Временные трудности / Temporary hardships: Глава 24

Chapter 24, in which the hero proves that the number three is as good as the sacred dozen

Camrad_RIP 21.02.24 в 20:13

* * *

Camrad_RIP 21.02.24 в 20:13

Mogao was burning. Here and there flames rose into the air, explosions were heard, shouts of battle and groans of the wounded. Near the stone piers, the hulks of ships were burning, and dead bodies floated in the water. Xing felt his heart ache as he felt his guilt at what was happening. He was the one who had failed to stop Sharif, the one who had lost him the second time, and the one who had had a hand in the creation of the army of conquest, whose fish bodies glistened between the harbor buildings. Or rather, not even a hand at all, which made the situation even worse.

Camrad_RIP 23.02.24 в 22:29

Far away in the city, several huge fighting humanoid puppets towered over the houses. Sharif seemed to have learned from the previous failure, making these idiots even stronger.

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 10:00

"Go," Almirakh said. "They need you now!"

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 10:00

"And you?" Xing asked. "It's dangerous here."

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 10:09

"I love how much you care for me," the mermaid bared her teeth. "That's why I love you. But you're forgetting something!"

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 10:19

She raised her hand and showed her bracelet with a brightly burning pearl. Xing realized that Almirakh was strong on her own, and now, with her extra qi, she was many times stronger. But the anxiety did not let up.

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 10:31

"You're wasting your time," Almirakh reminded him. "I have my task. I am the one who birthed them in my womb, which means it is my responsibility. It is my duty to deprive Sharif of his army."

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 10:36

Xing nodded, acknowledging her point.

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 10:36

"There are still guards. Try to avoid them."

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 10:49

"Don't worry about me," the mermaid snorted. "Also, Xing..."

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 10:50

"Yes?"

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 10:46

"You will meet my children. You may think they should be spared, whether out of pity for them or out of love for me. You may think that since I can override Sharif's control, every newt you kill is another dead warrior in my army. Give up such ideas. I don't consider myself their mother, they are Sharif's spawn first and foremost. I don't even know what I'll do with them when this is over. So do what you think is right."

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 10:51

Xing didn't wonder at Almirakh's insight, as if she had read his mind. He nodded briefly, snatched up his flail, and flew into the air, heading for the giant figure of the nearest puppet.

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 10:52

Some of the soldiers of the city garrison were holding the defense, but their forces were running low. Whoever was in charge of the army took the matter seriously. The hieroglyphs flashed in the air, showing the work of protective talismans, and alchemical compositions flew at the creature, which, hitting the stone body, exploded or burned through the stone. It seemed the turtle's previous attack had served as a good warning, so the city leader didn't skimp on equipment. And if the puppet had been alone, this squad would have had a good chance of at least immobilizing it, if not defeating it, by melting or tearing off one of its legs.

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 10:56

But unfortunately for the defenders, the giant was accompanied by a horde of fishmen. Unlike the Almirakh, Sharif had not bothered to equip them. Each of them has a single spear with a tip of wretched iron. But the strength of any newt who had once received the qi of Xing was equal to an adept. Even though they, like Xing himself, did not know a single technique, they were strong and ferocious. And they were many, far more than the defenders.

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 10:59

The puppet raised its hand again and fired a fireball at the defenders. The talisman burst into flames and crumbled into ashes. The Mogao soldiers only tightened their formation, gripped their shields tighter, and thrust their swords and spears forward. Their faces and qi betrayed a grim determination to hold out as long as possible, to fall, but to sell their lives for more, protect the inhabitants, and buy them a few heartbeats of time. Xing knew the residents were in no particular danger. Sharif wanted living subjects and undamaged buildings, not breathless bodies among the charred ruins. But the heroism and determination of Mogao's soldiers was impressive and commanded considerable respect.

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 11:06

Unfortunately, it was because of the city, because of the townspeople whose qi he could still feel inside the houses, he couldn't use serious enough elemental effects. So Xing did it the simple old-fashioned way. He attacked the puppet from above, knocked off its head with a flail, split its sturdy body, ripped out the flaming crystalline heart in an openwork lattice from the Azrak, and hid it in a bracelet. Then, under the astonished gazes of the townspeople and soldiers, Xing picked up the fishmen with qi, lifted them high into the air, and turned them into ashes after creating the Fire element. Fish limbs with spears still clutched in them spattered onto the rooftops and stone slabs of the street. Some particularly brave townspeople jumped out from under the protection of the talismans and armed themselves, grabbing the fishmen's weapons. Xing easily jumped from the standing hulk of the puppet and approached the lingzhang of Mogao's defenders.

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 11:11

"I know you!" Shouted one of the soldiers. "You're that cook! Oh, I'm sorry! You look a lot like one of the..."

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 11:14

"I'm sorry, Sheng," Xing smirked, "but my restaurant is closed! There were some temporary hardships!"

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 11:15

"Do you... Do you remember me?" the soldier was surprised.

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 11:16

"I remember all my visitors. But now seems like a bad time to talk about cooking."

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 11:17

"'Mr. Xing Duo" said the gray-haired Lingjiang who commanded the dozen. "Please help! I can see how strong you are, and the situation is serious. I don't know if we can survive with your help, but without you, Mogao will surely fall!"

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 11:18

"Linjiang, you don't have to say that. If I wasn't going to help, I wouldn't have come. I don't know if this will help you, but..."

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 11:33

Xing pulled out several bottles of elixirs from his bracelet, which fell onto the stones with a loud clatter, but the reinforced glass didn't shatter. The soldiers and Lingjiang rounded their eyes.

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 11:41

"It strengthens qi, speeds up the healing of wounds, and makes you stronger," Xing explained. - And speaking of wounds..."

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 11:42

He raised his hand, speeding up the circulation of qi in the heart dantian. It was more difficult to treat from a distance, and subtle manipulations required direct touch or better acupuncture. But burns, puncture wounds, and stab wounds could be dealt with just as well. There were loud cheers from the soldiers and townspeople whose wounds began to heal and disappear. Xing didn't listen to the thanks, but climbed onto the roof of the nearest house, looked at Mogao, and thought.

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 12:46

The ideal course of action would be to kill Sharif. Of course, that wouldn't stop the invasion: both the puppets and the newts would continue to act following their previous orders, he knew that from Shadia and Almirakh. But Xing wanted to solve the main problem first and deal with everything else later. He decided to abandon the search for Sharif for two reasons. The first was that Sharif could surprise him again by sending Xing to the edge of the sky and the corner of the ocean leaving the city completely defenseless. The second, and the main one, was the heroes always tear through hordes of minions to take down the main villain last.

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 13:06

So Xing rushed on, jumping and flying from battle to battle, killing fishmen, destroying puppets, taking their hearts and valuable components, healing townsfolk, guards, and soldiers, in passing growing stone walls out of the ground to make it harder for new waves of fishmen to attack and advance.

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 13:07

"Hello, Master!" He shouted cheerfully, after killing another puppet and destroying a group of newts. "You're not married yet?"

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 13:07

"Who would talk about getting married?" The unchanged Cai Shaolong snorted, not surprised by his appearance. "I'm not the one who ran out of town from a stupid girl with wind in her head!"

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 13:08

"But he found two others!" Xing laughed, dumping a pile of bottles in front of Shaolong. "Inside are..."

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 13:09

"I'm an alchemist! I'll figure it out!" Master Cai cut him off. "Did you find your ring? I thought you were just messing with my head."

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 13:11

Xing didn't specify that it wasn't a ring, but a bracelet and that he hadn't found it, but had made it. He waved to his former mentor, treated the soldiers, guards, and townspeople again, and rode on.

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 13:13

Feeling that one of the two familiar sources of qi had weakened and flickered, Xing rushed in that direction. In a small square with the ruins of a fountain, he saw the hulk of a destroyed puppet, over three dozen dead fish people, and two figures, one bent over the other, laying his hands on it.

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 13:14

Xing recognized the two of them. They were the two arrogant beauties who lived in Mogao and had the rank of Master Qi. But for some reason, not only had they not increased in strength over the years, but they had become weaker, with a shaky and unstable internal energy that could not be blamed on their injuries.

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 13:16

The silk qipao of both was stained with blood. Not just newt blood. There were open wounds, and the one on the ground had a spear sticking out of her belly.

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 13:21

"O beautiful fairies Xue Lingjian and Peipei Mairong," Xing cheerfully exclaimed as he landed next to them, "don't you need my help?"

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 13:22

Xue gave him a tired look.

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 13:22

"Is that you? As you can see, we don't have time to eat right now."

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 13:22

"What happened?" Xing asked, forestalling a rant about unanswerable questions, quickly added: "Yes, I realize you're both hurt. But that's why I'm surprised. Considering your strength..."

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 13:28

"Strength! There is no more of our strength!" Xue Lingjian said angrily. "He was so alert, so polite, so hospitable. Would Grand Masters Lingjian and Mairong be willing to have tea? The matter for which I have invited you is important to all of Mogao! And the bastard didn't completely lie."

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 13:31

"Poison?" Xing guessed. "Did someone put something in your tea?"

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 13:28

"Something alchemical," Xue nodded, "It didn't feel at all, the tea tasted pretty good. The fact, that our qi was almost uncontrollable, we only felt it the next morning when the invasion had already begun."

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 13:32

Xing hesitated for a moment. The potion disrupted the qi flow something he knew very well. And not only did he know it, he was the one who had once made it! This elixir, which was tasteless and odorless, was one of those unfortunate byproducts of alchemy, a dozen vials of which he had once sold to the Ximen House. He had tried drinking this elixir for training purposes, to weaken his qi and thus increase his workload in training, but his body soon got used to it and began to overcome the effects even before he finished the vial.

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 13:34

"We're both already dead," Xue said. "I have a punctured liver and selenium, and Peipei has a stomach wound, a damaged spine, and a damaged heart. Besides, those things have smeared their spears with poison. Please, Xing Duo, or whatever your name is, tell the Binren of the guards or, failing that, someone higher up, that Li Wei is a traitor."

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 13:36

"Li Wei?" Xing was surprised. "I don't know such a name."

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 13:40

Xing was being a bit sly. Someone called Wei was someone he knew. But this was the villain from the crystal, a demonic cultivator who gained power from inflicting pain not only on others but also on himself.

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 13:44

"Have you ever heard of the Wei clan?" Xue asked irritably. "But wait, you haven't been here for a long time. Li of the Wei clan married Xifeng of the Ximen clan a few years ago. The position of the Ximen family, who were related to the Chief Inspector of Roads and Water Supply, had risen a lot since then. Forget about my request. No one will believe you anyway."

Camrad_RIP 24.02.24 в 13:45