Hearing this, Qing Chen cupped his hands. "To be frank, this brother's cultivation is still shallow, far below that of the more accomplished members among us.
"But that is precisely why he needs opportunities like this to gain experience. Our teammates have always advanced and retreated together, so naturally we must watch out for one another.
"If our other, more highly cultivated teammates were not occupied with important matters, they would certainly come along as well, adding a little more assurance to your expedition."
At these words, a trace of relief flickered in Cao Banxian's eyes. Stroking his beard, he smiled. "Your loyalty and devotion to your companions are admirable, Fellow Daoist Li.
"In that case, please bring this fellow Daoist along. Cultivation certainly matters, but working together with one heart matters even more."
As he spoke, he took out a jade slip and a small black flag about a foot long and handed them over.
"These are the basic mental instructions for operating the formation and a Sub-Flag. Please spend these next three days studying them carefully and familiarizing yourself with them, Fellow Daoist Li."
Qing Chen accepted them with both hands and swept his spiritual sense through the jade slip. He discovered that it contained neither a complete account of the formation nor any method for laying out its diagram, only a few simple incantations for activating the little flag.
Though doubts arose in his mind, his expression betrayed nothing.
The little black flag felt icy in his hand. Its shaft was made of some unknown material, neither metal nor wood, with a weighty heft.
The flag's fabric was stranger still. It was no ordinary cloth, feeling fine and smooth to the touch yet carrying a sinister chill;
faint dark patterns seemed to flow across it, but on