ase TKDG 24

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Translated By: Kuroneko

Edited by: Darklord5555

Special thanks To J.H. for helping out in the editing

Chapter 24: Calming Light

Xuan Yue instructed “Stand beside me, hold my hand, and think of moving your magic force. Transmit it to me and then i will cast the spell, perhaps this might work. The Calming Mantra is a Level 6 magic spell, I can only try and hope that it will be successful with the boost of my magic wand.” On this continent, magic spells were ranked according to their strength and there were a total of 9 levels. Level 1 and 2 magic spells were considered as elementary level magic spell, and those who were able to cast level 1 and 2 spells were at the level of a junior magician. For example, Ah Dai’s fireball and flame spell were level 1 magic spells, but the power of the two spells were able to vary according to the amount of magic force that one had. The fire meteor spell is one of the higher ranked level 2 magic spell, while the deep blue fire meteors that Ah Dai had casted had already reached the power of a level 3 magic spell. That’s why Giger determined him as an intermediate magician. Level 3, 4 and 5 magic spells were intermediate level magic spells and those who were able to cast level 4 magic spells were advanced magicians, while grand magicians had to be able to cast at least two level 5 magic spells or a level 6 magic spell. Level 6, 7 and 8 magic spells contained the true meaning of advanced level magic spells: most of the advanced magic spells were all large-scaled attack magic and they definitely possessed heaven and earth shaking power. As for the alchemist Gliss, his magic had only reached the level of a Grand magician and could only cast a couple of level 5 magic spells. However, his magic spells were a combination of his fire and darkness attribute, thus his strongest magical attacks would rival the power of level 7 magic. Gliss could barely be considered a mage since one had to be able to cast two level 7 magic spells to be considered a mage. The highest titles of Magister were only given to those who were proficient in level 8 magic. Until now, excluding the Holy Church, there were only 3 magicians on the continent who had reached the Magister level and all of them possessed the power to cause immense devastation. Level 9 magic spells were restricted incantations, and normally required a few magicians at the level of Magister to cast. Currently, most of the level 9 magic spells were lost.

“Okay,” Ah Dai responded, and quickly went over to Xuan Yue’s side and held on to her tender small hand, closing his eyes. Just as he was about to transmit his magic force to her, Xuan Yue suddenly whispered “If I manage to save that foolish big brother that you just met, you must not get angry with me next time and you must call me Yue Yue, okay?”

Ah Dai opened his eyes to glance at Xuan Yue, only to see her reveal a faint smile, then sticking out her tongue at him. It was an unbearably cute sight. Ah Dai nodded in agreement.

Keeping her smile, Xuan Yue turned to the crowd around Yan Shi and said solemnly, “Let us begin.”

Ah Dai closed his eyes once more, and concentrated on transmitting his magic force towards Xuan Yue, it was a difficult and painful process. As his magic force left the orifice between his brows, he suddenly felt his mind blank out. As though everything was sucked out, he could not help but wobble. Clenching his teeth, Ah Dai tried his best to bear the pain and continued to manipulate that ball of energy towards his right palm through his arm. Finally, under Ah Dai’s incessant efforts, the magic force finally flowed into his palm; causing Xuan Yue’s small hand to slightly tremble. Suddenly, he felt as though his body seemed to have become one entity with Xuan Yue’s body and he could clearly sense the flow of energy within Xuan Yue’s body.

Ah Dai discovered that Xuan Yue’s body seemed to be filled with a golden glow and there was an abnormal holy aura all around. Once the magic force entered Xuan Yue’s body, it immediately flowed into her body and followed a fixed trajectory. Xuan Yue’s original magic force did not seem as strong as his own, but her magic force felt vastly different from his, it was an indescribable feeling.

While Ah Dai was transferring his magic force to Xuan Yue, he was also continuously circulating his boundless true qi in order to support the strain on his mental energy and prevent him from fainting.

Xuan Yue felt a stream of pure and dense magic force from Ah Dai’s hand, and even though it was not comparable to her father’s vast amount of powerful magic force, Ah Dai’s magic force was exceedingly pure and did not seem to contain any impurities. She carefully controlled the foreign magic force into her body and took a deep breath. Looking at Yan Shi who had gone berserk, she hesitantly chanted the unfamiliar incantation, “O the great heavenly god! This devoted believer humbly requests of you, to let the holy rays from the infinite ocean of light descend onto the worldly realm, flood into me, and save the people!” Following her chant, her body suddenly started glowing, although her bell-like voice was not very loud, it rang clearly in the ears of the people. A peaceful and calming atmosphere started spreading outwards from Xuan Yue. Amidst the glow, Xuan Yue looked extremely enchanting and captivating, just like a holy maiden. Beside her, Ah Dai suddenly felt that his mental energy was rapidly being depleted and he could not help but shiver. The surrounding voices became softer and he could hardly hear anything. He had to rely only on his will in order to remain standing.

The golden glow emanating from Xuan Yue became brighter and the top-grade magic crystal in her magic wand suddenly started glowing. Xuan Yue raised her wand high above her head, and the two angelic wings on her wand started releasing a faint white light, contrasting with the golden glow from the crystal. The magic force in her body continuously flowed towards her wand, and she even swayed a little from the overexertion of her mental energy. However, she had to endure, the incantation was not yet finished. The magic elements rapidly moved, causing fluctuations in the air, and forming a golden barrier around Xuan Yue and Ah Dai. Yue Hen and the others were instantly pushed back a few metres. After seeing such a mystical light, all of the Puyan clansmen quietened down, apart from the warriors who were still surrounding Yan Shi.

Ah Dai’s consciousness was already blurred and all of his magic force was transferred to Xuan Yue. The two of them were like a single entity, and he was just standing there subconsciously, unaware of the things happening. Everything was under Xuan Yue’s control.

After bracing herself, Xuan Yue barely managed to control the powerful energy that had gathered on her wand, and continued her chant, “O the infinite Holy Light! You are the purest power in this worldly realm, please use your righteous and peaceful energy, to eliminate all the chaos, and let the heart regain calmness. Let the mind regain clarity, and let the body regain life, go forth with the blessing of God, Calming Light!” This Calming Light, also known as the Calming Mantra, was a large-scaled support magic. It was able to eliminate chaos, confusion, poison and other abnormal conditions, allowing the user to regain calmness, and it contained some healing power as well.  Amongst the light attribute magic spells, there were actually very few people who would use this spell because the support potential of this spell, when used in battle, was not even comparable to the level 4 magic spell Blessing of Light. However, its speciality was to remove chaos and poison statuses, thus it was extremely suitable to use it on Yan Shi who was in his berserk state.

Under the effects of the incantation, the vast holy energy surrounding Xuan Yue gradually started to coalesce within the magic crystal. If not for this magic wand, which was almost a godly weapon,  Xuan Yue’s  would have found it difficult to even use level 3 light attribute magic with her current power. Xuan Yue’s eyes were open wide, as she pointed her magic wand towards Yan Shi, and the light suddenly burst out from the top-grade magic crystal. Golden colored light clouds floated out, enveloping Yan Shi, as well as the others near him, within. Xuan Yue’s original power was too weak, and the Calming Light that she casted was only able to display about a third of its usual might, thus enveloping only such a small area. However, in this case, it was already enough. Yan Shi’s body, that was covered in the golden light, suddenly became stiff, and he stood there motionless, while carrying his dead wife in his hands and panting heavily. His red eyes gradually turned back to brown and two streams of blood red tears flowed out. His actions became sluggish, while the warriors near him, regained their energy under the help of Calming Light, and instantly rushed over to Yan Shi, successfully constraining him.

The light scattered, and Ah Dai could not endure any longer. With a thump, he collapsed onto the ground. Xuan Yue’s mind was blank as she wobbled, and fell toward the group. Unable to endure any longer, she fainted onto Ah Dai’s body. However, their hands remained clasped together, without separating. The two of them seemed to have lost consciousness at the same time.

After god knows how long, Ah Dai gradually woke up, his mind still felt groggy, a clear sign that his mental energy had not yet recovered. The sounds of the carriage wheels rang out, and after a long time, he was finally fully awake. Opening his eyes, he saw Xuan Yue leaning against him, still deep in her sleep. His hands were still holding Xuan Yue’s, and that soft and smooth feeling caused Ah Dai’s face to heat up. Xuan Yue’s small hands were also tightly clutching his, and his palm was already soaked with sweat. Ah Dai though to himself, Since she’s still sleeping, I’ll just continue holding then. He looked around, and realised that they were back in the carriage. Yue Hen and Yue Ji were sitting opposite him, with their eyes closed, while Miao Fei was leaning against the side, faintly snoring.

“Yue Hen, big brother Yue Hen,” Ah Dai called out softly.

Yue Hen opened his eyes, and seeing that Ah Dai had woken up, he revealed a hint of delight. “Brother Ah Dai, how are you feeling, does your body still feel uncomfortable?”

Ah Dai shook his head, “I’m fine, just that I feel a little weak. Have we set off again? How’s big brother Yan Shi? Are we just going to leave like this? It’s still unknown how his wife died, big brother Yan Shi is really pitiful.”

Yue Hen let out a bitter smile, “We have set off, but we are on our way to the Puyan Tribe leader’s clan. Both you and Miss Xuan Yue have fainted for a whole day. Yesterday afternoon, your combined efforts in casting the Calming Mantra was effective, just before Yan Shi was about to deplete his life force, it managed to remove his berserk state. However, his wife’s death still remains a mystery. All of his clansmen decided to send both Yan Shi and his wife to the tribe leader. They were scared that Yan Shi might go berserk again, so they knocked him out, and he is currently on the horse carriage behind ours, along with his wife’s coffin. The clansmen were all very grateful to both of you, if not for your help, Yan Shi might not be alive right now. However, they said that we were outsiders, and there are still some suspicions. Therefore, we were not allowed to leave, and we have to pay a visit to the tribe leader and let him determine our fate . Outside, there are currently over 500 elite Puyan warriors  to escort us along. It looks like, our journey to the Death Mountains will be a tough one. I really can’t believe that we would face such an incident.”

Ah Dai sighed, “Big brother Yan Shi is really too pitiful, he must have loved his wife dearly, hais——. Let’s just follow along, I want to know the truth behind this matter as well, who exactly was so ruthless to kill brother Yan Shi’s wife.”

Hearing Ah Dai’s words, Yue Ji suddenly opened her eyes and exclaimed, “Aren’t you afraid of them making us the scapegoats? Looking at how the Puyan Tribe is averse to outsiders, I’m afraid that even if we complied and went along, there will be trouble in store for us! If not for the fact that they outnumber us, and that both of you had fainted, we would have long tried to think of ideas and escape. We really have miscalculated in the beginning, we should have just took the roundabout route, although it’s further, at least we would not be stuck in this compromising situation!”

Ah Dai was stunned, “Why will they make us to be the scapegoats? We haven’t done anything!”

Yue Ji pursed her lips, “You, you really are too naive. Won’t the real culprit who is still in hiding try to frame us? Although we were together with Yan Shi when we arrived, don’t forget, the Puyan tribesmen are all very united. It’s impossible for them to suspect their own tribesmen, but as for outsiders like us, we happen to just be the right targets for suspicion.”

Yue Hen let out a sigh, “What my sister said makes sense, if we go and see the Puyan tribe leader, our fates are uncertain!”

The death of Yan Shi’s wife caused Ah Dai to feel stifled, although he had not spent much time with Yan Shi, he had took a liking to Yan Shi’s unrestrained and frank personality.

“En.” Xuan Yue’s body moved a little, and she raised her head that was laying against Ah Dai’s shoulders. Looking at Ah Dai with her misty eyes, she remarked, “Where is this place? It feels so uncomfortable, my whole body feels weak.”

Seeming to have recalled the sight of Xuan Yue casting the calming light, there was a look of respect on Yue Hen’s face as he said, “Miss Xuan Yue, your magic is really powerful! To have reached such a level at your age, you must have trained hard for a long time.”

Xuan Yue turned to look at Yue Hen, then straightened her body, blushing slightly. Back in the Holy Church, she was known for being mischievous, and even her father was unable to control her actions. There was no need to mention cultivation at all, she had hardly spent any efforts in her cultivations, and if not for the Supreme Pontiff and the crimson-robed priests doting on her, and using their holy powers to cleanse her body, perhaps she might not even have been able to reach the standards of a junior magician.

“Big brother Yue Hen, should we set off now? Isn’t that Yan Shi or something okay already, it was so scary just now, the way his wife died was too horrifying.”

Yue Hen let out a bitter laugh, and repeated what Ah Dai had said earlier.

Listening to Yue Hen’s words, Xuan Yue fumed, “They are so unreasonable, we’ve helped them out of goodwill! Eh, Ah Dai, why are you holding my hand?”

Ah Dai blushed, “No, it wasn’t me who grabbed your hand, it’s you who didn’t let go of my hand!”

Xuan Yue quickly released her grip, and retorted, “You’re spouting nonsense, who said I didn’t let go of your hand, stinky Ah Dai, are you trying to take advantage of me when I wasn’t noticing?”

Yue Ji flipped her fiery red hair to her back, and her expression was cold as she said with disdain, “It’s so dangerous now, yet you still have the mood to joke around, what taking advantage and stuff. Ever since you cast that magic yesterday, both of you have been holding hands, and won’t let go no matter how we tried. Just take it as both of you took advantage of each other.”

Xuan Yue stuck out her tongue towards Yue Ji, and shot a glance at Ah Dai, saying, “It must be because you transferred your magic force to me, resulting in this. I’m sorry Ah Dai.”

Stretching his right hand that was a little numb, Ah Dai replied, “I, I don’t know, maybe so. Miss,  back at the Magicians’ Guild, you father gave me a magic scroll, he told me to use the scroll to contact him if we are in danger. Should we use the scroll now? Big brother Yue Hen said that it is likely that the Puyan Tribe will think that we are the culprits!”

Xuan Yue widened her eyes and exclaimed, “You dare! I’ve finally got my father off my back, and if you call him over now, I’ll be taken back again. You mustn’t use it, okay? Even if there’s danger, I’m not afraid. Eh! What did you call me just now? Before I used the Calming Mantra, what did you promise me?”

Only then did Ah Dai realise that he had promised to call her Yue Yue, as he stammered, “O-Okay, Yue, Yue Yue.”

Yue Ji let out a peal of laughter, and mocked, “So affectionate, calling her Yue Yue, doesn’t that make you Dai Dai then.”

Xuan Yue gave Yue Ji a glare, but then said in satisfaction,” This is much better. Ah Dai, how do you think Yan Shi’s wife died! He’s really pitiful, he seemed to love his wife so deeply, if not he wouldn’t be so devastated that he fully entered the berserk state. I wonder who was so ruthless to kill his wife.”

“Furthermore, she was raped then killed, that person must be a perverted monster. If I find out who it was, I’ll surely take a sword and chop off that part,” Yue Ji added on.

Xuan Yue asked with curiosity, “Chop off what part?”

Hearing Xuan Yue’s innocent question, Yue Ji’s face started to turn red, and she said abruptly, “Go and ask Ah Dai, I won’t tell you.”

Yue Hen furrowed his brows, “Little sister, you’re getting out of hand, is that what a girl like you should say? Miss Xuan Yue, don’t listen to her nonsense.”

Xuan Yue stared curiously at Yue Ji who was blushing a bright red, and muttered, “What part exactly?”

Yue Hen glanced at Ah Dai in embarrassment, and changed the topic. “I heard from the Puyan tribesmen that it takes two days to travel from Yan Shi’s clan to his father’s clan. We’ve already traveled for a day or so, I estimate that we will reach before today night. The incident this time is too great, the Puyan Tribe is afterall a great tribe, and now that the wife of the leader’s son has been raped and murdered so suddenly, there will be a large commotion. I wonder how their tribe leader is going to handle this, according to the clansmen who were nearby at the time, they did not see any suspicious activity and the neighbors did not hear anything unusual from Yan Shi’s house. The culprit seemed to be a sadistic murderer, Yan Shi’s wife’s legs and arms were completely broken, she must have suffered immensely, and after the murderer raped her, he thrust a sharp object below, causing her to die. The method of killing is way too brutal, he must be a ruthless killer.”

At this time, Miao Fei was also woken up by their chattering, and he chimed in as well, “Boss Yue, do you think it was someone from the Assassins’ Guild? Only they are able to sneak into Yan Shi’s house without anyone noticing.”

Once he heard the words ‘Assassins’ Guild’, Ah Dai jolted, he recalled those killers who caused Owen’s death, and uncontrollably, he started clenching his fists.

Yue Hen shook his head, “It doesn’t seem like it, it shouldn’t be the work of the Assassins’ Guild. Although their methods are very ruthless and they kill without questioning, they do not have the tendency to rape before murdering someone. Normally they would quickly finish off their target, then leave. The culprit should probably be someone familiar to Yan Shi, and in my opinion, I guess it’s someone from their clan. Perhaps someone who has deep enmity with Yan Shi.”

Ah Dai gradually calmed down as he listened to Yue Hen’s words. “But, big brother Yan Shi has said before, his Puyan tribesmen are all very good-natured!”

Yue Ji let out a hmpf, “People are unpredictable, even in a pot of sweet porridge, there may be sand mixed in. Who knows? Don’t forget, Yan Shi’s house is in the middle of the village. In the day, there’s people all around, for outsiders, even if they were to fly, they would be easily found out by the clansmen. Therefore, only his own clansmen will be able to sneak into his house without raising alarm.“

Miao Fei lowered his head and mumbled, “I hope that the Puyan Tribe leader will be wise and find the real culprit, and not treat us as scapegoats. Boss Yue, I’ll go take over Wan Li, and let him get some rest.”

Yue Hen nodded, and Miao Fei jumped out agilely. The horse carriage stopped for a moment, then continued on after Wan Li got into the carriage.

Once Wan Li got on, he immediately spoke, “I heard one of the Puyan tribesman say that Yan Shi seems to have woken up. However, he did not cry or shout, and just kept quiet, as though he has lost his mind.”

Yue Hen sighed, “Being depressed is better than shutting off his emotions permanently, the death of his wife was really too great of a shock to him.”

Ah Dai turned to Yue Hen, “I want to go see big brother Yan Shi, and see if I can console him and make him come to his senses.”

Stunned, Yue Hen replied, “There’s no use even if you go, it’s better that you stay here, in case you arouse other people’s suspicions.”

“No, I want to go and see him. I know the pain of watching someone you love dearly die, it’s really too unbearable.” As Ah Dai finished speaking, he ignored Yue Hen’s objection, and jumped off the carriage. Unexpectedly, Xuan Yue, who always liked to order Ah Dai around, seemed to not take any action, as she closed her eyes and started meditating.

Ah Dai jumped off the carriage, and discovered that there were Puyan warriors with large sabres all around. They were all wearing light armor, and surrounded the horse carriage. Behind the carriage, there was another horse carriage that was even more spacious. There was about a dozen elite Puyan warriors surrounding it, and even under the bright sunlight, there was a hint of gloom on their faces. Yan Shi is most likely to be in that carriage.

The horse carriage was now close to Ah Dai, and he quickly turned to speak to the warrior at the front, “Greetings brother, I’ve heard that big brother Yan Shi has awoken, and I wish to see him, is that okay?”

The warrior furrowed his brows and replied, “Brother Yan Shi had only just woken up, it’s better to not disturb him. Mister magician, you should go back to your carriage, when we arrive, the tribe leader will naturally determine right and wrong.”

Before Ah Dai could respond, a horse suddenly came galloping forward, and seated on top of the horse, was that brawny middle-aged man who was in front of Yan Shi’s house. He had changed into a set of black colored armor, and was carrying a sabre. He turned to the warrior in front of the carriage and asked, “What’s wrong?”

The warrior bowed respectfully and answered, “Big brother Yan Ju, this magician says that he wanted to see brother Yan Shi.”

[TN: Yan Shi & Yan Ju share the same Yan, 岩巨 literal translation is Giant巨 rock岩]

Yan Ju glanced at Ah Dai, and smiled, “I must really thank you and that miss magician, it’s due to your magic that Yan Shi was able to live. Hais——, the blow that Yan Shi faced this time is really too severe, I want to help him as well, but his condition now is… … Never mind, since you want to see him, go then, but don’t speak too long, he needs to rest.”

Ah Dai was delighted, “Thank you, brother Yan Ju.” As he finished speaking, he rushed off towards the carriage and hopped on.

Looking at Ah Dai getting on the carriage, there was a hint of an abnormal expression in Yan Ju’s eyes as he turned his horse around and went back to his position in the squad.

When Ah Dai entered the horse carriage, he only saw Yan Shi lying near the side of the carriage, with his body binded to a sturdy wooden plank. He was staring dumbly at the black colored coffin beside him, and there was no emotions in his eyes. His face was pale, seeming that he had yet to recover from the backlash of his berserk state.

Ah Dai spoke in a soft voice, “Big brother Yan Shi, are you feeling better?”

Yan Shi did not reply, and continued staring dumbly at the coffin beside him, as though he had not heard Ah Dai’s words.

Ah Dai sat next to Yan Shi, and spoke in a low voice, “Big brother Yan Shi, I know that you’re very upset over sister’s death, but, you must come to your senses! The culprit has not been caught, if you continue to remain like this, sister will not be able to rest in peace.” Looking at the state Yan Shi was in, Ah Dai felt immense worry and sadness.

Yan Shi did not respond, and remained in his earlier posture.

Holding Yan Shi’s icy large hands, Ah Dai spoke up again, “Big brother Yan Shi, I’m bad with words, but I know sister’s death must have been a great shock for you. Not too long ago, my uncle who took great care of me died, and I was distraught and depressed, just like you, my uncle was murdered by people. However, right now I am too weak, I am unable to avenge him. I was all alone since young, and it was Teacher who took me in, he taught me magic and alchemy. But not too long after, I met uncle, he was inflicted with a deadly poison, and he forced me to leave Teacher, and we arrived at the Commonwealth. He started teaching me martial arts, and initially, I missed Teacher dearly, viewing uncle with hostility. However, after a long period of living with him, I came to realise that uncle has always treated me well, and I knew that, he was a good person. But just as I have come to form a deep relationship with uncle, his enemies discovered him. Because of them, uncle overused his dou qi, causing the deadly poison to flare up and result in his death. I really, really miss uncle, if only he was still alive!” As he spoke, images of Owen flashed across Ah Dai’s mind, and he could not help but tear up. A tear landed on Yan Shi’s large hands, and Yan Shi seemed to move a little.

After a long while, Ah Dai’s emotions finally calmed down a little, and he continued, “Big brother Yan Shi, please come to your senses. You still need to avenge sister’s death! If you continue to be like this, the killer will only take delight in your actions. Just now I heard brother Yue Hen’s analysis, he said that the most likely culprit, should be someone from your clan!”

Hearing Ah Dai’s words, a light flashed across Yan Shi’s eyes. He shook his head non-stop while muttering, ”No, no, it’s impossible. Our clansmen are all so kind-hearted, how can they kill Yun’ Er?”

Ah Dai repeated Yue Ji’s words, “Even in a pot of sweet porridge, there may be sand mixed in, it’s very difficult to say for sure! In broad daylight, only your clansmen are able to enter your house. Big brother Yan Shi, think carefully, do you have enemies in your clan?”

Yan Shi shook his head, “My relationships with my tribesmen have always been good, how can there be any enemies? Yun’ Er, Yun’ Er, why did you just go like this, leaving me behind, how am I going to continue living? Brother, do you know how important Yun’ Er is to me? We grew up together since young, and she was two years younger than me. Yun’ Er was not of any prominent background, and her parents had died when she was young, it was my father who took her in out of kindness. She used to be my maidservant and when I was a teenager, she had started taking care of me daily. She was so kind, so beautiful, and she showed meticulous care and concern for me. When I was angry, she would comfort me; when I was suffering, she would accompany me; when I was sick, she would take care of me; when I was feeling down, she would be concerned about me. She, she will forever remain my angel. In my heart, even the position of the tribe leader was not as important as her. When I was 18, we fell in love. At first, she was unwilling to accept me. I knew that she loved me, after all of the time we spent together, I knew that she clearly had feelings for me. The reason why she was unwilling to accept, was because she felt that, with her status, she was unworthy of me. However, what has status got to do with love? The only one I love, is her, her kind-hearted nature! Under my constant pleading, she finally accepted me. Brother, I don’t mind you laughing at me, but in order to obtain her love, I once even kneeled before her and pleaded! Perhaps my persistence moved her, and she finally opened her heart to me, and we were finally together.”