Chapter 25: Threefold Fire
Yue Ya’er tilted her head, her hands clasped on the round rosewood table. “Not so simple?”
Shi Hao said solemnly, “The Six Gates are motivated by wealth, power, and fame. Committing such acts won’t earn them a good reputation. And if this matter is exposed, the court will have to intervene, at least superficially.
“So, their primary motive must be financial gain. But what kind of profit could entice the Six Gates to participate directly in such a thing?”
The three women exchanged glances.
Yue Ya’er nodded, “Knowing their style, it’s certainly possible they would turn a blind eye to such things in exchange for money.
“But to actively participate, sending men to assist those child abductors and eliminate threats, that requires a hefty price.”
Shi Hao said, “More importantly, those children were being taken northwest. If they were being sent to the prosperous cities in the south, it would be understandable. But what’s in the northwest?”
County Mistress Li Tong also said, puzzled, “That’s right. Northwest of Jin Prefecture is practically the Gobi Desert.”
Yue Ya’er scratched her head, “This is troublesome. I came here to supervise the investigation. I never imagined the Six Gates would be involved in such a thing. I thought they were just being lazy and negligent, so I came to put some pressure on them, to make them do their job.
“I didn’t expect them to stoop so low. Without the Six Gates’ cooperation, I don’t have anyone trustworthy in Jin Prefecture. Even if I mobilize troops from the prefectural government, I don’t think it’s safe.”
County Mistress Li Tong said, “The prefectural guards are independent and have always been separate from the Six Gates, but…”
Shi Hao shook his head, “Having those guards investigate a case like this in the martial world would just make them pawns of the Six Gates.
“If possible, I hope Miss Yue can pretend to be unaware of the situation for now and continue to supervise the Six Gates’ investigation openly, but don’t take any other action. I’m a Jin Prefecture native and have some connections here. I can investigate secretly, and when necessary, I’ll ask you to mobilize troops for a decisive strike.”
Yue Ya’er readily agreed, “Alright, let’s do it that way!”
Du Yuejiao turned to County Mistress Li Tong, “Junior Sister, have you found out who attacked you on Red Mountain?”
County Mistress Li Tong shook her head, “Those people are quite secretive. We still don’t know their exact background. But my father said yesterday that attacks against the court and the royal family are becoming more frequent in various provinces. It seems there’s a secret organization uniting the scattered resistance forces. If this continues, things will become increasingly chaotic.”
She looked at Shi Hao, “Fortunately, we had Young Master Shi to save us last time…”
Du Yuejiao suddenly said, “Let’s not dwell on the past. Come, come, let’s have some tea.”
County Mistress Li Tong, mid-sentence, choked slightly.
Yue Ya’er, seeing Du Yuejiao’s suddenly serious expression, chuckled.
After a while, realizing that the city gates would soon close, County Mistress Li Tong and Yue Ya’er excused themselves.
Shi Hao and Du Yuejiao escorted them outside. A luxurious carriage awaited them, with a cavalry escort and eighteen Yingzhao beasts – mythical creatures with the head of a bird and the body of a horse, a rare sight.
County Mistress Li Tong and Yue Ya’er boarded the carriage. The Thunderclap Eighteen Riders mounted their Yingzhao beasts and flew into the air, escorting them.
After they left, Shi Hao and Du Yuejiao chatted for a while before returning to their respective residences.
That night, Shi Hao continued his cultivation.
After days of practice, both his Mysterious Charm Technique and Immortal Ice Technique had steadily improved.
He was even confident he could master both techniques before the next full moon.
This meant he had to quickly formulate a plan for obtaining the ingredients for the seventh-rank Immortal Formula and the one hundred living souls required for the demonic ritual. Ideally, he would advance to the seventh rank before the next full moon.
Obtaining the three main ingredients for the seventh-rank Immortal Formula was now much easier since he had connections to the Chongxian Sect.
But the one hundred living souls were a different matter. A living soul was a soul that hadn’t dissipated within an hour of death.
This meant he had to kill one hundred people.
Although this era showed signs of impending chaos, with more and more refugees arriving from the central plains, he couldn’t bring himself to harm innocent people.
The next morning, after helping Daoist Lan Ke with some chores, he had lunch with Du Yuejiao at her Wei Xiang Pavilion.
Although the monastery had a dining hall, it was natural for direct disciples like Du Yuejiao to have their own kitchens.
After lunch, Shi Hao found an excuse to ask Du Yuejiao to show him around Ming Kun Monastery.
Du Yuejiao agreed and led him around, explaining the various buildings and their functions.
They arrived at a hall with closed doors and windows, heavily guarded. It was quite far from the main hall, in a secluded area.
Shi Hao asked, “What is that place?”
Du Yuejiao whispered, “That’s the Golden Crucible Hall. My uncle often has unconventional ideas and conducts his experiments there. Many unique Daoist alchemy and crafting techniques were developed there.”
Shi Hao said, “I see. No wonder it’s so heavily guarded.”
Du Yuejiao shook her head, “That’s not the reason. My uncle used to work there undisturbed. But a recent experiment is too important, so the entire hall has been sealed off, waiting for officials from the sect and the court to take over.”
Shi Hao said, “I see.” He didn’t press further, worried about arousing Du Yuejiao’s suspicion. They turned and left.
But he knew he was one step closer to the information he sought.
In the afternoon, Du Yuejiao went to her lessons, and Shi Hao left Ming Kun Monastery, heading into the city alone.
After wandering around, making sure he wasn’t being followed, he changed his appearance using the Evil Shadow Disguise Technique and went to the secluded courtyard to meet with Old Qiu and Lu Tong.
After they were seated, Lu Tong asked, “Brother Hao, any clues about the God-Sealing Experiment?”
Shi Hao shook his head, “Not yet, but I’ve made some progress. Give me some more time, and I should have something.
“But I can confirm that your previous intel was accurate. Ming Kun Monastery and the Yue Ke Tai clan are indeed conducting some kind of experiment.
“It seems that in the beginning, due to Abbot Song Cui’s selfishness, the experiment wasn’t reported to the Chongxian Sect or the court. Now, they can’t hide it any longer, and the matter has escalated. The one conducting the experiment seems to be Daoist Lan Ke, one of the Twelve Perfected Ones, and the location is the Golden Crucible Hall behind Ming Kun Monastery.
“The entire hall is currently sealed off, waiting for the Chongxian Sect elders and the court to take over.”
Old Qiu said, “According to our investigation, although Daoist Lan Ke is one of the Twelve Perfected Ones, he is dedicated to crafting and alchemy, immersed in his research, and often has unconventional ideas. With his status, he should at least be the abbot of a branch monastery, or even higher, but because he avoids worldly affairs, he was assigned to this remote place and became an idle Daoist.
“If it’s him, it’s not surprising that he developed this ‘God-Sealing Experiment’ that could potentially impact the entire martial world.”
Shi Hao said impassively, “Give me some more time on this matter. But there’s another important issue I need your help with.”
Old Qiu said, “Just tell us, Righteous Hao. We’ll do our best to help.”
Shi Hao revealed some of the truth behind the child abduction case, but he was vague about how he obtained the information, not wanting Dark Thunder to suspect his true identity.
Even though these people were righteous martial artists who opposed the barbarian court, he still didn’t want to expose himself to them. Caution was always necessary.
Lu Tong said angrily, “Those Six Gates barbarian lapdogs, those treacherous villains! I knew they were no good, but I didn’t expect them to be this vile.”
Old Qiu said, “So, the local Six Gates are definitely involved in the child abductions. But they’re probably not the ones actually abducting the children. Besides the Six Gates, there must be other gangs involved.
“But the Six Gates aren’t just turning a blind eye in exchange for money, as they usually do. They’re actively participating. The profit behind this must be enormous, too tempting for those Six Gates villains to refuse. Or perhaps… other powerful families and officials are also involved?”
Shi Hao said, “I need to know which gang is cooperating with the Six Gates.”
Old Qiu nodded, “Rest assured, Righteous Hao. We’ve been investigating this matter, but we haven’t found many clues. We were already puzzled. Cases like this are usually handled by small-time gangs. Our informants should have been able to find something.
“We didn’t expect the Six Gates to be covering up the evidence. Now that we know they’re involved, and we know the children are being taken northwest, we should be able to unravel this mystery and find the gang behind it.”
Shi Hao said solemnly, “It would be best if we could rescue those children.”
Lu Tong looked at the young man with the slightly hooked nose and whispered, “You’re truly righteous and courageous, Brother Hao. Don’t worry, we’ll do our best.”
After bidding them farewell, Shi Hao changed back to his original appearance and returned to the monastery.
He was now officially considered Daoist Lan Ke’s disciple. Daoist Lan Ke was one of the Twelve Perfected Ones of the Chongxian Sect. Although he wasn’t the abbot of Ming Kun Monastery, even the abbot addressed him as Senior Brother.
The abbot had registered him and reported it to the sect. This meant he was now considered a direct disciple, like Du Yuejiao. The gatekeepers, mostly outer disciples who performed chores while practicing martial arts, didn’t question his comings and goings.
He continued learning from Daoist Lan Ke for two days. That afternoon, following Daoist Lan Ke’s instructions, he tried refining the simplest type of elixir, the Clarity Heart Pill, in an empty alchemy room.
The Clarity Heart Pill was an entry-level elixir that calmed the mind and neutralized some simple toxins.
For someone with an eighth-rank foundation and orthodox Daoist internal energy cultivation like Shi Hao, its effects were minimal, but it was often given to outer disciples who traveled outside the monastery.
Daoist alchemy wasn’t as simple as brewing medicine in an apothecary. It involved the use of true energy and divine sense, and the process itself was a form of internal energy cultivation.
Shi Hao sat before the alchemy furnace, flames roaring within.
He focused his divine sense into the furnace, observing the herbs and adjusting the flames with his true energy.
The first step in Daoist alchemy was mastering the Threefold Fire.
The Threefold Fire was achieved by perfectly harmonizing one’s body, mind, and spirit, drawing upon the hidden power within one’s soul and refining essence into energy.
Although called “fire,” it wasn’t actually fire, but a scorching aura that could ignite charcoal.
The ability to unleash flames from one’s palm to subdue demons and monsters was called “Threefold True Fire,” a technique Shi Hao hadn’t mastered yet.
And it seemed no one else possessed it either. It was likely a mythical ability from legends, used to deify Daoist cultivators.
The scorching aura ignited the charcoal at the bottom of the furnace, while true energy enveloped the herbs, refining their essence and adjusting the heat until all impurities were removed and the essence condensed into an elixir. This was Daoist alchemy.
However, being his first attempt, Shi Hao struggled to protect the herbs while controlling the heat. He saw the medicinal essence dissipating; at this rate, the herbs would be reduced to ashes.
Although Ming Kun Monastery had plenty of herbs for disciples to practice alchemy, he was still unwilling to waste them.
An idea came to him. He circulated both the Immortal Ice Technique and the Mysterious Charm Technique simultaneously within his body.
Using the Daoist method for controlling the Threefold Fire, he channeled the Mysterious Charm Technique, generating demonic fire, while using the true energy from the Immortal Ice Technique to protect the herbs.
The demonic fire, passing through the barrier created by the icy true energy, roasted and refined the herbs.
Normally, demonic fire couldn’t be used in Daoist alchemy.
The demonic sects also had their own elixirs, but they were created by obtaining demonic essence from the Demonic Realm through rituals and then refining it. Demonic fire, cultivated through demonic arts, couldn’t replicate the Daoist method of refining natural herbs into elixirs with the Threefold Fire.
This was because demonic energy represented “chaos” and couldn’t achieve the purity of Daoist true energy.
However, perhaps because he was the only dual cultivator of Daoist and demonic arts in history, Shi Hao was able to use the pure Daoist true energy to regulate and filter the unruly demonic fire, creating a unique, harmonized flame that replaced both the Threefold Fire and the charcoal fire.
Under his control, the dissipating medicinal essence recondensed, forming a perfect sphere.
The essence of the herbs rapidly solidified into an elixir, brimming with medicinal power, spinning within the unique flame…