Flying Crane Letter

To test whether the formation had succeeded, he first needed to collect someone else's aura.

His own aura would work as well, but if he collected his own aura, then once the formation was activated, it would point to himself standing right nearby, making it impossible to fully demonstrate its long-distance function.

Left with no choice, Zhou Qing stepped out of his home, intending to use Wang Xiaohu as his test subject.

Wang Xiaohu's home was in Shanyang, and Zhou Qing needed to cross the entire mountain.

After walking uphill for a while, Zhou Qing suddenly caught sight of a vivid flash of red in a patch of woods.

Before long, the red figure emerged from behind the cover of branches and leaves.

It was Yuan Hongying.

"Senior Apprentice, why are you here?"

Yuan Hongying asked in delighted surprise.

Zhou Qing smiled. "I'm going to find Wang Xiaohu. Where are you headed?"

Yuan Hongying said, "I just came from Senior Sister Lin Hongyu's house. Last time, I gave her that task, and to show her gratitude, Senior Sister invited me over for a small gathering. We chatted for a while, and as soon as I came out, I ran into you, Senior Apprentice."

Zhou Qing had a favorable impression of gentle-natured Lin Hongyu. Hearing this, he asked, "Last time, I heard she was preparing to break through to Qi Refining, Third Layer. Did she succeed?"

Yuan Hongying shook her head.

Zhou Qing said in surprise, "Was it really that difficult?"

It had already been some ten days since their last meeting. Supposedly, Lin Hongyu had been preparing for quite some time even before that, yet she still had not succeeded.

Yuan Hongying sighed. "Isn't that so?"

"Senior Sister told me that cultivation has gradual progress and sudden progress. Gradual progress is the daily circulation of qi we do. It is work that wears away at stone with water; as long as one remains patient, one will improve each day. But after reaching a certain point, breaking through requires a sudden advance, directly leaping into another realm. That is sudden progress."

"Every breakthrough in a minor realm is sudden progress. It cannot be achieved merely by spending time. She has prepared for so long, yet she still lacks confidence."

"To be honest, Senior Apprentice, hearing her describe cultivation as so difficult has left even this junior sister somewhat fearful."

Zhou Qing smiled. "Whether sudden or gradual, we need only work at our own cultivation. Once one's efforts have accumulated deeply enough, even a great mountain can be pushed aside, let alone a mere minor realm. The reason Miss Lin has been unable to break through for so long may well be her fearful mindset. Junior Sister, you should take this as a warning."

Yuan Hongying solemnly accepted his instruction, then smiled. "No matter how difficult something is, once Senior Apprentice speaks of it, it immediately seems insignificant. Senior Apprentice truly is the ballast stone for all us younger brothers and sisters. With you here, we feel much more at ease."

"Does Senior Apprentice have urgent business with Wang Xiaohu?"

"Nothing urgent."

Zhou Qing's heart stirred. Why bother climbing over the mountain? Isn't there a suitable candidate right in front of me? He said, "Junior Sister, give me a few strands of your hair."

Yuan Hongying was startled at first, but then she immediately plucked out several strands of hair and handed them to Zhou Qing without hesitation.

Zhou Qing smiled. "You are not going to ask me why?"

Yuan Hongying replied breezily, "What is there to ask? Could Senior Apprentice possibly use sorcery to harm me?"

Zhou Qing said, "The matter has not been completed yet. I will explain it to you afterward."

With that, he bid Yuan Hongying farewell and returned home.

His formation was only an extremely crude version. It could not be like the Imprint Hall, where merely standing there would immediately preserve a person's aura. He had no choice but to use some personal belonging of the person in question.

Zhou Qing pasted the strands of hair onto cowhide paper, then folded the paper into a paper crane.

He then fed a thread of spiritual qi into the formation.

Activated by the spiritual qi, the formation immediately took effect.

Zhou Qing sensed rings upon rings of spiritual qi ripples surging from the formation, spreading outward like ripples on water.

Yuan Hongying's aura was carried within the spiritual qi waves. When the waves encountered Yuan Hongying herself, they would rebound and transmit her location back.

Zhou Qing waited only three or four breaths before sensing a series of rebounding spiritual qi fluctuations.

Having received the location information, the paper crane activated the formation that could gather fire spiritual qi, stirring up rising currents of air and lifting the crane into the sky.

The paper crane wobbled unsteadily as it flew toward the location it had received.

After Yuan Hongying returned home, she had originally planned to begin the day's cultivation. Yet for no reason, she thought of Zhou Qing asking her for hair earlier, and her heart fell into turmoil. She no longer had the state of mind to cultivate.

She let out a long sigh, sat by the doorway, and leaned against the porch as she watched the drifting clouds in the sky.

Before long, a wobbling paper crane flying toward her drew her attention.

As the paper crane flew over the wall, it was blocked by the branches of a wintersweet tree in her courtyard. It changed direction several times before finally clearing the branches and flying toward her, ultimately stopping before her.

Yuan Hongying caught the paper crane in her hand and examined it in astonishment.

She saw many runes traced over the crane in red cinnabar, and immediately understood that these runes must have driven the paper crane to find her.

Who was playing a prank and sending a paper crane to my home?

After examining it for a while, Yuan Hongying finally discovered the mystery.

Inside the paper crane, she found several strands of hair. Without needing to examine them closely, she immediately recognized them as the strands she had given Zhou Qing earlier.

Delight appeared on Yuan Hongying's face as she murmured, "So this was what you needed them for."

Without another thought, she took the paper crane and headed out the door, walking toward Zhou Qing's home.

Having just reached a spot not far from the bamboo grove, she saw a graceful figure ahead on the mountain path, swaying as she walked toward the bamboo grove.

Once she drew closer, she recognized the person as Nie Yunxi.

"Senior Sister Nie."

Yuan Hongying hurried forward a few steps and called out to her.

Nie Yunxi turned around. Seeing Yuan Hongying, she asked with some surprise, "Where is Junior Sister going?"

Yuan Hongying smiled. "I'm going to settle accounts with Senior Apprentice."

Nie Yunxi said in surprise, "Could it be that Senior Apprentice offended you?"

Yuan Hongying then recounted how she had encountered Zhou Qing earlier, how he had asked her for hair, and how the paper crane had later flown to her home.

She smiled. "Just a few days ago, I saw him obtain a book on formations from Uncle Chen. It seems he has already gained something from studying it. I was just about to go see it for myself."

"This thing is quite fun. I want to see whether I can ask him to make a few for me too."

Nie Yunxi seemed somewhat distracted as she said, "Senior Apprentice is studying formations? How did I not know?"

Yuan Hongying smiled. "Senior Apprentice has never been one to make a fuss. Besides, things that others find impossibly difficult come easily to him. Perhaps, in his eyes, this is not something worth mentioning to others."

Even so, you knew...

Nie Yunxi fell silent for a while before saying, "In that case, I will not disturb Junior Sister."

With that, she turned and walked away into the distance.

Yuan Hongying was startled and asked, "Was Senior Sister not going to see Senior Apprentice?"

Nie Yunxi smiled and shook her head. "I merely happened to be passing by."

After saying that, she quickly disappeared into the depths of the forest.

Yuan Hongying did not think much of it and continued toward Zhou Qing's home.

Before long, she arrived outside Zhou Qing's door.

The door was already open. Zhou Qing was pacing about in front of it, and the moment he saw her, his brows danced with joy. "Since you're here, that means my little messenger reached you."