Since successfully resolving Ms. Zhou's "Cold Jade" incident, Ling Qingxue seems to have developed a stronger interest in "applying what she has learned".
She was no longer satisfied with just reading and experiencing; instead, an idea sprouted in her mind... to put it into practice.
Especially after hearing Zhang Shaozhong repeat "money is hard to earn, we need to increase revenue and reduce expenditure" several times, the fairy felt that if she could set up even the smallest array in this realm, whether for security or to try to gather the thin and almost negligible spiritual energy, it should be useful, at least... it could save on electricity bills.
However, ideals are often grand, while reality is often harsh.
The biggest problem is the materials.
In her original world, setting up an array required jade containing spiritual power, specific metals, or even the crystal core of a demon beast as the array base and energy source, and also required using specially made spiritual ink to outline the array patterns.
But where in this world can you find these things?
That afternoon, Zhang Shaozhong and Ye Meier were studying the newly arrived live streaming sound card when they saw Ling Qingxue pacing back and forth in the living room, sometimes frowning in thought, sometimes picking up an object to examine it, and then putting it down in disappointment.
"What are you doing, pretending to be high and mighty? You're making me dizzy," Ye Meier couldn't help but ask.
Ling Qingxue stopped in her tracks, her face serious: "I wish to attempt to set up a formation in this realm."
"puff--"
Zhang Shaozhong almost spat out the water he had just drunk. "Set up an array? Here? What kind of array?"
Ling Qingxue walked to the coffee table and picked up several "alternatives" that she had carefully selected:
A few ordinary pebbles with relatively smooth surfaces, picked up from the community's green belt.
A bright red lipstick that Night Charm had discarded, the most vibrant color of which.
A few metal wires that I don’t know which packaging box they were taken from, and a small pinch of salt.
Zhang Shaozhong and Ye Meier looked at the pile of "array materials" with very interesting expressions.
Ye Meier burst into laughter and collapsed onto the sofa: "Hahahaha! Using lipstick and broken stones to set up an array? You hypocrite, have you gone mad from reading too many books? If this thing works, I'll eat this sound card!"
Zhang Shaozhong was both amused and exasperated: "Fairy, your idea is... quite good, but isn't it a bit too... down-to-earth?"
Ling Qingxue, however, was very serious: "The spiritual energy in this world is depleted, and materials are scarce, so we can only make do with what we have."
Everything has its own nature. Stone is the foundation of earth, and lipstick... this thing has a bright color and contains... um... the color of plant oils and minerals. It may temporarily replace spiritual ink and guide the subtle energy.
Metals can attempt to connect with the atmosphere, and salt can purify fine dust.
Her forced explanation actually contained a tiny bit of fallacy.
Zhang Shaozhong and Ye Meier exchanged a glance, both seeing a "the more the merrier" glint in each other's eyes.
"Alright! Fairy, please go ahead! Do you need our help?"
Zhang Shaozhong asked, suppressing a laugh.
"No need. Just observe quietly and do not disturb the energy field."
After Ling Qingxue finished speaking, she took her pile of "magic weapons" and began to busy herself in the corner of the living room.
She first took the pebbles and carefully arranged them into a small circle less than half a meter in diameter, according to some mysterious orientation.
Then, she twisted open the lipstick, dipped her fingertip into the bright red paste, held her breath, and began to trace intricate and delicate patterns around the pebbles on the smooth floor.
Her movements remained elegant, her expression focused, as if she were completing a sacred work of art.
The only difference is that the "canvas" is composite wood flooring, the "brush" is lipstick, and the "paint" is Dior 999...
While munching on sunflower seeds, Ye Meier commented, "Tsk tsk, the technique is quite skillful. It's a pity about this lipstick; the shade is quite expensive."
Zhang Shaozhong felt sorry for his floor and started thinking about what kind of cleaning agent could wipe it off.
After completing the array pattern, Ling Qingxue twisted the metal wire into a specific shape and placed it at several key nodes. Finally, she sprinkled the salt at the array eye.
Everything is ready.
She took two steps back, formed a simple hand seal, and tried to mobilize the meager immortal energy within her body to activate the formation.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
Nothing happened.
The living room was so quiet that only the "crunch" of Ye Meier cracking sunflower seeds could be heard.
Ling Qingxue frowned slightly and tried again, even whispering a mantra to activate the formation.
Still... no response.
The pebbles were still the same pebbles, but the lipstick-painted patterns on the floor looked particularly glaring and ridiculous, and the metal wires and salt grains stayed there all alone.
Forget about gathering spiritual energy, there wasn't even a slight breeze or any unusual energy fluctuation.
This formation is completely destroyed.
Ye Meier finally couldn't hold back any longer and burst into a deafening laugh: "Hahaha! I can't take it anymore! I'm dying of laughter! You hypocrite, is your formation just for decoration? Besides ruining my lipstick and your floor, what other effect does it have?"
Zhang Shaozhong couldn't help but chuckle, but he still tried his best to maintain the fairy's dignity: "Ahem, it may be because the materials are too limited... The intention is good, the intention is good."
Looking at the unresponsive "array," Ling Qingxue's usually cold face showed a rare hint of frustration and confusion.
She crouched down, carefully examining every detail, muttering to herself, "The orientation is correct, the array patterns are drawn according to ancient methods... why is there no response? Is it because the rules of this world are different? Or are these mortal objects... truly unable to bear any Daoist essence?"
She smeared the lipstick pattern on the ground with her finger, the bright red stain on her fingertip contrasting sharply with her aloof demeanor.
"Perhaps... I was just assuming things."
Ling Qingxue stood up and sighed softly, "The ways of this world and the things of this world all need to be re-understood. Forcing the use of old methods is no different from trying to find a sword by marking the boat."
Although this failed attempt seemed like a farce, it made Ling Qingxue realize the differences between the two worlds more deeply.
She no longer focused on completely replicating past experiences, but began to truly think about how to use the "rules" and "materials" of this world to achieve similar effects.
Zhang Shaozhong later secretly checked the brand and shade of the lipstick, and his heart ached again when he saw the price online.
The lipstick stain on the floor was barely removed after using most of a bottle of makeup remover, leaving a faint red mark, which became a permanent memento of the fairy's first "modern formation practice".
Ye Meier laughed for several days, and even gave Ling Qingxue a new nickname: "Lipstick Array Master".
After a brief period of disappointment, Ling Qingxue picked up her books again, this time studying "Fundamentals of Materials Science" and "Principles of Household Circuits"...
Looking at the two big shots, one researching science and the other scrolling through short videos, Zhang Shaozhong silently thought to himself: Is this style getting more and more crooked?
However, it seems quite interesting.
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