119: Chapter 119 Incense Offering Luck

A piece of news has recently gone viral in the Central Province Cultivation World.

Rumor has it that the Ember Lotus Demon Venerable, Jiang Hongyuan, is getting married!

Who would dare believe this?

No one knows where the news leaked from.

Some say it was in a tavern at some market where two drunken Loose Cultivators let it slip; others say a Disciple of the Blood Fiend Sect accidentally revealed it while out shopping.

Still others say it's completely fake, just some death-seeking fool spreading rumors.

But the news spread anyway.

As if it had grown wings, it flew from the Central Province to the Southern Region, from the Southern Region to the East Sea, and from the East Sea toward the Northern Frontier.

In just a few days, every Cultivator in the Five Domains with even a bit of access to information had heard about it.

"Jiang Hongyuan? That Dongxu Realm giant of the Demonic Path?"

"Isn't she practicing the Dao of Heartlessness? Why is she suddenly getting married?"

"With whom? Who would dare marry her?"

Similar discussions were everywhere in teahouses and taverns.

Some said it was true, some said it was false; some swore they had seen the invitation with their own eyes, while others snorted in contempt, saying it was all nonsense.

But everyone was curious about one thing.

Who could become Jiang Hongyuan's Dao Companion?

That was Jiang Hongyuan, after all.

The only contemporary Dongxu Realm Demonic Path Cultivator, the Sect Master of the Blood Fiend Sect, a cold-blooded Devil Head who killed without blinking.

She was actually getting married?

The great clans and families of the Central Province began to speculate one after another.

Some started inquiring which thousand-year-old monster had won the Demon Venerable's favor, or which clan's Old Ancestor had come out of seclusion.

Some sent people overnight to investigate the Blood Fiend Sect's movements, wanting to know where the wedding would be held.

Others simply adopted a posture of watching a good show, waiting to see if the Immortal and Demonic Paths would start a war over this.

But the problem was...

No one knew where the wedding was being held.

Nor did anyone know who had received an invitation.

It made sense, in a way.

Nowadays, the Demonic Path was in decline. Although the Blood Fiend Sect still had some foundation, it was no longer the behemoth that could stand as an equal against the hundreds of Immortal sects like in the old days.

Even if Jiang Hongyuan wanted to get married, it was unlikely she would grandly invite the righteous Immortal sects to attend.

If the wedding turned into a siege, that would be quite a joke.

Thus, despite the discussions and curiosity, most people just used it as idle conversation over tea and meals, and let it pass.

Only a few people knew that the invitation had indeed been sent out.

...

Imperial Capital.

The capital of the Great Tang.

Millions of people lived in this magnificent city.

The city walls were a hundred zhang high, and the gates ten zhang wide; every day, carriages and crowds flowed in and out like a tapestry.

And within the Imperial Capital, there was another city.

White Jade District.

Hidden within the bustling city, it was shrouded in a layer of faint white mist.

When ordinary Mortals walked past, they only thought it was an abandoned old district, unable to see the sights within at all.

But for a Cultivator, passing through that white mist would reveal a sudden, wide-open view.

Soaring pavilions and towers were stacked layer upon layer, extending from the ground all the way to the clouds.

Immortal cranes wove between the pavilions, occasionally letting out clear, high-pitched cries. Various colored escape lights came and went, weaving into a flowing river of light.

At least hundreds of thousands of Cultivators lived here.

There were Loose Cultivators selling at stalls, scions of great clans, deacons stationed by various sects, and travelers from outer regions.

Though called a market, it was actually more like an independent city of Cultivators.

Among the Cultivators of the Central Region, White Jade District was also known as...

White Jade Capital.

Inside a certain government office in the market.

Yan Qingning sat upright in a chair, a cup of freshly brewed spirit tea by her hand.

Jiang Wanxing sat by her side, looking around curiously.

Before long, a minor official wearing a black uniform hurried over, holding two jade plaques in his hands, and respectfully presented them to the two women.

"The two Fairies' temporary identity cards are ready." The official lowered his head, his attitude humble.

"The tower boat you arrived in will be docked at the Peak Cloud Sea port. The docking fee is two hundred Spirit Stones per day, settled monthly."

Yan Qingning took the jade plaques and nodded slightly: "Thank you."

The two jade plaques flew respectively to her and Jiang Wanxing.

Jiang Wanxing reached out to catch it, flipped it over, and saw her name carved on it: Jiang Wanxing.

Below the name was a line of small characters: 'Disciple of the Xuanxiao Immortal Sect, Southern Region; Temporary Passage.'

The official gave a few more instructions:

"Since you two are from an outer region, please remember a few things. In Mortal territories, you must not use large-scale destructive Daoist Magic or Immortal Spells on a whim.

If you are noticed by the Demon Suppression Division, you will be wanted."

Yan Qingning nodded: "We understand."

Having finished, the official didn't dare stay longer, bowed, and retreated.

These two were big figures from the Xuanxiao Immortal Sect; he absolutely did not dare to offend or neglect them.

The tower boat they sat in when they arrived—good heavens, it was truly too extravagant. A docking fee of two hundred Spirit Stones a day was equivalent to two or three years of his salary.

After leaving the office, a palm-sized young girl suddenly appeared beside Yan Qingning.

Exquisite and cute, she wore a water-blue dress, her two watery eyes looking around curiously.

It was Frost Radiance.

She floated by Yan Qingning's side, looking everywhere, her small face full of wonder:

"Revered Master, Revered Master, this place is truly extraordinary! The incense luck is actually so thick!"

Jiang Wanxing asked curiously: "What is incense luck?"

Yan Qingning explained as they walked, "incense luck is a type of Power Of Faith, formed by the Power Of Will generated by Mortals toward a specific object."

Jiang Wanxing thought for a moment:

"I've only heard Revered Master mention Luck. As long as one's Luck is strong enough, there will be more opportunities, and one doesn't have to worry about things like Heart Demons or Bottlenecks."

"Is there any connection between Luck and incense luck?" she asked, somewhat puzzled.

Yan Qingning said: "The two are very similar, but Luck is a blessing bestowed by the Heavenly Dao when it favors a certain person, while incense luck is something that appears when Mortals favor a certain person."

Frost Radiance flew to her side and chimed in: "Exactly, exactly! I heard that people who practice the Incense Cultivation can get stronger just by lying down and receiving incense every day!"

Jiang Wanxing mused: "Then why do I rarely see anyone practicing the Incense Cultivation?"

She had almost never heard anyone discuss the cultivation methods of the Incense Cultivation.

Yan Qingning glanced at her, her tone flat:

"Cultivators pursue freedom and transcendence, but the Incense Cultivation traps the practitioner within the Power Of Will of Mortals.

If the incense is cut off one day, the person practicing this Dao will rapidly decline and perish."

She added seriously:

"Furthermore, obtaining incense is extremely difficult. You have to protect a region and respond to prayers; it's much more exhausting than bitter cultivation in seclusion."

Frost Radiance added: "So except for the Central Region where practicing the Incense Cultivation is common, it's not popular at all elsewhere.

In some places, the Incense Cultivation is even considered a trivial path, unworthy of practice."

She puffed out her little chest, looking proud.

Having followed her Revered Master for so long, she had also read many books.

And since her Revered Master attained immortality, Frost Radiance had also become smarter, sometimes wanting to show off her little bit of knowledge.

After listening, Jiang Wanxing fell into thought.

"So that's how it is..."

She whispered, "I actually think that the person who could create the Incense Cultivation is very remarkable."

Frost Radiance tilted her head: "Why? What's so remarkable about being coerced by Mortals?"

Yan Qingning also looked at her.

Jiang Wanxing thought for a while and said seriously:

"I just feel that being able to let Mortals live a stable and safe life is very remarkable."

She looked up at the crowds coming and going on the street.

"In the Southern Region, Immortal sects are everywhere. Today this sect and that faction fight; tomorrow those Cultivators duel so intensely they lose themselves. Any random Spell that falls could destroy half a city."

She lowered her head and spoke her feelings.

"But the Mortals in the Central Province don't seem to have to fear these things."

Frost Radiance scratched her head, feeling it made sense, but couldn't quite say why.

Yan Qingning glanced at her but didn't speak.

Jiang Wanxing herself hadn't practiced for many years, so she hadn't yet realized how vast the gap was between Mortals and Cultivators.

She simply felt that Mortals were people too.

But what she mainly thought was that only in such a stable place could she live with her brother forever.

Jiang Wanxing suddenly remembered something, and her mood dropped:

"Then... how should Junior Martial Uncle find my brother now?"

Frost Radiance suddenly stole a glance at Yan Qingning, feeling a bit nervous.

She wouldn't tell her Revered Master the things she knew.

But she wouldn't stop her Revered Master from looking for Daddy either.

Yan Qingning was silent for a moment before saying:

"Only within a certain range of your brother can he be found through Karmic resonance."

Jiang Wanxing lowered her head, feeling a bit dejected.

She wanted to see her brother so much.

So much.

Yan Qingning looked at her and didn't say more.

As long as Frost Radiance was there, searching the entire Central Region would only take about a dozen years.

She had that patience.

...