Zhuo Bufan was not at all surprised by Liang Yan's answer. Nodding, he said, "As long as the green mountains remain, there is no fear of running out of firewood. Moreover, Junior Brother Liang possesses extraordinary talent in the Way of Formations; perhaps the Sect Master might grant a lenient punishment in the future."
Liang Yan bowed respectfully to Zhuo Bufan and said, "Thank you, Senior Brother, for guiding me through this confusion. Please inform me of the canyon's location. On the day the Wondrous Calligraphy Assembly is held, I shall take the risk and attempt it."
Zhuo Bufan waved his hand and said, "There is no rush. To enter the canyon, one must pass one of seven trials. Given your talent, Junior Brother Liang, you will inevitably choose the path of 'Breaking Formations.' However, to successfully break a formation, you must prepare three items."
Liang Yan asked, "Oh? May I know what they are?"
Zhuo Bufan replied, "They are Spirit Monkey Wine, Enchanting Fragrance, and the Heavenly Treasure Copper Coin. Only with these three items can you smoothly enter and break the formation; otherwise, it is nothing more than empty talk."
Hearing this, Liang Yan scratched his head and said, "This junior brother's knowledge is shallow. I don't seem to know any of these three things Senior Brother Zhuo mentioned. Could you please enlighten me?"
"Naturally," Zhuo Bufan nodded. "The first, Spirit Monkey Wine, is brewed from a spiritual beast called the Golden Money Spirit Monkey. Its taste is mellow and sweet, and it serves to nourish a cultivator's spiritual energy. The Golden Money Spirit Monkey itself isn't particularly strong, usually only at the fifth or sixth level of Qi Refinement, but they typically live in groups within mountain forests and are skilled at group combat, making them quite troublesome."
"Where do these Golden Money Spirit Monkeys usually inhabit?" Liang Yan interjected.
"They are not rare; they are distributed throughout the State of Zhao. The closest to us is Mount Pingfeng to the west. At your pace, it should take about three days."
Zhuo Bufan paused before continuing, "As for the second item, Enchanting Fragrance, it is a unique specialty of the Fragrance Sect, a small cultivation sect in the State of Zhao. The Fragrance Sect is mostly composed of women and excels in many unorthodox arts; they are not an easy sect to deal with. You must be especially careful, Junior Brother Liang."
Liang Yan nodded. "Thank you for the warning, Senior Brother. Where is this Fragrance Sect located?"
Zhuo Bufan said, "The Fragrance Sect is very far from here. Even with flying tools, it would take six or seven days. A round trip might mean you miss the Wondrous Calligraphy Assembly. However, by a stroke of luck, several small cultivation sects in the State of Zhao are currently co-hosting an exchange meeting, and the Fragrance Sect has sent representatives to attend. The meeting is being held on Mount Pingfeng. Since Enchanting Fragrance is their unique specialty, they will surely bring some to exchange for other resources."
"In that case, it seems I've had a stroke of luck," Liang Yan said with a self-deprecating smile.
"Haha! As the saying goes, the Great Dao is fifty, but Heaven derives only forty-nine, leaving one for humanity to find. Although the Heavenly Dao is heartless, there is always a glimmer of hope in everything. I suppose this is the sliver of life the Heavenly Dao has left for you."
Liang Yan shook his head. "Senior Brother, please stop teasing me. Let us speak of the third item."
Zhuo Bufan rubbed his nose and smiled. "The third item, the Heavenly Treasure Copper Coin, is not a spiritual tool or treasure, but an antique from the secular world. In the secular State of Zhao, the emperor of the previous dynasty once gathered all the skilled craftsmen in the nation, supplemented by many rare materials, to cast twelve copper coins. History calls them the 'Heavenly Treasure Copper Coins.' After the fall of the previous dynasty, these twelve coins scattered among the common people and became extremely precious antiques."
"The State of Zhao is so vast; how could one find a Heavenly Treasure Copper Coin in such a short time?"
"It won't be easy!" Zhuo Bufan shook his head. "From what I know, there is a disciple in the Way of Books surnamed Ma who seems to have obtained one last year. If that person is willing to part with it, your task will be half as difficult."
"I see!" Liang Yan said, realizing the situation.
"That is essentially the situation," Zhuo Bufan continued. "No matter what you plan, you must act early and make a quick return. There are less than half a month left until the Wondrous Calligraphy Assembly. If you miss this opportunity, once the Supervising Elder returns, you will have no more chances, Junior Brother Liang."
"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother Zhuo!" Liang Yan's expression turned solemn. He bowed deeply to Zhuo Bufan and said earnestly, "I am infinitely grateful that you have shared everything with me. If I am fortunate enough to preserve my life this time, I will surely do three things for you in the future—I will not hesitate to face mountains of blades or seas of fire!"
Zhuo Bufan laughed, pulled Liang Yan up, and patted his shoulder. "There is no need for that! I want you to live as long as possible. If you are gone, who will I find to refine pills for me?"
The two shared a smile and spoke no more. Zhuo Bufan raised his hand to summon the Fixed Light Sword. After they returned to Green Bamboo Peak, Liang Yan rearranged the Spirit Gathering Array for Zhuo Bufan to assist him in opening his furnace for alchemy.
Considering Liang Yan's special circumstances, the amount of pills being refined this time was twice the usual amount. For at least the next few months, Zhuo Bufan would not lack pills. This was also Liang Yan's own intention; after all, he was burning his bridges this time—failure would mean death. Since Zhuo Bufan was not a relative but helped him so much, Liang Yan was deeply grateful.
After leaving Zhuo Bufan's cave dwelling, Liang Yan hurried without pause to Lin Fei's residence. Seeing Liang Yan for the second time in a single day, Lin Fei was visibly stunned. Once Liang Yan explained his purpose, Lin Fei nodded in silence.
"Old senior, I have helped all I can. I hope this junior you have taken an interest in meets with good fortune!" Lin Fei said silently, watching Liang Yan's departing figure.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.
At the entrance of the Yixing Pavilion valley, a drunken man lay sprawled on a giant rock, his chest bare. In his left hand, he held a wine gourd, and in his right, a paintbrush. On the rock wall before him, he had painted a landscape of mountains, water, flowers, and birds.
The drunkard took a swig from the gourd, flicked his brush, and actually painted a stroke in mid-air against the rock wall. This stroke was like the "dotting of the eyes on a dragon"; the entire painting on the wall seemed to come alive. Waterfalls cascaded down, mountains appeared and disappeared amidst the clouds and mist, flower buds bloomed quietly, and the birdsong was so crisp it felt as if they might fly out of the painting.
The drunkard studied it carefully for a moment before grinning, seemingly quite satisfied.
Just then, a youth emerged from within the valley. He wore gray hemp clothes and a straw hat, walking hurriedly like a youth from the countryside.
The youth stopped ten feet in front of the drunkard and said respectfully, "Liang Yan, a miscellaneous disciple of the Formation Vein, has been ordered by my Martial Uncle to descend the mountain for procurement. I request the Elder to allow passage."
The drunkard merely glanced at him before returning his gaze to the rock wall. He said indifferently, "Since you are acting on orders, do you have a letter?"
Liang Yan nodded. "Naturally." As he spoke, he took an envelope from his robe.
Seeing this, the drunkard beckoned with his hand, and the envelope flew from Liang Yan's hand, circling through the air before landing lightly in the drunkard's grasp.
He opened the envelope and read it for a while, muttering, "Hmm, so it's that little fellow Lin Fei. Why would he send a miscellaneous disciple like you to do such a thing? You should know the sect rules: unless one has promoted to an outer disciple, one cannot easily descend the mountain."
Liang Yan was prepared for this and replied calmly, "As the Wondrous Calligraphy Assembly approaches, the Martial Uncles and Elders of the Foundation Establishment stage are all extremely busy, and the disciples under Martial Uncle Lin also have their own tasks. Therefore, tasks like procuring unimportant items have been temporarily assigned to disciples."
Upon hearing this, the drunkard's old face flushed red for no apparent reason. Liang Yan saw this and, though he found it strange, felt it was not his place to ask.
Little did he know that this man had specifically run to the valley entrance to act as a temporary gatekeeper simply because he found things too troublesome; while everyone else in the valley was busy, he wanted to slack off and enjoy his peace and quiet.
"Ahem..." The drunkard coughed and said, "In that case, make it quick."
Relieved, Liang Yan bowed toward the drunkard and strode out of the valley.
Watching his departing back, the drunkard muttered, "An interesting kid. With such messy roots and poor aptitude, he actually managed to reach the fifth level of Qi Refinement at such an age!" However, he soon shook his head with an air of indifference and turned back to continue admiring his "masterpiece."
(End of Chapter)