Chapter 219: Setting the Board on the Shade of the Mountain
The customs of Dragon Spring Prefecture differed greatly from those of other regions. Whether in Northern Tooth Mountain or Lanxi Cave, the cultivators here all gave Song Yan an impression of leisure and ease.
From mortals to cultivators, the pace of life was slow.
Perhaps it was the proximity to Shaoliang City, but Lanxi Cave, from its market to its courtyards, carried a faint antiquity in its bearing. Along the flagstone streets, wine shops and teahouses stood in quiet rows.
Cultivators sat in twos and threes, some playing Go, others chatting idly.
In the corners of the market, low-cultivation rogue cultivators set up stalls selling crude talismans, their calls listless and languid.
Even Foundation Establishment cultivators appeared only occasionally, and merely to purchase a jar of spirit brew for a taste. Their steps were unhurried, lacking the sharp edge found in cultivators elsewhere.
Over the past month, Song Yan’s cultivation had continued without pause, yet without the urgency of before.
His thoughts had turned primarily to gathering the ingredients for the No-Thought Pill and inquiring after news of the True-Felling Vine.
At dawn, he drew in the morning breath while the mountain mist still lingered.
From time to time, the distant strains of a qin or xiao drifted through the valley, deepening its tranquility.
Xiao Ju’s cultivation had gradually entered the right path. Though her spiritual roots were mixed and impure, her comprehension was remarkable, and she was quick to heed advice.
Xiao He lay lazily on a blue stone by the stream, basking in the sun, occasionally flicking her tail to startle the small fish in the pond.
Liang Feng came to the valley pond every three or five days to tend the Moon-Sustaining Ancient Lotus.
Sometimes, during breaks in his cultivation, Song Yan would converse with him, and Liang Feng would share matters beyond his usual notice.
For instance, the cultivation world of the State of Chu had been holding a Go tournament these past few months, and in a short while, the finals would begin.
The finals were to be held in Northern Tooth Mountain City.
Liang Feng said that his wife was very fond of Go, and that Lanxi Cave had reserved a few spectator seats. He had spent considerable effort to obtain one, intending to attend the match.
One could not deny that the culture of “arts of the heart” as a leisurely pursuit ran deep in Dragon Spring Prefecture.
And among these, Go was the most popular.
Whether influenced by this or not, Song Yan had purchased a set of Go equipment and spent his idle moments studying game records.
The Five-Star Spirit-Capture Technique explicitly stated that playing Go and practicing calligraphy could aid in strengthening divine sense.
Among these, Go was the most effective at promoting divine sense growth.
Yet previously, whenever Song Yan thought of the “arts of the heart,” he always chose calligraphy after grueling cultivation, unwilling to take on the mentally taxing game of Go.
He had never abandoned the training of his divine sense, but its growth had slowed considerably of late.
“The Way of letters and arms requires a balance of tension and release. Perhaps I truly do need the arts of the heart as an adjustment.”
Before embarking on the path of cultivation, Song Yan had learned some Go from his grandfather and the schoolteacher in Stone Bridge Town.
His skill was naturally quite ordinary, but with his powerful divine sense, his ability to calculate moves far surpassed that of any mortal.
Liang Feng’s wife was named Hu Qing, and she was indeed a woman who loved Go.
When Liang Feng mentioned that this benefactor of his played Go in his bamboo cottage during his leisure hours, she had come to visit.
Song Yan had been fretting over finding an opponent, so he naturally welcomed her.
The two played back and forth with vigor.
But Hu Qing relied on her technical mastery of Go, while Song Yan relied on his divine sense, which far exceeded the ordinary.
Judging purely by results, they were evenly matched, each winning and losing in turn.
This elegant and mysterious “game” of theirs naturally attracted Xiao He’s attention, and she had been pestering Song Yan to teach her these past few days.
As it happened, Xiao Ju was also interested in Go, so Song Yan opened a class to instruct these two curious souls.
The knowledge and skill he possessed regarding Go was actually quite limited, and teaching it was not troublesome.
“Watch closely.” Song Yan picked up a black stone. “This black stone goes here.”
He placed the stone.
Xiao He’s bright eyes widened as she stared intently at where the black stone fell.
On the board, the black stones were surrounded by a scattered formation of white, with white stones eyeing them from every direction.
“If the black stone has no path to life, it dies.”
Xiao He stared at the board and repeated, “Dies.”
“But if this black stone plays here, then it lives.”
Xiao He stared at the board and repeated, “Lives.”
“Hey, what if I play this black stone here?”
Xiao He looked up and said earnestly, “Half-dead, half-alive.”
“That’s not—” Song Yan ruffled Xiao He’s head in exasperation, tangling her hair.
“Fellow Daoist Song, if the black stone plays here and the white stone does not respond, it seems the white stones themselves will be in danger of being surrounded.”
Xiao Ju, who had been listening quietly from the side, spoke up.
Song Yan nodded in approval, thinking that Xiao Ju’s mind was indeed sharp.
“Correct. This is a brilliant move. If the white stone does not respond, its position becomes dire. But if it does respond, it will be led by the nose, allowing the black to turn danger into safety.”
“In the end, the white stones will be captured by the black.”
“Oh…” Xiao He looked at the white stones with concern.
In her eyes, white represented the good, and black naturally represented the bad.
With a small wave of her hand, her demon power animated the black stones, forming them into a little serpent that slithered off the board.
“Good, good.” Xiao He pointed at the board, now left with only white stones, and looked up. “The black stones ran away. White wins.”
Song Yan flicked her on the forehead. “That doesn’t count.”
The snake child’s face fell, clearly displeased.
This drew a laugh from Xiao Ju as well.
During this period, another event of significance had occurred in the State of Chu — news from the mortal world.
The only mortal affairs that reached the ears of cultivators were matters of dynastic succession and imperial change.
A few days prior, the royal capital had designated its heir. King Youyan of Chu had named the eldest prince, Shiying, as Crown Prince.
But these were merely mortal concerns, and the cultivators treated them as nothing more than conversation pieces.
Perhaps only a handful of minor cultivation families with lingering ties to the mortal courts regarded this as a matter of import.
On this day, Song Yan had just completed his dawn breath of the morning sun.
This habit had been formed back at the sect, and he maintained it wherever he went.
“This place truly is suited for retirement.”
The cultivators of Dragon Spring Prefecture lived far too much like mortals.
But could one say that behind this ease lay not another form of cultivation?
“Had I never seen the path of immortality, living as a mortal — it would not have been so bad.”
He stretched, told Xiao Ju and Xiao He to watch the house, then walked alone out of the valley.
From the Unnamed Valley to Lanxi Market, there was some distance to travel.
Following the babbling stream, he encountered cultivators fishing along the banks and quietly gave them a wide berth, lest the commotion disturb their catch and spark an argument.
Spirit fields dotted the valley, and spirit-plant cultivators tended their herbs at a leisurely pace, occasionally exchanging pleasantries with neighbors. Lanxi Market was also built along the stream, with bamboo and wooden pavilions scattered in graceful arrangement.
The seven auxiliary herbs for the No-Thought Pill had long since been collected. In fact, he had attempted to refine a batch a few days prior, but had failed, as expected.
Song Yan was not discouraged. After all, this was a second-tier pill.
His visit to the market today served two purposes: to replenish some alchemical materials, and to inquire after news of the True-Felling Vine, the key ingredient for the improved Foundation Establishment Pill.
The cultivators of Lanxi Cave were skilled in trade, and their shops exchanged goods and information freely, making them well-informed.
Liang Feng had told him that Lanxi Market would hold an auction in a few days, and it was rumored that some rare spirit herbs would be among the offerings.
He had come quickly to ask.
If the True-Felling Vine was among them, that would be ideal.
“I wonder whether Brother Li Yi has established his Foundation yet.”
During the final battle, Li Yi had already been at the ninth level of Qi Refining, close to perfection. After winning first place in the finals, he had received his reward — a Foundation Establishment Pill.
It was the envy of all.
Naturally, disciples of outstanding talent like Song Yan and Xiang Zhaoling would most likely be granted a Foundation Establishment Pill upon returning to the sect after reaching Qi Refining perfection and submitting a request.
But Song Yan was not an immortal reborn. He had never faced the hurdle of Foundation Establishment before and had no experience.
He could not shake the feeling that a single Foundation Establishment Pill was not enough assurance.
It would be best to have several on hand, just in case.
Moreover, his spiritual roots were gone, replaced by nothing but the Seed of Sword Dao. The information regarding Foundation Establishment in the Eastern Abyss Sect could serve only as reference, not as a step-by-step guide.
Song Yan stepped forward and entered a pill shop called the Enter-Pill Hall.
It was an old establishment, its business neither brisk nor sluggish. The shopkeeper reclined in a chair behind a screen, humming a tune Song Yan had never heard.
Two assistants worked in the shop. One stood at the counter, parleying with regular customers over prices.
The other assistant, upon seeing Song Yan enter with an air of distinction, hurried forward.
He clasped his hands and inquired, “Might this Fellow Daoist require something? Our shop carries a full range of pills, and we also deal in spirit plants and materials.”
Song Yan gave a slight nod, his gaze sweeping past the screen behind the counter. He spoke directly, “Please inform Shopkeeper Zhang that Song has matters to discuss.”
The assistant started in surprise, then smiled broadly. “So the Fellow Daoist knows our shopkeeper. Please wait a moment.”
He turned and hurried to the back, whispering softly.
Before long, a rustling came from behind the screen, and a middle-aged man in an indigo robe with graying temples stepped out.
In his hand, he held an aged tome, and when he looked up, his gaze burned like a torch. It was Shopkeeper Zhang Dandong.
“Oh? So it is Fellow Daoist Song.”
Zhang Dandong closed the ancient book, his fingertips tapping lightly upon its cover.
Song Yan clasped his fists in greeting. “Shopkeeper Zhang, I hope you have been well. That assistant just now looked quite unfamiliar.”
“We hired him these past few days.”
Song Yan had originally come here to sell some pills he had refined previously and to inquire about ingredients for the No-Thought Pill and the improved Foundation Establishment Pill.
He had not expected that this pill hall would prove so capable — nearly all the auxiliary herbs for the No-Thought Pill could be purchased here.
He had simply bought everything from this Enter-Pill Hall, and had become something of a valued customer.
Over time, he had grown familiar with the shopkeeper.
Shopkeeper Zhang invited Song Yan to sit, had the assistant serve a cup of spirit tea, and the two fell into idle conversation.
After some pleasantries, Song Yan came straight to the point. “I have heard that Shopkeeper Zhang is one of the managers of the Lanxi Cave auction?”
Zhang Dandong heard this and already had a rough idea of what this distinguished guest had come for.
He nodded. “Indeed. I have the honor of being one of the seven managers of the Lanxi Market Joint Auction.”
“Does Fellow Daoist Song have treasures he wishes to consign, or does he wish to know which treasures will appear at the next auction?”
Speaking with a clever person saved considerable effort.
Song Yan was direct. “I have heard that a batch of rare spirit herbs will appear at the auction in a few days.”
Seeing Shopkeeper Zhang nod, he continued, “I have come primarily to ask — among them, is there a True-Felling Vine?”
Zhang Dandong’s brow twitched slightly. After a moment’s deliberation, he shook his head. “The Fellow Daoist’s sources are quite well-informed. Indeed, a batch of rare medicinal materials will be brought from a secret realm in Northern Chu for the auction.”
However, his tone shifted. “But the True-Felling Vine — that is truly rare. It has never appeared in the auction records of Lanxi Cave in recent years.”
Seeing Song Yan’s expression tighten, he added, “However, if the Fellow Daoist is not in a hurry, I can keep an eye out. Should I hear any word of it, I will send notification.”
Song Yan considered briefly, then drew several spirit stones from his Cosmos Bag and slid them across the table. “Then I shall trouble Shopkeeper Zhang.”
“Oh my, Fellow Daoist Song is most generous. I shall not stand on ceremony, and will accept with pleasure.”
Zhang Dandong noted the excellent quality of the spirit stones, and his smile deepened. He pocketed the stones while reaching beneath the counter to produce a bamboo scroll, which he unfurled.
“Here.” He pointed to a spot on the scroll. “The Fellow Daoist may wish to review this list. These are the spirit herbs to be sold at the auction in a few days.”
“There is no True-Felling Vine, but there is another herb called the Dark Spirit Grass, whose medicinal properties are similar to the True-Felling Vine. Perhaps it could serve?”
Song Yan’s gaze swept over the scroll. Indeed, there were many rare alchemical materials listed, but none of them were what he sought. He shook his head in refusal.
After purchasing and supplementing some additional materials for the No-Thought Pill, he departed the Enter-Pill Hall.
He prepared to return to the Unnamed Valley.
Was the True-Felling Vine truly so difficult to obtain? He could not find it anywhere.
Song Yan resolved that if, by the time his cultivation reached Qi Refining perfection, he still had not found this herb, he would return to the sect.
He would try his luck one final time. If it was truly nowhere to be found, there was nothing to be done — he would see whether his sect contribution points were enough to exchange for an ordinary Foundation Establishment Pill.
In the current cultivation world of the State of Chu, the ingredients required to refine Foundation Establishment Pills were exceedingly rare.
Someone had once calculated that even among the six great sects, the total number of Foundation Establishment Pills produced over ten years amounted to barely a thousand.
Such preciousness — he wondered whether his contribution points would suffice.
He had heard that some disciples within the sect did only two things from the moment they entered the inner sect: bury themselves in cultivation and tirelessly complete sect missions to earn contribution points.
All for the day they might exchange them for a Foundation Establishment Pill.
After all, spirit pills were scarce and limited. Those lucky enough to obtain one had a chance to attempt Foundation Establishment. Those without luck could only wait in queue.
Not far from the pill hall, as Song Yan walked in contemplation, a commotion arose at the market entrance.
The crowd rippled with unrest.
A ragged youth burst from the crowd, running directly toward Song Yan.
He stumbled forward and threw himself before Song Yan, seizing his sleeve. His voice was urgent and hoarse, “Fellow Daoist! Fellow Daoist, please do not leave!”
“Hm?”
Song Yan frowned slightly, his divine sense sweeping outward.
This was a mortal?
How had this person managed to break in?