Chapter 424: The Zhang Prefectural Affair Concluded
Qianzhou City,
At the border between the Jade Spring District and the Golden Lock District stood a sprawling estate, covering over a dozen acres. High bluestone walls isolated the interior from the outside world, revealing only a few towering pavilions.
The vermilion gates of the estate stood wide open, with people occasionally entering and exiting, but no one lingered to chat. Each person moved with urgent steps, as if pressed by pressing matters.
On either side of the gate stood stone sculptures of unknown divine beasts, and above them hung a plaque inscribed with three powerful, calligraphic characters:
Grand Temple of Eternal Harmony
After returning from his mission, Shan Zhoushan handed the bamboo scroll to Li Wuxing, saying, “In my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with this formation. It’s indeed a formation for harmonizing earth veins and feng shui, beneficial and harmless.”
Li Wuxing took the scroll, examined it briefly, and nodded slightly. He trusted Master Danzhen’s expertise in the Formation Dao. If the master said there were no issues, then there likely weren’t any.
“What about the formation’s effectiveness?”
Shan Zhoushan recalled, “The effects are satisfactory. Most importantly, this formation requires no maintenance once deployed and consumes minimal resources, making it highly convenient for the people’s livelihoods.”
Li Wuxing lowered his head in thought, tapping his fingers lightly on the wooden table as he studied the bamboo scroll. He pondered whether he should forward this document to the prefect for review.
Matters of the people’s livelihood were not his responsibility. If the prefect was willing, perhaps this formation could be deployed in other cities as well. Such endeavors that benefited both the nation and its people were always welcome.
“You said you and that person are from the same sect?” Li Wuxing asked, tilting his head.
“Yes, this child entered the sect under my junior brother Huai Qingzi at a young age. Later, Huai Qingzi fell to the Heretical Path and was executed, so the boy sought another mountain gate.”
Li Wuxing nodded silently, pondering for a moment before asking, “Is there any way to bring him into the Grand Temple of Eternal Harmony?”
Shan Zhoushan frowned slightly. “It won’t be easy. This child’s talent in the Formation Dao is exceptional, and his cultivation level is also remarkably high. I can’t see through him, nor do I know what he seeks.”
Li Wuxing stated calmly, “He has reached the Perfected Soul Refinement stage, equivalent to my own.”
“What?!”
Shan Zhoushan was astonished. He had initially assumed Xu Sanyan possessed a profound technique to conceal his cultivation, explaining why he couldn’t see through him. He never imagined the youth’s cultivation level far surpassed his own!
Yet how could someone so young have reached the same cultivation level as the Junior High Priest?
Shan Zhoushan instinctively glanced at Li Wuxing. Despite his youthful appearance, Li Wuxing was already eight or nine hundred years old. With his current cultivation level, his lifespan would extend to a maximum of fifteen hundred years, meaning he had already lived more than half his life.
But that boy… how old could he possibly be?
“He can’t be even fifty yet, can he?”
Tsk… utterly terrifying!
Shan Zhoushan gripped his teacup, forgetting to drink, still reeling from the news.
“Ah… such a gifted youth. It would be ideal if he could serve the nation. Perhaps I can persuade him when he comes to the Prefectural City.”
“Hmm…”
After a brief chat, the two parted ways. Li Wuxing still had many matters to attend to, while Shan Zhoushan turned back toward his home.
The Shan Clan was a prominent family in Qianzhou City, their influence bolstered by Shan Zhoushan’s backing, deterring most from provoking them.
Despite Shan Zhoushan’s amiable demeanor toward Xu Sanyan, no one in Qianzhou City was unaware of Master Danzhen’s notoriously foul temper. To commission a formation from him, spirit stones were merely a secondary consideration; one also had to endure his exacting demands.
Even so, Shan Zhoushan’s commissions remained constant.
Formation masters were rare to begin with, and great masters were rarer still. Qian Prefecture boasted only two such figures, one of whom was Shan Zhoushan himself.
The formations they commissioned from him were primarily those that enhanced cultivation, such as Spirit Gathering Arrays and Qi Nurturing Arrays, with occasional requests for small defensive formations or those that improved the earth vein’s feng shui.
Shan Zhoushan had just arrived home when a middle-aged man hurried over, bowing respectfully from a distance. “Greetings, Father. Your journey has been long. Was it successful?”
Shan Zhoushan nodded slightly, but inwardly sighed. His son was virtuous in every way: handsome, kind-hearted, upright, respectful to his elders, and compassionate to his juniors. His cultivation talent was also decent.
Yet, alas, he was rather dull-witted, especially when it came to the Formation Dao. He was like a lantern with nine holes open but one stubbornly blocked—utterly clueless.
Despite being personally tutored by Shan Zhoushan, a Grand Formation Master, and receiving daily, meticulous instruction—a privilege countless young talents would kill for—the boy simply couldn’t grasp the fundamentals. To this day, he couldn’t even set up the simplest Earthwind Formation.
Shan Zhoushan couldn’t help but compare his son to Xu Sanyan, which only deepened his frustration. He strode into the courtyard, his steps heavy.
Shan Qiuyu followed respectfully behind. “Father, we received eleven orders during your absence. After careful screening, I selected the three most promising ones for your review.”
Shan Zhoushan took the scrolls and glanced over them. He suddenly stopped, plucked one scroll from the stack, and mused, “We needn’t bother with the Qin Family’s request. Return their scroll.”
Shan Qiuyu looked slightly puzzled. “Father, Old Master Qin is the Associate Prefect. Wouldn’t refusing to attend be a slight to his dignity? I’m afraid it would be inappropriate.”
Shan Zhoushan shook his head. “There’s something you don’t know. The Associate Prefect has four sons and three daughters. Do you know where his second daughter went?”
Shan Qiuyu pondered briefly before replying slowly, “I heard she suffers from a hidden illness that prevents her from bearing children. I believe she took a live-in son-in-law?”
He had only heard this mentioned in passing and didn’t know the specifics.
Shan Zhoushan nodded. “Correct. That man is the County Magistrate of Zhangzhi City. That’s where I’m going this time.”
“But what does this have to do with helping the Qin Family set up their formation?”
“The Magistrate of Zhangzhi is named Yu Huisheng. He has some connection to me—his master, Huai Qingzi, was my fellow disciple. Before his death, Huai Qingzi took a disciple named Liang Yongzhuo, who is also your Junior Brother. His cultivation level in the Formation Dao is no less than mine. For the Qin Family’s formation, it would be best to invite him.”
“Firstly, this would help him establish a foothold in the Prefectural City and strengthen our relationship. Secondly, since he has ties to the Associate Prefect, we can use this opportunity to earn some goodwill.”
There was a third reason Shan Zhoushan didn’t mention: this would be the perfect opportunity to summon Liang Yongzhuo to the prefectural city and try to recruit him into the Grand Temple of Eternal Harmony.
Shan Qiuyu nodded. “Then I’ll send someone to invite Junior Brother right away.”
“Hmm… Go yourself. Cultivate a good relationship with him. This young man is no ordinary person; his future achievements are limitless. If you befriend him, he might become a valuable ally.”
“This… Yes, Father.”
Shan Qiuyu was taken aback. This was the first time he had heard his father speak so highly of someone. His curiosity was piqued, and he became eager to see what made this Junior Brother, whom he had never met, so extraordinary.
Zhangzhi City,
Xu Sanyan crushed the Bloodstone in his hand, channeling the chaotic blood energy within his body to slowly nourish his physical form.
This crimson stone was the last of the Bloodstones he had obtained from the Wang Family’s First Madam. With it gone, he was left with only a few hundred soul crystals and a few thousand spirit stones.
“The spirit stones are running out…”
At this point, spirit stones served only one purpose for him: to increase his Vitality on the panel.
His cultivation level had reached its peak, leaving him with nothing to do but await the completion of the Great Formation before breaking through to void harmony in one fell swoop.
“Time to move…”
Just as Xu Sanyan stood up, Yu Huisheng’s voice called from outside, “Junior Brother, someone from the Prefectural City has arrived.”
(End of the Chapter)