Chương 14: Aggressive Negotiations

"You dare! You accuse me of being one of those... those things?" Patience wasn't the greatest of Hao's virtues at the best of times. But after over a month of being hunted, pissing in the woods, and being accosted by greedy spirit beasts, he was done. That wasn't even touching upon the Grey Hilt and its constant gnawing. Hao's weary, frayed mind boiled over with rage. Heat poured off him, leaving the air within the pavilion rippling. Cinders swirled through the air like burning bees.

Cattle and sheep bellowed and bleated, frightened by the sudden spike in temperature. Mortals fled, shrieking as they escaped the nearby plaza. The people of Verdant Plains Town knew better than to stick around when cultivators fought. Guards banged on their shields, faces grim as they formed a line around the pavilion with their spears at the ready.

"I do not accuse," Master Wan said, rising to his full height. His glory days might've been left behind a century ago, but time had tempered the Ruminator, making a mountain out of a man. Craggy, worn, and ancient, but sturdier than simple flesh would allow. The veil on Master Wan's spirit lifted, sweeping outwards through the plaza like scorching sunlight.

"I know heresy's stink, Xiao Hao. I will do you the courtesy of granting you an honest death. That is my mercy." The Wildfire filled Hao's spirits, aching to be unleashed. His muscles strained. His spiritual senses opened, detecting the flares of qi all around: eight Calcinator sparks, Xing Jia's cold flame, and Master Wan's blistering inferno. Poor odds. Even with the Transient Burning Leaf…

"If I stink of sorcery, it's because I slaughtered a gang of the bastards just a few days ago," Hao spat, keeping his spear trained upon Master Wan.

"I cut down the Grey Hilt Bandits of the Cloven Pass. I sacrificed my own distilled qi to purge their rot! Don't you dare name me as one of them." Master Wan's good eye took in Hao, peering at him long and hard, while his jade eye spun in its socket. The Ruminator relaxed a fraction, then glanced around at all the onlookers from the other merchant pavilions. Each caravan company's protectors eyed them hungrily, particularly Hao with the Cheng Spear.

No doubt they'd try to swoop in during a battle and steal his treasure for themselves. Vultures, one and all. The veil on Master Wan's spirit pulled back a fraction more, like a master swordsman baring an inch more of his blade. Piercing pressure erupted from Master Wan, feeling as if a sharp edge layered over Hao's skin, ready to pull and slice him to ribbons. Calcinators collapsed to their knees, save Master Wan's own band. Xing Jia's hand trembled upon her sword's hilt.

Mighty Zhang gritted his teeth and hunched over as if he was about to vomit. His crew of hardened Distillators wavered on their feet beneath Master Wan's crushing spirit, terror filling their eyes. What few cultivators remained outside the Last Road Company's pavilion clutched their weapons, shaking like frightened rabbits who'd just seen an eagle pass by overhead. Even the guardsmen wavered, clutching talismans upon their armor to avoid shattering beneath Master Wan's strength.

Only Hao stood tall, though he felt like the weight of the world pressed against him. Master Bolin made a game of seeing how long Hao could withstand his spiritual pressure. A Ruminator like Master Wan might as well be a child himself compared to an Elder of the White Rivers Sect.

"Leave us." Master Wan cleared the plaza with just two words. Guardsmen frantically ushered the remaining mortals away, though the cultivators backed out carefully, refusing to take their eyes off the predator which had emerged so suddenly in their midst. Even Mighty Zhang retreated with his burly warriors. Only one cultivator outside the pavilion remained. A sensation like being taking a dip in a glacial stream swept over Hao, easing the sharp pressure of Master Wan's aura.

"What is this, Lord Wan?" A smooth, cultured voice split the air, undaunted by Master Wan's sheer power. Hao never allowed his eyes to stray from Master Wan's even as a slim woman garbed in flowing blue silks swept in from the side.

"The people are frightened enough. Do you think it wise to induce further unrest? This is a sanctum, not a battlefield!" He couldn't assess her properly, but just glimpsing her from the corner of his eye made his heart ache: sleek hair as dark as the sky on the night of a new moon, sculpted features which belonged more in the Sunbeam Emperor's court than in the dusty Verdant Plains town, and a gentle presence which acted as a balm against Master Wan's radiant power. Hope surged in Hao's chest.

"Fairy Geng." A smile played across Master Wan's lips.

"A pleasure. I hoped to share another cup of tea with you before my humble company left. How long has it been since our last quest together?" Well, fuck. Hao's hopes sank like a stone. Fairy Geng stepped to the side, standing between Master Wan and Hao, painfully resplendent in this backwater. Her brilliant blue eyes glanced at Hao, absorbing him, her aura sweeping over him like a frigid river. Her nose wrinkled as if she'd just smelled a rotten, wormy corpse on a hot, muggy day.

"This Ruminator invited me to his pavilion, then made unfounded accusations against me. Please, Lady Ruminator, I didn't come to Verdant Plains Town to cause trouble," Hao said, thinking swiftly.

"I recently slew the Grey Hilt Bandits—""The Grey Hilt Bandits?" Fairy Geng's bright eyes widened by a fraction. She inclined her head to Master Wan.

"Those are the ones I contacted you about, Lord Wan. Only a few survivors have emerged from the Cloven Pass recently, but their tales all shared a few troubling aspects: sacrifices, a foul presence, and warped cultivation. I suspected sorcery. I'd hoped to gain your expertise before handling them." Master Wan frowned. His blade lowered a fraction.

"It's rare to see a heretic with a spine," he allowed, eying the way Hao stood tall beneath the weight of his aura. He angled his blade, catching a lone ray of sunlight upon the heavenly jade edge. It burned golden, suffused with a molten glow.

"But not unheard of. One doesn't stink like this just from killing a half-rate sorcerer, Fairy Geng. What promises did they make you, boy? What unholy pacts did they offer?" Hao bit back his growl in favor of sending a pleading glance at Fairy Geng. She hadn't drawn her weapon yet. If push came to shove, she might be his only way of making it out of Verdant Plains Town alive.

"The only pact that I made with the Grey Hilt Bandits and Boss Xia was this: they die, then I take their things. They were kind enough to honor their end of the deal, so I honored mine as well." Hao raised the Cheng Spear, revealing the corroded storage ring which housed the shrieking Grey Hilt.

"Their leader wielded sorcery against me. Once I killed her, I found this ring and stowed her weapon away... amongst a few other unpleasant curiosities. I'm taking it to Sun Wall City to be destroyed." This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Master Wan's sunlit blade lowered a fraction. One of his students finally collapsed beneath his spiritual pressure, gasping for air.

"Some spoils are better left unplundered." The tension eased a fraction. Master Wan's mountainous strength retreated a tad, though it still bore down upon Hao. This was the sort of power that a newborn Ruminator like Yuchen could only dream of—all the might of Rumination fully mastered, made one with Master Wan's will.

"Perhaps," Hao agreed, thinking of the Grey Hilt's constant attempts to grind his will down and implant itself into his soul.

"But I have ambitions in Sun Wall City. I need proof of my valor. I didn't sell myself to them, Master Wan. I butchered those abominations, staked their leader's burnt corpse on a mountainside, and watched the Emperor burn her and her grimoire away to nothingness." Master Wan looked truly pleased for the first time since Hao had met him. Something glinted in the old man's expression. Approval, perhaps? It reminded Hao of the way an Elder's eyes brightened upon seeing a promising new initiate.

"It reminds me of that business with Lord Gu a decade back," Fairy Geng murmured, sparing a glance at Xing Jia, who paled.

"Another tendril that went unpruned, you think? I thought you'd purged them all."

"Or a new one altogether. His Radiance's eyes see far, but His attention lies elsewhere while the Four Winds blow in the north. The rats often come scurrying out in times like these," Master Wan said, then returned his focus to Hao.

"Destroying the heretic and her grimoire was the correct decision, though you should have left that thing out with them. It's rotten. Can't you feel the abomination sinking its hooks into you? It needs to be destroyed. Trust in the Emperor's Light." Master Wan paused briefly to bow to the east, towards the Golden Capital. The Ruminator wasn't wrong. Hao felt… strange since picking up the Grey Hilt. No surprise there. He'd weathered its psychic corruption, but the foul power couldn't be ignored.

It battered his sanity by interrupting what little sleep he needed, sapped his cultivation, and spun his dreams into the foulest of things. Carrying the Grey Hilt was a death sentence. There was no doubt about that. It was truly a race to see who could kill each other first: Hao by passing the abomination to the Sun Dragon Acolytes and earning his place in their trials, or the Grey Hilt by turning Hao into a puppet.

A dangerous game, certainly, but one that Hao needed to play if he wanted to attain the Sunstruck Dragon Form. He tilted his chin at Master Wan, meeting the Ruminator's eyes without flinching.

"The Grey Hilt is my path to the Sun Dragon Acolytes. I do not have the backing of a sect. I do not have the charity of a great master. I only have my spear, my skills, and my trophies. If wrestling with this monster is the only way forward, then wrestle I will."

"You do aspire to the Emperor's service, then," Master Wan replied, sharing another look with Fairy Geng. She nodded at him.

"Very well, Xiao Hao. Perhaps you are what you claim to be. If so, I will offer you a chance to prove it."

"Forget it!" Hao scoffed, waving the Cheng Spear to gesture at the ring of cultivators surrounding them.

"All I want is to leave. I have my own battles to face. I don't need to deal with you and your students as well."

"Oh, but you do," Fairy Geng chimed in, shifting to stand next to Master Wan. She was slight next to him, a willow next to his oak, but no less deadly for it. No weapon adorned her side, but three storage rings glinted upon her slender fingers.

"I do not know you, Distillator, but I've had the displeasure of facing sorcery before. You're strong now, but how long have you held the monstrosity?" He paused, thinking back to the blur of time since leaving the Cloven Pass.

"I think…three days? Four?" It was difficult to remember anything but running and punishing the Grey Hilt whenever its greasy fingers plunged into his mind.

"It's all blending together."

"You've done the Lonely Plains a service by killing the Grey Hilt Bandits. They were a scourge upon the innocent," Fairy Geng said, each word articulate and lilting, flowing like read poetry.

"As such, I will do you a service in turn." It was a good thing Captain Gu wasn't around to hear Fairy Geng say that. Hao would've made an enemy for life.

"And what is that?"

"Sorcerers are insidious beasts. Patient, cunning, and venomous in equal measure," Fairy Geng said, stepping closer to Hao. She gently pried his fingers loose from the Cheng Spear. The only reason Hao didn't strike her was for the gentleness of her qi. He couldn't sense a flicker of bloodlust in her spirit. The Ruminator examined the corroded storage ring which held the Grey Hilt, her nose wrinkling again in distaste.

"You burn brightly. I can sense the righteousness of your spirit. Your soul sings of ash and blood, but there's something purer deep within. Something golden. Whatever you took from the Grey Hilt Bandits will swallow that whole." Hao sucked in a breath. He forgot Master Wan for a moment.

"It's been a long time since I've been golden," Hao said, his voice cracking. Something about Fairy Geng's serenity washed over him, calming the fire in his blood. A technique, perhaps, but Hao didn't think so. She simply exuded a peace which was utterly foreign to him.

"My old master saw to that."

"Gold can shine again. But not if you carry that," Fairy Geng said, glancing down at the Grey Hilt's prison.

"It will wear you down, waiting for your flame to sputter. It will grind away your resolve until you are little more than a puppet. When you need its power most, it will be there. And then you will be no more."

"I'll stake it in the sun first," Hao retorted, leaning away from Fairy Geng's gentle touch.

"I'm not so easily broken, Fairy."

"A Distillator can't bear the Dark's weight. Not even one as strong as you," Master Wan pointed out.

"You wish to join the honored Acolytes, eh?" Hao nodded, still wary of Master Wan. He felt confident that Fairy Geng wouldn't take arms against him, but Master Wan and his warriors were quite another matter. They still clutched their weapons.

"A peak Distillator with a powerful yang affinity might find their purpose in Sun Wall City. Aspiring to the Emperor's service is a noble endeavor," Master Wan said, bowing again to the east.

"Don't let yourself rot away with that thing chewing on your soul. Don't become an appendage of the Dark. Join us, Xiao Hao. You're welcome to follow my caravan as a protector. I have contacts in Sun Wall City. I am known to the Acolytes; I can ensure they know of your valor."

"You?" Hao scoffed. It was said that the Acolytes were commanded by the Three Stars, each Immortals in their own right, though lesser than the Sunbeam Emperor. One such as Master Wan wouldn't even register to those titans as a spark.

"What would the Acolytes need with a Ruminator?"

"Sun Wall City is vast, and their appetites are voracious. Even the Acolytes need wares. I am happy to be a humble little thread in their grand tapestry." Master Wan shrugged.

"To the great, my three hundred years of life is but a passing blink. But I have used them well and made many friends. I will vouch for you if you join my caravan. I have a voice, however small."

"I'll take my chances with the Grey Hilt." One minute Master Wan was threatening his life, then the next he was offering Hao a place in his caravan? He didn't buy it.

"Thank you for your generosity, Master Wan. Your hospitality has been unrivaled." Hao lowered his head in a mock bow, then raised his spear away from Master Wan. When the Ruminator made no motion to stop him, he turned to leave. He was still wary of an attack, but froze as a cool hand snatched his wrist.

"Please listen to Master Wan. For your own sake," Fairy Geng said, speaking quietly enough that the observers couldn't hear. Except Master Wan, Hao suspected, though the old man made a pretense of scratching his chin and taking a quick sip of his rice wine.

"He's a fine cultivator, of course, but a better man. A virtuous soul. He will do right by you." The sheer desperation in Fairy Geng's voice was all that kept Hao from storming off and fleeing Verdant Plains Town. He felt confident now that Master Wan wouldn't hunt him, but Fairy Geng's warnings itched at some frayed piece of himself. Perhaps the Grey Hilt wasn't as subdued as it seemed. Hao stood for a long moment, considering. At last, he spoke, turning to face Master Wan again.

"Your offer…"

"Yes?"

"You mentioned a chance to prove that I'm not a filthy heretic. A way to earn your support with the Acolytes. What conditions do you have?" Master Wan's smile turned vicious.

"Something that will benefit us all, Xiao Hao. That abomination—""The Grey Hilt."

"Don't name them," Master Wan said sharply.

"They are things, nothing more. Rot to be cut away. Weeds to be plucked. They don't deserve the dignity of a name. Besides, it won't need one much longer."

"Oh?" Hao arched an eyebrow. He saw where this was going.

"And why not?"

"It's simple. You're going to help us destroy it."