Drawing a Live One!

Wei Yuan plunged his hand into the treasure bag, scooped around, and touched something. He gave it a pinch and set it aside, then reached in again and felt another object. As he rummaged, he muttered under his breath, "This one's a bit prickly, feels mediocre... swap it for another... "A burning-hot rod? Doesn't look like a spiritual item. Swap it... "Now this is interesting—doughy and squishy, soft and slippery, very springy... "What on earth—it's biting me?!" Wei Yuan yelped in pain and hauled an object out of the treasure bag. It had vivid plumage and a bright red comb atop its head. Clutched by one thigh in Wei Yuan's grip, it was actually a freshly matured young rooster! It flapped furiously, craning its beak to peck savagely at Wei Yuan's hand until blood was drawn. But Wei Yuan was ruthless; refusing to let go no matter what, he dragged it bodily out of the bag. Then Wei Yuan froze. The rooster froze too. Wei Yuan was utterly astonished. A bag could actually yield a living creature! Yet this rooster looked completely unremarkable, devoid of any perceptible spiritual qi—no matter how one looked at it, it was just an ordinary chicken. Once the bird was out, the treasure bag vanished without a trace. For Immortal Monarch Yanshi to abruptly snatch him here to draw a prize, it must surely have been a momentous opportunity. And this grand opportunity yielded... a little rooster? Unable to stomach his awful luck, Wei Yuan grew pensive and asked, "Can a rooster be stewed into broth?" Yanshi looked equally thoughtful. "Stir-fried with chili would be better!" The little rooster was horrified, turning on the spot to take flight. Quick on his feet, Wei Yuan swatted it down with a palm, grabbed it by the wings, and hoisted it up. "What's going on here?" Yanshi said, "Just now, the Little State Preceptor tried to flee, but he failed to escape my formation and was captured by me. He then cast the immortal art 'Courtesy Demands Reciprocity,' trading an immortal treasure for a chance to get away—which was that treasure bag in your hand. From that bag, one can draw an immortal treasure closely tied to the Little State Preceptor by karma, but whatever comes out depends entirely on luck. "Because the Little State Preceptor possesses this immortal art, his treasure vault is packed with substandard immortal treasures to make up the numbers, inferior even to top-tier Scenery Command spiritual treasures. Immortal Monarch Tinghai fell for this art before and drew a piece of absolute trash, which kept him from smiling for three months." Wei Yuan said in wonder, "There is actually such an immortal art! Grandmaster, have you ever drawn from it?" Yanshi cleared his throat softly and said, "Only once." Wei Yuan's curiosity was piqued at once. "What did you draw?" "...That is not important." Yanshi looked away evasively, adding, "That chicken in your hand looks a bit familiar to me." *** Northern Liao, Jinse Royal Court. The Little State Preceptor stepped out of the void, appearing in the royal court's grand hall. The surrounding attendants immediately bowed, but he rushed out like wind and fire, heading straight for the treasure vault. He ordered his men to fetch the vault inventory, then threw open the doors to inspect the goods. For the treasure vault of a dignified immortal, the glow of its treasures was decidedly shabby. Beyond the entrance lay a great hall, furnished plainly and drifting with dust. Densely packed shelves lined the hall, bearing all manner of immortal treasures, many of which were damaged or incomplete. Given the Little State Preceptor's status, let alone using them, even storing such low-grade immortal treasures was utterly disgraceful. The hundreds of items gathered in this hall were collectively worth less than a single top-grade immortal artifact. The Little State Preceptor's sudden inspection gave the vault master cold sweat. Daring not delay, the master opened the inventory, inspected each item, called out its name, and made a mark on the ledger. With every item confirmed on the list, the Little State Preceptor's expression darkened further. A moment later, every single treasure in the vault was accounted for. The supervisor let out a massive sigh of relief, but the Little State Preceptor's face was as black as the bottom of a wok. He turned and swept out of the vault, flying high above the royal court, his gaze slowly scanning the entire court. Yet several crucially important immortal artifacts were all still in place. This left the Little State Preceptor both puzzled and uneasy. If every immortal artifact was intact, what had Yanshi taken? Could it be that drawing an unwashed immortal sock last time had left Yanshi psychologically scarred, making him afraid to draw again this time? Still, the Little State Preceptor felt that was unlikely; Yanshi was probably planning to perform some preparatory ritual before drawing. The treasure bag remained valid for twelve double-hours, meaning the Little State Preceptor would have to endure suspense for a while longer. Right at that moment, a simply dressed old man appeared before him. The man had white hair and a white beard, refined features, and a slight stoop in his spine. In his garb, he looked like the most ordinary herdsman on the plains, yet the Little State Preceptor bowed respectfully and addressed him as "State Preceptor." This old man was the Great State Preceptor of Northern Liao. Ranked alongside the Great Shaman, he was one of the Liao Clan's three foremost immortals, sharing the bond of half a master with the Little State Preceptor. The old man nodded, stroking his beard as he said, "I have come to take the Flame God back. Since you could not make it acknowledge you as master, let the matter rest." The Little State Preceptor sighed. "It was always a hairsbreadth short; perhaps the karmic affinity was simply lacking. The Flame God, it... The Flame God?!" The Little State Preceptor cried out in shock, instantly appearing before a hall dozens of zhang tall built entirely of flame jade. But now the hall was completely bare, lacking even the faintest aura of a divine object! The old man appeared silently behind the Little State Preceptor. Sweeping his divine gaze across the hall, he comprehended cause and effect in full and said slowly, "You used Courtesy Demands Reciprocity again?" Though a fellow immortal, the Little State Preceptor held immense dread toward the old man, replying in a quiet voice, "Yes..." "How many useless items have they drawn in a row?" "Three... three items..." The Little State Preceptor suddenly realized, his voice trembling as he said, "Did they intentionally draw useless items to build up karmic affinity for a sudden eruption?!" "Hmph! At least you aren't completely stupid!" "Then... the Flame God..." "The Flame God cannot be lost! If it wishes to return, it can naturally come back; not even Yanshi could stop it. Thus, how to make it willing to return is your affair." The Little State Preceptor finally regained a shred of confidence and said, "I shall do my utmost!" The old man gave a cold snort. "You attained immortality through this path. If you cannot even manage this, of what use are you?" The Little State Preceptor voiced hasty agreement. Once the old man departed, his expression instantly turned grim, and he let out a sullen snort. *** In the small courtyard, Wei Yuan brought over a large pot of boiling water and placed it in front of the little rooster. Yanshi produced a medicine-cabinet magical treasure. Once released, a rosewood medicine cabinet materialized in the yard, from which he retrieved various rare medicinal herbs to assemble a recipe for medicinal cuisine. The little rooster flapped its wings in vain, clucking incessantly. Its glassy eyes darted about frantically, its bright red comb whipping wildly, yet it failed to evoke the slightest pity from the two men. Wei Yuan then lifted it up and yanked a fistful of feathers straight from its neck! The rooster thrashed in agony, but its legs were bound by a five-colored immortal rope, leaving it utterly powerless. It could only watch helplessly as Wei Yuan's large hand descended again, seizing another clump of feathers. Unable to endure any longer, the little rooster shrieked, "There are still a bunch of Mirage Demons in your grotto-heaven! Are you really going to ignore them?!" Wei Yuan said indifferently, "There are only three at Scenery Command, and their roots are severed. Once inside my grotto-heaven, capturing them is as easy as turning over my palm." The little rooster said indignantly, "Some Mirage Demons raise natal gu insects—invisible, colorless, and odorless! They are exceedingly difficult to guard against! If you don't take care of them, your grotto-heaven will face catastrophe!" "If they're that hard to guard against, forget it for now. A few living things dying is no big deal. Once I destroy those Mirage Demons later, their natal gu will naturally be finished." "It isn't as simple as you think! Once a Mirage Demon dies, its natal gu breaks free of control and can freely breed and proliferate! That is why any Mirage Demon that releases gu must be captured alive. But with this seat here, there is an easy method! Kid, you are blessed!" A haughty smugness actually surfaced in the chicken's eyes. Wei Yuan could not help but chuckle. "I'm certainly blessed with good food. Come to think of it, I've never tasted an immortal fowl before!" The little rooster took fright. "Aren't you afraid of retribution?!" "Not at all." Wei Yuan let slip a faint wisp of the Red Lotus Bodhi's aura. The little rooster froze, then began to struggle desperately, straining so hard that even the five-colored immortal rope loosened slightly. It understood now: even if Wei Yuan truly ate it, he had a way to resolve the karmic debt. At this point, Yanshi asked, "Mirage Demon gu insects are exceedingly difficult to dispel. What method do you have?" To the little rooster's ears, this question was sweet music from heaven. It hurried to say, "This seat is the bane of all venomous insects! As long as this seat holds sway, all masterless gu insects within a thousand li will perish on their own within three days!" Wei Yuan asked, "Can you recognize a master?" "That... I'm afraid not." Yanshi nodded. "Cannot recognize a master? Ah, so you are a born immortal spirit." The little rooster went rigid, its eyes instantly flooding with regret; in its carelessness, it had laid bare its true identity. Yanshi then said, "You were lost to us by the Little State Preceptor, so there is karmic affinity between us. Let us agree to three terms: you may not flee, you may not cause destruction, and you must remain by Wei Yuan's side for thirty years. Then I will grant you freedom. If you refuse, that is fine too; my ascension to immortality was rushed, and several of my natal magical treasures are still lacking an artifact spirit." The little rooster bitterly regretted its earlier words. It fell into silent contemplation, the sound of bubbling, boiling water still echoing in its ears. Having dealt with the little rooster, Yanshi brought out a stone and handed it to Wei Yuan, saying, "You contributed greatly to this major victory. I wiped out two silver grotto-heavens, and one of them actually coalesced into an earthfire heartstone. This earthfire heartstone makes for a fine grotto-heaven core. If you refine it into the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World and nurture it gradually, it will form another realm outside the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World. "Half of the immortal grotto-heavens you see came to be in just this way." Wei Yuan immediately declined: "If Grandmaster keeps this treasure, you should be able to gain another grotto-heaven. Increasing your strength, Grandmaster, is the foremost priority. It is good to enjoy shade beneath a great tree; this disciple is in no hurry." Yanshi laughed and said, "Having defeated the Worthy Prince of the Left and the Little State Preceptor this time, I reaped immense prestige, as well as a great harvest of karmic luck and karmic affinity. Gaining or losing one grotto-heaven is no longer so crucial. With the earthfire heartstone in hand, you will also have a better chance of suppressing the Mirage Demons." Only then did Wei Yuan accept it. "How do you plan to deal with those Mirage Demons?" Wei Yuan already had a plan and said, "They are trapped in the middle of the sea, unable to advance or retreat. Though there are three at Scenery Command, once I suppress them with the power of heaven and earth, the two at the initial stage can be suppressed down to the level of dharma idols—nothing worth mentioning. The one at the mid stage is slightly troublesome; I can only suppress it down to barely within the Scenery Command realm. "However, trapped within the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, its mindscape world will be hard to unleash. This disciple plans to dispatch people to wear it down in shifts. Once its mindscape world is mostly depleted, we will take it in one fell swoop." Yanshi said, "The innate gifts of the Mirage Demons are quite useful. If they can be subdued, that would naturally be best." Wei Yuan assented and prepared to return to Qingming. As he reached out to hoist the rooster, the bird immediately squawked, "Where are your manners? This seat can walk and fly, I don't need your help! Just untie the rope!" Only then did the two men remember that while discussing their matters, the five-colored immortal rope had never been removed. The little rooster had been lying fallen on the courtyard ground that whole time. Yanshi retrieved the immortal rope. Seeing Wei Yuan about to depart, he could not resist calling out to him again, instructing him carefully: "You defeated the Mirage Demons this time, reaping considerable karmic luck, but your karmic debt is also extremely dense. When dealing with the remaining Mirage Demons, subdue as many as you can. It will help dispel some of that karmic debt."