Chapter 10, "The Heartless Path," wanted to see him struggle, beg for mercy, and sink into depravity...
The Pixiu cub let out a terrified cry, but Lou Yan slapped it down, silencing it.
Heng Qichun made no futile struggles. His clear eyes pierced through the layers of mountain mist, directly confronting the old and strange talismans in front of him.
Then, his eyes flashed, and he murmured, "This is... the Ruthless Formation."
Lou Yan let out a habitual "Aww," then tilted his head. "What is the Ruthless Formation?"
He subconsciously felt that the name of the formation sounded familiar. He should have heard of Nanyu Mountain before, but two hundred years was too long. Like the legend of "Night Crying Man", he really couldn't remember it.
Before Heng Qichun could answer, the maid who had been entangled with Lou Yan stared intently at him. After a moment, she began to chant again: "When we parted, my soul was abandoned in the mountains and wilderness, gazing at the moon alone, crying out to the monsters. Pitiful innocent child, forgetting deep kindness, determined to kill the minister beneath the emperor's bed..."
Having vaguely grasped the meaning behind it, Lou Yan's body trembled, and he staggered back a step, almost throwing the Pixiu cub away.
How could that be...
Abandoned by his family in the mountains, he was silenced by his master when he cried out to the moon. Later, the master and disciple became enemies, and he vowed to destroy the immortal sect. He even imagined some more outrageous things...
The words the maid recited were clearly a reflection of his past life!
Lou Yan's pupils contracted sharply, and his sharp wolf eyes stared intently at the maid, revealing his canine tooth.
He felt inexplicably afraid, as if if he waited just a moment longer, Heng Qichun would be able to deduce his past from the indistinct lyrics.
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting?" Lou Yan bowed, cursing venomously, "I'll bite your necks off!"
Wolves don't understand the concept of chivalry. Even without spiritual power, Lou Yan's attack speed is dazzling enough.
The Pixiu cub fell to the ground and was startled by Lou Yan's reaction. It used all four claws and darted to Heng Qichun's feet with two "whoosh" sounds.
Lou Yan, on the other side, grinded his canines and rushed out, but suddenly everything went dark – he missed his target.
The four lantern-bearing maidens vanished into the mist in the blink of an eye.
Lou Yan then vaguely understood why Heng Qichun had hesitated and looked surprised for a moment after seeing the talisman array.
Compared to the illusionary talisman on the mountain, the Ruthless Array was strange and eerie in every way.
That wicked old Taoist priest.
Lou Yan gritted his teeth in secret, vowing that once he got out, he would make that old Taoist regret it to the core.
Suddenly there was a rustling sound behind him, and the vermilion lanterns lit up again. Lou Yan turned around abruptly, his pupils dilating in shock.
He instinctively called out, "Master!"
Four maids suddenly appeared out of nowhere and stood in the four corners, surrounding Heng Qichun.
They stared at Heng Qichun just as they had observed Lou Yan, trying to peek into the god's heart.
Soon, the lyrics began to play again.
"A celestial being descended to the mortal realm—"
"The gods of the nine heavens—"
"..."
The maid paused for a moment, then spoke again, her voice trembling and disjointed, but she only ever uttered the same phrase: "The gods of the Nine Heavens have fallen to the mortal realm."
"Uh, Master..." Lou Yan was a little disappointed, but still smiled and waved to Heng Qichun, "They don't seem to see through you!"
A faint, cold snort drifted through the mountain mist.
Heng Qichun gently raised his hand, and the wide sleeves of his robe were flung open, releasing the fragrance of lotus flowers. In the blink of an eye, the four red-clad maids had completely vanished into nothingness.
Lou Yan was secretly amazed by his master's strength.
Without any spiritual energy, he could dispel the illusion with just a wisp of divine grace. No wonder... no wonder he was able to kill me when his divine power dissipated in his previous life.
The swirling mist gradually dissipated, and the clear moonlight spilled down. The talismans under the eaves were blown by the wind, making a sharp, cutting sound.
Lou Yan reached for the door and tugged hard, then exclaimed in surprise again, "Master!"
Heng Qichun raised an eyebrow.
Lou Yan pointed to the vermilion-lacquered door and said, "This door is locked. Without spiritual power, it can't be opened at all. How are we supposed to get out?"
Heng Qichun stood there, sleeves tucked in, and squinted at him intently for a while, his expression one of disappointment: "Sometimes I really wonder what you're doing with your brain."
"ah?"
Heng Qichun turned around to face the corridor, no longer looking at the good-for-nothing wolf cub, and repeated the words of the maid in red: "Guests from afar arrive, leaving their dreams in a foreign land."
"The 'Ruthless Formation' unexpectedly 'severes all feelings and desires,' turning the illusory into the real, formless and without appearance. Only those with a pure mind and clear senses can safely cross it; otherwise, they will be forever trapped in the illusion."
Upon hearing this, Lou Yan suddenly remembered.
Compared to the ordinary talismans in Huatan Town, the Heartless Array was far more massive, a formation that had been passed down for thousands of years. Legend has it that the person who created this array was heartbroken by love and was determined to trap all those with love in their hearts within it, preventing them from ever being reincarnated.
This is precisely why the Ruthless Formation is the most difficult formation to solve—because it is difficult for people to be without desires.
Lou Yan hesitated for a moment, then jogged around to Heng Qichun's front, tilted his head to look at him, and tentatively asked, "Then how do we determine whether the people in the formation have any desires?"
Heng Qichun stared at the wall covered with talismans and said softly, "It needs to be verified."
"Exorcism?"
"Take a drop of blood from your fingertip and put it on the talisman. If you have no desires, the illusion will naturally break down."
Lou Yan thought to himself, "Why are you making so much noise about something so simple?" He simply reached out and took the nearest talisman, then held it up to Heng Qichun and said, "Try it quickly!"
His master would draw blood to feed the sharks every day, so naturally he wouldn't be stingy with this drop of blood.
This is as easy as taking candy from a baby...
“Uh…” Lou Yan peeked out and looked at Heng Qichun, who was silent in front of him, and vaguely realized that things might not be as simple as he thought.
He chuckled sheepishly, "Master, why don't you give it a try?"
Then he saw Heng Qichun, who dared to risk his life for the common people, take a half step back with his sleeves tucked in, glance down at the talisman held up by Lou Yan, and finally nod to him.
"Okay." Heng Qichun pursed his lips. "Then you go first."
Lou Yan: "?"
A sense of foreboding flashed through Lou Yan's mind. He narrowed his eyes, glancing at Heng Qichun's toes as he took a half-step back, and hunched his neck warily.
What was the key to breaking the Heartless Formation?
Heart devoid of desire...
Lou Yan hesitated for a moment.
He didn't dare to think about it too much.
In his previous life, he hated Heng Qichun to the extreme and vowed to kill him the moment he was thrown into the rooftop pool. However, when he actually fell into the demonic path years later, he couldn't help but want to do something else to his former master.
They wanted to capture, imprison, and invade him; they wanted to see him struggle, beg for mercy, and fall into depravity.
Is this considered lust?
Lou Yan shook his head, relying on the keen rationality of a wolf to think—this was at most a seed of evil born from hatred.
Thinking this, Lou Yan gradually relaxed and walked to the pillar of talismans under Heng Qichun's gaze.
The sharp canine teeth pierced his fingers, and Lou Yan stretched out his hand, letting a drop of bright red blood fall onto the talisman.
The sound of the wind in the illusion suddenly intensified, countless talismans began to sway, and then a flash of inspiration appeared.
Lou Yan was secretly delighted. It seemed that his feelings for Heng Qichun were indeed not the kind of feelings that humans described.
However, the wind gradually subsided, the swaying talisman paper gradually stabilized, the drop of blood was swallowed by the seal script on the paper, and everything returned to its original state.
His blood was useless.
Lou Yan stared blankly at the scene before her, her joy gradually replaced by despair, as if she were about to crack open.
How could this be...?
"..." Heng Qichun's expression was very unpleasant. After a moment of silence, he asked him in the tone of a teacher, "Which fellow disciple from the opposite sect... or senior and junior sisters?"
"No, no!" Lou Yan snapped out of her daze, raising her hands and repeatedly swearing, "I swear I have no feelings for them!"
In his panic, he pointed at the row of talismans and said, "There must be something wrong with these talismans!"
"Nonsense." Heng Qichun scoffed lightly, "Ancient talismans have been passed down for thousands of years, what problems could there be?"
Lou Yan would never admit to harboring any ulterior motives, and stubbornly challenged Heng Qichun, "If Master doesn't believe me, Master can try it himself!"
As he spoke, he lowered his head again and muttered softly, "After all, you are a deity from the heavens. Even the female ghost in the illusion cannot see through your life story. Even if you really are hiding someone... you wouldn't really have feelings for anyone, would you?"
Heng Qichun gave him a cold glare.
Lou Yan's words abruptly stopped as he felt that chill return. He instantly withdrew all his strength and gave Heng Qichun an awkward smile: "If you don't want to try, then forget it, Master."
Provocation tactic.
Heng Qichun snorted coldly, actually falling for his act. He pushed his little apprentice aside, still using his thumb to cut open the pad of his index finger, and dripped a drop of blood onto the talisman.
The talisman remained completely untouched; this time, there wasn't even a sound.
Lou Yan and Heng Qichun waited for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, but they concluded that the talisman would not change anything further—Heng Qichun's blood was also ineffective.
Lou Yan found it hard to believe. Standing there, Heng Qichun reached out and peered at the pale, snow-white figure behind him, his brows furrowed tightly.
Does Heng Qichun have someone in his heart?
Lou Yan felt that it was crazy of her to think that way.
How could his master, with his cold and aloof demeanor, possibly fall in love with anyone?
Could it be...?
“You’re not talking nonsense.” Heng Qichun suddenly turned around, rolled up his sleeves, and came down the stone steps, a look of annoyance gradually appearing on his pale face.
He concluded, "There's something wrong with this talisman."
Lou Yan's heart, which had been twisted into a mess, instantly calmed down and lay still.
He always said that!
He simply hates Heng Qichun; how could he possibly have any human feelings for him!
Thankfully, the problem was with the talisman paper!
Wait... if there's something wrong with the talisman...
Lou Yan cried out in distress, "Then... how can we get out of here..."
As he said this, his gaze inexplicably fell on the Pixiu cub at his feet, and he subconsciously licked the corner of his mouth, pursing his lips to signal Heng Qichun to look.
Heng Qichun narrowed his eyes in his line of sight, immediately understanding his meaning.
Neither of them could break the Heartless Formation, but the Pixiu cub might be able to.
Heng Qichun looked at the little beast that was completely unaware of the danger, hesitated for a moment, and said, "...Isn't that a bad idea?"
Lou Yan didn't answer, but grinned at the Pixiu cub.
A note from the author:
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We'll be taking a break tomorrow, and we'll see you at the same time the day after tomorrow!
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