Chapter 45: Falling into the Pit

After a fierce battle, both Tang Diexian and Liang Yan had exhausted a significant amount of their spiritual energy. Liang Yan, in particular, had been struck in the back by a wind blade; though the wound was not life-threatening, he was bleeding profusely and looked quite wretched.

Tang Diexian retrieved healing pills from her storage bag for Liang Yan to swallow. The two found an abandoned thatched cottage in the mountains to sit in meditation and recover.

Sitting on the bed with his eyes closed, Liang Yan circulated his cultivation. Within his body, the "Twin Fish Dual-Life Formation" rotated silently, slowly absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth and converting it into dual-colored gold and blue spiritual power.

By the time he opened his eyes again, the sun was high in the sky.

A few slivers of sunlight filtered through the half-open window of the thatched hut, warming his body. He took a deep breath, feeling the abundant spiritual energy within him, and his mood naturally brightened.

"Tang Diexian's healing pills are indeed extraordinary. In just one night, the wound on my back has almost completely healed."

Thinking this, Liang Yan looked to his side, only to find the cottage empty. Tang Diexian had clearly gone out. However, Liang Yan didn't mind; the cultivators lurking in Yongle Town had all been purged, so she wouldn't be in any danger traveling alone.

He rose from the bed and pushed the door open. As soon as the wooden door creaked open, a gust of crisp, cool air rushed into his nose and mouth. It was just past the Frost Descent and before the Start of Winter; despite the rare clear weather, it was still quite cold deep in the mountains.

Liang Yan circulated his spiritual energy slightly to expel the trace of chill from his lungs and walked into the courtyard to stretch. Suddenly, he heard footsteps. Turning his head, he saw it was Tang Diexian.

Dressed in white robes and a white skirt, she was carrying a wild pheasant. She vaulted over the courtyard wall and landed right across from him.

Liang Yan smiled and said, "Senior Sister is truly a remarkable person! Every time, instead of using the proper gate, you insist on climbing the wall. It was the same at the Laifu Inn; it truly makes your junior brother lament the uselessness of 'doors'."

Tang Diexian rolled her eyes at him. "'Doors' are just paths others draw for you. I don't care how others choose to walk; why shouldn't I choose not to enter?"

*You just want to take a shortcut!* Liang Yan thought, but he said aloud, "Why did you bring back a wild pheasant?"

"Because I saw you were injured and wanted to nourish your body. Hmph, after all, even if you didn't contribute much to this mission, you certainly put in the hard work. Consider this a small reward."

*So she went out early this morning just to hunt game for me,* Liang Yan thought, a warm current surging through his heart.

By now, Tang Diexian had already begun her work, using her Hundred Flower Sword to pluck the pheasant and clean its entrails.

Once cleaned, she took out firewood she had previously collected from her storage bag and spread it in the center of the courtyard. She set up a tripod, flicked a hand seal, and the wood instantly ignited.

With a serious expression, she skewered the pheasant on bamboo sticks and placed it over the fire to rotate. She also brought out several jars and bottles, sprinkling seasonings over the roasting bird.

Liang Yan asked in surprise, "Where did you get all this?"

"It's in the kitchen of the house! The original owner of this place was a hunter; isn't it normal to have these things?" Tang Diexian replied without looking up.

"I see." Liang Yan observed from the side. Although she looked very serious about roasting the pheasant, it was obvious she had never done this before; her movements were clumsy and lacked any technique.

Before she could roast the perfectly good pheasant into something inedible, Liang Yan stepped in to stop her and personally took over the heavy responsibility of "roasting the pheasant."

Before long, the mountain cottage was filled with a rich aroma. The meat sizzled, and a drop of hot oil slowly slid down the grain of the plump meat, releasing an intoxicating scent.

Tang Diexian pulled up a stool and sat to the side. Watching the golden-brown pheasant, her nose twitched with an expression of impatient anticipation.

Liang Yan smiled and tore off a chicken leg, handing it to her. Tang Diexian snatched it without ceremony. She first sniffed it deeply, feeling the aroma was mouth-watering, and then took a large bite. The meat was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and incredibly succulent with a unique flavor.

"So good!" Tang Diexian praised indistinctly, her mouth full of roasted meat.

Liang Yan grew uncharacteristically proud. "Of course. Don't think roasting meat is just about flipping it a few times and slapping on some sauce. The amount of effort put in changes the flavor entirely. For example, this pheasant..."

Ever since leaving the old monk and entering the Yixing Pavilion, Liang Yan had always been cautious with his words. But being out with Tang Diexian had inexplicably opened his floodgates; now, when discussing his "specialty" of barbecue, he became quite loquacious.

His skills were passed down from his father, Liang Xuan, and his year of traveling with the old monk had allowed him to master the craft to perfection. He proceeded to explain various secrets of the trade one by one.

"Mhm, mhm!" Tang Diexian nodded incessantly like a chick pecking at grain while she ate. By the time Liang Yan finished his lecture, more than half the pheasant was already in her stomach.

She looked at the meager remains of the bird, and a faint blush crept onto her face. She had hunted the pheasant intending to nourish Liang Yan, but she had ended up eating most of it herself.

*It's all that idiot's fault. His cooking is too good. I didn't expect a mere roasted pheasant to be this delicious,* Tang Diexian thought to herself.

Fortunately, Liang Yan didn't mind. Compared to the pheasant, he was much more interested in "chattering" with the girl before him.

The warm sunlight bathed the courtyard, surrounding the young man and woman, seemingly pushing back the mountain chill.

"Oh, right!"

Tang Diexian suddenly remembered something, her large eyes gleaming with excitement. "Those people from the Cloud Hidden Society have been plotting in that mine for two years, claiming it's for a treasure inside. Why don't we go take a look together?"

Liang Yan shook his head. "They've spent two years and still haven't gotten it; how could such a thing be easily obtained? Our mission is complete. I think we should just report directly to the sect without causing unnecessary trouble."

Tang Diexian countered, "Didn't Tang Tiannan say it before? Among those people, only one person has a basic understanding of formations, and he set up some sort of 'Evil-Breaking Array' to dispel the miasma inside. If we're talking about a genius proficient in formations, isn't one sitting right in front of me?"

She looked at Liang Yan, a glint of mischief in her eyes, and continued, "Are you really not curious about what treasure lies beneath? This little lady is quite curious. Young Master Liang, your formation skills are unrivaled in the world, and your barbecue skills have no equal. Surely such a person wouldn't abandon a lady like me, would he?"

"Cough, cough!" Liang Yan nearly choked on a bone.

He caught his breath and said helplessly, "Do I even have a choice?"

***

Two days later, standing before the entrance of the spirit mine southeast of Yongle Town, were a young man and woman—Liang Yan and Tang Diexian, who had come to investigate.

Looking at the cave entrance, Tang Diexian said excitedly, "Come to think of it, we've been in Yongle Town for so long, yet we've never actually gone inside to explore."

Liang Yan nodded. "Although Tang Tiannan said there is only some miasma inside, there's no guarantee the Cloud Hidden Society hasn't set traps or mechanisms. We should make some preparations."

As he spoke, he poured a pile of items from his storage bag—formation plates, formation flags, and other tools he had scavenged from "Number Five."

Liang Yan spent some time arranging them on a nearby clearing, seemingly setting up a formation. After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, he stood up and said, "It's done. Let's go in."

Tang Diexian, unable to wait any longer, led the way into the mine. Liang Yan followed closely. As soon as they entered the mouth of the cave, a wave of chilling air rushed toward them.

"It seems there really is quite a thick miasma deep in this mine. I wonder if there's truly treasure down there!" Tang Diexian remarked.

The two walked down the mine shaft. The chill grew heavier and heavier. Just as even Liang Yan began to feel the cold seeping into his body, a wall appeared ahead.

"We've reached the bottom!" Tang Diexian said.

Liang Yan nodded. "It seems this is the place."

Before them lay a massive, deep pit that plunged diagonally into the earth. On the slopes of the pit, a formation had been laid out. Below the formation, rolling clouds of miasma were visible to the naked eye, though they were being held back by the array.

"The Gengjin Evil-Breaking Array!"

Liang Yan realized, "This person has some insight. The gold-attribute spiritual energy here is so dense; it is indeed suitable for this array... however, they failed to grasp a few key points, preventing the array from reaching its full potential."

"Can we repair it?" Tang Diexian asked.

"It shouldn't be a problem. Having a ready-made grand array will save us a lot of work." With that, Liang Yan and Tang Diexian descended into the pit to begin improving the "Gengjin Evil-Breaking Array."

With his extraordinary mastery of formations, Liang Yan finished the improvements in no time. He then circulated his spiritual energy, casting several hand seals. Streaks of spiritual light were injected into three specific formation beads within the array. The "Gengjin Evil-Breaking Array" immediately began to operate automatically, starting to drive the miasma downward.

Relying on the array, Liang Yan and Tang Diexian descended about twenty zhang. The miasma below grew increasingly thick, causing even the fearless Tang Diexian to frown slightly.

At that moment, a sudden vibration came from Liang Yan's waist. Frowning, he reached down and pulled out an object—an octagonal compass. It was the one they had taken from "Number One," the green-robed traveler they had followed on their first day.

The compass was vibrating violently, and one of its needles was spinning frantically.

An inexplicable sense of dread surged in Liang Yan's heart. He thought, *Oh no!*

But before he could even utter a warning, a wave of overwhelming blood-red color erupted from the bottom of the pit, like a sea of corpses and blood. It swallowed the two of them whole, and they vanished instantly.

(End of Chapter)