187: Trade

Trade

"I didn't bring it here on purpose …" I explained, wondering how to make such an unconvincing fact sound convincing to her. "This artifact is important to me, so I kept it on me at all times. I'm not summoning it, nor do I plan to, and that's not the reason why your child is drawn to me."0

The cub made another sound at its mother, and I suddenly wondered why I could only understand the adult, not the child. Assuming that the cub was trying to argue on my behalf, I ventured again, "Who was it that stole your children? Were they kept as spiritual pets?"

The mother snarled. This time, I heard the sadness in her words: "At least spiritual pets might be treated well. They were taken as mounts."

I stilled. Different sects took different approaches to travel. Some used flying swords, some used transporting portals, and some used mounts. Ferocious beasts with wings were the most popular among the last group, since they could be used for both traveling and fighting, but they were never regarded as more than that—a weapon, a carriage, and a display of power. Those beasts were never treated with any affection or care.

"Will you tell me who it was that did this?" I asked as softly as I could. "Guardian beasts are responsible for keeping the balance of spiritual power in their territories. They shouldn't be captured. If I can find those people, I promise to return your children to you."

The bixie looked at me, as if trying to decide if I was trustworthy. Then she let out a whimper: "I don't know who they were. But they used the same bait stone you carry. I can sense it."

I sighed. The bait stone I carried was unfortunately the common type used among most sects, and that didn't give me any clues. "I have an idea," I said. "If you could let me get up and fetch the stone … With a drop of your blood, I should be able to seal your spiritual power inside it. If I end up at the right sect someday, your presence will call out to your children, and I'll be able to bring them back to you."

The bixie's look turned suspicious. Knowing that she wouldn't trust me so easily, and that I needed her trust if I wanted a chance to get the answer to my question, I carefully placed my swords on the ground. "I'm not trying to trick you," I added. "If it makes you feel safer, I'll drop my weapons, and I'll leave the stone on the ground and step away. Just place a drop of your blood on it and let it seep through."

"Is this a trade?" The bixie made a sound that I supposed was her equivalent of laughing. "You think I will tell you about yazi's venom if you try to help me?"

I contemplated my response. "I won't deny that I desperately need that information," I said. "I will do everything I can in exchange for it … But whether or not you decide to tell me, I promise to help you find your children. What those cultivators did was wrong, and I have the responsibility to stop them."

The bixie didn't move. Not until her cub purred at my words, rubbing its head on me again and nudging its mother with its paws. Touched by its trust in me, I gave it a grateful smile. The mother groaned a little, but this time, she didn't bare her teeth, and she let go of me cautiously.

Straightening myself, I took the bait stone out of my storage artifact and placed it on the ground, then stepped back as I promised. I watched quietly from a short distance as the mother bixie dropped her blood onto the stone, and the artifact started to pulse with a white light the same way it did at Jade Temple. "This should be enough," I said. "The effect will be able to last a long time once I use a spell to seal this power."

The mother kept a suspicious eye on me as I inched forward and fetched the bait stone, stowing it back into my storage. Suddenly, she groaned. "Yazi's venom needs to be boiled with the bile of a viper and the blood of a scorpion for nine days. When the mixture dries, bake it over the fire for another nine days, then melt it into spring water and bathe for three hours."

I froze at her words. I hadn't expected my show of kindness to pay off so quickly … She had decided to tell me the answer after all! "T-Thank you," I stammered, too overjoyed to be able to properly express my gratitude. "I really—"

"You might not want to thank me yet." She hissed. "This bath uses the strongest venoms to overcome demonic power, and the person will have to control that energy flow very carefully during the process to maintain a safe balance. However, the clash of different forces in the person's body causes great pain, oftentimes too unbearable for them to even stay conscious. If that happens and they lose control, then it is left to the heavens to decide whether they are worth saving."

The hope that just rose in me sank once more. "Is there no way around it?" I blurted. "No safer alternative?"

"This is all I know. It is also not the final solution to your problem, cultivator. The bath will cleanse most of the demonic power out of that man, enough to restore his health and extend his life for a few more decades, but no longer than that. You are on your own if you want a cure that lasts the rest of his immortal lifespan."

With those words, the mother bixie turned around. Her cub padded over to me, rubbing its nose softly on my legs as if to comfort me, then followed its mother and disappeared into the woods.

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