Chapter Thirty-Five: The Rise Begins (Extended Chapter)

The horde of demons sprang into action. Yuan Qin and the little demon beside him quickly jumped into the pit and began searching. However, Six Ugly did not descend immediately. Instead, he stood at the edge, gazing into the distance, discerning the size of the piled bones.

The Valley Master had mentioned spirits and monsters, suggesting that this was the ancient battlefield between humans and spirit creatures. If so, there must have been camps for each side. To select the finest warriors and sharpest blades, one should head to the side of the spirit creatures. Thus, Six Ugly first surveyed the formations, judging by the size of the bone piles to distinguish the camps in his mind.

After the time it takes for half a stick of incense to burn, Six Ugly finally entered the pit, sprinting swiftly toward the far side. Soon he arrived at the opposite end, now only two li from the huts.

Here, too, bones were piled in countless heaps, with weapons scattered chaotically. Yet these remains differed from the earlier ones: all were small and delicate, and among them were true masterpieces. Six Ugly rummaged through and swiftly found several blades, all without a speck of rust, their cold gleam sharp and fierce.

Hesitating, pondering whether to forgo weapons and instead choose a flying spear technique, Six Ugly suddenly caught a faint sound. Tilting his head to listen, there seemed to be nothing at all—an oddity that unsettled him. He set the weapons aside, held his breath, and stilled his heart completely, attuning himself to the breath of the world around him.

In the deep silence, he heard his own heartbeat, powerful and steady; then his breath, slow and unbroken; finally, even the flow of his blood and the churning of his guts. Only then did he catch a faint, almost imperceptible breathing—its source buried not far beneath his feet, deep in the earth.

Excitement surged within Six Ugly. He bent down and began to dig...

At the same time, Jian Keng followed the Valley Master to a secluded chamber, where he knelt with proper decorum. Before the Valley Master could light the charcoal and brew tea, Jian Keng spoke, "Master, do you have instructions for me?"

The Valley Master, slowly placing charcoal in the stove, did nothing more. At once, the flames flared up and the charcoal glowed. He spoke calmly, "There is word from the Feathered Forest Army. General Ji has invited you to become a company captain under him—your rank will rise by one grade."

"The Feathered Forest Army?" Jian Keng was taken aback, his tone disdainful. "That place is for pampered idlers. What use would I have there?"

The Valley Master poured water into the pot with a faint smile. "Oh? And where would you like to go? The Upper Four Armies, perhaps?"

"Not necessarily the Upper Four. Any of the Outer Twelve would do, just not the Inner Four." Jian Keng frowned, voice ringing with resolve. "Master, you know my heart’s desire. I want to fight. To be stationed at the border passes or in the capital—what opportunity is there for battle?"

The Valley Master gazed silently into the boiling water, then sighed. "How long have you harbored resentment against General Huang?"

"Eight years now," Jian Keng replied, and a shadow passed over his face, his earlier vigor dissipating.

"Eight years already..." the Valley Master murmured. "Do you know what posts General Huang has held in these eight years?"

Jian Keng’s expression darkened further. "I know. He commands the White Horse Army, with absolute authority over the western frontier."

"Exactly. With that, you should realize that, aside from the Ji generals of the Inner Four Armies, no one dares employ you," the Valley Master continued. "The four great houses—Ji, Huang, Su, and Nangong—are bound by marriage, and now hold sway over most of the Sixteen Armies. Who else would risk offending the sixteenth direct descendant of Marshal Flying Tiger just to use you?"

Jian Keng said nothing, taking a deep breath to suppress his anger.

At last, the Valley Master looked up, glanced at him, and suddenly smiled. "If there’s truly no way for you, shall I point you toward a path?"

Jian Keng’s head snapped up in disbelief. "Master, didn’t you swear never to intervene directly in worldly affairs?"

"Not so! Not so! I’m not speaking for you, merely offering advice—so I do not break my oath." The Valley Master laughed. "Heaven itself watches over the oaths of Ghost Valley’s disciple. Even if you wished it, I would not dare."

Jian Keng managed an awkward laugh. "Then I ask for your guidance, Master."

"The National Espionage Guard," the Valley Master said.

("The Rites of Zhou: Office of Autumn, Masters of the Warriors—'in charge of the eight ranks of warriors... the third is the National Spy.' Zheng Xuan’s commentary: 'To act as a double agent for foreign nations.' Jia Gongyan’s further notes: 'When a foreign country wishes to invade, they first send people to spy, to gather details and report back. Their words are secretive, thus called national spies.' The National Espionage Guard was the earliest espionage organization in our land, dating back to the early Zhou dynasty.)

Jian Keng exclaimed, "One of the Four Guards! Master, only the Eastern Tomb Guard is known to the public; the other three are hidden and impossible to find. You have contact with them? Who commands this Guard, and what use am I to them?"

"Who commands it is not your concern. All you need know is that, if they’ll take you, they’ll use you—and you won’t be stationed, but rather sent to roam and hunt in the western frontier, beyond General Huang’s control." As Ghost Valley’s master spoke, his smile faded. "But this Guard faces death at every turn, beset with peril. I do not wish you to go..."

But hearing that they would accept and employ him, Jian Keng’s face shone. The prospect of hunting in the western frontier made his eyes glow. Seeing the Valley Master hesitate, he could not wait for decorum and blurted out, "Master! I do not fear death—I am willing to go!"

"Still..." Ghost Valley’s master seemed to have more to say.

"Master, if I can go, I will have no regrets, even in death!" Jian Keng would not let him continue, immediately prostrating himself, voice full of passion. "Please allow me this chance!"

The Valley Master had foreseen this and knew he could not dissuade him. He only sighed deeply, then suddenly smiled. "Very well, then. Since you insist, come drink tea with me..."

"Thank you, Master! Thank you!" Jian Keng kowtowed heavily, then sat upright, his face radiant with joy.

...

Six Ugly dug in the earth for some time, soon feeling a skeleton within. Clearing the earth from either side, he discovered a pitch-black staff inserted in the bones. Reaching for it, he found it utterly immovable.

Struck by the strangeness, Six Ugly decided to remove the skeleton for closer examination. The bones were short, small, and frail, the armor shattered as if hacked to pieces by many weapons, crumbling at a touch. He placed the remains aside and reached for the staff again.

Yet still it would not budge.

Something so unusual must be precious, so Six Ugly ceased his efforts. Placing his hand on the staff, he focused his mind and, with a thought, stored it in his Gourd World. Then, collecting the bones and armor as well to erase all traces, he finally felt at ease.

Having obtained this treasure, he did not push his luck. He found a staff of similar size from the weapon pile, took it in hand, and quickly returned. Though the black staff was hidden, he dared not choose any martial technique, lest his actions arouse suspicion.

If he had not come to choose, he might have been safe; but to come, find a suitable weapon, and yet refuse it—that would truly invite doubt.

Yuan Qin and the other demon had also chosen, and now, together with the others, gathered by the mechanical Bixi beast. The lesser demons whispered among themselves, but kept their distance from Six Ugly.

They waited a long while. Jian Keng had not returned, but a section leader arrived and announced, "Orders from the centurion: you may roam freely, so long as you remain near the barracks."

A voice from the crowd asked, "May we fight?"

The section leader snorted, "What do you think 'roam freely' means?" and left without further explanation.

That, then, was tacit permission. Six Ugly thought so, too, as one demon stepped out and beckoned to Yuan Qin, "Dare you fight?"

The speaker was Zan Wulang. Then Zan Wubei stepped up beside him, the two exchanging cold glares.

Yuan Qin’s expression did not change. "Are you seeking your death?"

Zan Wulang planted his saber in the ground, shield on his arm, a murderous aura rising from him. "Last time in the ring, I fought you one-on-one and lost. This time, my brother and I will face you together. Who will win is anyone’s guess! You’d best find yourself an ally."

"You think you two can best me?" Yuan Qin sneered, suddenly standing tall, his presence sharp and intimidating. "No need for an ally. Come at me together."

Zan Wulang glanced at Zan Wubei, who shook his head. Then Zan Wubei planted his spear in the earth. "If it’s two-on-one, and we kill you, the instructors will punish us. If you don’t dare fight, then we’ll let it go."

The wolfish pair worked in perfect tandem, leaving Yuan Qin no room to refuse.

Yuan Qin swept his gaze over the demons and suddenly pointed at Six Ugly. "You—join me."

Six Ugly considered, and, realizing this was a fine opportunity to practice, said no more. Staff in hand, he stepped forward. The lesser demons watched coldly, eager for either the wolfish brothers’ defeat or a change in the rankings.

With a howl, Zan Wulang charged, and Six Ugly met him without hesitation. The two clashed instantly.

Six Ugly knew Yuan Qin’s fighting style was ill-suited to head-on confrontation: his weapons were too short, and his strengths lay in cliffside ambushes and backstab attacks. Against the shield-and-saber duo with a spear behind, he’d be too restricted.

Six Ugly, though not ideally matched himself, at least had the advantage of a long staff.

It was their first true encounter. Zan Wulang had watched Six Ugly’s staffwork before, but did not expect him to be so relentless—almost never defending, but attacking with wild abandon, each blow fierce and powerful.

This staffwork was not taught by Jian Keng, but came from Six Ugly’s former life: reckless, trading injury for victory, relying on his formidable physique to gamble with his opponent. If he could do so in his past life, now, with a monstrous body, he could exploit it to the fullest.

When captured, most of the demons were rank two or three; only Six Ugly was still first rank. Now, only Yuan Qin and Zan Wulang had reached fourth rank, the rest were mid-to-upper third rank, with Six Ugly only just at the beginning of third. Without this desperate, risk-taking style, he’d have no chance at all!

The two demons were evenly matched, to the surprise of not only the crowd but also Yuan Qin. He’d chosen Six Ugly simply to disgust the wolfish brothers, never imagining he’d hold his own so well. Pleased by the outcome, Yuan Qin wasted no time, turning and charging Zan Wubei.

But Zan Wubei had anticipated this, already circling behind his brother with spear raised to strike. At that moment, two streaks of black shot toward his eyes.

Luckily, Zan Wubei had never taken his guard off Yuan Qin. He twisted away at the last instant, the attack grazing a few hairs—enough to leave him drenched in cold sweat.

Yuan Qin followed, even faster, and as Zan Wubei raised his spear, Yuan Qin was already upon him, slashing twice and tearing open the flesh at his chest, nearly stripping it clean.

Zan Wubei screamed, swinging spear and staff wildly, but Yuan Qin slipped behind him, blade flashing again to slice open the fur at his neck.

In an instant, the challenge had become a mismatch, the gap between the sides clear for all to see.

Six Ugly did not fare well; driven desperate, Zan Wulang went berserk, slashing three wounds into Six Ugly, but Six Ugly retaliated, striking his right knee and shoulder. He was at a slight disadvantage, but not utterly outmatched.

Just then, an overwhelming force descended, pressing upon the four demons and freezing them in place. Jian Keng strode swiftly over, hair disheveled, climbing atop the mechanical Bixi without pause, calling out urgently:

"All of you, record this battle. Now, follow me—quickly!"

Usually, the instructors ignored the demons’ brawls. Today, Jian Keng had simply lost patience, intervening directly to suppress them before returning.

Thus, a deadly battle dissolved without a trace amid Jian Keng’s joy.

"Rising General"

Bare-chested atop his steed, he hunts in the Western Wilds,
Longing to shoot tigers and wolves to fulfill his life’s ambition.
His sword, wiped clean of dust, glints atop the ancient mounds;
He tests its edge, the scent of blood still fresh!