Seeking to Capture Treasure Qi

Chen Lingxi's consciousness snapped back to reality, his head splitting with pain.

He rubbed his temples and sat on the edge of the bed for a moment before slowly letting out a breath.

"He took that incense burner out with him."

Chen Lingxi was puzzled.

What exactly was inside that incense burner?

He remembered the thirteen talisman seals, the melted incense stick, and the mouthful of fresh blood Lin Suri had sprayed into the burner.

"What was he refining?"

The thought circled through his mind for a long time, yet he found no answer.

He shook his head, stopped dwelling on it, sat cross-legged, and began breathing exercises.

The spring night air was cool as water, carrying the fresh fragrance of grass and trees.

With every breath, the thin spiritual energy between heaven and earth seeped into his body in fine strands, merging with the spiritual qi in his dantian.

The spiritual qi slowly circulated, refining away the last trace of medicinal power left from the Dragon-Drawing Powder he had taken during the day.

Yet he remained intensely curious about where Lin Suri had gone.

The next day, he sank into the Divine Chamber once more and activated the Wandering Sight Divine Ability.

Lin Suri had already returned. He sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion in the inner room of the East Hall, with that incense burner placed before him.

His eyes were closed, his right hand pressed against the incense burner, golden light flowing across his palm.

But this time, Chen Lingxi's attention was not on Lin Suri, but on the incense burner.

A streak of purple light shone from within the burner.

It was a distinct, solid strand of purple treasure qi, slowly circulating inside.

Chen Lingxi held his breath, drew his viewpoint closer, and looked carefully.

He recognized that purple treasure qi.

It was exactly the same as the purple qi that had erupted from the treasure vase in the hands of that noble youth on Inlaid Gold Mountain.

Only, it was far smaller.

It was merely as thick as two or three fingers pressed together. It slowly prowled through the incense burner like a trapped purple snake, charging left and right, yet never able to break free of the burner's restraints.

Lin Suri's spiritual qi slowly poured into the burner. Golden light intertwined with purple qi, producing faint hissing sounds.

The purple qi was being devoured bit by bit.

Its edges began to blur, and its color dimmed slightly, like a block of solid ice slowly melting beneath a gentle flame.

Chen Lingxi saw it clearly.

He estimated the rate—at this pace, Lin Suri would need at least another ten-odd days to refine this strand of purple qi completely.

Ten-odd days.

A thought suddenly surfaced in Chen Lingxi's heart.

Those purple fragments scattered across Inlaid Gold Mountain.

The youth had used the treasure vase to drive the purple qi, only for the swordsman to shatter it with a single slash, scattering it throughout the mountains and wilderness.

Some fragments were large, some small. The large ones were like little snakes, while the small ones were like grains of rice.

Those fragments were treasure qi as well.

Though they could not compare to the complete strand in Lin Suri's burner, they were certainly no ordinary things.

"If I could find one or two strands..."

Chen Lingxi's eyes glimmered faintly.

Lin Suri was using spiritual qi to gnaw away at that purple qi, spending both time and effort. Yet this also told him something...

Though this purple qi was powerful, it was not impossible to refine.

He possessed the spiritual qi of the Second Level of Qi Circulation.

It was far inferior to Lin Suri's, but if he could find a much smaller fragment of treasure qi and refine it slowly with spiritual qi, he might not be unable to claim it for himself.

"This treasure qi possesses unmatched power, far surpassing many treasured swords, sabers, and arrows."

"If I had such treasure qi, even if it were smaller, I would have a true thing to rely on."

He calculated silently in his heart.

"Even if Zhao Yong turned against me, I would have a chance to escape alive."

His gaze settled on the strand of purple qi in Lin Suri's burner, and his eyes grew ever more resolute.

"Over the next few days, Lin Suri will surely enter seclusion to refine that purple qi. Zhao Yong has also gone to the capital to purchase goods and inspect the accounts. This is the perfect opportunity."

"Inlaid Gold Mountain."

He silently repeated those three words in his heart. "Only, that incense burner for collecting treasure qi, those talisman seals..."

Chen Lingxi looked at the incense burner on the table in his room.

These bronze incense burners could be found in nearly every room.

"What harm is there in trying?"

Once Chen Lingxi made up his mind, he wasted no more time.

He rose, straightened his clothes, and headed outside.

The late-spring wind blew in from beyond the corridor, carrying the fading fragrance of flowers in the garden, still blooming yet already about to wither.

Without slowing his steps, he passed through the moon gate of the West Courtyard, followed the covered corridor south, and went straight to the main courtyard of the West Courtyard where Lin Longyue lived.

Two young maidservants stood before the main courtyard gate. Seeing him arrive, one of them turned and went inside to announce him.

Before long, Liuzhu emerged. She stood inside the threshold and looked at him with a calm gaze.

"Chen Lingxi, the young lady is resting. What business do you have?"

Chen Lingxi bowed. "Miss Liuzhu, Chen Lingxi wishes to see the young lady and request leave to go outside the city."

Liuzhu's brows rose slightly, surprise flashing through her eyes. "Leave the city? Do you know your status?"

"Of course." Chen Lingxi lowered his head, his voice respectful. "The young lady instructed that from now on, a vase of flower arrangements must be sent to the palace every five days, with fresh designs and ingenious meanings.

But now that the arrangements have grown more numerous, the flowers in the courtyard no longer offer anything new. The shops in the city all sell ordinary flowers, which cannot truly be called 'rare.'

I heard that Her Highness the Imperial Consort most enjoys the 'wild charm of the mountains and fields.' That is why I thought of leaving the city. If I could seek out wild flowers and grasses in the mountains around Yuan River Prefecture, the flower arrangements might better please Her Highness the Imperial Consort."

He spoke earnestly, his head remaining lowered, his posture humble and compliant.

After listening to him, Liuzhu fell silent for a moment. "Wait here. I will report this to the young lady."

With that, she turned and entered the courtyard, the gate softly closing behind her.

Chen Lingxi stood outside with his hands lowered, waiting quietly.

After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Liuzhu came out again, holding something in her hand.

She walked up to Chen Lingxi and handed the item to him.

It was a travel permit.

Yellow paper, black ink, stamped with the red seal of the Baosu Marquis Residence. It listed Chen Lingxi's name, status, and destination, along with the period of validity for his journey—he could depart on the third day of the fourth month and had to return before the fifth day of the fourth month, or it would expire.

Chen Lingxi accepted it with both hands, lowered his head for a glance, and tucked it into his robe.

"The young lady has spoken," Liuzhu said evenly. "You are permitted to leave the residence and seek wild flowers in the surrounding mountains, in hopes of making better flower arrangements. Only—"

She paused, her eyes falling upon Chen Lingxi's face.

"Only, these are unsettled times," Liuzhu continued. "Capital Prefecture and Southern Lu Prefecture have set up checkpoints everywhere, and inspections are being conducted throughout the land. In the more distant Martial Celebration Prefecture and Azure Splendor Prefecture, household registrations are being checked on a large scale.

Without a travel permit issued by the authorities, you cannot go anywhere."

"If you truly go, do not take a wrong turn and wander into places you should not go."

Chen Lingxi lowered his head. "Chen Lingxi understands."

Liuzhu gave a soft grunt, then added, "There is one more thing the young lady asked me to tell you."

"Among the residence's retainers are no few Golden Body experts. For a Golden Body martial artist, traveling two thousand li in a day is no difficult feat. The surrounding prefectures also have businesses belonging to our Baosu Marquis Residence, and there are eyes everywhere."

Her tone was exceedingly calm when she said this.

But Chen Lingxi understood the meaning behind her words.

Lin Longyue was telling him—not to entertain any thought of fleeing.

The power of this residence was far beyond what a single government slave like him could contend with.

Even if he escaped the marquis residence and Yuan River Prefecture, there were still checkpoints outside, household registration checks, and inspections everywhere.

And there were the residence's experts behind him as well.

A government slave without household registration would find it impossible to take even a single step in these surrounding prefectures.

Chen Lingxi showed nothing on his face. He merely bowed and said, "Chen Lingxi understands. Thank you for the young lady's guidance."

Liuzhu waved her hand. "Go. Leave early and return early. Do not delay the flower arrangements."

With that, she turned and returned to the courtyard.

Chen Lingxi headed back.

Along the way, he took the travel permit from his robe and looked at it once more. After confirming there was no mistake, he put it away again.

"Depart on the third day of the fourth month. Return before the fifth day of the fourth month."

Today was the second day of the fourth month.

He could set off tomorrow.

He quickened his pace back to his courtyard, shut the door, and sat down at the table.

Outside the window, dusk deepened. Chen Lingxi's gaze fell upon the incense burner.

It was still the same sort of incense burner.

Its bronze surface was dark as the night. Ghost-face patterns faintly protruded from its body, and a stick of incense was slanted within it, thin as a wandering thread, its burning tip a dim red flickering on and off.

It was identical to the one he had previously had in the Inverted Room.

Chen Lingxi picked up the incense burner, held it in his palm, and studied it intently.

In the Divine Chamber, he had seen Lin Suri inject spiritual qi into the incense burner, use talisman seals to form an array, turn the incense stick into ashes, and then mix in blood, finally refining a vessel capable of holding treasure qi.

"During Sight-Roaming, I not only observed every detail, leaving not the slightest thing unnoticed, but also remembered everything at a glance."

He remembered those thirteen talisman seals with perfect clarity.

He also remembered the routes through which the spiritual qi flowed without the slightest error.

"Let's try it."

He placed the incense burner on the table, sat cross-legged, and calmed his mind.

The strand of azure qi in his dantian slowly circulated. At his urging, it flowed out from his dantian, traveled upward through his meridians, and ultimately gathered in his right palm.

He pressed his right hand against the incense burner.

Spiritual qi seeped from his palm and entered the burner.

The burner trembled faintly, emitting an extremely soft hum.

Chen Lingxi's heart leaped with joy. Not daring to slacken, he followed the route in his memory and used spiritual qi to trace talisman seals within the incense burner.

He guided a thread of spiritual qi into the burner.

The first talisman seal—like a twisted snake.

But his spiritual qi was too weak. One thread was not enough. When he was halfway through tracing it, he could no longer sustain it. The shape of the talisman seal collapsed midway, and the spiritual qi surged back, numbing his palm.

Chen Lingxi gritted his teeth, urged forth the remaining spiritual qi in his dantian once more, and started again.

This time, the spiritual qi he summoned was somewhat denser. Like a slender snake, it traveled along the inner wall of the incense burner, coiling left and right, thrusting forward and drawing back. At last, before the spiritual qi ran out, he completed the first talisman seal.

Chen Lingxi did not dare stop. He continued tracing the second talisman seal.

The third.

The fourth.

His face grew paler and paler, cold sweat streaming down his forehead. The spiritual qi in his dantian was nearly exhausted.

But he did not stop.

The fifth.

The sixth.

The seventh.

When he traced the seventh talisman seal, his spiritual qi was finally completely depleted.

The final talisman seal was less than halfway complete when it collapsed in the middle, the spiritual qi dispersing into nothingness.

Chen Lingxi's entire body shuddered. His right hand slid from the incense burner, and he gasped for breath.

He lowered his head and looked at the incense burner.

The dim red ember on the incense stick inside had gone out. The incense burner had returned to its original state, dark and dull as rotten wood.

"Only seven."

He muttered to himself, his voice carrying a touch of unwillingness. "I wonder whether seven talisman seals can hold that purple qi."

But on second thought, Lin Suri had relied on the cultivation of the Qi Circulation Fifth Floor, or perhaps even higher, to trace all thirteen complete talisman seals.

He was only at the Second Level of Qi Circulation. Being able to trace seven was already no easy feat.

"I just do not know whether seven talisman seals can work."

He rested for a moment. Once the spiritual qi in his dantian had recovered somewhat, he began again.

This time, he no longer greedily sought more. He focused only on repeatedly practicing those seven talisman seals, until each could take shape in a single attempt, without the slightest hesitation.

The seven talisman seals moved along the inner walls of the incense burner, faintly echoing one another. Like seven chess pieces, though they had yet to form a connected whole, they had already been placed where they belonged.

Chen Lingxi bit the tip of his tongue and sprayed a mouthful of fresh blood into the incense burner.

The instant the blood landed at the bottom of the burner, the seven talisman seals suddenly lit up.

From its upper end, the incense stick gradually turned to ash. The ashes fell to the bottom of the burner, mixing with the talisman seals, spiritual qi, and blood, slowly melting into a small mass of dark-golden viscous liquid.

The liquid flowed slowly along the bottom of the burner, like spilled mercury, though it was only a thin layer, barely enough to cover the base.

Then smoke began to rise.

The smoke was extremely faint. It was not the ordinary bluish smoke of burning incense, but a thick milky-white mist that gathered above the incense burner into a single cloud and lingered without dispersing.

Chen Lingxi watched that cloud of mist, and his heart suddenly settled.

"The purple qi in Lin Suri's burner was trapped by mist like this."

"It seems seven talisman seals can still be used."

His cultivation was far inferior to Lin Suri's; naturally, the treasure aura this incense burner could trap was nowhere near that strand of purple qi.

But as long as it could trap even a trace, a wisp—

Even a wisp as thin as a hair would be enough.

He carefully wrapped the incense burner in coarse cloth.

The night outside the window had deepened. There was no moon in the sky, only a few stars glimmering through gaps in the clouds, casting a cold, ghostly light.

Chen Lingxi sat on the edge of the bed for a while, checked his luggage once more, and only lay down after confirming that nothing was amiss.

He did not meditate again. He merely closed his eyes and listened to the wind outside the window.

The wind blew in from afar, passing through the bamboo grove in the garden with a rustling whisper, like someone speaking softly.