Destiny in Cinders

"Th-thank you, Big Brother!" Hearing this, Huo Qing was overjoyed. According to the customs of Mortality Plains, a captive who had been interrogated would usually be silenced. To be spared was nothing short of a miracle.

His shoulder wound was only a minor injury. A cultivator like him could heal up from a wound like this in a matter of days to the point that it stopped affecting his movement. But in his current state, his mobility was severely compromised. Without assistance, there was no hope of making it back to town by morning. If he were to encounter those bottom-feeding rogue cultivators or rival gang members again when they came back to collect their fallen, they wouldn't hesitate to turn him into a corpse for real.

They set off as soon as they were ready. An Jing gained a clear picture of the kind of place Pilljungle Town was through talking with Huo Qing. Situated in the eastern region in the heart of Mortality Plains, Pilljungle was rather large among the seventeen towns of the plains, boasting a permanent population of over fifty thousand. It was home to eight massive alchemy workshops with sprawling production lines that churned out everything from firearms, sword cases to artifacts. It also had a sophisticated spirit-herb cultivation industry.

The town accounted for half the medicinal production in Mortality Plains and also produced raw materials for Deepnight City's largest industrial sectors. Beyond that, special wood-aspect artifacts such as ornamental spirit plants and combat spirit-plant companions were also produced there.

Even with Huo Qing held firmly in his arms, An Jing arrived at the outskirts of Pilljungle in mere moments. Unlike other towns in Mortality Plains which was built around a massive forge, this town was anchored by a colossal tree that towered over three hundred meters. Its sprawling canopy cast a shadow across half the town, making it resemble a verdant hill from a distance, while its roots surged from the earth to form a massive mound.

Countless white greenhouses covered its roots, utilizing the giant tree's power to nurture numerous spirit plants. This was the "Leafpill Viridian," and it was the most flourishing plant An Jing had ever encountered in Skysource. In a world where most of the flora were scorched, withered husks, corroded by fiend qi and caustic rains, this colossal tree teemed with vitality.

Perhaps such trees still stand within the depths of Void Embrace's mountains. An Jing looked up at the towering tree in the distance, struck by a sudden wave of awe. Nature truly is wondrous to have birthed such a marvel!

"We're here..." After spending the entire night being lugged around by the scruff of his neck, Huo Qing breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the Leafpill Viridian. "I've made it back..."

As night surrendered to the breaking dawn, the echoes of battle across Mortality Plains finally faded. The scattered battle convoys returned from every corner of the wilderness. Many were wounded, leaning on one another for strength as they limped back toward their respective strongholds.

"Phew! It's safe now." A faint glimmer flickered in Huo Qing's eyes as he finally let out a long, relieved sigh. "The gangs just sent out a notice. There's a temporary ceasefire. They don't want to mess with the town's production during the day. We can head back to town now, Big Brother."

"Sent out a notice? When?" An Jing caught the strange glint in Huo Qing's eyes and that sudden sigh of relief. It was clear Huo Qing had just come into some new information.

Huo Qing simply pointed to his forehead and said, "It's the chip. Badlanders don't have them, only those of us in the towns and safe zones do."

"How interesting. To think that such a thing actually exists." An Jing's interest was piqued. Both the technology and artifacts in Skysource had evolved to a staggering degree. While the exact nature of the chip remained a mystery, perhaps it mirrored certain concepts from his previous life.

If it really was a brain chip, could he find a way to get one for himself? If the chip had enough functions, he would have an overwhelming advantage in Void Embrace.

"How can a... badlander like me acquire a chip?" An Jing asked as soon as the thought crossed his mind, his voice laced with eagerness.

Huo Qing, however, was stumped. "I honestly couldn't tell you... My chip's been there since birth. Everyone born in the safe zone gets one. It's basically our identification. Those without chips are all badlanders."

Huo Qing racked his brains until a few rumors came to mind. "I've heard that badlanders can get their hands on chips, though it's incredibly difficult. I'll dig around for some information when we get back."

"I'm counting on you, then." An Jing wasn't in a hurry; simply knowing of its existence was enough. His immediate priority was to leverage Skysource's superior weaponry to elude the demonic cult in Void Embrace. Unless he dealt with this, everything else was just a pipe dream.

With its perimeter walls, moat, and towers, Pilljungle was less a town and more a miniature fortress. The entire town was enclosed by a strange, lead-gray brick wall. At each of the four gates stood a pair of towers resembling electricity pylons. They glowed with a seamless flow of spiritual patterns and inscriptions, tracing out four uniquely colored formations.

"It's a simplified version of the Four Guardians Fiend Suppressor," Yvelbane said. "The four cardinal guards, namely, the Black Tortoise of the North, the White Tiger of the West, the Azure Dragon of the East, and the Vermilion Bird of the South, converge to suppress fiends and gather qi. At the heart of the formation stands an evergreen tree, serving as the suppression core. At full power, not even a Purple Mansion expert can breach its defenses. This town is well constructed. It's evident that a master's hand guided its development."

"Spirit qi is more concentrated here too." As An Jing neared the town, he was greeted by a sudden crispness in the air, carrying a sweet, alpine fragrance. Inhaling deeply, he felt free and light hearted. "The difference between the town and the wilderness is insane. The air quality alone is incomparable."

It was no exaggeration. An Jing was convinced townsfolk probably got an extra twenty years just for breathing the better air compared to badlanders, who had life expectancies around forty or fifty years. Of course, given how brutal the local gang wars were, he was referring strictly to their natural lifespans.

An Jing brought Huo Qing toward the south gate. The guards were clad in light-blue exoskeleton suits that towered nearly three meters high. Their design echoed the shining armor of the Tang Dynasty's soldiers from An Jing's past life, though they were forged primarily from steel. These soldiers were clearly not gang members. They scanned and registered every person before letting them through. An Jing wasn't nervous at all when his turn came.

Huo Qing froze in astonishment as An Jing removed his gas mask with casual ease. He never imagined that his savior, the ruthless interrogator who held a gun to his head, was actually a boy.

"A badlander?" Though the database showed no record of An Jing ever entering the town, the guard didn't seem to care. "The first visit costs five merits. After that, it's just one per entry."

An Jing had no merits, but before he could offer an alternative, Huo Qing interjected, "I'll pay for him!"

The transaction was effortless. Huo Qing's gaze met the guard's, followed by a brief amber flicker in their pupils. Just like that, the payment was settled.

They're quite formidable. Stepping into Pilljungle alongside Huo Qing, An Jing quietly took measure of his new environment. He could immediately sense that the gates and towers were manned by cultivators at the middle or even peak stages of Qi Refinement, surpassing even the manor lord in strength. Once inside, they encountered a large unit of armed soldiers patrolling the streets.

"With a military presence this heavy, why are there still gangs?" An Jing found himself asking aloud, leaving Huo Qing looking a bit perplexed beside him.

"The guards report directly to the mayor, so they're strong. But why would they deal with the gangs? We've paid our taxes, haven't we? And we haven't caused the mayor any trouble."

Realizing that An Jing was a clueless badlander, Huo Qing explained how the gangs actually operated. As it turned out, the gangs were essentially armed forces backed by various corporations across Mortality Plains.

The Noontigers were one such example. The gang was backed by three major artifact plants, several mining firms, and even the Treasure Lume Pavilion, the town's primary supplier of clearspirit powder. They were all subsidiaries of major corporations and massive conglomerates from Deepnight City.

The mayor was appointed by these major corporations, effectively making him an ally of the gangs. One functioned as a direct subordinate of the megacorporations, while the other served as local militias funded by their subsidiary firms. They had no reason to cause trouble for one another.

On the contrary, rival gangs represented different factions that were often direct competitors or outright enemies. In short, when force was required, the gangs were sent in to fight, while the corporations focused on arming them to dismantle rival interests.

So these gang wars are just an extension of corporate warfare... An Jing let out a dry chuckle at the idea, but on second thought, if these gangs were just the hired muscle for major conglomerates, then this was exactly what corporate warfare looked like.

We're in town. What's next? Right as the thought crossed his mind, An Jing's stomach started rumbling after the long, laborious night. In fact, a martialist's stomach didn't just rumble on its own. This was a deliberate move by An Jing.

"Um... Big Brother." Now that he had seen An Jing's true face and realized just how young he was, Huo Qing couldn't quite bring himself to utter the words "big brother." Ultimately, he forced the words out after failing to come up with any other way to address him.

"I can't thank you enough for escorting me safely back to town. If you're willing, please let me buy you a meal so we can talk about how I can make this up to you." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Sounds good."

His little ploy was successful. An Jing gave his stomach a satisfied pat, seeing no reason to hold back. He had made it into town, but without a single merit to his name, he wouldn't get very far. Whether he managed to squeeze Huo Qing for some merits or simply use him to find a shop to take his loot, An Jing could finally begin procuring the weapons and supplies he needed.