"Why do you say that?" Dany asked in confusion.
"Don't you feel it yourself? Every time you leave a soul marker, a piece of your own soul is torn away," Kui Xi countered.
"Indeed, the essence of a soul marker is to separate a part of one's own soul. This way, even if separated by mountains and seas, the soul fragments originating from the same whole can still sense each other," Dany nodded.
Seeing her full of energy, her cheeks rosy, Kui Xi asked in doubt, "Do you feel weak, suffer from bloody stools, cough up blood, feel dizzy, or as if you're on the verge of death?"
"No, I'm even planning to sign up for the martial arts tournament tomorrow!"
"Uh..." Kui Xi was momentarily stunned. Behind the wooden lacquer mask, his dark eyes seemed to glimmer, like a scientist encountering a strange biological phenomenon he wanted to study.
Seeing this, Dany took a fearful step back. Kui Xi sighed and said, "Mother of Dragons, you truly are extraordinary!"
"No, I'm just an ordinary person, nothing special," Dany shrank her neck and protested. "After leaving three soul markers, I sensed a bottleneck. Maybe I can only use soul marking two or three more times. That's why I came to ask you if there's a 'Soul Marking Grand Technique – Volume Two.'"
"There is no second volume. You've reached your limit. Your soul cannot be divided any further," Kui Xi shook his head with a bitter smile. "I told you before, soul marking is a forbidden technique I created in recent years. It is far from perfect. If you can avoid using it, you should. The side effects and backlash are too severe.
You must avoid strong sunlight. You're highly susceptible to being disturbed by killing intent. Anti-magic weapons can cause soul damage—such as Valyrian steel and dragonglass weapons. Also, you must not leave marks on short-lived individuals."
"Short-lived individuals?"
"If the person you've marked dies unexpectedly, the soul power you left in them will also dissipate, causing you to lose a part of your soul," Kui Xi said indifferently.
Fortunately, the three people I marked don't seem like short-lived individuals, and I can actively replenish my soul essence. Even if something unexpected happens, it won't be a major issue.
"What do you mean by 'killing intent'?" Dany asked again.
"Have you tried passing through solid objects in your current spiritual state?"
"Yes, it's quite fascinating, though it consumes a lot of magic power."
Kui Xi nodded and said, "Right now, you are essentially a spiritual entity. Ordinary physical objects cannot block intangible spirit waves. However, killing intent...
If a knight harbors the intent to kill you, any weapon he wields will be able to harm you. The reason is simple—his attacks contain spiritual will."
"No wonder," Dany suddenly understood. "That dagger last time gave me a deep sense of crisis. And then there was Darkstar's greatsword..."
"Oh, my gods!" Kui Xi held his forehead and groaned, "It's only been a few days, and you're already pushing yourself to the brink of death."
"Danaerys, you must understand one thing: extraordinary individuals need extraordinary wisdom. Never mistake yourself for a god who transcends mortals. Even the mighty Valyrian grand sorcerers cannot directly face an experienced high knight in combat!" the Shadowbinder warned solemnly.
"Mm, I understand. Just a few days ago, I witnessed a fire mage, said to be your equal, get brutally slain by a common mercenary. The lesson couldn't have been more profound," Dany nodded in agreement.
"My equal? Who?" the Shadowbinder asked curiously.
"A fire mage from Volantis—Lisbon."
"Never heard of him," the Shadowbinder's voice turned cold. "Do you take me for some nameless nobody?"
"Uh... He was regarded as the number one talent of his generation in Western Essos," Dany awkwardly rubbed her nose.
"The number one talent... stabbed to death by a mercenary?"
Dany became even more embarrassed and stammered, "Well... it wasn't me who said that, it's just what everyone believes."
"What?! It's already spread around?" Kui Xi no longer concealed his anger. "Which bastard is slandering me?!"
Tamm is a good person; I can't betray her.
"It seemed to be a priest from Qohor," Dany conveniently blamed a dead man.
"Impossible. I've never even been to Qohor. Why would they make baseless claims about a sorcerer they've never met?"
"Maybe he heard it from the necromancer Bucheng."
Worried that the Shadowbinder wouldn't understand, Dany quickly added, "Bucheng is from Yi Ti—a Yi Ti prince."
"I know that bastard!" Kui Xi gritted his teeth.
Bucheng, you're a prince with the backing of the Mage Guild. Surely, you can withstand this massive black pot I'm dumping on you, right?
"By the way, I heard you mention 'Bu Gan... Emperor Consort'? Who is he?" Dany changed the subject.
"The second emperor consort of the Empress of Thunder Isle."
"Second... emperor consort?" Dany's mouth twitched. "So, there's a first one too?"
"Are you familiar with Thunder Isle's history?" Seeing her confusion, Kui Xi explained slowly, "Thunder Isle is located south of Yi Ti, separated only by a narrow sea. The two lands are very close, and many citizens of the Golden Empire migrated south to settle there.
The founding Empress, known as 'The Great' by Easterners, Galoya, was a pure-blooded native of Thunder Isle. To ease tensions between the two ethnic groups, she took two husbands—one from Thunder Isle and one from Yi Ti.
This tradition has been passed down through generations. The current Empress also followed it, marrying a noble from Yi Ti's royal family as her second emperor consort."
"So... that Galoya woman just wanted an excuse to have a harem, didn't she?" Dany still found it hard to accept. "Since she was a Thunder Isle native, marrying a Yi Ti consort would have been enough. Their descendants would naturally be of mixed heritage."
Kui Xi sighed, "Only the daughters born to the first emperor consort—who must be a pure-blooded Thunder Isle native—have the right to inherit the throne. That way, every generation of Empresses remains a pure-blooded Thunder Isle native."
"Huh? It can be done this way? What's the point? Sooner or later, everyone will be mixed-blood anyway."
Dany had a pained expression on her face. She then asked, "I thought you were in Qarth. Why are you back in Yuhai?"
"Hmph, should I have stayed there and waited to be trapped?"
Kui Xi gave her a deep look, his tone complex as he said, "I wasn't confident about hatching a dragon. Before you left, I had already boarded a ship back to Yuhai."
"You—" Dany was genuinely impressed this time. "You predicted that the Qartheen would try to make you hatch a dragon, so you ran ahead of time?"
"If I couldn't even avoid danger and seek fortune, what kind of Shadowbinder would I be?"
Kui Xi's calm voice carried an undeniable sense of pride.
Tam, listen to this—now this is what a true master looks like. Your desperate rush to hatch an egg? Way too low-level.
"Is this your domain?"
Dany walked around the stone chamber. It was vast, deep, dark, and eerily silent—so much so that she could hear Kui Xi's breathing.
"Indeed, a very spacious training hall."
Dany glanced at Kui Xi, praising him. "Looks like your protective skills are quite impressive too!"
"Protective skills?" Kui Xi's voice carried a hint of confusion.
"Oh, still pretending?"
Dany winked at him, her expression full of 'you know, I know, we all understand,' and grinned.
"I'm no longer a rookie in the mystic arts. I know that to make a living, mages learn a few money-making tricks.
That Second Royal Consort must've been a big fat fish, and you must've fleeced him good, huh?
Tsk, tsk. Such a grand stone tower—you truly deserve your title as the number one young talent of the Eastern Transcendent Realm."
"Creak, creak."
The Shadowbinder started grinding his teeth again, his fists unconsciously clenching.
"This place is the ruins of the Ancient Old Gods. You don't even know about the underground labyrinth beneath Thunder Isle?"
Kui Xi nearly growled.
Dany realized she had misunderstood. It seemed Kui Xi hadn't pulled off some big scheme. She immediately changed the subject, asking, "The Ancient Old Gods? Do they have any connection to Westeros' Old Gods?"
"Perhaps they do, or perhaps they don't. But the underground labyrinth certainly belongs to the 'previous civilization' before the Long Night. I was invited here to uncover the truth."
Dany's curiosity was piqued. "What's so special about this place?"
"Legend has it that the Ancient Old Gods still dwell deep within the labyrinth. If the entrance is opened, they will release an ancient god plague.
Those infected first experience fever and headaches, then gradual mental confusion and memory loss. They begin to hallucinate—seeing and hearing things that aren't there—and constantly hear whispers of unknown origin. Eventually, their minds completely collapse, descending into utter madness."
Damn. Isn't this just the whispers of an ancient evil god?
Did I just step into World of Warcraft?
Dany closed her eyes, sensing for a moment, then frowned. "Is this for real? I don't seem to feel anything."
"You can check out An Overview of Yuhai by Valantian scholar Koloko Forta. The ancient god plague lasted nearly a thousand years. Some even claim that the Queens of Thunder Isle ventured into the underground palace and… mated with the Old Gods.
I can't confirm if that's true, but they did engage in some inhuman acts."
After a pause, Kui Xi pointed at his chest and asked, "Why do you think I'm here? It's because Her Majesty the Queen has been acting… well, showing certain signs that have made the Royal Consort uneasy."
"The Long Night is coming… all kinds of monsters and demons are crawling out."
Dany murmured.
"The Long Night? You actually believe that Red Priest prophecy? Daenerys, don't tell me you truly think you're Azor Ahai reborn?"
Kui Xi's expression turned odd.
"Aren't I?"
Dany shot back.
A thought suddenly struck her—many people believed Daenerys was the prophesied child, including the High Priest of R'hllor. Yet Kui Xi had never said so.
"Daenerys, let me make this clear: you are someone who can change the world, but you are absolutely not Azor Ahai reborn."
Kui Xi said firmly.
"Why?"
"Because—forget Azor Ahai, even the Lord of Light himself could not hatch dragons the way you did."
That was… an incredibly strong argument.
Even Dany couldn't refute it.
"There was a priestess named Kayana from the Temple of Shamiliana. She sacrificed the entire family of the Great Wise Master—hundreds of people. But in the end, the so-called dragon egg contained only an evil spirit.
What's going on? Could R'hllor actually hatch a demon dragon?"
Kui Xi shook his head. "I'm not sure. R'hllor is a true god, one who holds partial dominion over death. What you did—hatching dragons—is the creation of new life. No god of death can accomplish that.
But as for their other abilities, I dare not speculate."
Then, she asked curiously, "Why was it a fake dragon egg?"
"Well… that…"
Dany scratched her nose, muttering, "Blame that countryman of yours."
"Countryman?"
Kui Xi was puzzled.
"A merchant from Asshai named Baohan. He insisted on gifting me a jar of 'Firestone Paste'—a substance that can seamlessly fuse broken dragon eggs together, leaving no trace of cracks."
"Oh, for the love of—! It was Baohan, that swindler!
So the Qartheen royals got completely scammed by you?"
Kui Xi nearly collapsed.
"You know Baohan too?"
"Of course. Just like soul-marking sorcery, 'Firestone Paste' was my invention. Baohan bought three jars from me."
"…Well, that's unexpected."
Dany gave Kui Xi an odd look.
So the mastermind behind the fake dragon eggs… was actually you?!
"Don't look at me like that. I developed 'Firestone Paste' primarily for my family's porcelain business."
Kui Xi rolled up his sleeves, revealing a smooth, pale yellow complexion like fine mutton-fat jade.
"See? Though I was born in Asshai, I'm not a local. My ancestral home is in Indu of Yi Land. You've heard of Indu porcelain, haven't you?"
(End of Chapter)
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