Just after the hour of Hai began, Jiang Yi arrived outside the Quenching Room to wait.
According to the Heavenly Book, Yang Xun disliked people who were late and delayed their work, so arriving early would earn him more goodwill.
"Details matter in everything."
So Jiang Yi thought.
He had never expected his experience as a secretary in his previous life to prove useful in the demonic path.
Sure enough.
A quarter-hour into the hour of Hai, Yang Xun appeared on the mountain path.
He wore the black robes of a service overseer. His hair and beard were white, and his face was fierce.
Seeing him late at night was enough to make one shudder.
Yang Xun's gaze swept like a blade over Jiang Yi's shoulders. Cotton-like clumps of snow clung to his dingy Daoist robe, soaking a patch of it.
His expression turned cold, and he said in a deep voice:
"It's freezing out here. What did you come so early for? Standing in the wind like a block of wood! To think I thought you had a quick mind. Now I see you're a fool!"
Though subjected to this tongue-lashing, Jiang Yi was neither annoyed nor frightened. He merely pulled open his padded robe to reveal the copper pouring pot with a lotus-shaped lid tucked inside.
"Look, Overseer. I brought piping-hot tea especially to warm myself. I'm not cold."
Yang Xun ignored Jiang Yi's deliberate attempt to ingratiate himself, opened the Quenching Room's doors, and said:
"I've had two crates of coldwater stone and gray phosphorus powder purchased, along with the other supplementary ingredients. Mix up your secret catalyst formula and let's test its effects."
Jiang Yi followed closely behind Yang Xun. At his instructions, he said nothing more, immediately rolled up his sleeves, and buried himself in work.
First, he opened the furnace vent and tossed in evenly sized pieces of coldwater stone, then spread a layer of gray phosphorus powder over them.
Next, he mixed powdered pagoda wood heartwood with plant ash, added a little limewater, and carefully blended them.
"Done."
In roughly half an hour, Jiang Yi deftly finished the work.
Seemingly impatient from waiting too long, Yang Xun waved a hand.
"Hurry up and wash your face. Look at you, filthy all over! What sort of sight is that?"
Jiang Yi merely scratched his head and smiled, like a naughty child being scolded by an elder, then washed away the black smears on his face.
Yang Xun watched throughout, a complicated look in his eyes. Only after Jiang Yi had tidied himself up did he speak.
"I'll open the furnace and draw in the fire now. You'll be responsible for adding charcoal and feeding in the materials. Let's see whether it works and produces acceptable bone material."
Jiang Yi nodded, anticipation flashing through his eyes.
He had obtained the Lesser Forging Origin Fire-Control Art only recently and was diligently studying it, relying on the Heavenly Book to analyze its essential principles.
He had now reached the "beginner" level.
For Yang Xun to have held the position of Quenching Room Duty Officer securely for thirty years, besides his profound cultivation at the fifth level of Qi Refining, he must also have cultivated the Lesser Forging Origin Fire-Control Art to considerable heights.
Otherwise, why would even the inner sect senior brothers who came down to inspect give him some face?
Watching him at close range might offer Jiang Yi some insight.
"Watch closely!"
Yang Xun gave a low shout, his voice full and strong, and released the mighty True Qi stored within his inner mansion of the origin gate.
A boom rang out like thunder bursting from the mountains, the sound waves exploding!
Jiang Yi felt a fierce wind strike his face as waves of air surged. He nearly lost his footing!
Such powerful True Qi... no, it's more condensed than True Qi, more formidable! Is this the marvel of the fifth level of Qi Refining—opening the inner mansion of the origin gate and breathing in Spirit Chance?
Jiang Yi pondered silently, his eyes fixed on Yang Xun as he wielded the Fire-Control Art.
As the black overseer's robe billowed, rolling heat washed out like a waterfall, swelling with the wind. In an instant, it grew into several raging dragons!
True Qi poured outward, crimson flames soaring!
The sight left Jiang Yi staring in a daze, and he could not help thinking:
Even ten or a hundred of me would be crushed and killed if we tried to resist!
A ninth-grade cultivation method and the fifth level of Qi Refining truly are extraordinary!
Caught in the reach of Yang Xun's Qi, the Quenching Room, spacious as a great hall, shook continuously like a little boat tossed upon an ocean.
"Rise!"
Yang Xun raised a hand and grasped at empty air, sending the enormous furnace lid, weighing a thousand jin, flying.
Then he uttered the word "Draw!" Surging True Qi rushed forth unchecked, like a long rope shaken out and cast down!
The lifelike flame dragons, baring fangs and brandishing claws, seemed to be bound tight.
They became astonishingly docile and dove into the furnace one after another.
Seven or eight breaths later, with a whoosh, the scorching earthfire was drawn into motion, burning fiercely and filling the furnace walls!
Dense flames roared, melting gold and dissolving iron!
Standing below, Jiang Yi sweated at the brow, his face burning hot.
"Control!"
Yang Xun formed hand seals and pointed. At once, he subdued the seething earthfire, turning it from blazing white to blue-green.
Under the manipulation of his True Qi, the fierce fire split into dozens of slender snakes that swam and coiled, suspended within the furnace.
The coldwater stone crackled, and the gray phosphorus powder hissed with smoke. The two mingled and began taking effect.
My turn.
Jiang Yi had not been idle either. Moving nimbly, he shoveled in charcoal to regulate the heat. Then he climbed the ladder, feeding in bone stock while sprinkling water to temper it.
The bone stock, hard as iron, sat amid the heat waves as impurities burned away, murky colors faded, and the rank smell was refined out.
The entire process lasted a full hour. Jiang Yi fed in fifty pieces of bone stock altogether, and half actually became usable material of acceptable quality!
A long while later.
The furnace fire gradually died down.
Yang Xun slowly withdrew his art. His True Qi returned to the origin gate and sank into the inner mansion.
He surveyed the bone material. Every piece was lustrous white, like jade, faintly revealing a warm sheen. Genuine approval showed on his face.
The secret formula Jiang Yi had offered truly produced results as immediate as a pole casting its shadow.
This quality far surpassed what they had produced before!
Now, when the Inner Peaks pressed them to speed up, the blame would not fall on him. It was Tang Cong and Zhou Guang's turn to be scorched and harried.
"Excellent!"
Yang Xun's fierce face suddenly broke into a grin. His laughter sounded like the drawn-out screech of a night owl, strangely chilling to hear.
"Boy Jiang, you've solved a great problem for me! I, Yang Xun, do things properly and never shortchange anyone... tell me, what do you want?"
Jiang Yi seemed to give a start. This was precisely the sort of moment that tested one's abilities.
It was like an Old Leader asking what you wanted. Saying nothing meant keeping him at a distance, but if you did ask, you could not go too far, or you would show you knew neither when to advance nor when to retreat.
He had to meet his superior's wishes and strike exactly the right note.
"I merely happened to turn up something among a pile of old papers. I wouldn't dare ask for a reward."
Jiang Yi retreated to advance, waiting for Yang Xun to declare his position.
At that, the other man fixed his hawklike eyes on him and snorted.
"Enough of that empty nonsense! When I say I won't shortchange you, I mean it. You work briskly enough, but you drag out your words like a woman!
"I've already switched you to an easier assignment. What else do you want? Talisman Money? Or... something else?"
Knowing the moment was ripe, Jiang Yi paused briefly, as though giving the matter serious thought, before speaking.
"One dare not refuse a gift from an elder. Since you've spoken, Overseer, I'll have the cheek to ask.
"Jiang Yi has no other wish. I only ask that you grant me an opportunity to advance."
Yang Xun raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? How do you wish to advance?"
Jiang Yi drew a deep breath, as though heaven and man were warring within him, then gathered his courage and spoke.
"I wish only to cultivate and become Dao Talent!"
Those words landed with weight, firm and unwavering, ringing like metal striking stone.
Yang Xun could not help looking astonished. He frowned and replied:
"Do you know how laughable it is for a mere mortal laborer to say he wants to become Dao Talent and pursue immortality? Even the senior brothers on the Qianji Sect's Inner Peaks wouldn't dare proclaim that openly!"
Jiang Yi cupped his hands before him and bowed his head and body, his manner earnest.
"I wouldn't dare deceive you, Overseer. In the seven years since I joined the sect, I've worked diligently. Even when utterly exhausted, I never forgot to cultivate, only because I held the hope of becoming something worthy!
"How could I not know those words are presumptuous? But if I lack even the courage to say them, then Jiang Yi truly am nothing but expendable material, waiting to be discarded once I've been used up!"
Yang Xun stood with his hands behind his back, his face composed as he watched the youth in Daoist robes with cold eyes.
In truth, towering waves surged within his heart. This was not the first time he had heard such words.
"Your son doesn't ask for immortality, only... only to see the scenery along the Dao Path! Even if I die halfway and become a stepping stone along the road, it would be better than muddling through a lifetime without ever knowing its taste!"
Could the two of them really be so alike?
For a moment, Yang Xun was lost in a daze.
A long while later.
He slowly turned his back to Jiang Yi, his voice betraying neither pleasure nor anger.
"Dao Talent... hmph. Young in years, but big in talk."
"There's a copy of the Lesser Forging Origin Fire-Control Art in the Labor Affairs Courtyard's Records Room. You may read it yourself.
"How much you comprehend will depend on your own fortune."
Jiang Yi bowed in thanks again.
"Your great kindness, Overseer..."
As though unwilling to hear any more flattery, Yang Xun went straight to the second floor and said mildly:
"Bring that pot of tea over and let me quench my thirst."
Jiang Yi hurried to fetch the copper pouring pot with its lotus-shaped lid that he had set aside. Inside was the Returning-Sweetness Vine Tea he had asked He Laohun to bring.
A stream of water poured into the teacup.
With the Quenching Room's billowing heat, the pot of tea had not cooled.
Yang Xun settled into the rocking chair and raised a hand to accept the cup.
The tea was rich and reddish-brown. Yang Xun took a small sip.
"Why are you drinking bitter tea at your age?"
Attending him at his side, Jiang Yi smiled bashfully.
"My grandfather loved it, especially its mellow, aged fragrance. I picked up the habit from him.
"This Returning-Sweetness Vine Tea is hard to find, too. Only the Fragrant Orchid Tea Shop on Soul-Nourishing Peak carries it."
"Do you still have family down the mountain?"
"My grandfather passed away, and my parents died young. I sold the family property and entered the Dao Academy, then later joined the Qianji Sect. Now I'm all alone."
At those words, Yang Xun seemed to have a knot in his heart loosen. He suddenly burst into unceasing laughter.
He rocked back and forth in the chair, utterly unaware even when the reddish-brown tea spilled onto his robe.
"Good! Good!"
Feigning bewilderment, Jiang Yi asked blankly:
"May I ask what's good about it, Overseer?"
Yang Xun did not answer. He laughed until tears gathered at the corners of his eyes before finally stopping.
His long face with its sparse eyebrows suddenly turned cold, and he tilted his head up to stare straight at Jiang Yi.
"You're a good boy, but becoming Dao Talent isn't so easy. Talent for the demonic path is a seed of cultivation, someone who sheds the body of 'expendable material' and the fate of 'human talent' to truly become a root and shoot of the Dao lineage within its Dharma Lineage!"
"But you must consider carefully. This road is different from the others. Expendable material wears out its body; human material spends its life rushing about.
"Why can Dao Talent cultivate properly? Because Dao Talent must fight for its life! Just as the outer sect needs mortal laborers to work, and the lineage needs mortals to fill its ranks."
"Dao Talent must undergo human tribulation, meet slaughter tribulation, and cross death tribulation for the Dao lineage. Even if your life passes into the underworld, you may not retreat!"
After speaking, Yang Xun saw the bewilderment in Jiang Yi's eyes, and the last trace of doubt dispersed.
This truly was a "grandson" Heaven had delivered right to him!
"You'll understand in time."
Yang Xun's emotions had risen and fallen violently, and by now he was somewhat weary.
Jiang Yi silently committed the point that "Dao Talent must undergo human tribulation, meet slaughter tribulation, and cross death tribulation" to memory, then asked:
"Shall I help you back to your residence to rest, Overseer?"
Yang Xun waved a hand.
"Go and rest yourself. Oh, starting tomorrow, report for roll call once every seven days. You needn't work.
"Find a reliable mortal laborer to carry out your duties as inspection officer for you.
"If you can pass the third level of Qi Refining before winter and reach the Fourth Level of Qi Refining before spring, I can request a place on the Inner Peaks for you."
Solemn and silent, Jiang Yi merely raised both hands above his head and bowed with the utmost respect.
Then he quietly withdrew and left the Quenching Room.
Lying in the gently swaying rocking chair, Yang Xun murmured to himself:
"If Zhi'er had started a family, my grandson probably wouldn't be much younger than him."
"An affinity at first sight truly is wondrous beyond words."
Jiang Yi walked along the mountain path. All around him was silent, save for the cold wind whistling through the treetops, occasionally shaking down handfuls of powdery snow.
From offering the secret formula to playing the innocent youth, then asking for dried lychees, right down to that pot of Returning-Sweetness Vine Tea... every detail had been a calculated move!
Jiang Yi reflected that it was no wonder the "beauty stratagem" had worked throughout the ages.
Called a "beauty," but truly a "familiar face." Winning the heart was paramount, effective every time!
In essence, it differed little from the Favorable-Impression Strategy he had used.
"At last, I've knocked open a sliver of the Inner Peaks' gates."
Jiang Yi drew in a deep breath, cold as a knife's cut.
Yet his heart burned fiercely, scorching as charcoal.
From now on, the Lesser Forging Origin Fire-Control Art had a provenance. He no longer needed to hide it and could practice it openly;
he no longer had to toil as a Mortal Laborer either. He only needed to report for roll call once every seven days, leaving all his remaining time for cultivation.
More importantly, having Yang Xun, the Quenching Room Duty Officer, to lean on meant he now had backing and connections, and could hold his back a little straighter than before.
"Mortal Laborer, Inspection Officer, duty officer. Expendable material, human talent... Dao Talent.
The steps leading to the great road of cultivation are tall and long, but I can advance one foothold at a time. One day, I'll sit at the very top."
Jiang Yi's steps were light. He walked downhill, yet it felt as though he were scaling a sheer cliff, climbing ever higher.
The next day.
The bells of Wavelooking Peak were like the long whips traders used to drive cattle and horses, sending the Mortal Laborers crawling out of their Work Dormitory before dawn to gather in clusters outside the Labor Affairs Courtyard's main gate.
He Laohun looked around, puzzled and perplexed.
Why hadn't he seen Brother Yi?
It was the end of the month!
Anyone who dragged their feet getting to work and walked into the duty officer's line of fire would surely be made an example of-killing the chicken to warn the monkeys-and lose a layer of skin!
"Oh no, could he have overslept? But I called outside his room several times, and there wasn't a sound!"
Still mindful of the kindness of that bowl of spirit rice, He Laohun left the long, crowded queue.
"Old Li, have you seen Brother Yi?"
Old Li shook his head.
"What? Brother Yi hasn't come to work? Did he get so engrossed in cultivating that he forgot the time? He's seemed distracted lately, from what I've seen. I reckon he's still thinking about Luo Xiaoniangzi! Planning to hold his head high and breathe easy..."
He Laohun ignored Old Li's rambling, hesitating over whether to first find a Mortal Laborer to cover for Brother Yi and collect a tally for him.
But with the end of the month upon them, every workshop was pushing to meet its schedule, and discipline was already strict.
Besides, Old Man Yang was rigid by nature and detested anyone who shirked work or played tricks...
The more He Laohun thought, the more tangled his thoughts became. His heart hung in suspense, and only after the Daoist Attendant at the Labor Affairs Courtyard called him twice did he hear.
With his tally in hand, he followed the crowd to the Quenching Room.
Of all the rotten luck, Old Man Yang had risen early too. Black-robed and fierce-looking, with snow-white hair and beard, he struck fear into anyone who saw him.
"Brother Yi, ah! You're in for a world of suffering now!"
Before He Laohun could think of a way to smooth things over, Yang Xun's booming voice poured into their ears like thunder, making every Mortal Laborer's eardrums quiver.
"The Quenching Room will promote one person to Inspection Officer..."
Before he had even finished speaking, everyone's spirits surged, and they unconsciously puffed out their chests.
He Laohun, however, had no interest in this blasted Inspection Officer business. It would never be his turn anyway.
A glance from the corner of his eye caught Jiang Yi stepping into the Quenching Room in a clean Daoist robe and walking straight toward them.
"Brother Yi! You finally made it!"
He Laohun had barely breathed a sigh of relief before his heart leaped into his throat again.
Brother Yi, looking particularly radiant today, wore an amiable expression as he gently eased aside the Mortal Laborers standing in his path, one by one.
Just like a water-parting pearl dropped into a stream, he walked straight up to Yang Xun.
"Is he trying to get himself killed?!"
Everyone was shocked. A mere Mortal Laborer, a beast of burden, dared show disrespect to a duty officer-was this the god of longevity hanging himself because he had lived too long?
But the next moment, Yang Xun let out a breath and announced his choice:
"From now on, Jiang Yi will share the burden of my miscellaneous duties. He will also inspect the quality of the finished bone material produced in the Quenching Room."
Every Mortal Laborer was astonished. They looked at the Daoist-robed youth, whose features still held a trace of boyishness, and were all bewildered.
Where had Brother Yi found these connections?
How had he climbed onto Duty Officer Yang's lofty branch without a word?
Of them all, none was more stunned than He Laohun.
"Huh?"
He froze on the spot, rooted where he stood.
Brother Yi had still been doing hard labor alongside him yesterday. How had he suddenly been "promoted to office"?
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