studiobondurri Chapter 131: Unknown ingredients
Chapter 131: Unknown ingredients
Chapter 131: Unknown ingredients
In the backyard of the Jiuli Temple, next to a side room, there was a somewhat shabby courtyard. On the ground, there were piles of white fragments shaped like small hills. Under the scorching sun at noon, they emitted a burnt fragrance.
Under a shed not far away, a middle-aged man in a short coat was sleeping soundly with his hands under his head.
This man was in his thirties, not particularly robust. His square face had slightly sunken cheeks, and his large ears were quite noticeable.
Not far from him, a chimney on a house was emitting wisps of white smoke, as if something was being cooked inside.
Just then, a fat old man in a red robe stepped into the courtyard. He looked around the courtyard without stepping further in, and coughed.
His cough immediately woke the square-faced middle-aged man who was sleeping soundly in the shed.
When the middle-aged man saw the visitor clearly with his somewhat sleepy eyes, he woke up completely and said with a smile on his face, "I pay my respects to the Abbot. What brings you here today? I’m currently drying cypress powder, it’s a bit messy. If I had known you were coming, I would have cleaned up."
The fat old man glanced at Wusang meaningfully from the corner of his eye before saying, "Wusang, you can make incense and sleep at the same time. Quite comfortable, isn’t it?"
"Sorry for making the Abbot laugh. Rest assured, I dare not boast about anything else, but I’ve been making incense since I was a child. I can make it even with my eyes closed." Wusang continued to smile.
"Humph! Look at your carefree attitude. If it weren’t for your father’s sake, would I tolerate you here and provide for you?" The fat old man snorted and said unhappily.
"I still owe the temple a lot of incense, don’t I? I live in the temple and make incense under your watch to pay off my debt. You must feel more at ease, right?" Wusang scratched his head and said somewhat awkwardly.
"Good that you remember! In half a month, it will be the annual Dog Tooth God Festival. I remind you not to let me down at this time. Make incense well during this period. Without my permission, you cannot leave this courtyard." The fat old man changed his tone and said.
"Ah, Abbot, I will definitely make the incense as required to ensure that it does not affect the sacrifice. But this confinement is a bit too much! I have been providing incense for the past six months." Wusang protested.
"Quiet! To tell you the truth, someone in the temple is looking for you now, and I have had someone cover for you. I don’t care how much debt you still owe outside, if you bring trouble into the temple, don’t blame me for being ruthless!" The fat old man said sternly.
"What, has my whereabouts been exposed? That’s impossible!" Wusang jumped up.
"Young man, take care of yourself!" The fat old man left after dropping this sentence.
"Damn! The old man talks nicely, but he just values my incense-making skills. He took advantage of the fact that my shop in Tiehu Town was gone to raise the price of incense here! I was bewitched. If it weren’t for his collusion with Pig Grease, and I escaped along the path he recommended, how could I have been caught by you?" After the fat old man walked a little further, Wusang pointed to the outside of the courtyard and started cursing in a low voice.
After grumbling for a while, Wusang yawned and walked back to the shed, preparing to continue his nap.
But before he could lie down, a light cough came from behind.
"How come you..." Wusang shivered, secretly cursing his luck, worried that his curses had been heard by the fat old man.
But when he turned around, he saw a handsome young man in a green robe, who looked to be under twenty, standing in the courtyard, looking at him with a smile.
"Who sent you? What do you want to do? I tell you, this is Jiuli Temple. As long as I shout, someone will come immediately!" Wusang’s mind was spinning rapidly. Combining what the fat old man had said earlier, he immediately thought of something.
"With Mr. Wu Sang’s resources, I believe there will be breakthroughs if you try your best. If you can really replicate this black incense I want, I will have a big reward." Yuan Ming said with a slight smile.
"You’re a straightforward person! Don’t worry, I’ll do my best." Wu Sang laughed heartily, speaking with great enthusiasm.
"Could you also teach me your method of making incense?" Yuan Ming asked with a smile on his face.
"That’s a small matter. I’ll find time to teach you tomorrow. However, making incense is complicated and can’t be learned without years of practice. You should stay in the temple, so it’s convenient for me to teach you." Wu Sang said.
"I’ll follow Mr. Wu Sang’s advice." Yuan Ming had no objections and nodded in agreement.
"I’d like to take a bit of that black incense to study its composition." Wu Sang said before leaving.
"Of course, you can."
However, after he agreed, he suddenly found that this seemingly ordinary black incense was immovable under his force and couldn’t be broken at all.
He had to go out to a secluded place and use his magic to finally get a small piece of black incense. He was reluctant to take too much, but he was afraid that too little would not be enough for analysis.
He carefully wrapped it in white paper, returned to the courtyard, and handed it to Wu Sang.
After saying goodbye to Wu Sang, Yuan Ming went to a row of rooms on the east side. This was where the people in the temple lived. After asking, he found that there were several empty rooms.
He rented one, sat on the bed in the room, and looked out the window.
Although it took a lot of time, the search for incense had some clues.
Although Wu Sang was not very reliable, it was better than bumping around like a headless fly. At the very least, he could learn the incense-making technique that his family was proud of, and he could explore more accurately from the source.
He made up his mind, sat cross-legged, and started to operate the Nine Elements Formula.
The spiritual energy in the world was much thinner than in the Bi Luo Cave, but it could still be cultivated. He didn’t want to waste any time.
The next morning, Wu Sang came as promised, holding a few somewhat worn-out books in his arms.
Now that he knew Yuan Ming was not a debt collector, he naturally found a way to lift his house arrest.
"These are a few books about the way of incense. You can read them when you have time to get a general understanding of incense making. These books are for sale, ten copper coins each." Wu Sang said.
"Okay, I’ll buy them all. Any progress on the black incense?" Yuan Ming paid the money, took the books, and asked.
(End of Chapter)