Returning to the barren mountain in the Northern Suburbs, Li Ling eagerly leafed through the Ghost Soul Secret Manual, and everything suddenly fell into place.
Some time ago, he had used Returning Soul Incense as a pretext to study the soul. From the Jade Scroll, he had learned many secrets of Soul Departure, along with related knowledge about the human mind and soul.
Normally, such knowledge had little apparent use. It neither added a few pounds to his strength nor taught him any spells.
At this moment, however, it immediately became a solid foundation.
Upon examining the manual's central ideas, he found that it emphasized techniques rather than the Dao. It only touched upon the underlying principles, explaining them far less clearly than the Divine Soul Jade Scroll the Old Ancestor had given him. This was probably a difference in emphasis between the immortal and Demonic Paths.
The entire text could roughly be divided into three major sections: soul cultivation through visualization, spirit body manifestation, and Nightmare-Suppression Arts.
Of these, soul cultivation through visualization served as the foundation of internal cultivation, while spirit body manifestation was a technique for shaping a spirit origin, which could imitate, to a certain extent, the spirit body produced by Soul Projection.
What I encountered in Duckbill Township must have been that demonic cultivator's spirit origin.
He attached himself to the river through a method similar to Soul Departure, using the control granted by divine authority.
Li Ling immediately understood a great deal.
Reading on, he found that Nightmare-Suppression Arts were a form of curse technique, also known as the Curse-Subduing Art.
At this point, realization dawned on Li Ling once again.
The strange snakes burrowing into people's brains were its manifestation in the void of the divine domain. My spirit body could observe them, but in the physical world, they left neither form nor trace. There was no guarding against them.
Li Ling possessed the Incense-Feeding Soul Tempering method and could even manifest a genuine true spirit. Naturally, the sections on soul cultivation and manifestation held little appeal for him. He focused instead on carefully reading the section on Nightmare-Suppression Arts.
After reading it all in one sitting, he felt he had gained a great deal.
So that was it. This was how it had to be used...
No wonder it had been so difficult to find evidence against them before. They only exposed themselves once their activities grew frequent.
The common people suffered nightmare after nightmare at night, but how many people would listen closely to such suffering and investigate it?
Compared with activities in the physical world, exercising authority within the Divine Kingdom Domain was undoubtedly secretive and safe.
Li Ling felt that this resembled his own experience after Soul Projection. He often went to the Unusual Events Bureau to read its case files without anyone knowing.
The next day, Li Ling used his lingering unease as an excuse to send someone to the Unusual Events Bureau and invite Zuo Zhongliang to his residence.
"Prince Consort Li, there really is no need for you to worry. If you had no dreams last night, the connection will have weakened, making it even harder for demonic cultivators to find you."
"As I said before, so long as you remain strong and give them no opening to exploit, they can do nothing to you."
Zuo Zhongliang seemed rather dissatisfied with making this trip. He still had official duties to attend to.
But when his superiors learned of the matter, they attached great importance to it. Even Deputy Commander Ma had been alerted and accompanied him.
Hearing Zuo Zhongliang's words, he could not help rebuking him. "Hundred-Household Commander Zuo, what sort of attitude is that?"
"You must take this matter seriously. Whatever methods you use, you must not allow demonic cultivators to harass the Prince Consort. Do you understand?"
Zuo Zhongliang looked aggrieved. He truly did not understand.
He had already said that this trivial technique was beneath notice. Why insist on neglecting cases elsewhere and wasting manpower here?
Seeing this, Deputy Commander Ma inwardly shook his head. There was little he could do with someone like Zuo Zhongliang.
What a splendid opportunity!
He wouldn't seize it himself. No wonder he couldn't become a battalion commander.
Li Ling smiled faintly at the exchange, then began asking Zuo Zhongliang about the information the Unusual Events Bureau had gathered.
He could actually look up the relevant case files himself, but how much time and effort would that take?
He might as well simply ask.
Sure enough, Zuo Zhongliang knew the relevant cases like the back of his hand and quickly answered his questions.
After quite some time, Li Ling learned from him that the Unusual Events Bureau had indeed collected related case files. It knew that many ordinary people had been led astray after suffering repeated nightmares and mental exhaustion.
Li Ling pondered for a moment, then asked, "This seems to help illicit worship spread. Does the Unusual Events Bureau have no good way of dealing with it?"
Zuo Zhongliang said, "No. It requires certain secret mental techniques. Even if we could enter other people's dreams, where would we find the time to lie in wait for them all?"
Deputy Commander Ma glanced at him and hurriedly added, "Of course, if you truly come under attack, Prince Consort Li, we will spare no expense to invite an expert into your dreams to slay demons and vanquish evil. Defeating the dream spirit body will usually sever the connection."
Li Ling smiled. "I see. That puts my mind at ease."
"But this method only helps the rich and powerful. The common people still have nothing to rely on."
Zuo Zhongliang suddenly said, "Prince Consort Li, there is actually something I would like to ask you about as well."
"Please go ahead," Li Ling said.
Zuo Zhongliang said, "We have recently been pursuing demonic cultivators in various places and discovered that some members of the Ghost Soul Sect possess Spirit-Communing Incense..."
Deputy Commander Ma's expression changed sharply, and he frantically signaled to Zuo Zhongliang with his eyes.
Seemingly oblivious, Zuo Zhongliang continued, "They appear to have discovered secrets of Soul Tempering within it. It can aid the mind and enhance the effects of illicit worship."
Li Ling's interest stirred. "Oh? Is that so?"
Zuo Zhongliang said, "The case files prove it. There is no doubt whatsoever."
Li Ling said, "Spirit-Communing Incense can already help cultivators with Soul Tempering. It may indeed have an effect that guides the mind, so it is hardly surprising that demonic cultivators have made use of it. Still, I truly never expected them to apply it in this field."
Zuo Zhongliang said, "Might you be able to improve this incense, Prince Consort, and prevent it from being used for illicit worship?"
Li Ling said, "I'm afraid not. At their root, illicit worship and meditative cultivation have quite a bit in common. Its fundamental nature cannot be changed."
"Besides, the original formula has long since spread. There are probably plenty of people among the populace who know how to make it. Even if its quality is somewhat inferior, it remains usable."
With a thoughtful look, Zuo Zhongliang nodded to show that he understood.
But an idea suddenly came to Li Ling, and he asked the two men, "If an incense could soothe the mind, clear away troubled dreams, and help people sleep, could it prevent nightmares from affecting them?"
Zuo Zhongliang paused in surprise. "Prince Consort Li, you mean..."
Li Ling said, "I am an incense maker formally appointed by the Immortal Sects. If I could create such an incense, it would presumably also help immortal masters defend against secret mental techniques."
"And if its formula happened to be simple and its ingredients inexpensive enough to reach ordinary households, wouldn't it also be an excellent product for preventing harassment by demonic cultivators and curbing illicit worship?"
Zuo Zhongliang said, "If that were possible, nothing could be better."
Deputy Commander Ma was momentarily taken aback, then praised the idea as well. "A fine idea! We look forward to you inventing this incense, Prince Consort!"
Yet after leaving the Prince Consort's Residence and heading back to the bureau, his expression fell. With a dark face, he said to Zuo Zhongliang, "You, honestly! Why must you bring up the one kettle that hasn't boiled?"
"Were you trying to teach Prince Consort Li how to do his job? Why bring up Spirit-Communing Incense out of nowhere? Someone petty would think you were deliberately trying to make him look bad. It's one thing to invite trouble for yourself, but don't drag the Unusual Events Bureau into it!"
Zuo Zhongliang said, "I only wanted to understand the situation."
Deputy Commander Ma was speechless with anger. "I think you've lost your mind, hoping he'll change the properties of Spirit-Communing Incense! Even if we know it aids illicit worship, so what?"
"Do you truly think the immortal masters don't want faith in the River God to spread? After all, the mantis stalks..."
At this point, he seemed to realize something and abruptly stopped speaking.
Zuo Zhongliang's expression changed slightly, and he too fell silent.
After the two men left, Li Ling rode a carrying chair from the front hall to the Inner Garden. He returned to the Fragrant Incense Pavilion, where he usually made incense, and prepared to create a new variety.
The inspiration had come suddenly, but he was not entirely unprepared. After all, he happened to know of several incenses that could soothe the mind, clear troubled dreams, and help people fall asleep.
Incense had many uses. In the broadest sense, aromatic substances were closely connected to numerous aspects of daily life and even included cooking ingredients in the realm of taste.
Sleep was a daily activity that occupied a vast portion of ordinary people's lives, so naturally, aromatic substances had their uses there as well.
Li Ling had researched this subject too. If asked to produce an incense that soothed the mind and aided sleep right now, he already had some ready-made options.
The only problem was that, if he wanted it to help curb illicit worship, affordability and practicality had to come first.
Li Ling spent the entire day making preparations. That night, when it was time for bed, he suddenly told the maidservants in the Inner Garden, "Tonight, we'll be testing some new incense. All of you should use this Sleep-Aid Incense and tell me how you felt tomorrow."
The Ninth Princess asked curiously, "Husband, what's the matter?"
Li Ling immediately told her what had happened that day, then added, "If it truly works, it might count as another small meritorious deed."
Learning that there was this reason behind it, the Ninth Princess could not help asking, "Husband, aren't you going to test it yourself?"
She had thought Li Ling was also worried about nightmares and harassment by demonic cultivators.
Li Ling gently stroked her beautiful hair, lifted a glossy black lock of that fragrant cloud beneath his nose, and sniffed it. Teasingly, he said, "You are my Sleep-Aid Incense, Qing Si. With such wonderful fragrance, why would I need anything else?"
In fact, he intended to use Soul Projection that night and try using Nightmare-Suppression Arts to create nightmares, testing how effectively Sleep-Aid Incense resisted the technique.
Still, Li Ling was not merely flattering his wife. The Ninth Princess possessed the fragrance of virtue and the charm of beauty, both scents he loved.
To say that her fragrance was wonderful and could help him sleep was, indeed, sincere.
The maidservants giggled at his words, apparently misunderstanding his meaning.
One of the bedchamber maids, named Chao Shu, took advantage of her status as one of his intimate attendants to quip glibly, "A fine fragrance indeed! I only fear that too much sniffing will leave the Prince Consort with an aching back."
Blushing, the Ninth Princess lightly thumped Li Ling.
Wait, that maid was the one stirring things up. Why are you hitting me?
Li Ling paused, looking utterly innocent.
But teasing was teasing; there was still proper work to be done.
"Chao Shu, Li Ju, Luo Zhen, Jie Hua, distribute these. Each room is to use a different kind. Don't mix them up."
These women were all intimate attendants, the so-called bedchamber maids. Li Ling had personally changed their names, each of which carried a literary allusion.
At Li Ling's instructions, the four lovely maids each took a different incense and went to distribute it among the other maidservants.
As a result, the bedroom where Li Ling and the Ninth Princess slept had no Incense Fumigation, while the adjacent rooms where the other maidservants slept each used a different variety.
The Ninth Princess had brought many servants with her as part of her dowry. There were enough people to use Li Ling's specially made incenses simultaneously and conduct comparative trials in separate groups.
Once all sounds had fallen still, Li Ling used Soul Projection and flew outside.
The maids in his bedroom had to keep watch through the night. Even if they grew sleepy and shirked their duties, they would only dare to doze, so he had to visit the other rooms to test the effects of Sleep-Aid Incense.
The bedroom where Li Ling and the Ninth Princess usually lived was in the Quiet Serenity Residence at the center of the Inner Garden. Though only a single-story building, it had six inner rooms and eight outer rooms, laid out as a self-contained courtyard residence.
The six inner rooms were the masters' bedroom, wine room, zither room, chess room, study, and painting room. The eight outer rooms were used by the maidservants.
However, these were not their actual living quarters, but temporary accommodations for when they were on duty.
At Li Ling's request, the Ninth Princess had dismissed many maidservants whose scents he disliked. With their numbers reduced to the present level, a fixed arrangement had been established in which three or four women took turns using each room.
In addition, the masters' bedroom was quite spacious and included two small sleeping chambers, allowing them to summon the maids on duty whenever needed. Outside were separate washing facilities that did not count toward the number of rooms.
Li Ling first visited the small sleeping chambers outside the bedroom. Sure enough, Chao Shu and Jie Hua were already fast asleep in their respective rooms.
There were many women in the Prince Consort's Residence, but these few were the only ones Li Ling was truly close to. Their character, talents, and looks far surpassed those of ordinary young ladies from distinguished families.
As soon as he entered Chao Shu's room, a fresh, peony-like fragrance surrounded him. This too was the fragrance of virtue and the charm of beauty, though it manifested less strongly than the Ninth Princess's.
Besides that, however, there was something new tonight: the Sleep-Aid Incense Li Ling had blended. Following a medicinal method, it had been wrapped in a sachet and hidden beneath the pillow.
This was also a common method of preparing incense.
Not all incense was burned. Besides molding incense powder into seal patterns and lighting it, one could also heat it in a burner over buried charcoal or wear it in a scented sachet.
Of course, these were the elegant, complicated terms. In ancient writings, terms such as smoldering, burning, and kindling had similar meanings and were often used interchangeably. There was no need to examine them too closely.
Put plainly, the difference lay between directly scraping off powder and setting it alight, gently heating it above charcoal with a metal or jade plate in between, or wearing an aromatic sachet.
Direct burning was the simplest and most classical method. It was also the all-natural method favored by Li Ling, a master of reviving ancient practices, but it readily produced smoke and could cause respiratory problems.
Burning incense over buried charcoal was an elegant practice that had arisen among scholars and refined gentlemen once the Incense Path reached a certain stage of development.
Li Ling did not think every incense suited this method. Aside from being cumbersome, its refined style needed sufficiently fine aromatic ingredients to complement it. Otherwise, it risked becoming an ugly woman imitating a beauty's frown.
As for Sleep-Aid Incense, the best method was simply to stuff it into a pillow and make a medicinal pillow. This was also a technique used in traditional medicine.
The uses of incense included worship, but were by no means confined to it.
If Spirit-Communing Incense was a ritual incense intended for burning, then this Sleep-Aid Incense was undoubtedly a medicinal incense suited to use in sachets.
What it demonstrated at this moment was a method of aromatic therapy, and most of its aromatic ingredients were medicinal substances.
The Incense Path also shared common ground with the healing arts. Apart from the divine path of incense offerings, this was another field where it intersected with a Dao Path.
Floating above Chao Shu's head, Li Ling quietly sensed her condition for a while, then suddenly activated his technique.
Ripples stirred through the void, perceptible only to him. In an instant, his spirit body entered her dream, and his mind connected with the dream unfolding within hers.
This was Li Ling's advantage: he had no need to rely on divine authority or use a divine domain as an intermediary. He could cast this spell entirely on his own!