The array master surnamed Zhou crouched before the cloth spread out in the middle of the streambed, using a charcoal pencil to connect the final few lines. Then he rose and surveyed the valley.
"Judging from the connections between the nodes of these small arrays, the direction of the spirit qi pulses generally extends northeast."
He raised a hand and pointed at a narrow gap deep within the valley, between the mountain walls.
"The core of the great array—or rather, the true main array eye—should be farther inside. I intend to continue in this direction, at least to confirm the main array eye's approximate location."
Wang Yuan fell silent for several breaths upon hearing this.
"Senior Zhou, going any farther will mean entering deep into the mountains. We'll be beyond the area we previously scouted."
The array master surnamed Zhou turned and glanced at Wang Yuan.
"I understand your concerns. But merely looking at the outer small-array nodes will only reveal the rough structure. To truly determine what this array is for, we need to find the main array eye."
Wang Yuan shook his head.
"We don't have enough people today. If we run into trouble after going in, it'll be difficult to retreat."
"After we return, I'll report to the family. Next time, we'll arrange more people before entering."
The array master surnamed Zhou rolled up the cloth and tucked it into his sleeve, his tone carrying no displeasure.
"Fine. You're in charge."
"But since we're already here, I'd like to make another round through the outskirts. I reckon there are still array traces you haven't found."
He swept his gaze over everyone present.
"You guides, split into teams and investigate the outer perimeter along the routes I marked. See if there are any missed carvings or nodes."
Taking