Chapter 10: Formation Array (Part 1)

  The rooster crows three times, and the eastern sky slowly reveals a few wisps of white clouds. After a while, a golden sun rises slowly, and the golden rays of light dye the clouds and mist that cover the sky above Jiangzhou City with a brilliant and colorful color.

  Geng Nan Yi did not sleep all night, and after resting for a while, he came to the door of Xiao Si's house and knocked on it: "Brother Xiao Si——"

  Ke Lian shouted several times, but Xiao Si didn't respond at all.

  Geng Nan Yi's ears pricked up, and he clearly heard Xiao Si's breathing sound coming from behind the bookcase. It didn't seem like he was asleep, so why hadn't he responded for so long? Could it be that there was a master hiding in the room who had taken him hostage?

  Geng Nan's eyes gleamed with a sharp light, his left palm stuck to the door panel, and with a burst of energy, he shouted, "Clang!" The iron door latch snapped loudly.

  Geng Nan Yi suddenly pushed open the door and retreated several feet to prevent any hidden enemies inside from using hidden weapons to seal off the entrance.

  But after waiting for a moment, there was still no movement in the house.

  Geng Nan Ying furrowed his brow, raised his hand to grab a flower rack in the yard, and shouted: "Fourth brother, I'm here!" With a swing of his arm, he flung the flower rack into the house, and immediately followed with his body, protecting himself with both palms, and charged in with full vigilance.

  The "kala" flower stand was smashed against the wall corner, Geng Nan Yi stood still in the house, his figure facing the direction of the desk, and he couldn't help but stare.

  Only saw Xīao Sì's whole body was radiant, wearing only a pair of shorts, sitting on the back of a chair with his buttocks, holding a sheep-hair brush in his hand, looking up at himself in astonishment.

  His body was covered in ink, with a brush inserted behind his ear, on his waist, and in his mouth. There were also seven or eight brushes of wolf hair and sheep hair scattered all over the floor.

  A sheet of scribbled paper was discarded on the table, on the floor, and some were even stuck to the window frame. The room looked like it had just been hit by a tornado.

  Geng Nan Yi was both surprised and amused, asking: "Little Fourth Brother, what are you drawing...huh?"

  His gaze inadvertently swept over a piece of paper that had fallen to the ground. The paper was densely covered with small black dots and strange lines, some of which were accompanied by numbers, formulas, and obscure terms from the art of divination.

  Geng Nan's smile on his face gradually disappeared, replaced by an increasingly obvious look of astonishment.

  Just as he was about to bend down and pick up the painting paper for a closer look, Xiao Si suddenly rushed over like a gust of wind, snatched the painting paper from his hand, and only then did she manage to pull out the paintbrush from her mouth. She smiled and said: "These are just some casual doodles, nothing worth looking at. Old Master Geng, what brings you here?"

  Geng Nan shook his head and said, "Fourth brother, why be so modest? I too have studied the art of Qimen Dunjia for a few years, but just now seeing the changes you drew on paper, I am truly ashamed. Yesterday in the forest, you set up a large formation, trapping the Tiger's Nest bandits, and saved Wan'er's life. In such a short time, being able to use the terrain to set up an array, is indeed a rare young talent that I have only seen once in my life."

  Xiao Si heard this and felt a sense of relief, thinking to himself: "It's just my own guilty conscience, how would Old Master Geng know the secret of the star pattern on the Cuiyu plate? But as they say, 'people's hearts are hidden behind their bellies', it's better if fewer people know about good things."

  But hearing the head of the Jiangzhou branch of the Will Communication Bureau boasting about himself, he felt a little proud and said: "Old Master Geng, do you really think I'm still doing well?"

  Geng Nan Yi nodded without hesitation, "Not only is it okay, but at least in terms of the attainments of Qimen Dunjia, Fourth Brother, your innate talent is extremely high. Your master must also be a hidden world expert."

  "That dead old man is so poor and short, yet he still loves to visit brothels. He's not even remotely related to any hermits or high-ranking officials."

  He turned his head and took out the painting paper hidden behind him, saying: "I was also inspired by yesterday's events, but there are still many places that I couldn't understand. Old Master Geng, since you have been studying the art of Qimen Dunjia for many years, it would be great if you could help me."

  Geng Nan took over the painting paper and looked at it for a moment, and unexpectedly fell into a trance.

  The more he looked, the more he felt that it was profound and boundless. He repeatedly deduced it in his mind seven or eight times, but surprisingly, there wasn't a single time when the result was the same. It seemed that Xiao Si had encountered similar difficulties, and he couldn't help but secretly call out in shame.

  But after all, Jiang is old and spicy, Geng Nan Yi still saw several mistakes in the painting, one by one pointing out to Xiang Xiao Si for detailed explanation.

  Xiao Si listened with great interest and took out another piece of drawing paper from the desk to ask Nan Yi for his opinion.

  The old and young gathered around the table, discussing one chart after another.

  Geng Nan's surprise grew, the twenty-eight constellations depicted in this painting were unheard of, but what shocked him even more was the occasional flash of spiritual light from Xiao Si.

  He found that Xiao Si had not received orthodox Qimen Dunjia instruction, and was only half-understanding of many basic things. However, his thinking was broad-minded, and his insight was unparalleled, even compared to those famous Qimen Dunjia masters who were renowned throughout the land.

  Others all know but do not know why, but Xiao Si is born upside down, and often knows why but does not know. But the more this way, the less he will be bound by the experiences and opinions of his predecessors, and his wonderful ideas will emerge one after another, even making himself feel enlightened and benefiting a lot.

  Until the sun was high in the sky, the two of them had only looked through four paintings. Geng Nan suddenly remembered and said, "I almost forgot to tell you, little fourth brother, Wan'er is fine now. She wants to invite you over to thank you in person."

  Xiao Si thought to herself: "This little girl probably hates me to the bone, and it's likely that she's come over with ill intentions, like a weasel visiting a chicken on New Year's Day."

  But since Geng Nan Yi came in person to invite him, he couldn't decline and had to perfunctorily say: "As long as Wan'er is fine, I should have gone to visit her a long time ago."

  Geng Nan Yi smiled and said, "Fourth brother, your 28 Constellation Star Array diagram is indeed profound and mysterious. Even I can't fully understand its subtleties. However, my study has a collection of rare and unusual Qimen Dunjia manuals that I've gathered over the years. If you're interested, feel free to come take them anytime, perhaps they'll be useful."

  Xiao Si Xi said: "Old Master Geng, then I won't be polite anymore."

  He washed his face and body clean of the ink marks, dressed and rinsed himself, then closed the door and went with Geng Nan Yi to the small building where Wan Er lived.

  Geng Nan Yi said: "Fourth brother, in my study there are a few volumes of 'Wen Xi's Notes', which have detailed explanations on the various introductory questions of Qimen Dunjia. I suggest you take a look. You should know that no matter how profound and unpredictable the changes in the formation are, they still do not depart from their underlying principles. In the end, they are all constructed from the interweaving of one method after another of symbol patterns and techniques. For example, those talismans we commonly use are actually small-scale formations, it's just that they are applied to talisman paper or other objects using certain rules."

  Xiao Si nodded repeatedly, similar words had been said by the old man before, but not like Geng Nan Yi's gentle and subtle tone, which was often vague and confusing, making himself lose direction.

  If he couldn't help but ask another question, the old man would sternly say: "Get in!"

  Xiao Si had no choice but to sneak into a large coffin placed in the house, close the lid and lie down like a dead person until the old man lifted the ban.

  At this time, Geng Nan Yi suddenly stopped in his tracks, pointing to a red building hidden behind green bamboo: "Fourth Brother, Wan Er lives in the 'Listening Rain Pavilion'. I have something else to attend to, so I won't accompany you inside."

  Xiao Siyi was taken aback for a moment, then thought to herself: "It's Old Master Geng who invited me to take a look at this girl, what is she going to do?" She nodded and bid farewell to Geng Nanxing, and went straight up to the Listening Rain Pavilion.

  When they arrived at the second floor, a little maid who was guarding outside the house opened the door for Xiangyun.

  Xiao Si walked into the house, at that time Confucianism had not yet flourished, and there was no great emphasis on the strict separation of men and women. Moreover, the Geng family had been in the escort business for generations, so they didn't pay much attention to those outdated rules. Therefore, the bamboo curtains inside the house were rolled up high, without any avoidance or evasion.

  Wan'er was half-reclining on the bed, covered with a thin quilt, her face full of lazy and weak charm that evoked sympathy. Beside her sat a middle-aged beautiful woman who should be her mother.

  Seeing Xiao Si entering the house, Wan Er's mother got up and welcomed him: "Uncle Xiao Si, thank you for saving Wan Er's life."

  Wan Er raised her delicate eyebrows and cooed: "If it weren't for his clumsiness, I wouldn't have gotten hurt in the first place."

  "Wanyu, don't talk nonsense, haven't you thanked your Fourth Uncle yet?"

  Xiao Si looked at Wan'er's fiery eyes and thought to himself, "This ungrateful little wench has forgotten all about my kindness, is she thinking of devouring me whole?"

  He waved his hand and said, "No need to thank me, it's just that I'm not capable enough, I couldn't protect Miss Yuanyuan, which is why she was secretly shot by the thief's silver bullet."

  Wan'er heard the two words "Silver Bullet" and couldn't help but widen her eyes, suppressing her shyness and saying: "Mother, I have a few things to say, I'd like to speak with Fourth Uncle alone."

  Wan Er's mother stared blankly at Xiao Si, who took a step back and said, "This... isn't right, is it? You're a single man and I'm a single woman, alone in one room, it's not convenient!"

  Wan Er said coldly: "Stop, I... haven't thanked Fourth Uncle for picking herbs to detoxify me yesterday."

  Xiao Si cleared his throat twice, then turned to Madame Yu and said, "Niece-in-law, I'll just chat with her for a bit. You wait outside the door, don't go far."

  Wan Er's mother smiled and nodded in agreement, her heart having a bit more of a good impression on Xiao Si. She said: "This young uncle Xiao Si may be young, but although he seems to be carefree and idle, his character is actually upright." But how could she have guessed that Xiao Si was afraid of Wan Er's temper, which would rather die than yield, so he especially asked her to stay as a free bodyguard.

  Wan Er's mother gently closed the door, Wan Er's face turned even colder, staring at Xiao Si she said in a low voice: "Within three days, you must leave the escort agency, the farther the better! Don't wait for me to recover from my injuries, I'll come and kill you with my sword!"

  Xiao Si was startled and thought to himself: "Could it be that I didn't wear my clothes properly and revealed a flaw, allowing this little girl to see through the weakness?"

  At this moment, his eyes involuntarily glanced down at Wan'er's waist.

  Wan'er's face turned bright red in an instant, and if not for the fact that her mother was standing guard outside the door, she would have already used her Frost Feather Sleeve Arrows to beat Xiao Si into a pulp.

  What's even more detestable is that this little brat shows no shame, blinking his eyes and revealing a sly smile: "I thought you wanted to thank me, who would have thought it was to repay kindness with enmity. Never mind, I've got nothing to say, I'll just go back and wash my neck clean for you to chop."

  As he walked towards the door, he suddenly turned back and came straight to the bedside, grinning strangely and deliberately lowering his voice, saying: "I forgot to tell you, I spent half a night's work recording all the exciting stories that happened between us, and even added some beautiful pictures. In case one day I kick the bucket, you must remember to take those words and paintings to my grave and burn them all, just as a token of your filial piety."

  After saying that, he didn't care about Yuanner's ugly face and walked away with a laugh. He opened the door and took a few steps before turning back to say to Yuanner's mother: "Niece-in-law, I drew something last night that you seemed interested in too. Next time, please come with Shaohua to appreciate it together."

  Wan'er didn't know whether Xiao Si's words were true or false, and she was both ashamed and afraid, so she let him go.

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