The guest-receiving priest of the Daoist abbey called over the shop-hand from the cloth shop, instructing him to lead Young Master Cui and his entourage to the desolate manor where Qian Chen was temporarily staying. Wukang County was small; after turning down a few winding alleys, they could already make out the place in the distance.
The elderly servant frowned. "Young Master, if your intent is to befriend a disciple of the Daoist orthodoxy's true transmission, you may turn back right here!"
"This manor is mired in gloom and stagnant air, unable to hold wind or gather qi. Its fengshui is of the lowest grade. The true transmission disciples this old servant has seen dwell where qi is nourished and live where their bodies are refined; every gesture aligns with the Great Dao. Like phoenixes, they would never set foot in wretched hills and foul waters. In my youth, I accompanied the Lady to receive a Kunlun disciple who passed by our marquis's residence without ever stepping inside."
"He spent the night on a small knoll on nearby Mount Niushou instead."
"When the Lady inquired about the reason, he replied that the marquis's residence had impure primordial qi... Only after the Lady cleansed the manor for seven days, had the entire household bathe, change their attire, and observe a vegetarian fast while burning incense for three days, was that true transmission disciple persuaded to descend the mountain. Once figures of such stature attain Sensing, they can distinguish benevolent qi from malignant qi, delighting in spiritual qi and abhorring turbid qi. To reside in a place of such abysmal fengshui—would that not be like staying in a rank fish market?"
"Whoever deigns to dwell here can only be some heterodox cultivator of the side paths!" The old servant advised earnestly, "If you wish to hire two cultivators as retainers, Young Master, you had better send a letter to the Lady and ask her to visit Luofu to request two outer sect disciples to descend the mountain. Your maternal uncle is a deacon of the Luofu inner sect and wields substantial authority. Dispatching two vetted outer sect disciples to serve you would be a trivial matter... Far better than an outsider of unknown origins..."
"Why must you be so vexing? When traveling abroad, one must make friends far and wide and seek out the worthy," Young Master Cui said. "Even if he is a mere commoner, so long as we can converse harmoniously, he is worth befriending. If our words do not align, then even if he were a true transmission disciple of a major sect or a scion of the Hundred Schools, I would have no desire to associate with him... This cultivator was able to treat foxes with kindness, which shows he is an extraordinary person."
"How could I not pay him a visit!"
"In my youth, I always wanted to emulate those senior masters, just as their travelogues described—befriending foxes, keeping two gentlemen among flowers as literary companions, and attending banquets in dragon palaces at leisure. My Primal Spirit would roam the Three Immortal Islands of the Eastern Sea, drinking through the night with fellow Daoists, returning at dawn with plucked blossoms, and journeying to the Northern Darkness to ride the giant Peng across the four seas..."
"When the Lady sent us off, she instructed that most vixen spirits in the world are vile creatures that steal one's essence and qi. If the Young Master seeks to take in any fox beauty while traveling and ruin his foundation, she ordered this old servant to beat the creature to death first before reporting to her." The old servant possessed not an ounce of romantic sentiment.
"You!" Young Master Cui raised an exasperated index finger, tapping it three times toward Uncle Wu.
He shook his head helplessly. "You truly do not understand romance..."
By then, they had arrived outside the small courtyard. Seeing the desolate weeds and dilapidated grounds before the gate, the old servant frowned once more. Yet unable to curb his master's temperament, he stepped forward to knock. Just then, Young Master Cui's expression shifted. Hurriedly catching the old servant's sleeve, he said with sudden excitement, "Who says a place with poor fengshui cannot shelter an eminent master?"
"Aiya!" Young Master Cui suddenly covered his eyes and cried out, "Not only is there an eminent master inside, but a peerless beauty as well!"
"Stop jumping!" Young Master Cui squeezed his eyes shut. Suddenly, a miniature figure resembling white jade propped open his eyelid and leapt out from his right eye.
The old servant went pale with fright. "A Dengtuzi sprite... Who gave you such a wicked plaything, Young Master? If the Lady finds out, she will flay you alive!"
The Dengtuzi was lecherous by nature... a rare type of sprite in the mortal realm.
Legend had it that when lustful men became enraptured by beauties in their dreams, their souls would depart their bodies and wander lost, seeking out traces of the beauties' fragrance.
Over time, these souls transformed into sprites known as Dengtuzi sprites, or "Men in the Eye." Sons of prominent clans occasionally kept them in their eyes, as these sprites excelled at discerning beauties. Whenever a beauty was spotted, the sprite's innate nature could nourish the host's eyesight, a practice known as "feasting the eyes on beauty." The leisurely princes and marquises of the Jin capital who failed in cultivation often used such sprites paired with beautiful women to nourish their sight; it was said that even at ninety years of age, their gaze could still pick out faint blemishes and tiny moles on a person's face.
With a single glance, they could catalogue every asset and flaw of a beauty, see past heavy makeup to the bare face beneath, and clearly perceive the lady's natural charm, the fragrance of her breath, and whether her primal yin remained unblemished.
Hence, they were highly prized by the wealthy youths of noble families in the capital. Spending tens of thousands in gold to raise a Dengtuzi sprite in one's eye was commonplace.
Though such sprites brought certain benefits, they ultimately harbored within a human body, consuming their host's essence and qi. Furthermore, they sapped one's ambition and frequently altered one's temperament. Young Master Cui's mother had always strictly forbidden him from indulging in such petty paths; she had never imagined he would somehow obtain one and keep it nurtured in his eye. The moment they arrived before Qian Chen's manor, this little sprite had grown so excited it leaped straight past his eyelid.
"Such an elegant creature... My mother... as long as you don't tell her, won't it be fine?" Young Master Cui clicked his tongue. "Just what kind of beauty is inside to make the Dengtuzi leap out with such frantic eagerness?"
Yet the little Dengtuzi sprite merely hovered at the threshold of the desolate manor, not daring to enter. It seemed barred by something it dreaded immensely. Taking three steps left and two steps right, it hesitated back and forth, gazing into the manor with ravenous longing yet cowering from taking a step forward. Young Master Cui said cautiously, "There may be a restriction ahead..."
Just as he was about to recall the Dengtuzi to see through its eyes, a sharp, hurried cry sounded from the overgrown grass of the desolate manor. Soon, two boys clad in white and yellow, barely the size of a thumb, emerged from the grass and began brawling with the Dengtuzi sprite. Joining forces, the two boys routed the little Dengtuzi sprite, forcing it to flee back into Young Master Cui's eye in utter disarray.
Only then did Young Master Cui clearly perceive an expanse of pure light draped upside-down over the desolate manor like a heavenly net, covering the rooftop.
The old servant exclaimed in astonishment, "Are those two Gold and Silver Boys?"
Young Master Cui glanced at them, not paying much mind. "Perhaps gold and silver were buried underground nearby and turned into sprites over time! Such sprites are everywhere in the ancient capital of Luoyang. They say such little creatures are commonly seen on Mount Beimang."
"Where did you hear such tales, Young Master? If such little sprites were common, wouldn't everyone be rich? These sprites are exceptionally vigilant; legend says they can be used to refine psychic coins, making them even rarer than the Dengtuzi in your eye." The old servant could not help but urge, "Young Master, you could keep them by your side and feed them with copper coins. Although these Gold and Silver Boys are tiny, their strength is immense, and they foster fortunate affinity..."
"My Dengtuzi is an elegant creature... Gold and silver are far too vulgar!" Young Master Cui argued self-righteously. "A love for beauty is universal to all people. But those who covet wealth are hardly fit for companionship!"
"Besides, what is inside this courtyard that could draw all these rare sprites here?"
In those few short breaths, Young Master Cui spotted a three-inch-tall Camphor Willow Boy concealed within a locust tree beside the courtyard, also trying to slip secretly into the desolate manor. While he was marveling in bewilderment, a bean-sized figure suddenly appeared inside his ear canal and sang:
"The Cui clan of Qinghe has a scion named Dan,
Appointed magistrate to govern Jiuzhen.
Passing through Wukang, he stopped at a shrine,
Hearing of a master, he came to explore the design.
Inside, the furnace has burned for forty days...
A single spirit pill is worth three hundred thousand!"
*Is this an Ear Canal Deity?*
Upon hearing the little figure chant his name, Cui Dan immediately understood. He knew well that Ear Canal Deities could divine subtleties and foretell future events. They were sprites coveted by shamans and diviners alike; if an ordinary person could nurture one in their ear, they would instantly become an honored guest of noble houses.
Seeing that he had recognized its identity, the sprite sang once more:
"Scion of Cui, gain the spirit pills,
Share some with us, and we'll show you the way!"
Cui Dan laughed inwardly. *Truly a vulgar demon; its chants are so crude and plain... even worse than the singing girls of the entertainment quarters. If it can divine past and future events, why can't it use more elegant words?*
The moment that thought arose, the bean-sized figure in his ear canal grew furious and kicked his eardrum several times. The impact left Cui Dan's head ringing, causing him to stagger unsteadily on the spot. Uncle Wu was alarmed and reached for Cui Dan's ear, intent on dragging the little sprite out. He shouted angrily, "Young Master, let me catch this little sprite and dry it into demon jerky!"
The Ear Canal Deity had already retreated deeper, trembling in fright as it hid in a small hollow beside the eardrum.
"Don't... Uncle Wu, don't touch it... It says a master is refining pills inside, and tells us to follow its guidance to seek two pills, promising to share one with it later," Cui Dan yelled, tugging at his ear.
Uncle Wu was even more astonished. "A master is refining pills inside?"
"These sprites gathered here because they detected Heavenly Secrets... waiting for an opportunity? ...This bodes ill. If Heavenly Secrets leak out like this, a tribulation will surely follow. If even this little sprite knows of it, how could it fail to stir up trouble?"
"Moreover, spirit pills are so precious; how could we give one away to a mere little demon?"
"Even if we request pills from that master, the price we pay will surely not be small. How could we let it reap the benefits just by flapping its lips?" Uncle Wu pondered for a moment and said, "If attackers strike shortly, our lending a hand might earn us some goodwill with that master. However, that alone may not move him. Go ask the Ear Canal Deity how we can befriend such an extraordinary person, and what origins this master possesses."
"It must prove more useful before it deserves a spirit pill."
Inside the alchemy chamber, Qian Chen's mind stirred. The heat of this batch of pills was on the verge of completion. Yet vaguely sensing Heavenly Secrets of fortune and misfortune, he realized that by utilizing the Earth Baleful Yin Vein beneath this desolate manor to refine the spirit pills—a yin vein unnoticed by mortals—he had nevertheless formed a subtle resonance with the nearby demons and nature spirits. Underground gold, silver, willow trees, and nature spirits in the vicinity had attained sentience through the nourishment of this earth balefulness.
By drawing upon this vein of yin balefulness, he had forged an affinity with them in the unseen.
Naturally, Qian Chen did not truly need to pay them any mind. This was not an exceptionally massive Earth Baleful Yin Vein that would tie Karma with other cultivators and draw down an external tribulation. Even if he ignored these tiny sprites, the Karma formed was exceedingly faint and posed no lingering consequences.
*Still... having previously slain that unworthy Mount Mei disciple, I might face trouble drawn by the tangles of Karma.*
*These external tribulations of spirit pills are truly vexing. Taking advantage of the creations of heaven and earth is never simple... It was far cleaner during missions in the Reincarnation Lands, where no Karma attached, and all manner of treasures were picked up at will without fear of consequences... After all, even if the Twelve Yuan Chen have friends and family... could they possibly cross into the Central Lands to strike at me?*
At that thought, Qian Chen frowned slightly, recalling the otherworldly strange stone bearing the handprint.
That item had drawn the attention of the Lord of Reincarnation; it was bound to be extraordinary, and might very well tie back to the Central Lands.
Within the Mysterious Gate aperture, the dan embryo of the primal dan was gradually reaching perfection, and even the chaotic, mingled qi showed signs of differentiating. As Qian Chen nurtured the dan embryo, he gathered qi daily without cease. Not only did the pure spiritual true qi circulating within his body roll like round pearls, growing considerably, but his stores of various primordial qi gathered from heaven and earth for alchemy were also abundant. By his rough estimate, he could form at least sixty pills.
Now, with the dan embryo on the verge of completion, Qian Chen had to ensure not only that the primal dan emerged smoothly from the furnace, but also seize the moment of its achievement to shatter the chaos and separate dozens of strands of refined primordial qi, forging each into a spirit pill. This was equivalent to refining over a dozen different spirit pills simultaneously, all through the most refined and profound method of qi dan. The difficulty was astounding.
Ordinary "alchemy masters" would never dare attempt such a feat.
Only Taishang Dao, the ancestral forebear of alchemy, would dare toy with qi dan in such a daring fashion on their very first attempt.
Chapter 43