17: Chapter 17 Mountain Gate

The mountain gate of the Danding Sect was even taller than it looked from afar.

Upon approaching, one could see that the two stone pillars were not made of ordinary stone, but a blue-black stone material. Its surface was covered in a layer of fine, dense patterns, resembling the growth rings of a tree, winding in circles from the base of the pillar to the top. The couplet carved onto the pillars—"The cinnabar heart illuminates the sun and moon; the cauldron's Qi pierces the heavens and earth"—had every stroke traced with gold, shimmering with fine light under the sunlight.

Lu Chen stood under the mountain gate, looking up for a while.

Zhao Ping waited nearby without rushing him.

"How many years has this gate stood?" Lu Chen asked.

"I don't know," Zhao Ping said. "It has been here since the generation of my Master's Master's Master. I heard the stones at the base of this gate were dug out from an ancient ruin, moved here as a whole block, carved with words, and erected here."

"What kind of ruin?"

"No one says," Zhao Ping smiled, squinting his eyes. "Those who asked either ascended to the Inner Sect or disappeared."

Lu Chen did not ask further.

He stepped through the mountain gate.

Beneath his feet were wide stone steps, enough to accommodate six people walking side by side. The railings on both sides of the stone steps were carved with patterns of a Pill Furnace, one after another, extending from the foot of the mountain all the way to the mountainside, countless in number.

The scent of medicine in the air grew increasingly thick.

It was not the bitter scent of medicine, but a medicinal scent mixed with the fragrance of herbs—like someone boiling ginseng slices and reishi mushrooms in a large pot, with the steam rising from the pot and drifting everywhere.

Zhao Ping walked in front, his pace neither fast nor slow.

"The residence of the Outer Sect Disciple is this way," he pointed to a fork in the road on the left. "The Inner Sect is on the mountainside; you cannot enter for now. Only when you pass the Outer Sect assessment and become an official Disciple will you be qualified to go up."

"Outer Sect assessment?"

"Once a year," Zhao Ping said. "Alchemy, cultivation level, and understanding of the Dao of Alchemy—you must pass all three. If you pass, you become an official Disciple; if you fail, you continue being a handyman."

"Am I a handyman now?"

"Correct," Zhao Ping said. "An Outer Sect handyman. Responsible for the daily affairs of the Pharmacy—watering, weeding, drying herbs, and watching the furnace. The work isn't heavy, just trivial."

Lu Chen nodded.

Walking to the end of the fork, there was an area of low, flat houses.

White walls, black tiles; moss grew at the base of the walls, and grass grew in the crevices of the tiles. The houses were very old, but kept reasonably clean. In front of the door was a canal, the water drawn down from the mountain, very clear, where one could see the stones and sand at the bottom of the canal.

"You live in this room," Zhao Ping pointed to the one at the very end.

The door was made of wood, unlocked, and opened with a push.

The room was not big, about ten feet square, containing a wooden plank bed, a table, and a chair. On the table sat a set of coarse porcelain tea ware, with a piece chipped off the spout. The window paper had several holes broken in it, and the wind blew in through the holes, making the dust on the table swirl.

"The conditions are a bit poor," Zhao Ping said. "Senior Sister Su asked me to tell you to endure it for now. Once she has arranged things, she will get you a better one."

"No need," Lu Chen walked in and placed the items from his bosom onto the table. "As long as it's livable, it's fine."

Zhao Ping stood at the doorway, watching him take things out one by one—bamboo slips, jade, a wooden token, a bone fragment, empty porcelain bottles, the map given by Qin Wu, Su Qing's jade token, and the Danding Sect's jade token.

The last thing taken out was that grey-white Spirit Stone.

Zhao Ping's eyes lit up.

"A Spirit Stone?"

"Used," Lu Chen placed the Spirit Stone on the table. "There is still a little bit left."

"That is still not a small amount," Zhao Ping said. "An Outer Sect handyman is only issued one Low-Grade Spirit Stone a month. Even though this one has been mostly used, it is still worth half a month's quota."

Lu Chen did not reply, tucking the Spirit Stone back into his bosom.

Zhao Ping tactfully did not ask further.

"Right," he pulled a piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it to Lu Chen. "These are the sect rules. Not many, twelve articles. Memorize them, and don't break them. If you break them, the punishment is a fine of Spirit Stones at best, and expulsion from the mountain gate at worst."

Lu Chen took it and glanced at it.

The writing was very neat, looking as if Zhao Ping had copied it himself.

"Thanks."

"Don't thank me," Zhao Ping said. "Senior Sister Su asked me to look after you. I am just passing on a message and showing the way. If you really want to thank someone, thank her."

He turned and left.

He walked a few steps and stopped again, turning his head to look at Lu Chen.

"Senior Sister Su also asked me to tell you one thing—'Do not wear the bone fragment when meeting people.'"

"Why?"

"Because there are people in the sect who recognize this thing," Zhao Ping said. "If they recognize it, they will have ideas. Once they have ideas, you will be in trouble."

He left.

The sound of footsteps grew more and more distant, finally disappearing at the end of the fork.

Lu Chen stood at the doorway, watching Zhao Ping's back disappear.

Then he turned and entered the room, closing the door.

The bone fragment was still hanging around his neck, pressed against his chest.

He looked down at it—grey-white, smooth surface, no words, looking just like an ordinary piece of bone.

But Zhao Ping said "someone recognizes it."

Who recognizes it?

An Elder of the Danding Sect? Or someone else?

Lu Chen did not know.

But he tucked the bone fragment inside his clothes, covering it with his collar.

Then he sat down and began to tidy up the room.

He wiped the bed board and spread dry grass over it.

He wiped the table and arranged his things.

He patched the window paper with strips of cloth, so the wind could not blow in.

He swept the floor, sweeping out a pile of dust and gravel.

After finishing these tasks, it was almost dark.

Lu Chen sat on the bed, took the Spirit Stone from his bosom, and held it in his palm.

Spiritual Qi seeped out from the Spirit Stone and was absorbed by his body.

Very little.

But it was better than nothing.

The Spiritual Qi in his Dantian was slowly rising. It rose very slowly, like water seeping into a stone, but it was indeed rising.

Qi Refining Stage 2.

Compared to Level 3, there was still sixty percent to go.

"I need resources."

But he had nothing now. Only half a Spirit Stone remained, not a single Medicinal Pill, and he didn't know where to dig for medicinal herbs.

"Wait."

Su Qing said to wait for her.

Then he would wait.

Early the next morning, Lu Chen was woken up by the sound of a bell.

It was not the kind of bell found in temples, but a bronze bell; the sound was very deep, traveling down from the mountainside and echoing back and forth in the valley, strike after strike, as if someone were pounding the earth.

He sat up, put on his clothes, and pushed open the door.

A person stood outside the door.

It was not Zhao Ping, but someone he did not recognize. He was not old, looking about seventeen or eighteen, wearing the same grey robe as Zhao Ping, but there was an extra jade token at his waist—not the kind for an Outer Sect Disciple, but another kind, engraved with the words "Deacon."

His face was long, his eyes were small, and his lips were thin, pressed into a line, showing no expression.

"Lu Chen?" the man asked.

"Mm."

"My name is Sun Qian," the man said. "Outer Sect Deacon. Su Qing asked me to come and take you to the Pharmacy."

Lu Chen looked at Sun Qian.

Sun Qian also looked at him.

Neither of them spoke.

After a few seconds of silence, Sun Qian spoke first.

"Su Qing said you came from Qingniu Ridge. Grey Spirit Root, Qi Refining Stage 2, wearing a bone."

Lu Chen's hand tightened slightly.

"She also said you are a talent." Sun Qian's mouth twitched, as if smiling, or perhaps sneering. "A Grey Spirit Root counts as a talent? This is the first time I've heard of it."

"If you want to lead the way, then lead," Lu Chen said. "If not, then move aside."

Sun Qian's expression changed.

Not anger, but surprise. It was as if he had not expected a newly arrived handyman to dare speak to him like that.

"You—" Sun Qian opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out.

Lu Chen walked past him without looking back.

"Where is the Pharmacy?"

Sun Qian stood where he was, watching Lu Chen's back, and only followed after two seconds.

"This way."

The Pharmacy was behind the flat houses, separated by a courtyard.

The courtyard was not big, paved with stone slabs, with grass growing in the cracks of the slabs. In the middle of the courtyard sat a large vat, with fish kept inside, red ones, swimming slowly in the murky water.

The Pharmacy was a small two-story building; the bottom was a place for grinding and drying herbs, and the top was a warehouse for storing herbs.

Sun Qian brought Lu Chen to the door of the Pharmacy and pointed inside.

"Your work for today—sort these medicinal herbs; put those three years or older on the left, and those three years or younger on the right. Once sorted, move them to the warehouse."

A pile of medicinal herbs was heaped on the ground.

polygonatum, reishi, fleeceflower root, poria, angelica, astragalus—there were about seven or eight kinds, mixed together, piled up like a small hill.

"How much?" Lu Chen asked.

"Three hundred catties," Sun Qian said. "Finish sorting before dark."

Lu Chen glanced at the pile of medicinal herbs.

Three hundred catties.

Sorting them was not difficult. But to sort them by age required examining and identifying them one by one. Three hundred stalks; even if it took the time of a cup of tea to examine one, it would take a good part of the day.

"Fine."

Sun Qian looked at him and turned to leave.

When he walked out of the courtyard, he whispered something to a person wearing a grey robe.

Lu Chen did not hear clearly.

But he saw that person nod, and then walk quickly towards the direction of the mountainside.

"A messenger."

Lu Chen squatted down and began to sort the medicinal herbs.

polygonatum.

Those three years or older had thick rhizomes, deep colors, and fine lines on the surface. Those three years or younger were thin, light in color, and had smooth surfaces.

He picked up one, looked at it, and placed it on the left.

He picked up another one and placed it on the right.

One by one, his movements were not fast, but very steady.

When he had sorted the thirtieth one, he heard someone enter.

It was not Sun Qian. It was someone else.

The footsteps were very light, as if they did not want to be heard.

Lu Chen did not look up.

The person walked up to him and stopped.

"Are you Lu Chen?"

The voice was low and deep, like muffled thunder.

Lu Chen looked up.

It was an old man.

His hair was completely white and messy, as if it had not been washed in a long time.

His face was full of wrinkles, and his skin was as black as charcoal.

His eyes were not large, but they were very bright, shining like two lanterns.

He wore a grey robe covered in medicinal stains—black, yellow, and brown—patchy and looking like a rag from a dye house.

Hanging from his waist was a jade tablet—not the kind for an Outer Sect Disciple, nor the kind for a deacon.

It was another type, engraved with the character "Medicine."

"Who are you?" Lu Chen asked.

"The manager of the Pharmacy," the old man said. "My surname is Zhou. You can just call me Old Zhou."

He squatted down and picked up a piece of polygonatum to examine it.

"Three years old. Put it on the left."

Lu Chen did not move.

Old Zhou placed the polygonatum on the pile on the left and picked up another one.

"One year old. Put it on the right."

He picked up another one.

"Five years old. Good stuff. A Grey Spirit Root can absorb this to increase its strength by a sliver."

Lu Chen's expression changed.

"You know about the Grey Spirit Root?"

"I know," Old Zhou said. "I am a Grey Spirit Root."

Lu Chen stared at him for a few seconds.

Old Zhou did not look away, nor did he explain.

He placed the five-year-old polygonatum on the pile on his left, stood up, and patted the dust off his knees.

"Don't listen to Sun Qian. It does not matter if you do not finish sorting by dark; just continue tomorrow. The medicinal herbs will not run away."

"He does not want me to sort medicinal herbs," Lu Chen said.

"Oh?"

"He wants to test my background," Lu Chen said. "To see if I truly have a Grey Spirit Root, if I have the bone fragment on me, and if I am easy to bully."

Old Zhou laughed.

When he laughed, the wrinkles on his face bunched together like a walnut.

"You certainly see things clearly."

"Su Qing said that some people want to protect me, and some want to kill me to take the bone fragment," Lu Chen said. "Which side is Sun Qian on?"

"He is on neither side," Old Zhou said. "He is being used as a pawn. Once you send him away, the person behind him will naturally come out."

"Who is the person behind him?"

Old Zhou did not answer.

He took a small porcelain bottle from his robes and placed it on the ground.

"For replenishing Qi. Take one pill a day for seven days. Do not let anyone see."

Then he left.

Just like Zhao Ping, he left decisively without looking back.

Lu Chen looked at the porcelain bottle on the ground but did not pick it up immediately.

He first picked up the five-year-old polygonatum, held it in his palm, and absorbed it.

Spiritual Qi surged into his Dantian.

Very little.

But it did increase by a sliver.

He discarded the withered polygonatum, picked up the porcelain bottle, and tucked it into his robes.

Then he continued to sort the medicinal herbs.

One by one.

Those three years or older went on the left, and those younger than three years went on the right.

His movements were not fast, but they were steady.

The sun moved from the east to directly overhead, and then from overhead to the west.

Most of the medicinal herbs had been sorted.

The courtyard became quiet.

Lu Chen stopped, took a sip of water, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Then he heard footsteps.

Not one person's, but two people's.

Two people walked in from the courtyard entrance.

One was Su Qing, and the other he did not recognize.

Su Qing was the same as before: grey robe, jade tablet, and bright brown eyes. But she looked thinner than the last time they met; her chin was sharper, as if she had not been eating much lately.

The other person was a woman, older than Su Qing, in her early thirties, with a round face and ordinary features, but she looked very beautiful when she smiled. She wore a light blue robe, and hanging from her waist were two jade tablets—one engraved with "Danding" and one with "Elder."

"Lu Chen," Su Qing said, "this is Elder Zhou of the Danding Sect."

An Elder.

Lu Chen stood up and looked at the woman.

The woman smiled.

"You do not need to be nervous. I am not here to cause you trouble." She walked to the herb piles, looked at the pile on the left, then at the pile on the right. "You sorted them well. The three-year and one-year ones are clearly separated, and the five-year ones were picked out separately. Did you learn herb identification before?"

"I learned it in the mountains," Lu Chen said. "I do not know many."

"It does not matter if you do not know many," Elder Zhou said. "You can just learn. You are only eighteen; you have plenty of time."

She turned around and looked at Lu Chen.

"Su Qing told me about the bone fragment. I want to see it."

Lu Chen was silent for two seconds.

Then he loosened his collar, revealing the bone fragment on his chest.

Elder Zhou walked over, squatted down, and looked closely.

She looked very carefully. Her eyes were almost pressed against the bone fragment, and her fingers gently touched the surface.

"What about the characters?" she asked.

"They are gone," Lu Chen said. "In the Inverted Tower, they all appeared, and then they vanished."

"What appeared?"

Lu Chen looked at her.

"Tell me first, do you want to protect me, or do you want to take the bone fragment?"

Elder Zhou was stunned for a moment.

Then she laughed.

It was not a fake smile; she genuinely found it funny.

"Su Qing said you were not easy to fool, and I did not believe it. Now I believe it."

She stood up and patted the dust off her robe.

"I want to protect you," she said. "Not because you are a Grey Spirit Root, but because you can make the bone fragment reveal characters. The last person who could do this was the Ancestral Master of the Danding Sect a hundred years ago."

Lu Chen's fingers curled slightly.

"Did the Ancestral Master also wear the bone fragment?"

"He did," Elder Zhou said. "But he only revealed half the characters before stopping. He was unwilling to continue paying the price."

"What price?"

"Losing memories," Elder Zhou said. "Affection, friendship, love—losing them one by one. After he lost his family affection, he dared not go any further. He said that if he lost his friendship as well, he would no longer be human."

Lu Chen did not speak.

He had already lost his family affection.

Friendship would be next soon.

"What about you?" Elder Zhou asked. "Do you dare to keep moving forward?"

Lu Chen looked at her.

"I am already on the path."

Elder Zhou stared at him for three seconds.

Then she laughed.

This time, the laugh was very soft, as if she were sighing.

"Good," she said. "Then I will protect you."

She turned to leave.

"Elder Zhou," Lu Chen called out to her.

She stopped.

"I can copy the characters that appeared on the bone fragment for you. But I have one condition."

"Speak."

"My Cultivation resources must be provided by the Danding Sect. Spirit Stones, Medicinal Pills, and Cultivation Technique must be given according to the standard of an official Disciple."

"You are currently a handyman."

"Therefore, I request to become an official Disciple first," Lu Chen said. "I want to participate in this year's Outer Sect examination."

Elder Zhou looked at him, her eyes holding something indescribable.

"You are only at Qi Refining Stage 2. To pass the Outer Sect examination, you need at least Qi Refining Level 3."

"Then I will Cultivate to Level 3 first."

"The examination is in one month."

"That is enough."

Elder Zhou was silent for a few seconds.

Then she nodded.

"Good. I will help you register. But there is one condition—if you fail the examination, you will continue to be a handyman. The characters on the bone fragment must be copied exactly, without alteration."

"Deal."

Elder Zhou left.

Su Qing was still standing there.

She looked at Lu Chen, her lips moving as if she had something to say, but nothing came out.

"You are crazy," she said. "Going from Stage 2 to Level 3 in one month is impossible."

"It is possible," Lu Chen said. "As long as the resources are sufficient."

"Resources are not the problem," Su Qing said. "The problem is whether your body can withstand it. Breakthrough for a Grey Spirit Root requires emotional chips; how many do you have left?"

Lu Chen thought for a moment.

"Friendship. I have not lost it all yet."

"What about after friendship?"

"I do not know."

Su Qing looked at him, her eyes complex.

"Are you really not afraid?"

"Afraid of what?"

"Losing everything."

Lu Chen finished sorting the last medicinal herb and placed it on the pile on the left.

Then he stood up and patted the dust off his hands.

"I have nothing left to lose."

Su Qing did not speak again.

She turned and left.

Her footsteps were very light, and soon they could no longer be heard.

Lu Chen stood in the courtyard, looking at the sunset glow on the horizon.

It was bright red, as if it had been scorched by fire.

He remembered what Mo Wen had said—'Once you pay the price, do not look back.'

He had already paid the price.

Family affection was gone.

Friendship would be next soon.

What would come next, he did not know.

But he would not look back.

Lu Chen squatted down and moved the sorted medicinal herbs into the storage room.

Basket by basket, he moved them for half an hour.

When he finished, the sky was completely dark.

He returned to his dwelling, closed the door, and sat on the bed.

He took the porcelain bottle Old Zhou had given him from his robes and poured out a Medicinal Pill.

It was white, very small, and smelled of herbs.

He swallowed it.

Spiritual Qi surged into his Dantian.

Very little.

But it had indeed increased.

Lu Chen closed his eyes and began Qi Channeling.

Spiritual Qi flowed through his Meridians.

One cycle, another cycle, and yet another.

The Spiritual Qi in his Dantian was slowly increasing.

It was increasing very slowly.

But it was always increasing.

During the night, he heard footsteps.

They did not come from the courtyard, but from outside the door.

Someone was standing outside his door.

They did not knock.

They just stood there.

They stood for a while, and then left.

Lu Chen opened his eyes and looked at the door panel.

Moonlight leaked in through the gaps in the window paper, drawing a thin white line on the floor.

He thought of two questions—

Who was standing outside the door?

Why did they leave after standing there for a while?

There was no answer.

He closed his eyes and continued Qi Channeling.