~~~

For the following days, the most dangerous thing in Liu Jin's schedule is his lessons with Elder Xue. Even when he is not directly receiving her tutelage, he practices the exercises she teaches him.

While he makes sure to keep an eye on Huang Shing to prevent him from doing anything reckless, he does not visit Feng Zhi. His enmity towards him makes him too dangerous to approach. Trying to navigate another encounter with him would be a needless risk, especially when his goal is so close.

It is a pity, though, Liu Jin muses while meditating in the privacy of his room. Things would be far easier if Feng Zhi did not suspect him so strongly. Unfortunately, Liu Jin has thoroughly failed in his quest to pass himself off as an ordinary disciple. It is natural for Feng Zhi to sense something is off about him. He is far from the only one who has done so. Lu Mei, Bei Hong, Huang Shing, Elder Xue, Mud, Elder Xun, Patriarch Feng, and probably many others. They all know he hides things. Feng Zhi just happens to be the only one so hostile about it.

Looking back on it, dying his hair red and changing his name were not nearly as helpful as he'd have liked. He's managed to keep his connection to the Divine Frozen Palace a secret but failed in everything else. Lu Mei had even pointed out to him that his roots were starting to show during their training yesterday.

They hadn't been. Liu Jin is sure she'd only said that out of annoyance due to all the poison, but it is still proof of how thoroughly unprepared he had been for subterfuge. He'll need to be smarter than that in the Storm Dragon Empire. There he'll not only have to contend with the war and General Dan but also Elder Fa's men and their machinations.

Liu Jin takes a deep breath, letting the stress that is beginning to build up fade away. He needs to think about this carefully.

In the first place, did the idea to take advantage of the civil war in the Storm Dragon Empire come from Lord Feng Shang? Or was it Elder Fa's initiative? Was it perhaps due to the influence of the powers beyond the Dead Plains?

It is not that Liu Jin does not understand how the Eternal Flame Clan has benefited from the war. Some herbs stored in the Apothecary come directly from the Storm Dragon Empire. The same can be said for a few remedies in the Medical Pavilion, and even the tea leaves resting on his nightstand. It is easy to take advantage of a country when everyone is fighting each other.

However, the level of interference they can expect from Elder Fa will differ depending on where the idea was born. If the idea came from Lord Feng Shang, Elder Fa will likely go through the motions but put no serious effort. He might even try to ingratiate himself to Lord Feng Gui by helping.

But Elder Xue seems convinced he will try to sabotage them. She must have reason to believe Elder Fa has a substantial stake in this. That means there is a high chance the idea came from the powers beyond the Dead Plains.

Liu Jin crosses his arms. Was he supposed to figure this out while talking to Elder Xue? Why did she not just tell him?

Emperors. Good or bad, it is always the same with them.

Liu Jin winces as the thought disrupts his concentration. It is only for an instant, but that is enough to cause his soul to lash out. Establishing a hierarchy within the soul is difficult, but it is completely necessary if he ever wants to use soul fragments again, something Elder Xue has made sure to stress during their lessons, usually while glaring at him severely.

Liu Jin wishes she would stop doing that. Unlike Feng Zhi, Elder Xue probably can kill him with a look. At least now, he understands why she was so angry when he told her what he did in the Dead Plains.

The body is one but made of many parts. A finger is not an eye, and an eye is not a foot, but they are all parts of the same body. The soul, however, is one. There is no such thing as a lesser or greater part. When Liu Jin told Elder Xue he had created a soul fragment so brutally, he might as well have told her he took an ax to his head and split his brain in half. To think he had been in so much danger…

Liu Jin shudders.

That is why it is so important to artificially establish a hierarchy within the soul, thus introducing the concept of "parts of lesser importance" to it. If he had opened more than one of Old Jiang's memory jades, he'd have probably known about it beforehand and been ready… Or perhaps, he'd have considered the exercise too difficult to attempt and found himself in the same position regardless.

All the same, it is not the first time his unwillingness to use his full resources has had negative consequences.

His master would doubtlessly call him foolish for prizing his emotional connection to a bunch of old memories so much he fears using them, and he'd probably be right about that. However, he does not wish to get rid of his foolishness entirely. He has been compromising on several things for a while now. If he compromises too much, he will end up becoming someone else.

But… if he doesn't step up his efforts, he will not be ready if he comes across someone like the Fleshcrafter again.

Elder Fa is working for one of the powers beyond the Plains, the Death Fashioning Scripture. It is not out of the realm of possibility they will encounter their arts once more. While Liu Jin was able to take control of the Fleshcrafter's creations, can he do something like that again?

The Fleshcrafter probably never considered someone so beneath him could take over his creations like Liu Jin did. Even Liu Jin is surprised he managed that. There is no telling what will happen if he attempts that on someone ready for it. Best not to count on it as a reliable counter-measure.

Can it be a reliable independent resource then? Can he create something like that without the Fleshcrafter doing the bulk of the work?

Liu Jin frowns as he considers it. Foul as the corrupted lifeforms felt, there is no denying they had been a valuable asset under his control. It is a pity the light of the barrier destroyed all of them. Otherwise, he'd have probably managed to keep at least one for study. If he wants another one, he will have to make it from the ground up.

He'll need a corpse first, though that requirement is easy enough to fulfill. The Apothecary has scores of them. Some are rotten as certain recipes require that, but most are perfectly preserved. None belong to humans, but neither had any of the parts the Fleshcrafter used. That's not an issue Liu Jin expects to have to deal with.

The Qi, however, may prove a more difficult challenge.

Liu Jin lifts his hand and focuses enough Qi around it to make it visible. With but a thought, it changes to the crackling blue of electricity, then to the deadly white of poison. For Liu Jin, changing the nature of his Qi is as easy as breathing by now, though that is hardly noteworthy. Qi attunement is a skill most cultivators learn eventually.

In the Eternal Flame Clan, fire attunement is the most common but far from the only one. Lu Mei, for example, can use wind, and the Bei cousins use gold, which Liu Jin is fairly sure is a variant of metal.

This technique requires death.

Or does it? Liu Jin is not quite sure. Certainly, the creatures felt like death, but the first time he took their Qi, what he felt was more accurately described as life, albeit a thoroughly corrupted version.

Either way, how exactly does one even begin to attune their Qi to such a thing?

The Qi in Liu Jin's hand twists as he focuses on images of death and pain. He's got plenty of them in his memories. As he does, his Qi turns darker and menacing intent starts flooding the room. If a weaker cultivator were to enter, he'd probably be paralyzed by images of death. Liu Jin furrows his brow.

This is not it.

He's not changing the attunement of his Qi at all. This is just letting his thoughts color it. The dark aura around his hand is immediately dismissed. Liu Jin rubs his chin as he tries to think of a different approach. A tiny bit of flesh and blood is shaved from his hand by his Qi and floats just a few inches over his palm.

Flesh and Blood brimming with life. Yang.

But life decays. It decays and dies. That is what he needs to focus on. This is unlike the Shadows he faced in Night Forest Nation, which were purely Yin-based. This technique uses matter as a base, which means Yang Qi must be a part of it. The moment life rots away and gives into death. That is what he needs to focus on.

Liu Jin stares at the blood and flesh floating above his palm and slowly raises an eyebrow as a realization slowly sinks into his brain.

This… could take a lot of time, couldn't it?

Blood and flesh don't immediately start decaying after leaving the body. He is a doctor. He knows that. He could speed up the decay, but interfering with the natural process might ruin the learning experience entirely. If he truly wants to do this experiment, he is going to need to spend at least one day here doing nothing other than focusing on the slow deterioration of cells.

Does he have the time for it when he should be learning how to control his soul better?

…

Liu Jin clicks his tongue and destroys the blood with lightning. No. Not now.

But later…

~~~

Some vigor has returned to the Sparring Hall over the past week. Two disciples, in particular, are engaged in a fierce struggle that grows more brutal with every exchange. Lightning-fast kicks and swift punches are discarded in favor of blazing fire and angry gales. The blood stains on the fighter's bodies grow by the second, yet neither side shows a desire to back down.

Many disciples are gathered around the ring, cheering wildly. For the many who did not go to the Dead Plains, this spectacle is a welcome break from the overly safe fights that have been taking place lately.

"Do you even know their names?" Liu Jin asks Lu Mei. Unlike most, the two are watching the fight from a distance.

"I don't care to remember the name of every hopeless fool who believes he can court me," Lu Mei replies. Her messy red locks are tied into a loose ponytail like always, though Liu Jin cannot help but note her hair has grown redder recently.

"They are bound to figure out you arranged this."

"You think too highly of people," Lu Mei replies, readily admitting her role in orchestrating the increasingly brutal fight. She points to one of the fighters. "He is from the Hundred Flames Sect." Her finger shifts to the other. "And that one is from the Raging Gale. They are both Sects situated near Red Sky City."

Liu Jin hums. "They are neighboring sects to the Red Sky Pavilion?"

"Ones with quite a bit of enmity between them. Nothing that will make it to any important history books. Just several minor and major conflicts scattered over the centuries. Regardless of who wins, the loser's pride will not allow him to accept it. He will ask support from his former sect and will receive it for the sake of humiliating an old foe."

"Then the other one will call for support from his former sect, and the same will happen," Liu Jin continues for her. "More and more people will get involved, and things will escalate to the point they won't even remember why they are fighting. Is that it?"

Lu Mei smirks proudly, causing Liu Jin to shake his head.

"I really wish you wouldn't do this."

"You arranged for Bei Hong and his cousin to beat each other senseless."

"I was dealing with Beis. They had no sense to begin with," Liu Jin says, making Lu Mei laugh.

Anyone listening would find their conversation lighthearted and casual. Unbeknownst to all, an entirely different exchange is taking place through the Qi transmitted between their linked hands.

"Do they know about the Eternal Flame?"

"While my beauty alone is enough to attract countless suitors from all corners of the world, there is a strong possibility they do," Lu Mei replies. "Too many disciples saw me use it in the Dead plains, and now too many important people know about it. The ways in which the information could have been leaked, willingly or otherwise, are endless."

Liu Jin's mind flashes back to his conversation with Lady Ling and what she told him to do. There is a chance she leaked the information after growing impatient with him, but he does not think that is the case. Most likely, someone from Lord Feng Shang's faction is trying to stop Lord Feng Gui from marrying Lu Mei to someone allied with him.

"Regardless of who did it, I am now known as a Feng-blooded bastard with extreme potential." Lu Mei's expression keeps the same carefree air, but her Qi conveys her sneer just fine. "Greedy rats like them deserve to be made an example of."

"They will not be the only ones," Liu Jin says. His eyes narrow as he looks at the fight. "This might scare the weak, but not the stronger disciples."

Despite being an illegitimate daughter, Lu Mei’s Feng blood is strong enough to manifest the Eternal Flame. That makes her an appealing partner to several disciples whose status simply isn’t high enough to marry a true daughter of the Feng Clan. In some ways, it might actually be more advantageous than the alternative.

“Come to the Storm Dragon Empire with me.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Liu Jin tells her what Elder Xue told and about the delegation that will be sent to the Storm Dragon Empire in the near future.

“When the decision is made, come to the Storm Dragon Empire with me,” Liu Jin repeats.

“Are you asking to protect me? How gallant of you.”

“Obviously, I do not wish anything bad to happen to you. That is not the only reason. Even if I wanted to, I don’t think I could have arranged something like this,” Liu Jin replies with his gaze on the fight. “You are better at navigating social situations than me. Those skills will be useful in the future.”

Lu Mei smiles. No longer carefree but full of cunning.

“See? You should have said it like that from the start.” She rests her head against his shoulder. “A lady likes to know her talents are appreciated.”

~~~

"It pleases me to see you in good health, my lord."

"Shouldn't I be the one saying that?" Liu Jin asks the kneeling Lei Kong. "You are the one who has been traveling around gathering ingredients for me."

It took Liu Jin a while to convince Lei Kong to leave Ember City for this last errand. For some reason, his servant seemed sure he'd somehow land himself into trouble while he was away.

"Even the darkest pit is safer than being inside a major sect."

"A fair point," Liu Jin says while inwardly thinking Lei Kong would be even more worried if he knew about his talk with the Patriarch. "Did you find what I asked for?"

"Naturally, my lord." Lei Kong reaches into his robes and pulls out a plain leather pouch. It is the type that can be found just about anywhere. It is what's inside that's valuable.

"Seeds of a Thousand-year Oak," Liu Jin says, examining its contents. "Exactly what we were missing."

Despite having access to the Eternal Flame Clan's Apothecary, Liu Jin has often sent out Lei Kong to acquire items. It is not that he is looking for ingredients so rare the Apothecary doesn't have them. Rather, the things Liu Jin needs aren't commonly believed to have much value.

"Are you not going to ask what this is for?" Liu Jin asks Lei Kong. His servant immediately shakes his head.

"It is not my place to know, my lord. You will tell me when you wish to."

Liu Jin sighs.

"I really wish you would show more initiative sometimes. Very well. Sit on the corner then. Let this be a surprise."

"My lord?"

"I am going to work," Liu Jin says, already putting talismans on the hotel room they are using. "Well, most of the work is already done. Like I said, this was the last ingredient." He holds up the seeds. "They just need to be prepared carefully before adding them."

Lei Kong watches silently as Liu Jin takes out several items from his spatial pouch. Among them is a glass bottle with several temporal talismans on it. Liu Jin puts it aside and starts working on the seeds, his Qi mixing with them as he prepares them. It is a sight Lei Kong has seen many times, but his lord's finesse has always been amazing to behold.

After two hours, Liu Jin presents a green bubbling potion to Lei Kong.

"Drink it."

Lei Kong does not hesitate. He takes the potion and drinks it until there is nothing left. For a moment, nothing happens. A confused Lei Kong gives the empty bottle back to Liu Jin. He's confused further when Liu Jin hands him a thick rope, the likes of which are used on boats.

"You're going to want to bite that."

Pain hits next.

Liquid fire travels through his veins. It sears a path of pain and agony through his heart and travels to his shoulder. Lei Kong bites down hard on the rope as tears fall from his eyes. The prosthetic he has used for so many years suddenly feels like a burden as the pain intensifies around the stump where his arm used to be. Lei Kong rips it off and throws it away.

His flesh breaks.

Liu Jin is there before Lei Kong can scream. He has his hands on either side of his head and forces him to look into his eyes.

"I am numbing your pain right now," Liu Jin tells him. "Just keep your focus on me. Do not look away from my eyes."

Lei Kong nods. Even as he does, he is aware that he is suddenly dizzy. The pain feels distant now. No doubt the result of his lord's work.

Even the room seems distant for some reason.

Lei Kong does not remember losing consciousness. However, he must have because he wakes up tucked into the bed. He blinks and sees Liu Jin cleaning the room, carefully using Poison Qi to remove the blood stains from the floor.

There are a lot of stains.

"You're awake. Good. I was beginning to worry." Liu Jin has a sad look on his face. "I owe you an apology. I underestimated how violent the process would be."

Lei Kong immediately pushes himself up and kneels on the floor.

"My lord, there is nothing you need to apologize for." He puts one hand over his heart and the other on the floor. "For you, this Lei Kong would…"

He trails off. He has… one hand over his heart. The other… is on the floor…

Lei Kong blinks.

Liu Jin smiles.

"Congratulations," he says as Lei Kong stares in wonder at his two hands. His two flesh and blood hands connected to flesh and blood arms with working meridians.

"My lord… I… How…" He looks up, shock writ on his face. "The items I have been gathering for you… all this time…”

"Some of them," Liu Jin admits, leaving Lei Kong in stunned silence.

More than the recovery of his arm, it is his Qi that feels him with wonder. After years of living with an imperfect meridian system in the wake of his "accident," Lei Kong finally feels Qi freely flowing through his body.

He can cultivate again.

"One hundred lifetimes will not be enough to repay this!" Lei Kong says, bowing his head so low it touches the floor.

"Raise your head, Lei Kong. I have need of you."

"My lord?"

"Soon, we will go to the Storm Dragon Empire. Ever since we met, you have been in the True Realm due to your condition," Liu Jin says. "That can no longer be the case. I intend to make you work hard from now on."

"Until this body shatters, my lord."

~~~