A Foundation pill could give off enough heat and qi to draw hunters from miles away. Here, even if no one found him, lightning could reach the cave through the wet cliff. Pei Jing left the herbs packed and got to work.
A slab of black granite had broken off the cliff long ago. It lay near the mouth of the cave, ten feet long and about five tons. He used a steel bar to raise it enough to get rollers beneath it. Then he planted his heel and pushed. Earth and metal Gang Qi ran down his arms. The slab moved an inch at a time until it fitted against the inside of the opening.
He packed blue clay around the edges, leaving a narrow gap for fresh air to enter. Wind could still draw it through the chamber and out the crack at the rear. He left the rollers and bar in a recess beside the slab. He tested the slab once, rolling it back far enough to step out before setting it in place again.
Then he unpacked twelve copper rods from his Cloud-Silk pouch. He set them around the place where the cauldron would stand. He carved a lightning ward through the ring of copper and tied it into the mountain’s earth qi. When he tested it with a small spark, light passed around the ring and vanished into the rock.
