Chapter 283 - Blight of the Infernal Aura (1/2)
Xiao Chen rushed to the scholar and parried away the spears pointed at the man sitting on the ground. He yanked off the scarf wrapped around the neck of the weak man and saw a grotesque mark on his neck. The skin around the mark was badly raw that one could feel goosebumps just by looking at it; he must have scratched at his skin so many times that it had become so chafed.
The Three Friends came nearer. The sentries saw them and immediately greeted them with respect, “My Lords!”
“Young Xiao! Do not touch that wound!” Elder Plum warned quickly, although he did not dare to go any nearer.
But Xiao Chen did not move; he was looking hard at the mark. During the way to the city, he had spoken to the Three Friends about the blight of the infernal aura. Unlike infections of Devil Qi, which could be expelled by one’s True Energy, this infernal aura taints also the minds of anyone who was afflicted. Not even one as powerful as the Nascent Soul Realm could prevent one’s mind from being corrupted.
Xiao Chen could see that the wound was still fresh; the scholar must have only been infected recently. He channeled his powers and performed the Cleansing Spell of the Most Pristine—a sorcery of purification from the disciplines of the Mystic Cyan Sect—injecting his powers into the meridian points of the infirm man. Little lights sparkled on each meridian points of the man where Xiao Chen had administered his sorcery, glimmering brightly like little stars.
This magic was created for students of the Mystic Cyan Sect to use to save anyone who was corrupted by the influence of evil. Xiao Chen was not sure if it would work this time, but he knew that he had to try. Before long, white vapors of steam rose from Xiao Chen’s head like a chimney as beads of perspiration rolled down his face. A red flush returned to the cheeks of the young man as he was finally restored and the ugly, green mark on his neck slowly vanished.
Everyone watched in awe, including the Three Friends of Winter, who had never once witnessed sorcery so potent yet so divine. No one was able to do anything to help any heretofore patient. Their loved ones could only watch helplessly as the infected slowly grew an ugly mark on their skin before they lost their minds, slowly becoming mindless fiends who craved only blood and carnage, seeking to sink their teeth into anyone in sight like rabid beasts as the infernal putrescence took hold.
For months and days, everyone had tried all they could to remove any taint from the infected to no avail. But how was Xiao Chen able to do so?
Xiao Chen got up. Fortunately for the scholar, he was only freshly infected, otherwise, not even Xiao Chen would able to save him. “You should be all well now,” Xiao Chen said to him.
The scholar got to his knees. He was joined by his elderly parents and they bowed at Xiao Chen’s feet. “Thank you, eminent Immortal! Thank you so much!”
“Please, there’s no need for such gestures,” Xiao Chen said hastily, helping them up.
“You just can’t mind your own business, can’t you boy?” Zhiluan squealed, heaving a breath of relief. “Continue this road and you might find yourself killed one day.”
The onlookers who had been watching the entire episode were all curious and awed. “Who is this?” Some began murmuring, “He cured an infected man…”
But the Three Friends were still afraid. Elder Plum approached Xiao Chen cautiously. “Are you truly well, young Xiao?”
“Yes, I am,” Xiao Chen replied briskly. And he quickly asked the scholar, “How did you receive the infection of the evil aura?”
“Errr…” The young man scratched the back of his head, his expression blank with bewilderment. “I’m afraid I don’t know. I woke up a few days ago in the morning, feeling an indescribable itch on my neck and I scratched on it. But when I looked into the mirror, I saw my neck…”
But that was all the information that he could offer. The Three Friends led Xiao Chen and his companions into the city. The Burg of the Feral Phoenix was merely a fraction of the size of Tianyuan City, but it was a large and bustling city nevertheless with soldiers marching about in the arteries of the congested borough to maintain law and order.
People as busy as ants thronged about in every road, street and avenue; the air of the busy city thick with the racket of talking and footfalls on the cobblestones. Unlike Tianyuan City, where everyone there was dressed in rich silks and gold, the people here were comfortable in their roughspun garments and they greeted the three old men warmly, holding the Three Friends in the highest regard and respect.
Zhiluan followed at Xiao Chen’s heels, trying its best to keep up. “We’ve been walking for so long, old man,” it grumbled impatiently, “Is the Governor’s Mansion still far away? I’d expect nothing but the most delicious food and the most refreshing brew… Nothing less for me, you know.”
“We’re near, esteemed Immortal Lingzhi,” Elder Plum smiled bitterly and said, “You can talk my word for it.”
Before long, the overarching edifice of a handsome mansion loomed ahead, enclosed by imperious walls painted in red with glittering moss-green tiles which were manned by sentries. Four guards watched the main gates of the mansion and they stood in a line, welcoming the Three Friends and showing them in when they got near.
Once inside, they were ushered past a picturesque courtyard with beautiful gazebos and ornate pavilions that perched on stilts over a large pond of water. The master of the house had surely spared no expense in building the mansion of his dreams, Xiao Chen mused, as his eyes caught sight of the wet remains of snow on the tiles on the walls. Despite the bleakness of winter, the white snowy garden retained very much of its splendor with the plum blossoms blooming sprucely, proudly showcasing their charms to be credits to the conscientious demand for every shred of detail of this magnificent residence.
As they continued deeper, they encountered many servants busy cleaning up the snow, all of whom stopped to greet the Three Friends.
Zhiluan marched pompously as if the notion that it was a cat spirit was all but lost, offering much-unwanted criticism and disparagement at every trivial detail it could find, much to the chagrin of the housekeeping staff.
The Three Friends traded brief glances and smiled wryly. Xiao Chen remained impassive, having long grown accustomed to the Zhiluan’s shenanigans.
Only Huangfu Xin’er remained cold and aloof. She had hardly spoken anything since the journey. They weaved through several corridors and saw two young lasses who were serving as maids in the house walking towards them. When they got close, they paused and stared at an effusive Zhiluan who was still babbling uncontrollably and were stunned.
Realizing he was being looked at, Zhiluan crossed its arms proudly and narrowed its eyes at the girls. “What are you looking at!? I am only telling the truth! Believe it or not, the fengshui here is terrible; you attract only the worst misfortune!” Zhiluan allowed its arms to fall down. “And never doubt who I am! I am the chosen one, selected by the Jade Emperor himself to come to the Mortal Realm. Would that you knew, that even Tier Three Immortals at the Heavenly Palace greeted me with respect and reverence whenever they see me!”