Chapter 63: Cats and Mice

  Lin Fan returned to Zhengyi Sect, focusing on practicing the Tianmang Heart Method. To be precise, the Tianmang Heart Method is not a heart method, but rather a sword-controlling technique. Lin Fan was very intelligent, and because of his intelligence, he had doubts. Generally speaking, one would first obtain a divine weapon, then refine the sword to merge with it, and only then slowly comprehend the sword-controlling technique, bringing out the maximum power and effect of the divine weapon. However, San San Zhenren did things in reverse, having Lin Fan practice the sword-controlling technique first. San San Zhenren was too lazy to explain, responding: "Practice! So many useless words."

  With his trust in Sanzhen Zhenren, Lin Fan was relatively focused. From the talismans he drew, it could be seen that Lin Fan's mind and hands were clever. Once he put his heart into the Tianmang Heart Method, he quickly got on track, grasped the key to it, and Lin Fan could freely command the six Embroidery Needles. Unfortunately, even when the power of the Embroidery Needles reached its limit, it was still quite ordinary.

  The three true men increased the difficulty, and Qingyuan Zong's people set up a formation. The master of Qingyuan Zong reported his personal grievances and sent the most ruthless person to take over. After the formation was completed, it would launch flying stone attacks on the people inside at irregular intervals. Lin Fan had to multitask, not only defending against flying stones but also controlling the embroidery needle, and he couldn't stop moving his feet. Later, the main array master took over the formation, making it even more treacherous.

  Lin Fan adapted to the formation again, and it turned into a pine needle formation. Tens of thousands of pine needles flew around in the formation. Lin Fan's first thought was not to control the Embroidered Flower Needle, but to avoid being hit by the pine needles. Unexpectedly, he stumbled upon a strange flying technique, although he could hardly control the Embroidered Flower Needle in the Pine Needle Formation.

  Three True Ones watched from outside the formation, Lin Fan was clearly wielding his bamboo sword towards the south with incredible speed, but in an instant, he charged towards the ground, without reducing his speed. The pine needles covered the sky and earth as they came, Lin Fan could utilize the time it took for the pine needles to reach him, leisurely moving within the rain-like attacks of the pine needles.

  Apart from the Demon Sect, Taoist schools rarely have training that focuses on evasion and flight control. In a chaotic battle, it's impossible to use protective treasures or weapons to resist attacks head-on, so dodging becomes a very important subject. Lin Fan's comprehension in skills is extremely high, and without slowing down, he can change his position and flight path as much as possible. San San Zhen Ren was speechless with laughter, originally wanting to test whether Lin Fan could control the Embroidered Flower Needle skillfully in actual combat, but unexpectedly, he ended up practicing evasion techniques.

  There are two types of attacks. One is an uncertain attack, throwing a clay bomb and flying towards a fixed position, dodging is fine. The other is a pursuit type, the clay bomb is controlled, can surround and intercept the target, at this time it is a confrontation between people, using blind spots to evade, using illusions to dodge, using strange flight curves to avoid.

  There's only one problem left, Lin Fan isn't fast enough, and the bamboo sword is just an ordinary object. But this kind of thing can't be rushed, Lin Fan hasn't even reached the threshold of the Golden Elixir yet, and he's already asking Lin Fan to do things for him as if he were a Yuan Ying. San San Zhen Ren wouldn't be so excessive. San San Zhen Ren told Qing Yuan Zong to withdraw his formation, then told Lin Fan that every day he would throw ten earth thunders at Lin Fan, telling Lin Fan to always stay vigilant. Since you come but don't go, it's not polite either, Lin Fan requested that he can throw ten embroidery needles at San San Zhen Ren every day. San San Zhen Ren agreed, as long as the embroidery needle hits him once, he'll give Lin Fan a day off.

  The head of Zhengyi sect and his followers started a three-month-long game of cat and mouse.

  At night, Lin Fan was about to fall asleep after meditating when a mud bomb was thrown into the room. With his conditioned reflexes, he rushed out of the window. The sound of the mud bomb exploding shook the house, and Lin Fan couldn't help but laugh in satisfaction, thinking that he wouldn't be hit by the same move again like yesterday when he was sleeping. Just as Lin Fan felt relieved, he was bombed again. It turned out that another mud bomb had been waiting at his feet for San San Zhen Ren to trigger it.

  "Deserves it for being shortsighted." San San Zhen Ren was nowhere to be seen, but his words came from all directions.

  Lin Fan's mind stirred, and six embroidered needles flew into his own room. San San Zhenren dodged out of the house to avoid them. Lin Fan pinched a sword key, and the six embroidered needles buried in the soil at the door flew up from below, hitting San San Zhenren's buttocks. Lin Fan laughed: " Sect Master, this is called a sword array. I had set it up in ambush at the door earlier." Lin Fan had used the sword array once before when he was fighting against Xie Fengzi in the vast and desolate land.

  "This is just a trick, mentioning only the embroidery needle but not saying it can be used as a Brocade Sword Array."

  "Whatever, tomorrow is a holiday."

  "The host is a man of his word." San San Zhen Ren walked away, hiding to one side. When Lin Fan returned to his room, he activated the spell and detonated the earth thunder that was buried in Lin Fan's room. Lin Fan was blown up, with his skin charred inside and out, and walked out with a black face: "You scoundrel, you said it was a holiday."

  "You're also taken in by the enemy's words, you're too naive."

  The two of them started playing a simulated battlefield game, and after three months of training ended, they often had the conditioned reflex of one person grabbing the road and running away when they met.

  ……

  Time flies quickly, and there is still a month before the opening of the Purple Bamboo Forest. The various sects have begun to bustle about. The matter of dual cultivation is quite complex, with records dating back to the Huangdi Neijing. However, due to the need for harmony, it's not worth going into details. In short, dual cultivation can be described in layman's terms as a husband and wife getting married. From the perspective of cultivators, there is an additional layer of meaning - that is, the harmonization of yin and yang, mutual complementarity, which greatly benefits the cultivation and realm of both parties.

  Some are elegant and refined, a perfect match for a gentleman. Some want to find a warm nest. Some think of wealth and status. Some just see this as a means to elevate their social standing. Anyway, the young generation has started to get busy, combing their hair, making new clothes - these are necessities. Some people even buy golden hairpins and jade combs as tokens of love. Some disciples hastily learn a few lines of poetry to impress.

  Inside the bamboo forest, it is quiet, and young women start to embroider sachets. When they meet someone special, they can also take the initiative to give them a sachet as a token of affection. Before the Southern Song Dynasty, men and women's emotions were more open, and women's status was relatively high. Women in folk customs would also actively express their love to men because of good feelings. Since Zhu Xi's remarks were favored by the rulers during the Southern Song Dynasty, until now, it is considered inappropriate for women to express their affection to men.

  Looking back, Zhengyi Sect is very quiet. San San Zhenren doesn't have anything to do with it due to generation reasons, unless he's willing to marry Mie Xiu True Person. Lin Fan himself is very calm, the ambiguous feeling brought by Shangguan Feixue has dissipated, and he's currently playing with embroidery needles in a very feminine way. Not only can he play, but he plays very well.

  The master sat on the eaves, looking down at Lin Fan, who was arranging a sword array with an embroidery needle. San San Zhenren threw down a piece of tile, and Lin Fan dodged it as if he had eyes in the back of his head, shaking his head to the left: "How old are you, still throwing tiles."

  San San Zhen Ren said: "The Purple Bamboo Forest will open in less than a month, aren't you preparing?"

  "What's prepared?"

  "Go to the market and order a few new sets of clothes. I'm tired of seeing you in that green Taoist robe every day, especially since you've been wearing it all the time."

  "There aren't many ideas." Lin Fan chuckled.

  San San Zhen Ren thought for a moment and asked: "Lin Fan, if you were to name three women from the Yun Qing Men, who would be the first ones that come to mind?"

  "Miss? Palm door, Ye Wushuang... and...?" Lin Fan thought for a moment: "Fog girl?"

  "San San Zhen Ren" sucked in a cold breath: "You actually have ideas about the sect leader."

  "What?" Lin Fan asked in doubt, then suddenly realized: "Master, you're just a bachelor, don't mention this aspect to your disciples, you're not qualified at all."