Chapter 112: A Karmic Matter

  An Jing closed his eyes.

  “I understand.”

  After a moment, he opened his eyes, already calm once more. “I have to finish what I’m doing first before I can contempte the future.”

  Dwelling on what he could not yet accomplish was pointless. An Jing composed himself, channeled the ‘Serene Sword Technique’ to settle his thoughts, and began to evaluate his current state.

  As far as his assets were concerned, everything was in good shape. All the items he had bought at the bck market remained intact, except for one of the Six Qi Lotus Ptform drone units, which had been destroyed.

  Regarding his physical state: initially, An Jing had tested his power using one strand of Taibai Baleful Qi. During the earlier explosion’s shockwaves, he had used four strands at once to shield himself and then unleashed two more during a ter wave, totaling seven used.

  He had thirteen in total. Six were left, but one was a strand of Origin Qi that he dared not use lightly, leaving five strands of Taibai Baleful Qi at his disposal.

  Because An Jing was still fundamentally a cultivator whose Vital Essence was Like Rivers, refining essence into qi was challenging, and his spiritual energy regeneration was slow. Even with the jade-cleaving steel, he would need over fifteen minutes to condense just one strand.

  Hence, those five strands of Baleful Qi were all the power An Jing could muster on short notice.

  Of course, he also had his sword case and his long spear.

  But after witnessing the complete set of Spiritual Artifact–level armor used by the Fengdu Guards, An Jing was sure that even if his Chongming Sword Case could pierce some armor, it would hardly be enough against opponents so thoroughly equipped.

  His current gear might intimidate Huaixu folk without bulletproof cloaks, but in the Tianyuan Realm, it was akin to that of a mere well-trained gang member.

  He would be fortunate simply to survive the aftermath of a csh between genuine powerhouses.

  “Keep some Qi Boosting Pills handy,” the Sword Spirit reminded him. “They can briefly cause your blood essence to surge, replenishing vital essence and stamina while boosting your strength. Paired with the sharpness of Taibai Baleful Qi, their lethality would be quite impressive.”

  “Understood.” An Jing said no more. He slipped the small porcein bottle into an outer pocket so he could reach it whenever needed.

  By the time he finished, the cmor of battle below had rgely subsided. A conclusion would soon be reached, although whether the bck market or the Fengdu Guards would prevail remained to be seen.

  An Jing, however, found no soce in that possibility, as the Fengdu Guards were likely to triumph. And if they did, they would inevitably unch a massive search and investigation throughout the bck market.

  His present location was far too obvious, so he needed to find a more hidden spot to take cover.

  Once again, An Jing maneuvered the drone. The small, lotus seed–sized device floated through the air.

  The two Purple Mansion cultivators overhead were still locked in combat, requiring no further observation. He sent the drone deeper into the third level and lower sections of the bck market. After verifying that the coast was clear, he started his approach.

  His destination was the mineral shop ‘Little Ochre Mountain,’ where he had originally purchased his jade-cleaving steel.

  Little Ochre Mountain y slightly off-center on the third level. Its storefront was unremarkable, and it had a warehouse inside—an ideal pce to hide.

  Moreover, An Jing knew that Little Ochre Mountain held substantial “wealth.” Even if the shop’s staff had escaped with the finest minerals, whatever remained could still be highly useful. For a Radiant White Spirit Divine Restriction cultivator, no amount of ore was ever too much.

  Resolved, An Jing gathered his belongings and quietly moved toward Little Ochre Mountain.

  Yet, when he finally reached Little Ochre Mountain, he realized his earlier reconnaissance was less than perfect.

  Someone there was still alive.

  The entrance to Little Ochre Mountain had caved in, forming an aperture shaped like the character “入.” Even the nearby dome looked ready to cave in.

  It appeared that fire had swept the passage outside the shop, leaving scorch marks everywhere. Through gaps in the debris, one could faintly discern that the storefront had been ransacked.

  Everywhere y utter devastation, completely devoid of life. Even bandits would likely steer clear.

  Only after An Jing stepped into the debris did he catch the faint sound of breathing.

  “There’s actually someone alive?”

  An Jing’s heart gave a start, and he turned swiftly toward the source. He wasn’t surprised that Little Ochre Mountain had been raided: in the cultivator’s world, a mineral shop was even more tempting than an ordinary gold store. He was merely te to the scene. Still, he hadn’t expected anyone to remain alive.

  This also revealed a shortcoming of the drone: from a distance, such faint breathing went undetected.

  Taking out a fshlight, An Jing directed its beam toward the source of the breathing.

  It turned out to be someone he recognized.

  The female cultivator lying there, head matted with blood, was the very clerk who had greeted An Jing so warmly on his first visit to the bck market. Although he had never glimpsed her face, her hairstyle and figure were unmistakable.

  A bullet had grazed her neck and clipped the back of her head. Red blood, ced with faint blue-green streaks, trickled slowly.

  She was barely clinging to life. In her hand was a ‘Primordial Healing Talisman,’ which preserved her st vestige of consciousness and forced her body to keep breathing.

  Noticing An Jing’s presence, her nearly dited pupils sharpened, filled with despair and a silent plea.

  “She’s on the brink of death,” the Sword Spirit said softly. “A Primordial Healing Talisman costs ten times more than a normal healing talisman. It provides extremely pure life-origin energy and can even mend organ damage, but her Six Yang cranial meridian is severely injured. By now, only a Foundation Establishment cultivator versed in ‘Evergreen Wood-type life’ could save her.

  “In fact, she’s alive only because she has ‘Evergreen Wood’ impnted in her body, preserving this final thread of life.”

  “I can’t save you.” With a slow exhale, An Jing walked to the clerk’s side. Having seen countless bodies, he spoke bluntly: “I don’t carry medicine or healing talismans, so I can only watch you die.”

  “But I can offer you a quick end. Or perhaps… is there something you want to say? You clung to life this long, so I imagine there’s something on your mind.”

  The clerk lifted her head a little. The desperation and pleading in her eyes slowly ebbed.

  She was not young; despite her status as a cultivator, the strain of many years was evident. Her ocean-blue eyes—possibly a unique bloodline or a pupil technique—roved over An Jing from head to foot.

  Then, she abruptly summoned the st of her strength, gripping the Primordial Healing Talisman to draw out the final trace of her vitality. “Forgive me, friend. I knew I was finished, but I still tried desperately to live.”

  “What’s ughable about that? Right to the end, I’d fight to survive too.”

  An Jing shook his head, seeing that she wished to sit up. He helped her straighten into a cross-legged position on the floor. Only then did he notice two more bullet wounds in her chest and abdomen; her body was tough enough that the bullets had not passed through.

  Before death cimed her, she briefly rallied, removed a silvery-white card from her clothing, and held it out to An Jing. “This is an unnamed merit point card. You can withdraw 7,655 merit points from Lianshan Group–affiliated banks using this. It’s my savings from years of smuggling.”

  “There are also a few weapons in the counter. You can take them if you want.”

  “I can’t promise I’ll survive at all,” An Jing said, frowning as he took the card. He was direct: “Even if I do get out, I can’t guarantee anything—in truth, I’m not short on funds.”

  “I know. You’re the one who sold those empty spirit stones two days ago,” she said with a wan smile. From the beginning, she had recognized An Jing’s true identity. “You aren’t short on money. I know it will be difficult for either of us to survive… but if.”

  With that, she slipped off her watch—her personal information terminal.

  A mental command to its chip projected a map. “This is an emergency escape route that our company shares with a few partners. It might still work… if you can get out, if you decide to, if… In any case, I have no chance. I can only hope… if.”

  “If you can… tell my son… tell him his mother went on a business trip…”

  At that, her head sagged. Her voice weakened, words becoming a muddled stream: “He doesn’t know I work in the bck market. He thinks I’m with Little Ochre Mountain’s main branch… He’s about your age… Top of his css, has a schorship… He’ll be someone important…”

  “Don’t stop him… He’ll be a great figure someday…”

  “I’m sorry for always lying to him, I…”

  Still murmuring, she drifted into silence.

  She was gone.

  As. An Jing let out a quiet breath. He took the watch from her limp hand; it held her contact information as well as her home address.

  He regarded the silver card and the map in his hand. “Another karmic tie.”

  “She didn’t truly expect anything from you.” The Sword Spirit was quiet for a moment, then spoke with a bde’s merciless directness: “She only thought that if she didn’t offer her assets on her own, you’d search her corpse and leave her with no dignity. And since you’re the same age as her son, she both pitied you and hated herself.”

  “This karmic tie doesn’t concern you. You’re just a stand-in for her child. There’s no need to shoulder it.”

  “I know all that.” After a moment’s pause, An Jing turned and headed deeper into Little Ochre Mountain’s shop, slipping the card into his clothing. “Still, don’t I have my own projections, too?”

  “My mother… is she doing okay these days?”

  “It’s already fate that we met at all—and I’ve even taken her money. I ought to do something.”

  “I can’t change her fate now.” An Jing offered an oddly unburdened smile. “But if I survive… Fuxie.”

  “Am I really not capable of delivering even a single message?”

  The Sword Spirit gave no response, merely a faint ripple of approval.

  If An Jing could have been so easily dissuaded by the Sword Spirit’s words, then those words would have been pointless to begin with.

  Moreover, as an Immortal Sword that subjugated demons—Fuxie—he might dispense counsel as cold and sharp as steel, yet he much preferred seeing a cultivator whose heart burned with the vow to defeat evil and safeguard the realm.

  Wasting no time, An Jing raised the fshlight and searched through the cabinets.

  Though An Jing hadn’t expected much, he still discovered something of value.

  (End of Chapter)