Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Ceremony

Ignoring the outcome of his final strike, Zhao Fan stood up, sheathed his fists, and slowly walked toward a section of the marsh.

The swamp looked ordinary, yet beneath it lay the bones of numerous ferocious beasts, along with the remains of a rare and precious blue-haired hound. Zhao Fan sat down heavily on the mire, closed his eyes, and a faint smile touched his lips. He had finally exhausted every ounce of his strength; no longer would he have to strain himself to fulfill the commands of others.

The scene shifts back to Chen Qi. Blood continued to stream from his forehead, thick and crimson, trickling down his face in a gruesome display. However, Zhao Fan’s final, erratic movement had granted Chen Qi a moment of respite, especially while Chen Qi was still under the influence of his own explosive power.

Instinctively, Chen Qi drove his hands deep into the sludge. The mud in the marsh grew denser and more viscous the deeper one went; his hands felt as if they were trapped in solid amber, nearly impossible to pull free. Even so, having regained a shred of clarity, Chen Qi forced his blood and qi into his upper body and lashed out with a desperate sweep of his arms.

Like a spinning top in the mire, the motion generated a centrifugal force that shifted his entire body half a meter backward. Then, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a sunset-shaped fist imprint, wreathed in pale yellow true qi, descending from diagonally above. It landed on his face—or rather, on the muddy ground inches from his cheek.

The distance was so precise that Chen Qi could feel the true qi of the sunset imprint vibrating through the very pores of his skin. The pale yellow energy was incredibly condensed, erupting fully upon the imprint, yet instead of the explosion Chen Qi expected, the energy pulled inward, toward the center of the strike. It was a sight beyond description, as if a sun were turning into a hollow void, sucking all its surrounding energy into its core.

Watching the eerie sunset imprint vanish into nothingness, Chen Qi finally exhaled, turning his attention to his own state. He was still sinking, but fortunately, he was nearly at his peak condition and could pull himself out without external aid.

"Hah!"

Sensing that the pure, fetal-breathing-like medicinal power still lingered within him, Chen Qi took a deep, unrestrained breath. He channeled his blood and qi evenly throughout his body and then suddenly exerted force! As the surrounding mud recoiled from the burst of blood energy, Chen Qi hauled his upper body up. The sludge that had encased him erupted like a bomb, splashing into the air. His torso was free, though his lower half remained buried.

Without rest, he exhaled the stale air, surged his blood and qi again, and repeated the maneuver! After two consecutive bursts, he finally dragged his body out, leaving only his calves stuck in the muck.

*Pop, pop.*

With little effort, he pulled his legs free. Feeling his whole body suspended above the mist, he felt the lightness of having escaped his shackles.

Zhao Fan, now buried up to his head, reopened his eyes, a look of surprise crossing his face when he did not hear the scream he had anticipated. He watched the young man he had hunted slowly approach.

***

Chen Qi’s breath was shallow and his expression complex as he watched Zhao Fan’s head sink into the marsh. He did not move to intervene, nor did he strike. Just as he watched Zhao Fan being swallowed by the swamp, he heard the man speak. The voice was mournful and pleading, sounding both like a challenge and a resignation.

"This damned life, this damned heaven!"

As the words faded, a strange notification from the "Sprout Space" chimed. The suddenness of it caught the observing Chen Qi completely off guard.

[Accept Side Quest: Zhao Fan’s Request?]
[Quest Briefing: Erect a tombstone for Zhao Fan and pour a libation of wine.]
[Quest Information: For some reason, Zhao Fan wishes to have one last moment of madness at the end of his life. If you can show the respect due to the man who sought to hunt you, he will reward you with a secret.]
[Time Limit: None]
[Failure Penalty: None]

Chen Qi was still in a daze, unable to stop himself from grumbling internally at the Sprout Space: "Does just anyone who says a few words get to tell me what to do? Even if he almost killed me a moment ago?"

But Chen Qi quickly regained his composure and accepted the quest. One could hold a grudge against anyone, but one should never hold a grudge against a reward. Still, looking at Zhao Fan’s body already completely submerged in the mire, he felt a strange sense of dissonance. Since the man was dead, how was he supposed to learn this so-called secret?

Unable to figure it out, he gave up and focused on the quest requirements. After all, the Sprout Space must have its reasons.

Pouring wine was no problem; he had some left over in his storage space. He had tucked it away while drinking and eating heartily with Sun Ruohai, fearing that if he got too drunk, Sun Ruohai would go wild and smash the jars. He had intended to bring it out of this world to taste later, but now it would have to go to the dead man. Thinking of this, Chen Qi winced in pain, then began to consider how to find a tombstone.

Finding no immediate ideas, he suddenly remembered something. "Wait, where is my long saber?"

He recalled the moment he had let go of the blade and watched it fly off. Following his memory of where it landed, he spent quite a while digging through the mud until he finally unearthed his [Crimson Blood Long Saber].

Gripping the hilt with his right hand, Chen Qi focused his intent and channeled his blood and qi into the weapon. As the energy coursed to the tip, a crimson glow emerged, stripping away the mud and revealing the saber’s true form.

The blade was tinged with red and covered in blood-letting grooves. Over a foot long and an inch wide, it differed from when he first saw it; a faint, visible aura of bloodthirst now permeated it. Yet, seemingly limited by the material, this bloodlust was trapped within the blade, unable to sublimate or be released.

Having recovered the saber, it felt like meeting an old friend. Even though he had only used it for a few days, he could clearly feel his heart leap with joy. Perhaps he was a born swordsman! Well, although he still felt that a long sword was more elegant and suited his style better...

Perhaps due to his pleasant mood, he soon thought of how to craft the tombstone. In this desolate and monotonous marsh, mud was everywhere, but finding a stone was clearly impractical. Many might be short-sighted and waste time here, eventually giving up—as happened so often in the world he came from. But if one changed their thinking, some problems became easy to solve.

Chen Qi pulled a large piece of meat from his storage space—the remains of the Red-Striped Boar King. It was the chest section, mostly bone, which was why he and Sun Ruohai hadn't roasted it into a meal.

"My apologies for this."

Feeling a slight pang of regret for his saber, Chen Qi began to carve the meat from the bone. Thanks to his Level 3 Basic Saber Technique, the boar’s breastbone, far larger than any similar creature on Earth, was soon laid bare.

He walked to where Zhao Fan had sunk. Without rushing, he channeled his blood and qi to scour the bone, polishing it until it was smooth. Feeling the time was right, he tossed the bone into the air, drew his saber, and carved it in mid-flight!

*Clack!*

Chen Qi’s expression darkened as he watched the bone fall into the mud, having only carved half of the character "Zhao."

Setting aside his frustration, he picked up the bone again. With a solemn expression, he carved the four characters "Tomb of Zhao Fan" stroke by stroke. Each mark sank deep into the bone, showcasing his impressive blade work.

Chen Qi sighed and thrust the bone into the marsh above Zhao Fan’s body. On the other side, he took out the wine jar and tilted it over the crude tombstone.

"It’s at least the bone of a Grade 7 beast, so it shouldn't rot away too easily. Maybe one day someone will dig it up as a treasure and know that you, Zhao Fan, once walked this world."

As he poured the wine, he offered these words of comfort with a look of feigned sorrow. Chen Qi had always been this meticulous and thoughtful toward those who could provide him with rewards.

The final drop of wine landed on the tombstone, creating a splash. Suddenly, the droplet froze in mid-air and inexplicably magnified. Chen Qi’s vision was drawn directly into the center of the droplet, followed by a sensation of twisting.

Before his vision blurred, he heard the notification from the Sprout Space confirming the completion of the quest.