An Uninvited Guest Visits the Valley

Areas near rivers and seas are naturally rich in moisture.

In addition, the deep Old Lin and forests are lush with vegetation. When the sun shines, clouds and mist swirl around, and a light drizzle often falls.

A light rain had just fallen in the Green Pine Valley.

Thatched cottages and bamboo huts, paths outside the doors, grass and vines—everywhere the scenery seems exceptionally vibrant, as if washed by water.

The air was fresh, and the afternoon sun peeked out from behind the clouds again, but the bright white sun was high and small, and not too hot to behold.

With gentle mountain breezes, the sky was bright and cool, and the air was clear and fresh.

"The rise and fall of water vapor, and the changes in weather, are important aspects of celestial and climatic variations. When the celestial phenomena change, the earth's atmosphere changes accordingly..."

Lu Yuande, leaning on a cane, stood in the southeast corner of the valley, facing a large expanse of vegetation, stroking his long beard, and was speaking with great relish.

He glanced every now and then at his hand stroking his beard; his fingers were distinct, strong, and his smile deepened.

Although his left hand had recovered some time ago, whenever he saw it with his own eyes and examined it closely, he still felt an indescribable joy, as if he were reborn.

"This light rain came at just the right time, expelling the old and taking in the new, washing away the dust. Without rain, the earth's energy would be too dry; with heavy rain, the earth's energy would be too dense. Now, the earth's energy is slightly rising but not yet released, which is the perfect time for renewal..."

"Master, I'm a farmer, I don't understand what you're saying."

Behind Lu Yuande stood a large group of people, mostly the parents of the disciples in the valley.

The person who spoke just now was an older woman with dark brown skin. She had already rolled up her sleeves and trouser legs, looking ready to get to work.

Although these people are old, they have been farming and working all year round. In the valley, they live a more comfortable life, rest and recuperate, and still have a lot of strength.

Another old man with white hair and a thin face laughed and said, "I love listening to the Daoist priest talk. He uses all sorts of fancy words, high and low, like he's singing."

"But Master, could you first show us exactly how to start and where to begin? Then you can continue explaining while we're working."

Lu Yuande laughed and simply pointed out the exact location, instructing them to clear away the vegetation there.

The dimensions of the dig—how many feet square, how many inches deep—were clearly specified, so that the large bamboo transplanted from elsewhere could be planted.

Not long ago, the manor's retainers and disciples in the valley all left as summoned.

As for the entire Denglai Mountain Market, since the army bypassed it, it remained bustling and prosperous, and was not significantly affected by the distant news of the war.

Ordinary people in the city are actually more cheerful than before.

After Chu Tianshu took over, he changed the rules for the industries under the jurisdiction of various forces such as Xiao and Hou. After raising wages, he also conducted unseen inspections to prevent those in charge from embezzling.

While not all the officials at various levels were replaced, quite a few were replaced. Those who were able to stay in their positions, regardless of whether they wanted to profit in the future, were more sensible at this time and did not want to cause trouble or become the first to stick their necks out.

When the craftsmen had spare money, they dared to hire someone for half a day or a full day to go home and visit their parents, bringing back some wages. The elderly parents would naturally consider using the wages to buy something more practical, such as a household item or two.

Some of the workers, being rather rough around the edges, simply spent their money at the market.

In any case, the businesses of shops in the city and peddlers in the countryside all improved, and they all had their own needs.

This continuous relay has revitalized the entire Denglai Mountain Market.

Lu Yuande found the sights and sounds of the marketplace delightful, but when he returned to the valley, he saw that the families of his disciples were all frowning and worried.

The old Daoist himself was probably worried about the battle situation, but he also knew that he shouldn't get too caught up in it. On a whim, he asked everyone for a favor.

He intends to set up a series of ingenious formations in this valley.

Chu Tianshu intends to develop this area into a good place for his future disciples to study.

Lu Yuande then thought of many suitable formations.

Some trap formations with improved concealment and defense are already on the agenda and will be deployed first.

However, formations have countless uses. Besides offense, defense, and confusion, they can also be used in the future to nourish the mind and spirit, regulate light and ventilation, and promote the growth of water and grass.

"Master, you've arrived."

Daoist Child Shitou carried over a dozen large bamboo poles in one go.

The large bamboo roots at the front retain their rootlets and soil, while the long bamboo stalks and leaves at the back inevitably drag on the ground.

Like a giant green peacock, with its tail feathers drooping, it slowly approaches.

Zhuo Yuan and his daughter followed beside them, with Zhuo Yuan carrying a large, dark blue stone more than a meter tall on his shoulder.

Many holes have been carved into the large rock, and when the wind blows by occasionally, it produces a pleasant sound.

It sounds like a type of musical instrument called an ocarina, but also somewhat like the sound of a bamboo tube.

The Book of Songs says that Bo played the xun (a type of ancient Chinese wind instrument), and Zhong played the chi (another type of ancient Chinese wind instrument). Both were elegant musical instruments that existed in the Zhou Dynasty. The former was made of pottery, and the latter was made of bamboo.

"Master Lu, these were all carved out exactly as you instructed. Please take a look and see if there are any mistakes."

Zhuo Yuan carefully put the large stone down.

Lu Yuande walked around the large rock, tapped it lightly, and a clear echo was produced. He nodded with a smile.

He directed the Daoist Child Shitou to plant the large bamboo stalks one by one, and then had everyone fill in the new soil.

Zhuo Yuan carefully calculated the location of the boulder and then had everyone leave the bamboo forest.

"The ephemeral mushroom knows not the dawn or dusk, the cicada knows not Spring and Autumn Annals, the cave dweller knows not the years, and the secluded and mysterious dwells in the void..."

Lu Yuande chanted incantations for a long time, and then reached out and released a stream of purple qi that flowed continuously into the ground.

The bamboo grove seemed to sense something, swaying slightly, and the compacted soil was shaken open, revealing tiny pores.

However, these large bamboos, which were slightly damaged during transplanting, became even more stable, as if they had always grown there.

When the wind passes, everything is clear and bright.

The large rock should have produced beautiful music, but people standing outside the forest couldn't hear it; they could only clearly hear the rustling of branches and leaves.

A light sheen of sweat appeared on Lu Yuande's forehead. After reciting another incantation, he smiled at Zhuo Xinlan and said, "Xiaolan, I need you to find some birds to fly over the valley and observe its appearance."

Zhuo Xinlan curiously looked around the bamboo forest. Upon hearing this, she turned her head to gaze into the distance, then put her fingers to her lips and whistled.

Several cuckoos, doves, and more than ten sparrows flew over.

Zhuo Xinlan smiled and waved to them.

As soon as the birds landed, they took flight again, disappearing into the clouds above the valley. After a while, they returned to the valley, chirping incessantly.

The calls of those cuckoos were especially melodious and pleasant to hear.

Zhuo Xinlan exclaimed in surprise, "They all say that when we fly ten times my height, they can't see us anymore, and all they see is the bamboo forest."

"If we fly any higher, the entire area of houses that used to be here will disappear, replaced by overgrown weeds and wild trees?!"

That's right.

Lu Yuande smiled and said, "My formation consists of twelve major formations and forty-nine minor formations."

"Originally, most of the formations were unsuitable for this valley, but I have recently gained considerable insight into the art of Internal Elixir, and when applied to formations, they are all exquisitely effective."

"If the formation is fully set up, not only the houses in this area, but all the houses in the entire valley will be hidden from view."

"In the event of an outsider's arrival, it would be difficult to observe the disciples' lives in the valley from a high vantage point, and any attempt to attack would be met with countermeasures."

Zhuo Xinlan's eyes lit up. "Like the kind of formation monks use, that can make someone much more powerful?"

Lu Yuande said with a compassionate smile, "That's using people to set up an array, which is a different approach from mine. But the essence of any array is to gather the minute to achieve the grand, and to move heaven and earth."

"The Vertical and Horizontal Method Seal that Fellow Daoist Chu taught you also contain the mysteries of formations, but I don't think he put much effort into them."

"If Xiaolan is willing and can learn effectively, this humble Daoist priest can offer you some guidance."

Zhuo Xinlan nodded repeatedly and bowed in thanks.

Lu Yuande smiled and reached out to help her, but suddenly his eyes lit up and his smile vanished.

When everyone saw him turn his head to look at the mountain wall not far away, they all looked up as well.

On the steep mountainside, there are several small trees growing horizontally.

From the clouds atop the mountain cliff, the figure of a man in a black robe slowly descended, landing on a small tree and looking down.

Those birds clearly said that if they were ten times the height of Zhuo Xinlan, they wouldn't be able to see these people by the bamboo forest.

The height of this uninvited guest was at least equivalent to twenty times the height of Zhuo Xinlan.

But his gaze swept across everyone's Shangdu, finally landing precisely on Lu Yuande's face.

"Great Elegance Unspoken Hidden Subtlety Formation Array?"

"Heaven and earth possess great beauty, yet remain silent; human creations possess small beauty, yet appear striking. When small beauty is concealed within great beauty, all things are hidden from each other, finding refuge in the mountains, achieving ultimate tranquility."

The black robe's fabric subtly reflected light, shimmering and radiant, exuding an air of nobility.

The man in the black robe had a pale, ashen face, with deep wrinkles around his eyes, suggesting he was in his forties or fifties, and his skin was stiff.

Lu Yuande immediately recognized that the man was wearing a disguise mask.

The mask was crudely made, far less valuable than the robe. It was unclear what strange quirk he had, that he wanted to disguise himself, yet even a discerning person in the martial arts world could tell he was in disguise.

The man's voice was gentle and refined, and very pleasant to listen to.

"As far as I know, there are only two schools in the world that understand this kind of formation. The Northern Celestial Master lineage has already gone into seclusion and closed their mountains, while the Southern Dynasty's Purple Mansion Sect is the only one who is proficient in this art."

"However, four years ago, the Purple Mansion Sect was wiped out, suspected to be the result of a coalition of powerful families from the north and south who plundered and divided up the secret formulas researched by the Purple Mansion Sect..."

As he said this, his gaze suddenly shifted to the face of the Daoist Child Shitou.

Daoist Child Shitou was naturally calm and composed; his expression remained unchanged, though he was very tense.

"Haha, it seems that you and your master are remnants of the Purple Mansion Sect."

Lu Yuande put his left hand behind his back and made a gesture.

Everyone moved silently toward the bamboo grove.

"Please don't be like that, I meant no harm."

The man in black robes said, "That Brother Chu, he's only just started out, yet he's already made a name for himself in the martial world. It's enough to make anyone's heart flutter."

"He appears to be obsessed with the bronze statue and fame, recruiting followers and proceeding step by step, but in reality, he is secretly cultivating disciples. He's playing this trick brilliantly."

The man in black robes exclaimed in admiration.

"Unfortunately, his eagerness to mobilize manpower and head to Jiyin Commandery ultimately revealed some flaws, which could not be hidden from those with truly discerning eyes."

"I came here only hoping that there might be some of his collection of classic books that I could borrow. I have no other intentions, so you can all rest assured."

Lu Yuande tapped his cane on the ground and laughed heartily.

"Fellow Daoist Chu is a kind-hearted, cheerful, and hospitable person. If you wish to read his books, you might as well wait for him to return and discuss it with him."

"Return?"

The man in black robes pondered, "Xiao Liang's combat strength seems to have some unpredictable aspects. In the true decisive battle, we cannot judge him solely based on his foundation."

"Brother Chu's methods are exquisite, and he possesses such cunning. Victory or defeat is uncertain; taking it back may not be difficult."

Upon hearing this, Zhuo Xinlan suddenly felt a chill run through her body, and a burst of white light erupted before her eyes, making her unable to see anything.

She seemed to sense that in that instant, the Daoist priest was roaring.

But for some reason, no one could actually shout it out.

Then a gust of hot wind blew continuously from the front.

Zhuo Xinlan staggered back seven or eight steps, raised her hand to cover her eyes, and blinked repeatedly.

After shedding tears, her aching eyes regained some vision, and she could see the scene in front of her through her fingers.

A woman in silver armor and a black dress, with her hair styled high, stood in front, reaching out her hands to catch the palms of the man in black who was looking down at her.

A powerful gust of hot air emanated from the point where the two men were clapping their hands together.

It was hot, but it didn't have much of a lethal effect left.

Zhuo Yuan and Shi Zhonghuo rolled onto the grass.

Lu Yuande leaned against the base of the stone wall. Behind him, the rock had been dented. His cane was broken in two. He clutched his chest and coughed up a little blood.

"That's despicable!!"

The old Daoist priest wasn't seriously injured, but he was furious.

That man in black, a Attaining the Dao master who had attained enlightenment, actually attacked the little girl first when faced with a group of people who had not yet Attaining the Dao!

Of those present, only Lu Yuande reacted and tried to intercept, but a gust of wind from his sleeve shattered his cane.

Thankfully, Fellow Daoist Tree arrived in time.

"You are... a soul?"

The man in black uttered a surprised exclamation, "How can a soul mobilize such pure primordial energy?"

The pine tree spirit, over six feet tall, indeed bore a resemblance to the fully grown Zhuo Xinlan in its features, but its expression was serene and possessed a timeless charm.

And what are you?

The pine tree, without any intention of insulting, asked curiously, "You remind me a bit of a monk, but also very different."

"Hmph! I'm not a bald monk."

The man in black suddenly jerked his arms, his body rising into the air, his arms parting and drawing an arc in the air, one move, the other closing.

The wind surged down, drawing a turbulent white line, while a mysterious blackness rose from the earth, resembling water droplets or swimming fish.

Black and white clouds and water, a double fish image.

The man in black struck out with his palm, and the moment his body passed through the Pisces diagram, he vanished.

Lu Yuande exclaimed in alarm, "Be careful, it's Qimen Dunjia!"

As he shouted this warning, the pine tree's spirit had already received dozens of attacks.

Suddenly forward, suddenly backward, suddenly left, suddenly right.

In the air, countless hands appeared, continuously slapping various parts of the pine tree spirit.

The flashing of these hands was almost seamless, making one wonder just how many enemies were launching an attack nearby.

Sometimes, it would suddenly stick out a hand from underground.

Then, from above, amidst the ripples in the air, a palm suddenly slammed down.

The pine tree spirit, its hands moving like flying cranes, defended its entire body, leaving it overwhelmed, when suddenly its body swayed.

Two heads popped out from either side of her neck, facing different directions, and four more arms emerged from behind her.

A piece of black cloth was pulled from the air by her newly grown hand.

The figure in black was revealed, drawing gasps of astonishment.

"We who Attaining the Dao enlightenment should possess the true form of humanity. Even if the Demonic Dao transforms, it wouldn't randomly grow extra arms. What kind of cultivation technique do you practice?"

I was born with many hands!

As the pine tree spirit spoke, anger appeared on all three faces. "You hit me so hard just now, I'm going to beat you up too."

Born with many hands?

Even though the man in black was wearing a mask, it was still noticeable that his face twitched, and then he suddenly flashed away.

A pisces image appeared behind him, as ethereal as clouds and water, but vanished again after he bumped into it.

Immediately, the image of the two fish was dispersed by a surge of Great Qing energy rising from the ground.

The soil broke open, revealing the tip of a tree root.

The pine tree spirit resides in the valley. Although it can freely exert its power, it still needs to extend its roots to make combat easier.

She was genuinely annoyed. When she sparred with Chu Tianshu, she only used one branch, without using any other branches or roots.

This person harbors a great deal of malice.

The more you take action, the more you feel that deep chill.

After the tree root broke through the soil, it paused briefly in the air, its tip bending and turning around once.

The anger on the pine tree spirit's face gradually disappeared, and it pouted in dissatisfaction.

Lu Yuande looked around, barely managed to stand up, and said, "He's gone?"

The three heads of the pine tree spirit nodded together.

Multiple-headed deity statues still exist in the modern era.

But upon actually seeing such a lifelike creature, Lu Yuande couldn't help but swallow hard.

Several miles away, beyond the valley.

The man in black glided past, noticing a piece of fabric missing from his sleeve. He frowned slightly, made a hand seal, silently chanted an incantation, and unleashed a burst of power.

BOOM!!

A wisp of green smoke shot out from his hand, and the hand seal he was forming was shaken apart.

This indicates that the piece of cloth was protected by a powerful vital energy.

The man in black, judging others by his own standards, had already devised more than a dozen vicious curses that he could cast using the fabric he carried.

but...

"No one is born with so many hands."

He wasn't at a disadvantage just now, but he really didn't want to risk it a second time.

We should hurry and find Master to resolve this oversight.

(End of this chapter)