Chapter 4 – A Strange Token

Ling Xiao stood in front of what used to be his house. After a moment, he squeezed a single word from his mouth, “Motherfucker!”

With the sky-high housing prices in Northern Jade City, it was tough to own any property. Ling Xiao could only barely afford his house which was about 10 square meters in size.

Those bastards really went and done it! They went on and on about exterminating demons, their righteous journey. But when an innocent bystander got hurt in the process, they couldn’t care less! Ling Xiao was homeless, all thanks to them! How could he not be furious at this injustice?

But then he looked at the dark red space in his mind, a smile forming on his face. Ling Xiao was dirt poor at the start of the day, yet now he was a millionaire and had even entered the Northern Jade Sect! Naturally, his mood had turned for the better.

He walked to a barren corner of where his house used to be and his mind shuddered. A shovel appeared in his hands from within that strange space in his mind, the Demonic Seven Souls Chain’s depository.

It was already dusk out and his neighbours who had fled and sought refuge outside the city had yet to return. So he wasn’t worried about anyone seeing him.

The shovel was actually quite useful. No matter how tough the stone was, the shovel would crumble it into fine powder upon contact.

Ling Xiao didn’t find it odd for the shovel to have such a property. If it wasn’t a treasure of sorts, why would Ancestor Qi Mo carry it around with him?

With the help of this shovel, Ling Xiao easily crushed all the stones and dug a small hole, revealing a box. He grabbed the box and patted his chest in relief. Thank goodness, my treasure box survived that indigo-robed guy’s attack.

After Ling Xiao stored the shovel back in the chain’s depository, he carefully opened the box.

In it were tens of orange gems. Ling Xiao took them out, then placed them together with the ones Ancestor Qi Mo had left him. They were but a droplet in the ocean. But even so, it was in Ling Xiao’s good nature to haggle over every last red gem, so he naturally wouldn’t leave these behind.

Besides the orange gems, there was also a gray token the size of his palm in the box.

The token wasn’t crafted from wood or metal. He actually didn’t know what it was made out of, just that it was tough enough to break open a walnut.

As he held the token that he’d hidden for such a long time in his hand, an unheralded memory of that silhouette surfaced from the depths of Ling Xiao’s mind.

The oldest memory he could recall was of that silhouette. A man stood before him, brimming with smiles, as he handed him the token and said, “Son, you’re already six years old! It’s about time you learn how to be independent, don’t you agree? Take this. It might be of use to you at some point. When you’re a little older, come and find me in the Heavenly Soul Realm if you can. Together, we’ll track your mother down. If you can’t, live an honest life as a commoner.”

The token was like a parting gift, the man’s words his goodbye. After he spoke them, he turned away and left, never to be seen or heard of again.

The image of his receding back was still burned onto Ling Xiao’s retina. The sun sank from the sky that day, seemingly following his father behind the horizon. Raindrops, brought about by the passing wind, fell down on to his face. Salty with a tinge of bitterness, that’s how they tasted! Ling Xiao could never forget.

Who am I? Where did I come from? Why did father leave? Why is this my earliest memory? And what’s this strange token? Such questions tormented Ling Xiao for the past 12 years.

He desperately sought to earn money all these years so that he could save enough to buy a soul chain and become a Chain Soul Master. He believed that as long as he could become a powerful Chain Soul Master, there would come a day where he could solve all these mysteries.

Life shone brightly on Ling Xiao right now. Not only did he receive a soul chain for free, it was even filled with countless gifts!

Now that Ling Xiao had had the time to ponder on today’s events, he calmly accepted everything. Although even he felt his gains were absurdly large, he wouldn’t complain. Besides, wasn’t all he had to do in return killing those seven who he couldn’t stand one bit? His entire being screamed a single word, Deal!

However, that was food for thought for another time. Right now, Ling Xiao had to hurry north. After he’d conveniently gotten Cheng Qiantai as his new master, he’d only been given two hours to settle his matters in what was left of his home and arrive at the Northern Jade Sect.

With but a thought, Ling Xiao placed the token inside the chain’s depository.

Instantly, a strange scene took place, catching Ling Xiao by surprise!

Never had Ling Xiao discovered anything special about the token. It was originally dull. But after it was placed in the chain’s depository, the token erupted with rays of light. Two speckles of light appeared on top of the token and three at the bottom.

The top portion of the token was divided in two, a circular pattern on its surface. One side shone white, a golden speckle centered at the very top; the other side shone black, an even darker black speckle mirroring its golden counterpart at the other side of the circular pattern. On the bottom of the token, there were three speckles lined up side by side, each labelled with their own strange, rectangular character.

Ever since Ling Xiao gained full control over his memory, he found he could read most of the characters used in the Clear Sky Continent. Yet he didn’t recognize these three.

A ridiculous thought surfaced in Ling Xiao’s mind, Are these characters from another world? Why else would they look so foreign to me?

After blinking brightly for a moment, the three speckles dimmed. Even so, Ling Xiao could still clearly make out their colours: crimson, dark-brown, and azure.

“Such a whacky item.” Rather than answering some of Ling Xiao’s questions, what happened with the token only left him with more. Perhaps there was only one thing he now understood. Much like his Demonic Seven Souls Chain, this token was not something he should walk around with in broad daylight!

“It’s good that Cheng Qiantai took me in as his disciple. I’ll go to his sect, get one of those chains the Celestial Soul Masters use, and put up a beautiful facade. Nothing can go wrong anyway. Ancestor Qi Mo assured me I could simultaneously cultivate both the celestial and demonic part of my twin soul without any problems arising, after all.” As he was brazenly counting his chickens before they hatched, Ling Xiao started running north towards the Northern Jade Sect.

If anyone were to see Ling Xiao, they would be left in shock. Since the speed at which he was running was comparable to that of a racing horse!

Ling Xiao wasn’t all too aware of this fact. He did notice that his body felt lighter than usual, but other than that, nothing felt out of the ordinary.

After he left the city, Ling Xiao continued north along the mountain trail. As he travelled higher and higher, a grandiose building began revealing itself over the mountain’s peak. Several minutes later, he could see the walls surrounding the building, lined with jade. No expense was spared in the construction. The jade slabs alone were enough to buy all of Northern Jade City!

Not to mention, two beautiful altar lamps hung on either side of the entrance. Eternal white flames burned brightly in them; no matter rain or shine, they would never extinguish. Above the entrance hung a black-feathered, stone board which read: Northern Jade Sect.

Every single item used in the construction of the Northern Jade Sect was a priceless good in the world of commoners.

As Ling Xiao observed the lavish creation before him, he exclaimed, “Damn! The Northern Jade Sect is rich!”

Most commoners dared not approach the Northern Jade Sect, only ogling it from the mountain’s base. They were but mere mortals, after all! And from so far down, it was impossible to make out the beauty of this place with their limited eyesight.

“Where did this feral boy come from? This isn’t a place you can set foot in. Scram!”

The two servants guarding the entrance looked like cheap lackeys. When they spotted Ling Xiao, snobbish looks showed in their eyes as they blocked his path.

Arrogant fools! Although Ling Xiao cursed these servants in his heart, his face showed the kindest of smiles. “Senior Brothers, could I trouble the both of you to report to the Sect Master that Ling Xiao has arrived?”

“How can a person like the Sect Master accept someone like you as his disciple? Scram!” One servant exclaimed, making wild hand gestures. He was even about to chase Ling Xiao down the mountain, when he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.

Ling Xiao held in his hand two orange gems which sparkled under the setting sun, radiating with a tempting glow.

Instead of forcing Ling Xiao down the mountain, the servant let out a dry cough, then reached out and grabbed the two orange gems.

Much like his comrade, the other servant couldn’t tear his eyes away from the gems either, a greedy look in his eyes.

Ling Xiao grimly chuckled under his breath before taking out another two orange gems. He gave them to the other servant as he said, “I’ve troubled Seniors. Please, take this as a gesture of good faith.”

“So you do know a thing or two about proper etiquette!” The servant who’d received the two gems first patted Ling Xiao’s shoulder and added, “Wait here. I’ll go inform the Sect Master right away.”

These servants weren’t disciples of the Northern Jade Sect. They were commoners hired by the sect for menial tasks. On average, they earned 50 red gems a month. So for them to now receive two orange gems each, it was equivalent to four months worth of income!

Money would make even the devil turn millstones. Ling Xiao pondered deeply on this principle as he watched these two devils move.

Several minutes later, the servant scurried back, a worried look plastered on his face. “The Sect Master is waiting for you. Uh, Senior Brother… I-I can’t keep these gems. Please, let me return them to you!”

When they first saw Ling Xiao, a dirty youngster, they thought he was a feral child and treated him as such. But now they knew he was in fact the Sect Master’s newest disciple, they lost all their arrogance and didn’t dare to offend him.

Ling Xiao couldn’t be bothered to bicker with these bullies. He was a man of his word and had no intention of going back on it. Besides, he was a new face here at the Northern Jade Sect. There was still much he didn’t know and with these guys owing him a favour, he could perhaps turn them into his lackeys and have them guide him around! It would be much more convenient than having to wander around like a headless chicken.

A mischievous laugh spilled from Ling Xiao’s lips as he said, “Don’t worry. What honest man goes back on his word? That’s right! Senior Brothers, what are your names?”

The servants were overwhelmed by Ling Xiao’s generosity. “Please, Senior Brother, don’t be so formal with us! I’m Little Four and this here is Little Five. Senior Brother shouldn’t hesitate to ask us for help. If you need anything done, we’ll get it done for you.”

“Well said! Little Four, lead the way!” Ling Xiao showed a bright smile. Following his new lackey, he entered the sect.

Little Four stopped right in front of a door leading to a grand hall. “The Sect Master is waiting for you inside. I can only take you up to here.”

“Thanks. Be on your way, Little Four.” After he sent Little Four off, Ling Xiao straightened his clothes out and walked into the hall in a proper manner.

Close to 100 youngsters around Ling Xiao’s age lined both ends of the hall. They were looking curiously at him, whispering amongst themselves just loud enough for him to hear.

As Ling Xiao walked up to Cheng Qiantai, he looked at the many familiar and unfamiliar faces on either side. The ones he had seen in town before were jeering him now, calling him a beggar amongst other things. Even so, he remained expressionless, feigning ignorance.

Sect Master Cheng Qiantai watched Ling Xiao approach from the seat of honour. Two disciples stood next to him, one on each side.

To the left stood a guy who was tall and powerful, his square face exuding steadiness and self-confidence. Placed under his defined eyebrows were a pair of large eyes that were bright and brimming with life. His eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through a person’s very being, were trained on Ling Xiao.

The beautiful girl standing to his right was about 16 years old. Her lively eyes brimmed with energy, but she didn’t spare Ling Xiao a single glance. She was even mumbling something under her breath that Ling Xiao could only barely make out.

The look of arrogance on her face, coupled with the words that came from her mouth, left Ling Xiao with the feeling that her personality wasn’t all that exemplary.

Ling Xiao pretended he didn’t hear anything and marched forward until he faced the stern-looking Cheng Qiantai. He respectfully said, “Disciple Ling Xiao has arrived, Master.”

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