Chapter 39: Since I'm quite popular right now, I might as well pull off a robbery first

"Martial Uncle."

"Martial Uncle."

Zheng Tuo and Jiu Li'er bowed in greeting.

"Peak Master, I caught these two red-handed while they were destroying the Book Pavilion's formations," Da Niu said from the side, as if seeking credit.

Lei Xing looked at Zheng Tuo, then at Jiu Li'er.

He knew Jiu Li'er. She was an array genius, the precious treasure in Junior Sister Hong Niang's hands. As long as Jiu Li'er was around, the relationship between the Jiu Li Tribe and the Falling Immortal Sect would inevitably become closer.

As for Zheng Tuo, he was the precious treasure of the entire Falling Immortal Sect. The height the Falling Immortal Sect could reach in the future rested entirely in Zheng Tuo's hands.

With the two of them together, it gave off an air of conspiracy.

Junior Sister Hong Niang had moved so quickly. If Zheng Tuo and her disciple became Dao companions, she, as the master, would certainly be a powerful ally.

What should he do?

Now that Zheng Tuo had delivered himself to his doorstep, shouldn't he do something? Even if they weren't close, he should at least establish a good relationship based on mutual benefit and trust.

However, his Falling Immortal Peak was mostly composed of male disciples; the female disciples were as rare as national treasures, and coincidentally, the few women available were not currently in the sect.

Lei Xing thought rapidly about how to establish a friendly internal relationship with Zheng Tuo.

"Peak Master, how shall we dispose of these two?" Da Niu's tone was very stern. Having finally seen the Peak Master, he had to perform; by being blunt and uncalculating, he hoped to make the Peak Master remember him, which would greatly aid his career prospects.

Zheng Tuo remained exceptionally calm.

Jiu Li'er's fear was written all over her face.

As the Peak Master of Falling Immortal Peak, Lei Xing dealt with complex internal and external affairs year-round, and his very temperament gave off an imposing sense of decisiveness.

"Ahem... I specifically sought these two out to secretly investigate the strength of the Book Pavilion's formations. The formations in the Book Pavilion have suffered from long-term neglect; the materials used for the arrays have gradually weathered and need maintenance to ensure their safety."

Lei Xing didn't know why Zheng Tuo would bother breaking the Book Pavilion's formations for no reason, assuming he must have his own reasons. What he was saying now was essentially giving Zheng Tuo face; given the other's intelligence, he should understand his intention.

"Reporting to Martial Uncle," Zheng Tuo immediately interjected, "After Jiu Li'er and I investigated the formations in the Book Pavilion, we indeed found many areas of decay. Issues such as aging materials and unstable foundations are quite severe. If they are not repaired, I fear that sooner or later the Book Pavilion will explode, and tens of millions of books will turn to ash. If Sect Master Yun Wanli finds out that the treasures he painstakingly accumulated over hundreds of years were destroyed due to the lack of supervision by junior disciples, I fear he might be so enraged that he'll charge back to the Falling Immortal Sect to skin and de-bone us junior disciples to make a grand tonic soup."

Zheng Tuo didn't mind making a scene; the more outrageous, the better.

Hearing this, Lei Xing frowned, Jiu Li'er covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, and Da Niu nearly peed his pants.

"Alright, alright."

Lei Xing was speechless, feeling that this little fellow Zheng Tuo always gave him a chilling sensation.

"I know nothing of the ways of arrays. I didn't expect the Book Pavilion's formations to be so decayed. How about this: I will continue to assign the two of you to investigate the Book Pavilion's formations. In return, as a reward, you two may view books from other levels of the Book Pavilion, but only the two of you. Do you understand my meaning?"

For Lei Xing, this was just a matter of speaking a few words. Moreover, since the other party was Zheng Tuo, the other Peak Masters likely wouldn't say anything. Most importantly, Zheng Tuo knew how much he favored him.

"Really?" Jiu Li'er cried out in surprise, unable to believe her ears.

The Falling Immortal Sect had been established for hundreds of years, yet she had never heard of such a thing. The rules of the Book Pavilion were set by Sect Master Yun Wanli, and no one dared to change them arbitrarily—not even Sect Master Yun Yangzi. But today, after Senior Brother said just a few words, Peak Master Lei Xing had changed the rules.

Could Senior Brother be Peak Master Lei Xing's...

No, no. Looking at their appearances and personalities, there was absolutely no reason.

"Little girl of the Jiu family, are you doubting me?"

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare! I wouldn't dare doubt the words of Peak Master Lei Xing," Jiu Li'er said in terror.

When she was a child, her great-grandmother had told her stories about Peak Master Lei Xing. At the time, she had listened to them as horror stories. Now, seeing the man in person, it was like a nightmare manifesting in reality.

"Fine, let this matter be settled. You may leave."

Jiu Li'er turned to leave, but Zheng Tuo did not move.

"Nephew Zheng Tuo, is there something else?"

Seeing Zheng Tuo looking at him with a smile, Lei Xing's right eyelid for some reason twitched three times.

"Um... Martial Uncle Lei Xing, as you know, investigating formations is very time-consuming and also consumes a lot of materials. So... could we—I mean, could our Falling Immortal Peak provide some support, like spirit stones or something, as a subsidy?"

Upon hearing this, Lei Xing's eyebrows shot up.

So, this was the real reason the kid came today.

A few years ago, the Peak Masters had discussed Zheng Tuo's cultivation issues. They had ultimately agreed not to provide him with cultivation resources, letting him rely on his own efforts to earn them just like ordinary disciples.

History proved that on the path of cultivation, one ultimately had to endure many hardships to reach higher realms. The stronger one became, the more hardships they had to face. Flowers raised in a greenhouse could not withstand the torment of wind and rain; only life growing on the edge of a cliff had enough resilience to reach the summit.

Da Niu was dumbfounded. He thought to himself that this junior brother named Zheng Tuo was far too bold—daring to ask the Peak Master for spirit stones, wasn't he afraid of being disciplined?

Jiu Li'er was equally shocked. Could her guess be right? Was Senior Brother really Peak Master Lei Xing's...

"Fine."

Lei Xing thought about it briefly and decided it was feasible. "Da Niu, from now on, you will cooperate with Zheng Tuo's work. Remember to report information to me on time every month."

Da Niu didn't expect happiness to arrive so suddenly.

"Understood, subordinate!" Da Niu replied immediately, feeling incredibly pleased. Reporting directly to the Peak Master from now on meant he would have plenty of opportunities for promotion.

"Thank you, Martial Uncle. Since that's the case, we won't disturb you further."

Fearing that Lei Xing might change his mind, Zheng Tuo immediately led Jiu Li'er away from Falling Immortal Peak. Da Niu also reported his departure and followed them.

After the three had left, a cloud of black mist emerged in the main hall. The black mist transformed into a cold young man dressed in black martial attire.

Lei Jiu, the number one youth of Falling Immortal Peak.

"Father, this Zheng Tuo..." Lei Jiu hesitated.

Lei Xing frowned and looked at Lei Jiu. "What did I teach you!"

Lei Jiu instantly felt as if he were sitting on needles. "The Peak Master taught me to do my own duty and not to ask what I shouldn't ask."

Lei Jiu lowered his head, his heart filled with awe for his father.

Lei Xing stood with his hands behind his back, gazing in the direction Zheng Tuo had gone. In just over three years, his knowledge of arrays had gone from an ordinary person to standing side-by-side with the genius girl of the Jiu family. The future of my Falling Immortal Sect is indeed extraordinary.

***

"Junior Brother Zheng Tuo, we'll do things as you said. We'll meet at the Book Pavilion tomorrow." Da Niu left in high spirits.

"Senior Brother, do you know Peak Master Lei Xing?" Jiu Li'er asked, whether intentionally or not. She felt that Zheng Tuo was a very strange person, as if he were shrouded in a layer of mist that made people want to explore him.

"Met him once, not very well acquainted," Zheng Tuo replied.

Jiu Li'er did not believe him. They had clearly been "stealing" knowledge, yet Peak Master Lei Xing had spoken up for them and even allocated funds for them to continue breaking formations. She wouldn't believe it if there wasn't some powerful connection involved.

"Junior Sister Li'er, can you promise not to tell anyone what happened tonight?"

"Of course, Li'er understands."

"Swear it. Swear that if you tell, your face will be covered in pimples, your skin will become as shriveled as an eighty-year-old pigeon, your array skills will never progress again, and you will never marry for the rest of your life."

"Uh..." Jiu Li'er was helpless and could only agree.

She could only sigh in her heart. This Senior Brother was clearly very strong, so why was he so cautious? She truly couldn't understand. Other Senior Brothers, if they had any talent, would be dying to show it off every day for everyone to see. But Senior Brother Zheng Tuo seemed to be afraid that others would find out how strong he was.

Why? It was truly strange.

The two did not go home but went to the Book Pavilion instead. Zheng Tuo went because he wanted to quickly learn array methods to consolidate the Immortal-Trapping Formation, while Jiu Li'er was naturally obsessed with arrays and didn't want to waste time.

In the Array Section of the Foundation Layer of the Book Pavilion.

Zheng Tuo took out his ancient bronze mirror to observe the situation at his place. Shen Xian'er and Xiao Bai were fast asleep, with no accidents. Chi Xiao was still frantically attacking the Immortal-Trapping Formation, showing no sign of giving up. Furthermore, according to the warnings from the bronze mirror, Chi Xiao had cracked the defensive formation once again.

He didn't have much time left.

Putting down the bronze mirror, Zheng Tuo began to focus on comprehending the second volume of the Nine Volumes of Array Dao.

(End of Chapter)