Chapter 479: 却死香

Chaoyue Hall's main entrance is an octagonal building, old yet grand, adorned with exquisite carved beams and painted pillars. Despite its age, it retains an impressive bearing, having weathered the test of time. Behind the octagonal building lies a three-courtyard complex featuring pavilions, terraces, and multi-storied buildings.

Located in the bustling heart of Dazhi City, this compound, which might otherwise be a lucrative business, is in fact a venerable bookstore and library. It frequently hosts scholars engaging in written discussions or delivering eloquent impromptu speeches, creating a delightful literary ambiance. Scholars, writers, and refined ladies from Dazhi City, all with a fondness for literature, enjoy frequenting this establishment due to its pleasant environment and inviting atmosphere.

The bookstore was established by the father of the current hall master, Dong Wenshu, drawing upon generations of family collections. Its name, "Chaoyue," signifies "reading from dawn to dusk." The aged appearance of the bookstore's gatehouse clearly indicates it's not a lucrative venture. For ten coins, visitors can read all day, with tea included. For fifteen coins, they also receive a pastry suitable for lunch. Borrowing a book costs two coins per day. Considering one *tanjin* is equivalent to a hundred coins, it's clear how this meager income could barely sustain the expenses of such a large establishment, let alone generate any profit.

Dressed in the blue attire of a young servant, Shi Chun was sprawled at a rarely-used desk in a corner, propping his chin on the table. A book lay nearby, yet his eyes often wandered to admire the young ladies present. The moment he saw someone raise a hand, he would promptly rise, fetch a hot water kettle from one of the stoves, and hurry to pour tea or replenish ink and brushes. After closing, he would collect the books and send them to the second floor. Their categorization was not his responsibility, as the hall master's second daughter, Dong Liangyu, oversaw the library upstairs.

Hall Master Dong Wenshu has three daughters and one son. Their mother passed away early, compelling the eldest daughter, Dong Liangyi, to assume maternal responsibilities, overseeing the family's provisions and expenses in the back courtyard. The third daughter manages the front desk and accounts at the bookstore. The youngest, Dong Liangze, is proficient in both scholarly and martial arts. He represents the family in public matters and tasks deemed less suitable for women. Overall, the family's upbringing is commendable. In contrast, their father, Dong Wenshu, strikes Shi Chun as rather pedantic and old-fashioned. Shi Chun wonders how much money the family could possibly earn by maintaining this library; it would be far more profitable to simply rent it out.

Shi Chun himself never imagined he would one day find himself working as a general handyman in a library. His presence there stemmed from his agreement with Young Master Nan's advice. Having won both the Meteor Shower Assembly and the Divine Fire Alliance, he had become deeply entangled in conflicts of interest, witnessed numerous casualties, and subsequently reaped significant gains. He realized that continuing to expose himself to such risks would inevitably lead to trouble, making it necessary to lie low and avoid unwanted attention for a period.

This period of seclusion lasted two years. Two years later, he had completely refined all the demonic energy absorbed in the Divine Fire Domain. This allowed him to just barely cross the critical threshold, elevating his cultivation to the perfected stage of High Martial Arts. His cultivation method differed from others; with the demonic energy fully refined, there was no further need for cultivation, leaving him free to ponder other matters.

His greatest concern was the pile of magical artifacts from the Divine Fire Domain. He couldn't simply leave them as waste; he had to find a way to repair them. Regardless of their eventual utility, they would certainly be highly valuable. However, after examining the damaged artifacts, Tong Mingshan declared them largely beyond repair, essentially useless. He explained that if only the physical components of the artifacts were damaged, repair would be straightforward. The real issue was that all the artifact spirits within them had perished. These artifacts were fundamentally crafted to match their specific spirits. Therefore, replacing them with different spirits would be futile; the artifact would be completely destroyed upon such an attempt. Repair would only be possible if an artifact spirit could be found that matched the original in form, function, or even prior cultivation method and level, and then used as a replacement for the spirit within the artifact.

Fully meeting such stringent conditions would be exceedingly difficult, especially considering the formidable power of artifact spirits of this caliber in their past lives. For a fifth-grade artifact, the spirit's cultivation level in its former life would have been at least that of a perfected Earth Immortal. After being refined into an artifact spirit, its abilities are diminished; a perfected state drops to advanced, an advanced state to minor, and a minor state falls to an even lower realm. This gradual decline only applies when a master craftsman refines the spirit, potentially causing just a single-level drop. Craftsmen with inferior refining skills could lead to a decline of several levels.

Of course, there was also a seemingly simpler repair method: directly awakening the artifact spirit. This method requires finding a treasure called "Que Si Xiang," or "Death-Repelling Incense." It's a type of aromatic substance whose fragrance is rumored to revive the deceased. Provided the body is intact and death occurred within three months, exposure to its scent can bring the person back to life.

Although Tong Mingshan had specifically researched this, Shi Chun remained somewhat skeptical of his expertise, having witnessed his struggles during the Divine Fire Alliance competition. He later inquired about Tong Mingshan's victory and learned it was attributed to a sudden enlightenment. Consequently, he took a ruined artifact to Young Master Nan, seeking assistance in finding a way to repair it. After Young Master Nan had the artifact inspected, the verdict was identical to Tong Mingshan's: the artifact was essentially beyond repair and should be abandoned.

Give up? For Shi Chun, that was unthinkable. He still harbored hopes of achieving greatness with these treasures. While an absence of opportunity might be acceptable, how could he abandon it when a chance presented itself? If repair was imperative, only two methods remained: either find a similar artifact spirit for replacement, or locate the "Que Si Xiang" to awaken the dormant spirits. The first method was virtually impossible, leaving only the second option: finding the "Que Si Xiang."

While this substance was somewhat available in ancient times, it is now exceedingly rare. Records suggest the Heavenly Court possesses a collection, but such treasures are well beyond Shi Chun's reach. Its rarity today stems from its origin: a peculiar tree known as the 'Soul-Reversal Tree,' from which the "Que Si Xiang" is extracted. Yet, because of its miraculous properties, this tree was completely harvested long, long ago. Crucially, this tree cannot be cultivated; it is a true product of nature. Before maturity, it exists in an invisible, spirit-like state, only manifesting physically once fully grown. However, the moment it manifests, it is quickly discovered and felled. The tree's fragrance, detectable from a hundred miles away, makes it impossible to remain hidden. Therefore, rather than waiting for someone else to claim it, people prefer to acquire it themselves. This is likely the reason for the tree's extinction.

Logically, any rational person would likely retreat when faced with such insurmountable conditions. However, Shi Chun's right eye was unusual. The moment he heard that the tree was invisible to others in its spirit form, he instantly perked up, realizing this was his unique opportunity—a true gift from heaven. Since he was already in seclusion, it made no difference whether he lay low at home or elsewhere. Thus, he once again implored Young Master Nan to help him locate the growing areas of the 'Soul-Reversal Tree.'

Broad regions were easy to investigate; a quick search revealed its original habitat in Jukuzhou, within Xihe, specifically a place called Shenniao Mountain. Ancient texts claimed the mountain was teeming with Soul-Reversal Trees, whose fragrance drifted for hundreds of miles. However, these records were from such a distant past that the iconic trees had long been felled, and the landscape itself had likely undergone multiple transformations over the centuries. The problem was that modern-day Jukuzhou had no place named 'Shenniao Mountain.' These legends only existed in ancient texts, and their authenticity was questionable. With no specific location, or even a general idea of where to begin in such a vast region, how was Shi Chun supposed to search? Of course, an immediate inability to locate it didn't mean it didn't exist; perhaps someone else knew. Young Master Nan promised to help him search diligently.

Then one day, Young Master Nan unexpectedly informed him that, due to his persistent focus on the matter, he had been chatting with a friend from Jukuzhou. During their conversation about the 'Soul-Reversal Tree,' his friend recounted an incident from several years prior: a peculiar, long-lasting fragrance had suddenly drifted into Dazhi City in Jukuzhou from outside its walls. More eerily, some tombs outside the city had undergone strange changes: several corpses had reanimated and climbed out. For a period, disturbing walking dead roamed the city outskirts, necessitating their complete elimination and reburial. Initially, it was suspected that someone was employing dark sorcery. However, a closer investigation revealed a commonality: all the reanimated corpses had been deceased for less than three months. This, combined with the incident's location in Jukuzhou, led to the suspicion that someone might have been refining or using "Que Si Xiang." It was then that Shi Chun realized "Que Si Xiang" couldn't truly revive bodies that had been decaying for two or three months. Instead, it merely reanimated the souls or spirits attached to them. He didn't care about that detail; as long as it could revive the artifact spirits, it served his purpose.

Given that traces of "Que Si Xiang" had appeared in Dazhi City, Jukuzhou, there was no guarantee that no clues were left behind, even if it was just a fleeting presence. This did not deter him from coming to search for any possible leads. He firmly believed that every event has a cause, and every bird leaves a trace. As before, since he was already in seclusion, it made no difference whether he lay low at home or in Dazhi City. He might as well investigate while he was there; what if he actually found it? This was precisely why he was now working as a handyman in Chaoyue Hall in Dazhi City.

Upon arriving in Dazhi City, he learned of a renowned library. As a cultured and scholarly individual, he felt it only natural to visit frequently. During his leisure, he often came to browse, hoping to uncover information about ancient place names, such as 'Shenniao Mountain' and another he sought. His arrival was remarkably low-key. Despite being exceptionally wealthy and influential—a description that would not be an exaggeration—he dressed quite shabbily. This was deliberate; he wished to avoid appearing rich, which could easily invite trouble and thus compromise his primary goal of lying low.

Nevertheless, he caught the eye of Miss Dong Liangyu, the second daughter of the Dong family, who presided over the library on the second floor. Her interest wasn't romantic; rather, she observed that he genuinely enjoyed reading, often spending considerable time immersed in books, unlike many other visitors. The Dong family had three daughters, each as beautiful as a flower; such graceful and virtuous ladies naturally attracted suitors. The Dong children were well aware of the true intentions of many book enthusiasts who visited. Dong Liangyu perceived Shi Chun as distinct from men with ulterior motives; he genuinely came to read, earning her a new level of respect. Upon closer observation, she noted that Shi Chun sometimes simply watched other book lovers compose poetry and couplets on the first floor. While the others engaged boisterously, he would quietly smile from the sidelines, appreciating without participating. He possessed refined tastes but never intruded, and despite his plain attire, he exuded an air of cultivation, truly befitting a lover of books. In truth, Shi Chun wished to join in the poetic exchanges, but after much effort, he simply couldn't compose anything. Furthermore, his handwriting was not presentable enough for written discussions. What was he to do? Left with no other choice, he resigned himself to being a quiet, cultured observer.