Save for a few clattering noises that emerged as loose pieces of stone crumbled into powder or smashed onto the ground, the clearing of the street was utterly devoid of noise. Quietly affirming with her spiritual essence that Chang Jungyoon and the remainder of the Haunted Buddhist Sect’s cultivators had left the premises, Xu Lingxin heaved a light sigh of relief and returned her sword to its sheath. She then turned towards the young girl, her countenance effused with an inquiring expression.
“This Little Sister here,” the temple maiden began with a lolling voice.
“Could you tell Elder Sister how you managed to evade their strikes? Elder Sister promises to retain your secret – surely, ah?”
An Fei’s eyes immediately narrowed upon receiving such questioning immediately after the conclusion of a fight, and she stared daggers towards Xu Lingxin with her hands on the hilts of the butterfly sword. With her body lightly tensed, the young girl remained silent as she awaited Xu Lingxin’s reaction.
“This – Little Sister, there’s no need to be so violent, ah!” Xu Lingxin rolled her eyes in mild exasperation.
“Elder Sister merely wanted to know just the brief reason, not that I wanted to claim such secrets for myself…”
Her greed must have been evident on her countenance, for An Fei’s raised eyebrows seemed to contain a hint of mockery and disdain, and her stance didn’t soften in the slightest. After a brief moment of interpolation and recalling how the Haunted Buddhist Sect’s cultivators had suffered at the young girl’s hands, Xu Lingxin gave up with another sigh.
“Forget it, there’s no need to rile myself over an external martial arts technique. Little Sister, Elder Sister thanks you for giving the pearl!”
The temple maiden dipped her head into a light nod befitting that of her status as a genuine cultivator. Just as she was about to leave, An Fei’s heartwarming and mellow voice rippled into her ears.
“The factions behind the two of you were fighting over that pearl – which you called the Shadow Blighting Pearl,” the young girl mulled whilst tapping her chin.
“Just what exactly is this Shadow Blighting Pearl, and why are two sects of the jianghu fighting over it?”
Er…
“This, Little Sister, ah…”
No matter how she promised the mortal girl that she would owe her a favor, this didn’t involve divulging the sacred information behind a naturally formed spiritual artefact, no?
Xu Lingxin consoled with a bitter smile on her countenance, and her heart floundered in uncertainty. The temple maiden sought to flee the premises as swiftly as possible, only for An Fei to cut her off with a single sentence.
“Eight cultivators tried to fight over some object, and it nearly involved my life. Surely, Elder Sister as the maiden of the Morning Star Temple must have some conscience to divulge critical information?”
…after all, that fellow of the Haunted Buddhist Sect swore in front of them to seek revenge for his losses, didn’t he?
As she stared into the twin irises of dull scarlet lustre, Xu Lingxin desperately attempted to formulate her thoughts. She was at a loss whether to keep her dignity as a cultivator and maintain the separation between the jianghu and the secular world, or pay back her favor, alas…
…she ended up capitulating over the paramount importance on karmic ties.
“Little Sister, this isn’t a convenient location to discuss such matters. How about we move to another place – one that’s more suited for your questions?”
Convenient location?
Where more was convenient to than the remnant battlefield of which all potentially harmful presence had been eradicated?
An Fei failed to comprehend the temple maiden’s suggestion, and as such lightly nodded her head in muted reply. Regaining a portion of her severed dignity and demeanor, Xu Lingxin subsequently latched onto the young girl’s hand, and dragged her throughout the expansive Grace Street.
They wound through numerous, complicated webs of alleyways and small corridors, until the young girl blinked to find herself staring at a steaming bowl of clear noodle soup.
“This…” her lips trembled as she surveyed her surroundings then refocused onto the happily feasting Xu Lingxin.
“This is a convenient location? A large restaurant filled to the brim with people?”
Was this supposed to be a joke?
Regardless of wherever she turned around, An Fei found multiple rounded tables crammed of any available centimeter of space with delicacies and drinks. The numerous dining tables were occupied by an equally prosperous quantity of enthusiastic diners, and their audible enjoyment and slurping grated in her ears.
The young girl simply couldn’t match her current circumstances with Xu Lingxin’s description of “convenience.”
Miniature decorations of pagodas, Buddhist statues, Daoism ornaments, and ceremonial weaponry all cast in purified gold holstered at each wall of the restaurant, and the diners themselves are reeking of luxury. Silk robes, flashy weapons, and jade ornaments stuffed in every pocket available – how was this “convenient” to discuss this so-called “secretive” information?
To An Fei’s inner grumbling, Xu Lingxin was blissfully oblivious. The temple maiden gnashed at a cluster of noodles that had stuck together after having soaked in the broth for far too long, cheerfully replying to the young girl after a sip of simmered broth.
“What’s not convenient about this location? The ambient atmosphere is perfect for engaging in conversation – and it would be hardly noticeable, no?”
“This is a restaurant. It is filled with many people. When many people are present in a closed environment, of course there is the possibility of an information –“
“Everyone here are all prominent cultivators, why would they even bother to eavesdrop? Only those who possess true malicious intent would dare do so, and the storeowner keeps a prudent eye on such matters.”
Towards the young girl who had mistakenly believed that Xu Lingxin had not understood her message properly, the temple maiden tossed out the verbal bombshell with relative ease and satisfaction. Xu Lingxin smacked her lips as she savored the sight of a spluttering An Fei, ultimately sparing the latter from her irritated embarrassment by launching into energetic speech.
“To answer Little Sister’s question, the matter regarding the Shadow Blighting Pearl is a simple one, but also complicated in some regard. One perspective treats the entire matter as a squabble over a Seven-Layered Spiritual Artefact, whilst another is concentrated around a feud between the Morning Star Temple and the Haunted Buddhist Sect.”
“Seven-Layered Spiritual Artefact? Just what miracles does this Shadow Blighting Pearl sustain for there to be such intense conflict?”
The young girl tapped the end of her chopsticks against the surface of the wooden table, her eyes carefully surveying each and every movement made by the temple maiden. Xilong picked at its teeth with a claw as it rested its head atop An Fei’s head, and directed a languished glance towards the diners of the restaurant.
“Er… Seven-Layered Spiritual Artefacts…” Xu Lingxin pondered as she sought after an easy definition.
“Spiritual artefacts can exist in either of two forms – created by man, or naturally formed. The former is exceedingly common across the etire jianghu, and doesn’t have much distinction save for the attainments in cultivation required to operate the artefact to its maximum potential. Naturally formed spiritual artefacts, on the other hand, are much more rare, and thus receive greater attention.”
“Many sects, including my Morning Star Temple, have their own system of classifying naturally created spiritual artefacts. In our case, the Shadow Blighting Pearl is a Seven-Layered Spiritual Artefact based on a system of either seven, five, three, or one layer depending on the spiritual artefact’s rarity.”
The moment she witnessed An Fei’s lips gently tremble as though preparing herself to speak, the temple maiden felt a wave of foreboding anticipation surge throughout her body. Much to her dismay, she wasn’t disappointed.
“The Morning Star Temple’s classification for naturally formed spiritual artefacts decreases the numerical attribute of layers for increasing rarity of the object. The Shadow Blighting Pearl is classified as a Seven-Layered Spiritual Artefact, and dozens of cultivators from either faction have scourged the land and fought against one other for it, shedding blood at each step…”
Fighting so intensely for a spiritual artefact could be accepted, but… it was a spiritual artefact of the lowest value in rarity?
“Little Sister, things aren’t as simple as you think, ah,” Xu Lingxin fought to recover her elegance as a proper temple maiden.
“The Layered System of the Morning Star Temple only determines rarity, and not the potential of the spiritual artefact itself. In this regard, the Shadow Blighting Pearl is rather effective; any liquid it contacts becomes a spiritual tranquilizing agent, and at certain times of need, it can isolate all heart demons for a variate duration of time.”
A chemical agent that induced mild hallucinogens that tipped the user into a numb state of mind?
“To the disciples of the Morning Star Temple whose primary focus is attaining spiritual tranquility and purification, the Shadow Blighting Pearl can greatly supplement the potency of our martial arts techniques.”
That’s all there is to it? An addictive hallucinogen that calmed the nerves and reduced anxiety was regarded as a spiritual artefact of high value?
The young girl was hardly convinced of the explanation tossed in her direction, and Xu Lingxin was certain upon such conclusions. As such, the temple maiden took a deep breath and steeled herself.
