Jiang Yi was thoroughly satisfied with winning the second-class prize.
He carefully put away the Hanyuan Pill, then departed with He Laohun under the envious and jealous gazes of the crowd.
This fortuitous encounter had not come from relying on the Heavenly Book's deductions, but purely from his own luck, which made the unexpected delight all the sweeter.
Could my luck truly be riding high?
Jiang Yi pondered privately.
If he took this Hanyuan Pill back to the Qianji Sect and resold it to his senior brothers or sisters in the Inner Peaks, it would likely fetch several hundred thousand Talisman Money.
After all, rarity made things precious. Even things like Essence-Nourishing Pills could be bought and resold among the Outer Sect duty officers for hefty profits, let alone Hanyuan Pills, of which Herb-Gathering Peak could barely refine a few in a year.
By his careful calculations, reselling this second-class prize would earn him at least around four hundred thousand Talisman Money.
In the blink of an eye, he could cover most of Grandpa Yang Xun's costs for preparing the Water Pool and Fire Marsh Ritual Ceremony, and perhaps even have a little left over.
Only upon thinking of this did Jiang Yi belatedly realize just how rare his good luck had been.
This Hanyuan Pill alone made this trip down the mountain worthwhile.
Jiang Yi sighed inwardly:
I just wonder where the Master-Inheritance opportunity I've been longing for day and night will finally turn up.
As his thoughts drifted, he recalled Yang Xun mentioning that the strongest "top man" in Three Harmonies Ward was apparently at the sixth level of Qi Refining.
Perhaps, while the Great Talisman Sect has Northern Mang Ridge sealed off, higher cultivators from other Dharma Lineages will flow into Three Harmonies Ward and form a master-disciple bond with me?
If he spent fifteen days and risked a trip down the mountain only to find a sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator to cling to, it hardly seemed worthwhile however he looked at it.
For a time, Jiang Yi was quite torn. He hoped to gain entry into a lofty establishment, ideally sparing himself seventy or eighty years of detours, yet he also feared that too great a background would be more than he could bear, easily crushing him to pieces.
There I go again, looking ahead and behind, worrying over everything.
Jiang Yi shook his head with a sigh. Knowing Truth Garden was truly vast inside, with a dazzling variety of attractions that could never be explored in just a day or two.
After spending over an hour enjoying himself, he saw dark clouds creeping across the horizon as the sky gradually dimmed, so he asked He Laohun to return to Dai Tower first and tell Yang Xun to come escort him.
"Brother He, just tell Duty Officer Yang: I won the second-class prize, one Hanyuan Pill. Come quickly."
Jiang Yi would never overestimate the integrity of cultivators from Demonic Path Lineages. Three Harmonies Ward was already a place where fish and dragons mingled.
There was no guarantee that some formidable bandit cultivator hunting for a fat sheep would not choose him.
A Hanyuan Pill worth several hundred thousand Talisman Money was enough to buy several fourth-level Qi Refining lives.
Once He Laohun left, Jiang Yi strolled idly through the garden again and suddenly spotted a towering five-story pavilion. It seemed to have been cast entirely from refined iron and exuded an intense, murderous severity.
"Dueling Arts Pavilion?"
Looking at the plaque above the entrance, Jiang Yi could not help feeling curious:
From what I've seen, most visitors in this garden are at the second or third level of Qi Refining. Can they actually duel with arts at that stage?
His curiosity piqued, he considered briefly before stepping toward it, intending to find out.
To his surprise, he was stopped as soon as he reached the entrance. A servant in a long gray robe hurried forward, bowed low, and saluted:
"Do you have a token, honored guest? The Dueling Arts Pavilion is not open to the public. Entry requires a recommendation from a regular guest."
Jiang Yi shook his head lightly and made to leave.
He had always observed the rules. Since they did not receive unfamiliar guests, he naturally would not insist.
"I know this guest. He is an honored patron of Five Solitary Hall."
An elderly voice came from behind, stopping Jiang Yi in his tracks. He turned to look and saw the elderly steward with whom he had previously concluded his purchase at Five Solitary Hall.
The old man cupped his hands with a smile and told the servant:
"This fellow Daoist is staying at Dai Tower in Three Harmonies Ward and is a Dharma Lineage cultivator from the Qianji Sect's Crimson Flame Peak. His background is clean. I will vouch for him!"
Then he looked at Jiang Yi:
"Would you like to enter the Dueling Arts Pavilion, fellow Daoist? You happen to have come on a good day. Several new 'Dharma Slaves' have just arrived. Once they start fighting, it should be quite lively and well worth watching."
Dharma Slaves?
Jiang Yi raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly:
"I'm due to collect my goods and pay at Five Solitary Hall in another day. I didn't expect to run into you here."
The elderly steward chuckled:
"Perhaps it is fate. My surname is Gui, and my given name is Cong. People in Three Harmonies Ward do me the honor of calling me Gui Laowu."
Jiang Yi returned his salute:
"So you are Fifth Master Gui."
Gui Cong waved his hands repeatedly:
"A mere lowly fourth-level Qi Refining cultivator hardly deserves to be called 'Master.' If you are interested, honored guest, why not come inside with me? We can keep each other company."
Jiang Yi did not decline and immediately stepped over the high threshold. The gray-robed servant hastily moved aside, bowed even lower, and said repeatedly:
"I had eyes but failed to see, and offended an honored guest! Please forgive me!"
Jiang Yi neither took offense nor made things difficult, merely following Gui Cong inside.
Had he not grown curious about just what sort of arts they dueled with in the Dueling Arts Pavilion, he might not have accepted Gui Cong of Five Solitary Hall's invitation.
But now, well, he was already here.
He might as well join in the fun!
Just as Gui Cong had said, the Dueling Arts Pavilion was quite lively that day, its voices boiling into a din.
The entire five-story building formed a square around a central opening, with a broad, dark platform in the middle. Private rooms crowded the surrounding sides, while servants carrying tea came and went without pause.
"This way, please."
Gui Cong led Jiang Yi to a private room on the third floor, where they took their seats. From here, they had a clear view down onto the fights on the platform.
"As this is your first visit, honored guest, you may not know much about it. The Dueling Arts Pavilion regularly purchases 'Dharma Slaves' from the Yin Puppet Sect for performances.
"Guests can also place wagers here, betting on which side will win."
This sounded familiar to Jiang Yi. Underground prizefighting under Demonic Path Lineages?
He feigned curiosity and asked:
"What exactly are Dharma Slaves?"
As the proprietor of Five Solitary Hall, Gui Cong had his own ways of dealing with people. At Jiang Yi's question, he readily explained:
"Have you ever heard of a certain rule among Demonic Path Lineages, honored guest?"
Jiang Yi smiled:
"Please enlighten me, Fifth Master Gui."
Gui Cong no longer made a point of correcting him. Feeling rather pleased, he explained in greater detail:
"Just as with the pills Dharma Lineage cultivators take, if they do not know their origins, their names, or their particulars, very few dare use them.
"The same applies to 'secret cultivation essentials.' This is where the saying 'neither learn methods lightly nor impart them lightly' comes from."
Jiang Yi considered this seriously and felt it made sense.
How could there be kindly souls among Demonic Path Lineages? Tampering with things to harm others and benefit oneself ought to be commonplace.
Was that why this unwritten "rule" had spread?
"There are many explanations for this, some deep and some shallow.
"On a shallow level, one must never be without wariness of others. The world will never lack black-hearted maggots who delight in such evil deeds.
"If we speculate more deeply, it cannot be explained in just a few words. In short, the great figures above in the Dao Lineages favor breaking up Method Formulas and spreading them around.
"As for their purpose, have you eaten ginseng, honored guest? Mountain foragers often tend ginseng before harvesting it.
"It is said that the great figures of the Dao Lineages do the same, treating Dao Talents as 'ginseng' and having them cultivate compatible methods to become Great Medicine that benefits their Dao Paths."
Jiang Yi froze briefly, then broke into a laugh. Now that was more like it!
I was wondering how Demonic Path Lineages could possibly mingle in such harmony!
"You don't seem surprised, honored guest. I've told many first-time visitors to the Dueling Arts Pavilion about this. They either gasp in shock or find it inconceivable."
A trace of surprise appeared in Gui Cong's eyes. Could this young honored guest truly hail from a great clan, as he had suspected?
But if he had the backing of a Qi Refining Clan, why did he not even know these things?
Jiang Yi said with a smile:
"I love reading histories. A learned gentleman once offered me some guidance, and I came to understand a saying.
"Under the Dao Lineages' rule, Dharma Lineages stand as thick as a forest. Across ten thousand years and a thousand autumns, it really amounts to just 'eating people.'"
Gui Cong sighed:
"Just eating people... What a penetrating insight. I've only made a fool of myself."
Jiang Yi changed the subject and asked:
"Might I ask, Fifth Master Gui, where do the Yin Puppet Sect's Dharma Slaves come from?"
Still mulling over the notion of eating people, Gui Cong spoke quietly:
"Those below imitate those above, simply following their example. If the True Persons of the Dao Lineages can manipulate lower cultivators, then lower cultivators naturally want to toy with mortals.
"Owing to the foundations of its Dharma Lineage, the Yin Puppet Sect particularly enjoys spreading ungraded cultivation methods, tricking insignificant folk into cultivating them, then using them as 'Dharma Slaves.'
"In your Qianji Sect, honored guest, they seem to be called 'Mortal Laborers.'"
The corner of Jiang Yi's eye twitched slightly. So he had run into someone in the same trade.
Gui Cong pointed below and said:
"Knowing Truth Garden has dealings with the Yin Puppet Sect, so it also buys inferior, unserviceable Dharma Slaves from the duty officers of its outer peaks.
"Look, honored guest. That man in red practices the 'One-Character Thunder-Slaying Swift Sword,' while the woman in green practices the 'Rainstorm Pear-Blossom Spear Technique.' Both are barely at the first level of Qi Refining. They'll be fighting to the death shortly."
Noticing that Jiang Yi seemed less than interested, Gui Cong added:
"Today isn't the time for it, but every six months, the Dueling Arts Pavilion also spends a great sum to buy 'Dharma Slaves' around the third level of Qi Refining.
"Some practice fire techniques and others water techniques. Watching them pit their Daoist arts against each other is even more of a spectacle... Oh, aren't you going to watch, honored guest?"
While Gui Cong was speaking, Jiang Yi rose unhurriedly and gave him a formal Daoist salute:
"I suddenly remembered some important business I have yet to attend to. I am not fortunate enough to enjoy this fine show. Please forgive me, Fifth Master. I must take my leave."
Gui Cong thought little of it as he watched Jiang Yi go downstairs, but the young man's notion of "eating people" suddenly surfaced in his mind again.
He glanced once more at the savage fight on the platform, looking thoughtful:
"What an interesting young man."
Before you continue