25. Fighting Fire with Fire
1824 Words
“What was that?” Lan Boqin stammers over his own words. The boy looks even paler than before.
“Did you forget there is someone here?” GrandMaster Lan points to the boy.
“Nah,” Shi Lang shrugs. “I can erase his memory later if he can’t take it.”
“You can do that?” The GrandMaster asks. Getting feelings out of this man is hard. He is neither concerned, nor perplexed. He takes things remarkably easy. It’s like he flipped a switch. Moments ago he was ready to accuse Shi Lang of arson, now he is calm like a clam.
“Erasing someone's memory is easy. Figuring you out is what’s hard,” Shi Lang scoffs.
“Why don’t we find any traces of the spirits?” The GrandMaster wants to know. He is completely ignoring what Shi Lang just said.
“I don’t know. I don’t deal much with spirits. I was never concerned about worldly affairs,” he shrugs. Spending his time away from all the human drama was always his goal.
“May I bother you away from the books for once? Before the whole town burns down?” GrandMaster Lan implores. This has come too close to begging, so the matter must be serious. But, getting involved might bring trouble.
“I can give you advice…” Shi Lang looks at the GrandMaster sheepishly.
“But, you won’t leave the library,” the man sighs. “What would it take for you to actually move and help? A lifetime of servitude? A few rare books? What do you want?”
“Some peace and quiet would be good,” Shi Lang glares at the GrandMaster. “But you won’t stop pestering me until I give in. Is this how you felt when I asked you for library access every day?”
“Why do I think there is something weird going on? What can a teenager do?” Lan Boqin looks at them from the side with suspicion.
“Oh? You can still talk?” Shi Lang chuckles. He points at Lan Boqin, but his words are directed at the GrandMaster. “Maybe he can be useful? He’s just a bit confused.”
“So? You’ll help?” The GrandMaster asks again.
“Yes,” Shi Lang nods. “Don’t get used to it, though. Once I’m done with the library, you will never see me again.”
“What? You will just leave and never look back? Are we really that insignificant to you?” The GrandMaster wonders.
“No, you’re not,” he shakes his head. The GrandMaster is intriguing, but he doesn’t need to know that. “I have to finish my shield. The sword took me thirty years to forge. I might finish my shield in half that time, but I might not. Will you still be here in thirty years?”
“Hey! Show some respect! You can’t just talk to the GrandMaster like that!” Lan Boqin yells. The boy is fearless. A great trait, but dangerous.
“Lan Boqin! Shut up!” GrandMaster Lan warns him. “Do you want to die?”
“Don’t worry,” Shi Lang chuckles. “I haven’t killed anyone in anger in a long time. But, I might make him question his existence.”
“How?” The GrandMaster narrows his eyes at him. “I do not allow torture.”
“You are not affected by my charm, because you are steady in your cultivation. You are sure about what you want in life. But, Lan Boqin is not immune to it. He is too young to be able to shield his mind against me,” Shi Lang smiles. He drops his glamour and Lan Boqin drops to the floor. The boy is smitten on the spot.
“Oh! But I don’t like guys at all,” Lan Boqin gulps. The blush creeping up his face tells a different story. His whole body is resonating with unspoken lust. He slides backwards on his knees. Fighting his own body and mind to get away from the temptation Shi Lang represents. He fights a lost battle. No one this young can resist his charm. It might cause serious mental damage if Shi Lang keeps it up for too long. Suddenly, Lang Boqin pulls his sword out and presses the blade to his own throat. Would the guy rather die than admit that he’s attracted to Shi Lang? Something must be done, and fast. Shi Lang only meant to scare him, not to make him kill himself.
“No, you don’t!” Shi Lang snaps his fingers and Lan Boqin’s sword changes hands by magic. “You are too young to die like this. Find yourself first, live a little.”
“What have you done to me? Return my sword! You’re not to touch another’s sword!” Lan Boqin yells. The embarrassment is fast forgotten.
“Nothing. I have done nothing. I just showed you my true self,” Shi Lang scoffs. “You can get your sword back if you promise to behave.”
“You’ll pay for this!” Lan Boqin growls through his teeth.
“Sure,” Shi Lang shrugs. He couldn’t care less what the boy thinks. He’s not even old enough to have his coming of age ceremony. “Look me up on the training grounds.”
“Can you stop messing with my disciple?” GrandMaster Lan inquires. He was watching it all unravel from the sidelines. Secretly amused, but the man looks tired. Shi Lang hasn’t noticed that before.
“Yes,” he nods. “Back to the pressing matter, then. When was this last fire?”
“Just a couple of hours ago. At dusk,” GrandMaster Lan tells him.
“Perfect time for the fire spirits. They like the in-between time. Not daylight, but not darkness yet,” Shi Lang tells them. “We have to get to town. I might find something you have missed.”
“The fastest way is to fly by sword,” GrandMaster Lan nods. He didn’t object to going to town. Did he dismiss Shi Lang as a suspect?
“I don’t want you to take a whole group of cultivators with us,” Shi Lang stops them from leaving the library. He won’t be able to do what needs to be done with too many eyes on him. Telling a few what he is, is fine. But not to the whole clan.
“How about just Lan Boqin?” The GrandMaster asks. “He is not totally useless.”
“Fine,” Shi Lang knows that this boy is top of his class and very good with talismans. He returns the sword to its owner. “Have you cooled down?”
“I will never forget this trick you played on me,” Lan Boqin glares at him. “But, the people come first. We can’t afford for the whole town to burn down.”
“Good. You have your head in the right place,” GrandMaster Lan nods. “Let’s go.”
“Shi Lang? Can you fly with a sword?” Lan Boqin asks when they leave the library. “I haven’t seen you actually carry a sword before.”
“My sword is here when I need it. I just don’t show it to everyone,” he answers.
“So, you can fly a sword? Just not any sword?” GrandMaster Lan inquires. “We never finished that conversation.”
“It has to be my sword,” Shi Lang nods. “You’ll see.”
When they pass the last guards at the gate and can’t be seen by anyone, Shi Lang conjures his sword. The gleam of the blade in the moonlight is as bright as in daylight. He is yet to create a scabbard for the sword to hide the gleam. This won’t do. The light is like a beacon for everyone. He sends a bit of magic to the sword. Glamour will have to help him hide. Shi Lang hops on the sword and waits for GrandMaster Lan and Lan Boqin to fly up as well. He doesn’t know the way to the town.
“That is some amazing sword,” Lan Boqin praises him. “The dragon details are outstanding. The hilt is a work of art.”
“It should be. It took me long enough to make. Blood, sweat, and tears are invested in this sword,” Shi Lang tells him. Talking while flying is not a big deal, even though the old man keeps throwing irritated glances at them.
“Does it have a name?” Lan Boqin asks.
“Shi Longyuan,” he smiles. The name has a special meaning to Shi Lang. It’s for him to know, and others to keep guessing.
“You can make something this amazing, but you can’t draw?” Lan Boqin chuckles.
“Do you want to fall from your sword?” Shi Lang shoots back. The boy is annoying as hell, but he is somehow stuck with him.
They land near the market. All streets are deserted. The people must be hiding inside their houses. Not even one lantern is lit. If he didn’t sense their heartbeats, he would think the town to be deserted. Are they so afraid of fires that they banned lanterns at night? Or is this a precaution the cultivators implemented? Either way, spotting a fresh fire should be easy. If he can get away from the people. They are here for all of two minutes and already a bunch of Lan clan cultivators have found them.
“What are they doing here?” Shi Lang wonders. The old man has promised not to take anyone with them.
“They have been keeping guard and patrolling the town,” GrandMaster Lan answers. “Have you found anything?”
“No. The lure flags and charms don’t work either,” one of the cultivators answers.
“They wouldn’t,” Shi Lang scoffs. “Fire spirits are different. You can’t trick them to come to you. You have to outsmart them.”
“Since when is this insolent youth an expert?” An older cultivator asks. Shi Lang recognises him as one of the teachers. Lan Chen, or something like that. He wasn’t really paying attention to this boring old man.
“Since I said so,” GrandMaster Lan glares at the man. “Shi Lang? What next?”
“Get me some lanterns and a bunch of fire talismans. And we need an area away from people. And no water!” Shi Lang remembers that the fire spirits don’t like water. They won’t be lured to it even if he transforms to his dragon form.
“What do you intend to do?” GrandMaster Lan inquires.
“To fight fire with fire,” he responds seriously.
- Writer
