"Brother Yu, you must come to our wedding banquet!" (The text then abruptly shifts to a seemingly unrelated anecdote about sweet potato desserts.)
Pei Xuanzhi, carrying the box and holding the umbrella, readily stepped into the courtyard.
Yan Huanyue's room was as simple and refreshing as she was. The only thing was a half-open lotus flower in a celadon phoenix-tail porcelain vase on the wooden table under the wall facing the door.
A light blue curtain hung on the small door to the inner room, its surface rippling slightly.
As soon as he entered, he sat down at the wooden table with ease, placing his hands neatly on the wooden box.
The rain was heavy and the wind was cool. Fine raindrops drifted under the eaves and sprinkled on the blue bricks near the gate. Yan Huanyue was afraid that he would catch a cold, so she was about to close the door when she remembered the scene that night when he had deliberately left the door wide open.
Just as she was about to give up, she heard him cough a few times, his voice hoarse and weak, and he said, "It's so cold, Senior Sister, please close the door."
Yan Huanyue didn't mind. Upon hearing this, she closed the door, turned around, made a hand seal to dry his clothes, poured two cups of tea, and sat down opposite him.
Pei Xuanzhi opened the box and pushed it to her side, "There are some books and array diagrams. I've read most of them and thought that perhaps Senior Sister would like to take a look."
Yan Huanyue glanced through it; it was all written in a very practical style. Those array diagrams seemed to have been deduced and drawn by someone based on a few simple descriptions.
One of the formations appears unremarkable at first glance, but upon closer examination, it becomes clear that it contains numerous deadly traps. Almost every small formation contains three layers, three hidden layers, and six layers of life-and-death situations. When combined, they form a deadly formation that guarantees certain death.
However, she couldn't understand the intricacies of it no matter how hard she looked, and she didn't know how the talismans in one of the smaller formations operated.
Yan Huanyue looked up and asked, "Did you draw this picture book?"
Pei Xuanzhi took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, which was dry from coughing, and nodded, saying, "Recently, I have been drawing pictures based on the descriptions in the book, and I have also outlined the places that can change depending on the weather, terrain, and feng shui."
"You went through so much trouble to draw it, but you lent it all to me. Have you memorized it completely?"
The boy sat there upright, sipping his tea with serious eyes down.
Hearing this, he replied casually, "I've memorized some of it, but the most important thing about formations is adapting to the times. Just remember the basic structure and then change it as needed. All the different types of talismans can be changed."
Yan Huanyue looked at him in surprise at his extremely ordinary tone.
Changing various talismans at will? It's not that simple.
Firstly, most of the magic arrays that have been passed down are intricately structured, with one change affecting the whole system. It is extremely difficult to adapt to changes in the situation on the spot, unless various scenarios are simulated and arrangements are made in advance.
Secondly, in life-or-death situations, one must rely on the formation that is most familiar and has the strongest killing intent. If one suddenly has a flash of inspiration and changes the way the formation is distributed, the formation that is temporarily changed may be useless.
To truly be able to adapt to changes at any time requires an extremely deep level of knowledge.
"You've already done a great job by being able to draw it. Don't be lazy and unwilling to memorize it... Never mind, it's not good for you to exhaust your mind right now. Once you're feeling better, you'll have to memorize the formation properly."
Pei Xuanzhi's thick, long eyelashes trembled slightly. After a moment, he lifted his eyelids to confirm that she truly believed it.
After a long pause, he finally nodded. "Okay."
Yan Huanyue spread out the array diagram completely, pondering as she slowly pointed to a few spots. "This array is indeed quite malevolent, but it looks smooth and exhilarating. What were your thoughts on these few places?"
Pei Xuanzhi coughed a few times, sipping hot tea as he answered questions one by one. When the hot water ran out, he ignored Yan Huanyue's attempts to stop him and sat down by the window to fan the fire and boil water.
He leaned against the wall in the shadows, the firelight adding a touch of color to his pale face.
As he fanned himself, he said casually, "Senior sister, look at this furnace. The strong wind damages the wood, which is also a kind of transformation. If you arrange the wood and fire properly, you can find a way to add a gust of wind."
Adding water can sometimes extinguish fire, sometimes condense clouds, and later, it can transform into thunder and lightning, which can generate water, fire, and wood. Everything remains the same; this too is a form of transformation.
Yan Huanyue studied the formation for a long time, finding it so exquisite that she felt an itch to try it out herself. She then suggested:
"In that case, why don't you set up a small universe on the table, arrange the formations in it, and let me see how powerful it really is?"
Pei Xuanzhi sat on a small stool by the wall, one hand supporting her chin and the other casually fanning herself, looking at her with a slight smile, and reminded her, "There's nothing that Senior Sister can kill with her formation for now."
Yan Huanyue thought for a moment, "Then I'll try it at the Heavenly Stele another day. After I've tried it, I'll come find you and tell you the result."
Pei Xuanzhi paused in fanning himself, the fan handle striking the black jade bracelet with a dull thud.
"What does the Heavenly Stele look like inside?"
Yan Huanyue packed the books and array diagrams on the table into a box. "Many evil spirits from the demon and monster races are suppressed there. You can't go in; their will will harm you."
Pei Xuanzhi twisted the fan handle backwards, looked up at her, and said, "But they are immortal inside the Heavenly Stele, so they can't be killed no matter what, can they?"
Yan Huanyue took some fresh pastries from the dining hall and sat opposite him, arranging them on the edge of the small stove to bake. Through the rising steam, she said softly:
"But it is also absorbed into the Heavenly Stele, becoming a prison within itself. If one leaves, one's soul will be scattered. The Heavenly Stele's formation draws upon the will of the first sect leader and also possesses countless original variations. If you want to use the formation within the Heavenly Stele to make changes, it is impossible."
Pei Xuanzhi lowered her eyes and said calmly, "Senior sister is joking. I don't have such ambition or ability."
He seems to have underestimated her. How complicated could someone who has rarely left her master's school since childhood and has little contact with worldly relationships be?
Yan Huanyue casually flipped through the pastries. "Hmm, that's best. Here, this one has sweet potato and sugar filling. You packed me a lot of these last time, probably because you think this one tastes the best."
Pei Xuanzhi tucked his sleeves in and took the item with his palm facing up. It was a little hot, so he could only hold it gently.
"Senior sister is so thoughtful. But why don't you think that giving you so much filling might be the kind of pastry I hate the most?"
Yan Huanyue asked with a smile, "Can you?"
The boy opposite him shook his head. "I can't."
Yan Huanyue picked up a piece of the hot pastry, blew on it, and took a small bite. The thin layer of pastry cracked open, and a rich aroma of sweet potato filled the air.
She savored the sweet taste in her mouth, listened to the rain outside the eaves, and couldn't help but say:
"When I was a child, the first time I went to the fields for spring plowing, an auntie in the village roasted sweet potatoes stored in her cellar for us. She was a kind and honest person, always smiling and speaking loudly. Seeing that I was young, she took the best care of me..."
At that time, I thought she was actually my mother.
Pei Xuanzhi ate his snacks silently; the sweet taste of the sweet potatoes always comforted his monotonous and dull palate.
For him, half a roasted sweet potato was like celebrating the New Year.
He never let others' words fall on deaf ears easily, but he didn't want to respond at the moment, and fortunately, she didn't seem to need his response either.
He didn't actually like hearing about her childhood, her nickname, her setbacks in cultivation, or everything she had achieved. A lot of uncontrollable jealousy would always creep in at these times.
But this had nothing to do with her originally; she was even willing to marry a good-for-nothing because of the long-ago kindness she had received in her childhood.
He thought to himself that he was ultimately despicable.
Pei Xuanzhi got up to fetch teacups, and Yan Huanyue picked up the kettle on the stove and poured two cups of hot water.
Pei Xuanzhi sipped the hot water in his cup, listening to the rain under the eaves. After a long while, he put down the warm teacup, stood up, bowed, and said, "Senior Sister Yan, the rain has stopped, I should take my leave."
.
The first two people Yu Zhao encountered after returning to his sect were his ex-fiancée and her current fiancé.
The rain subsided slightly, and dark clouds gathered, but her eyes were clearer and brighter than ever before, full of resilience and vitality.
The young man, wrapped in a cloak, sat languidly on the longsword lying beside her, looking weary.
But upon seeing him, the young man immediately put on a fake enthusiasm, greeting him softly from afar: "Senior Brother Yu, it's a pleasure to meet you. Did you have a smooth journey? Why didn't I see your fellow Daoists return with you?"
Yu Zhao didn't want to talk to him, but out of courtesy, he still said, "They have other matters to attend to. How has Junior Brother Pei been lately?"
Pei Xuanzhi looked weak, forcing a smile, revealing a melancholy that could only be seen by close friends.
"It's not a very good time, so I had to discuss with Senior Sister Yan and move the wedding date to September. If Senior Brother is still in the sect then, he will definitely come to have a drink at our wedding."
Even though he had anticipated this day, Yu Zhao still felt a chill in his heart.
He didn't care about this treacherous, cunning, and hypocritical demon; he only cared about whether Junior Sister Yan was truly willing to do this.
But Yan Huanyue only glanced at him, didn't even say hello, and turned into another road.
Pei Xuanzhi, who was sitting on the sword sheath, was also pulled towards that path by the spiritual power. He had no choice but to turn around and say while coughing, "Senior Brother Yu, we'll take our leave now."
Yu Zhao stood there blankly in the cold wind, which seeped into his clothes and sleeves, chilling him to the bone.
.
"Is Senior Sister angry?"
Pei Xuanzhi, his toes dangling in the dense, sun-shading bamboo grove, looked at her back, which had been standing there for a long time, and said calmly, "Can't I even say a word to him?"
Yan Huanyue casually gestured, and he was pulled in front of her by a gust of wind while riding on his sword sheath. "I don't want to invite him to my wedding."
Pei Xuanzhi calmly lifted the gold hair tie that had blown up to his lapel, rested his hands on the sword sheath, and looked her over. His toes dangled slightly under the hem of his clothes. "Oh, but you didn't say so earlier. Then I would have invited him alone."
"You're actually a pretty nice person."
Pei Xuanzhi smiled faintly, his eyes filled with tiny, glittering stars. "I'd say it's alright."
Yan Huanyue's expression turned cold. "If you also get involved with him, don't talk to me anymore."
Pei Xuanzhi stared at her intently, a cold smile playing on his lips. "Oh, I see."
-----------------------
Author's note: Xiao Pei loves to test things out and show off. After testing and showing off, she gets a beating and then she can be quiet for a long time.
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 23:48:38 on 2023-11-09 and 00:36:31 on 2023-11-11!
Thank you to the little angels who threw landmines: Zaoli and Xiaomanyi (1 each);
Thank you to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: Qinqiner 28 bottles; Xiaomanyi 15 bottles; Bucai and Fengye 10 bottles; Ww 6 bottles; Chiyujingsuiwan and Pingpingwuqikanwenxiaotiancai 5 bottles; 42293163, Yang Erniu, Matsuda Taitai, Yangyangganganchong, 66859136, Dongqian, Bujie, and Zhoumandejiangu 1 bottle;
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