novelapdf Chapter 3 The Subtle Fragrance of the Lotus
Chapter 3 The Subtle Fragrance of the Lotus
"It was originally planted for cultivation, but now it has become an ingredient in a feast of slaughter. It's not a bad deal." Xu Changqing murmured, making a faint stroke with his fingers hidden in his sleeve.
The Qi of destiny silently surged out, and the pool water parted in the middle, revealing a channel about ten feet wide.
He stepped in slowly, the hem of his blue Taoist robe brushing against the water's surface without getting wet in the slightest.
The deeper one goes, the heavier the yin energy becomes, and the chill is bone-chilling. The heads, pulled by the lotus roots, turn slightly, their empty eye sockets all looking over.
Xu Changqing walked to the center of the pond, bent down and reached out, his fingertips touching the most beautifully blooming black lotus.
The lotus petals were as black as night, except for a single spot of crimson blood at the center of the flower. He pointed his fingers like a knife and gently sliced the lotus stem, which snapped in two instantly.
Thick, black liquid gushed from the broken surface, its sweet and pungent smell mingled with the stench of rotting wood.
He picked seven flowers in a row, and with each flower he picked, the pond water darkened by one point.
When he carried the lotus ashore, the entire pond had turned completely black, the surface of the water was as still as death, and even the wind avoided it.
A thin layer of white frost has condensed on the bluestone steps by the pool, a sign of the overflowing yin energy.
Xu Changqing turned and entered the alchemy room.
This room is located in the east wing of the Taoist temple, where the original owner usually practiced alchemy and medicine making.
Three walls were lined with medicine cabinets, and thousands of drawers were covered with yellow talismans. The names of various evil materials were written in cinnabar on the talismans: bone-rotting powder, infant tears, adipocere, and resentful hair...
The alchemy room was in the east wing, with medicine cabinets embedded in the walls on three sides, and thousands of drawers covered with yellow talismans, the cinnabar characters writing the names of evil spirits.
In the center stands a bronze alchemy furnace, about five feet tall, with three legs. The furnace body is covered with twisted runes, and the bottom is covered with a thick layer of grayish-white bone slag.
Xu Changqing placed the seven black lotus flowers on the jade table and took out the auxiliary materials from the medicine cabinet: the black and cold core of a hundred-year-old locust wood, three copper coins with square holes stained with blood and rust, a handful of soil from a lonely grave in a mass grave, seven strands of long hair of unmarried women tied with faded red ropes, morning dew on lotus leaves at dawn, old incense ash from the temple of the evil god, and finally a jade mortar with the eight ancient seal characters "Use resentment to control incense, use evil to burn the heavens" engraved on the bottom of the mortar.
He sat cross-legged in front of the stove, closing his eyes and concentrating.
Within the sea of consciousness, the "Mysterious Lotus Heart Sutra" slowly unfolded, and a passage of scripture appeared.
"The Fragrance of the Hidden Lotus is made with the Yin Lotus as its core and resentment and fear as its soul. When the incense is burning, it can disturb the mind, temper the mind, and increase spiritual awareness... This incense is extremely suitable for cultivators who practice the paths of resentment, fear, and Yin."
However, there are costs to the process: First, the incense-making process must be imbued with resentment and fear; second, the incense maker must not use it himself, otherwise he will be corrupted by the spirit of resentment and fear, and his inner demons will arise; third, anyone who swallows a stick will become addicted and will never be able to quit...
"It's a pity that the incense maker can't eat it," Xu Changqing thought to himself. "Otherwise, just based on its effect of enhancing spiritual awareness, I would definitely have to test its effectiveness."
He regretfully withdrew his thought, put the locust wood core into the jade mortar, and slowly ground it with the jade pestle.
"However, this is just the right time to serve as an introduction to the feast of killing animals."
The wood core is extremely hard, and each strike of the pestle produces a sound like metal striking stone. When the fragments are scattered, a faint weeping sound escapes from the mortar.
Grind it into powder and pour it into the alchemy furnace. Then take a copper coin, squeeze out a drop of essence blood with your fingertip, and drip it into the hole of the coin.
When blood touched the rust, it sizzled and peeled away, revealing the dark golden copper underneath.
He stacked the three copper coins, clasped his hands together, and the starlight of his illusory destiny flowed from his palms, enveloping the coins.
A moment later, the copper coin turned into a pool of liquid gold, which slowly flowed into the furnace, where it blended with the locust wood powder and solidified into a dark golden paste.
At this moment, strange phenomena occurred inside the furnace. Dozens of phantom faces emerged from the surface of the ointment, including men, women, the elderly, and children, with distorted features and open mouths that roared silently.
Xu Changqing remained expressionless, took soil from the grave and sprinkled it in. The soil fell like snow, instantly suppressing the illusory figure.
Next came the long hair. He picked up a strand of hair, starlight swirling between his fingertips, and wisps of black mist seeped from it, the resentment of the woman who had never married.
As the mist entered the furnace, the dark gold paste gradually turned into a deep brown, and its surface developed a glossy sheen.
Morning dew and incense ash are added at the same time.
The dew is clear and cool, while the incense ash is murky. When the two meet, they do not mix, forming two distinct layers on the surface of the paste.
Xu Changqing pointed his finger at a point, and the starlight from the Void Constellation pierced through it like a needle, forcibly stirring and merging the two layers.
The furnace immediately boiled, the brown paste churned, and countless bubbles emerged, each bubble bursting with a short, sharp whistle.
Finally, there were seven black lotuses. The lotus petals touched the scalding hot paste and instantly turned into black smoke, within which a phantom image of a human head appeared.
When the seventh lotus petal was completely added, the alchemy furnace trembled violently, the lid banged loudly, and seven plumes of black smoke shot into the sky, tangling into a rolling dark cloud.
Dozens of faces appeared and disappeared in the clouds, their cries, curses, and pleas mingling together, piercing the eardrums.
Xu Changqing's expression was solemn. He formed a hand seal, and the starlight of the Void Constellation surged from his body, transforming into seven illusory chains that plunged into the dark clouds.
"The vengeful spirits return to their places, the malevolent energy transforms into fragrance, condense!"
The chains tightened, and the dark cloud was forcibly dragged back into the furnace. The furnace lid slammed shut, silencing all sound.
The alchemy room returned to silence, with only the faint blue flames burning quietly at the bottom of the furnace.
Xu Changqing sat cross-legged without moving, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead.
To refine this incense, one must use their own magical power as a guide, constantly suppressing the vengeful spirits within it that could cause backlash.
Time passes little by little.
Outside the window, the sun's shadow slanted westward, and twilight deepened. Inside the alchemy room, the furnace fire changed from blue to green, then from green to white, and finally transformed into pure, colorless flame.
As the last wisp of fire disappeared into the bottom of the furnace, Xu Changqing opened his eyes.
He stood up and flicked his sleeve, and the stove lid opened with a click.
There was no thick smoke, no unusual phenomena, and a stick of incense lay quietly at the bottom of the stove.
The incense stick is slender and long, with a color like dark ink, and a smooth surface like jade, with faint blood-red lines flowing through it.
Upon closer inspection, the patterns turned out to be miniature human faces, complete with eyebrows and eyes, each with a different expression. A speck of scarlet at the tip of the incense stick resembled a bead of congealed blood.
Xu Changqing took it out and touched it lightly with his fingertips.
It felt cool to the touch, unlike the roughness of ordinary incense sticks; instead, it resembled fine jade. He brought it close to his nose, and even before it was lit, it already emitted a very faint, exotic fragrance.
At first, it smells of lotus fragrance, but upon closer inspection, it reveals a resentful, fearful, and slightly pungent sweetness. Finally, the aftertaste transforms into a captivating and cloying sweetness, like the breath of a beautiful woman, or like exotic flowers blooming from a corpse.
"The fragrance of the lotus..." he murmured, carefully placing the incense into a jade incense holder.
The tube was engraved with sealing runes, and the moment the lid was closed, the strange fragrance completely disappeared, as if it had never existed.
Dusk had already fallen outside the window.
Xu Changqing walked out of the alchemy room and stood under the corridor gazing into the distance.
The afterglow of the sunset in the west was like blood, staining half of the mountains red.
From the direction of Black Wind Mountain, miasma could be faintly seen rising, transforming into twisted, gray-black columns of smoke in the twilight that pierced the sky.
He looked down at the incense holder in his hand. The holder was cold, but inside it seemed as if countless souls were silently screaming.
Everything is ready; all that's left is to attend the banquet.
A mountain wind suddenly rose, whipping the hem of his Taoist robe. Xu Changqing looked up to the west, a flash of murderous intent crossing his eyes.
"King Black Wind, I hope you can accept this return gift from me."