Lu Shaohui was dead?!
"Uncle Chen, are you sure about that name?"
"Now that I recall it, there's no mistake—unless someone else got it wrong and gave me the wrong name. Why, Ah Shui, do you know him?"
"I do, though we weren't on great terms. We had some friction between us."
Liang Qu returned home with a heavy mind.
There were only three martial halls in town. Martial practitioners were rare enough that there was almost no chance of two sharing the exact same name.
Lu Shaohui hadn't been nearly as responsible as Hu Qi, and during the clash a few days ago, he hadn't done a single thing—a picture of dereliction of duty.
Still, since he was only a substitute instructor, there hadn't been much anyone could do to him. To think he would end up dead just like that...
Had he died two days ago and only been found today, or had he died today?
That question weighed on Liang Qu's mind.
Lu Shaohui hadn't shown up at the martial hall for the past two days, right after he walked away when that conflict erupted. Hu Qi had tried to look for him afterward, but couldn't find him anywhere.
*No, it's still early. I have to go take a look.*
Thinking this might somehow tie back to him, Liang Qu went to Uncle Chen's house to borrow a wooden bucket. He wrapped the great demon's feather in wet hemp cloth, stuffed it into the bucket filled with water, and hurried off toward Pingyang Town.
Between the dinner gathering that evening and his intention to consult his senior brothers about the feather's use, a trip to town had been unavoidable today anyway.
With urgency spurring his steps, Liang Qu covered the sixteen li in just two and a half ke. Once on the town streets, he pricked up his ears.
"I heard he was a martial master, yet he died right inside a ruined temple. Terrifying, isn't it?"
"That can't be right. The word I heard was that he was only a martial practitioner, though he'd broken through all three barriers and was on the verge of becoming a martial master."
"Either way, he was no ordinary man. To die such a gruesome death—his internal organs were completely hollowed out! The coroner said it looked like some demon ate them. It definitely wasn't done by a human."
"A demon? Heavens, aren't we in trouble then? Will it come eat us next?"
"Look at you, nothing but skin and bones! Even a demon would complain you're too bony to chew."
Every teahouse and inn was abuzz with talk of Lu Shaohui's death.
Liang Qu stopped a teahouse attendant. "Brother, may I ask which ruined temple they're talking about, where that Martial Master Lu died? Could you point me in the right direction?"
The attendant smiled. "Care for a bowl of tea, guest?"
"No need for tea, I'm pressed for time." Liang Qu offered five wen.
"Much obliged!" The attendant cheerfully slipped the coins into his pouch, took Liang Qu toward the street, and pointed into the distance. "Look that way. See Huang's Cloth Shop over there?"
"I see it."
"Take the small path behind Huang's Cloth Shop. Walk about two li, and you'll hit a wide dirt road. That used to be the bluestone approach to the temple before the paving slabs were all pried up. Follow that road straight for a quarter of an hour, and you'll be there."
"Thank you."
"You're very welcome! Come back for tea when you have time!"
Liang Qu didn't head straight for the ruined temple. Instead, he took a turn toward his Third Senior Brother's shop. Lu Gang's blacksmith forge happened to lie along the way to Huang's Cloth Shop, making it a good time to ask what the great demon feather was good for.
"Senior Brother Lu!"
"Junior Brother Liang? Why are you here so early? Don't tell me you changed your mind about the spearhead design?"
"No, not that. While I was out on the boat fishing last night, I came across something pretty hot to handle. I was hoping you could take a look and tell me what it is."
"Hot to handle?"
Seeing the bundled hemp cloth in Liang Qu's hands, Lu Gang rose from his furnace. "Come on, follow me inside."
Inside the quiet room.
Lu Gang shut the door and took the hemp bundle Liang Qu handed over. Feeling the intense heat radiating through the damp fabric, his brows arched in surprise. "That really is scorching."
"Heh."
Liang Qu helped peel back the layers of cloth. The golden-red feather radiated a blistering heat that visibly warped the surrounding air.
Lu Gang's pupils contracted. "A Scarlet Flame Mourning Feather?"
"You recognize it, Senior Brother Lu?"
Lu Gang instinctively glanced back to verify the door was shut, then asked in a low voice, "Where did you get this?"
Liang Qu recounted the clash between the two great demons two nights prior and how he had found the feather the next day, though he substituted the two beasts' discovery with his own while fishing.
"Junior Brother Liang, I honestly don't even know what to say about your luck." Lu Gang sighed. "Do you know where a Scarlet Flame Mourning Feather comes from?"
"Where?"
"I can't say what kind of beast that aquatic demon was, but the flaming giant bird you described was definitely a Scarlet Flame Bird.
"Scarlet Flame Birds possess extraordinary vitality. Whenever they face mortal peril, they inject the essence of their entire life force into a portion of their feathers and scatter them in all directions to facilitate escape.
"Among those scattered feathers, one carries the lion's share of that life essence—the Scarlet Flame Golden Feather. The bird uses that feather to achieve rebirth, much like a gecko severing its tail, except it sheds its entire body instead."
"Then could mine be..." Liang Qu's eyes shone with anticipation.
Lu Gang chuckled. "Naturally, it can't be the golden feather meant for nirvana. If it were, neither of us could get anywhere near it."
"Fair enough."
"Don't be greedy, Junior Brother Liang. A Scarlet Flame Bird only scatters a dozen or two dozen feathers at a time. Given its sheer size, even a lesser feather holds an astounding amount of life essence."
"What can it be used for?"
"It can aid in cultivation, but I doubt you could absorb the energy inside. Life essence infused with the fire attribute tends to be quite violent. Unless you've broken through the three barriers and reached the martial master realm, I wouldn't recommend trying.
"On top of that, without a way to replenish it, the energy will dissipate rather quickly. My advice is to draw out all its vitality at once and use it as forge-fire charcoal when hammering your weapon. I'm eighty percent confident I could impart a spiritual nature to the weapon."
*A spiritual weapon?*
It was the first time Liang Qu had ever heard the term.
"Weapons with a spiritual nature are exceedingly rare because materials like this Scarlet Flame Mourning Feather are almost impossible to come by. Hunting an adult Scarlet Flame Bird requires an Attaining Elephant realm martial artist at the very least, and even then, success isn't guaranteed since the bird can fly. Usually, it takes two or three Attaining Elephant masters working together to corner one.
"The greatest attribute of a spiritual weapon is its ability to self-repair and grow. As long as it is near materials of the same source, it can absorb them to mend itself. A notch the size of a fingernail can heal in about ten days.
"No matter how fine the materials, any weapon inevitably suffers wear and tear over time. The opponents you cross blades with will mostly be on your level, and their weapons won't be junk either. Clashing against them leaves nicks easily.
"Take your Fourth Senior Brother, for instance—I've lost count of how many swords he's had me replace, and every single time he pinches every copper when paying."
Lu Gang, whose tone was normally steady and even, showed a rare glimmer of exasperation.
"Then let's use it to forge my spear," Liang Qu decided on the spot. Handling the feather with bare hands was already difficult, let alone absorbing its energy. Rather than letting it go to waste, it was better to strike while the iron was hot.
He had picked it up by sheer luck in the first place, so there was no point being greedy. Trading it for a spiritual weapon was already far beyond expectations.
"Good. I'll get everything ready as soon as possible. Take a seat, Junior Brother Liang."
"No need, I still have business to attend to. I'll step out for a bit and be right back."
"That works too."
"By the way, Senior Brother Lu Gang, do you know Lu Shaohui?"
"Lu Shaohui? Rings a bell. From our martial hall, right? He's a two-barrier martial practitioner?"
Lu Gang pondered for a moment. He earned his living through blacksmithing and had little need to take up posts at the martial hall for silver, so his impression was vague at best.
"That's him. But if you aren't familiar with him, never mind."
"Did something happen?"
"He's dead."
Chapter 50