Shangyi Village

Compared to vicious wolves, the leopards were faster by far. Moreover, the two leopards displayed remarkable coordination. One lunged from the left, one from the right, weaving and shifting positions mid-stride to keep their lines of attack completely unpredictable. *Whoosh!* Li Yan's vision blurred. Two foul, coppery gusts of wind swept toward him in rapid succession. *Good grief!* A shiver ran down Li Yan's spine, every pore snapping wide. The leopards moved so swiftly that he couldn't even catch sight of their vulnerable necks or bellies. If he drew his blade recklessly, even a direct hit would not stop the beasts' momentum; a single swipe of their claws at close quarters could rip his belly wide open. Yet he could not dodge, for Wang Daoxuan stood right behind him. Sensing the flow of the foul wind, Li Yan arched his back. His spine coiled like a great dragon before snapping taut, and his right foot exploded upward midair in a textbook Kuixing Kicks the Dipper in Reverse. Kuixing was the deity presiding over literary fortune, often depicted balanced on one leg atop the head of a giant sea turtle, symbolizing taking top honors. Among Red Fist's Ten Great Forms, there was a technique mimicking this idol known as Kuixing Kicks the Dipper. Li Yan's Kuixing Kicks the Dipper in Reverse flipped his entire body around, akin to an overhead bicycle kick in football, except the force drove straight up from below. At the same time, hidden jin erupted throughout his entire frame. *Thud!* With a heavy crash, a shudder ran through Li Yan's right leg as though he had kicked a thick rubber tire. The leopard took the blow square in the chest and went hurtling seven or eight meters through the air, smashing into the rocky crags with a clatter of loose stones. The violent rebound caused Li Yan to lose his balance, tumbling to the ground. At that exact moment, the other leopard pounced. "Screw your grandfather!" Just as Li Yan moved to roll aside, an enraged roar erupted beside him. It was Sha Lifei flying into a rage. Thanks to the Three Powers Demon-Suppressing Coins, the two spiritual leopards had treated only Li Yan as their mortal foe, targeting him together while ignoring Sha Lifei. Such was the limitation of beasts. Even having developed spiritual awareness, their subconscious was still governed by the habits of the wild. No matter how many prey they encountered, creatures would typically scatter in panic when intimidated by a predator's ferocious aura, allowing the beasts to pick them off one by one. Humans were different. The leopard was so fixated on lunging at Li Yan that it left its flank wide open to Sha Lifei. Sha Lifei threw himself into a close-body lean, pressing the reverse-gripped blade flat against his elbow as he slammed into the beast's side. Tall, broad-shouldered, and packed with knots of dense muscle, he rammed the leopard flying. At the same time, a bloody hole was gouged into its belly. *Roar!* Savage to the core, the beast rolled across the dirt and sprang back to its feet. Completely ignoring the torrent of blood pouring from its belly, it bared its fangs and hissed at them viciously. *Clatter...* The one that had crashed into the hillside tumbled down amid dirt and loose gravel. It also struggled to its feet, but blood dripped steadily from its jowls, and it swayed unsteadily, unable to find its footing. Li Yan's strike had carried hidden jin. Though it left no external wound, it had shattered the leopard's breastbone and caused internal bleeding. The two leopards finally recognized the danger. Wounded as they were, they relied on their stubborn vitality to endure the searing pain, bounding into the woods and disappearing in the blink of an eye. "Don't chase them. The main task comes first!" Paying them no further mind, Li Yan hurried to look toward the center of the grove. For wild beasts, suffering such severe injuries in the wilderness was no different from death; if he remembered correctly, he had heard the roar of a tiger earlier. What worried him was whether the commotion had disturbed the treasure. Just then, the spiritual glow in the mountain woods suddenly vanished. "I caught the blessing!" Zhao Lvzi's jubilant voice called out at the same moment. Beaming with delight, the three scrambled eagerly into the woods. Before long, they found Zhao Lvzi. Though a smile stretched across his face, the young man was as pale as a sheet. He sat on the ground surrounded by wooden stakes driven into the dirt and strung with red cords. Evidently, treasure seeking was far from an easy feat. Their attention, however, was quickly drawn to the lightning-struck jujube wood. The jujube tree was about the height of a single-story building—fairly ordinary in size—but its upper half was scorched black, clearly having suffered extensive damage from celestial fire. The entire canopy was gone, leaving only bare, cracked branches. Yet its life force had not been extinguished; fresh, verdant shoots had sprouted around it, brimming with vitality. The cord twisted from iron mantle was tied firmly around it. "Don't come any closer yet." Seeing Sha Lifei about to step over the wooden stakes and red cords, Zhao Lvzi quickly stopped him. He then called for a long saw and labored for a good while before finally sawing through the trunk. *Crash!* With a resounding thud, the jujube tree collapsed. Zhao Lvzi wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled sheepishly. "This way, the heavenly thunder gang qi inside is preserved. Even in Chang'an, it'll fetch a fine price. A pity it only withstood a single bolt of heavenly thunder." Wang Daoxuan asked curiously, "What is the principle behind this?" Zhao Lvzi was taken aback. "The Daoist priest doesn't know?" Wang Daoxuan chuckled wryly. "This poor Daoist has empty pockets. The implements I carry are merely carved from common peach wood. How could I have ever encountered such high-grade treasures?" "The Daoist priest jests." Zhao Lvzi felt a little bashful and hurriedly explained, "In refining magical implements, sweetgum represents Heaven and jujube heart represents Earth. Sweetgum is the essence of all trees, while jujube is the envoy of all trees. Together, they are called the Two Woods of Heaven and Earth. "Peach wood has greater power to ward off evil, but its grain is soft and porous, so it rarely survives a strike of heavenly thunder. Thus, the finest materials for implements are mostly lightning-struck jujube wood. "Common lightning-struck jujube wood isn't scarce, but only wood that survives the heavenly thunder and keeps that strand of gang qi intact has a chance to become a heavenly spirit earthly treasure. "It's a bit like the cultivation of mountain spirits. Once it becomes a heavenly spirit earthly treasure, when enough time passes, a second bolt of heavenly thunder will strike it. If it survives and absorbs that thunder gang, any implement crafted from it will possess even greater might. "My father once told me that the Taixuan Orthodox Sect's Capital Divine Thunder Seal and Taixuan Demon-Purging Sword were crafted from jujube wood that weathered six bolts of heavenly thunder. But such treasures are exceedingly rare, unattainable without tremendous karmic fortune." Looking down at the fallen wood, he shook his head. "My father discovered this lightning-struck tree years ago. Seeing its potential, he thought to wait a few more years to see if it could endure a second strike. "Sadly, after all these years, the chance never came. Then Shopkeeper Wan took on a major commission that specifically called for this material, so we had to harvest it early. "Let's get to work. The tree root is a good piece too. Even without the heavenly thunder gang qi, it can be carved into an ornament to protect a household. Whatever we get from selling it, I'll split evenly with you all." "Brother Zhao is truly generous!" Hearing there was money in it, Sha Lifei instantly perked up. Everyone swung their mattocks, spending a great deal of effort to dig out the root intact. Then they chopped down small logs to serve as rollers, hauling the timber along while laying down supports. Once out of Leopard Gully, they dumped it with a splash into a small stream. This saved a great deal of labor, allowing them to tow it along the water with ropes. By the time they emerged from Yetai Mountain, the horizon had begun to show the pale white of dawn. Sha Lifei hurried back to Chunhua County to summon the laborers he had arranged beforehand. They brought an ox cart to haul the lightning-struck wood. Zhao Lvzi covered it with red cloth and secured it with red cords before the job was finally complete. By the time they returned to Xianyang, dusk had already fallen. Having received word, Shopkeeper Wan had arrived in person with several disciples. They did not enter the city, heading instead to a village nearby. As for Zhao Lvzi, he cupped his hands and took his leave. Faithful to ancestral rules, he would never cross the threshold of another family's residence. His home was settled inside a nearby Mountain God temple, where he tended the incense daily, though he spent most of his time roaming the wilderness. Li Yan noted his location, made plans to share drinks another day, and followed Shopkeeper Wan's party. The village they went to was called Shangyi Village. It was Shopkeeper Wan's ancestral home, originally a hereditary artisan village in ancient times. Even now, every household earned their living through carpentry. "Whoa, what a fine piece!" As soon as the lightning-struck wood was brought into the village, a crowd gathered to marvel at it. Shopkeeper Wan was grinning from ear to ear. He cupped his hands to the onlookers. "Folks, time is tight on this one! I'll need the village's best hands to help out. If we finish before the Winter Solstice, this old man guarantees everyone a bountiful New Year!" "Agreed!" Shopkeeper Wan clearly held high standing in the village, and the villagers answered in unison. Because of their trade, the village courtyards were fairly large, and Shopkeeper Wan's was exceptionally spacious. Many artisans were already hard at work inside; sawdust flew in the air, and the rhythmic clatter of chisels never ceased. In a corner of the courtyard, frames for several large drums were already lined up. Sha Lifei, never one to hold his tongue, quickly asked, "Senior Wan, this is quite a grand setup! What sort of major commission did you take on?" "I won't hide it from you." Shopkeeper Wan invited the three into the house and smiled. "Taibai Hall of the Doumu Courtyard is holding a Grand Jiao on the Winter Solstice. They need a complete set of ritual drums and instruments. If this old man can deliver, my disciples' livelihoods will be secure for years to come." "Congratulations!" The three hurriedly cupped their hands in congratulation. No wonder Shopkeeper Wan took it so seriously; it was work commissioned by the Taixuan Orthodox Sect. Although the Taixuan Orthodox Sect was the state religion, it was vast and by no means monolithic. It housed various factions, each dedicated primarily to different deities. Its branches were organized into "Courtyards." For instance, the Doumu Courtyard primarily worshipped the celestial stellar deities. Subordinate to them were "Halls." Taibai Hall answered to the Doumu Courtyard and was situated on Mount Taibai, bordering Mount Zhongnan. As one of the Thirty-Six Lesser Grotto-Heavens, its status was extraordinary. "You flatter me, it's merely luck." Shopkeeper Wan exchanged pleasantries before his expression suddenly grew grave. "Everyone, Xianyang is in complete turmoil right now. You should settle down here; whatever you do, do not enter the city anytime soon." Li Yan frowned. "What happened?" Shopkeeper Wan sighed and shook his head. "Zheng Xianhuai, one of the Eight Great Vajras, is dead. His entire family—wife, children, old and young alike—not a single one was spared. "Both sides have drawn their blades now. Nobody is observing the rules anymore..."