Exile

The plaque reading "Craft God of the Great Desolation" had only been up for two days, yet the karmic luck gathered had visibly increased. When the shop opened on the second day, only half of the young masters and mistresses showed up. To them, desolate iron was no obstacle; the problem was that there were simply too few boxes to satisfy the thrill of opening them. Those who felt they wouldn't manage to snatch a box simply stayed away. Yet those who hadn't come immediately regretted it. That day, a pink pillar of light shot straight into the heavens first. The heroic image of Tianyu holding high the pink octopus while laughing madly toward the sky was seared into the minds of many shamans. The dozen or so iron boxes in the shop were snapped up in an instant. Driven into a frenzy, the young masters and mistresses refused to give up, compelling Wei Yuan to bring out every box he had prepared to put on the shelves the next day. Finally, amidst the shriek of another young shaman mistress, an icy-blue light soared into the sky, gradually converging into a bizarre spirituality floating in the air, with countless streamers trailing behind its back. This was an unimaginable, breathtaking beauty—and two had appeared at once! The looks the young masters and mistresses gave Wei Yuan changed completely. Yaolan once again stated that she had everything in her boudoir, promising she would be gentle and wouldn't hurt Wei Yuan too badly. Before Wei Yuan could even appreciate the dozen or so strands of karmic luck that had suddenly rained down on him, he hastily dodged sideways, narrowly avoiding Yaolan's massive claw descending upon his head in the nick of time. The karmic luck suddenly contributed by the young masters and mistresses was no accident. By their account, even if Wei Yuan were merely a painter, with the aesthetic vision to create two peerlessly beautiful shamans, he would undoubtedly have been abducted by a Heavenly Shaman and locked away as a personal artist, painting works solely for the shaman's private enjoyment. What was more, these were not paintings, but living spiritualities. After that day, the Craft God of the Great Desolation shop was bustling with visitors. Many Desolate Shamans came drawn by his reputation, eager to see what other stunning creations the craft god who had forged two absolute shaman beauties in a row would produce. By contrast, the two formidable Scenery Command-grade spiritualities Wei Yuan was particularly fond of were never once mentioned by any shaman. The young masters and mistresses who opened them were delighted at first, then disappointed, feeling their extraordinary luck had gone to waste. There was also a minor interlude: that pink octopus had originally been given to Tianyu, but later reappeared inside an iron box. This had been Tianyu's own request. He had left a trace of special divine sense on the iron box, and then pretended to open it purely by chance the next day, all to relish the envy, jealousy, and spite of the other young masters and mistresses. The trick genuinely worked. Tianyu himself didn't know it, but Wei Yuan saw clearly that Tianyu had gained three strands of potent fortune right on the spot. Only after the second creature—a blue jellyfish—was opened did Wei Yuan begin to reap karmic luck in abundance. For by that time, the young masters and mistresses were convinced that producing two peerlessly beautiful shamans in a row was no fluke, but that Wei Yuan's aesthetics were simply born this way; the Heavenly Dao had bestowed this gift upon him. Over the next ten-odd days, all was calm. Wei Yuan no longer needed to give anything away. With the help of Miss Yaolan, he established a procurement channel for sacrificial power, securing a steady stream of replenishments. Half a month passed like this before Wei Yuan released a third peerlessly beautiful shaman. This was a starfish-shaped spirituality that left behind fluttering purple afterimages wherever it passed, once again causing a sensation. One month after arriving in the War Domain, Wei Yuan finally made another breakthrough in his research on sacrificial power. He discovered that the primary cause behind the endless variations in spirituality lay in the resentment and karmic debt within sacrificial power: the heavier they were, the easier it was for peerless little pretty shamans to appear; meanwhile, the more karmic luck involved, the greater the spirituality's power. Pure Power Shaman karmic luck would only produce various ferocious beasts and birds of prey. During this period, Wei Yuan also gained his first strand of Desolate Shaman karmic luck, coming from a Desolate Shaman he had never seen before. This Desolate Shaman was also a former young master. He had spent a fortune to buy the purple-shadow starfish from another young mistress, which in turn brought Wei Yuan his first strand of Desolate Shaman karmic luck. The Desolate Shaman came knocking on the door the very next day, insisting on having a drink with Wei Yuan. As this Desolate Shaman was immensely powerful and had a prominent background, Wei Yuan could not decline and had to accept the invitation. At the banquet, the Desolate Shaman was overjoyed, taking Wei Yuan as a kindred spirit. He declared that all his life he had dreamed of seeing such a beautiful shaman, yet everything he had encountered in his years fell just a bit short; he had never expected the regret of a lifetime to be made whole by Wei Yuan. Having downed over a hundred jin of strong liquor in a single go—enough to drink a dozen Power Shamans to death—the Desolate Shaman finally began to succumb to the alcohol. Clapping Wei Yuan heavily on the shoulder, he spoke his true thoughts from the heart: "I've finally figured it out! Only an ugly wretch like you, yearning for love all his life yet never getting it, bottled up so terribly, could ever create such peerless masterpieces!" Wei Yuan's expression changed. *Why did this turn into a personal attack on my shaman physique?* Yet the advanced Desolate Shaman karmic luck that immediately followed proved that the Desolate Shaman had spoken truly from the heart. For the sake of the karmic luck, Wei Yuan decided not to hold it against him. When the banquet finally ended and the guests dispersed, Wei Yuan was not in the least bit happy. Drawing on the liquor's heat, he went back and swung his forging hammer all night, hammering out two more peerlessly beautiful shamans. He had thought his days would proceed smoothly step by step like this, steadily accumulating Desolate Shaman karmic luck until he found an opportunity to forge an immortal artifact, using it to craft the ultimate fishing line, reel in the Dao Sword, and then figure out a way to flee back to the human domain. Yet fate rarely obliged human wishes, and unexpected turns were bound to arise: Tianyu was suddenly convicted and thrown into prison, and all his personal property was confiscated, including Wei Yuan's shop and over seventy little pretty shamans. Wei Yuan was stunned when the news arrived. The young master who brought the message was quite polite, telling Wei Yuan he could still use the shop. The new owner would not interfere with any of Wei Yuan's activities; all it would cost was a single iron box a year in rent. This young master was also someone Wei Yuan knew well, so Wei Yuan pulled him aside to a quiet spot, grabbed an iron box to offer him, and asked, "What exactly happened to Tianyu?" The young master sighed. "He got into a dispute with Young Master Liuyao. Young Master Liuyao took a fancy to the Pink Enchantress in his hands, but Tianyu refused to part with it no matter what. Young Master Liuyao even offered an astronomical price of a hundred thousand desolate iron, but Tianyu still wouldn't sell. Young Master Liuyao was deeply distressed over it..." The young master leaned closer to Wei Yuan and lowered his voice. "It's like watching the shamaness you adore get ravaged every day by some fat shaman. You know the feeling, right?" To be honest, Wei Yuan didn't understand in the slightest, but he could only sigh and nod along. The young master continued, "...Though plenty of shamans are into that sort of thing, Young Master Liuyao hasn't sunk to that level yet... "In any case, Young Master Liuyao didn't intend to do anything. But his eldest sister is the current deputy city lord. Upon hearing the news, she flew into a rage, seized upon the fact that Tianyu had never set foot on the battlefield, treated him as a deserter, threw him in jail, and confiscated all his property." "Tianyu has never been on the battlefield?" "That's right! Although he's always stayed in the War Domain, he was merely doing business, flipping goods back and forth, without a single battle merit to his name. That whole body of fat was built on medicine; he's never been tempered by the fires of war. All the strength he ate up was spent on pretty shamans—ptooey!" Only then did Wei Yuan realize that Tianyu didn't seem to be very popular among shamans. While these young masters and mistresses called Tianyu brother to his face, none of them really respected him behind his back. In this regard, humans and shamans were no different. The young master said, "The city lord holds great respect for you, so he sent me specifically to let you know that none of Tianyu's affairs have anything to do with you. You need only focus on forging spiritualities." Just then, a commotion rose at the shop entrance, and Young Master Liuyao, whom Wei Yuan had seen before, stepped through the doors. The visiting young master was quick on the uptake and promptly withdrew, leaving the shop to Liuyao and Wei Yuan. Liuyao seemed somewhat embarrassed to speak, weighing his words for a long moment before saying, "My eldest sister spearheaded this, and there was nothing I could do. Eldest Sister has always been someone whose word is final; no one can talk her out of anything. Besides, Tianyu really did give her a handle against him. Years ago, we all urged him to spend at least a few days at the front lines—with us brothers around, we definitely would have kept him safe. "This time, he had originally agreed, but then he suddenly fell ill with an acute ailment and rushed off in a hurry to find a miracle doctor, missing his chance once again. We Power Shamans, highborn or low, must step onto the battlefield to be counted as heroes. Tianyu... sigh, he's still young, playful, and has been getting way ahead of himself lately. Sometimes he doesn't realize how serious things are." Wei Yuan sighed and asked, "Can his life be saved?" Liuyao replied, "Normally, desertion is punishable by death. However, a massive amount of wealth was confiscated from Tianyu, which can be considered compensation for the soldiers on the front lines. So in the end, the city lord ruled to exile Tianyu to Fengmang Fortress, permitting him to return only after earning tenfold military merit." If Wei Yuan remembered correctly, Fengmang was the newest, smallest, crudest, and most perilous fortress in the War Domain, sitting at the very forefront of the entire defense line. Being exiled to Fengmang Fortress was practically no different from being put to death. "When does the exile take place?" "He departs in three days. But don't worry, you won't be affected. You are a true master craftsman, and Eldest Sister respects you greatly as well. Besides, you aren't suited for the battlefield. In a couple of days, the city lord will issue an edict exempting you from military service. After all, your contribution here is far greater than on the battlefield." Yet Wei Yuan said, "I'm going to Fengmang as well." Liuyao was astonished. "Aren't you... aren't you going to your death?" Yet Wei Yuan's mind was already made up; no matter how Liuyao tried to dissuade him, it was futile. Wei Yuan knew very well that if he did not go to Fengmang, Tianyu would truly be a dead man.