Immortal friend?
Who?
Me?
Jiang Yi froze. The golden light shimmering in his eyes slowly converged, suddenly taking the shape of a book's page.
Immediately after, a vast and complex flood of information surged forth, crashing against his mind like a tidal wave. It made the space between his brows ache and throb painfully.
"Wield the Celestial Book, discern causality..."
"All living things, without exception, possess cause and produce effect..."
"He who masters the Celestial Book can perceive it all!"
Jiang Yi sat on his wooden plank bed, his back against the rough earthen wall, breathing in and out deeply and repeatedly.
A full half-incense stick's time passed before he finally managed to shake off the intense, dizzying stupor.
He raised his hand and waved it about. The golden paper reflected in his eyes was like an illusion—visible, yet untouchable.
'Everything in this world, so long as it exists, leaves a trace from its creation to its destruction. And this trace is causality, which cannot escape the perception of this book?'
Confirming that the Celestial Book Golden Paper was not a figment of his imagination, Jiang Yi felt a great weight drop from his heart.
As he looked around the still small and cramped servant's quarters, his state of mind quietly began to change.
The persistent sense of urgency and anxiety that had haunted him before suddenly felt much less heavy.
Even his apprehension and worry about the future dissipated somewhat.
'Discern causality, know all... Then, what do I need to know right now?'
'My Daoism teacher once said that throughout the Yanfu Vast Land, any who succeed in Cultivation and achieve Divine Techniques inevitably have some great Opportunity and a destiny of their own...'
Jiang Yi thought silently. With a flicker of his will, he followed the given format and made his inquiry.
[I beg the Celestial Book, show me my Opportunity.]
Jiang Yi pondered it over and over, confirming that what he needed most was an Opportunity! A chance to escape his duties as a Mortal Servant and stop being treated like Cattle and Horses!
With a BUZZ, the golden paper instantly filled with small, archaic, and esoteric tadpole-like script.
The brilliant golden essence was stirred, sending out fine ripples.
[Subject of inquiry: Personal Opportunity]
[Deduction time: Within five breaths]
[Example 1: On the main peak of the Qianji Sect, there is a Seventh Grade Qi Cultivation Technique, the "Cloud Formation Rain True Spirit Technique," hidden in the secret vault. Its restrictions can be broken and it can be taken.]
[Example 2: In the Yi-Class Medicine Field on Gathering Herbs Peak, this year's harvest is excellent. One hundred stalks of Suiling Grass have all matured, and two "Yuan Containing Pills" have been refined. They can be consumed to improve one's Cultivation.]
[Example 3: Nourishing Soul Peak...]
"This?"
Jiang Yi quickly finished reading through the seven or eight "Opportunities."
He couldn't help but frown. The Celestial Book could indeed perceive all manner of causality and knew everything like the back of its hand.
But the "Opportunities" it provided all came with enormous risks.
Take the first example. A Mortal Servant wasn't even qualified to set foot on the main peak, let alone get near the secret vault. Any trespassers would be killed on sight.
It was also true that the two Yuan Containing Pills from Gathering Herbs Peak would be a huge boost for anyone below the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer.
But how could they possibly fall into his hands?
Even Inner Sect Disciples might not get a share!
'Perhaps... I'm asking the wrong way.'
Jiang Yi considered for a moment, then changed the thought in his mind.
[I beg the Celestial Book, show me an Opportunity that is currently attainable and has No Aftermath.]
BUZZ!
The golden paper trembled, the ripples growing more intense.
It was like a dense shower of rain falling on a calm lake, creating quite a stir.
[Subject of inquiry: An Opportunity suited for me]
[Deduction time: Six hours...]
The brilliant golden essence rippled like water, but it was slow to condense into the tadpole script and display a clear answer.
'It seems the more specific the question, the longer it takes to get an answer? No matter, I can afford to wait!'
Jiang Yi's heart burned with excitement. He took a few deep breaths, feeling an inexplicable urge to stand up and pace around.
'Tch, my self-control is terrible. I have to stay calm, stay calm.'
Jiang Yi laughed at himself and silently recited the "calm" mantra.
It was hard for someone at rock bottom to suddenly grasp a sliver of hope and not feel restless.
That was only human!
Only those who have truly scraped by at the bottom, enduring a life of toil like Cattle and Horses, can understand just how heavy the phrase "to overturn one's fate" truly is.
Just as he was desperate to do something to vent his pent-up emotions, a loud voice suddenly called out from outside:
"Brother Yi! I'm off work! We said we'd eat together..."
Jiang Yi rubbed his cheeks, schooling his expression back to normal before getting up to open the door.
"Brother He, you've worked hard. I was just waiting for you to get back."
He the Venerable's rough face was flushed red inside and out, likely from being scorched by the searing heat of the Quenching Room for many hours.
As soon as he entered the Big Mixed Courtyard, he bellowed:
"That heat nearly killed me! Son of a bitch, the furnace was especially fiery today. I could barely breathe!"
Jiang Yi said,
"The worker fanning the flames probably made the fire too strong. Catch your breath, Brother He. Rest for a bit, then we can go eat."
He the Venerable was at the Qi Cultivation Second Layer, yet even he couldn't stand the ordeal of the Quenching Room. It was clear that today's shift had been utterly exhausting.
"No matter what, I'm switching to the Grinding and Carving Room tomorrow. Eight hours in there and you're practically cooked. I can't take it, I just can't take it..."
Jiang Yi remained silent. Mortal Servants had no right to be picky about their work. It was all decided by the Servants in charge of each room, who assigned jobs by drawing lots.
He the Venerable grabbed a water ladle and GULP, GULP, GULP, chugged down several mouthfuls of cool water. Only after his breathing evened out did he seem to come back to life.
"Dammit! Working myself half to death for a few measly talisman coins!"
Jiang Yi had heard this kind of complaint too many times.
When you're treated like Cattle and Horses, driven by others, who wouldn't have some resentment?
He himself used to complain just as much, but today he seemed calm.
'This must be the confidence the Celestial Book has given me...'
Jiang Yi reflected on his change in mindset and said,
"Rested up, Brother He? If you're ready, let's head to the 'Ice and Fire Cave'."
"Let's go, let's go! I've been dying to have some meat! I'm sick to death of eating coarse rice and old grain!"
Hearing this, He the Venerable's face split into a wide grin, and he happily followed Jiang Yi out of the Big Mixed Courtyard.
South of Red Flame Peak were the workers' quarters, a collection of courtyards and shacks built along the terrain that housed the Mortal Servants. All in all, there were about three to four hundred people living there.
To the north, many stilt houses were built into the mountainside, hanging from steep cliffs and nestled between rock faces. Most of these were taverns, eateries, gambling dens, and brothels.
It was the end of the workday, so the area was quite lively.
Groups of Mortal Servants in dusty grey Daoist Robes traveled together, like tiny ants crawling between towering trees, either looking for food, a place to rest, or some entertainment.
The Ice and Fire Cave that Jiang Yi mentioned was a tavern located inside a cliff cave. It had a dozen or so tables and stools, somewhat resembling an old-fashioned "cave hot pot" restaurant from the Bashu region.
Perhaps because he wasn't the one paying, He the Venerable stood up straight and tall, completely abandoning his usual penny-pinching. The moment he stepped into the Ice and Fire Cave, he bellowed:
"Waiter! A pot of your best wine! And two bowls of Spirit Rice, packed down tight, no skimping! And bring us some of your best dishes!"
"Right away! I'll get that ready for you two Daoist masters!"
The waiter called out an affirmative and headed to the back kitchen.
Before long, two large, fragrant bowls of Spirit Rice were delivered to their table.
Just as He the Venerable had instructed, they were packed solid.
"This is what's great about the Ice and Fire Cave. It's an old establishment, they don't cheat their customers! Not like those other places with no integrity that do nothing but rip off Mortal Servants!"
He the Venerable sniffed the fragrant rice, an expression of pure bliss on his face before he had even taken a bite.
Immediately after, the waiter brought out a pot of snake soup, a plate of wild rabbit, and a greasy roasted chicken.
"Don't laugh, Brother Yi, but I haven't had a single grain of Spirit Rice in two whole months. My stomach's crying famine! I'm just gonna wolf down a few bites to line my stomach!"
Jiang Yi nodded. He was at the Qi Cultivation First Layer and He the Venerable was at the Second Layer. They were both "Enlightened Practitioners" who had opened their qi meridians, so their demand for Spiritual Qi was not small.
Before reaching the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer, the physical body still required nourishment.
Normally, meditation and Breathing exercises involved using a Circulation Skill to move True Qi through the hundreds of vessels, cleansing the body inside and out to eliminate impurities.
But without Spirit Rice or Spirit Medicine to supplement their energy, trying to improve one's Cultivation just by practicing techniques was nothing but a fool's dream.
Furthermore, the Mortal Servants' daily toil took up a huge amount of their practice time, making it even harder to improve their Cultivation.
This was why Jiang Yi and He the Venerable cherished Spirit Rice so much.
A single bowl of fragrant Spirit Rice was not only equivalent to several days of meditation and qi Circulation, but it also made one's pores open up and their body feel much lighter.
He the Venerable ate like a starving ghost reincarnated, head down, shoveling rice into his mouth. His movements were wide, but he was meticulous, not letting a single grain of Spirit Rice escape. He only stopped after licking the bottom of the bowl clean.
"This is what a Cultivator should be eating! So damn satisfying!"
After finishing the hard-earned bowl of Spirit Rice, He the Venerable loosened the belt of his cotton Daoist Robe and started eating the wild rabbit and snake soup to go with his wine.
"A single bowl of rice costs two or three hundred talisman coins. Of course it's going to be good."
Jiang Yi's table manners were better than He the Venerable's. He ate slowly and deliberately, and after wiping his mouth, he said:
"Waiter, bring me a pot of wine as well."
He the Venerable squinted his eyes, seemingly surprised.
"Brother Yi, you never used to touch a drop of alcohol. Why today... Tch, it's not my place to ask. Come on, your big brother will have a drink with you!"
He shook his head before he even finished his question, as if he had figured out the reason.
'Brother Yi must have decided to sever his "ill-fated connection" with Luo Qian'er and is drowning his sorrows in wine!'