Chapter 14: Some Reflections on Strengths and Weaknesses

Chapter 14: A Summary of Advantages and Defects

The first time he killed, Luo Feng felt a mix of emotions—reflection, repulsion, and discomfort. Yet he harbored no regrets. Huang Feng had tried to kill him; the killer must face death in turn. Looting the corpse was a tradition.

As a professional in the art of looting, Luo Feng fetched two pairs of gloves, wary that Huang Feng might have poisoned his belongings. After a thorough search, he found among Huang Feng's possessions a book about the world of the extraordinary, a piece of metal, and a dozen talismans.

Examining these three items, Luo Feng still felt uneasy, so he asked Zheng Zha to catch a small animal. Soon, Zheng Zha returned with a bamboo rat. They conducted a little experiment, but the bamboo rat remained lively. Relieved, Luo Feng concluded the items were safe.

The book contained records of the major sects’ supernatural abilities and cultivation methods, along with descriptions of their power and various anecdotes. To those in the world of the extraordinary, it was mere leisure reading; everything recorded was already famed throughout the land, such as the White Cloud Temple’s mastery of internal alchemy. Everyone in this world knew these secrets—they were hardly hidden. After all, sects’ techniques, refined and revised over generations, would not be so easily exposed by outsiders with one or two books. If it were possible, such sects would have been destroyed long ago.

As for the tales and anecdotes, most were fanciful inventions, hardly worth believing. Still, this bedtime book for children of the extraordinary world proved the most valuable of the three, offering the greatest help to Luo Feng and Zheng Zha. It would enable them to become wandering practitioners, not mere novices.

The metal was just that—exceptionally hard, with not a mark left by Luo Feng’s strongest blow. The talismans went straight to Zheng Zha for study. He possessed a native yellow talisman from the Lord God’s realm, and hoped to analyze and dismantle the White Lotus Society’s talismans, eventually absorbing their secrets.

After dividing their spoils, they turned to deal with Huang Feng. To prevent him from becoming a zombie or vengeful spirit, Luo Feng arranged for proper cremation, exorcism, and rites, offering a full suite of spiritual services.

Huang Feng had always operated from the shadows, appearing mysterious but never showing his face. He had only recently gained real power and had not yet enjoyed life, only to be cut down so soon. Luo Feng suspected Huang Feng’s resentment would be greater than that of a typical Black Dragon Gang disciple.

So, alongside reciting funerary scriptures and celestial incantations, Luo Feng generously added a grand package combining the Three Teachings: the Great Compassion Sutra, the Earth Store Sutra, and the Diamond Demon-Dispelling Mantra—all recited in turn. After all, it cost nothing, and a little faith might help.

Afterward, the two delivered Huang Feng’s ashes to the Peace Cathedral in the neighboring Anqiu County. After making a donation, the priest promised to perform annual rites on Huang Feng’s death date, blessing his soul and granting him rest.

Gazing at the immaculate white cathedral, Luo Feng reflected on his actions, eventually feeling assured there were no loose ends, nodding in satisfaction and breathing easy.

This world was too dangerous. Not only did he have to beware zombies, but he also had to guard against enemies turning into vengeful ghosts after death. Was it easy for a newcomer from another world to survive here?

“Old Zheng, let’s go,” Luo Feng raised his head and called out, only to find Zheng Zha gazing absentmindedly at the sky, lost in thought. Luo Feng slapped his shoulder.

“What’s on your mind? Time to go home—Yuanyuan’s waiting for you to cook!” Suddenly, Luo Feng grew wary, “Don’t tell me you’re thinking of shirking your duties? I’ll warn you—cooking is not my forte!”

“Get lost!” Zheng Zha laughed and cursed but fell silent, then muttered, “Old Luo, do you think the outside world is incredibly exciting? All those supernatural abilities and dazzling techniques, and maybe—maybe—ways to capture souls and nurture spirits.”

When he mentioned souls, Zheng Zha’s eyes shone with a strange light. If there were methods to nurture souls, perhaps there was also power to revive them! Maybe—even resurrect the dead and start anew!

He touched the ceramic bottle he always kept close. Before entering the Lord God’s realm and losing consciousness, his last thought had been to bring it with him.

“That’s right,” Luo Feng nodded gravely, “The wider world is very exciting, but also extremely dangerous. Powerful supernatural abilities abound.”

The extraordinary outside world was undeniably formidable. The only reason Luo Feng had easily subdued Huang Feng was that Huang Feng was a minor character, a mere pawn. The world was vast; a single county was insignificant. Huang Feng, who had chosen to nest in a small town and assist a petty warlord, could not be very strong.

But the White Lotus Society had a long legacy, and above Huang Feng there were surely many senior masters. The thought of so many powerful extraordinary beings as his enemies chilled Luo Feng to the marrow. He resolved to hide in the village for at least seven or eight years, letting the storm pass. All shopping and supplies would be entrusted to villagers—he would never set foot in the county again.

Meanwhile, he would speed up his cultivation, gathering power within himself to gain confidence. As the saying goes, teaching apprentices starves the master; Huang Feng’s mentors were certainly much stronger than him. Ten Huang Fengs might not defeat one of his teachers.

To deal with a pawn like Huang Feng, Luo Feng had used the twelfth level of breath cultivation. By tenfold calculation, he would need at least one hundred and twenty levels to have the capital to preserve his life.

“That’s right, that’s exactly it!” Luo Feng applauded his own wit.

Zheng Zha stared at him, feeling as if they were talking about entirely different topics. Was this the generational gap? It shouldn’t be—he was born in the nineties too.

Life’s affairs are like tides, people like water, rippling with disturbances. News of the Black Dragon Gang’s destruction soon spread far and wide; some rejoiced, others mourned, some were excited…

Everyone speculated about which hero had acted for justice, punishing evil and championing good. Ordinary folk cheered, believing it was two righteous experts from the Heroic Alliance’s Sword Villa, eliminating evil for the people—a local hero.

The shrewd, those aware of the inside story, focused their suspicions on two Pure Yang Palace priests, believing them highly suspect. Searches swept the streets and alleys, but yielded nothing.

White Lotus Society adepts tried tracking by spiritual means, but every attempt either yielded fragmented, incoherent clues, or resulted in a backlash of holy radiance, causing them to spit blood.

...

Amidst the outside chaos, Luo Feng, who never left Yang Family Village, merely chuckled. They were hunting Pure Yang priests and Sword Villa’s Huang Ji—what did any of that have to do with Luo Feng, the world-traveler?

At ease, he bent over his desk, pen in hand, compiling his summary of the advantages and defects in the annihilation of the Black Dragon Gang:

[To tread the path of immortality, stay at home—no calamities, great achievement.]

[To seek longevity, heart must be calm; plan before action, only then find the Way.]

[Destroy the Black Dragon—wear a mask, leave no trace, create falsehoods.]

[First Pure Yang, then Sword Villa—confuse the sight, bewilder the crowd.]

[Among extraordinary ones, poor acting; to deceive, skill is required.]

[White Lotus Society—many strong, breath at a hundred levels, only then survive.]

(End of Chapter)