Lost in the Mist Array

Xiao Yuansi held up the array diagram and studied it for over ten breaths, then shook his head. "I thought it might be something novel, but it is just the same old trick as the Lost in the Mist Array, merely under a different name." Rolling up the array diagram, Xiao Yuansi handed it back to Li Xiangping and continued, "Though I do not know much about the Dao of formations, this diagram is far too crude. It might fool cultivators in the Embryonic Breathing realm, but anyone who has condensed the Yujing Wheel could pull back unscathed. And if it encountered a Qi Refinement cultivator, breaking the array and seizing the flags would be child's play." "Our Li family possesses nothing. Having this array at least gives us some peace of mind," Li Xiangping said with a rueful smile, clasping his hands. Looking at Li Xiangping, who was only at the Chengming Wheel, and Li Tongya at the Zhouxing Wheel, Xiao Yuansi could not help but chuckle. "For you, it is indeed not a bad choice." With a light tap on his brocade pouch, six small flags instantly appeared in Xiao Yuansi's hand. Mysterious incantation seals were drawn across their blue-and-white fabric, and their reddish-brown shafts looked remarkably fine. "These are the array flags I used back when I was at the Yujing Wheel. The flags themselves are made from the skin of white-striped crucian carps, and the shafts are red birch wood. In the Embryonic Breathing realm, they are quite respectable treasures, and they match your array well. "Now that I have no use for this set of flags, I might as well leave them here to set up a Lost in the Mist Array for you. If you ever find a better diagram in the future, you can use these flags to lay it out as well." Xiao Yuansi smiled, waving a hand to stop Li Xiangping, Li Tongya, and the others from offering their thanks. "Twelve spirit stones." Li Xiangping fell silent at once, offering an embarrassed smile. "Dare I ask, this spirit stone..." "You have no spirit stones?" Xiao Yuansi paused for a moment before explaining, "Among cultivators, spirit stones are like gold and silver among mortals. In markets and shops, transactions are usually settled in spirit stones. Larger families also need spirit stones when submitting their tributes." Li Xiangping's heart stirred upon hearing this, and he hastily inquired, "May I ask how many spirit stones Baiyuan fruits and spirit rice could be worth?" "If you offer those two as collateral..." Xiao Yuansi rubbed his chin, pondering for a moment before replying, "Ten Baiyuan fruits should be worth one spirit stone, while spirit rice requires a hundred jin to equal one." Li Xiangping and Li Tongya were rendered completely speechless, thinking to themselves, *Even just a hundred jin of spirit rice was enough to compel the Wan family to send a cultivator to rent fields and grow rice in our territory. Twelve spirit stones equals a whole twelve hundred jin of spirit rice! Selling off our entire Li family probably wouldn't raise that much.* Seeing the two lowering their heads in silence, Xiao Yuansi understood immediately and said softly, "Very well. I will take your Mist Barrier Array diagram as trade-in for two spirit stones, and put the rest on your tab for now. Once your family gathers the amount, entrust it to the sect brothers in Lixia Commandery who receive the tributes, and have them send it up to Qingsui Peak." With a bitter smile, Li Xiangping bowed in gratitude. Then they saw Xiao Yuansi form an incantation sign, and the six array flags in his hand floated into the air. "Go!" With a gentle lift of Xiao Yuansi's hand, five of the array flags soared into the air trailing pale white tails of light. As if endowed with a will of their own, they dispersed and plunged straight into the bamboo forest at the foot of the mountain. Instantly, wisps of haze and slanting mist swirled at the mountain's base, and thick layers of gray vapor billowed outward, blanketing Mount Lijing completely. Before long, the gray mist gradually thinned. From a distance, the people on the mountain had vanished, and the entire mountain seemed frozen in this exact moment, devoid of any visible change. "Done! The one I laid out for you is our sect's Lost in the Mist Array, which is somewhat better than that Mist Barrier Array." Xiao Yuansi lowered his hands and thrust the final array flag into the ground. A palm-sized array core immediately materialized, divided into inner and outer layers, faintly glimmering with white light. "This array core is divided into the outer formation and the inner eye. If the outer formation shines, someone is intruding from the foot of the mountain. If the inner eye shines, the intruder has already broken through and entered." Xiao Yuansi clapped his hands and pointed to the core, explaining to them, "Once you condense the Yujing Wheel, you can refine the core with your spiritual sense to control the array at will. For now, with only the cultivation of the Zhouxing Wheel, you can merely drip blood from your fingertips onto this core flag, and the array will recognize you." "Thank you, immortal master!" Li Tongya and Li Xiangping hurried forward and dripped their blood. The array core flickered, and both instantly felt a faint connection to it. Witnessing this marvelous scene, Li Xiangping felt the heavy burden of debt on his mind lighten considerably, musing to himself: *This Lost in the Mist Array is far better than expected. It can conceal our mountain gate and keep out prying mortals, and these array flags can be reused again and again. It seems those ten spirit stones were well worth spending after all. *Once the younger generation grows up, the spirit fields in the village can all be put to use. At worst, it will just take a few more years to pay off. But securing the mountain gate is of utmost importance! Especially with that mirror...* Xiao Yuansi withdrew his art and asked with a smile, "Do you have any further questions?" Seeing them shake their heads repeatedly, Xiao Yuansi laughed aloud and said softly, "Then I shall take a stroll through these mountains, slay a few beasts, gather some spirit herbs, and return tomorrow at dawn to refine the pills." "Respectfully seeing off the immortal master!" Li Xiangping and the others hastily said, watching as Xiao Yuansi summoned a flying shuttle, stepped onto it, and soared away into the air. Li Tongya waited until Xiao Yuansi was far off, then turned to Liu Linfeng and said, "Uncle, the academy is no longer suited to remain on the mountain. We should move it down tonight." "I'll go pack things up," Liu Linfeng replied and took his leave. Li Tongya turned to Li Xiangping and began, "Tomorrow, we should take that mirr—" "Brother!" Naturally suspicious, Li Xiangping was still wary that Xiao Yuansi had not yet gone far, so he cut him off at once. Li Tongya understood immediately. The two exchanged a glance, sat cross-legged, and began to cultivate. Though Mount Lijing was no famous mountain, it was at least an offshoot of Mount Dali and had nurtured a spirit root like the Shejiao Fruit. With the array cutting off the flow of spiritual energy between inside and out, the spirit pulse of the earth flourished, and the concentration of spiritual energy gradually rose, steadily climbing until it was ten percent higher than the outside before settling. The two meditating men were pleasantly surprised, their satisfaction with the array growing even greater. The two breathed and cultivated until brilliant golden light rose from the east. The mountain mist slowly dispersed, condensing upon the treetops into glistening dewdrops. Only then did Xiao Yuansi descend from the sky. Impeccably attired, he rode his flying shuttle down into the courtyard. "Time to light the furnace and refine pills!" He laughed heartily, summoned a man-tall, pitch-black pill furnace from his storage bag, sat cross-legged, and said to the two of them, "Though named after the serpent-dragon, this Sheyuan Pill is gentle in nature. While it is a pill for the Qi Refinement stage, those in Embryonic Breathing can consume it as well, and it will be of great benefit to you both." Xiao Yuansi retrieved a brownish-yellow block of wood from his storage bag and pressed his hands together, summoning a wisp of pure white alchemy fire from his dantian. With a light sweep of the fire over the wood, the block instantly caught ablaze with a sputtering hiss, revealing a faint, ethereal blue flame. Tossing the burning wood under the furnace, Xiao Yuansi took out the jade box, drew out the Shejiao Fruit with his magic power, and cast it into the cauldron.