Seven Stars Gazette

“Madam, you wouldn’t want Master Ming to lose everything along with you, would you?” Chu Liang gazed at Lady Ming, who was bound with a red cord, as he spoke.

“Young Master Chu, are you truly willing to petition for me?” Lady Ming was visibly astonished when she heard his intention. Master Ming might not have fully grasped it, but she was deeply moved. She had never imagined that this young man before her would be willing to help her in such a way.

She immediately attempted to kneel alongside her husband, but Chu Liang hastily retracted the demon-binding cord from her body, lest the scene appear too bizarre.

To petition for a title.

This did not refer to the ancient practice of legitimizing a demon through rituals, but rather to seeking an official decree for a benevolent demon, allowing her to live freely within the cities of the human realm—a kind of official registration, so to speak.

Without such a decree, a demon was akin to a person with no legal identity; if she slipped into a human city and was discovered by cultivators, she could be executed on the spot. This fear was the root of Lady Ming’s constant anxiety, lest her true nature be revealed.

The power to grant such decrees rested solely with the human imperial court and the Celestial Sects of the Nine Heavens. Even the secondary sects of the Ten Lands had no such authority. For a demon, to secure such a decree was an almost insurmountable task.

The current feudal dynasty, known as the Yu Dynasty, had ruled for over six centuries and enjoyed an era of peace and prosperity. Yet, every demon residing among humans was a potential threat to that peace. “Those not of our kind must think differently,” or so the saying went—how much more so for demons?

For the court or the Celestial Sects to issue such a decree was tantamount to vouching for the demon. Should she one day cause chaos, the sponsor would be held responsible.

Within the Shushan Sect, a young disciple like Chu Liang had no such authority. The matter would require the intervention of his master, Lady Phoenix, to conduct a series of procedures—reading the omens, examining the heart, and so forth—to ensure Lady Ming had never harmed a human and posed little future threat, before granting the decree. Thereafter, she would be required to report regularly to Shushan and submit to various tracking spells.

Usually, even disciples of the Nine Heavens Sects seldom bothered with such troublesome affairs.

It was so much easier to simply slay demons and eradicate evil.

Yet, though such a cut-and-dried approach was simple and absolved one of responsibility, Chu Liang could not quite quiet his conscience.

After much thought, he decided he did wish to help them.

As for Master Ming’s offer of his family wealth, that was, of course, out of the question.

There was no need for endless words of gratitude. That very day, Chu Liang brought them back to Shushan. Xingzhou was not far from the mountain; otherwise, the Ming family’s plea would never have reached the Sword Exchange Pavilion.

Upon their return, Chu Liang recounted the matter to his master atop Silver Sword Peak, and his part was done. Lady Phoenix, bold and righteous by nature, praised Chu Liang’s actions. As for the subsequent petition, with her overseeing it, even the authorities at Tongtian Peak would not dare show negligence.

Chu Liang then returned to his little wooden cabin on his hillside, settled in, and sank his consciousness into the White Tower—it was time to claim his reward!

Within a vast iron cell, only the faint golden shadow of a cat spirit floated in the air.

Chu Liang pressed the “Refine” character with practiced ease.

Boom—

A flash of red light, brilliance swirling. Chu Liang caught it in his hand, discovering a talisman. At the same time, a message entered his mind.

[Spirit Cat Leaping Talisman]: Use this talisman to gain the spirit cat’s possession, greatly enhancing agility for a quarter of an hour. Should you find yourself instinctively licking your palm, this is normal—do not be alarmed.

“A talisman?” It was the first time Chu Liang had received such an item. Single-use pills and talismans, of course, lacked the lasting allure of permanent magical treasures. But on second thought, being single-use meant their potency would be greater. Employed at the right moment, they might well work wonders.

With this thought, he stowed the item away with satisfaction.

…

Just as he finished collecting his reward, a clear, resonant cry sounded from outside. Chu Liang looked up to see a great white crane descending before his cabin.

Its feathers were pure as snow, not a blemish on its body; standing, it was taller than a grown man, and its eyes shone with intelligence. Around its long neck hung a basket, from which it deftly retrieved a booklet with its sharp beak, placing it on the stone table outside.

It was this month’s issue of the Seven Stars Bulletin.

“Thank you,” Chu Liang called out the window.

The white crane craned its neck and called again in reply, then spread its wings and soared off to its next destination.

This was the Shushan Sect’s white crane courier, delivering messages to disciples across the peaks. Today, it brought the monthly Seven Stars Bulletin.

Within the Celestial Sects of the Nine Heavens was an order called the Pivot Pavilion.

The Pivot Pavilion specialized in divination and augury, the lineage closest to the heavenly mysteries. Though not famed for martial prowess, they were highly esteemed by all major powers—their place among the Nine Heavens proof enough.

Their secondary business was collecting tales and wonders from the world, publishing the Seven Stars Bulletin every month. For centuries, the Bulletin had been wildly popular—from the highest immortals to children in the streets, all delighted in its stories.

Chu Liang beckoned, drawing the booklet inside and flipping through it.

The Seven Stars Bulletin was divided into three sections: “Tales of the Rivers and Lakes,” “The Treasury of the Mortal World,” and “The Chronicle of the Nine Continents.”

Of these, “The Treasury of the Mortal World” was a great ranking of magical treasures, with changes each month summarized in a dedicated article. Most shifts occurred among the lower ranks; the greatest treasures of the world had changed little in centuries.

For instance, the top rank was always held by the Human Realm Divine Artifact: the Demon Suppressing Tower.

Yet, following the Tower’s entry was a note: “Formerly of Shushan, now lost.”

Indeed, Shushan’s rise to the pinnacle of the Nine Heavens, once the foremost of all sects and the leader of the righteous path, was due to the Demon Suppressing Tower. Five centuries ago, a great calamity saw the loss of this supreme artifact.

Thereafter, the sect had declined by degrees. Today, some of the leading Ten Lands Sects likely surpassed Shushan in raw strength. More and more voices in the martial world questioned whether Shushan still deserved its place among the Nine Heavens.

Second place belonged to the Seven Stars Sword of the Pivot Pavilion—an ancient divine sword of world-shaking power.

Yet the Pivot Pavilion was ever detached, seldom involving itself in conflict. The Seven Stars Sword had not been drawn in decades; the last recorded occasion was a century past, when the Demon Beast Sect of the demonic path awakened the fierce Qiongqi in an attempt to ambush the Pivot Pavilion. The Seven Stars Sword struck once to subdue Qiongqi, then again to slay three hundred demons, eradicating the Demon Beast Sect in a single stroke.

It was said that each use of the Seven Stars Sword demanded a heavy price, but such secrets were not for outsiders to know.

Third was the Mirror Heaven Eight Trigrams of Misty Immortal Mountain—profoundly mysterious, its uses limitless.

Misty Immortal Mountain, likewise among the Nine Heavens, possessed this legendary artifact, said to have fallen from the celestial realm. Rumor held that it ranked below the Seven Stars Sword only because the Bulletin was published by the Pivot Pavilion; in truth, its power was at least equal, if not greater.

Such distant treasures were beyond reach, and stirred little emotion. The one Chu Liang most often saw was ranked fifty-seventh.

The Phoenix Spirit Blood Jade.

Congealed from the lifeblood of the ancient divine phoenix, this jewel, when worn, nourished the body and infused one’s arts with the phoenix’s power, greatly enhancing lethal might.

This very treasure was embedded in the chest of his master, Lady Phoenix.