The formation disk was taken away by the Zhao clan. What do we do about it?
Faced with this question, Liu Xiaolou didn’t know how to respond, so he discussed it with Liu Daoran.
Liu Daoran suggested going to the Zhao clan, admitting fault, taking the disk back, and refining a new one to replace it. “At worst, I’ll accept punishment and return the spirit stones they gave me.”
Liu Xiaolou let out a sigh. “But if we do that, what does it make of Master Tang? He worked tirelessly for three and a half months to complete all the formation disks. In front of Elder Zhao and the other members of the Zhao family, he declared there was nothing wrong with them. He collected the spirit stones, divided them among us, dismissed everyone, and left himself. And now, at this point...”
Liu Daoran clutched his head in pain. “At this point, if we go back and say there’s a problem with the disk, we’re letting Master Tang down.”
Liu Xiaolou shook his head. “It’s not just letting him down. It would ruin his reputation.”
“Then what should we do?” Liu Daoran asked in frustration.
After thinking for a long time, Liu Xiaolou said, “Maybe we should look at it from another angle. The Li Nine Palace is an illusion formation, isn’t it?”
Liu Daoran’s eyes lit up and he nodded eagerly. “Exactly.”
“From the perspective of an illusion formation, is there anything wrong with this formation disk?”
“The problem lies on the cliff.”
“I mean, can the disk actually be used? Is it functional? Can it produce the illusion effect?”
“Of course it can.”
“Will it affect the operation of the whole mountain-protection formation?”
“No.”
“Did the Zhao clan ever specify what the illusion had to look like, or what it couldn’t look like?”
“Of course not. An illusion can be anything.”
“Then we’ve done our job, haven’t we?”
“Seems like it.”
“What do you mean, seems like? Did we finish or not?”
“We finished.”
“It runs, it activates, it works. So there’s nothing wrong with this disk, right?”
“Right!”
“Do we need to replace it?”
“No.”
“See? Problem solved.” Liu Xiaolou spread his hands, pressing the point to Liu Daoran.
Liu Daoran’s brow finally relaxed. He scratched his head. “You’re right,” he said. “Put that way, we did finish it. So Master Tang wasn’t wrong after all.”
Liu Xiaolou went on, “As for the thing on the cliff, that was just one of our ideas, a little experiment. If the Zhao clan doesn’t like it, they can bring it up. We can swap it out for something else they prefer. But if we do replace it, that’ll cost extra. What do you think, Brother Daoran?”
Liu Daoran brightened immediately. “You’re absolutely right. If they want changes, they’ll have to pay for them!”
“Besides,” Liu Xiaolou added, “there are hundreds of formation disks linked together, packed with illusions, killing moves, traps, and layers of mist. Even the best from the Pingdu Eight Formations Gate couldn’t see through it all. How would they ever know there’s a secret hidden in that pavilion?”
The weight on Liu Daoran’s shoulders eased even further. He clenched his fist. “Exactly!”
Liu Xiaolou continued, “And once the formation is set up, who would even dare trespass on Fangle Peak? It belongs to the Zhao clan of the Jinting Sect. Hardly anyone would ever try to enter the formation in the first place.”
This time, Liu Daoran was able to follow up: “Even if someone enters the formation, as long as they don’t go into that stone pavilion, they won’t see the cliff around the corner. And if they can’t see the cliff, they naturally won’t notice the scene on it or hear the sounds coming from there.”
Liu Xiaolou patted him on the shoulder. “Exactly. So relax and go home. This secret won't be discovered for decades, maybe not even in fifty or eighty years."
Liu Daoran still wasn’t entirely at ease. “But what if it is discovered?”
Liu Xiaolou reassured him, “I already explained to Master Tang that the Cloudscape Talisman Disk was my own design and planning. Like I said before, if anything goes wrong, I’ll take responsibility.”
For a long moment Liu Daoran was silent, then he said with difficulty, “If that’s the case, your name…”
Liu Xiaolou just smiled. “Don’t worry about it. Reputation doesn’t scare me.”
With mixed feelings, Liu Daoran finally took his leave, consoled somewhat by Xiaolou’s words. Other than sincerely inviting him to visit Bazhong someday, he didn’t know what else to say. He left tangled in thought, and there’s no need to dwell on it further.
After three and a half months of hard work, Liu Xiaolou also set out for home, heading back to Shenwu Mountain. The journey was eight hundred li. Busy as it had been, he had earned ten spirit stones fair and square, and more importantly, he had made great strides in the path of formations. He was more than satisfied.
At the same time, he was worried about the fighting between the Zhanglong Sect and Gengsang Cave. It was all happening a thousand li away, and no news had reached him from that front. He had no idea how the brothers on Wulong Mountain were faring now.
He hurried along the road, and when he finally returned to Shenwu Mountain, he went to visit Li Busan and Auntie Li with her daughter at General’s Temple.
Auntie Li’s belly was round and heavy with pregnancy, yet she was still busy with household chores. With her hands braced on her lower back, she thanked Liu Xiaolou. “We’re very grateful for Miss Susu’s care, and also to Steward Su who built the house for us. Everything’s been fine here.”
Liu Xiaolou nodded. “That’s good to hear… Have you had any word from Brother Zuo?”
Auntie Li said, “Last month he sent a message through someone. He said he’s doing fine and told me not to worry.”
Liu Xiaolou let out a long breath of relief. “Auntie Li, don’t overwork yourself. If you can’t manage, hire someone to help you.”
She shook her head. “What for? No need to waste that money.”
Li Busan was a hardworking child. Though Liu Xiaolou had been gone for several months and the spirit stones Dragon Mountain Wanderer left him had long since run out, the boy hadn’t wasted any time. In the back courtyard of General’s Temple, he was diligently training with a magical weapon. A long bronze hammer that Dragon Mountain Wanderer had somehow procured for him.
This kind of magical weapon was something Liu Xiaolou didn’t understand, so he couldn’t give any guidance. After watching for a moment, he called the boy over and slipped him a spirit stone. “Use this for your cultivation for now. Don’t feel embarrassed. Just think of it as me lending it to your master. When I see him again, he can pay me back. Ha, and that’s nothing to worry about. As long as your master wins a few battles, there will always be spoils.”
With the Su family standing tall as a shield, the little General’s Temple was perfectly safe. And with the notorious Liu Xiaolou—famous for challenging people to life-or-death duels—speaking on their behalf, no one would dare cause them trouble. Feeling reassured, Liu Xiaolou returned to the SunRain Hibiscus Garden.
Madam Wu Xi wasn’t there, and neither was Susu. Word was they had gone to Danxia Grotto-Heaven to cultivate together. Only Big White and Little Black were in the garden.
Big White was lying on the ground, belly up, wings spread wide, lazily basking in the sun. When he saw Liu Xiaolou, he let out two croaks of “ga-ga” before closing his eyes halfway again in comfort.
Little Black was pacing back and forth on his belly. Spotting Liu Xiaolou, the little cat meowed and looked like it was about to leap down, but Big White hooked it back with a goose foot and gave its head a scratch. Little Black ducked, ignored Liu Xiaolou, and went right on kneading Big White’s belly.
After watching for a short while, Liu Xiaolou suddenly barked out, “Get to work!”
The goose jolted in fright, sprang to its feet, and ran a lap around the garden before finally starting to clean the courtyard. Little Black carried a wooden bucket full of water in its mouth, following right behind. Wherever the goose swept, the cat trailed after with the bucket.
Only then was Liu Xiaolou satisfied. He returned to Yiling Hall, sat quietly for a bit, pulled out a spirit stone, and continued cultivating.
He thought to himself, I may not be able to enter the Grotto-Heaven, but I can earn spirit stones. Earn them myself, spend them myself, rely on no one. Nothing wrong with that!
That night, he went to Yunhai Pavilion to let Ninth Lady know he was back. But she refused to see him. Instead, Xiaoqin cracked the door open a sliver, passed along a few simple words, and then shut him out with just three syllables: “I know.”
And so it went for three days straight. Liu Xiaolou focused on breaking through the acupoints along his meridians. Then, on the morning of the fourth day, someone knocked at the gates of the SunRain Hibiscus Garden.
When he opened the door, he saw a young man a few years his junior. His face still carried a hint of youthful inexperience. Dressed in white, with a long sword strapped to his back, he stood there staring steadily at Liu Xiaolou.