At the foot of Fangle Peak, Liu Xiaolou handed over a slip of paper. Steward Zhao studied the list of seven materials for a moment, then his face showed a hint of trouble. “This Darkfeather Stone… it won’t be easy to find.”
Liu Xiaolou gave no explanation. He couldn’t have answered even if he tried. This was the third list of spirit materials Tang Song had written out. Whether the Zhao family could gather them or not had nothing to do with him. If they truly couldn’t, they would have to explain it to Tang Song himself.
Steward Zhao knew there was no point pressing him, so he just sighed. “Please tell Master Tang we’ll do our best.”
Liu Xiaolou turned to leave. After walking a short distance, he looked back at the Three Fangle Peaks, wrapped in jade-like ridges and draped with falling waterfalls. A wave of longing rose in his heart: if only he could stand atop the summit and see the view.
Back at the mid-mountain terrace, he said to Tang Song, “The Zhao family promised to do their best to gather these materials.”
Tang Song lifted his gaze from a copy of The Five Talismans, frowning. “Do their best?”
“It seems the Darkfeather Stone is particularly hard to come by,” replied Liu Xiaolou.
Closing The Five Talismans, Tang Song rose to his feet. “This isn’t about trying or not trying. I’ll go see Elder Zhao myself. There may be formation masters coming up the mountain today. If so, test them as you see fit.”
Liu Xiaolou froze. “With my shallow skills, how could I possibly test anyone?”
“If they’re Foundation Establishment stage or above, don’t bother. For anyone below Foundation, just set whatever questions you like.”
Liu Xiaolou groaned inwardly. What questions could he possibly come up with? Just then his eye fell on the copy of The Five Talismans that Tang Song had left behind. He glanced toward the slope where Tang Song’s figure was already vanishing, and at once it felt like stumbling upon a treasure. He hurriedly opened the book and began flipping through it.
If all else failed, he could always pull his questions from here.
He’d heard Green Bamboo mention this formation text a few times. When she lectured on Essentials of the Golden Scroll Formations, she occasionally used passages from The Five Talismans to explain a point. He knew the book was vast and profound, but when he had once asked to study it, Green Bamboo told him it was almost impossible to find in the present age. Even she didn’t have a copy. So the idea had been “left to wither” until now.
But with the chance sitting right in front of him, there was no hesitation. He grabbed The Five Talismans and set about cramming.
The work ran to a little over eighteen hundred characters, fifteen or sixteen pages in all, every line written in tiny regular script. Between the lines were notes in a different hand. Judging from the style, they were Tang Song’s own reflections. The dense blocks of writing were obscure and heavy, like words of tigers and wolves. Liu Xiaolou’s scalp tingled as he read.
It took him an entire day just to struggle through it. Luckily, he had twice refined formation disks before, and after three months of sleepless training with Green Bamboo, he had built up a fair foundation. With Tang Song’s annotations to guide him, he could at least make out a rough idea, though much remained half-understood.
One blessing of cultivation was a sharp mind and strong memory. Since he couldn’t fully comprehend it, he switched to rote memorization. After two more hours, he had managed to commit most of it to memory.
With his half-baked skills that hardly even counted as “half-baked,” how could he possibly test anyone else? All he could do was hope that Tang Song would return quickly after meeting Elder Zhao, before he made a fool of himself.
But the way of the world is that the very thing you fear is the first to arrive. By evening, Tang Song still hadn’t come back, and instead a steward from the Zhao family led up a formation master who had come to apply.
The man looked to be in his thirties, and as it turned out, he was even from the same Liu clan. His name was Liu Daoran. He introduced himself as a cultivator from Bazhong, a fellow townsman of Tang Song’s. He hadn’t been recommended by any great family, but came from humble roots. Having heard that Tang Song was overseeing the refining of a grand formation, he had traveled thousands of li to take part. On inquiry, his cultivation was at the eighth layer of Qi Refinement, and he claimed to have studied formation arts for thirteen years.
Trying to buy time, Liu Xiaolou said politely, “You’ve just come up the mountain. You must be hungry. Why not have a meal and rest a little before we decide whether...”
Liu Daoran shook his head. “Your kindness is appreciated, but it’s unnecessary. I’ve devoted many years to the Dao of formations. I won’t claim mastery, but most things don’t trouble me. You may test me as you like. This position, and the spirit stones that come with it, will be mine!”
His confidence left Liu Xiaolou momentarily stunned. Outwardly he kept a calm smile, but inside he was rattled. Clearing his throat, he racked his brain and in the end simply picked something from the final pages of The Five Talismans.
His question was: “The Heaven of Vermilion Elixir’s Three Breaths, what is its form?”
Liu Daoran blinked. “The Heaven of Vermilion Elixir’s Three Breaths?”
Liu Xiaolou nodded. “Yes. Please explain it.”
Liu Daoran froze for a long moment. His face slowly flushed red. Then he asked in return, “And do you know the answer yourself?”
Liu Xiaolou recited from Tang Song’s notes: “Its qi rises like crimson clouds wrapping the noonday sun; its light gleams like dark jade reflecting in a deep spring; below lies the red pool of the Scarlet Well; above towers the Vermilion Palace of Immortality. Within its chambers resides the Jade Maiden of the Great Elixir, dwelling atop the Three Mountains of the Sun.”
He understood the surface meaning of the words, but had no idea how such a thing could be achieved in a formation, nor what its effect might be. He didn’t even know what exactly the “Jade Maiden of the Great Elixir” was supposed to mean. After reciting, he actually felt a faint hope that Liu Daoran might pick up the thread and explain it for him.
Unfortunately, Liu Daoran offered no explanation. He only frowned in deep thought. After a long silence, he suddenly clasped his hands. “I must take my leave.”
Liu Xiaolou was taken aback. “Daoist Liu…”
With a look of shame, Liu Daoran said, “I have not met true masters before, and so my eyes were higher than the heavens. Like a frog in a well, I spoke too boldly and made a fool of myself. Once I return down the mountain, I will devote myself to harder study. Only when I have made real progress will I return to seek guidance again.”
Liu Xiaolou, who had been uneasy from the start, felt no more certain now that he had stumped the man. He thought to himself uneasily, Did I just make up a question that didn’t even make sense?
“Daoist friend, wait! I have one more question. Answer it, and then we’ll decide… Within the Heavenly Plate, if a formation is resolved through the human body, how should it be interpreted?”
This was taken from Essentials of the Golden Scroll Formations. If Liu Daoran failed to answer again, then at least it wouldn’t be because Liu Xiaolou had made something up.
This time Liu Daoran did answer. “The head is round and symbolizes heaven, the feet are square and represent earth. Hair forms the stars, eyes the sun and moon, brows the Northern Dipper, ears the altars of state, nose the hills and mountains, mouth the rivers, teeth the jade and stone. The four limbs are the four seasons. The five organs correspond to the five elements: above them are the five stars, below them the five sacred peaks, rising as the five clouds, transforming into the five dragons. Just like in a formation, the head and tail, the inside and outside, must all be accounted for.”
The reply was close to what Green Bamboo had once taught him. The phrasing differed, and the wording shifted here and there, but the meaning was the same. Green Bamboo had said that once you understand this principle and grasp its variations, you’ll be able to create a formation on your own.
Liu Daoran’s answer showed he already grasped the principle. Whether he understood its variations was something that would only be revealed in the actual refining of formation disks. For now, the real question was whether to let him stay.
Liu Xiaolou clenched his teeth. Let him stay. After all, there were few who dared put themselves forward with only half-understanding, as he himself had just done. If Liu Daoran had the courage to present himself here, he must have some weight to him.
“Well then. To answer that question is no easy thing. You may stay.”
“My thanks… truly.”
Liu Daoran knew all too well how boastful he had sounded before, and how hard he had just been slapped in the face by reality. Still, he had traveled thousands of li for the sake of a single commission. Even if it meant going back on his word, he could only swallow his pride and secure the reward first.
“You may head to Zhizun Ridge for now. The master in charge of that section of the formation hasn’t arrived yet, so it will be a few days’ wait. In the meantime, memorize this list carefully. If possible, you can begin working with the spirit materials on it.”
The arrogance was gone from Liu Daoran. Before Liu Xiaolou he now seemed almost deferential, nodding quickly in agreement. Then he asked, “Might I ask, how do I get to Zhizun Ridge?”
“I’ll take you there,” said Liu Xiaolou.
“I wouldn’t dare trouble you…” Liu Daoran looked flustered, then carefully ventured, “May I ask your honored name?”
Liu Xiaolou smiled. “We’re of the same clan, after all. My surname is Liu as well. Liu Xiaolou. I’m… Master Tang’s assistant… of sorts.”
Liu Daoran immediately straightened, face solemn. “Forgive me! Forgive me!”