Yu Di took out an aloe vera salve for his burned hands. He picked up the remaining man by his hair. “How do we get out of here?”

  “Die you terrorist scum,” the escort said.

  Bells rang throughout the complex. The fire traveling faster and faster away from Yu Di and Vimala.

  “Let’s go back to where we were,” Yu Di said. “I saw a window there. Maybe we can get out that way.”

  “What about him?” Vimala asked.

  “I know he’s one of your people, but we can’t bring him with us. Let me end him quick.”

  “No.” Vimala picked up the man and dragged him with his arm bent.

  Together they slowly made their way back to the same room with the Goddess statue. There was a door that slid closed to prevent the smoke from entering.

  Yu Di walked to the window and realized his error. The building they were in led to the markets as Vimala said, but the building itself was the central trading hub for the markets themselves.

  “I’m going to hell for this,” Yu Di said.

  “What happened?” Vimala asked.

  “We’re in the central building in the marketplace. I just set the building on fire.”

  Vimala’s body went rigid.

  “You two idiots are going to face worse than hell when the Goddess smites you down from heaven for destroying her city,” the man said.

  “Can you stop it?” Vimala asked.

  “I don’t… If I was at a higher realm I might be able to. But the fire rock I used burns through everything.”

  “Why can’t any of your items be normal items? Why does it have to burn through everything?”

  “The curse of being a Demigod, I’m afraid.” Yu Di wracked his brain to think. The only thing that he could use to stop the fire.

  “I wish the curse killed you instead.”

  “Well, at least you’re finally telling me how you really feel. But I do have an idea thanks to our prisoner here. How can I get to the roof of this building?”

  “I’ll tell you nothing.” The man twisted hard against Vimala, but she locked him in a death grip.

  “Not even to save your city and hundreds of people?” Yu Di asked.

  The man scowled.

  “Look, the people in this city are innocent. Let me help or we can watch the city burn from here.”

  Mixed emotions went through the man’s face before he settled into one of determination. His jaws clenched, a scowl framed on his face. “Go to hell, terrorist scum.”

  “I’m really starting to hate that phrase,” Yu Di said. He looked out the window and noticed that the building was built in tiers. The bottom tier was the largest while the upward tiers were smaller. “Release him and follow me.”

  Vimala did so and watched as the man ran back toward the flames.

  “He really shouldn’t have went that way.” Yu Di opened the door and walked out of the building. “Here’s going to be the hard part. Lift me up to the roof.”

  It was Vimala’s turn to give him the same scowl, but she did as he asked. She bent down and hoisted Yu Di up with her hands as if he was a babe.

  The lift allowed him to soar up onto the roof of the first floor. He looked at the side of the building and noticed the many different sized blocks they used to construct it. This was easier than using a ladder.

  “Try to run back to the inn,” Yu Di called down. “I’ll meet you there after I put out the fire.”

  By this time, a large group gathered around the central hub. Some of them watched Yu Di as others began the long process of passing water over from the well to douse the fire.

  Yu Di took a deep breath and climbed the side of the building as fast as he could. He needed to reach the very top as fast as he could before his fire burned through the building. The stones were hot to the touch so the fire already reached the second floor at least.

  The plan was simple. Get to the roof, then call down the rain from heaven. He had a particular item in his storage ring in mind. The only challenge was, he wasn’t sure if the celestial would come all the way out here.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Yu Di reached as high as he was going to go. He hoped it was high enough. He would chance it by riding his flying sword, but he had no Qi left.

  Yu Di took out an earthen bowl. He bit the tips of his finger and put in three drops of blood into it. “Hear me, Yu Shi. Send me your lieutenant to douse us with water. Bring him fast.”

  A loud rumble echoed from the sky. “You dare?” the voice called down to Yu Di.

  Yu Di looked up at the heavens. “You owe me for helping your nephew.” Honestly, he didn’t as much help as he borrowed the man’s earthen bowl so that he wouldn’t be blamed for the flood that he created with it. Yu Di ended up with an epic item he can’t use unless he’s a Demigod and his nephew denied all allegations of wrongdoing. Win win.

  “A mere mortal of the second realm dares to request rain from this god?” the voice boomed.

  “You know I’m good for it.” Yu Di raised the bowl with his three drops of blood.

  The skies cracked open and rain came crashing down onto the central hub of the marketplace. The three drops of his blood turned into pure gold Qi and raced up into the sky.

  Yu Di had saved the central hub and probably the town, but at the cost of his lifespan.

  Curse unlocked: 2.6% lifted.

  He took a peek at his jade tablet.

  Current Power: Realm 2, Stage 1, Level 2 (Manipulation)

  Remaining Lifespan: 1 years, 6 months.

  Current Status: Cursed (22.7% lifted)

  Overall Power: Fourth Realm, End Stage, Peak level (Demigod)

  Yu Di had lost a year of his life, a little more than a third of whatever remained. Was it worth it? He didn’t think so, but this gave him better insight to his curse.

  For one, he was the cause for the fire. Although he did it in self-defense, Yu Di chose to use his fire rock despite knowing what it could do. Then he sacrificed his own personal lifespan in order to fix the problem he created. Something that he doubted he could do again. This earned him the greatest unlock of his curse since he began, probably because he directly saved hundreds of people with his one action. This was unlike the other times where they were indirect such as with the village or even the sect and region they were in when he stopped the blue diamond from exploding.

  Yu Di was enlightened and wet, very wet. The celestial called down such a downpour that it not only doused the flames of the central hub, it began causing a small flood. The water mixed with the natural sand and dirt of the streets created a quagmire that most mortals to trip.

  “That’s enough rain, Yu Shi,” Yu Di called into the heavens.

  The skies became darker as clouds rolled in. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled. The rains came harder. The rain rolling over Yu Di’s body as if it was laughing at him. He wanted rain? Well, here is all the rain he could ever need.

  An explosion rocked the ground below. Large clouds of dirt rose into the sky to meet with the rain. Five people emerged from the giant sinkhole that was created. A shimmering white bubble wrapped around them, preventing the rain or lightning from hitting the occupants. The water drained toward the sinkhole faster than it could accumulate in the streets.

  While Yu Di was happy to see the flood receding, he wasn’t happy about the people that appeared.

  Kutan stood in the middle, flanked by the second realm cultivators parading as priests, all dressed in white. For some reason, he stared up right at Yu Di as if he knew where he was all along. He pointed a finger toward the cursed Demigod and spoke something.

  Two of the priests turned their gaze at Yu Di now too. Their pressure told Yu Di that they were in the middle stage of the second realm. It felt as if boulders pushed against his chest.

  Time to go.

  Yu Di scrambled down from the building like a child whose parents saw them doing something ridiculous and dangerous. He knew he wouldn’t have much time before those priests would catch up to him. The only saving grace was that they couldn’t fly to him with the barrier still up. He scooted down, butt first, as fast as he can, ignoring all the odd bumps and sharp things poking into his robes.

  Yu Di misjudged one of the steps and began a tumble down the roof instead. He protected his head as best as he could and let his robes take as much of the force as he could. With a quick flip, he sailed out into the sky over the city for a little before splashing down into the mud.

  He tried to get up, but the mud sucked his legs under. His hands didn’t fare any better as there was nothing below to push himself up from. Ultimately, he was sinking into the mud. Where had he fallen?

  “Help him up,” Kutan said.

  A beam of white light hit Yu Di, surrounding him in a bubble. It scooped him out. The mud went with him, pooling at the bottom of the bubble. It wasn’t so bad, but he knew of a technique that would have separated the mud from him while also cleaning him up.

  Yu Di’s bubble flew over to Kutan, dropping him onto the ground. The mud slicked off a little as the pounding rain washed his back. He hadn’t bathed in… he couldn’t remember the last time he bathed. Definitely not after he was teleported to Miryana. So in a way, this was soothing.

  At least until a man pulled his head back by his long, dripping hair. He yanked Yu Di’s head back hard, forcing the rain to wash away the mud and the grime. If it wasn’t so painful, Yu Di would have enjoyed it.

  “It’s you again,” Kutan said. He looked around at the onlookers. Even in the rain, people gathered in groups where the action was. But since it involved cultivators, they tended to stay farther back. “Citizens, these foreign terrorist scum are trying to destroy our beautiful city. Look at how he called down the rains upon the city, trying to flood us. Be vigilant or they will bring doom to our city. But fear not. Abbot Lokenatha is here to protect you.”

  Kutan pointed toward the Pavilion of Seven Phoenixes. “Look toward him for salvation and our city will be saved not only from terrorists, but the invaders as well.”

  The rain chose that moment to stop. The clouds cleared and a gentle white beam of light came down from the sun, shining right on Kutan.

  All the people bowed waist deep. There were a few that got on their knees and wept. Everyone reached their hands up toward Kutan.

  The man smiled and accepted the praise. He did all this of course. He put out the fires, called away the rain, and is the new savior of Miryana.

  Yu Di knew otherwise. The bastard god Yu Shi was listening this whole time. His watery lieutenants reported everything that was happening back to him as soon as they hit the mud and the dirt. It was his way of making Yu Di’s life as miserable as possible. Such an emotionally stunted God.

  Yu Di would remember this insult. He might be on the path of good actions because of his curse, but he wasn’t above punishing those that deserve it. Especially if they made his life harder.

  Kutan motioned to his men with a wave of his hand. The priests dragged Yu Di away, thankfully by his tattered robes and not by his hair. “Let’s interrogate this foreign scum somewhere without witnesses.”

  Yu Di smiled despite his circumstances. That bastard God thought he made his life worse. Hah! It was only going to get worse now. Let’s see how fate would make it so.

  Unless fate was merciful and ended his life instead.