into nothingness. The old man kneeled with grateful tears. She didn't stop to accept his thanks, however. Time was limited.

She repeated this action many times, slaying dozens of evil spirits before arriving at the palace gates, where she was joined by nine other monks in orange kasayas. They had funneled into the city from various directions to catch as many evil spirits as possible in a dragnet.

"It looks like we have company," she said calmly as they walked toward the small army at the gates.

"In the name of the king, halt and surrender!" a figure wearing a black-and-gold cape shouted. It was Marshal Feng, and Prince Tian stood beside him. Their overwhelming battle intent combined with the soldiers beside them, forming a repulsive barrier that was impossible to pass. For most people.

Gong Lan simply sheathed her swords and whispered some reassuring words, which formed protective runes around her body. Her orange kasaya turned golden, and wherever she walked, the small cracks on the road mended and the plants breaking through them receded.

"I said halt!" Feng Chuan shouted. He waved his spear, sending fire and brimstone raining down on the bald, gold-cloaked woman. Gong Lan and the other nine sped up, expertly dodging the fire and ashes that rained down upon them. Whenever she couldn't dodge, she waved her hands, sending golden runic patterns out like shields to deflect them.

Seeing that Feng Chuan couldn't hold out, Prince Tian and a dozen generals joined him in creating a battle formation. It took the shape of a giant blue flood dragon. Their combined power pushed the dragon's might into the peak of late core formation. Most experts wouldn't dare face such a technique head on.

But Gong Lan and the nine weren't most experts. She spoke gentle words of gold that rushed toward the flood dragon, imprinting themselves on it. One character after another struck its giant frame until they accumulated into words spoken by the Buddha himself:

"Hatred will not cease by hatred, but by love alone. This is the ancient law."

As soon as these words were fully formed, the flood dragon roared and dissipated into a million motes of golden light. They shot back to the soldiers, who had created the dragon in the first place. As soon as it touched them, they dropped their swords, unable to move a single inch toward them. Even Feng Chuan and Prince Tian were affected.

Gong Lan and the monks walked past them and entered the palace unhindered. They walked through the palace with purpose until they arrived at the door to the king's chambers.

"Who are you? What is your purpose here?" a distorted voice yelled out. Three red-cloaked figures suddenly leaped out and blocked off the bedroom door.

"I am here to treat your king's affliction," Gong Lan said. "As I come with a peaceful purpose, you cannot stop me."

She walked toward the three men unperturbed. All three of them tried drawing their swords to act against her, but to no avail. As soon as the very thought of stopping her crossed their minds, a powerful force pressed down and paralyzed them. The nine monks followed.

Gong Lan pushed open the doors and was greeted by eight shocked humans and a baby fox.

"The king isn't poisoned," she said in a deadpan voice. "He is possessed and cursed."

***

After briefly ruffling Huxian's fur, Gong Lan walked over to the king and placed her hand on his forehead. Those who wanted to speak out against her couldn't. Cha Ming couldn't help but gawk at her metamorphosis. He exchanged glances with Wang Jun, who was similarly affected. However, to Cha Ming's surprise, Wang Jun quickly recovered from his fatigue. In fact, a slight rosy blush blossomed on his face.

"Don't think I've forgotten about you now that you're hiding," Gong Lan said as she glanced over to Wang Jun's position. Two of her fingers shot out, sending blades of light toward the paralyzed Wang Jun. Protector Ren, who was standing right beside him, jumped in front of the blades to shield the young master with his body. However, they pierced through him unimpeded and struck Wang Jun square in the forehead.

"What have you done to my young master?" Protector Ren yelled, drawing his saber. A sanguine aura of blood and shadow pervaded to the room at this instant. Only the protective Buddhist light around Gong Lan and the nine prevented everyone from being injured.

"I banished the evil spirits haunting him," Gong Lan said nonchalantly. "He'll be back to normal in a few breaths."

Cha Ming looked to Wang Jun, who was rapidly recovering from his fatigue. He looked refreshed, as though he'd woken from a deep sleep.

"I previously inspected the king but found no indications of a curse," Wang Jun said. He patted Protector Ren on the shoulder as he passed him and joined Gong Lan at the bedside.

A small clamor was occurring outside the bedchamber.

"Tell them they may come in but must not disturb us," Gong Lan said.

Prince Lei, who was shocked by everything that had occurred over the past hour, could only shake his head and open the door. Feng Chuan, Prince Tian, and the three protectors rushed in. As soon as they tried to speak, their mouths snapped shut and refused to open.

"You inspected him, but you couldn't find the curse because he was also possessed," Gong Lan said. "He was possessed by many evil spirits simultaneously. They are tainted by corruption and karma, making it difficult for you to read his story."

Wang Jun sucked in a sharp breath. "That would do it."

Gong Lan then muttered some mantras and took out a large rosary from her robes. She went through each bead one by one. Each word she spoke lit up one of the 10,080 pearls with a blessed golden light.

The chant increased in volume as she spoke. The surrounding air congealed, revealing auras around everyone present. Most people were revealed to possess varying degrees of crimson, while Gong Lan glowed with a golden aura. Wang Jun revealed no aura, and neither did Huxian. Cha Ming was covered by a white glow.

Soon, she spoke the last word. The 10,080 beads burst apart and surrounded the king in a complex formation. Dozens of crimson shadows darted out from his body. They tried to escape but were ultimately destroyed by Gong Lan's fierce attacks. The single crimson shadow that managed to escape was cut down by a saber of light, which Gong Lan threw at the last moment.

"Now you can try," Gong Lan said to Wang Jun, who immediately pulled over a wisp of shadow. It formed many blurry words. Cha Ming could make out some but not all of them. He couldn't make out the king's true name, nor could he see most of his story. However, he recognized three of the thousands of characters: disease, terminal illness, and death.

"The story reads as follows," Wang Jun said. "On the second full moon of the year, the king will fall unconscious and gravely but not fatally ill. On the third full moon, his condition will worsen until he dies. As a note, it has been exactly one month since he's fallen ill. It is also as Gong Lan said—the king is cursed."

"I have no idea what's going on," Prince Tian said, but we're suddenly supposed to believe the words of this woman? And who are all these people? What are they doing inside my father's chamber?"

"These people have been saving your father's life," Princess Guo said coldly. "We've gotten along just fine without you. You should return to your post, or maybe help out the armies that are suddenly falling like flies out in the field."

Prince Tian flushed crimson. "We're working on the military situation, but I can't allow a trespasser to remain in the king's chambers," Prince Tian said.

"Don't worry, I'll be leaving soon," Gong Lan said. She turned to Wang Jun. "I have a friend who says you have a way to obscure his fate. Can you do it?"

Wang Jun hesitated. "Can't we just invite the Church of Justice to break the curse?"

Gong Lan shook her head. "This curse is far too powerful. It is tied to the destiny of the nation, and the ancient Song Dynasty's Seal of Pure Jade. We cannot break this curse. We can only buy him time until the other issue is resolved. You know that things won't go in your favor if he doesn't survive."

Wang Jun grimaced before forming multiple hand seals. Yet another strand of gold left his hair and poured into a ball of shadow, which he threw at the wall of characters forming the king's story. It shot toward the character for death, which instantly blurred. Then the story folded back and returned to the king's body.

"There. His death is no longer certain. You'd better make sure my efforts aren't wasted. I've given up ten years of my life for a king I don't even care about."

"Don't worry, I'll stake my life on it," Gong Lan said with a grim smile. "It's now time that we leave." She and the nine monks bowed to everyone present and walked out of the king's chambers. They walked out the front door and dispersed throughout the city and began exorcising evil spirits and feeding the hungry.