Li Ling pondered briefly, then asked another question. "Speaking of which, what exactly is a spirit root?"
"Do you mean the nature of spirit roots, husband?" the Ninth Princess asked.
Li Ling continued to himself, "The scriptures say spirit roots are the apertures of heaven and earth. With all five elements present, yin and yang can generate each other, and the intangible and tangible can transform into one another.
"But in reality, they aren't quite so mysterious. 'Apertures of heaven and earth' is only a figurative description. Even now, there's no definitive explanation.
"You can't find anything like them by dissecting a human body. They should exist only on a nonphysical level.
"The immortal masters have long confirmed that the human body contains no organ or tissue called a spirit root, nor any meridians. These simply aren't things mortal flesh can observe or perceive. I really wonder how the first cultivators discovered their existence and used that knowledge to develop cultivation methods.
"Surely these things couldn't have appeared out of thin air?"
The Ninth Princess thought it over, but had no answer.
This sort of inquiry, digging down to the very roots, was beyond what a Qi Refinement cultivator like her could handle.
Li Ling continued, "As far as I know, spirit roots are actually widespread among ordinary people, but their five elements are incomplete and can't form a balance. That's what people mean by deficient spirit roots leaving one without a foothold on the immortal path.
"Take me, for instance. It isn't that I have no spirit roots at all. I'm missing the metal element.
"You also have to account for the hidden condition of balancing yin and yang. That makes the probability of either complete spirit roots or no spirit roots at all one in two to the tenth power-in other words, roughly one in a thousand.
"And sects have limited resources. They may not be willing to invest heavily in nurturing someone, so plenty of people with cultivation aptitude are overlooked. The actual probability of producing a cultivator is even lower.
"But twenty years is enough for a new generation to grow up. Even if only one in ten thousand, or one in a hundred thousand, manages to cultivate to the Qi Refining Realm, that still amounts to quite a few. It's just that cultivators of the Qi Refining Realm have limited lifespans. Only a handful of heaven's favored children achieve Foundation Establishment, and among those, even fewer achieve Core Formation, let alone reach Nascent Soul or Spirit Transformation."
"The proportions of high- and low-level cultivators in immortal sects look normal now, but that distribution only formed because the Old Ancestors watched generation after generation of disciples grow old, fall ill, and die. Over thousands or tens of thousands of years, the lower-level cultivators have been replaced again and again, while the great cultivators remain the same people. That clearly isn't a classic pyramid structure."
"I really haven't thought about any of that in detail," the Ninth Princess said.
There was a little admiration in the way she looked at Li Ling. Never mind ordinary mortals-even disciples of immortal sects might not think about such things. Her husband truly was remarkable.
"Ring-ring! Ring-ring!"
As the couple chatted, a sudden jingling came from the Ninth Princess's waist.
Li Ling looked closely and saw a waist ornament resembling a string of silver bells trembling. "The Heart-Warning Bell is ringing?"
The Ninth Princess's expression shifted. "Attend me!"
Several servants soon entered.
"An intruder has entered the residence through the outer northern garden," the Ninth Princess said. "Summon the household guards to meet the enemy, quickly."
The servants looked startled, but their training showed even now. They hurried out to make the arrangements.
Before long, drums sounded outside, with reports and acknowledgments rising one after another.
"Could it be the junior brother that Daoist from the Zhu Yuan Kingdom mentioned last time?" Li Ling asked.
"It's possible," the Ninth Princess said. "That day, they lured the tiger away from its mountain and tricked me into heading north too. Fortunately, you were quick-witted enough to find a chance to send word to the Old Ancestor."
"With such a commotion, I'm afraid we'll beat the grass and startle the snake," Li Ling said.
"It doesn't matter if we startle the snake. We can't put you at risk, can we? But you needn't worry too much, husband. Even with heaven-defying abilities, that intruder will have trouble finding us here. If necessary, we can sleep in a different building every day. This trouble won't last long. Once the immortal sect steps in to uphold justice, those fools trying to trouble us in private will be in for it."
Li Ling couldn't help smiling. The prince consort's residence was so large that they could sleep in a different building every day for a month without repeating one.
An ordinary Qi Refinement cultivator with nothing but power and no other abilities really wouldn't find him that easily. They were only cultivators, not actual immortals.
Though he felt a little guilty toward the servants and guards fighting outside, that was how the world worked. Everyone had selfish concerns.
The Ninth Princess feared another ploy to lure the tiger from its mountain would leave Li Ling hurt, and Li Ling feared she would be harmed as well.
Unexpectedly, less than half a quarter-hour later, several wounded guards returned to report, "Prince consort, Your Highness, the intruder has withdrawn with injuries."
Their unspoken intent was to claim credit and seek rewards, but upon hearing this, the Ninth Princess covered the still-trembling Heart-Warning Bell at her waist, her almond-shaped eyes widening.
Li Ling, meanwhile, eyed one of the guards suspiciously as a foul odor tinged with decay suddenly assailed his nose.
"Stop right there! Seize the man at the back!"
The guards froze, momentarily confused, but the Ninth Princess reacted as though she had realized something. "Fools! The intruder can disguise himself and change his appearance. He followed you inside!"
"Hahahaha!" Seeing that he had been exposed, one of the wounded guards shoved aside the man beside him and sprang up like a leaping fish. A streak of golden light shot from his sleeve straight at the Ninth Princess.
His goal was to abduct Li Ling, but he first had to get past the Ninth Princess, so he simply attacked her first. Li Ling was only a mortal anyway. He couldn't escape even if he tried.
The attack immediately revealed his aura, and the Ninth Princess cried, "It really is you-Wei Du of the Zhu Yuan Kingdom!"
As she spoke, the Golden Shuttle Sword flashed in from the side and swept fiercely across, knocking the lethal strike aside.
The man landed just inside the doorway and wiped a hand across his face, revealing the somewhat gaunt features of a middle-aged man. "Indeed. Wei Du himself!"
As he spoke, his robes billowed as though fierce winds were bursting out around him. The guards coming at him from behind with raised blades screamed and flew backward.
The Ninth Princess beckoned, suspending her flying sword before her to protect herself and Li Ling. "You actually dared come back!"
"You killed my senior brother, and now you're preparing to invade my Zhu Yuan Kingdom," Wei Du said. "If I did nothing, wouldn't all my bitter cultivation through thirty-odd years of heat and cold have been wasted?"
"You were the ones who coveted my husband first!" the Ninth Princess snapped.
Wei Du snorted coldly, and his flying sword attacked again. The Ninth Princess had no choice but to counter with her own.
The weapons seemed to be held by invisible hands, clashing in midair with repeated rings of metal striking metal.
But Wei Du seemed somewhat stronger than the Ninth Princess. Before long, he knocked her flying sword violently aside, then thrust his left palm through the air.
A ball of flame the size of a human head appeared, its blazing light carrying astonishing energy. Even several feet away, its heat beat against them as it hurtled toward the Ninth Princess like a meteor.
With a thunderous explosion, the Ninth Princess cried out and was flung into the air.
Fortunately, she had not been entirely unprepared. In her haste, she turned her divine sense into a force barrier before her, blocking most of the shock wave like a shield.
Wei Du sought to press his advantage, but seemed to glimpse something and hastily retreated.
Several arrows shot from the little door into the rear hall. Someone had circled around to prepare an ambush, but seeing the princess injured, they had been forced to strike early.
Wei Du hastily dodged the first few crossbow bolts, but the next struck him in the waist. With a muffled grunt, he withdrew outside.
Several household guards carrying mechanical crossbows rushed out. Rather than immediately continue attacking, they shielded Li Ling and the Ninth Princess, blocking the main hall's entrance. Their movements were well coordinated and had a distinctly military air.
These were military-issued Locust Crossbows. Their bolts flew no slower than ordinary flying swords, and a volley posed a considerable threat even to low-level cultivators.
They qualified as military weapons, but keeping a few in the prince consort's residence was hardly remarkable. The men wielding them were elite veterans, and now they had indeed proved useful.
In the courtyard, other household guards arriving at the alarm attacked Wei Du in turn, forcing him to recall his flying sword and keep it circling around him to parry their blows.
Wounded yet again, Wei Du cast a resentful glance at the entrance, now as unreachable as the far side of a heavenly chasm, then leaped onto a nearby roof.
"I'll be back!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Bowstrings twanged and arrows whistled through the air, but in moments, Wei Du dodged the shafts, jumped down behind the roof, and fled.
"Keep all the Locust Crossbows here," the Ninth Princess ordered. "Everyone else, pursue him!"
Everyone acknowledged the order and departed, leaving only five elite household guards with mechanical crossbows to maintain watch in the courtyard.
"Qingsi, how are you?"
Li Ling had no attention to spare for the fleeing Wei Du. He stepped forward to check on the Ninth Princess.
"I'm fine. I only took a fall. Don't worry, husband." The Ninth Princess shook her head.
She was young and her cultivation was low, but she had been born into wealth and had consumed plenty of Spirit Materials. Even her clothing and accessories were no ordinary items. This time, her excellent equipment had saved her.
"That's good," Li Ling said hurriedly. "Sit down and rest first. Leave the rest to your husband."
He had only just found his own opportunity to cultivate and could do little to help in a head-on fight. But summoning servants and stewards and handling the aftermath was something he managed with perfect order.
Several household guards took identifying tokens, mounted swift horses, and rode down the residence's main avenue toward the southern gate. Once outside, they went their separate ways to the royal palace, the Royal City Office, the City Patrol Guards, and the Capital Prefecture Office.
He then took out a single-use Communication Talisman and sent word to the scruffy Daoist.
He did not forget to notify the Old Ancestor with a Spirit Talisman artifact either. Before long, the slightly aged voice of an elderly woman sounded from the Communication Talisman. "Understood. Zhu Ming happens to be in the city. He has already gone after that man."
Li Ling blinked. "Senior Brother Zhu has already gone after him?"
The elderly woman was Li Ling's current backer, Yellow Cloud True Person, the Old Ancestor of the Mystic Xin Kingdom. At his words, she snorted. "Qingyunzi has been a troublemaker since childhood. This time, he actually set his sights on you, insisting that the Zhu Yuan Kingdom must have you too. He won't listen to reason. He's simply infuriating! But don't worry. That wretch is only sulking at me. He won't go so far as to trouble the juniors. Those fools in the Zhu Yuan Kingdom are waving a chicken feather as though it were a command pennant. They have no sense of propriety at all. Tell Zhu Ming and your father-in-law to deal with them quickly. Hardly anyone in that entire Zhu Yuan Kingdom household lets me rest easy. Sooner or later, they'll cause a disaster!"
It seemed even immortal masters had their troubles, but Li Ling really had no way to respond to any of that.
Seeing his strange expression, the Ninth Princess asked what had happened, then sighed with a smile. "It seems even the Old Ancestor can't do anything about him."
Then she changed tack. "Still, with Senior Brother Zhu dealing with Wei Du, we can relax. The Royal City Office and the City Patrol Guards have Qi Refinement cultivators stationed among their forces too, but most are rogue cultivators recruited from the populace. They're crafty and afraid to die. They'll certainly show up without putting in any effort."
"That fellow can disguise himself and change his appearance," Li Ling said. "Senior Brother Zhu might be fooled too if he lets his guard down."
After ending the communication, Li Ling helped the Ninth Princess back to their room to rest, but remained worried.
Wei Du seemed calculating as well. The thought that he might already have changed his appearance and be lurking somewhere in the city, watching like a tiger eyeing its prey, made Li Ling feel as though thorns were pricking his back.
Ultimately, he would only feel at ease once this threat was eliminated.
But he wasn't a true cultivator. What could he do?
Naturally, Li Ling thought of his Scent Identification and scent-tracking ability.
After the previous incident, his innate gift seemed capable of strengthening as his Spiritual Consciousness grew. But the son of a wealthy household did not sit beneath unstable eaves. He had no intention of personally setting out to search the whole city for that fellow.
He could ask the Ninth Princess to accompany and protect him, but there was no need. She was not skilled at fighting either.
Suddenly, inspiration struck Li Ling. Could Soul Projection... work?
My innate gift isn't actually my sense of smell anyway. I can use it without my physical body...
In theory, cultivators below Nascent Soul can't perceive spirit bodies. These aren't ghosts that absorb Yin Baleful Qi to take form.
If I use Soul Projection to find him, the only dangers I'll face are those of night wandering itself. It would be a challenge to myself.
But since I have this ability, I can't go my entire life without trying it. Sooner or later, I have to take this step.
Otherwise, this gift would go to waste.
So Li Ling waited patiently until bedtime, then lay down and meditated.
Soon, he felt his soul drifting ethereally, as though riding the wind across the void, emerging from its shell.
Once he had successfully achieved Soul Departure, Li Ling steadied himself and headed toward the inner hall where they had been attacked.
Sure enough, a faint bloody scent still lingered there.
Like a yin spirit, Li Ling's soul floated straight up onto the roof in a way utterly impossible for his physical body, then passed over it and entered the small grove nearby.
Drifting about so freely gave Li Ling an entirely novel experience, a sense of freedom so intoxicating he could hardly bear to stop.
To the spirit, the flesh was both a foundation and a restraint. Soul Projection felt like casting off invisible shackles, becoming incomparably light and free.
What astonished Li Ling even more was that after floating over a li, he felt no fatigue whatsoever. Perhaps it was because a pure spirit body weighed practically nothing on the material plane and consumed no physical stamina.
The feeling truly went to his head.
Still, Li Ling did not forget to observe his surroundings carefully and commit them to memory, for he always remembered that Soul Projection carried risks.
After Soul Projection, he lost all physical vision. Heaven and earth became a vast obscurity, as though shrouded in boundless darkness. Only the area within reach of his Spiritual Consciousness seemed illuminated by a torch, revealing the surroundings.
Within three zhang of him, things remained fairly clear. Beyond three zhang, they began to blur. At roughly five zhang, they not only seemed hidden in mist but began losing their colors, like faded old cloth. Beyond seven zhang, only black and white remained.
The farther out he looked, the more blackness there was. Beyond the range of his Spiritual Consciousness lay only profound darkness, inspiring an instinctive terror.