Chapter 17: The Secret Methods of Zang Yao Sect
After Su Yang left, Yi Sanmei did not rest as he asked, but lit the candle again and sat at the desk.
For Su Yang, teaching these children who grew up in various places under the rule of Zang Yaozong might just be a matter of longing for his hometown, but Yi Sanmei would never miss any knowledge she could acquire, because she knew that her chances of survival were very limited.
She tried to hold the brush just as Su Yang had taught her. Carefully, she took out the scraps from her calligraphy practice today and "drew" some characters she had seen on the back. In particular, she drew the two characters on Qiu Xinglun's knife. After memorizing them all, Yi Sanmei put away the scraps and the brush and ink. She boldly asked the puppet to bring her a bamboo chopstick, opened the book, and began to trace the characters with the chopstick.
Although she didn't know the meaning of these words yet, she wanted to familiarize herself with their shapes first.
The candlelight flickered, its orange halo outlining a tiny figure on the window paper. The full moon fell, brushing past the rising sun. To the east, a line of dark red clouds swirled, and a corner of golden light emerged from the darkness.
It was Yin time, and without waiting for the mechanical puppet to knock on the door, Yi Sanmei pushed the door open and walked into the yard, stretching herself.
Su Yang tucked his sleeves into his pockets and looked at her with a smile. "How did you sleep last night? Do you need extra bedding?"
Sister Yi, who hadn't slept in bed all night, nodded a little guilty and said, "Thank you, Senior Brother. No need to add more, the bed is very comfortable."
Su Yang sighed softly. Thinking of what she was about to go through, he suddenly didn't know what to say. He just bent down to touch Yi Sanmei's head and led her out to the yard. "Breakfast can wait until later." Yi Sanmei nodded obediently.
I didn’t take a close look yesterday, so now is a good time to take a closer look at Danxin Pavilion.
A winding corridor bordered a lotus-filled pond, while a rockery bordered tall pines and cypresses, casting a shadow on the stone path. Beyond the Half Moon Gate, tall attics connected by covered bridges evoked an antique charm, resembling nothing so much as a mortal family residence as a place for spiritual practice and alchemy.
After leaving the courtyard, a long staircase led the two upwards. To the left, they saw several attics similar in style to the one where Yi Sanmei lived. A man came out carrying a huge porcelain plate and saluted with some surprise upon seeing the two.
Su Yang first took Yi Sanmei to return the greetings before saying, "That's the place in Ruoyu Peak that's actually called Danxin Pavilion. There are ten people and hundreds of mechanical puppets refining medicine here, and they're all making ordinary elixirs. If anyone needs special elixirs, we'll help out when the master is not available."
Third Sister Yi was a little confused: "I heard that the alchemists who refine pills are only the best among the best. I don't know anything, and my master hasn't taught me anything yet. How can I help out?"
"Master won't teach us alchemy. He always lets people learn on their own. If you want to learn, Master has shared the recipes in the books for anyone to study. You can take a look at them yourself. Those people don't actually know how to make alchemy either. The alchemy furnace and mechanical puppets do it all. They are only responsible for recording the wear and tear of the mechanical puppets, and helping to control the mountain protection formation and communicate with outsiders."
Third Sister Yi was stunned. "Both the alchemy furnace and the mechanical puppet can refine medicine?"
Taking into consideration Third Sister Yi's stamina, Su Yang slowed down as he climbed the stairs, explaining his confusion to her: "I was also surprised at first... Zang Yao and the sect's formations have almost preserved the methods of the Ten Thousand Souls Sect from ten thousand years ago to the greatest extent possible, and with many figures continuously developing and improving them, they have now developed a formation that can be refined on artifacts, allowing them to focus on one thing like a living person."
He paused for a moment, "This technology completely surpasses the shortcomings of traditional human-made pills. I really don't know what principle it's based on."
They soon arrived at their destination, chatting away. Before them stood a vast, ancient palace, and in front of it a seemingly small hexagonal square. As Yi Sanmei followed Su Yang into the square, she suddenly felt as if the sky were soaring upwards, and the earth was stretching infinitely into the distance. The palace seemed to be approaching and distant, no longer as real as before. Only the three large characters on the palace plaque remained etched in her mind, indelible.
"This is Zhaojian Palace. This palace is a top-grade magical weapon. Anyone who intends to approach Zhaojian Palace will be drawn into the formation. From now on, you must remember the steps and formulas for entering Zhaojian Palace. The solution to the formation is different each time..." As Su Yang spoke, his figure was like a floating dragon. Yi Sanmei watched him and followed him closely. Suddenly, she felt a huge axe slamming down in front of her eyes while the world was spinning, and the ground veins immediately cracked!
"Don't waver! You must remember that everything before you is illusory. Neither heaven nor earth is real. Everything that happens between heaven and earth is like morning clouds and evening glow; it is all illusory!"
Yi Sanmei's limbs went limp, and she bit her lip fiercely, not daring to lag behind even a little as she imitated Su Yang's movements step by step. Finally, she emerged from the formation, and the world returned to its original state. Her knees gave way, and she nearly fell to the ground, and Su Yang grabbed her.
"Are you okay?" Seeing Su Yang's concerned eyes, Yi Sanmei shook her head, broke free from Su Yang's arms, stood firmly on the ground, and exhaled heavily.
"When Master is not in seclusion, we stay in Teruma Palace most of the time. We don't have many opportunities to go out. The room outside Teruma Palace is only used occasionally."
"Did the sect also refine this magical weapon, Terumamiya, itself?"
Su Yang shook his head. "This magical weapon is an ancient treasure. Besides the great formations that allow one to enter and exit the heavens and earth, it also contains fifteen other formations. The art of crafting it has been lost. As far as I know, the sect's weapon-refining elder, True Lord Bei Lian, has only managed to restore about 50% to 60% of it."
As such powerful methods appeared one after another, Yi Sanmei developed an inexplicable awe for Master Beilian, and her understanding of the sect's power became even deeper.
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