Chapter Seventy-Four: Chang’e Must Regret Stealing the Elixir

Bang! Lu Qian slipped aside, dodging the strike. The stone platform was cleaved cleanly in two by a single swipe of the claw.

Seeing his attack miss, the bandit launched into a flurry of blows, striking dozens of times in succession. Yet no matter how Lu Qian tried to reason with him, the words fell on deaf ears.

The bandit’s vertical pupils grew ever more clouded, his reason fading rapidly. Where he could once curse with a few coherent words, now he was only capable of guttural noises. His body, no longer able to stand upright, hunched over like a leopard ready to pounce.

A guttural roar tore from his throat as he shot out of the basement with lightning speed.

“Wait for me... kill... kill your whole family!” the bandit spat out as he realized Lu Qian was not giving chase.

But still, Lu Qian stood unmoving, rooted to the spot.

“Another failure,” he sighed.

The bandit, having escaped, dropped to the ground, gasping for the freedom of open air. Just then, the sky darkened abruptly. Thick clouds rolled in.

A sudden downpour of pitch-black rain drenched him, making the scales along his body bristle with terror. An overwhelming sense of mortal danger surged within him. He wanted to flee, but how could he outrun the rain?

The storm lasted only a few seconds before the clouds dispersed. On the ground was left nothing but a skeleton, somewhere between man and beast.

Lu Qian’s mastery of the “Cloud-weaving Rainbow-breaking Art” had reached minor completion; with a simple gesture, he could conjure wind and rain at will. No matter how the bandit had tried to escape, he could never outrun the reach of the storm clouds.

Blood spattered the stone platform, and Lu Qian’s hands were stained crimson. In hunting attire, Invitation Moon brought over a basin of steaming water.

“You may go now. Tell Black Hawk to continue sending people over,” Lu Qian said as he washed his hands, waving her away.

“Yes!” Invitation Moon bowed and withdrew.

Invitation Moon was a cunning woman, always seizing opportunity when she saw it. For half a year, she had taken the initiative in many affairs, clearly relishing her newfound authority. She was shrewd enough to know that it all stemmed from Lu Qian, and so she served him with the utmost respect. Yet in private, she went too far—she even schemed against her own younger sister, stopping at nothing for power.

Lu Qian shook his head and recorded the experience in a notebook.

“Blood Imprint Dao Soldier Pills made primarily with ‘Red Dragon Foal Blood’, ‘Blue-scaled Panther’, and ‘Spirit Fox Blood’ have a low success rate. Eight out of ten die from bloodline collapse before absorption is complete; a small number succeed but succumb to madness.

‘Human-headed Demon Hawk’ and ‘Black-armored Water Python’ are more suitable for Blood Imprint Dao Soldier materials.

The same applies to body refinement. Without firm willpower, one is easily swayed by the bloodline—beastification is likely.”

Lu Qian noted down his insights. Three paper figures worked beside him—one refining yellow elixir and lead powder, another tending the fire, the last assembling herbs.

Lu Qian monitored the critical steps. Though he had yet to produce a single Dao Soldier in half a year, his understanding of bloodlines had far surpassed that of ordinary men.

He visualized the mysterious golden mirror in his mind, and information surfaced:

Taiyin True Water Guidance Method (Major Completion: 1339/8000)
Cloud-weaving Rainbow-breaking Art (Minor Completion: 89/500)
Alchemy: Outer Elixir Yellow and White Arts (Major Completion: 500/500)
Spirit Hosting Technique (Major Completion: 500/500) (Minor: control 2, Major: control 3)
Tripitaka Heart-clearing Mantra (Major Completion: 150/150)

Such was the fruit of his half-year’s cultivation.

The path of alchemy was vast and profound; only after reaching major completion in the Outer Elixir Arts could he barely manage to refine a complete gold elixir. Fortunately, with the Spirit Hosting Technique at major completion, he could control three paper servants with ease—otherwise, his time would have been consumed solely by alchemy.

Now, he could finally turn to body refinement—a matter of great importance.

At Tongyou Temple, only those who swore blood oaths of fealty were taught the method of Spirit Cultivation Visualization. If he did not want to be controlled, he would have to forge his own path, starting with the body.

“But body refinement is easily influenced by bloodlines, even to the point of beastification,” Lu Qian mused. Nevertheless, he could not be overly cautious.

The introductory stage of blood infusion equated to the Qi Refining Stage; the subsequent stage of blood permeating the body was akin to the Spirit Cultivation Stage. By continually purifying the bloodline, one could ascend to greater heights—why allow oneself to be fettered?

“The Fish-Dragon is nearly mature, and my two magic artifacts are almost complete. Once my Blood Imprint Dao Soldier is ready, I shall enter seclusion to refine my body and transform into a dragon,” he resolved, gazing at the distant clouds.

The mountains and earth seemed to weave a vast iron net, slowly closing in around him.

...

The next day, within the mansion.

On a grand, crimson-carved bed, Evening Moon lay beneath the covers, her fair arms and smooth shoulders exposed, her skin beaded with fragrant sweat as she slept soundly.

Suddenly, the man beside her turned over and sat up, rousing the jade beauty from her slumber.

“Master, you’re awake?” she mumbled sleepily, rubbing her eyes as she moved to help Lu Qian dress.

“No need. Rest a little longer,” Lu Qian said with a gentle smile. He took a cloth pouch from the bedside, retrieving a small casket from within. Opening it revealed a red pill.

“You should be able to sense your qi now. Take this pill to nourish your body,” he said, handing the medicine to Evening Moon.

Just then, Invitation Moon entered, her heart filled with envy and jealousy at the sight.

“Why her? Evening Moon! What exactly have you done behind my back?” she fumed inwardly, not daring to blame Lu Qian, shifting all her resentment onto her sister.

At noon, Invitation Moon snuck into Evening Moon’s room, rummaging through her things until she found the small casket. Inside lay a single crimson pill, exuding an uncanny, alluring fragrance.

Greed welled up in Invitation Moon’s heart. Evening Moon’s possessions should be hers by right—if she took the pill, Evening Moon would not dare report her.

With that thought, Invitation Moon swallowed the pill in a single gulp.

Boom!

The pill dissolved instantly, a surge of scorching, overwhelming power flooding her body, accompanied by excruciating pain.

“Aaaah!” she screamed, writhing on the floor, tearing at her clothes. Her fair skin darkened to a deep red, blood-colored steam rising from her body. Her flesh writhed as if something was about to burst forth.

Her consciousness began to blur.

“No—I mustn’t die,” Invitation Moon clung desperately to consciousness, filled with regret.

Earlier, as Invitation Moon stole the pill—

In the lakeside pavilion, the moon’s pale light shimmered on the water, waves glimmering in the mist that wrapped the scene in an ethereal haze.

Lu Qian sipped his spirit herb wine, raising his cup to the moon, a faint trace of intoxication on his face.

The moment Invitation Moon swallowed the pill, Lu Qian drained his cup and tossed it into the water, a sly smile playing on his lips. “Chang’e must regret stealing the divine medicine...”

Half an hour later.

Invitation Moon lay naked on the floor, her skin pale as snow and slick with sweat; from her shoulder blades, a pair of black-feathered wings had sprouted.

A shadow fell over her.

Invitation Moon opened her eyes to see the shadow take human form.

“How do you feel?” The Daoist in black robes gazed down, eyes clear and bright.

“Master, I was wrong!” Invitation Moon cried, terrified, and prostrated herself.

“No need. It was meant for you all along.” Lu Qian chuckled softly. “But in future, if something isn’t given to you, it’s best not to covet it. Do you understand?”

His words echoed in her ears like a demonic incantation, sending cold sweat coursing down her back. All her little tricks these past days—he must have noticed them all.

“I understand, Master... but what is this?” she asked, both curious and afraid, glancing at the wings on her back.

“Can you fly? Try it and see.”

She now bore the bloodline of the Human-headed Demon Hawk.

Tentatively, she experimented; it felt as though she’d grown an extra pair of limbs.

With a rush of wind, the black-feathered wings unfurled and swept her into the air.

At the same time, her eyes narrowed into vertical slits and black talons grew from her hands.

“My guess was right. The failures weren’t due to the pills, but to the people. Most captives resisted in their hearts, so they couldn’t succeed,” Lu Qian reflected. “If the subject yearns for it, the success rate increases dramatically.”

Having succeeded at last, his theory of bloodline fusion was complete. Now he had an eighty percent chance of success with body refinement.

The Demon Hawk’s bloodline bestowed flight, hawk eyes, and talons. But what abilities would he gain once the Fish-Dragon was refined and its blood-seed formed?