Emperor's Flowing Elixir

Night lay heavy over a classical manor on the outskirts of the city.

Deep within the manor, on a lawn divided by low hedges, stood an antique pavilion. Old-fashioned tissue paper covered its finely carved rosewood doors and windows.

Yan Shanshui stood before the pavilion's main entrance, looking at the tightly shut doors. "Master, your disciple has returned," she said respectfully.

An elderly woman's hoarse voice came from inside the pavilion:

"Shui, I've told you before that you must not use this rain-summoning art carelessly. Ordinary mortals today are no longer what they once were. Their tech... technology and science have already glimpsed a corner of the natural laws of heaven and earth. They might well notice something strange about this rain. If the mortals discover it, even if they can't trace it back to you, the Outer Demons' will would summon those hidden, free Outer Demons to investigate."

"Master, I'm not a child anymore." Yan Shanshui pouted. "As soon as I finished casting the rain-summoning art, I dispersed the rain cloud. Even if the Outer Demons noticed, they wouldn't be able to find me."

"As long as you know to be careful," the elderly woman's hoarse voice replied from within.

"By the way, Master, there's something I'd like to ask you."

Feigning casual interest, Yan Shanshui asked, "You told me before that there are no demons nowadays, and neither animals nor plants can awaken their intelligence. Then how could they undergo Spirit Awakening?"

"Why are you suddenly asking about this?" the elderly woman's hoarse voice asked in puzzlement.

"I've been keeping a cat lately," Yan Shanshui said helplessly. "But I'm afraid it'll leave me in just a few years, so I want to help it cultivate into a spirit."

She had prepared this explanation beforehand, and she really did have such a cat.

The main reason she concealed the pine tree outside the calligraphy and painting shop was that she feared experts like her master might become interested in a tree with awakened intelligence and capture it for study. If the shop's owner wasn't actually some great expert, wouldn't that poor little tree suffer?

It was rare to meet such an innocent demon, one whose slight foolishness was rather adorable. She didn't want anything to happen to the little pine tree.

"You want to help a cat become a spirit?"

A hint of amusement entered the elderly woman's hoarse voice as she said softly, "Then forget about it. Legend has it that in ancient times, all living things could absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the essence of the sun and moon through their breathing, giving them a chance to awaken their intelligence. Accomplished cultivators could also enlighten living things and turn them into spirits. But after the great ancient calamity, that became nothing more than wishful thinking."

"Wishful thinking?" Yan Shanshui asked in confusion. "Is Spirit Awakening impossible now?"

"The Great Dao numbers fifty, while heaven unfolds forty-nine. Nothing in this world is absolute. Even in this age, when Outer Demons are everywhere, legend speaks of two methods," the elderly woman's hoarse voice said.

"Two?" Yan Shanshui's eyes lit up.

"First, according to legend, there was a divine substance of heaven and earth in ancient times called the 'Emperor's Flowing Elixir.' It existed above the firmament and could descend into the mortal world through the legendary Well of Primordial Beginning. Birds, beasts, plants, and all living things could undergo Spirit Awakening upon receiving its essence, and it would also refine their demon souls. The more Emperor's Flowing Elixir they consumed, the stronger their demon souls would become."

Afterward, the elderly woman's hoarse voice gave a quiet chuckle. "Unfortunately, heaven and earth have changed drastically. The Well of Primordial Beginning has become the Demonic Well of Origin, and the Emperor's Flowing Elixir hasn't appeared for thousands of years. So it, too, is merely a myth."

Yan Shanshui was stunned.

She had thought that perhaps the owner of the calligraphy and painting shop had obtained some of this "Emperor's Flowing Elixir" by chance. Apparently not.

"Then what's the second method?" Yan Shanshui quickly asked.

"As for the second method..."

The elderly woman's hoarse voice continued leisurely, "That would require a true immortal expert to personally bestow enlightenment. Even experts who have surpassed the five heavenly passes cannot do it, but after ascending to the heavenly realm, there must be mighty immortals capable of it. Otherwise, the many traditions wouldn't include the Demon God Lineage."

After hearing this, Yan Shanshui froze.

A mighty immortal?

In this day and age, only mighty immortals could enlighten living things and grant them Spirit Awakening?

When she had found those practice paintings in the wastebasket and noticed that the brushwork was clearly much less accomplished, she had wondered... perhaps the shop owner had merely obtained those calligraphy pieces by chance, rather than writing them himself.

She had suspected he might be an expert, but at most a peerless expert who had broken through the five passes, someone at the pinnacle of the mortal world.

Now, however, his realm seemed to be beyond anything she had imagined!

Because... the pine tree outside his calligraphy and painting shop had awakened its intelligence after receiving enlightenment from him!

A true, mighty immortal was actually hiding in a secluded, shabby alley in this mortal city?

Was he a Banished Immortal descended to earth? Or a reincarnated Heavenly Immortal?

At that thought, Yan Shanshui couldn't help trembling inwardly. No wonder he had dared to leave her alone in the shop and let her see those incomparably precious works of calligraphy and painting!

Perhaps those works were precious to her, and even to the great experts of this age, but to him, they probably amounted to very little!

"What's wrong?"

"You needn't insist on it," the elderly woman's hoarse voice said. "All living things are born and die. Even cultivators will someday reach the end of their natural lives. There's no need to indulge in fantasies for the sake of a... a pet."

Yan Shanshui drew a deep breath, gathered her thoughts, and said quietly, "Yes, Master."

"Besides, there's another interesting rumor concerning 'enlightenment.'"

The elderly woman's hoarse voice continued, "Legend has it that even after an expert imparts the Dao and enlightens something, they cannot communicate with it. Once the one who bestowed enlightenment notices the enlightened being, it loses its freedom and becomes unable to move. Only after taking human form can it return to normal."

At those words, Yan Shanshui suddenly understood.

No wonder. No wonder that pine tree had said it couldn't move whenever the shop owner saw it.

So that was why.

"There's no need to dwell on these absurd legends."

The elderly woman's hoarse voice asked, "Have you found an opportunity to break through the second heavenly pass of your Gonggong Dharma Body, 'Rain Sacrifice'?"

"Master, I've found a slight opening. If all goes well, I should be able to break through in a little while," Yan Shanshui said with a bright smile. "I'll have to trouble you with the Heaven-Praying Altar."

This was all thanks to seeing the calligraphy piece "The Highest Good Is Like Water" in the shop. It had stirred her bottleneck, shown her the true path of the Dao of water, and raised her spiritual realm once again.

Otherwise, there was no telling how many more years she would have remained stuck.

"Good, very good. Just what I'd expect from someone with a water virtue body."

The elderly woman's hoarse voice spoke with delighted surprise. "To approach the third heavenly pass after only thirty years of cultivation... perhaps you'll have a chance to break through all five passes someday. Leave the Heaven-Praying Altar to your master. Just focus on your cultivation."

If only I could study that calligraphy piece regularly. Sigh... Yan Shanshui sighed inwardly, then said, "Then I'll take my leave, Master."

Early the next morning.

As usual, Lin Zhishui walked through the deep alley with his shoulder bag and arrived at his calligraphy and painting shop.

Not long after he opened the door, he saw someone walk in.

It was a man in his thirties wearing a black trench coat, his medium-length hair tied behind his head. His features were sharply defined, his lips tightly pressed together, and his expression unmistakably gloomy.

A customer this early?

Lin Zhishui sized up the visitor as quickly as he could.

No, this man didn't look like he was here to buy calligraphy or paintings. Could he be... the customer Han Suxin had mentioned yesterday, the one coming to beg forgiveness?

Cheng Qiyue's father?

He felt a little nervous. After all, he'd talked the man's daughter into spending over a hundred thousand. Heaven knew what Han Suxin had said yesterday. Perhaps the man was merely putting on a show to humor her out of respect?

"Mr... Mr. Lin."

Cheng Buxiu took a deep breath and spoke with a trace of apprehension.

He had intended to address him as Senior Lin, but suddenly remembered his daughter saying that this Senior Lin preferred a quiet, ordinary mortal life and merely used those works of calligraphy and painting to receive a few cultivator customers.

Calling him Senior Lin would rather spoil the atmosphere of his mortal life. After all, mortals rarely addressed anyone as "Senior."

"Mr. Cheng, correct?"

Doing his best to remain calm, Lin Zhishui smiled. "I didn't expect you to come so early. I happened to have something to attend to yesterday and went out, so I couldn't receive you properly. That was remiss of me. Still, I did leave a few things in the shop that should have been enough to clear up your doubts. Surely you don't blame me anymore?"

He was a little worried the man might think he'd run off to avoid repaying the money. That would weaken his position, so he had to explain.

In short, his unspoken message was: I left so many precious works of calligraphy and painting in the shop, and you've seen them all. You should understand that your daughter didn't waste her money. You won't ask for it back, right?

"Of course not. It was my fault to begin with. How could I dare blame you?" Cheng Buxiu hurriedly lowered his head slightly, filled with dread.

He understood.

Senior Lin appeared to be apologizing, but what he really meant was probably: I already foresaw yesterday that you would come looking for me, but you weren't worthy of my taking action personally. Just the two supreme treasures I left in the shop, a trivial little measure, were enough to make you understand the gap between us.

As for Senior Lin's final remark asking him not to blame him...

That was probably nothing more than sarcasm, wasn't it?

The senior's attitude was so cutting and sarcastic that Cheng Buxiu grew even more uneasy. A chill settled in his heart, and cold sweat began to seep down his back.

P.S. Remember to give the characters a heart after reading! Can anyone guess who this new character, "Qing," is?