Chapter 134: The Human Heart

With a light chuckle from Shen Zhongzhu, the Azure Qilin beneath Daoist Pu suddenly shattered, dissolving into a mist of cyan vapor that retreated into the cyan banner held in the Daoist's hand.

"What use is it to ask me who I am? You wouldn't know me even if I told you," Shen Zhongzhu said calmly, looking at the Daoist named Si, who wore red robes and a cloak embroidered with a vermilion phoenix.

The cyan mist dissipated.

No matter how frantically Daoist Pu shook his banner, beads of cold sweat dripping from his forehead, the flag remained limp, refusing to unfurl.

At the same time, the tiles on the roof suddenly transformed into sharp, green bamboo shoots. Yet, the tips of these shoots did not emanate the vibrant, flourishing energy of life; instead, they bristled with a cold, lethal intent.

"Since when did Nanxi County have a garrison captain like you?" Daoist Si retreated swiftly, standing atop another roof as he spoke to Shen Zhongzhu in a deep voice.

"Not long ago," Shen Zhongzhu replied indifferently, looking down at Daoist Pu.

Daoist Pu was not so fortunate. Desperate to unfurl his banner, he had failed to notice the change beneath his feet, and the bamboo tips pierced through his soles, leaving them bloodied and raw.

But Daoist Pu was a ruthless man. Gritting his teeth against the pain of the bamboo piercing his flesh, he wrenched his feet free and leapt from the roof without a sound.

Fan Xuanyue, who had been struggling beneath the barrier of the yellow tortoise-shell formation, was startled by the sudden landing of the bloodied Daoist. Just as she braced herself for another attack, she saw him retreat to the courtyard veranda, nursing his wounded feet.

It was then that she noticed a figure in the corner of the courtyard—a Daoist in red robes, his hair standing on end, his body charred black and flickering with stray sparks of lightning, twitching uncontrollably on the ground.

"Eh? Has someone come to help me?" Fan Xuanyue’s own cyan aura dimmed slightly. She looked up at the rooftops, murmuring to herself with a hint of curiosity.

The formation’s mist had vanished and shifted into the yellow tortoise-shell barrier; she assumed it was merely the fickle nature of the formation and thought nothing more of it. Stubbornness had taken hold of her, and she had been so focused on breaking the damned trap that she had ignored everything else. Had the bloodied Daoist not jumped down and startled her, she would still be trying to smash through the yellow barrier above her head.

"It seems so," Cui Ya, who had been silent until now, whispered.

Cui Ya had sensed something was wrong much earlier. Though she understood nothing of Daoist arts or formations, she could feel that the blade-like winds had suddenly ceased, and the mist that had obstructed their vision had abruptly vanished. She knew this was no sudden change of heart by the Daoists of the Fufeng Temple; they were not the type to show mercy once they struck.

Fan Xuanyue sat cross-legged on her gourd, absentmindedly twisting the vines around its neck. She frowned and muttered, "I don't have many friends in Zhonghe Prefecture. Who would come to help me here in the Southern Wilderness?"

Shen Zhongzhu glanced sideways at Fan Xuanyue beneath the yellow barrier. She looked weary, but otherwise unharmed.

"Let her go, and I will leave. As for the woman behind her, do with her as you please," Shen Zhongzhu said, looking up at the man who had been watching him in silence: Yin Chunxin.

The Daoist in the purple robes had not made a move throughout the conflict; he was clearly the "Senior Brother Yin" the others had been discussing.

Yin Chunxin’s deep eyes assessed the garrison captain. This man had broken the Azure Qilin Mist Formation and shackled the Dragon-Phoenix Red Banner. Though the White Tiger Plain Banner remained, it was clearly within this captain’s control. Having broken three of the four treasures, why would he suddenly want to leave?

Yin Chunxin’s eyes narrowed, fixed on the bandages wrapped around Shen Zhongzhu’s face. He sensed divine power within the fire-serpent that held the spirit of the White Tiger Banner—a divine power infused with the essence of a Star Official.

It was precisely for this reason that Yin Chunxin had warned his junior, Pu, not to act rashly. He was well aware of why cultivators in the Southern Wilderness had been stirring and why there was such commotion in Junhuang County. He had feared at first that this man was a candidate for Star Official chosen by Junhuang County.

But then, he realized the man was not a candidate, but one suffering from the wounds of a Winged Fire Serpent’s divine flames! Yet, Yin Chunxin remained cautious; as long as he did not strike, there was still room for maneuver. But for this man to suddenly want to back down?

It made Yin Chunxin suspicious. A garrison captain who arrives out of nowhere, ignores the chance to rescue the pretty girl, and instead toys with them—only to stop and negotiate after breaking three of their banners? What sort of scheme was he hiding?

Initially, Shen Zhongzhu had indeed wanted to test the skills of these Daoists to see if they were genuine or mere charlatans. That was why he had teased them. But upon seeing the Yellow-Turban Warrior and hearing the names of the masters mentioned by the Daoists, his heart sank. Memories of his time on Sangyu Island flooded back.

He did not want to be dragged into another whirlpool of trouble. If not for the miraculous omen of a Divine Emperor’s death, followed by a red dragon that descended to calm the tides threatening to drown the island, he would have perished on the Canghai Sangyu Island a year ago.

But hearts are opaque. Shen Zhongzhu did not know what Yin Chunxin was thinking, and Yin Chunxin knew nothing of Shen Zhongzhu’s motives. The two stood on the rooftops, facing each other across the void.

"In the ways of the Five Elements, I excel in Metal and Wood. I have broken the cyan banner, and I can break the yellow one beneath the courtyard, too—though it would be a bit more troublesome," Shen Zhongzhu said, raising an eyebrow. He did not understand why the purple-robed Daoist refused to act or speak.

"Then I invite the Captain to demonstrate," Yin Chunxin said calmly, his eyes narrowing into slits.

Shen Zhongzhu looked at the purple-robed Daoist, reminded of a friend he had once known on Sangyu Island—a man who also loved to squint. He wondered where that friend was now.

"Since you wish to see, then watch me break it," Shen Zhongzhu said calmly.

If the Four Treasures were joined in a Four-Symbols Formation, it would be troublesome and dangerous for him, but a simple formation formed by a single banner was far too easy. It was not, after all, the primordial Four Treasures of the ancients. If it were the true primordial artifacts, not even his master would have stood a chance.

Just as Shen Zhongzhu prepared to break the yellow banner, the fire-serpent burn hidden beneath his clothes flared up. Flames bled through the gaps in his bandages, melting his black-iron scale armor into a pool of molten metal.

Seeing this, Yin Chunxin’s narrowed eyes flew open, a brilliant light flashing within them.