Wangzhen Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism
The immortal official walked to the center of the Wuxiang Hall with the report in his hand and silently recited a Sanskrit mantra. The goose yellow gauze curtain slowly began to reveal the figure of the majestic sitting Heavenly King.
"Tianjun, the mountain god of Yuemang Mountain in the human world has reported a letter."
As soon as the immortal official finished speaking, the mountain god's report floated up out of thin air and drifted towards the goose yellow gauze curtain where the figure of the Heavenly Lord appeared. Immortal mist floated out from the gauze curtain, gradually becoming so thick that it blocked the view.
A strange fragrance spread.
The fog dissipated, and everything around had turned into the Golden Palace of the Nine Heavens.
Lead-gray clouds flowed slowly outside the hall, and the hall was so quiet that one could hear the echo if a pin drop fell.
The Heavenly Emperor sat high on the Nine-Dragon Throne, his face hidden behind the twelve tassels of the imperial crown. No one could see his expression at the moment.
He stretched out a huge index finger, and when the fingertip fell, it brought up a strong wind, and the star lamps hanging in the hall shook together, as if they would go out in the next second.
The finger stopped above the immortal official's head, like a mountain suspended in the air.
The immortal official was crawling on the golden brick and jade steps, and the report in his hand was still emitting wisps of immortal mist. The two vermilion words "urgent report" on it were so painful to the eyes.
He didn't even have time to look up and see the lines on the finger before his body turned into powder with a teeth-grinding sound of shattering - not a bloody disintegration of flesh and blood, but like glass being hit by a heavy hammer, it turned into countless tiny jade-colored light points.
The light briefly lingered in the air before suddenly converging into a three-inch-long white jade abacus. Each of its 361 beads was plump and shimmering with a warm luster, though blood-red runes faintly appeared on each one.
The abacus fell on the gold brick with a "click", and the beads began to rotate on their own, making a crisp yet strange sound, as if they were calculating something.
The Heavenly Lord had withdrawn his fingers, as if he had merely brushed away a tiny speck of dust.
The white jade abacus bounced twice on the ground, then flew into the wide sleeves of the Heavenly Lord without a sound.
"Anyone who betrays this lord shall be put to death."
When the Heavenly Lord said this, his gaze was not on the immortal official who had been turned back into his original form as the white jade abacus, as if these words were not only meant for the immortal official to hear.
He only glanced at the report quickly, then cast a spell to crush it into powder, which disappeared without a trace in the wind.
The clouds outside the palace were still flowing slowly, and the golden light inside the Golden Throne Hall was still cold and silent, as if there had never been any immortal officials, and there had never been that heart-pounding shattering sound.
Only on the golden bricks in front of the throne still lingered a faint scent of jade dust, reminding people of what had just happened.
The fairy mist blocked their vision again, and then quickly dissipated. The scene of the Golden Palace just now disappeared along with it, and the scene inside the Wuxiang Palace returned.
However, the immortal officials who were floating in front of the bookshelves and fiddling with the abacus had also disappeared, leaving only the white jade abacus beads scattered on the ground.
"He has discovered us. We must leave this place quickly."
The bookshelves stood in formation, like soldiers in formation. The dark brown wood grain shone quietly in the dim light. As I passed the third row of bookshelves, the entrance behind me quietly disappeared behind the same array of bookshelves.
My fingertips slid across the spines of the books, and the coolness of the leather and the roughness of the paper alternated. The distance between each row of bookshelves was even as if measured with a ruler, and even the joints of the floor tiles were horizontal and vertical, revealing an unquestionable regularity.
He tried to count his steps, turned left, then right, but the passage he expected to take him to the east wall was still filled with endless bookshelves.
The air was filled with the mixed scent of old ink and camphor wood, weaving a sticky web at the tip of the nose. Even the sound of footsteps was sucked in and became heavy. The echoes swirled in the space on all sides, and it was impossible to tell which direction they came from.
I happened to look up and saw that the night sky and stars were still there on the roof of the hall, but the carved window frame that was clearly on the left just now appeared right in front of me.
He stopped abruptly.
"It seems we're trapped here by a Array of Delusion. I need to break it and find the center. Otherwise, we'll be trapped here forever, until the person who set up the array dies and the technique dissipates. Ah Li, when I break the array later, no matter what happens, you must hold me tight. You and I must not separate, or we'll get lost in the Array of Delusion."
Make a hand seal: make a fist with your left hand, extend your thumb and place it on the palm of your right hand, wrap the four fingers of your right hand around your left thumb, forming the "Po Meng Seal". While chanting the mantra, slowly rotate your right hand, and at the last sentence, release your hands and hold them up with your palms facing upwards.
Combined with Bu Gang: San Cai Gang.
He first stepped on the heavenly position (front) and chanted: "Jiugai dispels confusion." Then he stepped on the earthly position (back) and chanted: "Kunyu opens the mind." Finally, he stepped on the human position (center) and chanted: "The confused formation is destroyed, and the essence is circulated." When stepping on the human position, he put his feet together and pressed the seals of his hands forward and downward.
When Cha Suxun chanted the first sentence of the spell, the first sign appeared. The wood grain of the bookshelf touched by his fingertips began to glow. The originally disorganized text on the spines of the books began to emerge with ancient characters with the same radicals following the rhythm of the spell, like tiny stars embedded in the wood.
When reciting the second sentence of the mantra, there will be a sense of movement.
The rustling sound of flipping papers could be heard in the passages between the bookshelves, but no wind was blowing; some of the crooked bookshelves would straighten themselves, and the dust on the tops of the shelves would condense into a fine mist, drawing the incomplete outline of the Eight Diagrams in the air, and occasionally short sentences from the pages of the books would flash through the mist: open-minded, enlightened.
When reciting the last sentence of the mantra, the final sign of breaking the formation will appear.
All the bookshelves stopped moving, and the glowing wood grain formed a beam of light that rose from the ground, sucking the surrounding pages toward the center of the light column. When the pages unfolded, they formed a complete map of the way out.
When the map dissipated, a few dried petals with the scent of ink fell from the sky. These were not originally in the formation, but seemed to be talismans condensed by Taoist Qi to break delusion.
The surrounding scene changed again.
They seemed to be standing in the core area of the bookshelf maze, forming a strong sense of convergence with the outer maze.
The outside is an impenetrable jungle of bookshelves, but here is a circular space with a diameter of more than ten feet. The ground is paved with dark-patterned marble, and the stone patterns are exactly connected with the silver lines of the Bagua Book Array, as if all the veins of the maze finally converge here.
"Is this considered a success?"
"Let's just consider it halfway. This only clears the surface of the deceptive formation. To completely break the true formation, we still need to find the core."
"I've only seen a brief description of the Wang Formation in a book in the Heavenly Realm Library. It seems to say that the function of the formation's eye is to change the passage by moving the bookshelves, while simultaneously releasing "Wang Qi," allowing those who enter to see scenes of obsession recorded in the book, such as unfinished stories or unforgettable text fragments, thus trapping them in the formation. To break the formation, one must first press the back pattern to break the source lock of the mystery, and then use the incantation of Dao Qi to disperse the Wang Iron in the black book spine. Only then will the eye of the formation be ineffective."
"Yes, Ah Li has a good memory."
Yuanli smiled bitterly and said, "What's the use of having a good memory? I don't know much. The last few pages have been torn out. The method to break it may be on those pages. I can't help you at all."
"Don't say that. I just vaguely remember what you just said. Thanks to you. Let's go and find the center of the formation together."
"Wait, Ah Cha, let's pick up those fallen dried petals. They weren't originally in the formation. They look like talismans condensed for Dao Qi to break delusion. Maybe they can be used. After all, things that fall out of nowhere are very likely to be useful clues."
"Ari's words make a lot of sense."
Cha Suxun carefully picked up all the fallen dry petals, then continued walking forward while holding her in his arms.
After a few steps, they seemed to have arrived at the core area of the "bookshelf maze".
In the center stood a jade writing table half a person's height. The table was made of transparent white jade with hollowed-out writing symbols engraved on the surface, and a perpetual lamp was embedded in the symbols.
The wick is a bundle of dried old paper fibers. The flame is light green and does not produce smoke. Instead, it slowly releases a mist with the scent of ink. Occasionally, scattered words from ancient books will emerge in the mist: The sky opened in Zi, and the earth was created in Chou. However, there is no more confusing aura, only the pure aura of words.
"This ever-burning lamp is the Ink Soul Lamp!"
As soon as the voice fell, Yuanli discovered that there was an old wooden table on the left side of the jade desk, and there were three items on the table:
One is half a square of smooth pine soot ink, with the words "Chengxin" engraved on the ink;
The second is a Dianxuan pen with a bamboo handle. The tip of the pen seems to be made of silk mixed with metal wire, and it feels slightly cool to the touch;
The third is a stack of uncut frost paper, which has a faint silver sheen. It is said that if you smoke it with the heat of the ink soul lamp, you can write "unfading words" on the paper.
On the right is a wall with patterns, which is made of countless small bamboo pieces without any patterns on them.
"These are all things mentioned in the records and depicted in diagrams. Ah Cha, do as I say. Gently move the Ink Soul Lamp on the Jade Book Table to the wall. The light will shine through the hollowed-out calligraphy symbols on the Jade Book Table, casting a shadow of the book on the wall."
"good."
The projected dynamic "book shadow" depicts scenes of ancient people flipping through books, transcribing and annotating them. The silent yet coherent images seem to silently narrate the history of this palace and books.
Afterwards, Yuanli directed Cha Suxun to place the delusion-breaking talisman picked up in the maze, the dried flower petals that fell in space and time when the formation was broken, and the paper ball condensed by the clear mind energy in the wooden box at the center of the formation, under the light green flame of the Mohun Lamp.
Instead of being burned, the paper stretched out in the fire and turned into a transparent ghost-guiding paper.
Silver lines on the paper would outline a path map outside the Wuxiang Palace - including hidden secret passages, shortcuts to avoid the outer guards, and even marking the "power of the book spirit that can be borrowed" on the path.
Soon, they discovered that the paper only took shape under the light of the Ink Soul Lamp, and would return to an ordinary ball of paper when out of the light.
Yuanli pondered, confused, and muttered repeatedly, "Can I borrow the power of a book spirit? The records I saw didn't mention borrowing the power of a book spirit."
Unable to recall, Yuanli said, "How about taking the Ink Soul Lamp? I think it's not a trap, so it should be fine if I take it."
"good."
Cha Suxun walked straight over and put the Mohun Lamp into the magic weapon.
"Take it if I say so. A-Cha, aren't you afraid that my intuition is wrong?"
"I trust your wisdom and intuition. Besides, I am immortal and indestructible, so I cannot die."
Yuanli gave him a rewarding kiss on the face. Cha Suxun's smile widened and he hugged her tighter.
"I remember the records also mentioning that if one holds the Dianxuan pen on the table and whispers a question to the Ink Soul Lamp, the pen tip will automatically dip into the fragrant ink mist emanating from the lamp and write the answer on the frost paper. However, the answer isn't in plain words, but rather a riddle composed of ancient seal characters, calligraphy symbols, and simple strokes."
"Try?"
Cha Suxun walked forward and, following Yuanli's instructions, held the Dianxuan Pen on the table and softly asked the Ink Soul Lamp, "Who set up this Wang Formation? And why?"
Sure enough, the tip of the pen automatically dipped into the ink mist emitted from the lamp and drew on the frosted paper: a picture of a person holding a book and standing in front of a collapsed bookshelf, with the words "Guard the text and prevent confusion" engraved next to it.
Cha Suxun once again held the Dianxuan pen on the table and whispered a question to the Mohun Lamp: "Will Ah Li be with me forever until the day of death?"
However, the Dianxuan Pen and Ningshuang Paper did not react.
"It seems that not all questions can be answered, and the effectiveness is average."
"If it could answer everything, the Heavenly Monarch wouldn't have allowed it to appear here. It seems it can only answer questions related to this place."
"Should I take these two things with me?"
"It's a treasure anyway, take it all with you!"
Yuanli suddenly had an idea. "As the saying goes, there's an antidote within three steps. This is true for these treasures. I can borrow the power of the Book Spirit and should be able to find some nearby."
"Okay, since it's a book spirit, it must be related to books."
Cha Suxun held her and floated off the ground. He cast a spell quickly and read a hundred lines at a glance. Soon he found a special bookshelf marked "Book Spirit Talisman". There was a book on the shelf with a particularly old spine.
If you listen closely, you can hear the sound of pages turning, but the sound is so faint that it can be easily ignored if you don't pay close attention.
Cha Suxun tentatively pressed down the spine of the book with his index finger, but nothing happened, only dust fell off.
He then took the book with peace of mind, and saw that it was a wordless book with a lifting pattern on the cover.
"Or is it a book without words?"
After Yuanli tried many spells from the heavenly realm to reveal words without success, she turned her attention to the Xuan Pen she had just used.
"Since I can't manifest it, I can at least write it, right? I read a story in a human storybook about a scholar who found a jade pen. Everything he wrote came true. Why don't you just write two words and try it?"
"The cover picture shows lifting, so let's just write lifting."
After saying that, Cha Suxun dipped the Dianxuan brush on the table into the mist from the Mohun lamp and wrote the word "support" on the inner page of the wordless book.
However, no words can be written at all.
"Why don't you try the cover? The paper feels different."
Cha Suxun wrote the word "support" on the cover of the wordless book, but still nothing happened.
Yuanli took the wordless book from his hand and studied it for a long time, smelling and touching it. She put the book to her ear and listened carefully to the sound of turning pages when it was closed.
Gradually, she found a pattern.
Three times each.
Yuanli tentatively turned three pages of the book, but there was no response.
She tapped the cover three more times, and instantly, the pages opened automatically, and a book figurine floated out from the pages.
The book figurines are not physical entities, but are condensed from the "paper souls" of ancient books in the bookshelf and the spiritual energy emitted by the ink soul lamps. They look like half-human-height paper dolls - their bodies are made up of multiple layers of yellowed ancient book pages, and the folds of their clothes are the red ink marks on the pages; their heads have no facial features, and only the simple outline of the word "book" is outlined with ink lines; their hands are in a holding position, and each palm is attached to a glowing silver-thread book page, which is the same origin as the silver thread of the Bagua Book Array. The whole thing exudes a faint bookish air, and makes a slight "rustling" sound of paper when moving, but does not make footsteps.
They move, and it moves with them.
"I'm so lucky! After writing down the words you need, tap the cover three times, and the pages of the Wordless Book will automatically open. A book figurine will float out from the pages and follow the summoner. However, this book figurine seems to be quite useless."
Yuanli tentatively ordered it, "Carry up the bronze bird-shaped lamp."
The book figurine did understand her words and did as she said, but it simply couldn't lift it. However, it was a stubborn person who followed orders and kept trying to lift the floor lamp. Its paper hands were worn out, but the floor lamp didn't move at all, but it kept trying.
"Book Warrior, don't use the lamp anymore. Take the copy of Yin Liu Ji away."
Upon hearing this, the book figurine immediately took action, carrying the book on its head and staring at her blankly.
"Being able to get a book... is of some use. It would be nice to bring it back and serve tea. Come on, Ah Cha, let's continue looking for the center of the formation."
"Yeah, it's considered making the best use of it."
The only way from the periphery to the core area is a wooden corridor between two layers of bookshelves.
She directed the book figurines to walk ahead and explore the way, but she never expected that the three-foot-wide floor tiles in the middle of the corridor were loose. As soon as they stepped on them, the floor became like soft paper, with countless books piled up in a mess under the gaps.
They immediately fell through the gap and were buried by the books.
The more Cha Suxun cast spells and tried to fly upwards, the heavier his legs felt, and the faster he fell, as if an invisible hand was dragging him down.
In the deep pit at the gap were ancient books piled up to the ground. If she fell, she would be buried by the books. He hunched over and protected Yuanli tightly to prevent her from being accidentally hurt by the books during the fall.
"Damn it! I was careless!"
Although his life was not in danger, he triggered the penalty of "being trapped in the maze again" and returned to the starting point, having to walk through the bookshelf maze again.
After landing safely, Yuanli checked his condition immediately. Fortunately, there were no external injuries.
"It's okay, it's okay, Ah Li. I'm not hurt. Those books were actually soft when they hit me. They didn't hurt me at all. They must have been a pure trick to disgust me and mess with my mentality."
"Really?"
"Really. The gap is the only way to go. Since it's a book pit, just fill it up."
Cha Suxun immediately wrote on the cover of the wordless book: Moving.
He then summoned the "Book-Carrying Figurine" and ordered it to carry the "thick pages of ancient books" found in the maze to the gap, and piece the ancient books together in a "three horizontal and two vertical" pattern to form a temporary bridge deck.
Yuanli noticed that each of the books carried by the book figurines weighed about two kilograms, and the words "Zhenlan" were printed on the cover.
If the weight of the books is a coincidence, the fact that the books are all named "Zhenlan" is a designated order from Cha Suxun.
"Carrying the books one by one is too slow. How about we cast a spell to fill them ourselves?"
"No, only the ancient books placed on the book figurines can bear the weight. The ancient books we carry ourselves will shatter due to the lack of spiritual energy. When we step over it later, we need to walk slowly and lightly. If we step too heavily, the ancient book bridge will shake slightly. We need to cross it as soon as possible."
"All right."
After waiting for a long time, Yuanli felt a little nervous. She was very uneasy and had a bad premonition.
Cha Suxun stroked her flaming self and soothed her, "Don't worry. Aren't Tianshu and Hengjin still out there? The Wang Zhen relies on countless traps and constant reactivation to cause the trapped to collapse, suffering endless mental torture and losing the will to live. I can definitely get you out, it just takes time. Trust me."
"No, I'm not anxious. Of course I believe you."
"You're setting off fireworks, and you're still saying you're not anxious?"
"Okay, I'm very anxious, but I don't know what exactly I'm anxious about. I just have a bad feeling in my heart, and I'm very panicked. Could it be the influence of this array?"
"It's possible."
As soon as he finished speaking, Cha Suxun saw that she in his arms had calmed down a lot.
After the book figurines filled the gap, they quickly passed through and arrived at the outskirts of the core area.
A stone wall appeared in front of me. On the stone wall was a secret door flush with the wall. There was no keyhole on the door, only a blank "book page pattern" engraved on it, and there was no trace of any mechanism around it.
Cha Suxun stretched out his hand and touched the secret door directly. Black ink seeped out of the stone wall and stained his palm black.
Yuanli cast a spell to remove the black ink from his hands, but it was ineffective.
"My spell shouldn't be completely ineffective."
"This black ink needs to be washed away with the mist from the Ink Soul Lamp, otherwise it will attract the disturbing paper butterflies in the Wandering Formation."
"So, you deliberately got stained to attract the paper butterflies in the array?"
"The one who understands me is Ahri. Paper butterflies don't exist naturally, but are formed from the fragments of torn ancient books in the maze, condensed from ink stained by the aura of despair. Each one is only the size of a fingernail, its wings are translucent fragments of pages, and its wing veins are faint traces of ink. When they fly in groups, they make a rustling sound similar to the turning of pages. There are two triggering conditions: one is to touch the "Ink Shadow Secret Door" and get your palm stained with unwashed black ink; the other is to forcibly tear or damage pages in the bookshelf maze. The moment the pages fall to the ground, they will attract paper butterflies. The more books you damage, the greater the number of paper butterflies that gather."
"Will it hurt you?"
"It's not harmful, but the paper butterflies' main purpose is to disrupt your vision, firstly by obscuring your vision and secondly by draining your spiritual energy. Firstly, the paper butterflies will primarily fly around your head, landing in swarms in front of your eyes. Their overlapping wings form an "ink mist barrier," blurring your vision. Once-clear aisles on the bookshelves will appear distorted, and the text on the spines will become garbled, making it impossible to discern your direction. If you move hastily at this moment, you could easily bump into the bookshelves, triggering secondary traps like the maze barrier that pops up on the bookshelves. Secondly, the spiritual energy drain is that when the paper butterflies touch your skin, they slightly absorb the Purifying Qi that has been contaminated by your body. Purifying Qi is obtained from the wooden box at the center of the formation after breaking through. Each time a paper butterfly touches you, your fingertips will feel numb and your mind will become slightly hazy. If too much Purifying Qi is absorbed, you will temporarily lose the ability to summon book figurines, form seals, or chant incantations, forcing you to rely on your own judgment to avoid obstacles. Don't worry, I know how to control it."
"That's good, but what's the purpose of gathering paper butterflies?"
"The paper butterfly will lead us into the transitional space between the outer and inner areas of the palace. The Wang Formation is the best formation for protecting secrets, and the transitional space is where the treasures are hidden. A secret that requires such a complex and troublesome Wang Formation to protect must be astonishing."
Cha Suxun held the Ink Soul Lamp and approached the area where the paper butterflies gathered. The light green flame emitted from the lamp body would form an "aura shield". When the paper butterflies came into contact with the flame, they immediately turned into paper ashes and fell down.
The flame will not burn the human body, so Cha Suxun simply held the lamp and circled it around his body, quickly dispersing all the paper butterflies within a half-meter range around him.
"In addition to using the Ink Soul Lantern to dispel the paper butterflies, if you don't have the Ink Soul Lantern with you, you can quickly form the Kaishu Seal. Aim your palm at the group of paper butterflies and recite the first line of the mantra: 'Mysterious Pivot Enlightened, the Eight Desolations Open.' A faint light of Dao Qi will emanate from your palm. While it won't completely dispel the paper butterflies, it will force them back for half an incense stick, buying you a chance to reach the core area and obtain the Ink Soul Lantern. Ah Li, remember all of this. The Wang Zhen is a top-level maze that incorporates all the mechanisms of intermediate and advanced mazes, addressing gaps, eliminating the inferior and selecting the superior, and continuously upgrading and improving them. Learn how to break the Wang Zhen, and future mazes will be virtually unstoppable."
"Yeah, remember that."
Listening to Cha Suxun's earnest teaching and explanation, Yuanli felt like she was back in the Netherworld Palace when he was teaching her.
He was always so patient and meticulous. No matter how much she knew, he would start from the very basics, for fear that she would not be able to learn.
More and more paper butterflies gathered, and their wings overlapped to form an ink mist barrier.
Seizing the right opportunity, Cha Suxun used the Ink Soul Lamp to disperse the paper butterflies, and they were successfully brought by the paper butterflies into the transition space between the outer and core areas of the palace.
The plaque reads: Canjianzhai.
Canjianzhai is a long and narrow room sandwiched between the maze exit and the dark door. It is only half the size of a house, but it seems like a corner of a study forgotten by time, just right to buffer the tense pace of exploration.
A tattered paper lantern hung from the roof. Its wick was a half-burned bamboo chopstick. Although it didn't emit light, it absorbed the surrounding ink mist. Affixed to the surface of the lantern were several fragments of broken scrolls, each inscribed in faded cinnabar with a short sentence:
Paper butterflies are afraid of blue flames.
The number of inscriptions on the figurine is limited to one.
"This is the key clue to unlocking the outer barrier. If we previously overlooked the characteristics of the paper butterflies and book figurines, this will provide the necessary information. It's the same principle in a different form; some mazes will also employ this method to provide clues to those trapped."
"Even if there's a secret hidden within this formation, and they want to exhaust the trapped person to death, then why would they provide any clues?"
"Because, it's far more painful to let someone die hopelessly after being trapped in a dead end than to let them find a glimmer of hope after being trapped in a dead end. The glimmer of hope that a trapped person sees may not necessarily mean they will survive in the end."
Against the wall on the left side of the room stood an old wooden table with missing legs. The legs were padded with three bundles of ancient books. Scattered on the table were half a gnawed dry biscuit and a chipped coarse porcelain bowl with a little cold tea left at the bottom, as if someone had taken a short rest here.
Yuanli pointed to the teacup, and Cha Suxun understood and nodded in response.
On the right side were several unopened boxes of books, each with a yellowed seal that read "Waiting to be Shelved." Occasionally, a few pages with silver thread would leak out from the gaps between the boxes.
The most special thing is the ground in the center of the room, where a simple "book figurine summoning array" is painted with white lime, and a broken brush is placed in the center of the array.
"This has the same origin as the Bagua Book Formation. Does it hint at the connection between the trapped person, the book box, and the core area?"
"Yes. If you temporarily lose the ability to summon book figurines, form seals, or chant spells, you can use a mysterious brush to copy the formation diagram here, then dip it in the ink mist absorbed by the lantern. The summoned book figurines will last for half an incense stick of time and are only effective in this transitional space. To create and establish the Wang Formation, there is a necessary condition: a person guarding the formation. They are extremely crucial."
"This room looks like a whole place. How could a person guarding the formation be hidden there?"
"It's a trick. He should be watching us from the dark where we can't see him."
Cha Suxun carefully searched the house for useful clues. He tried to open the hidden drawer at the bottom of the old wooden table, but it was stuck. He gently lifted the drawer and pulled it open.
Inside the drawer was a half-finished thread-bound memoir. The pages had become brittle, and the handwriting was written in light ink, much of it blurred. Only the key sentences could be discerned:
Now I use the iron to seal the eye of the formation, for fear that the energy will leak out in the future, so I leave a return pattern to lock it, which needs to be pressed with the pivot seal. Paper butterflies are born from the energy of the paper, so the book must not be destroyed. If you destroy it, the butterflies will gather the ink souls, and if they are destroyed, the formation will be in chaos. I must keep the lamp to the end.
The last page shows a simple portrait with the note "Book Keeper - Yun Yan" on the side.
In addition, Cha Suxun also found a bookmark needle stuck in the pages of the remaining notes.
He used a fine needle to pick open the seal of one of the book boxes on the "Waiting to Return Shelf". Inside the seal was a tiny piece of mulberry paper with a "lamp-pen-paper" pattern drawn on it in thick ink - the flame of the Ink Soul Lamp pointed to the Dianxuan Pen, the tip of the pen pointed to the Ningshuang Paper, and under the paper was the outline of the Jade Desk.
"This is a hint that to obtain the words from the lamp, the three elements must be combined. It is also a subtle reminder that the frost paper needs to be fumigated with the warmth of the lamp before the true words can be revealed."
"Yes."
"Are there no clues about Yun Yan, the guardian of the formation?"
Just by mentioning the name Yun Yan, a gentle scholar's voice answered her immediately.
Then, a handsome man in a white robe slowly walked out from the bookshelf.
He had half a silver mask on his face, his skin was dazzlingly white, his features were gentle, but he lacked masculinity, and his every move was like that of a delicate girl.
Yuanli watched him intently, feeling that he looked familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen him before.
Yun Yan timidly covered the other half of his face that was not wearing a mask, avoided his gaze, and turned slightly to the side.
"I am born ugly. To avoid frightening you two distinguished guests, it is best not to look at me like that. Besides, I will feel a little uncomfortable, so please forgive me."
"I'm sorry, I just feel like I've seen you somewhere before, but I can't remember where. I think you're quite pretty. Why would you feel inferior to someone like that?"
He was somewhat happy, but soon returned to his timid appearance, hunching his shoulders, lowering his head, and covering his face with his hands in self-abasement.
"That's because you didn't see the horrific scar under my mask. Ah Feng also praised my appearance like you did, but even she was terrified and disgusted by my ugly scar, let alone you, a stranger to me. You'd better not look at me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yun Yan glanced at Cha Suxun with a look of surprise in his eyes.
Looking at him, who looked lifeless, it seemed as if at this moment, he suddenly became full of hope and vitality.
"Your face is so beautiful, can you lend it to me?"
Yuanli took the opportunity to ask, "You want his face, so you want Ah Feng to like your appearance again and no longer be afraid of your scars? But if you borrow his face, Ah Feng will no longer recognize you. Then won't the friendship between you two be gone, and you will become complete strangers?"
"Wouldn't it be better to start over as strangers? Ah Bong likes to collect beautiful things, and she will definitely like his face. I know Ah Bong best. If I could have a face like that, I would be able to win Ah Bong's favor again in no time."
Looking at Yun Yan's insane appearance, Yuanli felt that this was another passionate and tragic love story. She immediately thought of the countless love stories she had read in her past lives and made bold guesses.
"Yun Yan, is the scar on your face caused by Ah Feng?"
Yun Yan ignored Yuan Li's question and instead cast his gaze on Cha Suxun. "How about I trade my treasure with you?"
"not good."
Yun Yan's face was filled with anger. "You don't even want to hear what treasure I want to exchange for you? You reject me?"
"No matter what, I won't trade my face with you. My fiancée also loves this face of mine. If I give it to you, she will hate me without my face, just like Ah Feng hates you with your disfigured face, and she will never like me again."
Yun Yan teleported in front of Cha Suxun and glared at him fiercely.
"There's no point in glaring at me. The scars from the Red Lotus Karma Fire are ugliest, but no matter how ugly they are, they can't compare to the ugliness of your actions. Does your Ah Feng really dislike you just because of the scars on your face? Now, you're not even a living thing. What makes you think that just because I borrowed my face, I can put it on yours?"
Yun Yan's face was distorted and he covered his ears like a madman. "Stop talking! Shut up! Shut up!"
"It is said that a great fire once broke out in Princess Huaifeng's spiritual palace. This was no ordinary fire, but Princess Huaifeng's unique Red Lotus Karma Fire. That fire only killed a favored in-law of the princess, but also burned the face of Princess Huaifeng's husband. This princess loved beautiful objects and creatures the most. Even the attendants who swept the palace were carefully selected from the elves with excellent looks and talents. The husband was ranked first in appearance among the elves. There were rumors that the husband would be divorced for losing his looks. However, not only was the husband not divorced, it was said that Princess Huaifeng loved him even more and dismissed all her male favorites and concubines for him. Yun Yan, there is no point in deceiving yourself. If you die, Princess Huaifeng will have died tens of thousands of years ago. Even if you have a beautiful face, it will be useless."
Yun Yan immediately retorted, "You're lying! The princess is so young and blessed! How could she die?"
"I didn't lie, you know it."
"You're talking nonsense! Ah Feng is not dead... Ah Feng can't be dead... Ah Feng can't be dead..."
His rage gradually subsided as he repeated the words "A Feng cannot die" over and over again, his voice becoming softer and softer, and slowly, he stopped repeating them silently.
He stood there quietly, with his head lowered, eyes closed, and motionless.
After a long while, he opened his eyes again with a gentle expression.
"Ah Feng~ Are you here to see me?"
Yun Yan looked straight at the bookshelf aisle behind Cha Suxun with a smile on his face, then happily walked around him and ran over.
They turned around and saw that the scene behind them had turned into the elves' palace.
The girl wearing the elven crown stood in the center of the palace. Yun Yan ran to her, knelt at her feet, and hugged her legs tightly with his arms.
"Your Highness, your Highness... Your Highness hasn't come to see A Yan for a long time. Does Your Highness not like A Yan anymore?"
"No, I like Ayan the most. But, Ayan, you have to be good, I..."
"I've put you in a difficult position again, haven't I? Your Highness is a noble man, and I'm just a lowly servant, yet I've earned your favor and affection. It's only natural that the Prince Consort hates me. Your Highness, please expel me. I don't want you to be in a difficult position anymore, and I don't want others to speak ill of you. As long as I have a small place in your heart, I'd be happy even if I died."
"Stop talking nonsense. Who I favor is not up to my husband. But, my husband and I are still married, so I have to take care of his feelings. I can't come to see you so often. But you will always have a place in my heart."
The silver mask on Yun Yan's face has disappeared, and there are no scars on his face, which looks very good.
After hearing Cha Suxun say that the fire also burned the face of Princess Huaifeng's husband, Yuanli thought Yun Yan was the husband, but unexpectedly, it was the in-law servant who was burned to death.
She sent a telepathic message to Cha Suxun and asked, "Acha, what is a consort?"
Cha Suxun explained to her through voice transmission, "You can understand this as follows: there are usually two servants who cover the feet of a female monarch at night. Marriage servants are not much different from male concubines or face-to-face companions. If they are favored by the monarch, they will even sleep with her."
Yuanli sent a voice message to Cha Suxun, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk. Why didn't I get this treatment when I was a princess? Mortal royalty don't know how to enjoy themselves enough. Then when I was a demon king, did I also have in-laws?"
Cha Suxun sent her a message, "Well... I guess that counts as one."
Yuanli sent a voice message to Cha Suxun, "What do you mean by 'it counts as one'? If there is, then there is. If there isn't, then there isn't. And if there is, why is there only one? Don't I need to cover my other foot?"
Cha Suxun sent her a message, "I alone am enough to keep your bed warm."
Yuanli sent a telepathic message to Cha Suxun, and asked in shock, "My in-law servant is you?"
Cha Suxun transmitted a message to her and asked, "Why? Ah Li seems disappointed that her in-law is me."
Yuanli sent a voice message to Cha Suxun, "No, no, no, I'm not disappointed. I should be so happy to have a maid of Cha's stature and appearance that I can't sleep. I'm just shocked. Aren't you my fiancé? And... with your status... how can you be my maid?"
The boomerang of abandoning her fiancé and remarrying once again stabbed her back.
But, she had done this twice...and it was with the same person.
I am so ashamed...
In-laws...
Sleeping with the Emperor...
If she had devoured Cha Suxun completely and then abandoned him for someone else, that would have been too much of a jerk...
Cha Suxun sent her a message, "Although I was threatened and forced by you, being your in-law is a blessing for me. Besides, Lord Demon Lord didn't want me to be his servant. He just wanted to be with me day and night, to sleep in the same bed with me. That way I would sleep more soundly and peacefully. Well... at least that's how you explained it at the time."
Yuanli sent a telepathic message to Cha Suxun: "I forced... I forced..."
Cha Suxun transmitted a message to her, "Yes, you said that if I didn't become your in-law, you would no longer want me, nor our engagement. You said it so seriously at the time, so I didn't dare to take it lightly."
Upon hearing this, Yuanli was struck by lightning...
She didn't understand, she really didn't understand herself when she was Li Wan...
He obeyed and condescended to become her in-law.
But she still didn't want him anymore, and didn't want to be engaged to him...
Unfaithful man, unfaithful man...
Yuanli transmitted a message to Cha Suxun and asked, "Did I force you to... do that?"
Cha Suxun sent her a message, "Which one? Are you saying you want to force me to sleep with you?"
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