Pill Dao

Early the next morning, the former Crown Prince was laid to rest.

The funeral should have been personally presided over by the King, yet Dong Huazi was the one conducting it. At the grand ritual, Li Qinglin and Li Qingjun stood silently to one side. Li Qingjun had cried until her eyes were swollen, while Li Qinglin remained expressionless.

His thoughts had long since drifted into the palace, where his royal father was receiving Qin Yi.

His royal father's health had worsened with each passing day over the past two years. Yesterday's banquet had already been exhausting for him, and this morning he lacked the strength to attend the rites, resting instead within the palace. Yet his royal father did not feel that his body was deteriorating. On the contrary, he often felt that his spirits had improved...

Li Qinglin sighed softly. Turning to look at his sister, weeping like pear blossoms drenched by rain, he felt somewhat conflicted.

Part of him hoped his sister could remain so innocent and radiant forever, yet another part hoped she would grow mature and sensible... She understood nothing, foolish enough to make one irritable. But if she truly came to understand, perhaps that would instead mark the beginning of brother and sister turning against each other.

Come to think of it, he rather envied Qin Yi. Serene and without desires, he naturally had far fewer troubles.

Meanwhile, as Qin Yi was led toward the bedchamber by palace attendants, he felt unbearably uncomfortable the entire way.

He obviously could not bring the Wolf Tooth Club with him when entering the bedchamber to meet the King. Before leaving, he had left Liusu in the Guest Courtyard, hiding her with utmost care at the heart of the Wooden Sword Array. Yet the moment he stepped outside after believing he had hidden Liusu safely, he felt uncomfortable all over, as though something were missing.

It was like forgetting to bring his phone when going out before his transmigration... only worse. It felt as though half his heart had been hollowed out, and his hands itched so badly that he nearly wanted to grab the eunuch beside him and carry him around in his hand.

This was the first time he had been apart from Liusu since his transmigration.

Fortunately, he had crammed plenty of knowledge about Daoist Arts lately, so he would not easily reveal his inexperience. Divination merely required some common sense and nonsense, anyway; he would be about the same as Dong Huazi. Pill refining and medicine-making counted as his specialty. Looking at Dong Huazi's lousy pills, Qin Yi felt he could crush him completely in that regard. All in all, he still had some confidence for this audience with the King. He would not become useless merely because Liusu was absent.

This was precisely the sort of scene Qin Yi had envisioned when he descended from the mountain. (P.S.: I truly do not know what sort of brains those people have who think Qin Yi descending the mountain meant overestimating himself and going to fight Dong Huazi. The Prince's invitation was obviously for the sake of political struggles over favor and power. Dealing with Dong Huazi mainly relied on politics rather than battle. If you cannot even understand that, do you think Liu Bei invited Zhuge Liang to charge into enemy lines with a fan and behead generals? Do you think this is Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Warriors of Fate?)

Upon reaching the bedchamber, the scent of sandalwood rushed at his face. The moment he entered, he saw the King dressed in a Daoist robe, sitting cross-legged upon a meditation cushion. Sandalwood smoke curled all around him, while servant girls gently fanned him nearby.

Qin Yi was too drained to mock him. Your eldest son is being buried today. If you were bedridden from illness, that would be one thing, but you were cultivating the Dao in here!

At yesterday's banquet, the King had sat high in the seat of honor, somewhat distant, and Qin Yi's attention had mainly been focused on Dong Huazi and Mang Zhan, so he had not paid much attention to the King's appearance. Looking at him up close now, the King had remarkably handsome features. No wonder his sons were dashing and his daughters lovely. He was at most forty or fifty, with black hair and a rosy complexion. He truly looked like someone skilled at preserving his health, so it was no wonder he trusted Dong Huazi.

But Qin Yi could tell that this rosy complexion was not quite normal.

King Wude had once gone onto the battlefield in his youth and was himself a martial artist. A martial artist who had cultivated successfully should still be at the peak of life in his forties or fifties. Unless he had naturally been red-faced or practiced a particularly unusual technique, a normal complexion would have been the proper state.

Could you imagine Li Qinglin at forty or fifty with a bright red face?

That rosy complexion came from pill toxins, which were already affecting his health. And furthermore...

This heavy sandalwood fragrance seemed to be concealing the faint stench emanating from his body.

"Your Majesty, Qin Yi has arrived," the eunuch said softly.

The King opened his eyes. For an instant, they seemed somewhat clouded, only slowly becoming clear again.

Five Signs of Decay. Such a term surfaced in Qin Yi's mind. His heart trembled slightly. He did not know whether his knowledge of medicinal principles was still too shallow, but judging solely by his current standards, this King did not seem likely to live much longer...

"Fellow Daoist Qin." The King's tone was exceedingly kind. "You are so young. May I ask which school your master belongs to?"

Qin Yi had long prepared for this. "My master is Liu Su Zhenren. She wanders the four seas and belongs to no particular school."

The King considered this for a moment. "I have never heard of her... But there are many people of the Dao in this world. It is indeed beyond my ability to know them all."

You are ignorant to an astonishing degree. How could it merely be a matter of not knowing them all? Naturally, Qin Yi did not say this aloud. He merely bowed.

"Please sit, Fellow Daoist Qin." The King pointed to a meditation cushion opposite him.

Qin Yi calmly sat down cross-legged. His sleeves fluttered lightly as both palms faced heaven upon his knees. His posture was impeccable. Yet he did not quite resemble a Daoist cultivator; instead, he carried a touch of unworldly elegance. The King watched him without blinking for some time, then nodded faintly. "Full lotus posture, Five Hearts Facing the Sky—very standard. You truly have an inheritance."

"..." Qin Yi was nearly speechless. Just what had Dong Huazi taught you, treating something this basic as a serious standard for judgment?

The King continued, "What school do you primarily cultivate, Fellow Daoist? Divination?"

"Divination is merely something I play around with." Qin Yi said, "I primarily cultivate the way of External Pills. I can help people dispel illness and ward off disease, prolonging life and increasing longevity."

A faint light flashed in the King's eyes. "That is somewhat similar to what the National Teacher studies. Fellow Daoist, you might as well seek more guidance from the National Teacher. It may prove beneficial."

Right from the start, he had placed Qin Yi in the position of Dong Huazi's student. It was clear how high Dong Huazi stood in his heart. Qin Yi said mildly, "There is nothing wrong with fellow Daoists exchanging knowledge."

The King said, "The National Teacher's pills achieve nine revolutions and can grant immortality, while you speak only of prolonging life and warding off disease. Fellow Daoist, you are young and high-spirited. Though you have an inheritance, you must still humbly seek the Dao."

"To speak of prolonging life and warding off disease is humility. The Great Dao is arduous. Even attaining immortality for oneself requires a lifetime of seeking, yet he speaks grandly and extravagantly of helping others attain immortality? His words are too full; that is no longer humility."

The King was stunned for a moment. "The National Teacher has not filled his words entirely, either. The true method of Nine Revolutions to Immortality is still being explored. Yet from his usual pills, I have indeed felt my mind become clear and my wisdom sharpen. Their effects are already real."

Qin Yi nearly blurted out that those pills were useless as shit, but recalling Li Qinglin's warning, he suppressed it. "Another day, I shall seek instruction from the National Teacher."

The King nodded, then suddenly said, "Since Fellow Daoist is one who seeks the Dao and cultivates in purity, regarding Zhaoyang..."

Qin Yi immediately bowed down. "We are mutually in love. I am willing to become her Dao Companion."

The King apparently had not expected this fellow to be so direct. The words filling his belly were instead choked back, and he stared at Qin Yi with an odd expression for quite some time before slowly saying, "Your worldly ties are not severed. How can you speak of seeking the Dao? I have a proposal..."

Qin Yi directly interrupted him. "Has the National Teacher ever mentioned such a passage in his Pill Dao?"

Though the King had been interrupted, he showed no displeasure and remained kindly. "Please speak, Fellow Daoist."

"When lead and mercury first unite, dragon and tiger first draw close; when sun and moon join, yin and yang stir each other, and thus the pill is born from chaos. If one does not know the foundation of dragon and tiger, the root transformation of yin and yang, yet recklessly casts in metal and stone in hopes of forging the returning pill, it is like entering water to seek chickens and rabbits, climbing mountains to search for fish and dragons. It is wrong!"

The King stood stunned for a while, sinking into contemplation.

Qin Yi felt refreshed and invigorated.

Pitifully pleading in the manner of a lovesick child, begging someone not to marry off his daughter, was useless. Showing off through the Pill Dao he valued most—that was the real way to show off!