Chapter 15#
Petty Tricks#
Surnamed Meng, a woman, and set to become an elder of a certain peak after her realm breakthrough.
In his previous life at the Qiyinchu of Xueyi Peak, among those who had come with the Gushan Sword Array to demand the Primordial Dan from Xiao Man, there had been a female elder surnamed Meng.
That Elder Meng was even the first to strike at him.
Her appearance surfaced in Xiao Man’s mind. He lowered his eyes and slowly flipped a page of the notebook.
Right then, accompanied by a crisp ring of a bell, a voice rang out in Chaoyu Building: “Oh, a rare guest has arrived at Chaoyu Building!”
Xiao Man clearly felt Qu Hanxing in the back row shudder. When he looked up, a woman had appeared at the empty instructor’s desk.
She wore a bracelet with a silver bell hanging from her wrist, which was where the sound came from. Dressed in a goose-yellow dress, she tidied her sleeves and slowly scanned the crowd:
“Some people might think they are exceptionally talented in the Dao of Formations, so they skip class several times in a row. Now that they’ve come, they enter halfway through, making it impossible for others not to notice.”
“Xiao Man, that’s the name, right?”
Her gaze fell on Xiao Man.
Xiao Man was also looking at her. This woman had a familiar appearance, a familiar voice, and even the same tone of speech. She was indeed the one surnamed Meng from back then.
His expression didn’t change. He unhurriedly closed Mo Juntian’s notebook and said indifferently, “Instructor Meng has a very good memory.”
“No need for flattery.” Instructor Meng flicked her sleeve, scattering a dozen or so pebbles onto the open space in front of the desk. “Since you are talented, please come and solve this stone formation.”
“It’s not a very profound formation, but if you can’t solve it… for the next few days, don’t even think about leaving Chaoyu Building.”
The dozen or so pebbles on the ground looked ordinary at first glance, but they were actually distributed in a strange pattern. There was a tide of spiritual energy forming between the pebbles, picking up the dust on their surfaces. Due to an external force enveloping it, the dust only swirled and lingered within this area.
This was clearly beyond the scope of a beginner.
Wei Chuyun stood up from his seat and bowed to the instructor surnamed Meng: “Instructor Meng, up until today, what we have learned are only the basic elements and structures of elementary formations. This stone formation you’ve laid out is complete in spirit, form, and intent; it accords with the five elements of heaven and earth and hides the dual meanings of Yin and Yang. Isn’t the difficulty too great?”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” Instructor Meng lightly tapped the desk with her index finger, looking into Wei Chuyun’s eyes with a calm tone. “If you were traveling the world and encountered an opponent who used a move beyond what you’ve learned or heard of, would you tell them the difficulty is too high and ask them to change to another one?”
“But this isn’t the ‘world’ out there,” Mo Juntian grumbled in a low voice.
With the two of them speaking, no one else dared to make a sound. For a moment, one could hear a pin drop in Chaoyu Building.
Xiao Man shifted his gaze from Instructor Meng to the formation in front of her. After a careful observation, he didn’t speak.
At this time, Instructor Meng curled her lips into a smile: “Fine, I won’t force anyone. Xiao Man, you can choose not to try, but for the next three days, you must copy the book Elementary Explanation of Formations a hundred times from beginning to end.”
“And he’s not allowed to leave Chaoyu Building until he finishes?” Qu Hanxing finally couldn’t help but say something.
Instructor Meng’s expression turned cold. Just as she was about to rebuke Qu Hanxing, Xiao Man stood up.
Everyone’s gaze turned toward them. In a moment of urgency, Qu Hanxing tugged at Xiao Man’s sleeve, frantically signaling with his eyes: When you run into an instructor like this, just admit your mistake first. We’ll figure out a way to help with the copying together.
Xiao Man handed the notebook back to Mo Juntian and returned Qu Hanxing’s gaze, telling him not to worry.
Qu Hanxing found it hard to believe—most people in Chaoyu Building found it hard to believe. This was clearly a deliberate attempt to make things difficult.
Even if Xiao Man had taken the top spot in that day’s chaotic brawl, even if the instructor for the Elementary Explanation of Talismans had personally praised his talent, and even if he performed excellently in the swordsmanship class, so what? Formations were a completely different path from the previous ones.
Finally, even though everyone knew the instructor before them was exceptionally strict, whispers began to rise in the building.
Amidst this chaotic atmosphere, Xiao Man walked to the front of the formation, flicked his hem, and sat cross-legged.
As Wei Chuyun had said, this formation was not elementary. If a random disciple were picked from the building, they would probably need to fully digest the Elementary Explanation of Formations and gain some practical experience before they could crack it.
In other words, this formation wasn’t very profound either—at least not to Xiao Man. In his previous life, he had reached the Taixuan Realm. Even if his current realm and cultivation were gone, his knowledge and experience remained in his mind.
Xiao Man borrowed a pen from a fellow student sitting nearby and pointed it at the second-to-last stone on the northwest side of the formation.
On the steps opposite him, someone let out a soft snort of laughter.
It was Instructor Meng.
Turning a deaf ear, Xiao Man moved the pen to the southwest and pushed down the third stone from the front with the tip.
Qu Hanxing sat in the last row by the window. His position wasn’t very good, so he kept stretching his neck, but he could still only see Xiao Man’s back and couldn’t see his movements clearly. He anxiously patted Wei Chuyun’s shoulder and asked, “Brother Wei, can you see what’s going on?”
“I can see a bit, but not enough to see through it,” Wei Chuyun replied in a low voice, his brow furrowed.
“As expected of Brother Wei.” Qu Hanxing patted Wei Chuyun’s shoulder twice more and asked again, “Can Brother Man actually do it?”
“I think he can.” The one who spoke was Mo Juntian.
Qu Hanxing turned his head, confusion flashing in his eyes: “How can you tell?”
Mo Juntian said calmly, “Xiao Man’s expression is very steady.”
Qu Hanxing thought to himself, He’s facing away from you, how can you see his expression? Wei Chuyun turned around and comforted him in a low voice: “We should trust Xiao Man. If he says he can, then he can. Don’t worry too much.”
“Sigh, I hope so.” Qu Hanxing sighed and slumped back against the wall.
At the front of Chaoyu Building, Xiao Man used the pen to push down another stone.
At this point, within the formation, one stone had been pushed down in each of the four directions: north, south, east, and west. The tide of spiritual energy suddenly ceased, and the dust abruptly fell. Xiao Man stood up and returned the pen to the fellow student.
“Is that it?” the student asked.
Xiao Man: “Mhm.”
He turned to walk back to his seat, but unexpectedly, at that very moment, those stones stood up again! The tide rose once more, and the dust soared into the air like a thick fog.
“I knew it wouldn’t work!”
“With just those few moves, how could it be possible?”
“Yeah, even if one is strong in martial arts and talismans, it doesn’t mean they have talent in formations.”
“Better just admit the mistake…”
Whispers came from all sides. The cold smile in Instructor Meng’s eyes flickered for a moment. She rang the bronze bell on the desk, shouting “Silence!” in the clear ring, and then said to Xiao Man:
“Did you think that counted as breaking the formation?”
Xiao Man flicked his robes and sat down, saying to her indifferently, “Why don’t you look again?”
His attitude was calm and composed. Everyone’s gaze returned to the formation. But the formation remained as it was, with the tide swirling the dust among the stones.
“You…”
Someone wanted to say something, but suddenly, the situation changed abruptly!
—That cloud of dust, like a thick fog, lost its original pattern and began to crash wildly between the stones, its speed increasing rapidly. After a few breaths, a loud sound was heard.
Bang!
The stones in the formation exploded, turning into shards and ash that rushed into the void and then dispersed.
The stone formation was broken, broken neatly and swiftly. Xiao Man had only made four moves, and now there wasn’t a single intact stone left on the open ground.
Instructor Meng’s face turned stiff, as if she couldn’t believe it, but she forced herself to hide her expression. Just then, Qu Hanxing deliberately asked Xiao Man loudly, “Brother Man, that looked pretty simple! Is there some trick to it?”
“No trick,” Xiao Man replied calmly. Chaoyu Building had been noisy, but as soon as he spoke, it immediately became quiet.
“But there must be some explanation, right? That formation looked extremely difficult!” Qu Hanxing added.
Mo Juntian couldn’t help but chuckle.
Xiao Man’s tone was very light: “Generally speaking, breaking a formation means looking for the ‘gate of life’ or a flaw within it. But I didn’t do that. My way of breaking the formation just now was the literal meaning of ‘breaking.’ I severed the connections between various elements of the formation, causing the spiritual energy circuits inside to become chaotic. Naturally, the formation could no longer hold. With a little observation, you can do it too.”
The people in the building had various expressions, and many were snickering secretly. Instructor Meng couldn’t keep her face straight; it turned from green to white, and her hand hidden under the desk clenched into a tight fist.
She adjusted her breathing, and after calming down, she said to Xiao Man, “Since you’ve broken the formation, I won’t hold the three days of missed classes against you.” Then she flicked her sleeve: “Everyone, open your books and continue with the lesson.”
The snickering and whispering in the building stopped.
At noon, Xiao Man went to Wugu Building with Qu Hanxing and the others. He had meditated in Yan Wushu’s Daoist hall for three days and hadn’t eaten the food here for three days, so he missed it quite a bit.
After Qu Hanxing learned this, he threw out four Light-Body Talismans, helping everyone become as light as swallows. In the blink of an eye, they ran into the building and claimed good seats.
After sitting down, a passing fellow student patted Qu Hanxing’s shoulder and said with a smile, “Hey, Master Qu, you were basically openly mocking that instructor just now. Aren’t you afraid she’ll cause trouble for you?”
“A moment of mockery, a moment of joy.” Qu Hanxing waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t you also find her unbearable?”
Student: “I do, but I’m not as brave as you!”
“Hmph, don’t look at me being in the Baoxu Realm and her being in the Guiyuan Realm now. In a few years, who knows whose realm will be higher or lower! Do not look down on a young man for being poor!” Qu Hanxing served himself a large bowl of rice, looked at Xiao Man, and said with a grin, “Right, Brother Man?”
Xiao Man gave an affirmative sound.
Today there were sweet and sour pork ribs, which he liked very much.
According to his previous habit, after lunch, Xiao Man would go to the dormitory with Qu Hanxing and the others for a short nap. On this day, halfway there, they happened to run into the Sect Leader of Baihua Peak.
The Sect Leader’s name was Ji Wuji. He had a white beard and loved wearing a crab-shell-green Daoist robe. He looked kind and amiable when he smiled. He took Xiao Man to a small, deserted bridge, took a bag of fish food from his sleeve, and said while scattering it, “Your Highness’s realm has improved.”
“Yes,” Xiao Man nodded.
“Good, good.” Ji Wuji smiled and handed a handful of fish food to Xiao Man, pointing to the feed and then to the fish drawn out on the river surface, signaling for Xiao Man to feed them too. “When you were cracking the stone formation earlier, I happened to be outside Chaoyu Building. I like your method of breaking the formation and the explanation you gave afterward.”
Xiao Man thought for a moment and said, “It was just a petty trick.”
“How difficult is it to carve a small insect? It can only be achieved with a careful heart and skillful hands,” Ji Wuji said. “Your Highness is a great talent, there’s no need for modesty.”
Xiao Man wasn’t being modest; he truly felt that both the method of breaking the formation and the words he had said should be considered ordinary. But Ji Wuji didn’t continue on this topic. In his next sentence, his tone turned serious:
“Meng Lanshan, the one who tried to trip you up, comes from Qingyun Peak and has a very good relationship with Elder Lin Wu.”
“So her name is Meng Lanshan?”
Upon hearing this, a look of surprise flashed across Xiao Man’s brow: “Thank you for the reminder, Peak Master.”
Much could be read into these words. Ji Wuji’s expression became sentimental: “It seems you know a few things.”
“There is no wall in the world that doesn’t leak wind,” Xiao Man smiled and threw a handful of fish food into the water.
The fish vied with each other to swim over, mouths open to snatch the food. Their colors were vibrant, adding a bright touch to the increasingly desolate autumn scenery.
Ji Wuji fed the fish together with Xiao Man. When the feed in his hand was completely gone, he clapped his hands and said to Xiao Man, “If Your Highness encounters any trouble, you can come to me.”
“Thank you for your care, Peak Master.” Xiao Man was slightly stunned for a moment, then bowed to Ji Wuji in thanks.
“You are a disciple of Baihua Peak, and I am the Peak Master of Baihua Peak. Isn’t it only natural for me to look after you?” Ji Wuji flicked his sleeve and left with a smile.
At the same time, Qingyun Peak.
Meng Lanshan returned to her grotto and took out a talisman paper to send a voice message: “A-Lin, I’ve seen that Xiao Man. I didn’t expect him to have some ability. But he’s only in the Baoxu Realm after all; pinching him to death is as simple as pinching an ant. In a few days, I will definitely be able to drive him out of Gushan.”
“He’s the one Senior Brother brought back,” Lin Wu’s reply came quickly. Though the words were short, the meaning was deep.
Meng Lanshan had a look of disdain: “I’ve looked into him; he has no background. He’s been at Gushan for three years, yet Peak Master Yan has let him waste away in the Baoxu Realm. Presumably, he doesn’t care much.”
After a while, Meng Lanshan received Lin Wu’s reply: “Observe first, but do not act rashly.”
“Fine,” Meng Lanshan thought for a moment and replied.
The autumn scenery couldn’t compare to the splendor of spring, but there were still things worth appreciating, such as the withered mountains, strange rocks, and clouds resting on pines. However, the low-level disciples on Baihua Peak didn’t have much leisure. After noon, they had to throw their hearts and souls into endless sword practice.
Xiao Man practiced with Wei Chuyun.
The two were already very familiar with each other, their moves and counter-moves flowing naturally and cleanly.
After a dozen or so rounds, the swordsmanship instructor, seeing that Xiao Man’s realm had improved to the Upper Baoxu stage, stroked his beard with satisfaction and came over to give personal guidance.
The long hours slipped away as they focused on the duel. When the twilight turned as red as fire, Xiao Man withdrew his sword and said to Wei Chuyun, “Shall we stop here for today?”
Xiao Man’s white clothes were dyed crimson by the light. Sweat hung on his forehead, falling drop by drop along the lines of his face, crystal clear. Wei Chuyun let out a light breath and smiled at Xiao Man: “In the past, relying on my realm being a step higher than yours, I could barely defeat you. But now, I can’t do it anymore.”
“You aren’t far from your breakthrough.” Xiao Man carefully observed Wei Chuyun’s state, his eyes suddenly brightening.
Mo Juntian and Qu Hanxing were in the open space next to them. The former put his sword back into his Qiankun ring and, catching a glimpse of someone standing nearby, said in surprise, “Why is that vegetable delivery man here again?”
Qu Hanxing was so tired he was sitting on the ground, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Hearing this, he looked up and peered around: “Vegetable delivery man? Doesn’t he have to come and deliver vegetables every day? Where is he? I didn’t see him.”
“But it’s already twilight; the food in Wugu Building has long since been cooked.” Mo Juntian pointed to the sky above and then in a certain direction: “Right over there, can’t you see him?”
“Then he’s delivering for tomorrow.” Qu Hanxing looked over as he spoke, “I really didn’t see him.”
Xiao Man heard their conversation. With a shift of his divine sense, he turned his gaze—Yan Wushu was leaning against a tree to the southeast, playing with his fan out of boredom.
He sensed Xiao Man’s gaze and lifted his eyelids.
Just then, Wei Chuyun familiarly put his hand on Xiao Man’s arm and pulled him around to go in another direction: “Let’s go, it’s late. Let’s go to Wugu Building for dinner.”