Chapter 112: The Mystery of the Formation

I tried to explain to Zhu Zhu as simply as possible, even if I deliberately hid some sensitive things, but the main point was clear, that is, to tell Zhu Zhu directly that we might destroy the city, or rather, destroy this dream.

In this dream, we are extremely passive. From the moment we entered the city, we entered the so-called lord’s “eternal dream.” Just as when the patterns first appeared, all the ghosts temporarily stopped moving because they were in the lord’s “dream,” so they could be temporarily restrained. We were not greatly affected because we had just entered the city, which meant we were not deeply involved in the dream, and because Master Hongren deliberately protected us.

“Well, Zhu Zhuo, I’ve told you everything I can. You choose for yourself. If you’re willing to lead us, then if we fail, you may be completely cut off from us and face the same fate as us. If you’re not willing to lead us, we’ll send you back now, so that your so-called guilt will be lighter. When we fail for sure, I’ll find a way to keep you here. I’ll ask Master Hong Ren to protect you.” I said seriously.

Yes, now we are all in the dream of the city lord. Even if we don’t know everything here, we at least know the general situation. After all, this is his dream, or more precisely, his ability to enter dreams has created a huge illusion.

Zhu Zhu heard me finish and began to think deeply. After a long time, he looked up at me and said, “You just called my name—Zhu Zhu! I have been in this lake of ghosts for many years, and I almost forgot what it felt like to have someone call my name. It feels so good, better than being numb and hopelessly stuck here. In fact…” Zhu Zhu’s voice gradually became a little bit smaller.

“Huh?”

“I’m not afraid of being scattered to the four winds. For me, that’s just a kind of relief. I don’t mind if you fail and scatter to the four winds with you. What I’m afraid of is endless torture that’s worse than my current situation. I’m afraid that in the future, I’ll have forgotten who I am and still be in pain every day. Well, at least some ripples have been created in my life of constant despair. I’ll lead the way for you.” Zhu Zhu looked up and said to me very seriously.

“Actually, we are likely to fail. I’m not very confident,” I said the truth. The opportunity has appeared, but I have no idea how confident I am that I can complete it.

“It doesn’t matter. Whether it’s a person or a ghost, if you are always happy and at ease, it’s a great thing to live. But in some circumstances, endless existence is painful, not to mention the fact that you can’t even die. How could the lord of this place let you die? I’ve already made up my mind.” Zhu Zhuo said this and became carefree.

He paused for a moment, then added, “I’m not very capable, and I can’t help much, but in this city, where there are still many sane people (ghosts), I wander around in this city every day. At least I’m familiar with everything here.”

“I will do my best to keep you safe,” I said seriously.

But Zhu Zhuo’s remark that there were still many sober people made me feel quite emotional. The owner of this new city needs a lot of cannon fodder, and the evil spirits here make it even more polluted, right? The souls that have lost their minds here are also deliberately cultivated by it, right?

There are many mysteries, but I will always solve them.

The array only appeared for a short time, but since I was in the square, I saw it clearly. Even if I didn’t see it clearly, it didn’t matter, because this array has been teaching me since my master started teaching me magic.

Not only did he teach me, but this formation was also one of the things that I had to be tested on every time I was tested.

Because this formation is extremely complicated, at first I learned it part by part, and later, I became familiar with the entire formation. As the years passed and my foundation deepened, in order to cope with my master’s examination, I became extremely familiar with this formation, as if it were engraved into my soul.

So, at first glance, I recognized it, but I didn’t expect it to really exist, and one day it would exist before my eyes.

My thoughts were a little chaotic, and I was back in that year when I was still young, in the courtyard of a Beijing compound.

“Master, what about you? You’re either always absent, or you’re busy testing me when you do show up. Tell me the truth, don’t you want to find a reason to beat me up?” The courtyard in the afternoon, lazy sunlight, familiar deck chairs, a pot of tea, the master in his own world, and me, full of resentment.

“You’re my disciple, how do you know me so well? Even if you see through my plan to beat you up, you still have to deal with it. Can you get away with it?” The master opened his eyes and gave me a gentle kick on the butt.

The butt didn’t hurt much, but I still exaggeratedly took a few steps back and muttered, “There can’t be a time for the warmth of a master and apprentice. If there isn’t, that’s fine, but why do you keep testing me on useless things?”

“What do you mean?” The master picked up the teapot, took a sip of tea, and sighed contentedly.

“Take this formation, for example. It is a combination of several formations, with ordinary functions such as breaking illusions, gathering positive energy, and expelling evil spirits. However, the momentum is too great. I can’t even imagine what will happen once the formation starts to operate! Even I, a Taoist priest, find it inconceivable. It is simply impossible to complete a formation that infinitely amplifies ordinary functions. The core of this formation has the function of a guide, no, it is a super invincible guide that blows the sky open, directly opening a path of yin and yang. As long as the formation exists, the guide will always be there. Is this possible? You want me to be familiar with it every day and every night, and you think that I will be able to successfully set up the formation one day? Even if I succeed in setting up the formation, there are still 18 points in the formation, not to mention the four core points. I have to find something with great magical power and positive energy to suppress the formation. This formation is just an imagination, right?” I said all that in one breath, with a strong argument.

My master’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes, which were closed, opened half way and looked at me and said softly, “Super invincible version?”

I nodded solemnly, and my master finally understood me.

But at this moment, the master suddenly jumped up from his chair, grabbed his shoes on the ground and whipped them at me: “I’ll beat you into a super-invincible swollen pig-headed version of the sky, you son of a bitch! You dare to say that the formation diagram completed by your master’s lifetime efforts is super-invincible and blows the sky! You stand there, don’t run! You don’t know how to respect your teacher, do you want to make me die of anger?”

That day in the courtyard, it was a madhouse. I ran, and my master chased me and beat me. The two of them made a mess of the flowers and plants in the courtyard, and knocked over a corner of the grape trellis.

In the end, I had two black eyes, but I still accepted the test and once again familiarized myself with the formation that was almost already in my soul.

The past is like smoke. At that time, I was in a mess, but the fighting and fighting were also happy memories today. My eyes were a bit dry, but my mouth was smiling. My master’s words were still ringing in my ears: “This formation, your master told you, is one of the most important legacies of the mountain. He doesn’t ask his disciples to be able to complete it, but he wants them to be familiar with it and remember it, so that it can be passed down. Maybe one day it will be used. This is a legacy, a legacy of our old Li line. You can’t be sloppy about passing it on, do you understand?”

“San Ge, what are you daydreaming about?” Ru Yue didn’t know when she had walked up to me and asked me softly.

I turned around and smiled at her, saying, “No, I’m looking for the center of the formation. I’ll find it soon.” As I spoke, I tore off the agarwood beads in my hand. I didn’t know what to use to suppress the formation, but Master Hongren looked at the agarwood beads and must have thought that it was it.

I had worn this agarwood bead for so many years, but apart from its ability to clear the mind and dispel delusions, I had never noticed that it had such a magical spirit within it. I remembered that Yucui had been driven away by it several times, and even once had been injured because of it. I suddenly felt that my master had left in too much of a hurry, and that there were too many things that I did not understand.

“Keep the change. The center of the formation is five steps ahead.” Cheng Zhen suddenly came up to me, leaning on Cheng Qing and said to me with his hands on his chest.

“Huh? You know too?” I looked at Chengzhen curiously.

“Don’t forget, the inheritance of the formation has always been passed down by the Shan and Xiang lines, with different focuses. But this special inheritance of the Old Li line, how could the Xiang line dare to neglect it? When I was a child, because of it, my master was so ruthless as to beat me. How could I forget?” Chengzhen’s face also showed a hint of melancholy and longing.

Huh, the old Li lineage… it turns out that all masters are more or less the same.