Chapter 260: Formation Disk Key
No one really knew why Wanderer Dai turned traitor; even Tan Bajhang couldn’t explain it. Didn't matter. The fact was plain enough: he had. After clawing their way out of Yellow Wind Ravine, Captain Hu, Zuo Gaofeng, and the others had split off, each heading their own way. That’s why Liu Xiaolou ran straight into Tan Bazhang. If he’d still been creeping toward the valley, he might’ve already been caught by the people from Tianmu Mountain.
According to Wulong Mountain’s usual practice, Tan Bajhang and Liu Xiaolou had to split up too. They didn’t ask where the other was going. Better that way, so Tianmu Mountain wouldn’t bag them both at once.
Before they parted, Tan Bajhang told him, “Go, Xiaolou. Go far. Don’t come back to Western Xian for a few years. Three, five years maybe. Then we’ll see.”
Liu Xiaolou had the same idea. After watching Tan Bajhang disappear into the distance, he made a quick trip back to Xiushan, woke Fang Bu’ai from his cultivation, and headed southwest with him. The farther they got from western Xian, the better.
When he heard that Dai Shenggao had betrayed their brothers, Fang Bu’ai didn’t seem especially shocked or heartbroken. His thoughts were simple: as long as Liu Xiaolou was alright, nothing else really mattered. He barely knew the rest of the Wulong Mountain crew well, and the few he did had made it out too. So really, what was there to mourn?
“We could die any time, anywhere,” he said quietly. “That’s just the fate of rogue cultivators, isn’t it? After my master died, I stopped knowing what sadness felt like. Sadness only makes you weak… and I don’t want to be weak.”
“Junior Fang…”
“Mm?”
“Even though what you said makes sense, I still want to say… I don’t want you to become too cold.”
“Cold? That’s because I don’t know who I can trust anymore. Except Big Brother… Back when my master was alive, he told me never to trust anyone. When I first came to Wulong Mountain, I thought maybe he was wrong... I thought Wulong Mountain was different from Pai Sect. But now… I guess it’s not all that different after all.”
“Wanderer Dai… he was actually good to me back then. Not bad to the others at Wulong Mountain either. A lot of them relied on him to get by.”
“It’s not just Wanderer Dai, right? Everyone’s been looking up to Old Wang… how could his hero’s post end up in Wanderer Dai’s hands? Didn’t Boss Wang have a part in this? If even they betray their brothers, I really don’t know who to trust anymore. Big Brother… will you go after Boss Wang and Wanderer Dai for revenge?”
“I don’t know… I used to think about taking revenge on Tianmu Mountain. But now, thinking back, maybe if I hadn’t issued that hero’s post, hadn’t rallied the others to rise up... maybe everyone would still be safe on Wulong Mountain.”
“But even if you hadn’t sent out the hero post, no one would have stayed on Wulong Mountain anyway. Everyone was scared of Tianmu Mountain; who’d dare stay on the mountain? That would have been like sticking our necks out for them... Big Brother, to be honest, issuing that hero’s post was the right thing to do. I still believe it was the right choice.”
“Really?”
“If you hadn’t sent it, how would I even have all these spiritual materials and stones? How could I have broken through four layers? But that was then… now, please, no more hero challenges.”
Liu Xiaolou forced a bitter smile. “Even if I did, no one would take it.”
Fang Bu’ai nodded. “Right now, no one dares. Once word of this spreads, who among the rogue cultivators would even think of taking a hero post? Maybe in a few years, when Wulong Mountain is lively again, when more rogue cultivators come to cultivate... it’ll be like back when my master and I were in Pai Sect. Back then, every year some people would die or leave, and new ones would join. People come and go… but Wulong Mountain will never fall.”
Liu Xiaolou glanced at Fang Bu’ai. “Junior Fang, you sure have a lot on your mind.”
Fang Bu’ai sighed and shook his head, saying nothing more.
They traveled by night, resting by day, threading their way through barren hills and wildlands. Two days passed like that, crossing who knows how many rivers. By the time they’d gone six hundred li west, they were finally well out of Tianmu Mountain’s influence.
Liu Xiaolou asked a few hunters for directions and then turned north. That day, they arrived at a small village. Where Liu Daoran lived.
When Liu Xiaolou arrived at the door, Liu Daoran was genuinely surprised and delighted. He quickly invited them inside, and when he asked about their visit, Liu Xiaolou said, “Things haven’t been going well in western Xiang, so I brought my younger brother out to clear our minds. I’m afraid we’ll be imposing on you for a while, Brother Daoran.”
Liu Daoran welcomed them warmly, arranging a place for them to stay. From that day on, the two settled into the Liu family manor. They cultivated diligently every day, opening their acupoints, and sometimes, at Liu Daoran’s invitation, they would go out to enjoy the surrounding mountains, rivers, and valleys. Other times, they would accompany him when receiving guests, mingling with nearby rogue cultivators, discussing Daoist, or studying formations together. Life turned out to be pleasantly carefree.
During this time, Liu Xiaolou also finally met Liu Daoran’s wife and began addressing her as “sister-in-law.” Addressing him as “husband's younger brother.”
She was graceful and virtuous, and she treated Liu Xiaolou and Fang Bu’ai very well. There was just one thing; she loved her wine, and her tolerance was incredible. Wanting to please her, Liu Xiaolou pulled out some Bamboo Leaf Green from his Qiankun Pouch and drank with the couple. He ended up completely drunk, almost spilling the story about the day he had taken Liu Daoran to a brothel. Terrified, Liu Daoran rushed him aside, and Liu Xiaolou spent the next while violently emptying his stomach.
In the blink of an eye, three months passed. Liu Xiaolou had opened the Yanglao and Zhizheng acupoints; his cultivation of the Hand Greater Yang meridian had progressed through six acupoints. Thirteen more to go.
Fang Bugai had also made progress on the fourth layer, about thirty percent complete.
Liu Xiaolou couldn’t really compare himself to Fang Bu’ai, but he could feel it clearly enough. Ever since leaving Wulong Mountain, his progress in cultivation had started to slow down. He wasn’t short on spirit stones; his Qiankun Pouch held enough to last him two years. Yet when he tried to convert the stones into true qi, it was slower than before, and opening the acupoints had become noticeably harder.
Three months had passed, and he had only managed to open two acupoints. The slowdown in his cultivation was obvious. He couldn’t help but start missing Qianzhu Ridge, and the days when he cultivated at the peak together with Big White and Little Black.
“Junior fang,” Liu Xiaolou said, turning to Fang Bu’ai, “have you noticed... cultivating at Qianzhu Ridge seems to make progress a bit faster?”
Fang Bu’ai thought for a moment, then nodded. “I guess so.”
Liu Xiaolou frowned, thinking. “And why do you think that is?”
Fang Bu’ai shook his head. “Honestly… I can’t really tell.”
“Why not?” Liu Xiaolou pressed.
“Because back at Qianzhu Ridge,” Fang Bu’ai explained, “I never actually had that many spirit stones on hand. It’s only this past year, after leaving the mountain, that I’ve never been short of them. So… does that mean you’re just missing Qianzhu Ridge, Big Brother?”
Liu Xiaolou scratched his head and let out a sigh. Stepping out of the room, he bumped right into Liu Daoran, who had just come into the courtyard.
“Xiaolou, I need your help with something,” Liu Daoran said.
“Oh? What’s up, Brother Daoran?”
Liu Daoran pulled out a sheet of yellow paper and handed it over. “Here, take a look. Someone came by asking us to make this.”
Xiaolou glanced at it, frowning. “Who came asking? Shouldn’t they be going to a refinersmith instead? Brother Daoran, we’re formation masters. We can make array disks, sure, but refining magical tools? That’s not really our line of work.”
Liu Daoran pointed at the notes on the paper. “Take a closer look. This is a Formation Disk Key. It’s actually a type of formation disk. You’ve heard of a Formation Disk Key before, right?”
Liu Xiaolou nodded. “Ah, so that’s what it is. I remember Master Tang mentioning it once, but I’ve never tried making one myself.”
Liu Daoran looked a bit worried. “Neither have I.”
“Then we can just turn it down,” Xiaolou said matter-of-factly.
Liu Daoran sighed. “They’re offering six spirit stones.”
Liu Xiaolou paused for a moment, then bent back over the paper. “...Alright, maybe we can figure something out.”