When it landed, it had already turned to mud and dust.

Chapter Eight: Borrowing a Ray of Rosy Light

In a low, earthen-walled thatched hut in the village at the foot of the mountain, an old woman was making homemade incense.

Just like Brian Carter in the temple, she had a wooden incense table, about the size of a single-person desk. On top was a flat wooden board about a foot wide, with a stack of red paper—about three fingers wide and over a foot long—pinned to it with an awl, used for rolling incense. Below was a trough filled with incense ingredients. Looking closely at these ingredients, one could vaguely make out several familiar raw materials, ground into granules the size of millet, showing a greenish-yellow color.

The old woman used a bamboo stick about as long as the red paper to scoop up the incense mixture, pouring out a neat, long line onto the paper. Then she took a bamboo skewer, folded the top of the red paper a few times to seal it, and with a quick rub of her hands, skillfully rolled up a whole stick of incense.

After sealing the bottom, a stick of homemade incense was complete.

Each stick took only about ten seconds to make, and the old woman's movements were smooth, every bit of strength just right—it was truly a pleasure to watch.

Brian Carter stood quietly to the side, saying nothing.

The old woman, her hair silver, was fully absorbed in her work.

The room was filled with the fresh scent of herbs. Light slanted in through the window, and fine incense dust floated in the air, suddenly giving both people and things a sense of form.

Even the calico cat's heart was at peace.

Thirty sticks of incense were quickly rolled.

The old woman carefully counted them, tied them up with straw, and handed them to Brian Carter:

"Young sir."

"Thank you, ma'am."

Brian Carter received them respectfully.

Each stick of this incense was as thick as a finger, much thicker than the slender incense sold in the city. It was not easy to hold a whole bundle in one hand, yet thirty sticks sold for only six copper coins, and the most expensive part of the cost was actually the coarse, low-quality red paper.

Brian Carter paid a little extra, as a reward for the old woman having told him the ingredients for the homemade incense earlier, then thanked her and left.

Though this incense was cheap and couldn't fetch a high price, in the temples Brian Carter had dealt with, many of the priests preferred this kind of homemade incense, and most especially liked using incense they had blended and rolled themselves.

Only by pouring in one's heart and effort could one communicate with spirits and deities.

Leaving the village, Brian Carter took the main road, then doubled back to the village temple. Of the thirty sticks of incense, he kept only three, leaving the rest before the statue of Lord Wang Shanggong.

To borrow and to return, to take and to give.

Feeling at ease, he continued on his way.

Now, he was no longer alone—he was accompanied by a cat.

At first, the calico lady was very well-behaved, perhaps because she wasn't familiar with Brian Carter. She simply followed quietly behind him, keeping a steady distance. Soon, her true nature emerged: she would sometimes dash ahead, then turn back to look at Brian Carter, sometimes stand still and sniff at the wild grass by the roadside, sometimes be distracted by butterflies or birds in the air and stop to watch. When Brian Carter walked too far ahead, she would scamper to catch up.

With her making such a fuss, the journey was far less dull.

They hadn't gone far before coming to a checkpoint. Brian Carter presented his travel permit and passed through smoothly.

As mentioned before, traveling merchants and people of the martial world each had their own ways, and people like Brian Carter had their own special travel documents.

In this world, religion was also regulated by the imperial court. Each dynasty was different, but in the current Yan dynasty, religious management was much stricter. The biggest difference from the previous dynasty was the reduction of privileges for ordinary temples and monasteries.

For example, they were no longer exempt from various taxes.

Still, this was a world with spirits and deities, and those with true cultivation deserved respect.

Thus, the Yan dynasty had two levels of travel permits.

The ordinary permit was just a piece of paper, with talismans drawn on it, the issuing authority, temple, and personal information written, and stamped with a large seal. It had to be kept pressed in a box, or it would be easily damaged. Any legitimate monk or priest could obtain this kind of permit.

The other kind was a booklet.

Obtaining this booklet proved you had some real ability, or that your master or elders did, and it came with a certain tax exemption. Considering the frequent appearance of monsters and spirits in the world, and the need for some cultivators to travel widely for debate and study, this permit also served as a travel pass, allowing the holder to bring up to five disciples or attendants.

It was a privilege for those of higher cultivation.

But as the years passed, these permits inevitably became widespread, and by now, they didn't mean much anymore.

After passing the checkpoint, the scenery changed noticeably. The mountains to the left were no longer gentle, but tall and steep. The right side remained the same as before, the road winding along a stream through the mountains. Every time the calico lady wanted to look at the mountaintop, she had to crane her neck as high as she could.

"So tall!"

The calico lady exclaimed.

"Have you ever seen such tall mountains, Lady Calico?" Brian Carter asked, sitting on a rock and eating a steamed bun.

"No."

The calico cat turned to look at him.

Only then did Brian Carter seem to remember. He quickly broke off a small, untouched piece of his steamed bun and bent down to offer it to the calico cat.

But the calico cat just stared at him blankly.

Just then, a bug buzzed past her face. The calico cat simply raised her front paw and neatly caught the flying insect in her palm. Then, bringing her paw to her mouth, by the time Brian Carter saw clearly, only the insect's translucent wings could be seen at the corner of her mouth.