Night of the Broken Gliph

Kam Chin Kee and Lam Ming Sum passed by the Hung Mansion to the peak of the Heavenly Silver Waterfall.

“Time to leave.”

“Hurry! We don’t know if Brother Chui is eating well there. Brother Chin Kee, you know how Brother Chui is – he’s extremely picky and will get all moody if the food is bad!”

Lam Ming Sum’s reaction made Kam Chin Kee break out in laughter. This girl…

The both of them left on a cloud, disappearing into the skies.

Kung-Suen Ching Lau, who was doing guard duty at the city’s entrance, watched them get further silently.

Noticing his elder sister’s melancholy, Kung-Suen Fei wanted to say something, but only gave her a light pat ultimately.

The members of Cloud Palace were as different from them as heaven from earth, both figuratively and literally; they were in the skies, while Kung-Suen Ching Lau was on the ground.

At the moment, what they had in common was that both were in the same state of cultivation, but would things still be the same in the future?

Kung-Suen Ching Lau could only watch them leave towards the south helplessly. 

---

Lam Ming Sum’s worries were unfounded; her Brother Chui was currently feasting well on meat and wine happily, not minding that he accidentally spilled some wine on his chest.

The owner of this wine tavern was addressed as Owner Chun to his customers. There weren’t many options available at Owner Chun’s shop, but he gained fame by selling a type of wine and meat that went surprisingly well with each other.

"Of course, this is a fine wine. It's made from water sourced from Ceremony Mountain, combined with over ten types of fruits. Although it doesn't offer much aid in cultivation, it can stimulate the flow of energy. I named it Clear Ceremony Wine.”

He smiled at Chui Yim widely, obviously taking a liking to this teenager.

“Owner Chun is a great wine maker!” Chui Yim laughed. “Give me ten jugs later for me to try!”

Finding Chui Yim interesting, the owner laughed heartily. “I don’t sell in bulk, but for young Brother Chui, I’ll make an exception.” As he spoke, his eyes trailed to the black-haired teenager seated opposite Chui Yim. The other teenager was very different from Chui Yim; he only smiled gently when he spoke to Chui Yim and spent the rest of his time sipping wine.

“Alright, I’ll leave the both of you to it.” Owner Chun laughed, serving them the meat before returning to work.

Chui Yim picked up the meat skewer and bit into it hard. It was no unique meat, just the most ordinary beef cooked to perfection; crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. However, it created a special flavour when consumed with the wine.

“Brother Siu, I never expected to meet you again so soon. How did you escape that day?”

Siu Fu chuckled and bit into a meat skewer, feasting elegantly. “To be honest, I came across a great opportunity there, and I have to thank Brother Chui for it.”

Chui Yim waved his hands unhappily. “What is Brother Siu saying? We went through life and death together, and thanks to Brother Siu, I acquired the Buddhist flame Fury there.”

“Speaking of that, I’m surprised to find that Brother Chui had your gliphs tattooed with flame. You’re the first in history!” Siu Fu mentioned with curiosity.

“I have no choice.” Chui Yim smiled bitterly. “I was born with a deficiency; I don’t know how, but there was a trace of Heaven’s Flame in my body. It didn’t burn me to death, but left me ill most of the time. Luckily, I was cured after I broke through my innate heart chamber, and coincidentally, the flame became one with my heart as well as the ingredient to the gliph for my heart chamber.”

“Wow, that’s so unexpected!” Siu Fu couldn’t hold his expression anymore.

“Yeah.” Chui Yim took another sip of wine. “There’s pros and cons; the flame gives me great energy, but if I were to tattoo my gliphs with other ingredients like gliphic plants, they’ll burn up.

“Thus, I need to use flames that are special and powerful as ingredients to be able to continue cultivating. Oh, and they have to be compatible with the Heaven’s Flame too.”

Siu Fu’s eyes popped out in shock.

He was honestly extremely shocked to learn about this fact. He long knew that Chui Yim was no ordinary cultivator, but the last thing he thought was that Chui Yim would be born with Heaven’s Flame. Siu Fu finally understood why he felt an unbearable aura from Chui Yim; Heaven’s Flame was an extreme positive object that could restrain all negative things in the world, making it the natural nemesis of necrogliphism. Siu Fu’s face fell, and he stared at Chui Yim weirdly upon realising this.

“Alright, let’s not talk about that.” Chui Yim laughed and stood up with the jug. “This toast is to celebrate the reunion of us brothers, hahaha!”

Siu Fu similarly returned a smile. He was moved by Chui Yim’s enthusiasm. “Here.” He stood up with a smile and met Chui Yim’s jug with his cup.

“Cheers!” Chui Yim laughed and poured the wine in his mouth as if the jug was just a cup.

---

Night fell.

Owner Chun stared at the teens helplessly. These teenagers were monsters; even though the city was filled with elites, he had never met anyone that drank from afternoon to late night non-stop.

The Clear Ceremony Wine was the specialty of his shop, and other than water from Ceremony Mountain, there were no other special ingredients. However, it was impossible for him to have a huge stock.

Today, after Chui Yim bought ten to bring home plus all that he drank today, he nearly finished Owner Chun’s entire stock! Owner Chun could take a long rest with his profit today.

Chui Yim insisted on treating and left after giving Owner Chun a small pouch. Owner Chun could finally take his rest today.

The moon was dim in the dark skies, but maybe it was because a very thick cloud on the peak of Ceremony Mountain next to the city blocked the shiny moon.

Both of them were cultivators, and a small amount of wine could not leave them drunk. They could become sober by cultivating the self-winding wheel, making them feel fresh. “Oh yeah, what brings Brother Siu to Hidden Vanguard City?”

“Other than Ceremony Mountain, I'm here for the next reason that makes the city popular – their water-casting skills. I'm lacking a good weapon at the moment.” Siu Fu laughed.

“Brother Siu must be a disciple from an ancient clan that rarely travels out to the world, right?” Chui Yim laughed hearing this.

“Huh?” Siu Fu was at a loss.

“There’s a fire-forging great master right in front of you, leave it to me.” Chui Yim pointed at his nose.