35. Fire spirits
(about 9 thousand years ago, Gusu) The lanterns are set and equipped with fire talismans. Shi Lang doesn’t normally use talismans, but for what he has in mind, he needs them now. He lights the talismans with his fire. At first he makes them burn with small flames, then he gradually adds more power to the fire. As they lead the path out of the city to a field the lanterns burn brighter. There he sets a small bonfire and infuses it with his dragon flame. It burns hot enough to melt steel. GrandMaster Lan observes him in silence, but Lan Boqin keeps asking why not make all lanterns burn equally bright. “It wouldn’t be a trap. The brightest fire is the last. I am attempting to lure the fire spirits here,” Shi Lang explains. “They would not go looking for a brighter and hotter fire if all lan
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