When they reached the inner courtyard together, the Ninth Princess directed the maidservants to set out the meal and told Li Ling, "I knew you would lose track of time once you got busy, so I had the cook prepare a few dishes. We can just have a simple meal here."
She called it simple, but there were actually eighteen platters of delicacies from mountain and sea, with gold-inlaid bowls, ivory chopsticks, and jade porcelain flasks all present. It was fine wine and sumptuous food by any measure.
With his lovely wife seated opposite to keep him company and maids serving food onto his plate, Li Ling needed only to sit there and do his own chewing. Still, without strings and flutes to delight his ears or singing and dancing to enliven the occasion, it truly could count as a plain, quick meal for a worldly man blessed with such sky-high wealth.
The Ninth Princess barely touched her chopsticks. Studying his expression, she suddenly asked, "Husband, why do you seem so downhearted?"
Li Ling finished the food in his mouth before answering, "What else but the chance to cultivate? Tell me, how did I get so unlucky as to have a defective spirit root?"
The Ninth Princess comforted him. "Your life in the mortal world is already as carefree as an immortal's. Why insist on more?"
Li Ling shook his head slightly, recalling how, while checking his old accounts earlier, he had realized he had already spent twenty-one years in this world.
"Setting aside ordinary Incense Formulas and worldly business, the only one useful to the Old Ancestor is the Spirit-Communing Incense Formula."
"But over these last few years, my craft has reached maturity, and the trading company has flourished. I have worked out several base materials using pepper, orchids, fragrant thoroughwort, and cassia, and identified hundreds upon thousands of plants. What comes next should be a productive period of bringing everything together."
"If I can really produce something besides Spirit-Communing Incense, then even with my defective spirit root, I might be granted an opportunity and guided into cultivation, so I can live longer and contribute more."
"I reckon becoming a Qi Refining cultivator is still possible. But even then, I would live for no more than a hundred years. How could that be called an immortal's life?"
The Ninth Princess smiled with pursed lips as he continued pouring out his heart. "For a mortal, reaching seventy is already a rarity. The true prime of life lasts only twenty or thirty short years. Once I'm old and decrepit, what good would fine food before me or a host of beautiful wives and concubines do?"
"If I had never known that cultivators could manifest their powers, that would be one thing. But now that I know, how could I not want to leap out of this mortal sea of suffering?"
Li Ling imagined himself with chicken-skin wrinkles and crane-white hair, all his teeth gone, his back bent as he walked, trembling and needing someone to support him. A chill ran through him, as though some great terror were descending.
The Ninth Princess said, "Hasn't the Old Ancestor already personally promised to temper your mortal bones once she forms her Nascent Soul?"
Li Ling said, "I know the Old Ancestor keeps her word. But even if that makes me a Qi Refining cultivator, I would only be on the level of a mortal who trains his body. Ordinary people who take good care of themselves might live even longer. What good would that do?"
The Ninth Princess was speechless for a time. At last, she said, "No wonder even the Old Ancestor says you aim high. You're already planning beyond Qi Refining. The way I see it, if your search comes to nothing, won't you end up empty-handed on both sides? Better to enjoy yourself while you can."
Li Ling said, "Enjoy myself while I can?"
The Ninth Princess said, "You don't seem to like going out for amusement. Why not keep a troupe of household performers, to ease your boredom with music and dancing? If any are especially pretty, send them to your bedroom to serve you. We've been married for over a year, and apart from taking the bedchamber maids who came with my dowry, you haven't even taken a concubine. People who don't know better might think I'm jealous."
Li Ling could not help laughing. There truly was nothing to fault in this princess.
But then he thought of how he was merely a passing traveler in her long life. A hundred years later, she would sever the red dragon, cut away mortal attachments, and truly seek immortality and the Dao, while he would already have become a mound of yellow earth. His yearning for the Dao surged once more.
No wonder Zhuangzi had said that rather than moisten each other with spit, fish would do better to forget each other in the rivers and lakes.
By dusk, the Ninth Princess had already gone home, and an unexpected spring rain arrived.
Li Ling took his carriage home, still remembering to continue his research.
He had never stopped thinking about his chance to cultivate. Since his spirit root was confirmed defective and he had no foundation for the immortal path, he might as well begin with another defining feature of cultivators: Spiritual Consciousness, thoughts, and, deeper still, the soul.
These were subjects normally touched upon only at lofty realms. Only the Old Ancestor's help had allowed him to obtain some classics and secret records to study.
Li Ling reckoned the Old Ancestor had never expected him to discover anything, nor feared that his blind experimentation would send him into cultivation deviation.
After all, a cultivator's soul tempering began with Qi Refining, following the gradual progression of refining essence into qi, refining qi into spirit, and refining spirit back into emptiness. He could not even refine essence into qi; the later steps were ultimately nothing but idle dreams.
"Hard. It really is hard!"
"I have absolutely no clue where to begin. How am I supposed to enter the Immortal Sects?"
Suddenly, the carriage stopped. Li Ling smelled an unfamiliar scent approaching, and suspicion immediately stirred.
A moment later, someone lifted the carriage curtain. It was a horse-faced, middle-aged man in Daoist robes. His appearance was unremarkable, but he possessed something like the distinctive air of a cultivator, transcending the mundane.
"Who are you? Why have you stopped my carriage?"
Li Ling kept his expression composed, but inwardly grew wary. Judging by the strong scent that had suddenly drifted over, this man seemed to harbor ill intentions.
The Horse-Faced Daoist looked him over. "You seem calm in the face of danger, not some useless fool. Unfortunately, your quickening heartbeat gives you away. Are you looking for a chance to escape? Never mind. You're only a mortal. However clever and quick-witted you may be, you can't stir up any waves. Down you go!"
With a sweep of his sleeve, an invisible force struck hard at the back of Li Ling's neck.
This fellow really is a Qi Refining cultivator! Why has he come after me?
Before the thought had passed, Li Ling had taken a solid blow. He did not faint; knocking someone unconscious was a skilled business, after all, and the man seemed to want him alive, so he had held back.
Even so, stars flashed before his eyes, the world spun, and he could barely stay upright.
"Help!" Li Ling hurriedly cried out, but the carriage had somehow already entered an alley. His servants and attendants lay scattered across the ground, their survival unknown.
The Horse-Faced Daoist grabbed Li Ling and stuffed him into a large cloth sack.
Li Ling felt himself drop into a cloth pouch as spacious as a large vat. He could no longer hear anything outside. He pounded hard on the fabric, but nothing happened, as though all his force had been dissipated.
"Is this a magical artifact?" Li Ling drew a sharp breath.
A moment later, a sensation like soaring through clouds and mist swept over him. It seemed the man outside had shouldered the sack and was running away at speed.
Clutching his head, Li Ling said, "Who exactly are you? Do you know I am a disciple under Old Ancestor Yellow Cloud, with property and business in the Mystic Xin Kingdom?"
The man seemed to know everything about Li Ling. He sneered, "Whose household doesn't have an Old Ancestor behind it? You, the incense maker, are precisely the one we were ordered to capture."
"What?" Li Ling was inwardly shocked.
The man said, "I don't mind telling you. We're from the neighboring Zhu Yuan Kingdom. In fact, our master's Old Ancestor belongs to the same sect and lineage as yours."
So this was what it meant to act fearlessly with backing. Li Ling was left speechless.
The other man said, "So you had better know what's good for you. Otherwise, what would it matter if I killed a mere mortal with one stroke?"
An unknown amount of time passed. The man seemed to run dozens of li in one stretch before stopping on a deserted mountain outside the city and letting Li Ling out.
Have we arrived? I don't know whether he has accomplices, but since they're after the Incense Formula, my life should be safe for now. I need to keep them calm first.
Li Ling had been jostled in the sack for a long time. After enduring several hours, he was exhausted and hungry, but his mind still raced, ceaselessly considering countermeasures.
They appeared to be in a mountain cave, brightly lit by several torches. Four tough, capable martial men in short jackets were there as well. Their leader wore brocade and looked like a wealthy merchant.
"As expected, an immortal master's methods are extraordinary. You've already captured him."
The man who had seized Li Ling grinned. "It was thanks to my junior brother luring the others away that I had such an easy time."
Li Ling steadied himself and studied the leader in brocade, discovering that he actually knew him. "Shopkeeper Huo of the Huo Trading Company?"
Shopkeeper Huo was a foreigner, indeed from the Islet Origin Kingdom, and apparently had close ties to its royal family.
At his words, Shopkeeper Huo turned and cupped his hands in greeting with a broad smile. "Brother Li, have you been well since we last met?"
Li Ling snorted coldly, while his thoughts raced.
Shopkeeper Huo spoke with false sincerity. "Previously, I truly thought you merely did ordinary business, Brother Li. Though you had built quite a fortune, there was nothing particularly remarkable about it. But before the New Year, something called Spirit-Communing Incense rose to fame, and Yellow Cloud True Person kept its source concealed. That was enough to arouse suspicion. Only after investigating in secret did we discover that it was indeed you who supplied it."
"Our Old Ancestor has ordered us to invite you to the Zhu Yuan Kingdom as a guest. In our haste, we inevitably gave you a fright. I must apologize to you here, Brother Li."
Li Ling frowned. "The Zhu Yuan Kingdom's Old Ancestor? Azure Cloud True Person?"
Shopkeeper Huo said, "Indeed. Our Old Ancestor rightfully holds a place in the Skycloud Sect's direct lineage, hence his title, Azure Cloud True Person. Once he attains Nascent Soul in the future, he will be honored as an Old Ancestor like yours. These are all orthodox Daoist titles passed down through the lineage."
Li Ling said, "Of Skycloud's various branches, the direct lineage is the most exalted. Yet I never imagined it would stoop to crowing like roosters and stealing like dogs."
Shopkeeper Huo faltered at that, but the Horse-Faced Daoist took no offense. Instead, he grinned. "Correct, but meaningless. Boy, if you know what's good for you, you know what to do, don't you?"
Li Ling said, "There is a recipe, but even if I write it out plainly, all the procedures and details involved in making it are difficult to convey. A hair's breadth of error leads a thousand miles astray. Wouldn't you agree?"
Shopkeeper Huo said, "That I truly believe. To tell you the truth, we have secretly investigated the Spirit-Communing Incense recipe for a long time. We know its apparent preparation method perfectly, yet all we ever produce is ordinary incense. We still cannot work out how to obtain its wondrous effects. Such things presumably are difficult to put into writing. We'll have to trouble you to make a trip to our capital, Brother Li."
Li Ling fell silent for a while, then said, "Is there anything to eat? After all these hours, I'm nearly starving."
Shopkeeper Huo beckoned. "Bring him something to eat."
A Burly Man immediately brought water and dry rations, the sort of food travelers made do with on the road.
Li Ling had not eaten such coarse, plain fare in a long time and nearly choked on it. But circumstances were stronger than he was, so he could only embrace hardship and simplicity.
After he ate his fill, darkness fell. The group seemed prepared, taking guard and lookout duties in orderly fashion.
Shopkeeper Huo unhurriedly searched Li Ling and took all his belongings. The notes he had made over the years, the cultivation materials he had compiled, and some spice combinations and formula calculations all came under scrutiny.
"What is this?"
Li Ling glanced at him. Confident that the other man could not understand Chinese characters, he could not be bothered to answer.
Shopkeeper Huo did not invite a snub by pressing the question. Presumably, because he wanted something, he dared not offend Li Ling too greatly. But this state of affairs would not last forever. Li Ling still did not know the temperament or methods of their Old Ancestor. If he encountered someone impatient and cruel, who knew only how to kill the hen for its eggs, things would be disastrous.
Next, they found a Spirit Talisman on Li Ling: a communication artifact given to him by his own Old Ancestor.
Li Ling had always carried it with him, but had found no opportunity to use it. This was not because his captor had been particularly meticulous or cautious, but because his senses were keen and his movements swift. He had never once neglected his surveillance.
Though Li Ling deeply resented it, he had to admit that a mere mortal, however clever and quick-witted, could not stir up any waves.
If even an irregular heartbeat could be heard, how could he hope to take out a Spirit Talisman and use it?
At the sight of the item, the Horse-Faced Daoist's expression turned solemn. He came over personally and secured it against his body.
Shopkeeper Huo then searched Li Ling's Treasure Pouch and discovered three dark-yellow blocks resembling wooden twigs. Each was about a finger high, three inches long, and an inch wide, shaped like a gold bar. His eyes lit up, and he asked, "Is this Spirit-Communing Incense?"
Li Ling said, "That's right."
Spirit-Communing Incense was the foundation that had allowed Li Ling to establish himself and rise straight to the Azure Cloud over the years. Originally a mortal artisan from a poor family, with no aptitude in his spirit root, he had relied on offering this item to earn rewards.
Of course, his ability to discern people through scent had also helped. Had he not confirmed that the immortal master he served bore him no ill will, Li Ling would never have rashly revealed its production method. Nor would he have chosen the Ninth Princess, with her orchid-pure heart and gentle nature, as his wife.
But upon seeing it, Shopkeeper Huo's scent suddenly intensified, emitting an invisible stench like vultures tearing at a rotting corpse.
Such a foul smell, appearing so suddenly... Shopkeeper Huo must be filled with jealousy and greed. He has even conceived murderous intent!
Entirely unaware that he had betrayed his thoughts, Shopkeeper Huo clicked his tongue in wonder. Even the Horse-Faced Daoist could not resist coming closer when he heard, asking, "This doesn't look like any Heavenly Treasures, yet it can stir Divine Sense and aid soul tempering. How exactly is it made?"
Li Ling said, "Spirit-Communing Incense has far more uses than that."
Shopkeeper Huo said, "Oh? I would like to hear the details."
Li Ling said, "For everyday burning, focusing the mind and calming the spirit are mere trifles. It also has remarkable effects in treating illness and injuries. It is useful even for warding off evil, driving away snakes, insects, rats, and ants, and preventing insect bites. This cave looks damp and filthy, hardly a good place. You could scrape off a little powder and scatter it around, just in case."
Shopkeeper Huo smiled. "It seems this Spirit-Communing Incense really deserves to be called a cure-all. But by saying this, Brother Li, aren't you hoping to leave a trail for someone to follow?"
Then he laughed heartily and, as suggested, scraped a little powder from an incense block with his fingernail and scattered it around. That alone showed how fearless he was with his backing.
The Horse-Faced Daoist sneered. "Give up. Those people from the Mystic Xin Kingdom are probably chasing my junior brother north."
He really does have an accomplice? They've been plotting this for a long time!
Li Ling thought to himself that, no matter what, he had to find a way to save himself.