Methods to break the formation
Suddenly, Lord Liyang leaned against the wall and stood up, saying, "You want me to participate in the performances of 'Shao' and 'Wu', but I cannot agree. You should know the reason now."
Ah Qiu realized that his strength was intermittent, sometimes there and sometimes not, and he probably couldn't sustain appearing in front of people for a long time.
Lord Liyang's tone softened somewhat as he said, "Xiao Chang'an and the Crown Prince together are at least half as good as Gu Yi in terms of music theory. Add An Gongdaoling to the mix, and you won't be without a chance of winning. Furthermore, 'Shao' and 'Wu' are not ordinary music and dance, but sacrificial ceremonies with the effect of cleansing and purifying the heart. You can consult a master from the Zhuyou Sect about this. If these people work together, they absolutely cannot lose to Wan Qiqing. Because no matter how powerful he is, he is still just one person."
A Qiu's eyes immediately lit up, and he said, "That's right! No matter how strong Master Wanqi is, it's just his personal ambition and talent. And that's also his biggest weakness."
In fact, when it comes to each going their own way and harboring their own agendas, although A Qiu is not very familiar with the situation in the Northern Dynasty, he can still clearly sense some of these traits from Xiao Chang'an and Wan Qiqing.
That means the strong are respected and only utilitarianism is valued.
The Southern Dynasties continued the orthodox Chinese civilization. No matter how much the powerful clans fought and schemed against each other, the wise people within each clan always had a consensus and a centripetal force to compromise and discuss for the sake of the greater good.
The nomadic grassland civilizations, which were primarily pastoral, only knew how to plunder and not how to build. They never established a unified state in history, and therefore never had the concept of collective wisdom and effort, relying more on individual bravery and military strength.
Wan Qiqing did not want to change the situation in the Northern Dynasty, but the problem was that even if he wanted to change it, the prevailing atmosphere in the Northern Dynasty meant that if he was not ruthless and powerful, he would be suppressed by others.
A smile floated out from under the mask of Lord Liyang, and he said, "Alright, I have finished answering. Can you leave now?" He leaned against the wall, but his figure was somewhat unsteady.
Ah Qiu was a little stunned, and said unwillingly, "You don't like me being here?"
Lord Liyang was slightly taken aback, then smiled wryly and said, "If you won't leave, I will." Ignoring his unsteady steps, he headed straight for the outside of the hall.
Seeing him staggering and falling, A Qiu asked anxiously, "Where are you going? Can't I help you?" As she spoke, she caught up with him and went to support his arm.
Lord Liyang immediately tried his best to dodge, but he used too much force and couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood on the ground.
Upon closer inspection, the blood was a deep crimson with streaks of golden red.
A-Qiu knew that he was unwilling to be touched no matter what, so she raised her hand to indicate that she would not move anymore, and said anxiously, "Don't be angry, I won't touch you, you can walk slowly."
He muttered again, "If I really marry you and we spend all our time together, will you not let me see you or touch you?"
Lord Liyang paused slightly, and said in a low voice, "I was presumptuous. This marriage agreement is hereby nullified as if it were never mentioned."
After saying that, he left without hesitation, his back view showing no sign of lingering.
A Qiu was speechless, stunned by his last sentence, and didn't recover for a long time. By the time she came to her senses, Lord Liyang's figure had already disappeared.
A-Qiu found this man quite strange, yet also quite presumptuous. From their very first meeting, he insisted she marry him, seemingly determined to have her, leaving her torn. But later, as he devoted more and more to her, he seemed to increasingly avoid the topic, until today, with the Divine Hound Camp risking their lives to help her, he simply said the marriage could be called off.
Logically, she should have felt relieved, but strangely, when he said that, she didn't feel that way. Instead, she felt a sense of loss wash over her.
It wasn't that she was hoping to marry him; it was just that he had once been so close to her, even inspiring her trust, and now he was so distant, leaving her feeling extremely uncomfortable and at a loss.
But A-Qiu was always magnanimous. After a moment's thought, she still felt that he was seriously injured at the moment, and since she was here, she absolutely could not just leave without asking about him. Otherwise, considering what she had done to him, it would be nothing short of pure exploitation.
With that thought in her mind, she also left the main hall, intending to go find him.
The abandoned palace of Liyang was neither particularly large nor small. The Divine Lord of Liyang had only been gone from the main hall for a few breaths, yet she had completely lost track of him.
She swept through the abandoned rock gardens and courtyards, only to be surprised at how quiet and empty it was. Apart from the rustling of the wind and the occasional birdsong from the treetops, there was almost no sign of human life.
After wandering around for a while, she suddenly realized that the scenery was all very similar, with winding corridors that seemed endless, and the palace gardens were all overgrown with withered grass and broken trees, their branches and leaves indistinct. Even with her excellent memory, she couldn't tell where she was going.
Only then did she suddenly remember something.
Wan Qiqing once told her that with the Lanling Assassins' strong memory of terrain and geography and their well-trained nature, if they arrived at a mansion or palace but couldn't get out, it was most likely because there was a formation set up there.
But at that time, Wan Qiqing did not teach formations anymore. He only said that it was another kind of secret technique, profound and extensive, but had nothing to do with martial arts.
Ah Qiu then asked, "If we encounter a formation during an assassination attempt, how should we escape?"
Wan Qiqing said casually, “If the formation is very simple, it cannot trap assassins like you. With your eyesight, you should be able to see its origins and development. But if the formation is very sophisticated, even I, your master, may not be able to break it. Even if you spend your whole life trying, you may not be able to even touch the threshold of it. Therefore, learning it would be a waste of your time.”
Ah Qiu then understood that his master meant that formations were a profound and complex subject. If one only learned a smattering of skills, it was better not to learn them at all. However, if one truly wanted to master them, one would have to abandon one's profession as an assassin and devote one's entire life to studying them. Moreover, the chances of encountering a master of formations while actually traveling the world were extremely slim, so there was no need to go through the trouble.
But A Qiu never expected that she would encounter a formation in this abandoned palace at this moment, and that it was extremely sophisticated and flawless. With her eyesight, she had not noticed it for half a day after entering the formation.
Knowing she had been tricked, she calmed herself down, stopped, and once again calmly surveyed her surroundings.
The scenery before one's eyes consists of nothing more than mountains, rivers, corridors, trees, and flowers, but because no one has tended to them for a long time, they present a wild atmosphere that is both desolate and overgrown.
The scenery is a mix of reality and illusion, light and shadow, yet it is remarkably similar and overlaps with everything else.
According to Wan Qiqing, the simplest way to break the formation is to go directly to the highest point in the field of vision, overlook the whole situation, and then you can see the origin and development of the formation.
However, what we see before us is clearly not such a simple formation, because there is no obvious elevation or depression in the terrain. This is because the person who set up the formation has deliberately hidden the key points of the formation, so that they are not immediately obvious.
This path is no longer viable.
A Qiu began racking his brains, searching for any other knowledge he could use at this moment.
Within the Lanling Hall, she was the head of the Divine Weapon Hall, primarily responsible for assassinations, thus limiting her knowledge of other miscellaneous subjects. However, her eldest brother, Gongyi Xiu, was a successor of the School of Diplomacy, and she often discussed military strategy and formations with her second brother, Moyi Mingyue.
I remember once Mo Yimingyue asked Gongyi Xiu if he was being chased in the wild and accidentally wandered into the mountains and marshes, where all he could see was mist and fog, and the branches and leaves were intertwined, making it impossible to tell which way to go. Was there any way to escape?
Their Xingfeng Hall often cleans up traitors and hunts down fugitives, and they themselves often face being hunted down by their enemies, hence this question.
Gongyi Xiu's answer at that time was now vividly flashing in her mind, as if it were happening right now.
He replied, "If you can't see it, listen to it."
A-Qiu closed her eyes, letting the recurring images recede from her sight, until only a clear and white expanse remained before her.
Gongyi Xiu's words seemed to echo in my ears: "Listen to the sound of water. Wherever trees and flowers grow, there must be water flowing by. Follow the direction of the stream, and you will surely find your way out."
Indeed, a very faint gurgling sound could be heard several feet away.
She thought to herself that Gongyi Xiu's argument was indeed reasonable. Over the years, Liyang Palace had been neglected and no one had irrigated it, yet the flowers, plants, and trees there had not only survived but were also thriving, which must have meant that water had been flowing through them.
She followed the sound step by step.
The sound of flowing water became clearer, like the only whisper between heaven and earth.
She didn't need to use her eyes to know that she had found the right direction. She held her breath, closed her eyes, sensed the direction of the water flow, and walked step by step.
Sometimes the world you perceive with your eyes closed is different from the world you see with your eyes.
As her ability to "listen to the water" became clearer and more proficient, she could almost mentally visualize how this living water split into several streams at Liyang Palace, forming a dense network of water that meandered underground, nourishing the flowers, plants, and trees of the area.
What she was listening to was one of the surface streams. Although it was mostly dried up and filled with withered branches and fallen leaves, it still had a vibrant life force, flowing gently.
She walked in silence for an unknown amount of time, but when she reached a half-broken palace wall, she suddenly stopped.
A Qiu suddenly realized: if she continued walking like this, it wouldn't be difficult to leave Liyang Palace. However, her current goal wasn't to leave Liyang Palace, but to find "that person." She could follow the water's flow to find the layout of Liyang Palace and locate the main gate, but she couldn't find that person.
Especially when he deliberately avoided her.
At this point, A-Qiu was truly in a dilemma.
But another thought quickly arose in her mind: his avoidance must be to find a place to heal his wounds. And this must have happened from time to time over the years, so he must have a fixed place to heal.
The array formation here is also designed to prevent disturbance by outsiders.
Now that she has a general understanding of the terrain of Liyang Palace, can she guess where he will heal his wounds?
At this moment, her mind was clear and lucid, and it seemed that the entire Liyang Palace was within her perception range.
The moment she had the thought of "finding him," she felt an unusual tremor run through her.
Almost instinctively, she reached out to touch her brow.
The reason for this sensation is not elsewhere, but in the space between the eyebrows.
Her brow was throbbing and burning, and the throbbing was getting stronger and stronger.
Almost simultaneously, she already knew where he was.
The intense reaction between her eyebrows was because he was not far from her, in fact, very close.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
