Oil Lantern

I told Zengu that this was called an “oil lantern” and briefly explained what it was.

“So this oil lantern uses two pieces of spider glass. You still have some spider glass left, right?”

“Yes, I collected eight of them, so there are six left. Want me to have oil lanterns made for you and Ashin too?”

The spider glass being used had been peeled from the Flame Spider that Ashin, Zengu, and I had fought together to defeat, so the two of them also had a right to it. However, they would each have to pay the craftsman’s labor fee and the cost of the other materials.

I had no intention of making a business out of this oil lantern. That was because spider glass was difficult to obtain. Besides, the immortal being I was aiming to become, an Immortal / Xian, was not the sort of existence to be obsessed with money. That said, I had no intention of struggling in poverty because of a lack of money, either.

Once I used the oil lantern in my room a few times, word of its existence quickly spread among the outer disciples. Wallside Hall was such a wonderfully decrepit building that it was cool in summer and freezing in winter, so light was bound to leak out.

The other outer disciples envied me, but since the amount of spider glass was limited, I could not simply provide it to everyone. Besides, an oil lantern required kerosene, and there was only one Oil Generator Tube. I could provide enough kerosene for Zengu and Ashin to use, but beyond that would be difficult.

As autumn deepened, the time to begin hunting Man-Piercing Birds drew near.

“It’s almost the season when the Man-Piercing Birds fly over to West Edge Lake. You’re going to hunt Man-Piercing Birds again this year too, right?”

Zengu came to my room and asked.

“That was the plan, but I have to help the inner disciples, so I don’t have the time. I think it would also be fine if you guys hunted on your own.”

“With just the two of us, we might not have enough hands.”

“Wouldn’t it be fine to get help from the other outer disciples?”

I had already secured my own feather comforter and down jacket, and I had resigned myself to the fact that it would be impossible to monopolize the method of hunting with nets.

“You’re right. But it was you, Kou, who came up with the method for hunting Man-Piercing Birds. And the net we use is yours too, so I’ll pay you one-tenth of the feathers we collect as a usage fee.”

When he told Ashin about that, it was decided that all of the female outer disciples would cooperate. It seemed they desperately wanted a feather comforter like Ashin’s. Since many women suffered from poor circulation, cold nights were hard on them.

Incidentally, among the outer disciples, hunting Fang Rabbits and Fang Monkeys and using their pelts as mattress padding had become popular. The reputation was that yōma fur was warmer than the pelts of wild animals.

From around the time Zengu and Ashin took the lead in starting Man-Piercing Bird hunting, I began going into the forest at night with my oil lantern and practicing the Thunder Technique Fist, which I had memorized from the Main Hall library.

I hung the oil lantern from a tree branch and practiced the Thunder Technique Fist beneath its light. The basics of the Thunder Technique Fist were similar to the Heavy Resonance Sword. It was a fist art that used Heavy Yin Qi and Floating Yang Qi to defend and attack.

The Heavy Resonance Sword alternately circulated Heavy Yin Qi and Floating Yang Qi inside the body to strengthen the muscles. It used that strengthened muscle power to perform movements beyond human capability. The Thunder Technique Fist, on the other hand, used Heavy Yin Qi and Floating Yang Qi in their original way.

When Floating Yang Qi was circulated through the body, the body became lighter and could move swiftly. Avoiding the enemy’s attacks through this was the basis of its defense. And when attacking, one circulated Heavy Yin Qi through the body and brought down the enemy with a heavy blow.

I had already learned Heavy Yin Qi and Floating Yang Qi by reading the Heavy Resonance Sword manual, so I focused on mastering the distinctive movements of the Thunder Technique Fist. While circling around the oil lantern, I controlled Heavy Yin Qi and Floating Yang Qi.

I circulated Floating Yang Qi through my body and used light movements to evade the attacks of an imagined enemy. Then I attacked the enemy with a heavy blow using Heavy Yin Qi. The key point of the Thunder Technique Fist seemed to lie in switching quickly between Heavy Yin Qi and Floating Yang Qi.

It took two months before I could switch quickly between Heavy Yin Qi and Floating Yang Qi while moving. During that time, Zengu and Ashin apparently went hunting Man-Piercing Birds many times, and they brought me one-tenth of the feathers with beaming faces.

When Zengu came to my room carrying feathers, we talked.

“It looks like we’ll be able to make feather comforters for everyone participating before winter comes.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?”

“But lately, I feel like Yingjie-shixiong and the others have been giving me colder looks.”

From Yingjie and the others’ point of view, they were probably wondering why it was only the female outer disciples.

“I get how they feel, but Yingjie-shixiong and the others already have comforters stuffed with cotton, don’t they?”

Zengu nodded with a wry smile.

“They say the comforters outer disciples can afford to buy are thin, so they’re cold.”

“Come to think of it, what are they planning to do about the outer disciples who entered this year?”

“There are three new ones this year, one boy and two girls. The girls are participating in the Man-Piercing Bird hunt, so they’ll be fine.”

Apparently, the new boy was fourteen years old and had come from a village next to the merchant city of Boushin. It seemed he had grown up in a not very wealthy household, so he probably did not have the money to buy a comforter.

“That new one, Jin Yimin, was it? Does he understand what winter in Gyorei Cave is like?”

“He might not.”

“In that case, you should give him some advice, Zengu.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if you told him, Kou?”

“He’s older than I am. He might not listen honestly.”

“That’s true, but if he knew how capable you are, wouldn’t he listen?”

“I think that would take time.”

Zengu and Ashin knew that I had that much ability despite being younger than them. So even when we spoke as equals, they thought that was natural, but people who did not know much about me seemed to think I was an insolent brat.

“But how should I advise him?”

“I don’t want to see a new disciple who knows nothing freeze. First, I guess I should advise him to hunt Fang Monkeys and Fang Rabbits.”

“The cold makes a big difference depending on whether you have a fur mat or not.”

“At worst, if he wraps himself in fur and sleeps, he won’t freeze to death.”

Even before we entered Gyorei Cave, no new disciple had ever frozen to death. Since only people with sturdy bodies became outer disciples, he would probably be fine.

“More importantly, how’s the oil lantern?”

I asked Zengu.

“It’s the best. With that, I can study until late at night.”

Zengu and Ashin had oil lanterns made too. However, their oil lanterns used only one piece of spider glass. Since they were lights for studying at night, it was enough if they illuminated only the front. A reflector made from polished copper plate had been attached to the back so that the front would be brighter.

“What are you studying?”

“Immortal Secret Script and alchemy.”

“So you decided to start studying alchemy.”

“You can buy immortal medicines that raise your qi level at the apothecary, but they’re expensive, so I decided to make them myself. Ashin’s doing the same.”

Since alchemy let you make various immortal medicines and spiritual medicines, I thought there was no harm in studying it. Once Zengu and Ashin started using the alchemy furnace, would I no longer be able to use it every day? Maybe I should buy an alchemy furnace for myself.