Art Formula

Art Formula. Morning.

Dazzling dawn leapt from Great Li Mountain, caressing the golden Moon Gazing Lake. The wind swept across the layer upon layer of boundless Reed Marshes, carrying the sounds of children laughing and playing on the Meichi River.

Chen Erniu sat on the ridge between the fields, gazing worriedly at the crops and thinking of his wife, bedridden with illness.

Chen Erniu had been born in Li Chuankou, east of Great Li Mountain. More than twenty years ago, a Great Drought had struck Li Chuankou for no reason at all. Not only did not a single drop of rain fall, white smoke even puffed from the earth with a chugging hiss, frightening the villagers into fleeing in all directions.

He had still been little more than a boy then. In a daze, he fled to Li Jing Village. After he begged bitterly, farmer Li Genshui took him in, and the following year even rented him an acre of land to keep him alive.

When he grew older, he rented another acre of paddy field, built a mud house, married Li Genshui's daughter, and put down roots in the village in fine style.

But his wife had suddenly fallen ill. Fortunately, he had saved a little over the years. He carried her to the village entrance and had Teacher Han examine her—nothing more than a minor illness; a few doses of medicine would do. He settled his wife at Teacher Han's place, yet the stone hanging over his heart refused to fall. One illness could impoverish a family for three generations! "Uncle!" Chen Erniu was lost in thought when a clear, hearty voice startled him awake.

A handsome young man was walking in through the courtyard entrance, a warm smile on his face as he greeted him.

"Ah, Changhu! I can't accept that, I truly can't!"

Chen Erniu repeatedly bent at the waist. He had merely married an illegitimate daughter of the Li Clan, and he was their tenant besides. He truly could not bear being addressed as such by the eldest son.

Li Genshui was shrewd and capable, but he was also terribly fickle. One wife was not enough for him; he had even taken in two women from the road as concubines. His wife bore him two sons, while his concubines bore three sons and four daughters.

Back when Li Genshui had grown so old he was nearly dead, his only legitimate youngest son at his side had suddenly died. Several illegitimate sons, young and strong, eyed the family's dozen-odd acres of land like tigers watching their prey.

Then Li Mutian, who had run away from home, returned with a blade in hand and men at his back. This vicious old soldier cut down the steward who had been eating from the family's bowl while smashing its pots with a single stroke. The wealthy household that had poisoned his younger brother in preparation for swallowing up their lands was slaughtered clean, not even a dog spared.

Li Mutian and his two brothers carried blood-dripping blades and hauled corpses on handcarts. Bloody trails stretched from one end of the village to the other. Every household shut its doors, and everyone feared for themselves. Li Mutian's younger brothers were scared out of their wits, thinking the rightful master had returned and that they would surely receive no share of the land.

Yet Li Mutian summoned his brothers and said that legitimate and illegitimate sons were branches from the same root. He gave each of them two acres from the wealthy household's land, and gave each of the brothers he had brought back four acres as well. His brothers were so grateful that they repeatedly called him eldest brother of the main house, and thus their positions were settled.

Looking at Li Changhu's gentle smile, Chen Erniu somehow saw it overlap with Li Mutian's indifferent, blood-spattered face. Under the blazing sun, he shuddered and asked respectfully:

"Changhu, why have you come?"

"Uncle is too polite." Li Changhu smiled and said softly, "I heard Aunt was ill. My father thought Uncle would not have the hands free to cook, so he specially sent me to invite you and Xiao Ze over to taste my mother's cooking."

"This... I'm terribly embarrassed." Chen Erniu forced a smile, caught between advancing and retreating.

"Then it's settled! Mother has already prepared the food." Li Changhu patted Chen Erniu on the shoulder and took his leave.

"All right." Chen Erniu smiled and shook his head, then called into the house:

"Xiao Ze, get ready. We're going to your uncle's house for dinner tonight."

The Li Clan had renovated their residence two years earlier, expanding it several times over. The entire compound faced south with its back to the north, laid out in a rectangle. The front courtyard was paved with stone bricks and set with stone locks, making it look like a place for martial training. Seeing how heavy those stone locks were, Chen Erniu could not help clicking his tongue in admiration.

"Could the Li Clan have some martial arts method as well? What fine stone locks."

Stepping across the stone bricks into the main courtyard, he saw a pond built at its center, with several black carp swimming inside. Li Changhu's and Li Tongya's side rooms stood to either side of the Great Hall enclosed in bluestone. The rooms, covered corridors, main gate, and inner gate were all paved at their bases with flagstones or stone steps. The place looked immensely imposing.

Li Tongya welcomed him into the main courtyard as well. He was already eighteen, yet still unmarried. Li Changhu, on the other hand, had married the Ren Family's second daughter and brought her home in grand fashion some time ago.

After Chen Erniu had dinner with the Li Clan, they sat in the courtyard chatting idly. Then Li Chijing hurried into the front courtyard and leaned close to whisper a few words into Li Mutian's ear.

Li Chijing was only nine years old, yet he was handsome and looked quick-witted and clever, making him especially beloved by his uncles, nephews, and brothers.

Li Mutian had been leisurely watching the younger generation chat when Li Chijing whispered in his ear, "Father, that... Mirror Fragment has lit up!"

Without betraying a trace of emotion, he patted his legs and said to everyone:

"I'm old now, and I can no longer sit still. I'll go rest awhile. You all continue chatting." With that, he turned and headed for the Backyard. Everyone hurriedly voiced their assent, while Chen Erniu bowed and prepared to take his leave.

Several side rooms stood behind the hall. Li Mutian entered the Ancestral Hall at the center, the largest of them all. Inside stood ancestral tablets, with fruits laid out before them, offerings to the six generations of ancestors whose names had been found after scouring the village records.

Li Mutian pushed against the wall, revealing a hidden compartment behind it.

The compartment had a skylight, and moonlight spilled onto a Stone Platform built from bluestone within.

A Blue-gray Bronze Mirror lay atop the Stone Platform, truly shining with a watery white light.

"Three years... Jing Er, go call your brothers."

Li Mutian stared at the Blue-gray Bronze Mirror and said with a frown.

"Yes." Li Chijing nodded vigorously and went out to find his brothers.

When Lu Jiangxian woke, his mind was crammed full of information. He took one incense stick's time to recover before calmly reading the information on the jade.

"Great Yin Breathing Nurturing Wheel Scripture"! This art formula chiefly taught how to use the body's "apertures" to control the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, draw down Grand Yin Moonlight, and ultimately cultivate the six wheels of fetal breathing. One could then use these Six Wheels to extend one's lifespan and nurture one's nature, casting all manner of spells. Once the Six Wheels had been nurtured until they resembled a full moon, one could enter the Qi Refining stage.

Several minor arts were appended afterward, such as the Golden Light Art, Clean Clothes Art, Water Avoidance Method, Evil Expulsion Art, Heart Connection Art, and so on. So long as one cultivated the Six Wheels, one could activate spiritual energy according to the art formula.

At the same time, the art formula stated that the Six Realms of Cultivation were Fetal Breathing, Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Purple Mansion, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul. What this jade recorded was precisely the Fetal Breathing Nurturing Wheel method of the Moonlight Origin Mansion in the Yue Kingdom Immortal Mansion, issued for the Moonlight Origin Mansion's Fetal Breathing disciples to study and cultivate.

After devouring the jade, Lu Jiangxian felt that he had gained insight into many things without realizing it. Not only had the range of his divine sense expanded to twenty zhang, but the limit of his moonlight power had increased several dozenfold. So long as he had enough moonlight power, he could also cast the several minor arts recorded in the "Great Yin Breathing Nurturing Wheel Scripture" within one zhang of the Mirror Body.

Most importantly, a spell surfaced from the mirror's own memories. It was called:

"Mystic Pearl Offering Spirit Art"!