Yu Di swallowed his own Qi like the biggest dumpling he’s ever had. It started in his throat and slowly, after a lot of effort, he shoved it back down, deep into his dantian.

  It burned. It burned like swallowing boiling oil.

  “What the hell was that?” Yu Di yelled. “You can stop her?”

  Ying Fusu nodded.

  “Why didn’t you do that earlier?” Yu Di rubbed his chest where the Qi passed by. The after burn of forced Qi was the worst. Qi was released back into the environment and the Qi he summoned would be enough to burn down the city in a flash.

  “Hold on, give me a moment,” Ying Fusu said.

  Yu Di needed that and more. Now his butt was itchy. Probably from clenching so hard from pulling out that Demigod Qi. He sat down, crossed his legs, and closed his eyes. He focused on the flow of Qi in his body, now running rampant.

  Good thing Yu Di reached the Core Formation stage so he at least had a core to regulate this Qi. If he did this before he ignited his core, he would have exploded like a firecracker with too much powder inside. They’d be picking pieces of him off the mountains.

  A light blue flash blinded them all for a moment before another figure appeared. He wore the same outfit as Ying Fusu.

  No wait, he was Ying Fusu.

  Yu Di looked at the one lounging on the chair with the yellow scarf covering half his face.

  The man got up, cupped his hands, and bowed low.

  “You’re dismissed,” Ying Fusu said.

  The man gave the merchant his yellow scarf and teleported out of the warehouse. From behind, Yu Di could have sworn it was Ying Fusu. He hadn’t known the man for so long, but the way they moved was identical.

  “I apologize for any deception,” Ying Fusu said. He took out a jug of water and offered it to Vimala.

  The woman drank it like the camels she took care of. Sweat had soaked through her clothes, only stopped by her apron.

  “Body doubles and the ability to teleport,” Yu Di said. “Who are you?”

  “I believe my double told you,” Ying Fusu said. “I’m a simple merchant from our country.”

  “No merchant has second realm bodyguards, the ability to teleport, and body doubles. Only nobles would do something like this.”

  Ying Fusu smiled. “I can assure you I’m not a noble. But I have adopted their safety measures. If it’s good enough for the nobles, then it’s good enough for the rich.”

  “But why weren’t you here, Fusu?” Vimala asked. “I was scared. You said you would protect me. He could have killed me.”

  “I’m sorry. I had to make sure of who he was,” Ying Fusu said. He patted Vimala on the back.

  “You did it from a place far, far away,” Yu Di said. “I can tell from your clothes that you were in the desert somewhere. Still within the barrier, but as far as you could get.”

  Ying Fusu nodded.

  “That was stupid, what you did.” Yu Di poured himself another cup of tea. “If we used our true powers, you wouldn’t be safe. We would be standing in a crater right now.”

  “I have my ways, but that’s not important,” Ying Fusu said. “I finally have the answer I have been seeking all these years. Vim is the true Goddess of Miryana and we finally have the Menace of Miryana back in the same place. What are the odds of that?”

  Yu Di took out his abacus from his storage ring. He made some quick calculations. But really, he was trying to fool himself.

  “You’re right. Someone sent me here.” Yu Di put away the abacus. “It can’t be the Goddess of Miryana as her power is a step away from disappearing. Right?”

  “I wouldn’t want you back here even if you came back with all the world’s treasures,” Vimala said.

  “I thought as much.”

  “Then who could have brought you back here?” Ying Fusu sat down and poured himself a fresh cup of tea.

  Yu Di thought really long and hard about this. Could his second chance at life come from another item in his storage ring that he forgot? Gu Zi stole his teleportation artifact. He was also sure that he had burned his Qi to the max to save everyone at the sect, especially his daughter.

  For the first time, Yu Di was feeling his age. Well, second time. He couldn’t catch up to Yu Lin before she cultivated, reminding him of how weak he was.

  “The how is unimportant,” Yu Di said. “I think there’s a way we can help each other.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “What do you propose?” Ying Fusu asked.

  “Now that we have the true Goddess of Miryana, then maybe we can understand how to break my curse. If we do that, then I can remove the people sieging this city with a wave of my hand.”

  “And then what?” Vimala asked. “You’ll raid my city for the Goddess’ Secret and go on your merry way? Leave all the children in this city defenseless, to a fate worse than death? I wouldn’t help you no matter what. I would rather help the enemy at the gate.”

  “Look here woman, Goddess, or whatever,” Yu Di said. “If you weren’t so obstinate about not sharing the secret, it never would have come to blows. You brought this upon yourself. Hell, even the Emperor of the Celestial Jade Empire shared a bit of what he had. That’s all I asked for. I didn’t—”

  “Just like a typical man. You can’t take no for an answer. Just because you want something doesn’t mean I have to give it to you.”

  Yu Di shut his mouth. He hadn’t thought about that. As a Demigod, or even a mere cultivator, whenever he asked for something, even from people of higher power levels, they would usually agree. If not, at least give a reason for not doing so, making Yu Di go steal it.

  Had his addiction for power made him into the world’s largest brat? These were all the ways he could easily describe Yu Lin, but she’s four. He was over a hundred.

  “Besides, there’s nothing I can help you with anyway,” Vimala said. “I don’t know what cursed you or how it happened. Whatever hit you, hit me right after. Why else would I be as weak as I am now?”

  Yu Di had a sinking feeling that was true.

  “Isn’t this better?” Ying Fusu said.

  “No,” Yu Di said. “We still don’t know who you are and what you hope to gain from all this. Two former Demigods at your mercy with unfathomable secrets.”

  Vimala pulled herself away from Ying Fusu, wiping her brow with her apron.

  Ying Fusu leaned back on the lounge chair, kicked up his feet. He sipped his tea, which still had steam coming from it.

  “I prize truth above all else and since you two showed me a truth, I will tell you one of mine.” Ying Fusu wiped his mouth with his scarf. “You two are at my mercy but I mean you two no harm. That is all you need to know.”

  “That’s not enough for me Fusu,” Vimala said. “You risk the safety of this entire city by knowing who I am. How do I know you won’t sacrifice my city?”

  Ying Fusu smiled, a real genuine smile reaching his eyes.

  “You know my heart by now, don’t you Vim?”

  Vimala looked away.

  “That’s nice for you two,” Yu Di said. “But that doesn’t put my mind at ease.”

  “I call you Senior Yu out of respect for your age,” Ying Fusu said. “I saved you from the high priest, sheltered you, and promised that I mean you no harm. If that’s not enough, you are free to leave.”

  Yu Di took a deep breath. If this Ying Fusu was lying, then he would make sure that’s the last thing he ever did. For now, it made no sense to leave when there was nowhere to go.

  “Fine, I’ll stay.”

  “Excellent choice,” Ying Fusu said. “Now we get to figure out the issues you both have together. Isn’t that better than blindly groping and hating each other? I can tell already that you both are nice people.”

  “If he’s nice, I’ll eat my shoe,” Vimala said.

  Yu Di laughed at the thought. “What happened to you, Goddess? You used to be so kind, even to your enemies. I remember your kind words.”

  “You do not know what I went through after the curse hit us both,” Vimala said. “I lost not only all my powers, but my high priest betrayed me. He usurped the power in the city and killed every priestess who sought refuge at the Pavilion. My handmaiden sacrificed herself so that I could escape. I had nothing. No skills, no job, just arcane knowledge of being a Goddess.”

  “That’s when Ying Fusu took you in, I suspect?” Yu Di said.

  Vimala bowed her head, her voice in a whisper. “I tried to kill myself. He saved me.”

  Ying Fusu frowned.

  “Afterwards, I watched as the chaos unfolded when the foreigners besieged the city,” Vimala said. “Brothers of Miryana betraying each other for any minor advantage. The poor suffered the most. I was powerless to save them. But you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you? You still have some of your power.”

  Yu Di wanted to refute that. He could still see the hatred in her eyes.

  “My power is a shadow of my former self,” Yu Di said. “The Empire’s standards wouldn’t consider me an Immortal. But unlike you, I lived a life exploring, collecting things, and growing. All you know how to do is protect this stupid city. Doesn’t it get boring after a thousand years?”

  “I’m not that old,” Vimala mumbled.

  “What?” Yu Di asked.

  Ying Fusu put his cup down. “She’s not that old. My research has told me that the previous Goddess retired.”

  “Say that again,” Yu Di said.

  Vimala gripped the hem of her apron. “There isn’t only one Goddess of Miryana. We are each granted the divine power to take on the form of the Goddess.”

  “So why isn’t there another Goddess wiping out the invading army?” Yu Di asked. Another thought hit him. He reached into his storage ring and pulled out a barrier. “Why isn’t the current Goddess wiping me out? I’m sure you would have told your successor all about me.”

  “Calm down, Senior Yu,” Ying Fusu said. “Finish listening to her story.”

  “I don’t know what happened,” Vimala continued. “I took over the mantle when the previous Goddess retired. But there has been no other Goddess for the last twenty years since our battle.”

  “Wait, is there an actual physical mantle that grants you this power?” Yu Di asked.

  Vimala shook her head. “It’s a spiritual mantle that is bestowed upon the next Goddess at the Pavilion of the Goddess’ Grace. But…”

  “Your high priest is killing all successors. Going there is suicide. I knew he was a prick when I first saw him earlier.”

  “Kutan was not my high priest. It’s the current Abbot, Lokentha Devamitra.”

  “Why don’t you help her, Ying Fusu?” Yu Di asked.

  Ying Fusu crossed his arms. “They’re not letting any foreigners near the center of the city, let alone into the Pavilion. I would have to wage war with an army to reach the center. You think the few bodyguards I have are enough for that? Besides, you wouldn’t want that would you? If Vim gets her powers back, the first thing she’d do is wipe you out. Even I can tell from your face that you want to gather that power for yourself.”

  Yu Di’s mouth twisted. “I promise I have changed since last we fought. Even if I did get the power for myself, I would use it to save this city.”

  “It doesn’t matter what your intentions are, thief,” Vimala said. “I don’t have the power and I can’t get the power back. Neither can you. So do us all a favor and leave us alone.”

  “As soon as this siege is over, I will flee as fast as I can. There’s nothing here for me.” Yu Di meant what he said. His daughter was the most important person to him right now. He had only a few more years to live.

  “Then can he stay at the inn?” Ying Fusu asked.

  “We have no rooms,” Vimala said. “He can sleep with the camels.”

  “I’d rather sleep on the streets than with those spit monsters,” Yu Di said.

  “Fine with me.” Vimala reached over and poured herself a cup of tea.

  “No, he can have my room,” Ying Fusu said.

  “I couldn’t impose on you like that.” Yu Di poured another cup of tea for Ying Fusu.

  “I’ll sleep with my men. They should—”

  A loud rumble shook the warehouse. The walls turned green and then yellow.

  “To everyone inside, you are surrounded,” a voice shouted into the warehouse. “Prepare to surrender your lives.”