Chapter 312: Training
Chu Qiguang stroked his chin thoughtfully as he observed the four demons.
"I'm going to come up with some verbal commands for all of you, with each one corresponding to a different instruction," he said. "Before that, I suppose I should give each of you a nickname. You'll be Ghost Flame, you'll be Rock Snake, you can be Bloodform, and you'll be Sludgeform."
***
On this day, Zhou Yujiao had finally finished her homework, and was happily taking a stroll in the forest.
She had no particular destination in mind, but even wandering around aimlessly was far more enjoyable than doing homework.
All of a sudden, she heard a massive boom. An intrigued look appeared on her face, and she immediately set off in the direction of the sound.
"Fire Release! Great Fireball Technique!"
Zhou Yujiao's eyes widened as Ghost Flame launched a huge fireball from behind Chu Qiguang, sending it hurtling through the air.
"Earth Release! Earth Shore Return!"
A wall of rock instantly took shape in front of Chu Qiguang.
"Earth Release! Added-Weight Rock Technique!"
Large chunks of rock quickly flew onto Chu Qiguang's body, forming a suit of rocky armor around him.
"Blood release! Blood Clone!"
All of a sudden, Chu Qiguang's body was torn apart from within, and the blood panther emerged from inside him.
Chu Qiguang had used his sloughing ability to leave behind an empty husk of himself, which Bloodform had worn to pose as him.
"Sludge release! Sludge Clone!"
This time, it was Sludgeform wearing Chu Qiguang's skin and posing as him.
After some training, the four demons were now able to respond instantly to all his verbal commands, and Chu Qiguang finally gave a pleased nod.
They'll be much more helpful to me in battle now. It's just a shame that their power and intelligence are limited, so they can't use more powerful or complex techniques.
A minute or two later, without the nourishment provided by Chu Qiguang's qi and blood, his two sloughs began to harden and petrify. They quickly became unusable for Bloodform and Sludgeform.
Right at that moment, Zhou Yujiao rushed onto the scene, her eyes shining with excitement.
"How're you doing that? Teach me!"
Chu Qiguang waved a dismissive hand, refusing her request, but she didn't leave. Instead, she watched with keen interest as he continued training with the four demons.
It quickly became apparent to her that Chu Qiguang wasn't the one unleashing the techniques. Instead, the four demons were using them under his command.
Noticing the thoughtful look on her face, Chu Qiguang asked curiously, "What're you thinking?"
"I think you should put them in boxes!" she replied. "That way, people will think you're using magic or something! Wouldn't that be really badass?"
She had drawn inspiration from the time she had hidden inside a box to operate the prototype of the water-powered loom. That experience made her realize that things appeared much cooler and mysterious when they were hidden.
Chu Qiguang was intrigued by the idea.
All of a sudden, Zhou Yujiao ran off, then quickly returned with four palm-sized boxes.
"I made these bone boxes using the blood pool! You can put them in here."
Hiding the demons in boxes would indeed make it easier for me to confound my enemies, Chu Qiguang thought.
At Zhou Yujiao's insistence, Chu Qiguang assumed his feline form and gave her some of his fur to weave into a belt.
The four bone boxes were attached to the belt, and the four demons were instructed to nestle inside them.
All four demons could manipulate their bodies to some extent. Rock Snake had a little trouble entering its box and had to shed all the rocks clinging to its body before it could fit inside. However, the other three demons entered their boxes without any trouble.
Chu Qiguang put on the belt, with all four bone boxes secured at the back. In his feline form, the belt came into a collar.
"Fire Release! Great Fireball Technique!"
A huge fireball hurtled through the air, but it was completely off target. Clearly, Ghost Flame had no idea which direction Chu Qiguang was facing. It seemed that the four demons would require more training before they could operate effectively from inside their boxes.
After an entire night of training, the powers of the four demons had become severely depleted. Chu Qiguang didn't know how the Tribulation Religion nourished the demons, but he was able to replenish their power using the demonic tainting released through his Ring of Ignorance.
The next morning, Chu Qiguang set off for the Ba Manor on the back of a Chongming Bird.
***
Upon Chu returning to Earth Gate Fort, Chu Qiguang was immediately greeted by a relieved Chen Gang.
"You're finally back, Brother Chu! The Demon Vanquishing Department has been looking for you!"
"The Demon Vanquishing Department is looking for me?" Chu Qiguang asked. "Who specifically? Han Jueyong? Bai Shihe?"
"They didn't say," Chen Gang replied. "I told them you were cultivating in seclusion, and they told me to tell you to come to the Daoist temple as soon as you can."
Chu Qiguang had already been planning to visit the Daoist temple to browse its scripture library. However, before setting off, he removed the belt from his waist and tossed the attached bone boxes to Chen Gang.
"Keep an eye on these boxes for me, but make sure you don't open them."
The Daoist temple contained all kinds of demon subjugation talismans and formations, so he had no choice but to leave the four demons behind.
Chen Gang caught the four bone boxes and began examining them with a curious expression. At the sight of this, it occurred to Chu Qiguang that he should teach Chen Gang how to use the bone boxes as well.
***
As Chu Qiguang approached the entrance of the Ba Manor Daoist Temple, he saw many laborers inside repairing the damage.
A Daoist attendant who had been awaiting his arrival greeted him and led him to a quiet courtyard.
Seated inside the courtyard was a giant of a man who was over two meters tall. His entire body was covered in gruesome burns, and several people were gathered around him, changing his bandages.
The man fixed Chu Qiguang with a cold and hostile gaze, looking very displeased. Han Jueyong sat beside him and also looked rather worse for wear.
"Where have you been these past couple of days, Chu Qiguang?" Han Jueyong asked. "You are the hundred-man commander of the Ba Manor. How could you abandon your post at such an important time?"