After Yao Lao had drunk his fill of incense offerings, he even rubbed his belly with his illusory fingers as though it were real and let out a contented sigh. His spectral figure seemed a little more solid, and his eyes had gained a little more sparkle.
"Burp... That should do it. I'll be back shortly, after I find out just what those old fellows are plotting. Wait for my good news!"
Before his words had faded, Yao Lao's figure turned into a faint wisp of smoke, passed through the wall, and drifted straight toward the city center. His speed was astonishing; in the blink of an eye, he had vanished.
Though Xiao Yan still found the whole thing absurd, he had to admit that Xiao Yi's mystical mumbo jumbo really did produce unexpected results at times. He silently slipped the plain, ancient black ring off his finger and handed it to Xiao Yi.
Xiao Yi took the ring, pulled a dry stalk of straw from a pile of odds and ends beside him, and deftly tied a peculiar slipknot around it. The knot looked simple, yet carried a touch of something mysterious that defied explanation.
Then he carefully placed the straw-tied ring in the center of a sheet of yellow Talisman Paper he had prepared beforehand. Twisted symbols that Xiao Yan could not make heads or tails of had been drawn on it in cinnabar. Xiao Yi picked up a fine-tipped brush dipped in red pigment, focused his mind and held his breath, then lightly dabbed the paper at the spot corresponding to the ring.
"All done. This is 'One Thread Linking Sound,' the enhanced version." Xiao Yi put down the brush, clapped his hands, and winked at Xiao Yan. "Now let's prick up our ears and listen. I