Chapter 400: Unexpected Visitors
Chapter 400: Unexpected Visitors
Qian Family Town, Dongshan Village.
Not long after Mo Hua left, a group of uninvited guests arrived from outside the village.
They stood on the mountain, glancing remotely at Dongshan Village, then took out a golden compass as if searching for something.
The needle on the compass wobbled, pointing aimlessly.
Frowning, they found nothing and eventually left quietly.
This group of cultivators came and went quickly, without disturbing the local cultivators.
The spiritual farmers of Dongshan Village were unaware that outsiders had spied on them.
They continued to tend to their spirit fields, concerned about the harvest and their livelihood, and thinking of ways to counter the Sun family.
A few days later, three more cultivators arrived.
One was a wizened old man, another a middle-aged cultivator with a paper fan and a refined demeanor, and the last was a clear-browed young man in white.
The wizened old man took out a bronze coin, tossed it in the air, and caught it in his palm.
Looking at the divination result, he muttered to himself before sighing:
"It seems to be here, but the calculation is unclear..."
The middle-aged cultivator said, "The Grand Astrologer calculated that the person is within this state. It's only a matter of time before we find him."
The old man snorted, "What are you thinking about?"
The middle-aged cultivator was taken aback.
"Great sounds are hard to hear, and great forms are invisible," the old man sighed.
"At his level, not only in the same state, but even in the same small immortal city, if he conceals his tracks, you won't be able to discover him."
"What is invisible cannot be seen, what is formless cannot be perceived, and what is without a path cannot be known."
"Once he hides his aura, we have no means to find him."
"The calculation of heaven's secrets is not something we cultivators can easily comprehend."
The middle-aged cultivator frowned, "But we have the Three Talents bronze coin given by the Grand Astrologer, don't we?"
The old man weighed the bronze coin in his hand and sighed, "This Three Talents bronze coin is indeed valuable, but it also depends on who uses it and for whom."
"My cultivation is insufficient. It's fine to use it to calculate others, but using it to calculate that person is like bringing a pearl to fish for a carp."
The middle-aged cultivator was perplexed, "But wasn't it said that his sea of consciousness was shattered, his dantian destroyed, and his qi and blood depleted? Why is it still so difficult?"
The wizened old man glanced at him, "Because he is a formation master, a genius bordering on monstrous, a formation master who is close to enlightenment."
Fear flashed in the middle-aged cultivator's eyes, and he sighed, "Then why did he end up in such a state?"
"That's none of your concern, and it's best not to ask. We don't have the qualifications to meddle in such matters," the old man said.
"We just need to do what we're told," he added calmly.
The middle-aged cultivator sneered, "If we can't calculate his whereabouts, doesn't that mean we'll never find him?"
"Even lions have moments of drowsiness."
"Moreover, we're not the only ones chasing him."
"We can take advantage of the chaos, but we must ensure that no one else finds him."
The old man turned and admonished the young man in white beside him, "Young Master, I didn't want to bring you along, but your father insisted that you needed some experience, and you wanted to see the world outside your family. So, reluctantly, I brought you along."
"However, unless it's absolutely necessary, you must not take action."
"Be cautious in your actions, even if you've planted the Longevity Talisman. Do not be careless."
"This matter is too complex, involving too many forces. I may not be able to protect you..."
The wizened old man made the situation sound grave.
He wanted to ensure that the young master stayed prudent and didn't act on his own or do anything out of the ordinary.
Otherwise, he might not be able to protect him.
Immediately, he regretted taking on this troublesome task.
This young master was only 23 years old, at the early stage of foundation establishment, and already a second-grade formation master. He had a promising future ahead of him.
Why bring him out for experience when he could be cherished and kept safe at home?
The path of cultivation was treacherous. Was it suitable for him to venture out like this?
It was understandable for poor, solitary cultivators to travel and endure hardships, as they had no choice if they wanted to avoid starvation in the future.
But this young master came from a prestigious family, with no worries about food or cultivation. Why not stay safe and comfortable in your privileged nest? Why stir up trouble?
Moreover, the old man himself wasn't sure how deep this water was.
Even with the Longevity Talisman, it might not be able to protect his life if something major happened.
Thinking of this, the wizened old man felt like slapping himself.
It was his big mouth that got him into this mess.
The young master's father had treated him to several jars of fine wine, and he had gotten drunk and agreed to bring the young master along.
As soon as he sobered up, he regretted it.
But it was too late...
The young man in white didn't understand the gravity of the situation and simply nodded solemnly, "Rest assured, senior. I will remember your words."
Seeing the young man's innocent expression, the old man couldn't bring himself to say anything more and sighed.
However, the young man's eyes shone with determination.
He had come out for two reasons: first, to gain experience and see the cultivation world beyond his family, and second, to meet the legendary Master Zhuang.
Within his family, he was recognized as a formation genius.
At a young age, he had already reached the level of a second-grade formation master.
He had been proud, thinking that formations were not that difficult and that even the strongest formation masters couldn't be that much better than him.
He believed that higher-grade formation masters were simply older and had drawn more formations than him.
Given time, he was sure he would surpass them all.
But then, by chance, he had seen Master Zhuang's early formation manuscripts and learned of his deeds, and he finally understood how insignificant and ignorant he was.
There were always higher heavens and stronger people.
The world of formations was vast and profound.
What he had learned was but a fraction of the whole.
The true essence of formations, the path to enlightenment, lay hidden beneath the surface.
He felt grateful to Master Zhuang and admired him, and his curiosity only grew.
He wondered what kind of person Master Zhuang was.
Was he as extraordinarily talented, proud, and aloof as the rumors made him out to be?
The young man also wondered if he would even be able to strike up a conversation with Master Zhuang...
These thoughts ran through the young man's mind as he remained silent.
The skinny old man tossed the bronze coin a few more times but still couldn't divine anything.
All he could vaguely tell was that the person they sought had been here.
Why he had come, what he had done, and when he had left were all mysteries.
With no clues to be found, the trio prepared to leave.
Suddenly, the young man in white exclaimed, "Oh?"
"What is it?" asked the middle-aged cultivator.
The young man pointed at the distant spirit fields. "There's a formation over there."
The middle-aged cultivator frowned. "Those are spirit fields, of course, there are formations there..."
The young man shook his head. "It's different."
The middle-aged cultivator was taken aback for a moment before releasing his spiritual sense to perceive the area, gradually furrowing his brows.
Indeed, there was something unusual about it...
But why was there such vibrant vitality in a mere first-grade spirit field?
This didn't seem like an effect that a first-grade formation could achieve...
The skinny old man also noticed the anomaly, but as he was not well-versed in formations, he asked, "What did you discover?"
This young master had an exceptional talent for formations, and since Master Zhuang was also a formation master, perhaps the young man had indeed noticed something.
The young man in white furrowed his brows and shook his head. "I know that the formation in the spirit field is unusual, but I can't quite pinpoint how. I'll need some time to study it."
The middle-aged cultivator asked the old man, "Do we have the time?"
The old man replied, "Whether we have the time or not depends not on us, but on that person's mood. If he's willing to give us the time, we'll have it. If not, then we won't."
The old man pondered for a moment before continuing, "Since you want to study it, go ahead. A few days won't make a difference."
The young man in white showed his gratitude. "Thank you, Senior."
For the next few days, the trio stayed in Qian Family Town.
The young man would often visit the spirit fields, curious about the formation within.
However, days passed without any progress.
The formation in the fields was seemingly just a simple soil-nourishing formation, yet the entire spirit field exuded a starkly different vitality.
The young man was perplexed.
Then, one day, he climbed a mountain to get a panoramic view of the spirit fields, and it was then that he suddenly realized the truth, enlightenment striking him like a bolt from the blue.
This entire stretch of spirit fields was itself a formation!
The young man shared his discovery with the old man and the middle-aged cultivator, and they were equally astonished.
The skinny old man nodded. "Indeed, this bizarre formation does seem like something that person would create."
The middle-aged cultivator asked the young man, "Do you know what formation this is?"
The young man shook his head.
"Isn't it a first-grade formation?" the middle-aged cultivator inquired.
"It's first-grade," confirmed the young man.
The middle-aged cultivator was surprised. "You're a second-grade formation master, yet there's a first-grade formation you can't identify?"
The young man hesitated. "I think this is a first-grade supreme formation."
"Supreme formation?" The middle-aged cultivator was clueless. "Even if it's a supreme formation, it's still only first-grade, isn't it?"
The young man shook his head. "It's different."
However, he didn't explain further.
It would be futile to try explaining such esoteric concepts about formations to someone who wasn't a formation master.
"What now?" the middle-aged cultivator asked.
The skinny old man said, "This formation proves that the person we're looking for has indeed been here. We just need to keep searching."
Then, he muttered to himself, "Being chased by so many people, and he still has the leisure to draw formations? The actions of a master are indeed unpredictable..."
The middle-aged cultivator was disappointed. "After all this searching, we're back to square one? What does a formation prove?"
With a flick of his sleeve, the middle-aged cultivator turned to leave.
The old man said to the young man in white, "He has a short temper, don't mind him. Discovering a supreme formation is already a great achievement, and it's likely that this formation was personally laid out by that person, which makes it even more significant..."
"Carefully record the formation patterns and make sure there are no mistakes. Then we'll be on our way."
"Yes," the young man nodded.
He spent a day recording the formation patterns in the spirit fields, driven by curiosity to try and learn it himself.
However, he found that he couldn't grasp it immediately...
"I suppose this is indeed Master Zhuang's handiwork..."
The young man in white sighed and decided to put the matter aside for the time being.
The next day, the trio set off, leaving Qian Family Town and continuing their search based on the direction indicated by the Three Talents bronze coin.
While the divination from the bronze coin might not be entirely accurate, it was their only lead.
...
After the trio left, some time passed, and a strange-looking person walked along the mountain road leading to Qian Family Town.
He wore a bamboo hat that concealed his features.
Not a trace of aura emanated from his body.
As he walked, his footsteps left deep and shallow imprints, as if he were walking on stilts and hadn't yet adjusted to the bamboo poles under his feet.
Passersby glanced at him but seemed to look right through him, as if he didn't exist at all.
This person walked along the mountain road, passing through Qian Family Town and Dongshan Village, until he reached the spirit fields. There, he removed his hat and took off his cloak, revealing the attire of a Taoist priest.
At the same time, a bizarre aura emanated from him.
(End of Chapter)
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