Chapter 29: Bringing Some Local Specialties for Martial Uncle

Leaving the safe house.

Zheng Tuo first inspected the pre-set alarm talismans.

After confirming that no one had visited his Falling Immortal Mountain, he took out two flying talismans from his bronze ring.

He applied the two flying talismans to his back.

In an instant, two transparent wings manifested behind him.

Bending his knees, he prepared to spread his wings and soar high.

Wait!

Zheng Tuo felt the two wings were too flimsy.

He immediately took out eleven more flying talismans and applied them all to his back.

A total of twelve flying talismans manifested as twelve transparent wings.

With a flap, he slowly ascended into the air.

To be cautious, he spent half a day experimenting in the airspace above the meadows of Falling Immortal Mountain.

Once he was certain he had fully mastered the flying technique, he took out a self-made parachute and strapped it to his back.

Only after ensuring everything was foolproof did he take flight, beginning to survey the area around Falling Immortal Mountain.

Falling Immortal Mountain was much larger than the Mirror Realm.

Therefore, he could not rely solely on array materials to set up a formation as he had in the Mirror Realm.

He needed to utilize the terrain of Falling Immortal Mountain to deploy his array.

Now was the time to test the results of his studies in the Dao of Arrays.

A good array master would make rational use of the surrounding terrain to complete the most powerful array possible for the current situation.

Of course, Zheng Tuo had already decided what kind of array to deploy.

After careful consideration, the array he chose was named: The One Hundred and Eight Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch Sovereign Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Sumeru Immortal-Trapping Array.

Abbreviated: The Immortal-Trapping Array.

He chose the Immortal-Trapping Array for two reasons.

The first reason: the name was long enough.

As the saying goes, "an inch longer, an inch stronger." Such a long name gave him a profound sense of security.

The second reason: the Immortal-Trapping Array was the top-tier offensive and defensive integrated array of the Falling Immortal Sect.

Its weakness was its extreme complexity.

It consisted of thirty-six Heavenly Stems and seventy-two Earthly Branches, totaling one hundred and eight small sub-arrays.

Each sub-array was interconnected. If a single sub-array failed during deployment, the entire Immortal-Trapping Array would instantly collapse.

However, there were many advantages.

Once completed, the Immortal-Trapping Array could use its one hundred and eight sub-arrays to transform into countless different types of formations.

At the same time, each sub-array could also stand alone, becoming an independent array outside the grand formation.

It was both offensive and defensive, and possessed an autonomous repair function.

Based on this, Zheng Tuo surveyed all available resources within the scope of Falling Immortal Mountain.

Falling Immortal Mountain was divided into several parts.

First, there were four distinct areas: Falling Immortal Mountain, Falling Immortal Lake, Falling Immortal Waterfall, and Falling Immortal Forest.

After finishing his survey, Zheng Tuo felt a bit troubled.

The foundation of the Immortal-Trapping Array was divided into the Five Elements: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.

Among them, Falling Immortal Mountain represented Earth, Falling Immortal Lake represented Water, and Falling Immortal Forest represented Wood.

The cliff behind the Falling Immortal Waterfall represented Metal.

The only thing missing was Fire.

If he used a different element to substitute for Fire, he feared the power of the Immortal-Trapping Array would be greatly diminished.

He would not choose such a careless approach.

*How can I get my hands on the Fire attribute!* Zheng Tuo thought to himself.

"I've got it!"

After thinking it over, a method came to mind.

Among the basic regions of Falling Immortal Mountain, the Falling Immortal Forest had the largest area.

He could completely transform half of the Falling Immortal Forest into fire-attribute plants.

Wouldn't that complete the Five Elements?

As for fire-attribute plants, the first place he thought of was Misty Peak.

Auntie Hong Niang was very fond of red vegetation.

Furthermore, since Misty Peak was primarily composed of female disciples, it possessed a heavy Yin energy that required Yang energy to balance it.

Consequently, there were many fire-attribute plants on Misty Peak, and they were of high quality.

They were perfect for him to transplant and use for his array.

But...

Misty Peak!

Zheng Tuo felt a sense of dread at those three words.

After all, his primary nemesis, Chi Xiao, lived up there.

What if he ran into her?

"Pah, pah, pah..."

It wouldn't happen.

He definitely wouldn't run into her.

Last time was just a coincidence.

How could he be unlucky enough to encounter Chi Xiao again?

After giving himself this mental reassurance, he entered the Mirror Realm.

Naturally, he couldn't go to Misty Peak empty-handed.

Hong Niang was his aunt, after all. It was necessary to bring some local specialties.

He went to the vegetable garden.

The fresh vegetables were growing impressively.

He picked a few tomatoes, some bok choy, green beans...

Of course, since Misty Peak was entirely female disciples, he had to bring several extra cucumbers.

After all, cucumbers possessed the magical effects of beautifying the skin, anti-aging, and soothing nervous tension.

Aside from cucumbers, carrots, eggplants, and so on, they were all relatively common vegetables.

The vegetables filled an entire basket.

Zheng Tuo carried the basket on his back and headed toward Misty Peak via a small path known only to him.

And then...

The incident happened.

Inside the meditation room of Hong Niang, the Mistress of Misty Peak.

Zheng Tuo sat uncomfortably, his hands resting on his thighs.

He looked very nervous.

Due to excessive tension, a slight sweat had appeared on his forehead.

Directly across from him, the sisters Chi Xiao and Green Dragon were chatting about something.

Their gazes swept over him from time to time.

The feeling made him feel as if he were sitting on needles.

He truly feared exactly what he dreaded.

Come to think of it, he had specifically asked before he came.

Wasn't Chi Xiao away from the Falling Immortal Sect on a mission?

How could he still run into her?

It made no sense!

"Junior Brother, we really are destined to meet!"

Chi Xiao crossed her arms, having recognized Zheng Tuo.

"Ah..."

Zheng Tuo responded awkwardly.

"What! I said I'd marry Sister Green Dragon to you, and you actually took it seriously? You even brought dowry to ask my Aunt for her hand!"

Chi Xiao walked up to the basket in a boisterous manner.

She reached out and lifted the lid.

Seeing the fresh vegetables inside, her eyes instantly lit up.

Without waiting for Zheng Tuo to be polite, she picked up a tomato, rubbed it on her clothes, and took a bite.

The tomato was fresh and juicy, carrying a hint of earthiness and the unique flavor of vegetables.

"Mmm... not bad. Did you grow these yourself?"

Chi Xiao looked at Zheng Tuo with a hint of appreciation.

"Senior Sister is correct, I grew them all myself," Zheng Tuo answered cautiously, fearing she might catch even a hint of a flaw.

Seeing how shy he was, Chi Xiao felt a sudden urge to play a prank.

She picked up a cucumber and tossed it to Green Dragon.

"Sister Green Dragon, you should try some too. This is the dowry Junior Brother specially prepared for you. It tastes very good."

Green Dragon caught the cucumber and placed a hand on her forehead in resignation.

"Sister Xiao, stop bullying Junior Brother. He is here to see Aunt."

Green Dragon was truly helpless regarding Chi Xiao.

She was prettier than her, had a better figure, and was stronger.

It was just her personality—too unrestrained.

Moreover, she had perfectly inherited her Aunt's legacy: she loved playing matchmaker, yet had never succeeded once.

"Oh my... you two haven't even married yet, and you're already speaking up for him. If you do get married, what will happen then? Isn't that right, Junior Brother..."

Chi Xiao turned to look at Zheng Tuo with a beaming smile.

It seemed seeing others get embarrassed made her particularly excited.

"Ah... Senior Sister is right, Senior Sister is right."

Zheng Tuo pretended to be extremely embarrassed, secretly circulating his spiritual energy to turn his face red to achieve a lifelike effect.

In reality, he was cursing inwardly.

*I must have had terrible luck in eight lifetimes. Why did I run into this plague the moment I arrived?*

"Fine, since Senior Sister is right, I'll decide for you. Let's just hold the wedding ceremony right here today!"

Chi Xiao, never one to shy away from trouble, shouted for them to marry on the spot.

Green Dragon held her forehead, expressing her helplessness.

"Um... Senior Sister, I'm afraid today won't work. Today, Junior Brother is here on the orders of my master to find Auntie Hong Niang."

Zheng Tuo acted weak, continuing to lower Chi Xiao's guard.

"Tch! Boring!"

Chi Xiao was displeased.

"You'll regret it if you turn down such a beautiful wife," Chi Xiao patted Zheng Tuo on the shoulder. "By the way, Junior Brother, what is your name?"

Green Dragon immediately changed the subject to prevent Chi Xiao from continuing her antics.

"That's right! We don't even know your name. Since we are so destined, if you are ever bullied in the future, just call out my name. In the Falling Immortal Sect, no one will dare bully you."

Chi Xiao acted with the air of a big sister, vowing to protect him.

Zheng Tuo thought for a moment and spoke: "My surname is Wo, as in Wolong, and my given name is Shizhu."

"Wo Shizhu? What a strange name!"

Chi Xiao muttered to herself, feeling the name was very odd.

But as for exactly why it was strange, she couldn't say for the moment.

"The mission is complete."

Hong Niang's voice suddenly appeared, interrupting her train of thought.