Xuan Yuan

The chanting of scriptures echoed through the wide cavern, rising and falling in a measured cadence. All six disciples of Qingfeng Temple, including Li Huowang, sat cross-legged on their rush mats, following the master in the morning lesson.

None of them had a scripture in front of them. Li Huowang could only mumble along uncertainly with the other senior brothers, trying to catch the words.

As he chanted, Li Huowang lifted his head and fixed his gaze on Danyangzi, who sat at the very front. The viciousness in his eyes had barely surfaced before he forced it back down.

He hated this disgusting man—wanted to eat his flesh and peel his skin—but Li Huowang knew he was too weak now. No match for him at all.

The other side had real power. He couldn't act recklessly. His main task now was to endure, to hide his intentions, and to look for an opening in secret.

It might be incredibly hard, and Danyangzi might catch him and kill him horribly, but Li Huowang no longer cared about any of that.

When Danyangzi turned slightly, Li Huowang quickly moved his gaze upward, past the three tall incense sticks, to the three statues displayed inside a hollow carved into the rock wall.

The three deities looked nothing alike. They wore yellow Daoist robes and held dust wipers, their eyes fixed on the tiny mortals below without sorrow or joy.

There was nothing celestial about them. They looked ordinary—if not for their Daoist robes, they could have been three slightly large common people.

Li Huowang had no idea who these three statues were, but he committed their features to memory.

At that moment the chanting slowed. When the last fragment of text left their mouths, the attendant boy struck the red drum three times. The morning lesson was over.

All the disciples stood up with Danyangzi, simultaneously pinching their left thumb with their right hand, placing four fingers on top of their right, and lifting both hands above their heads to bow to the statues.

After the bow, Danyangzi turned slowly and surveyed the disciples behind him.

When he saw Li Huowang—now dressed in a Daoist robe, standing calmly at the very end of the line—he nodded in satisfaction.

“Xuan Yuan. Xuan Yang is newly inducted and is sure to have many things he doesn’t understand. As his senior brother, teach him.”

“Yes, Master.” A round-faced, slightly plump middle-aged man bowed to Danyangzi.

“That will do. After the Mao hour there’s nothing pressing. Everyone go eat.” Danyangzi clasped his hands behind his back and walked toward a side cave entrance.

A gloomy young man wearing a Daoist headwrap followed him out.

“That’s Senior Brother Zheng Kun. Since Zheng Kan and Zheng Zhen rebelled and fled, he’s been the master’s only inner disciple. When you run into him in the temple, remember to show respect—he’s not as easygoing as the Master.”

Xuan Yuan walked over to Li Huowang and explained the man’s background.

Li Huowang nodded. “Thank you for clearing that up, Senior Brother Xuan Yuan. Does he also have the Master’s supernatural powers?”

He didn’t know much else, but Li Huowang knew Danyangzi had the ability to manipulate objects with his mind, and his strength was terrifying—he could lift stone vats weighing several hundred jin.

But that wasn’t the most dangerous part. What made Li Huowang most wary was that Danyangzi seemed to know everything that happened inside the cavern—whether it was when Li Huowang had called him rubbish or earlier when he hadn’t agreed to escape with the others.

If he really wanted to deal with him, he had to figure that out.

“He’s an inner disciple. How would I know what the Master taught him?” Li Huowang caught the jealousy in the other’s tone.

“One person is too weak. Should I find allies inside Qingfeng Temple?” The thought flickered through Li Huowang’s mind, but it died almost immediately.

Anyone with a rebellious heart had probably already been eaten by the Black Tai Sui the last time. The ones left now, even if they weren’t devoted to Danyangzi, were likely cowardly and weak.

“Let’s go. We’ll talk as we walk.” Xuan Yuan turned and led Li Huowang toward the kitchen. “I know what you’re thinking. Don’t get your hopes up about the Master’s immortality method. You’re last in line for it.”

“You just focus on your work. Whatever the Master tells you to do, you do it. When it’s your turn by seniority, your turn will come naturally.”

By this time they had reached the cavern that served as the dining hall. Some of the other senior brothers had already arrived and were starting their congee.

Three of them Li Huowang recognized: the two Daoists with longswords were Changming and Changren, and there was Xuan Yin, whom he’d met briefly before.

Add Xuan Yuan beside him, and Li Huowang himself, Xuan Yang—all five of Qingfeng Temple’s registered disciples were now gathered here.

“Qingfeng Temple’s rule: no talking while eating, no speaking while sleeping. After the meal, I’ll teach you the rest.” Xuan Yuan sat down and joined them in drinking congee.

Li Huowang sat down, picked up the black earthenware bowl, and took a sip, silently observing the behavior of his fellow disciples.

Their faces were different—none too striking, none too ugly. But dressed in their Daoist robes and sitting together, Li Huowang felt that something was off.

When Xuan Yin pressed one side of his nose and blew snot onto the floor, and the other two senior brothers frowned slightly, Li Huowang finally realized what it was: their temperaments didn’t match.

Some had more of a scholarly air, others had thick knuckles and wrists that looked they did rough labor.

“Where did Danyangzi find these five disciples? Were they pulled up from being human ingredients like me?”

One by one the empty bowls were set down. None of the other senior brothers gave the new Xuan Yang a second glance as they strode toward the entrance.

After the meal, Xuan Yuan led Li Huowang on a tour of Qingfeng Temple. From him, Li Huowang learned that each of the five registered disciples was in charge of a different area of the temple.

Some managed the boy attendants, some handled purchasing outside the temple, some fed the Black Tai Sui, and the more senior ones held multiple responsibilities.

It hadn’t been this busy before, but after the last batch of people died, their tasks had been forced onto the remaining disciples.

Naturally, Li Huowang’s duty was the material room—everything there was his responsibility. Everything these disciples did was to assist the Master in his pursuit of immortality.

After going around all day, Li Huowang finally had a detailed understanding of the entire temple from Xuan Yuan.

He committed all of this to memory. This place was no longer a hallucination he could leave at any time. Whether he could kill Danyangzi might depend on these pieces of information.

After spending the day together, Xuan Yuan had warmed up slightly to Li Huowang. The two were walking back from the Zhengyi Hall.

“Junior Brother Xuan Yang, there’s no need to be so tense. Your work won’t be that busy, and the Master doesn’t refine pills every day.”

“Oh? Please enlighten me, Senior Brother Xuan Yuan.”

“Alchemy is closely tied to celestial phenomena and timing. Some pills must be made at a fixed hour to achieve maximum effect. For example, today and tomorrow are not good for alchemy, but the Zi hour the day after tomorrow is a very auspicious time.”