Liu Xiaolou was in high spirits, having finally achieved his goal of dual cultivation with Susu.
Sometimes he imagined that if one day Susu were to suffer some misfortune in the Su family, he would break away from them with fearless resolve, rescue her, and through that heroic deed win her unwavering devotion, so she would follow him wherever he went for the rest of his life.
But the truth was that the world rarely offered such chances for heroes to save damsels in distress. More often than not, beauties didn’t need saving at all. In fact, most of them were living just fine.
So for now it was nothing more than daydreams. All Liu Xiaolou could do was make use of the Su family’s one last year of protection, focus on raising his cultivation, and prepare for the uncertain life that awaited him once more. Days spent gnawing on a single spirit stone while worrying about where the next one would come from.
Maybe one day he would be strong enough to truly take care of Susu, but that day could only come through constant effort.
He cultivated tirelessly, refusing to waste even an hour, pushing again and again at the acupoints along his meridians. Yet he was often interrupted by the sons of the so-called “Impotence Circle.” To honor his promise, and because he needed spirit stones he could later convert, he had no choice but to keep opening up the Abyssal Blackstone Formation for them. They would come running, ravenous, and leave with eyes shining.
By year’s end, Liu Xiaolou had broken through both the Xingjian and Taichong acupoints, shattered three barriers on the Foot Faint Yin Meridian, and fully stabilized his cultivation at the fifth layer of Qi Refinement.
The further his cultivation progressed, the more grateful Liu Xiaolou felt toward Green Bamboo. Because of dual cultivation with her, cultivation had become far easier than before. When facing those stubborn, unyielding acupoints, he could now adjust his methods based on the feedback he received, instead of blindly forcing his way through like in the past.
On New Year’s Eve, Shenwu Mountain was more festive and lively than ever. Su Xi’s position had grown steadily more secure, and as the acknowledged heir of the Shenwu Manor, her status was now accepted by all the branches of the Danxia Sect. This meant the Su family would not lose her. They had also reestablished a business agreement with the Yin family, which ensured Shenwu Mountain’s spirit beast breeding would no longer be troubled by the supply of sacred incense.
Having weathered two major crises and smoothed over the rifts among its three internal factions, the Su family’s standing within the Danxia Sect was once again secure. Su Zhi and Su Xun were both in excellent spirits, and the two branches of the Su clan were preparing for a joyous New Year. Lanterns hung everywhere, and the whole household was filled with cheer.
In the SunRain Hibiscus Garden, things were livelier than usual as well. Yun Ao, Xiong Xi, and the other young men of the “Impotence Circle” all showed up, unspoken but unanimous, to pay New Year’s greetings to Liu Xiaolou.
Of course, it was also so they could enjoy themselves later that night.
Liu Xiaolou braced himself, putting his all into running the formation. He split them into four groups according to cultivation level, letting two or three enter at a time.
“Brother Xiong, you and Young Master Tie only have one round left. Want to go ahead and renew for next year?”
“Let’s wait until after I’ve tried it. I didn’t bring any spirit stones with me today.”
“Alright. Young Master Tie, would you like to renew? Since it’s New Year’s Eve, one spirit stone gets you twelve rounds in the formation. If you miss today, the offer’s gone.”
“Twelve rounds? Then I’ll renew with one spirit stone.”
“Many thanks, Young Master Tie. Much obliged… Hm? Brother Xiong, didn’t you say you didn’t bring any spirit stones? What’s this then?”
“Just felt around my robes and, what do you know, I actually had one. Ha! Twelve rounds, right?”
“Twelve rounds.”
“Brother Xiaolou! How many rounds do I have left?”
“Brother Yun, you’ve got three left.”
“Then I’ll renew with one more spirit stone.”
“Got it… Brother Jiayin, how about you? Really don’t have any spirit stones? Come on now, I’ll be frank with you. Spirit stones, you’ve got to keep a few on you. Most of your problems are probably tied to that. Handing them all over to your wives? No wonder you can’t stay hard in front of them!”
“Xiaolou, I’ll renew with one spirit stone. Your illusion formation is excellent. Brother Fang here enjoys winter, that cool chill…”
“Brother Qingcheng, hold that thought. We can chat later, otherwise there goes another whole hour…”
“Daoist Master Leiming, are you renewing as well? For someone like you, I really can’t keep offering the three-month package… Twelve rounds? You’ve had more like twenty already! Master, you’ve got to understand my difficulties here. This isn’t just some ordinary illusion formation. It burns through resources, and I have to replenish it regularly… Heh… Fine, fine, seeing as it’s New Year’s, I’ll let you renew one more three-month pass. But after this, no more monthly deals! I’ll go broke!”
This was the most exhausting day of nonstop demonstrations Liu Xiaolou had ever endured. By the time he finally saw off the last guest, he was so worn out he could hardly lift a finger. Susu had to carry him back to bed on her back.
“Young master, why push yourself so hard?”
“It’s not easy for anyone. It’s the New Year, who doesn’t want to celebrate it properly?”
“They sure got to celebrate, but you didn’t! The Gualu Hall is full of laughter right now. Master just sent word, saying you should come join them for a big feast.”
“What counts as good? Only what feels good to yourself is truly good. That feast, what difference does it make if I eat it or not? And what would going to Gualu Hall change? Forcing a smile for everyone else? That’s what’s truly tiring. Tiring to the heart.”
“It’s a pity Madam and Xiaohuan are still in the back mountain. Madam doesn’t care for noisy crowds either. Otherwise, the few of us could shut the gates of Hibiscus Garden and have our own New Year. That would be wonderful, peaceful and happy…”
“Oh right, Susu, don’t forget to feed Big White and Little Black. They should have a good New Year too.”
“Young master, I saw Big White take Little Black into the back mountain.”
“Huh? When did that happen?”
“While you were running the formation for those guests.”
“…Alright then. Big White really never needs me worrying about him…”
“Young master, someone’s knocking at the door.”
“That’s not knocking, that’s kicking…”
“Ah, it’s Ninth Lady. This servant greets Ninth Lady.”
Su Wan stood at the bedside, frowning at Liu Xiaolou as she held Big White by the neck. In her grip the goose was completely powerless, weakly crying, “Gaa…”
Liu Xiaolou forced himself upright and leaned against the bedding. “What’s going on?” he asked.
Su Wan tossed Big White onto the ground with a snort. “That goose of yours was in the back mountain stealing spirit toads. Ate quite a few of them! If I hadn’t caught it in time, the toads in Moonlit Pool would have been completely wiped out!”
Big White flapped its wings a few times, stumbled clumsily across the floor, then finally recovered and bolted outside. It dove into the Dripping Water Pond, tucked its head under its wing, and didn’t dare glance back this way.
Liu Xiaolou gave an awkward laugh. “Yes, yes, my fault. I didn’t discipline it properly… I’ll give it a beating later to vent your anger, Ninth Lady.”
Su Wan said, “It’s not about venting my anger. You’d better keep that goose under control. This time it was me who caught it. Next time, if it’s someone else, it might just end up slaughtered.”
Liu Xiaolou nodded quickly. “Yes, yes, I’ll keep a close watch on it. Thank you, Ninth Lady.”
Su Wan glanced at Susu. Susu took the hint and quietly withdrew, leaving only the two of them in Yiling Hall.
Ever since the unpleasantness at Yunhai Pavilion, they hadn’t seen each other for more than half a year. Now that they were face to face again, silence lingered between them.
After a long while, Su Wan finally spoke. “I heard that when you returned to Wulong Mountain, Green Bamboo went to see you?”
Liu Xiaolou’s heart gave a jolt. “Ah, she wanted to take a look at my illusion formation. Said it might give her some insight that could help her in breaking through to Foundation Establishment.”
“And?” asked Su Wan.
“It was fine,” Liu Xiaolou said. “She watched a few times, said she’d gained some understanding, and went back to Yuezhou a while ago.”
“She’s not a good person. You’d do well to be on your guard.”
Liu Xiaolou rubbed his nose. “Uh… it’s fine…”
After another pause, Su Wan said, “The Zhao clan of Jinting Sect is planning to forge a great protective formation for their mountain. They’ve invited formation masters from various families to Fangle Peak. I recommended you. If you’re interested, you should go in a couple of days.”