27: Chapter 27 Gray Line

tianxuan calendar, 18th Year of taiping, Late Autumn

When Lu Chen woke up, the sun had not yet risen.

He opened his eyes and stared at the roof above him for a few seconds. The wooden beams had cracks, and dust had accumulated within them. Moonlight leaked through the gaps in the window paper, drawing a thin white line across the beam. He shifted his gaze to his left wrist—the line was still there, white, wrapped six times, with six knots tied in it.

He couldn't remember who had given it to him.

Since he couldn't remember, he stopped thinking about it.

Lu Chen sat up, got dressed, and pushed open the door. The courtyard was very cold; on an autumn morning, frost covered the flagstones in a brilliant white sheet. Water still flowed in the canal, tinkling as the sound bounced back and forth in the empty courtyard. He walked to the edge of the canal, squatted down, and cupped some water to wash his face. The water was very cold, making his skin tighten, but he felt nothing—not cold, not icy, just cool, an objective temperature.

He stood up and walked toward the Pharmacy.

Old Zhou was already grinding medicinal ingredients. Hearing the door, he looked up at him briefly before lowering his head to continue grinding. "Second day of Level 4 Qi Refining, how do you feel?"

"I feel nothing."

"It's right that you feel nothing." Old Zhou poured the ground medicine into a bowl, "Once friendship is gone, everything will slowly fade. It's not that things have changed, it's that your ability to perceive things has changed."

Lu Chen walked over, took his own medicine grinder from the shelf, and began grinding another batch of ingredients. "Today's work?"

"Continue refining small foundation establishment pills. Eat what you refine yourself. The Dantian of Level 4 Qi Refining is twice as large as Level 3; if you don't fill it, you won't even be able to push open the door to the first floor of the Inverted Tower."

"How much Spiritual Qi does the first floor of the Inverted Tower require?"

"At least Middle Stage Level 4 Qi Refining. You've just had a Breakthrough, you aren't even considered Early Stage yet." Old Zhou stopped his work and looked at him, "Do you know how big a Level 4 Qi Refining Dantian is? At Level 3, it's like a bowl of water; at Level 4, it's like a bucket of water. How many Medicinal Pills will you need to fill this bucket?"

Lu Chen didn't answer. He calculated in his head—one small foundation establishment pill could increase Dantian capacity by about one percent. To fill it would require a hundred pills. One hundred small foundation establishment pills, with each costing five Spirit Stones to make and yielding a net profit of five. Refining a hundred would require a cost of five hundred Spirit Stones, which he didn't have.

"Refine them first. Eat them once they're refined. We'll talk about the rest later."

Old Zhou said no more.

In the morning, while Lu Chen was refining pills, Su Qing arrived. Today she wore a light blue robe, her hair held by a jade hairpin, and her complexion looked a bit better than a few days ago. She held a cloth bundle in her hand, bulging with unknown contents.

"What is this?" Lu Chen asked.

"Spirit Stones." Su Qing placed the bundle on the table and opened it. Inside were twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones, greyish-white with a thin layer of light on the surface. "The Sect Head gave them. He said you helped the Alchemy Hall find clues in the Polygonatum Case, so this is a reward."

"Please tell the Sect Head thanks for me."

"Go tell him yourself." Su Qing looked at him, "The Sect Head wants to see you. Tomorrow afternoon, Inner Door Council Hall."

"What is it about?"

"I don't know. But since he spoke personally, it shouldn't be a small matter."

Lu Chen thought for a moment. "Fine."

Su Qing turned to leave.

"Su Qing." He called out to her.

She stopped, but did not look back.

"Do you still remember Qin Wu?"

Su Qing was silent for a few seconds. "I don't. I only remember the name. The face, the voice, what was said—I've forgotten it all."

"Me too."

Su Qing stood for a while, then left. Her footsteps were very light and soon became inaudible.

Lu Chen put away the twenty Spirit Stones and continued refining pills. By the third furnace, he couldn't keep the fire steady. It wasn't that his fire control technique was lacking, but that his hands were shaking. Just like the previous few days, a subtle, continuous tremor traveled from his fingers to his wrist, and from his wrist to his arm. He pressed his hand against the table and waited a few seconds until the shaking stopped. But as soon as he picked up the medicine grinder, it started shaking again.

"Old Zhou." He called out.

Old Zhou walked over, looked at his hand, and then at his eyes. "Your pupils have shrunk again."

"What does that mean?"

"The Grey Spirit Root is growing. It's growing too fast, and your body is protesting." Old Zhou took away his medicine grinder, "Don't refine today. Take a day off and Cultivate using Spirit Stones. Spirit Stones are gentle and won't harm your Meridians."

Lu Chen did not argue. He put down the medicine grinder, took two Spirit Stones from the bundle, held them in his palms, and closed his eyes. Spiritual Qi seeped out from the Spirit Stones and was absorbed by his body. It was slow, but steady. The Spiritual Qi in his Dantian rose slowly—it wasn't the 'surging' feeling of Medicinal Pills, but a 'seeping,' like water soaking into parched earth.

He channeled for about an hour until the Spirit Stones shattered. The powder leaked through his fingers and fell to the ground, mixing with the dust. He opened his eyes, picked up two new ones, and continued channeling.

In the afternoon, Lu Chen encountered Zhou Ran at the entrance of the Inner Treasury.

It wasn't a chance encounter. Zhou Ran was standing under the archway, holding a bamboo scroll as if waiting for him. Seeing Lu Chen approach, the corner of his mouth twitched—this time it was a real smile, not the suppressed one from before, but a smile filled with smugness.

"Congratulations, you've reached Level 4 Qi Refining."

Lu Chen did not respond.

"But do you know that in the history of the Danding Sect, there have only been two people with a Level 4 Qi Refining Grey Spirit Root?" Zhou Ran took a step forward, "The first was the Founder Zhou Ding. The second was Old Zhou's Master. Both entered the Inverted Tower, and neither came out alive."

"And?"

"So you are the third." Zhou Ran handed over the bamboo scroll, "These are the cultivation notes left by Old Zhou's Master. My aunt asked me to pass them to you."

Lu Chen took the bamboo scroll without opening it. He looked into Zhou Ran's eyes—there was no kindness, no malice, only a sense of 'watching a play,' as if waiting for a predestined conclusion.

"Anything else?"

"Nothing." Zhou Ran turned to leave.

"Zhou Ran."

He stopped.

"Do you hate me?"

Zhou Ran did not look back. "I don't. I just think you're not worthy."

"Whether I am worthy or not is not for you to decide."

Zhou Ran was silent for a few seconds and then left. His pace was fast, as if he were fleeing.

Lu Chen stood in place, holding the bamboo scroll. He didn't open it, tucking it into his robe first, and then entered the Inner Treasury to continue copying Founder Zhou Ding's cultivation insights. When he reached a certain page, he discovered something—Founder Zhou Ding had also lost his friendships when he was at Level 4 Qi Refining. The bamboo scroll read:

"I reached Level 4 Qi Refining and forgot my dearest friend. His name can no longer be verified; I only remember he wore black and was skilled with a saber. I made a pact with him to explore the Inverted Tower together. However, when I entered the tower, I had already forgotten the pact. He waited for me outside the tower for seven days, and seeing that I did not emerge, he entered the tower to find me and died on the second floor."

Lu Chen's finger stopped.

Black clothes. Saber. Pact to explore the Inverted Tower.

Just like Qin Wu.

Founder Zhou Ding had also forgotten his Qin Wu.

Lu Chen put down the bamboo scroll and looked down at the white line on his left wrist. Six wraps, six knots. He stared at it for a long time, then continued copying.

In the evening, Lu Chen returned to his small room, took out the bamboo scroll Zhou Ran had given him, and opened it. It was the notes of Old Zhou's Master, written in very small, dense characters, as if afraid of wasting paper.

"I, with a Grey Spirit Root, entered the first floor of the Inverted Tower at Level 4 Qi Refining. The first floor is called 'Forgetting Kin.' Those who enter this floor must face the illusion of their own familial affection. The illusion is born from the heart and is unavoidable. I saw my parents, brothers, and sisters—all lifelike, talking and laughing merrily. Yet my heart remained undisturbed. Familial affection was already lost; the illusion was harmless."

"Passed the first floor, entered the second. The second floor is called 'Forgetting Friends.' The illusions here are stronger; one does not merely see the faces of friends, but hears their voices and feels the touch of their hands. I saw my black-clad dearest friend, who asked me: 'Have you forgotten me?' I replied: 'I have.' He sighed and dissipated. The second floor was passed."

"The third floor, I did not enter. Not because I could not, but because I dared not. The third floor is called 'Forgetting Compassion.' Once compassion is lost, I would no longer be human. I stopped here and exited the tower."

The notes ended there. The following few pages were blank, as if the writing had stopped there and was never continued.

Lu Chen closed the bamboo scroll and placed it on the table.

Forgetting Kin. Forgetting Friends. Forgetting Compassion.

The three floors of the Inverted Tower corresponded to three types of emotion.

What were the fourth and fifth floors?

Founder Zhou Ding had reached the fifth floor, but he hadn't written about the contents of the fourth and fifth floors in his notes. Had he forgotten to write them, or was he unable to?

Lu Chen didn't know.

But he knew that sooner or later, he would have to go in.

At night, Lu Chen sat on his bed, holding those twenty Spirit Stones, absorbing them one by one. Spiritual Qi surged into his Dantian, slowly but steadily rising. When it reached about ten percent, he stopped and opened his eyes.

Someone was outside the door.

It wasn't Su Qing; her footsteps were light. This person's footsteps were heavy, as if intentionally making noise to let others know they were there.

A knock on the door.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open. Zhao Ping stood at the doorway—the round-faced Disciple who had guided him before the Outer Door examination. Not having seen him for a few months, he had grown thinner, his face not as round, but his eyes were still squinted, making it hard to read his expression.

"Senior Brother Lu." Zhao Ping cupped his hands, "The Sect Head sent me to deliver a message—tomorrow's meeting has been moved to the hour of Si. East Wing of the Council Hall."

"Understood."

Zhao Ping did not leave. He stood at the door, hesitating for a moment, as if he had something to say but didn't dare.

"Is there something else?"

"Senior Brother Lu, you—" Zhao Ping paused, "Have you forgotten someone?"

Lu Chen looked at him. "Who?"

"A person wearing black clothes. He came to the Danding Sect looking for you, but was stopped by the Law Enforcement Hall. Elder Sun personally gave the order not to let him enter the mountain gate."

Lu Chen's fingers curled slightly. "When did this happen?"

"Three days ago. The night you had your Breakthrough."

"Where is that person now?"

"I don't know. The Law Enforcement Hall took him away; no one said where he was sent." Zhao Ping's voice was very low, "Senior Sister Su told me to tell you—as long as the line is there, the person is there. But the line has already turned white, and the person is almost gone."

Zhao Ping turned and left. His pace was fast, as if he were fleeing.

Lu Chen sat on the bed, looking down at the white line on his left wrist.

Three days ago. Qin Wu came looking for him. He was taken away by the Law Enforcement Hall.

He couldn't remember Qin Wu's face, couldn't remember his voice. But he knew that person had come to find him.

Lu Chen untied the white line from his wrist and placed it in his palm. It was white, very thin, wrapped six times, with six knots.

He stared at it for a long time.

Then he tied the line back on, adding a seventh knot.

"The line is here. The person is here."

He closed his eyes and continued to channel Qi. Spiritual Qi surged into his Dantian, slowly but steadily rising.

No matter where Qin Wu was, he would find him.

Because the line was still there.

tianxuan calendar, 18th Year of taiping, Late Autumn.

Lu Chen, Level 4 Qi Refining.

Friendship—already lost.

But the line was still there.

The person—not yet dead.