CHAPTER SIX

The East Cauldron​

The next day I awoke to the scent of Petrichor and earth Qi released from the soil by last night's rain. With a deep exhale, I pushed the covers aside and slid out of bed ignoring the still slumbering Ma Yili beside me as I rose to my feet. My body no longer felt weak, nor did my limbs feel like lead or my bones glass. A full night of rest had been more than enough to fully restore my previously depleted Chi.

I stepped out of the bedroom and into a connected patio fenced in from the rest of the world by a mossy, granite cliff face. A small waterfall ran down it into a pool set in the centre of the enclosure before draining out of sight beneath the roots of an Orchid tree. A glance to my right revealed one of my eunuch warriors standing stoically in a corner guarding this entrance inside.

"My Prince," he greeted to which I responded with a mild nod as I ditched my robes and slipped into the crystal clear pond for a quick scrub. Had I possessed a greater cultivation than I did at the moment keeping myself clean would have been a nonissue as I would have simply maintained a layer of Chi over my skin to keep the dirt and grime off. But with how low my cultivation was such a technique would most definitely eventually outpace the speed at which my Chi reserves would naturally replenish itself.

A few minutes later, I slipped out of the water and returned to the bedroom. Fucking an irate Ma Yili awake I reviewed my plans for the day before eating a light but alchemically enhanced breakfast. Afterwards, I paced myself through a set of martial techniques to get my Chi flowing before meditating on my Chi for another hour. That done, I slipped into a simple grey tunic, a pair of dark cotton pants, and some boots instead of my usual regalia before setting out with a single guard in tow.

We arrived at The East Cauldron, one of the Lower Alchemy Halls scattered in the four cardinal directions of the sect, where I began my search. Li Yifeng's inheritance was mentioned to have been hidden in this particular archive; where exactly, I did not know, meaning I would have to take my time to meticulously comb through the building.

I momentarily considered using divination to try to find it, before quickly discarding the idea. I remember Li Yifeng had taken precautions to protect his inheritance from such scrying attempts in order to prevent his rivals from snatching his legacy for themselves. If even pseudo-sages failed to divine the location of the inheritance I really doubt I would have much success doing so myself regardless of how sagely my perception of the ambient Qi was; I simply lacked the chi reserves to overwhelm an anti-divination formation that powerful. Still, all hope was not lost as with my memories, I already had a much better head-start to finding the jade slip than even the intended recipient herself did.

I entered the archive, my gaze scanning the front lobby before immediately settling on a figure standing behind a counter on the other side of the door.

"How can I help you, Junior Brother?" The female disciple asked, her voice a gentle, melodious lilt. Her eyes flickered to the armoured guard behind me in confusion as she probably couldn't sense his cultivation and was unsure how to address him. However, she very obviously had a greater cultivation than myself, being one rank ahead if I gauged the spiritual pressure she was emanating correctly. A glossy mane of black hair hung down from her head to her tiny waist hidden beneath a pure white robe.

"This Prince would like access to the library's archives," I responded as I retrieved a jade token from my spatial ring and flashed it at her. The proof of my nobility glimmered as I fed it a smidgen of my Chi before an oppressive imperial intent billowed out and filled the room. The girl stiffened, her expression going from surprised confusion to poorly concealed terror in a matter of moments.

"A-apologies, My Prince," she stuttered, her head lowered to the point where I couldn't see her expression as she bowed repeatedly. "This humble one was unaware that a member of the Imperial Court would grace this humble hall with their presence. I am afraid this one is not worthy of providing His Highness with proper care."

"I will be going in then," I replied simply as I slipped the token back into my ring and stepped past her. I was here on a mission, not to toy around with some measly junior disciple no matter how amusing it might be. However, I had only taken a couple of steps when the disciple spoke again, making me seriously reconsider that decision.

"W-wait!" she called out after me, her tone a mix of surprise, confusion, and a healthy dose of terror. "It's forbidden for visitors without prior approval from the Head Librarian or any Elder to enter the archive. If the Prince would just wait for a few moments, I'll get one of the seniors to assist."

"You would waste this prince's time?" I asked, my tone bland.

"B-but—"

I ignored the woman's protest and kept walking, the guard behind me trailing soundlessly in my wake.

The disciple called out, her voice tinged with panic. "Wait! You can't just enter—"

"She speaks again," I say dismissively to the guard behind me as I enter a large chamber and turn right to ascend a flight of stairs, "cripple her."

The disciple's words abruptly cut off, replaced by a sharp, fearful intake of breath. I shook my head in disappointment. So this is what it meant to have eyes but not see Mount Tai. How annoying. Had this been anywhere else, I might have simply had the fool killed for her insolence, but given I intend to avoid drawing any more attention than I already have during my stay here I might be forced to stay my hand even when a more convenient option was glaringly obvious.

The rest of the morning passed uneventfully as I explored the halls of the Alchemy archive in search of Li Yifeng's treasure. The place was filled with shelves, all of which were packed with neatly stored jade slips containing a great variety of content. Some shelves held abbreviated and simplified versions of the works of various masters, some of whom had spent the bulk of their lives toiling away in this very sect. Other shelves were dedicated to the workings of specific techniques to expedite the process of refining pills and elixirs.

There were also several shelves dedicated to the records and logs of some core disciples, both current and past. I browsed through those sections first in search of my objective. The jade slip containing the key to Li Yifeng's legacy had to be lying somewhere in this building... if only I could find it.