章 25: Yaksha's Pain [2/2]
Demons plagued the world in a relentless cycle.
Those born of a dead God or those who are man-made— no matter what they are, they all ultimately lead to danger for humanity.
To combat this crisis, the Geo Archon handpicked special Adepti who served under him to annihilate those demons.
This is how the Yakshas— a group that deals with dead Fallen Gods' remains— came forth.
However, after millenniums of bloodshed, Karmic debt started weighing upon them.
Unsurprisingly, dealing with dead Gods now and then can indeed have major side effects on you.
One by one, they went mad as their mentality was corroded with Karma.
They started losing themselves bit by bit until they became the very monsters they swore to purge.
They were guardians, but they were also a bunch of miserable wretches who were constantly fighting madness.
To this day, of the five foremost Yakshas, only one Yaksha remains the last surviving member.
The Conqueror of Demons, and the Guardian of Dihua Marsh, General Alatus, also known as Xiao.
To this day, even after two thousand years, he still faithfully upholds his duty to annihilate evil without a single shred of mercy.
However, as resilient as he may be, he was also constantly fighting with his Karma— a moment of complacency, and he might join his fallen comrades at any moment.
---
Sitting at the very top of Wangshu Inn, the Conqueror of Demons, Xiao was sitting in a lotus position.
"Ha..." He let out a sigh as he silently meditated, trying to suppress his inner demons. Suddenly, his face slightly contorted with pain. "Urgh...!"
A dark aura started materializing around him as his eyebrows started trembling. His face showed signs of pain. He then muttered two faint words. "Stay focused..."
Straightening his position once more, he meditated and carefully guided his mind, avoiding losing control.
After a few more minutes, he finally let out a faint sigh of relief. "The voices... I can always hear them..."
"But they're not enough to drag me down with them..." With these words, Xiao stood up from the floor.
He was currently in a room situated at the very top of Wangshu Inn, as such, it was the perfect location for him to meditate undisturbed.
Similarly, only a few people could enter the highest floor, so there was no need to worry about tainting other people with his Karmic debt.
Leaping out of a secret compartment, he arrived at the rooftop of the Inn, where he could see a wide view of Liyue.
'...a fine breeze...' Feeling the cold wind and the susurrus winds, Xiao closed his eyes as he looked at the horizon with gentle yet fierce eyes.
It was already nearing sunset, as such, he was able to see the golden-tinged skies.
Just then, something caught his eye.
Down on the balcony, a man clad in a white coat walked to the railing of the balcony while carrying a massive white item.
'Is that... A coffin?' Xiao looked at the strange man and the white coffin he was dragging. 'I remember telling Goldet to never let anyone in for now... What a headache...'
Xiao decided to not let his presence be known and sat on the rooftop in silence. However, he continued watching the strange man. 'Is he from that funeral parlor...?'
Just then, he saw the man place the luxurious white coffin down before looking at the distant skies with a solemn face.
He then sighed before speaking softly, but enough for Xiao to hear it. "Hah... It's hard for a wanderer to find rest in this world..."
"The days and years pass us like the wind..." He started muttering to himself— no, it was as if he was talking to his coffin.
With a solemn yet melancholic tone, he turned to the coffin he was carrying. "...But the warning before the journey still rings in my ears."
Xiao saw the man's strange acts as he raised his eyebrow. It was the first time he had seen someone like him. 'What's this human doing...'
"Guard your road." The man then sighed with what looked like a melancholic expression. "Remember your oath."
"Though I am a traveling merchant..." He then turned away from the coffin he was holding. "I am no less a practitioner of medicine..."
"I will honor our promise..." He then placed his hand on the coffin, and soon, vines started crawling from the inside and started grasping his arm. "And see the end of this story..."
He then retracted his hand, but this time, there was something present inside.
He then reached for his coat's inner pockets and took out a small wooden box. Afterward, he opened it and placed the item in his hand, revealing it to Xiao— It was a golden pill.
After placing the pill inside, he grasped the wooden box for a moment before placing it on the wooden railings of the balcony.
Doing all of this, the man finally turned around and carried his coffin.
But not before stopping in the middle of the balcony and intentionally raising his voice. He then spoke softly, "Although I am but a traveling merchant, I too am bound by laws— and therefore cannot speak to you directly. As such..."
"Please consider this as my sincerity, Conqueror of Demons." The blond man didn't even dare to look at the rooftop as he said this. "You may wish to dispose of it, but I believe it will help you relieve your symptoms."
"You may also try to take a rest to further relieve your symptoms... But I believe that won't be possible, won't it?" The blond man then sighed. "Hah... As always..."
"A Hunter Must Hunt."
After saying this, the man then started walking away, while carrying the luxurious white coffin on his back.
Xiao quietly watched as the man left the balcony with cautious eyes. 'How foolish... Do you really believe I'll consume that thing you left?'
It was too obvious to the Conqueror of Demons to deduce that the man left something not out of his goodwill— but for something else. 'Humans always have a second face... It's not surprising at this point.'
Confirming that his presence was gone, Xiao decided to head down to the balcony and approach the wooden box containing the pill.
'Still, which kind of mortal would dare to trick an Adeptus with a pill?' Xiao got curious about the man's pill and decided to look at it. 'If it's harmful, I'll personally give it back to him— and let him eat it.'
Holding the wooden pill box, Xiao opened it, revealing the golden pill lying on a soft cloth inside.
"Relieving my symptoms... How presumptuous..." Xiao muttered as he looked at the pill in the box with a sneer. "What a fool..."
Xiao was just about to shut the wooden pill box when the scent of the pill drifted into his nose.
"This is..." Xiao smelled the scent and couldn't help but look back at the golden pill. "Such strong medicinal properties..."
"Something like this should have only been crafted by a professional doctor..." He muttered to himself as he looked at the pill. "It would be a waste not to use this..."
Inspecting the pill for a few moments to see if it would harm him, he looked around for a moment before looking at the pill in his hand once more and bringing it closer to his mouth.
Munch*
Xiao threw the golden pill into his mouth, and the moment the pill hit his tongue, its medicinal properties started spreading all over his oral cavities.
The warm yet fierce sensation soon spread from his mouth down to his throat, spreading its influence.
"This is..." Xiao noticed the immediate effects and quickly sat down to properly regulate the effects throughout his body. "To think such thing exists..."
A warm and gentle sensation continued to spread throughout Xiao's body— however, he also noticed something else.
The immense fatigue and stress he had accumulated were slowly dissipating!
"What..." For a moment, an expression of disbelief appeared in Xiao's eyes. "How is this... Possible..."
With hesitation, he once again looked at the wooden pill box that the blond man gave him.
He then saw something hidden inside that was beneath the cloth.
It was a card.
"This is...?" Xiao took the card and looked at it carefully. "A tarot...?"
Number seven of the Tarot— The Chariot!
It was a tarot card about overcoming conflicts and moving forward in a positive direction. Where one needs to keep going on and through sheer hard work and commitment, until one will be victorious.
---
'Well, that worked out too well.' Isaac smiled while carrying the luxurious white coffin behind him. 'To think that I'll finish the quest the moment he consumed the pill I bought...'
That's right.
The pill that Xiao consumed was not something made by him— but rather something he bought from the system.
'It was hella expensive, but I guess it was worth it in the end...' Although Isaac's heart tightened due to spending fifty system points for that miraculous pill, he was nonetheless relieved by the reward.
Looking at the reward he got from the daily commission, Isaac smiled wryly. 'Odd... It's a daily mission, yet the reward is... How should I put this...?'
'Too much?'
[Name: Quick Shot]
[Description: Enhances the user's vision and mobility, allowing quick and precise shots, making it ideal for close-quarters combat.]
[Downside: After each use, the user experiences a brief moment of disorientation, lasting for 5 seconds. This effect is more pronounced after rapid firing.]
That's right. It was a revolver. A gun!
"It's a great item... But the downside..." Isaac didn't know if he should be thankful or not. On one hand, he finally has a gun. Hooray America. On the other hand, it has a very annoying downside. 'I should use it wisely... It's gonna be dangerous using this thing when fighting...'
Isaac then sighed as he looked outside. 'Well, I'll leave it at that. It's already getting dark, I should go back and have some good dinne—'
However, before he could finish his thoughts and retreat to the bathroom to teleport away, a voice drifted over to his ears.
"Oh! Is that a coffin? Are you an undertaker?" A bright and lively voice spoke to him.
'...no.' Isaac's throat trembled as he heard those words. 'That voice... Oh no...'
"But seriously, who brings around a coffin with them? That's just weird!" The person added.
'Not as weird as you! You offer funeral discounts to people!' Isaac screamed in his mind while maintaining his calm appearance.
Turning his head around, he finally saw who it was. With a faint voice, he spoke to the person. "Forgive me, who might you be?"
The person chuckled as they heard his words. "Oh? You don't know me despite carrying such a thing? You must not work for the parlor, then— Yes, I don't remember you anywhere."
"But looking at you, I feel that we can be good friends." She added with a soft smile.
Yes, the person who talked to him was none other than the current director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Hu Tao!
The oddest of them all has appeared.
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