FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 2: Blue Icy Bear Pendant, Seven Deep Hells Frozen Record

---

The slip-shaped pendant had become a bear shaped one.

Kyu Cao's mind spun.

No, this was wrong.

Rather, the pendant must have been in the shape of an icy bear originally.

However, it seems someone decided to encase it in blue jade, turning it into a jade slip pendant.

But why? Did they want to hide the original?

The more he pondered this, the more Kyu Cao was sure this line of thought was the most correct.

Still, there was one point which bewildered him.

The material used to encase the icy bear pendant was, as he'd seen it, much too brittle. At least for the purpose of assertively hiding the pendant, it wouldn't work for long. Any unlucky accident would be enough to strip down the cover.

If such measure was done this flimsy intentionally, was not this then, hoping for the pendant to be eventually discovered?

Kyu Cao mind shook violently, and then began to deliberate even more fervently.

This pendant had been specifically left for him by his mother.

Considering this, did she do it, hoping that he would discover its secret?

It had to be said that Kyu Cao knew his mother even less than he knew his father.

While she would sometimes spend some time with him, they did nothing but silently share the room or take a walk. He rarely heard her speak, and virtually knew nothing about her.

She was no ordinary theriope, that much he could be certain. And he was indeed her blood and flesh, her son. But as a person, Kyu Cao realized for the first time that he couldn't see through her at all.

Such a mystery. Kyu Cao's curiosity was definitely stirred.

He picked up the smaller pendant on his paw.

It was now only a little bigger than a thumb. However, it looked smoother, much more exquisite. It was slightly cold to the touch, and much more solid, incomparable to the previous one.

As Kyu Cao held it, a curious feeling also traveled through his fingerpads, one which he was actually familiar with.

"Oh, this is..."

"Third Young Master, this servant will intrude now."

The second calling from the servant snapped Kyu Cao awake.

Right, it was time for dinner.

He stopped what he was doing and carefully returned the pendant to the chest. Then, he closed the lid and put it in its former place, as if it was never moved in the first place.

When he arrived to the first floor, the beautiful servant girl was holding plates with aromatic dishes and arranging them on a low table.

As soon as she noticed him, she quickly set down the plates she was grasping and bowed at his direction with perfect etiquette and grace.

"This servant greets the Third Young Master."

She was a beautiful tigress, with delicate features and tempting proportions. Her fur was lustrous, shining in black and orange, contrasting with her light green dress. Bowing like that, she was like an enchanting yet wild flower whose stem had been gently swayed by the wind

Kyu Cao only walked toward the table and silently sat down.

The servant girl resumed her actions, and put down the last plates, then a kettle of tea and a single cup.

Finished, she bowed again. And pulling the silver cart with her she graciously left.

What was left in front of Kyu Cao was an assortment of mouth-watering dishes, releasing a fragrant aroma that tickled the nose and aroused the appetite like the call of a lover.

Dazzling golden roasted meat and steamed vegetables so tender that they melt inside one maw were laid on silver plates. The cooked rice was like tiny white gems, and the tea was transparent and crystalline and emitted a refreshing fragrance which eased the heart.

Even as the ignored third young master, Kyu Cao's meals were not the slightest inferior to those of the main house.

He was technically part of the main house too, so any less would have been no good. Such was the image that had to be held for the sake of the Blood General.

If something could be pointed out it would be that the portions were evidently small; for a feast of the young master of a prominent clan, maybe even scant.

But this was something Kyu Cao had directly requested. Great amounts of food were unnecessary for him, and leaving heaps of food behind to be wasted simply unnerved him.

He also didn't have a servant to serve him tea. He had to do it himself, but this suited him just fine.

He waited for a moment, allowing the feasting atmosphere to settle.

Then, he picked up his chopsticks and sampled the dish in front of him, washed down the rice with some tea, and arose to his feet before walking in the direction he came from.

Dinner could certainly wait!

Back inside his room, Kyu Cao held the blue, icy bear-shaped pendant on his paw once more.

The chest already had been returned to its place.

Even if this was his room, he could never be too careful. Especially with this matter, which involved his mother. Or rather, because it was related to the former wife of the Blood General, a somewhat delicate topic.

Experiencing that curious feeling again Kyu Cao was now completely certain.

This icy bear pendant was actually a record jade.

There were a few record jades inside the state's library which he frequented, so he was quite familiar with them. He injected a trace of Qi into the pendant and, as expected, rich information appeared directly inside his mind.

It began with five words.

Seven Deep Hells Frozen Record.

"This is... a Cultivation Method?" Kyu Cao blinked his eyes in wonderment.

Cultivation methods, who in the Constellation Lookout Continent didn't know about them?

While it was possible for anybody to develop a bit of strength, it was only with a proper Cultivation Method that tigers could soar the skies and oxen could rampage the seas.

The refinement of the body, the circulation of Qi, the manipulation of elements; cultivation methods were teaching materials that describes them all in detail. It is all, obviously, in order to guide someone through the path of Cultivation.

There are hundreds, maybe thousands of cultivation methods in only the Wave Breaking Empire, not to say about the whole Constellation Lookout Continent. Some were common as weeds, and some were as precious as celestial treasures.

Not everyone could practice a cultivation method though, even the more low-grade ones.

That was because there are requirements for it.

First, in talent; second, in elemental attunement.

You have to be talented enough to be able to sense the Natural Qi. Qi constitutes the foundation of all existence, and is the base of Cultivation. Trying to practice a cultivation method without being able to do this is simply wasting one's time.

As for elemental attunement, this is something that actually everyone possesses, in varying degrees. It is something set from birth, and it simply determines what kind of Qi one is more suited for.

A fire attuned theriope would be ill-fitted to practice an ice cultivation method.

It is said that a correct cultivation method can allow a person to change its future, to rise up to the heavens, and according to legends, to transform into a god.

Why was such a thing inside the icy bear pendant? Kyu Cao grew confused.

He began to consider it for a moment before an idea surged inside his mind.

Some families and clans held legacies and heritages in the form of cultivation methods.

These methods were usually the pillars of support of such families, and such families were as strong as their cultivation methods were profound.

The Bloodstripe Clan for example, its Legacy Cultivation Method was the Warsong of Flame and Gore.

Just like its name implied, it was a tyrannical and powerful method, extremely violent and attuned to the element of fire. The bloodline of the Bloodstripe Clan was one in which the fire element prevailed.

It was this method which allowed the Bloodstripe Clan to maintain its position as Head of the Empire's Army for generations.

As for the details of the Warsong of Flame and Gore, that was not something Kyu Cao was allowed to know.

His mother should have come from a powerful, if mysterious clan. Kyu Cao did not believe this couldn't be the case.

Judging by how secretive was the method used to pass the pendant down, was this perhaps the Legacy Cultivation Method of his mother's family?

Kyu Cao couldn't be sure of this. However, he would not be bothered even if this was not the case. Whatever it was, it was something left for him and it now belonged to him.

But soon, Kyu Cao's brows furrowed.

He could tell just from a glance that this cultivation method was most likely ice attuned.

Regarding Kyu Cao, his attuned element was fire, the same which prevailed through the descendants of the Bloodstripe Clan.

That is to say, this Seven Deep Hells Frozen Record was useless in his paws.

He couldn't help but feel a tinge of grief.

Just from the medium it was written on, he could tell it was no low grade cultivation method.

While record jades were not particularly precious or rare, it was still not possible for ordinary households to own even one.

And judging by its name, which overflowed with a tyrannical cold pressure that made one's soul shiver, it might even perhaps be entering the level of a World-Grade good!

Such a huge pie, yet he couldn't take a bite!

Kyu Cao could only sigh helplessly in defeat. Well, at least it would make for a valuable collectible, and it was an important memento as well.

Dinner was definitely cold by now, but Kyu Cao remained seated on his bed. He didn't put away the pendant, nor had the intention to do so.

A proper cultivation method, this was actually Kyu Cao's first time seeing one close.

The Bloodstripe Clan was a military clan. Here, strength was rule.

Every descendant was expected to attain some degree of martial prowess, starting their training from a young age.

Especially the most talented individuals, they were expected to reach earth shaking realms and then join the Bloody Army as marshals and generals.

This was a matter which all the elders of the clan oversaw with staunch seriousness. Anyone with the surname of Bloodstripe was definitely not allowed to slack off, unless they wanted to be beated furless.

At least, anyone but Kyu Cao.

Kyu Cao could deduce more or less the reasons for his cold treatment, yet it was only this specific point that he still found a little unbelievable.

Even as the pet third young master who was not allowed to represent his family, someone should've pushed for him to train and cultivate a bit, so as to at least not become an embarrassment for the clan.

In any clan, even more for a military clan, anyone without martial prowess could only be called a trash and a burden, receiving sneers from his peers and disdainful glares from his elders.

Even Kyu Cao himself would agree with this argument.

Yet back then, when his training should have started, it did not.

As a reserved kitten he didn't ask about it. And nobody brought up the matter with him.

Eventually, it became that he never practiced martial arts or Cultivation.

Even now, Kyu Cao spent his time reading, or studying various topics. Meanwhile, the other members of the Bloodstripe Clan panted their lungs out on the training fields. His achievement of a level two Earthly Warrior was already a big grace from Heaven.

The main house didn't seem to care though, so neither he did. Not that he never felt curious about Cultivation, but at that point of time it was already quite inconvenient to try. If he were to go to the state's Martial Repository, he would definitely attract the attention, and not in a good way. And the other means were simply too bothersome.

But now a true Cultivation Method had fallen directly onto his lap.

Even if he could not use it, it would be a huge pity to not satisfy his curiosity.

Closing his eyes, he sent his Qi into the pendant and careful began to read its contents.

Upon reading the first few paragraphs, Kyu Cao blinked his eyes open, bewilderment flashing through them.

This Seven Deep Hells Frozen Record actually began with an anecdote. It was a story written with simple, yet profound sentences.

Why would a cultivation method start off with a story?

After considering a bit, Kyu Cao closed his eyes again and resumed his lecture. He knew, after all, nothing about Cultivation or its methods. Who was he to criticize how a cultivation method went about? He better just read it completely before thinking anything else.

He found the narration quite enjoyable and interesting, extremely moving.

It told of a cat's travel through a cold, desolate place in search of something. This something was not specified, but it was described as incredibly precious for him. The travel was lonely and perilous, his most dangerous enemies being the solitude and the climate. That wasteland sounded so cold that one's bones might crack from it. However, at the end, the cat had only found an endless expanse of ice, and realized that what he looked for was still travels away.

Cold seemed to seep out of each passage and invade the body, each more biting than the previous. He felt as if he was that cat, braving desolate glaciers, fighting off the solitude and longing, yet still resolute to continue forward no matter what.

Kyu Cao had deeply immersed himself in the text. He read the very last word when a sudden chill assaulted his body.

This chill was different from the previous ones. It was not inside his mind, but physical.

Kyu Cao could clearly feel his skin turning cold to the touch, even his fur, and his muscles contracting and becoming taut.

Naturally, this phenomenon shook Kyu Cao awake, causing him to feel alarmed.

Using the little insight he had on the mysteries of his body, he began to investigate this change.

Soon he found the cause of it.

Surprisingly, it was Qi.

Kyu Cao could discern a new cold Qi which had somehow appeared inside his body.

This cold Qi was entering his body as if sucked in, penetrating into his flesh and continuing toward his bones. The speed was quite fast, and it showed no signs of stopping.

Kyu Cao stared stupefied, not quite comprehending what was happening.

This cold Qi, he wondered, could it perhaps be Ice Qi? Where did it come from?