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010 - The Devil's Bargain
🕑 Added 2024-07-03 18:47:43 +0000 UTCUnder the oppressive darkness that only a single candlelight resisted, Qin Yun felt the cold edge of a knife on his neck, threatening to reap his life at any moment. Furthermore, he could also feel the sharpened point of another blade as it dug slightly between his shoulder blades. Despite it all, Qin Yun remained calm and composed, feeling no real threat from the individual at the end of those blades.
Without a word, Qin Yun spun on his heels, swatting the blade pressing on his back with the back of his hand while pinning his assailant to the wall by holding his throat. Unfortunately, Qin Yun couldn't avoid the blade to his neck.
The cold metal tore his skin as he rotated, plunging the deadly blade deep within, severing muscles and arteries. An enormous amount of blood was ejected from his carotid artery, staining the walls and floor of the pavilion in countless red circles. Yet, Qin Yun didn’t falter in his assault as he felt no pain.
One of the advantages of remaining in the Body Strengthening Realm for so long was more than just the increased sturdiness of his flesh, but a path towards complete mastery of all systems of his body, even the involuntary ones.
As such, Qin Yun could use his Innate Qi to numb specific nerve pathways as he saw fit; to reduce his sense of pain was child's play at this point.
With his opponent firmly pinned against the wall, Qin Yun proceeded to disarm him. There was no need for any fancy technique; only pure strength would do the trick. While his opponent was distracted by the large volume of blood spewing from Qin Yun's neck, he proceeded to wrap his hand around the only remaining blade. He twisted in a jerking motion, dislodging the handle from his assailant's hand.
Two knives fell to the floor, yet Qin Yun was slightly shocked by their sight. They pulsed with a bluish energy as slight characters were imprinted on their surfaces. Artifacts! Qin Yun thought to himself. It was no wonder even his strengthened flesh couldn’t hold against them. Besides, they were far from the lowest rank.
With that out of the way, Qin Yun circulated his Innate Qi within his body and slightly opened the reserves he kept in his artificial Qi centre. The energy flooded his system, concentrating around the area of his neck and palm, swiftly healing the wounds.
In a matter of seconds, the giant opened gashes were nowhere to be seen. If not for the large amount of blood around, one could scarcely believe he had been gravely injured. As for the missing blood, Qin Yun did the same as before, injecting a large amount of energy into his bone marrow, stimulating the creation of red blood cells.
With that out of the way, Qin Yun observed the one within his grasp. As he expected, he found the woman in a red dress familiar. It was, without a doubt, his wife, even if he couldn't see her face due to the red veil she always wore. While Qin Yun felt the urge to remove it and gaze upon her visage, he refrained from doing so as he didn't want the beginning of their married life to start on an even worse footing. She seemed to have her secrets, but he wouldn't force her to reveal them.
While Qin Yun could have chosen to prevent that injury altogether, he chose not too. He had many reasons, but the foremost was to gauge her reaction. He wanted to know if she was adamant in her threat or simply bluffing. While there was much still hidden behind that veil, Qin Yun now knew his bride’s stance on the matter.
After pondering for a moment, Qin Yun decided to let her go. Yet, her reaction was predictable. As soon as his hand left her throat, the woman struck against his chest, retreating slightly while simultaneously drawing an even bigger knife from beneath her wedding dress. Seeing this, Qin Yun could only sigh.
“I didn’t expect you would try to kill your husband on our first night,” he said while looking at her.
Her actions reminded him of a feisty cat he had sheltered some lifetimes ago. He couldn't help but chuckle slightly, which, he could swear, made his bride scowl even despite the veil covering her face.
"I wonder if the Yun Clan put you up to this?" he asked, slightly amused.
While this possibility existed, he wondered what they had to gain by doing so. It wasn't like they would find what they sought from his corpse. Still, the woman remained still and silent, offering no explanation. Unconcerned, Qin Yun shrugged and sat near a small table across from the large bed within the pavilion.
He pointed forward slightly, and a sizeable exotic tea set emerged from thin air. Then, he busied himself preparing tea to the consternation of the woman standing before him. While pointing again, a small amount of water appeared mid-air before falling into the vessel.
Qin Yun opened a small box containing some dried herbs he had received as a gift so long ago he almost forgot. Still, he was nearly sure the woman hadn't seen anything like it, as he could feel her surprise from her body language.
A strong herbal scent wafted in the air, reminding Qin Yun of long-gone memories buried deep within his psyche. He couldn't help but show a sorrowful smile, which drew even more restlessness from his guest.
Without bothering about her presence, Qin Yun relished the memories as they rose to the surface for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. Yet, losing himself in nostalgia would serve no purpose. Once again, he locked those memories deep within his heart and resumed his preparations.
He placed a single fingertip upon the porcelain vessel, urging his Innate Qi to rise beyond his flesh. The Qi revolved within the vessel, stirring the water while imparting its energy and raising its temperature. Once Qin Yun confirmed the water to be of ideal temperature, he retracted his Qi and poured the hot content into the teacup, which contained the premeasured amount of tea leaves.
“How..." his bride stuttered, slightly taken aback. She had seen the whole process of his tea-making endeavour, yet she hadn't felt any Spiritual Qi from him. She couldn't begin to comprehend how he had achieved such a thing as a mere mortal.
One had to know that only those who have reached the Qi Refining Realm could be considered proper cultivators, as one didn't need to possess Spiritual Roots to strengthen their body. It wasn't rare for mortals to even reach the Peak of the Body Strengthening Realm. Unfortunately, that would be the furthest they could go on the path as one needed Spiritual Roots to absorb the Spiritual Qi in the atmosphere and make it their own.
As Innate Qi and Spiritual Qi were two different entities, it wasn't surprising that Yun Jingfei couldn't understand how Qin Yun raised the temperature. Usually, when a cultivator used their Qi, the Spiritual Qi found within the atmosphere would resonate, amplifying the phenomenon akin to overlapping waves forming constructive interference.
Innate Qi offered no such resonance. Furthermore, its usefulness and usability were esoteric, to say the least. Not many had the opportunity or even the will to spend time sharpening their technique in using this nonrenewable energy. Her bewilderment was warranted; however, Qin Yun felt mischievous on his wedding night.
“You’re the one acclaimed as some heaven-defying genius, you tell me,” he said as he rested his head on his fist.
Qin Yun felt the room grow unusually colder as she stared at him from below her veil. His eyebrow rose slightly as he spied his bride's whole body tremble from what he assumed was extreme anger. He wondered how mere words could trigger such an intense reaction when she had emotionlessly tried to send him to the afterlife.
Suddenly, a bright red lotus appeared above her head, yet Qin Yun couldn't help but frown. Unlike his father's deep red Lotus, hers was many times brighter, denoting the pureness of her Spiritual Roots. Solely judging by its colour, Qin Yun could see why she would be deemed a genius. Her Spiritual Roots were of the highest class.
Yet, her Lotus seemed faint and feeble in contrast. As he expected, the lotus platform possessed ten leaves, which was evidence that she had reached the peak of the Foundation Building Realm. Furthermore, a large bulb hovered over the platform, meaning she had reached the entry threshold into the Void Core Realm. A single lotus leaf threatened to split from the bulb as if her entry into a higher realm was all but guaranteed, yet Qin Yun couldn't help but be doubtful.
The Lotus, which should have been vibrant and full of life, seemed haggard and slightly wilted. The leaves, which should have been plump and full of energy, seemed empty and shrivelled. Qin Yun could even spot charred areas upon the Lotus's surface despite her Spiritual Roots being, without a doubt, of the fire element. Even the heat she radiated into their small pavilion from her heightened emotional state seemed highly lacklustre.
As he expected, something was wrong with his bride. He then remembered she had attempted to reach the Void Core Realm some time ago yet was forced to renounce her breakthrough midway. Unfortunately, it seemed such an act left some unavoidable consequences.
The red Lotus wobbled slightly as it engaged the surrounding Spiritual Qi in manifesting its heat. Despite the support of its surroundings, the heat generated was pitiful, to say the least. It was comparable to a novice in the 4th level of the Qi Refining Realm, someone who had barely any mastery over their own energy.
A small orange flame appeared, hovering a meter above the ground, then flickered and disappeared almost instantly. Qin Yun could see his bride clench her tiny fists as pearls of sweat slid across the exposed skin of one of her arms before it fell to the floor.
Despite all her efforts and the frustration in her heart, this was the best she could achieve. As Qin Yun expected, her journey on the path of cultivation had already ended. She was nothing more than a cripple. Still, Qin Yun didn't feel any pity for her, nor contempt. His face only showed a genuine, gentle smile, which took her aback.
Ever since her advancement failure, she had grown used to seeing the ridicule even her family showed her now. While she was once lauded as a genius and given preferential treatment, she was nothing more than a waste and sold as a bride by her clan. Even worse, her husband was nothing more than a mortal, unable to achieve the barest level of Qi Refinement.
She was frustrated and angry, but more than that, she hated her fate and her family. She wished nothing more than to regain her peak and show them she still had value as something more than a bargaining chip. She would give anything to see these dazzling sights once again as she gazed upon the highest peak where she once stood. Alas, she had no choice but to resign herself to her fate, as nothing could restore her broken Spiritual Roots.
Unlike the rest of her clan, only her uncle hadn't given up on her. He even went as far as trading one of his treasures for Artificial Spiritual Roots, which could only be found within the continent's core region. Yet, even that resulted in failure, as the Spiritual Roots burst into flames, the same way her own had done once she had it transplanted. Despite all her best efforts, there was nothing to be done. She could only live the rest of her life in abject mediocrity.
Qin Yun closely examined his bride, and he liked what he saw. Despite the repeated failure she had endured since that fateful incident and the pit of despair she was now in, Qin Yun could still see a hint of defiance in her. She was a fighter and would do anything to further her own goals.
If anything, trying to kill one’s husband in order not to become a bargaining chip for one’s family took more courage than most had in her position. Qin Yun held no doubt that most in her situation would have chosen the easy way out.
Most cultivators from prominent families weren't used to hardship and would easily crumble under pressure. Despite her unfortunate fate, she stood above the rest in terms of tenacity, which was a precious quality for any living being.
Qin Yun's smile only grew more prominent. He seemed to have taken an interest in this arranged bride. To celebrate their marriage, Qin Yun offered her a chance at salvation. Unfortunately for her, Qin Yun wasn't in the habit of running a charity.
"How much are you willing to pay to recover to your peak?" he asked with a smile resembling the devil itself.
