Beware Of Chicken Book 5: Chapter 46: Reap the Harvest

The Spiritual Doctor who had aided Shenhe immediately pounced on the wounded disciples, going for Fenxian first. The disciple was in bad shape—bloody, broken, with a hole in his gut, yet he was smiling. His eyes met Shenhe’s and she knew that look: he had accepted his death, ready to die with honour and dignity.

Shenhe met his eyes directly and let him see her approval. She would honour him in his last moments.

Except the small woman declared him “treatable,” and Disciple Fenxian grimaced when she started shoving some healing concoctions into his wounds.

Shenhe blinked. The woman reminded her a bit of Lishu of the Medical Pavilion in her style.

The vulpine man, the woman who was good with her sword, the scion of the Che Clan, and Outrider Shao Heng all began attending to the groaning Spirit Beast, the mass of muscle whimpering softly. The vulpine man spoke to the Spirit Beast in a soothing voice, a half empty bottle of sparkling medicine in his hands.

“Apologies, Elder, but time is still limited,” Yingwen stated as he approached. “We have joined forces with Lord Shen Yu, and the disciples of his grandson, Master Rou. Upon hearing of your capture, Lord Shen Yu decided to initiate a rescue.”

Out of everything the man could have said, certainly wasn’t something Shenhe had been expecting. The name did not make sense. The Shen Yu that had apparently slept with the Patriarch’s aunt? The man from that slanderous and fake tale? She knew the man existed, she had gathered that much, but she did not believe that he had seduced the Patriarch's aunt.

Adding into that was the fact that the man was apparently Master Rou’s grandfather?! The Expert of the Cloudy Sword Sect, who had figured out these demons existed in the first place, and gave their Sect the chance to redeem themselves, even after their failure?

The shock nearly made her break her cold, controlled mask. It had taken years to construct it—their branch of the Zang family had particularly expressive faces, a horrid weakness.

Their salvation had come from the Cloudy Sword Sect.

Yet if there was an Imperial Realm cultivator here, and there was still a fight…

“Where is Lord Shen Yu?”

“He is doing battle with a foe, one that could be his peer.” The words chilled her. An Imperial Realm demonic cultivator—this was a truly dire situation. “Another ally is engaged with an enemy in the Earth Realm—the one who defeated us previously. Our ally is performing a holding action, and seemed quite certain of his defeat. Our objective was to awaken you, so that you could assist in that battle… and then extract while Lord Shen Yu finishes his own battle.”

It was as good a plan as any. They had put their lives on the line to awaken her, so Shenhe would follow it. “The situation is understood. I shall sally forth immediately. Collect the disciples and retreat,” Shenhe commanded, then turned to Outrider Shao Heng. “Was the location where they stored our weapons uncovered? Going into battle unarmed is not ideal.”

The man bowed his head. “No, Elder Shenhe.”

Unfortunate. The man had defeated her once before. Even with help…

A rattle drew her attention. The fox-faced man looked down at his sword as it shook. The man sucked in a breath and nodded.

“Use mine,” he said, drawing the sword and holding it out to her. Shenhe’s eyes widened as she got a good look at it. “Please… I don’t think my uncle can last much longer.”

The young man’s voice was thick with emotion as he offered Shenhe his blade, a slight bit of fear in his expression.

That was not a sword. That was , the blade of the arch-traitor. She knew its look by heart, and seeing it in person let her its nature all the more. How often had Shenhe dreamed of retrieving this sword and returning it to its rightful place in the Sect? Of cleaning some of the stain off her branch of the family?

And here it was in the hands of another. He might look unfortunately fox-like, but it was good that the blade was in the hands of a righteous cultivator.

There would be time to have the full story later. For now… this was . She would use the traitor’s blade to protect a member of the Cloudy Sword Sect, and raise their own sect higher in the process. Her heart swelled.

“Zang Shenhe swears she shall do all in her power to rescue your uncle,” Shenhe intoned, her Qi burning under her skin. She swore on her deeds, not her honour, because her deeds were all she had.

She grasped the hilt of Summer’s Sky, and her Qi touched the spirit within.

The words were sudden, the Sword Spirit speaking to her directly. Shenhe’s own blade had a Spirit, but it was a quiet thing. was powerful. She could feel the sword’s Qi, its will pressing against her own.

“I swear to.”

In the middle of winter, a summer’s sky dawned. The sword burned with white light, synchronizing with Shenhe’s Qi. The cold of the prison was banished. The blood and filth that still partially caked Shenhe peeled off and burned away—as it did on everyone close, the Qi of an Earth Realm cultivator resonating deeply with this profound treasure and allowing it to express its full power.

It felt like Shenhe had been wrapped in a warm hug. The feeling she got from the blade was warm and familial, lightning Qi touching her own.

, the battle would be different.

“Elder Shenhe. Take this.” Shenhe glanced at the small healer woman, who was holding out a rat made of shadow towards her. The little beast looked at her with red eyes. “He will keep the last bits of demonic Qi from being able to be used against you.”

Shenhe held out her hand, taking the mass of shadow. It clambered up onto her shoulder and pointed out the way. It squeaked with shock when Shenhe accelerated, her heart singing in her chest. surged from the blade, a will that brushed against her own that was urging her onwards.

She could feel it now, the burning Qi of her enemy. She armored her little assistant in her Qi and her body decompiled into lightning.

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Yulong’s battle had taken entirely too long. Once revealed, and forced into the open, the Spirit Beast had been unable to do any more damage—yet pinning him down had been like trying to catch smoke with his bare hands. The fox’s mastery of shapeshifting allowed him to dodge impossibly well, more liquid and gas than solid. His illusions could work for brief instants, and those moments that lasted less than a heartbeat let the fox create distance between.

But it had been a losing battle. The fox before him was broken, impaled by spears made of starlight. His Qi was flickering and fading.

And yet, in his defeat, he had partially won.

Yulong smelled it as it came, the burst of lightning that heralded the oncoming storm. He saw the fox’s face twist into a grin as he noticed too.

A Summer’s Sky filled the room, chasing away the cold and the lingering mist.

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With a burst of Qi, Shenhe was , following the power of her enemy. Yulong was his name—she had heard the researchers calling him a “Heavenly Demon.” He was standing before an impaled mass of fur, his body already turned to receive her blow.

Summer’s Sky arced down and met the man’s own blade. The blazing white sword bit deep, her foe’s weapon cracking.

Yulong raised two fingers.

[Internal Impurity Tremor]

Shenhe’s guts spasmed as the technique rammed into her, seeking the spines that had been embedded in her body—yet they had been removed. The little shards that remained were coated in green Qi. They challenged the Qi of her foe, and gave Shenhe enough time to stop the technique from progressing any further.

A bolt of lightning sent the man skidding away—and Shenhe put herself directly in front of the thing that he was trying to kill.

Yulong barked out a laugh, the man looking slightly strained. “A member of the Shrouded Mountain Sect protecting a fox? Well, I never thought I would see the day.”

Shenhe glanced at the fallen Spirit Beast… and her eyes widened as it shifted.

Immediately visceral filled her mind. She saw its teeth, she saw its narrow eyes. It was one of the beasts that had beguiled her aunt and ruined everything—

What felt like a hand chopped the back of her head, the scolding touch of a family member.

the soft voice of Zang Wen filled her ears, just in time for Shenhe to block a spear of burning light. The woman’s will was lingering within the blade.Shenhe’s face twisted at the reminder.

Shenhe swallowed thickly and shook her head. Everything was confusing, but one thing remained true. She had made a promise to a boy who had helped save her.

If this fox was his uncle… she would save him. After that would be when things got difficult.

“Oh, lending this brat a hand, my dear?” the fox asked, his voice raspy. He coughed several times, blood splattering onto the ground. “Well, I have a little bit more I can give.” He smiled at her, his face twisting with amusement. “The foxes and the Shrouded Mountain standing as one. How amusing.”

The fox staggered to his feet, spikes of energy fading.

Lighting crackled. Mist drifted slowly into the room.

And Yulong’s eyes turned completely purple. The man rose into the air, constellations flashing into existence around him.

====================================

Bi De raced through the collapsed hallways, his heart thundering in his chest. A little rat sat on his shoulder. One of Ri Zu’s helpers had found him and was whispering to him.

They were fine. Shenhe had awakened and was even now doing battle with the other Earth Realm cultivator.

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Bi De was ready and willing to fight, searching for a path back to his friends…but he found none. Instead, the only paths left went back to the center. Back to where Shen Yu was fighting.

He could feel Master Shen Yu’s Qi. He could feel it flagging.

He felt the hall shake.

Bi De sucked in a breath and turned towards the main hall.

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Chixia screamed as she was driven back. Green blades were everywhere, scything through the sky and ripping into her body without cease.

She was . Her foe’s Qi was burning like a bonfire, blazing with light. Each time she was poisoned, green medicinal Qi forced Chixia’s own out.

From this height, Chixia could see .

She saw their defeat. She saw the masses of artificial demons laying unmoving. She saw cultivators chasing down the last stragglers—including, of all things, an ox with a plow on its horns. It strode forwards, and artificial demons were split apart around it. A man with a hammer pulverized everything before him. A heron made of steam and a man made of stone crushed and smashed their way through everything.

Rong split apart, the Spirit dissolving into motes of light.

…She had to escape. She had to leave, .

Chixia intoned, her soul screaming at her.

[Poison Butterfly Arts: Hell Butterfly]

A burning, blazing butterfly flapped its wings, its Qi swirling around it—only for a giant sword, filled in with cracks of gold, to punch straight through it. The fire burned her enemy, Xiulan, but the woman stayed standing on the front of the sword, her arm pulled back.

A thousand blades gathered and compressed into multiple spirals around her arm.

[The Harmony of Silk and Steel: Lotus Blossom—]

Chixia gathered all of her remaining defenses. Taxed and depleted by Zang Zeng, they sputtered as the point of spinning blades punched into them—and .

Blades of Grass went through Chixia’s ribs, her lungs, and her heart, growing inside her.

[Bloom]

The world went dark, and a poison butterfly fell to earth.

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Yulong grimaced as he barely blocked another strike. Zang Shenhe was fighting far, better than the first time they had fought, the ghostly image of another woman at her back almost gently guiding her through the motions for sword strikes, while the fox fought with her absolutely seamlessly. He was weak and barely contributing, but each moment added and added…. until Yulong started to be pushed back.

His pride burned. Fury rose in his chest. Yulong grabbed the sword. It bit into his hand, and he roared. Shenhe was out of position. He struck down with the force of the stars—and met white fur instead as the fox tackled Shenhe out of the way.

The fox fell, finally out of the fight. Shenhe looked stunned as she looked upon his broken form.

And then the lightning came again, falling like rain.

=========================

The scent of prey filled her nostrils. The scent of terror. The scent of

Tigu could feel them now, fleeing from her through the trees.

She could see it. An overlay of two worlds, spurring her onwards. Spurring her to the

She remembered the vision, she had had, when the shadows had stabbed into her stomach.

===================

Huian was crawling. They had to get away. Everything was lost. They reached into their robes and pulled out one of their final talismans.

Huian could hear the man approaching, intent on finding them.

Huian ripped it in two.

At once, the world became indistinct and hazy as Huian partially entered the Spirit World. The aches and pains faded as their body became light.

Huian ran. They ran as fast as their legs could carry them, leaving this cursed place far, behind. They charged north, towards the Sea of Snow and towards their base.

Yet… oddly, Huian could hear footsteps. Padding footfalls. Green lights danced at the edge of their vision.

Fear began to well up in Huian’s guts. There was something them. Huian spared a glance backwards. There was nothing there. Feeling a bit of relief, Huian looked forwards again, only to suddenly trip.

Huian sprawled, shock filling their system, and rolled until they hit something. Huian looked up at the wall—no, not a wall. It was a pile of three balls of snow. His arms were made of branches, and his nose was a carrot. The mass of snow bent so he could see malevolent black eyes and an out of place smile.

Around them were more of the things. Small. Tiny. .

Slowly, their arms moved and pointed.

A woman stepped out of the darkness, her eyes burning gold. An et