Chapter 81

"Tsk tsk. Your death has doomed how many people—can't you think about these Horse Immortals, try living another life in the mortal world, and revive the Immortal Family's splendor?"

Chen Shicheng lifted the red cloth, stared at the crack that ran through the tablet, and turned to Hui Siye, delivering a cutting remark.

His petty thoughts—how could Hui Siye not see them? It glanced at the incense burner in front of the tablet, where the ash was about to overflow, then glanced at the simple furnishings of the room, and fell into silence.

Not to overdo it, seeing that his words seemed to have taken effect, Chen Shicheng did not press the advantage, but quietly waited.

Soon, an old woman came out carrying a wooden box identical to the one the Horse Immortal from Iron Refining Town used, placed it before Chen Shicheng, and said, "Everything's here; take whatever you like, I don't need it any more."

She gently stroked the faded box with some reluctance, then opened the lid, turned to Chen Shicheng, and gestured for him to pick freely.

Unlike the Horse Immortal from Iron Refining Town, this old woman's box contained nothing else; it was neatly filled with a variety of incenses.

【Reverence-God Incense：.】

【Soul-Attracting Incense：.】

【Concentration Incense：A special medicine mixing sandalwood with calming, tranquil Qi, forged by a unique method; cultivating techniques gains experience +20%。】

【Incense of Nourishment：Made by mixing various Spiritual Medicine powders specially; when lit, it slowly restores the injuries of targets within its range.】

【Qi Supplement Incense：When lit, all targets within range have True Essence recovery speed +50%。】

【Exorcising Incense：Randomly dispels one debuff on the target, including but not limited to Confusion, Weakness, Bleeding, Binding.】

This old woman really has stock! Chen Shicheng's eyes lit up as he looked at the dazzling array of incenses, and he began rummaging through them nonstop.

"This one is good, this one isn't bad, I'm going for it, I want this one too!"

He hadn't expected incenses to have so many varieties—not only healing ones, but also those that restore True Essence, and absurdly, ones that dispel negative statuses.

Functionally, these incenses can almost rival Elixirs, but they are unsuitable for use in combat.

According to the description, after use these incenses seem to affect friend and foe alike; as long as a target is within the effective range, it takes effect.

Moreover, their duration is long, almost matching the burning speed, so they can only be used after battle to recover, which greatly reduces their value.

"I can't believe it! This kind of incense can be made?"

Chen Shicheng let out a startled cry and pulled a jet‑black incense stick from the bottom of the box.

【Yinxiang Incense：Made from a hundred‑year‑old locust tree mixed with Yin Attribute materials; when lit, the mortal body can enter the Yin realm, and until the incense burns out, the body is protected from a hundred ghosts; upon returning to the mortal world, one can appear at will within a certain range of the City God Temple.】

In this game, there is no teleportation array that lets you hop between cities for a small fee.

To go far, ordinary people rely on their legs, enlightened masters fly, and those who are neither up nor down like him rent mounts to make the journey.

Of course, it's not that there are no things similar to teleportation arrays, but such formations that can transport beings don't simply make you close your eyes and reappear unscathed on the other side.

Activating a teleportation array employs an extremely violent method; only cultivators at the Golden Core Stage or above can withstand the spatial strain.

Moreover, to open a teleportation array, you must have a dozen or so cultivators at the Golden Core Stage or higher simultaneously output True Essence to sustain the spatial channel.

Therefore, both in practicality and economy, teleportation arrays are not a widely usable means of travel; only the Great Yu Royal Court or renowned sects would employ them in emergencies.

But now, an incense that requires hardly any resources yet can teleport one to a nearby City God Temple has unexpectedly appeared before Chen Shicheng—how could it not astonish him?

Although descending to the Underworld carries great danger, compared with a teleportation array, it is negligible.

"Hui Siye, is this your teaching?"

Chen Shicheng couldn't help turning his head to look at the Hui Siye on his shoulder, but found that it wore a surprised expression at the incense in his hand, seeming even more astonished than he was at the old woman's ability to make such incense.

"I didn't teach this; I only know how to make Reverence‑God Incense," Hui Siye transmitted via Divine Perception, "This kind of incense seems to be made only by the City God line's temple priests; with the extinction of Immortals and Gods, it should have been lost!"

"Who are you talking to? Siye?"

The old woman followed Chen Shicheng's gaze to his shoulder, but saw nothing.

But soon, she seemed to understand something, looked at Chen Shicheng and showed a knowing expression, "You really aren't a Horse Immortal, and also Hui Siye."

Chen Shicheng gave an awkward smile, "I was just talking to myself; it's an old habit, please don't mind."

"Talking to oneself is fine; having someone to converse with is nice," the old woman said, looking fondly at Chen Shicheng—more precisely, at the spot on his shoulder—and asked, "You seem quite interested in this Yinxiang Incense?"

"Indeed, I'm truly interested," Chen Shicheng said honestly.

"This craft was passed down from my ancestors, but with the extinction of Immortals and Gods, no one can use it now; this Yinxiang Incense is the only one left from the past."

The old woman paused thoughtfully, then asked, "Do you want to learn?"

"Me? Can I learn?"

Chen Shicheng pointed at himself with delighted surprise, asking in disbelief.

"Of course you can; what's there not to learn? We can't let these traditions be buried with me in a coffin," the old woman said with a smile.

"Learn, I want to learn!"

Fearing the old woman might be acting on impulse, Chen Shicheng quickly agreed and, without averting his gaze, shouted, "Truly worthy of the Horse Immortal from the Hui Siye sect, such traditional skills should be passed down; burying them in the earth is sacrilege, it's a crime!"

He deliberately emphasized the three words 'Hui Siye,' making it clear to whom he was speaking.

Hui Siye, catching the meaning in his words, stepped aside a couple of steps with a hint of disdain, watching the old woman's trembling silhouette with a melancholy, unsure of what she was thinking.

Soon, the old woman returned holding a hand‑copied book, placed it solemnly before Chen Shicheng, and said, "Take it, child, study its contents well, and be sure to take good care of yourself."

The old woman's words were somewhat vague, and Chen Shicheng's attention was wholly absorbed by the hand‑copied book before him, so he didn't notice what she had said.

Only Hui Siye, who had been watching the old woman, jolted at those words, couldn't help glancing at the mask on Chen Shicheng's face, his expression turning uneasy.

"Excuse me, old woman, isn't there something like a jade tablet that points out everything? A hand‑copied book like this requires personal study to master, right?" Chen Shicheng flipped through the book several times, and, without waiting for a system prompt, asked in confusion.

"If you can learn it, that's already good enough, stop being picky!" the old woman shot Chen Shicheng a scornful glance, "It's already hard enough to have this book passed down; many incense recipes have already been lost, only a few remain, so handle it yourself."

"Indeed, with your comprehension you could even grasp that formation in a short time; this incense‑crafting skill should be a breeze for you," Hui Siye, apparently irritated by Chen Shicheng's nitpicking, transmitted via Divine Perception and retorted.

Chen Shicheng glanced at Hui Siye, who said nothing, then picked up the hand‑copied book to examine its contents.

But before he could skim it, the old woman abruptly shooed him away, "Old people get sleepy easily, alright, it's getting late, take these incenses with you and leave quickly."

Indeed, it was getting late.

Seeing the bright sun outside, Chen Shicheng couldn't help but realize that the old woman's intention was no different from serving tea and seeing guests off.

"Then I won't disturb you; I'll take all these incenses. How much in total?"

"No payment needed; the old woman is alone, why would she ask for so much money? Go ahead, go!"

Before Chen Shicheng could finish speaking, the old woman got up and walked into the house, not even glancing at the box full of incense on the table, as if she had no attachment at all.

"Ah, a sin!"

Chen Shicheng looked at Hui Siye with contempt, packed the box into his storage compartment, then deliberately took out a handful of broken silver coins and quietly placed them on the table before leaving the thatched hut.

It's not that he didn't want to give more; a box of varied‑function incense and that handwritten book are things that money can't buy, but for an old woman of such age, having extra money is not a good thing.

After leaving the old woman's courtyard, Chen Shicheng didn't rush back to the gathering place immediately; instead, he found an empty spot and took out the handwritten book on incense making to read.

Ignoring the earlier incense‑making methods and the introductions to various incenses, he flipped directly to the page that interested him the most.

【Yinxiang Incense: Take an appropriate amount of locust wood, asparagus, Solomon's seal, Tongling Old Turtle Turtle Shell (the older the materials, the higher their spirituality, the better the effect of Yinxiang Incense). All materials are shade‑dried and ground into powder for later use. Collect a small amount of water from the well of the Five Dragon rank, yin‑yang converging mixed primordial dew, living water from the long‑flowing river, and water of the five ghosts who drowned people in the river. (If spiritual water or spirit wine is available, the effect is even better.)】

【Production Method: On a yin month, yin day, and yin hour, mix locust wood powder with an appropriate amount of five‑ghost water to form a paste, add a suitable amount of old turtle Turtle Shell and roll into threads, bury them in an extremely yin place, let them shade‑dry, then retrieve for use.】

【When using, it must be done inside the City God Temple (if no temple is nearby, a Yánluó Statue may be fashioned). Take a bowl of aged rice, insert the Yinxiang Incense into it, light it, and recite: "First spray, the heavens open; second spray, the earth cracks; third spray, humans are wounded; fourth spray, ghosts are utterly destroyed! I, serving the Supreme Lord Lao Jun, command it urgently as law!"】

"????"

What kind of descriptive technique is this, so abstract?

Chen Shicheng stared dumbfounded at the quantities like "appropriate amount" and "a small amount" in the incense‑making method, and for a moment felt his head spin.

Although there is an illustration beside it, the ink‑wash, impressionistic style makes it impossible to discern the exact amounts of materials used; to successfully craft a qualified Yinxiang Incense, it seems one must first raise the Zhi Xiang Skill to a certain level, then, based on experience, judiciously add the appropriate ingredients.

Even so, Chen Shicheng estimates that he will need many experiments before he can concretely master the Yinxiang Incense production method (End of chapter).