Old Refining Spirit

Even by riding a fast horse and traveling on the official road, it would take more than half a month to travel from Qingzhou to the capital.

But Li Xuangeng was in no hurry. He rode the skinny horse he had brought from Qingzhou, letting it slowly tread the spring mud, while Xiaoman held the reins, like a dutiful little page, as they walked step by step toward the power center of the Dayuan Dynasty.

The scenery along the way might appear to mortals as a scene of springtime beauty, with lush grass and chirping birds. But in Li Xuangeng's vision, hidden beneath the white silk by the [Human Emperor's Aura Observation Technique], this "broad road" leading to the capital was clearly a "path to the underworld" paved with bones and drenched in blood.

"Daoist Master, look ahead! That's the boundary marker of the capital!" Xiaoman pointed to a magnificent white marble stele, three zhang tall, and excitedly wiped the sweat from her forehead.

For the past two weeks, with Li Xuangeng's [Creation True Qi] working on her meridians at night, Xiaoman not only didn't feel tired from traveling, but instead became even more beautiful and showed signs of becoming a budding cultivator.

Li Xuangeng straightened up slightly on his horse.

On the white marble stele, the eight large characters "Within the capital city, all taboos are lifted" are carved in a flowing, elegant style. The characters are framed with dazzling cinnabar, which gleams in the sunlight.

"No taboos? What a boastful tone." Li Xuangeng chuckled, his slender fingers habitually toying with the string of white bone prayer beads. "The *Di Tian Sui* says: 'When Jia wood reaches the sky, fire is needed for rebirth.' This capital city is located in the north, a place where water is abundant, and water and wood should be mutually reinforcing. Yet the person who set up the formation buried a bronze tomb guardian beast beneath this boundary marker, turning the gate of life into the gate of death. These eight characters were not made with cinnabar, but with a drop of 'yang blood' squeezed from the hearts of thousands upon thousands of young boys and girls."

"The Yangxue Zhenyin Stele has turned the entire area within a hundred li around the capital into a giant 'curing vat'."

Li Xuangeng took a deep breath. The air carried the scent of the capital city, a mixture of extremely luxurious cosmetics and the stench of corpses that had rotted for thousands of years. This smell would be a deadly poison to ordinary people, but to Li Xuangeng, it was like the finest appetizer, whetting his appetite like never before.

After crossing the boundary marker, the official road ahead suddenly opened up.

Along both sides of the official road, every mile there was an extremely luxurious octagonal pavilion, providing a resting place for merchants, officials, and scholars traveling to the capital for the imperial examinations. This was the famous scenic spot of the capital city – the "Ten-Mile Long Pavilion".

"The first pavilion is just ahead, Daoist Master. Shall we go and ask for some water? Your water pouch is empty," Xiaoman said, leading her horse and pointing to a bustling pavilion ahead.

"Alright." Li Xuangeng nodded gently, dismounted, and said, "I really would like to sample the 'tea' of this capital city."

The pavilion was enormous, with over a dozen square tables inside, filled with all sorts of travelers. There were local officials coming to the capital to report on their duties, bodyguards escorting goods, and commoners bringing their families to visit relatives in the capital.

In the center of the pavilion stood a huge bronze tea cauldron. Pine charcoal burned beneath it, and boiling water churned inside, emitting a strange and extremely rich sweet aroma.

Four burly men, dressed in the uniforms of post station servants from the Daiyu Dynasty and so fat that their necks were almost invisible, were smiling broadly as they used long-handled copper ladles to serve tea to every passing traveler for free.

"Come, come! Ladies and gentlemen, you must be tired from your journey! This is 'Dragon Saliva Tea,' specially blessed and bestowed upon us by the Imperial Preceptor by His Majesty, who is so compassionate towards the people! One sip will refresh your mind, and one bowl will cure all ailments!"

The portly courier, calling out to the elderly scholar, handed him a steaming bowl of tea, which had left him looking weary. The scholar was deeply grateful, accepted the bowl with both hands, and drank it down in one gulp.

Strangely, after the old scholar finished the tea, his previously cloudy eyes instantly became bloodshot and red, and the weariness on his face vanished, replaced by an expression of extreme excitement, even a touch of madness. He laughed loudly while frantically kowtowing towards the direction of the capital, crying out, "The Emperor's grace is boundless! The Emperor's grace is boundless!"

Seeing this, the surrounding travelers rushed to line up for tea.

Xiaoman found an empty table, carefully wiped the bench clean with the coarse cloth she carried with her, and then helped Li Xuangeng sit down.

"Gentlemen, you look weary from your journey. Please have a bowl of dragon's saliva tea to relieve your fatigue!" The fat courier, carrying two large, rough porcelain bowls, forced a fawning smile as he approached Li Xuangeng's table. "This tea is a specialty of the capital; outsiders can't buy it even with money!"

"Oh? Ambergris tea personally blessed by the Imperial Advisor?"

Li Xuangeng did not take the bowl. Instead, he leaned forward slightly and, through the white silk, brought his straight nose close to the bowl of tea, which was a strange dark red color, and gently sniffed it.

With just that one sniff, the gentle smile on Li Xuangeng's face instantly turned icy cold.

"According to the Compendium of Materia Medica, tea is a fine tree of the South, with a bitter, sweet, and slightly cold taste, which can reduce internal heat and dryness." Li Xuangeng slowly straightened up, his fingers lightly tapping the table, but the sound was like the King of Hell summoning souls. "But there is not a single tea leaf in this bowl of tea, sir."

"You...blind man, what nonsense are you spouting?" The fat courier's expression changed slightly, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it. "This is imperial tea. If you dare to talk nonsense, be careful you get arrested and have your tongue ripped out at the Dali Temple!"

"I am a doctor, I only know pharmacology, not the law."

Li Xuangeng picked up the bowl of tea and gently swirled it in his hand. A thick, viscous layer of oil clung to the dark red liquid on the bowl's surface.

"If I'm not mistaken, the base of this tea is made from the sap of 'century-old submerged wood'; the cloyingly sweet taste comes from the pollen of the 'Soul-Eating Mushroom' unique to southern Xinjiang; and as for the layer of oil floating on the soup..."

Li Xuangeng's grin widened, his voice ringing out clearly and chillingly in the noisy pavilion: "That's 'Bone-Melting Ointment' made by mixing the fat of a one-month-old baby with 'corpse oil' extracted from mass graves, and simmering it over a low flame for forty-nine days!"

Upon hearing this, the smiles on the faces of several merchants who had just finished drinking tea instantly froze.

"You... what nonsense are you spouting! This is tea bestowed by His Majesty!" A merchant stood up in alarm, wanting to retort, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in his abdomen and fell to the ground with a thud, convulsing in agony.

Li Xuangeng ignored the screaming mortals and kept his white silk ribbon fixed on the fat postman.

"Taoist alchemy emphasizes the roles of the principal, assistant, and adjuvant herbs. This so-called dragon's saliva tea you've prepared contains blackened wood that corrupts the blood, soul-corroding mushrooms that paralyze the nerves, and bone-dissolving ointment that softens the flesh and bones. These three ingredients combined are definitely not meant to relieve fatigue..."

Li Xuangeng slammed the teacup heavily on the table, causing the dark red liquid inside to splash out and land on the wooden table, producing a hissing sound like strong acid corroding it!

"This is basically the broth used in slaughterhouses to 'wash' and 'soften' livestock! You want to soften the bones and muscles of these people coming to the capital while they're still alive, so that those monsters in the city can eat them... without getting food stuck in their teeth, right?"