Taking the Qilin Array Diagram as an example, to impart the contents of the Huangji Jingshushu, this suggestion put forth by Master Zhu Wenyuan was one that Li Guanyi had no reason to refuse. He immediately replied, "Naturally willing."
The old man stroked his beard but instructed Li Guanyi to close the door.
Li Guanyi shut all the doors and windows. Although it was still afternoon outside, and the sun had only begun to set in the west, the room instantly became dim. The old man lit a candle and softly said, "Since it is a secret transmission, it cannot fall into the ears of the six eared."
"Come, come, come."
Li Guanyi sat beside the old man, who pointed to the intricate scroll and said, "The reason I suddenly thought of using the Qilin Pavilion's array diagram to explain to you is that, firstly, you seem quite interested in formations, and secondly, it is also because of your cultivation body."
Li Guanyi asked, "My cultivation body? The convergence of the Four Symbols?"
Master Zhu Wenyuan nodded and pointed at the painting, saying, "The formations within the Qilin Pavilion are based on Yin and Yang and the Five Elements. They were created by the second seat of the Yin Yang School, Si Wei, who used Yin and Yang to move the Five Elements, transforming the Five Elements into the Four Symbols, ultimately forming the array."
"Although I have many calculation scrolls here, they are too dry for an introduction."
"The Central Earth Qilin can only be trapped by the Four Symbols; it just so happens to align with your cultivation body."
"Using this to introduce you is the most fitting."
Li Guanyi asked curiously, "Is Si Wei a fellow disciple of the Old Master of Destiny?"
Master Zhu Wenyuan sighed and replied, "No."
"They both belong to the realm of the Yin Yang School, and both are renowned far and wide, achieving things that ordinary people dare not imagine. However, they are essentially enemies; if they were to meet, they would surely kill each other. Although the Old Master of Destiny is invincible in observing qi and divining fate, in a fight, he would likely fall at the hands of Si Wei."
"Actually, it is not hard to understand. Since ancient times, haven't soldiers killed soldiers, and scholars destroyed scholars?"
"Same school of thought, yet different beliefs and ideas."
"For some, they are even more detestable and killable than those from other schools."
Master Zhu Wenyuan's voice was complex, containing emotions that Li Guanyi had yet to comprehend. The old man pointed at the scroll, introducing the meanings of the characters one by one, and explaining the changes that would occur when these characters were combined.
Li Guanyi's expression gradually tightened.
Difficult!
It was simply too difficult!
The logical system of formations reminded Li Guanyi of the programming languages he had once learned. If Yin and Yang represented the zeros and ones in a program, the changes in Yin and Yang would lead to the Five Elements, which would then twist back to the Four Symbols. Inside, like the Twenty-Eight Constellations and the Zodiac, each represented a program system. Thus, the "Four Symbols Trapping Spirit Formation" before him was akin to an incredibly complex super giant program.
The densely packed characters fell upon the scroll.
This scroll, when unfurled, measured over twenty meters, written in small script, with intricate characters.
Each character concealed information that could be broken down into several sentences.
When they collided, they would produce even more changes in meaning.
Master Zhu Wenyuan explained slowly, while Li Guanyi could only memorize it by rote. The old man said, "The way of formations lies in endless changes, and the qi of Yin and Yang is the most fundamental existence of change. The two energies flow and transform into the Five Elements and Four Symbols. Si Wei's formation can be said to be alive; it constantly changes."
"A single misstep can lead to a snowball effect, triggering a backlash from the Yin and Yang energies."
"Truly marvelous! This formation was completed when he was only thirty years old."
"Only such a formation can trap divine beasts like the Qilin."
Li Guanyi exhaled, feeling a throbbing pain in his forehead.
"Thirty years old?"
"Is he still presiding over this formation?"
Master Zhu Wenyuan replied, "His malice is heavy, and he is proud. If he were here, this diagram would not have come to me for repair. After completing the formation over a decade ago, he left, claiming he would use the mountains, rivers, and all things as a formation to forge an unparalleled grand array that would envelop the entire Central Plains."
"After more than ten years, no one has seen him again. The Old Master of Destiny must also have the intention of searching for traces of Si Wei."
The old man smiled gently and said, "Take your time; we still have plenty of time."
"I only have one volume of the Huangji Jingshushu here, while the complete work has sixty-four volumes. I believe that once you thoroughly understand this volume of the Four Symbols Great Formation, it will signify that you have grasped the laws of the Four Symbols' flow. At that time, your cultivation body issue will naturally be resolved."
"The second level of a martial artist also requires the Mixed Origin, right?"
Li Guanyi replied, "What the senior said is correct."
"However, this Huangji Jingshushu is indeed cumbersome."
The old man chuckled lightly and said, "Cumbersome?"
"Since it is a good thing, a supreme skill, it naturally cannot be easily mastered."
"But do not think that this 'Four Symbols Trapping Spirit Formation' is useless. If you learn it, you can deploy it. With your Four Spirits Dharma Appearance, as long as your power is sufficient, one person can form the array and seal all things."
"One person can form the array?"
Master Zhu Wenyuan said, "Yes, perhaps at the second level, with the qi extending out several feet, you can initially deploy it. This formation, from initial learning to great success, goes from the Two Energies, Three Talents, to the Four Symbols. The Qilin Pavilion only used 'Trapping,' but with Si Wei's malice, how could this formation only have the effect of 'Trapping'?"
"After 'Trapping,' there must be 'Killing.'"
"Although martial artists always say that with armor and weapons, they are invincible in close combat, if you have this means of forming an array alone, the Four Spirits Locking Essence can allow you to contend with martial artists of higher realms without defeat, and even to win."
"You must study it well."
At that moment, a commotion suddenly erupted outside.
Master Zhu Wenyuan slightly raised his gaze, "Here they come again."
Li Guanyi recalled what the little Daoist had said earlier and raised an eyebrow, "Is it the monks?"
"Even if the emperor does not allow ordinary officials and constables to act against monks and Daoists, do they dare to come to the Daoist temple to cause trouble at this time?"
The old man seemed unfazed, merely saying, "There is indeed a reason for it. This was originally a temple."
"More than ten years ago, when the elder brother of the Prince of Puyang, who was the regent, was emperor, he greatly revered Buddhism. The Southern Dynasty had four hundred and eighty temples. Later, the Prince of Puyang's iron cavalry trampled through and burned them to ashes. The monks who were not captured and conscripted fled in all directions."
"Later, wandering Daoists gradually gathered here and built this Daoist temple."
"Slowly, the incense offerings increased, and it gained some fame. Then monks came to claim that this land belonged to them, demanding the Daoists leave and pay all the rent for the land they had occupied for over a decade, asking for one hundred thousand taels of silver."
Li Guanyi was dumbfounded, "They actually dare to do this?"
"The temples here have all been burned down, and they have fled."
Master Zhu Wenyuan said, "That is what they claim."
"However, the Daoists are not of good temper either. The quarrels and fights between the two sides have happened more than once or twice. Recently, during the grand ceremony, the emperor reveres both Buddhism and Daoism and does not allow ordinary officials to act against them. It is also said that a living Buddha from the Western Regions has come here as a guest for the grand ceremony, which has made these monks increasingly bold."
Li Guanyi asked in surprise, "A living Buddha from the Western Regions?"
"Isn't there a Buddhist nation in the Western Regions? The living Buddha rules over vast territories." This was knowledge from General Xue. Master Zhu Wenyuan was surprised and couldn't help but point at Li Guanyi, laughing, "You, what era are you living in? Your knowledge is even older than mine!"
"More than five hundred years ago, a divine general from the Central Plains attacked the Buddhist nation, defeating the living Buddha in three moves, causing him to spit blood and fall to the ground, which led to the Buddhist nation's prestige being shattered. However, they barely managed to survive, and afterward, they severely exploited their servants. But later, one of their slaves escaped."
"That slave traveled in the Central Plains for over a decade."
"He made many friends and established the Alliance of the Flames of Chaos, eventually returning to the Western Regions, sweeping everything clean. That was the Tuyuhun; the Buddhist nation you speak of has long been trampled into dust under the iron cavalry of Tuyuhun."
"It is said that when he was young, he had a sister who sang to him, her voice as clear as the wind on the grasslands. Later, that sister disappeared without a trace, and Tuyuhun went mad with grief."
"In the end, when that overlord conquered the Western Regions, the living Buddha sought to please him, playing a song of submission with the most exquisite instruments made from the leg bones of beautiful maidens and the skulls of the deceased, producing sounds as clear as the wind on the grasslands."
"The moonlight was like frost, and the overlord of the Western Regions sat quietly in the Buddhist palace all night, propping up his sword."
"Afterward, he bound the living Buddha and stuffed him into his pocket. On the grasslands, the heavy cavalry of the Western Regions trampled for a full three hours, turning the living Buddha, with his diamond-like physique, into a pulp."
"He raised his sword under the sun and burned the Buddhist palace, while the serfs within raised their blades."
"Thus, he obtained the first invincible army of the Western Regions."
"Today's living Buddha can only be considered a sect in the Jianghu, incomparable to the grandeur of several hundred years ago. This time, they actually dared to come out from the Western Regions, arriving in the Central Plains, and shamelessly participating in the grand ceremony of the Chen Kingdom."
"It is only because the dynasty of Tuyuhun has perished, and they wish to cling to the power of the Chen Kingdom, rising in the Western Regions."
The old man asked Li Guanyi to take out the royal seal he carried with him, holding this small royal seal in his palm and saying, "The golden relics passed down through the Buddhist nation have all been melted into it."
"Guanyi, according to the legal principles of the Buddhist nation, your current status is higher than that of the living Buddha, and you could sit upon the lotus seat."
Li Guanyi smirked, not responding to the old man's teasing, only saying, "The emperor's intention is probably not just to support Buddhism, right?"
Master Zhu Wenyuan smiled and said, "Yes, but it is merely because the aristocratic officials are close to the Daoist sect."
"The emperor feels uneasy, so he supports Buddhism and suppresses Daoism."
"He obtained the throne amidst the competition of various factions, so he only trusts the word balance, unwilling to let any faction's power grow. As long as you understand this, you will know that he has always been fearful."
The court has rules; in the capital, using sword qi and similar means is prohibited.
Moreover, those who can project sword qi are all at the level of the school lieutenant, which would be considered prominent among monks and would not appear here. The old man merely pulled him back, smiling slightly, "No rush, no rush, let us take another look at the array diagram."
Li Guanyi sat down.
The old man continued to explain the changes in the formation at a leisurely pace.
Li Guanyi focused his mind and relied on the experience of cramming the night before an exam in his previous life, along with specialized training, to memorize the contents of the formation. In the end, relying on the combined essence of two lifetimes and the enhancement of his spiritual essence from ten years of playing the zither, he managed to memorize it.
He felt dizzy, with veins throbbing on his forehead.
The commotion outside grew louder.
The old man smiled at the young man before him and asked, "Have you memorized it all?"
Li Guanyi replied, "I have remembered it."
The old man nodded, his wrist moving to roll up the scroll just as the candlelight was about to extinguish. He smiled and said, "Then, come back tomorrow, and I will teach you the first level of changes."
"This array diagram, you will deliver to the Vermilion Bird Gate of the palace."
Li Guanyi took the scroll with a glint in his eyes.
"Yes."
Perhaps he could get closer to the Qilin.
A monk had already burst into the doorway. Li Guanyi stood up, and at the moment the other party opened the door, he raised his right foot and kicked directly at their chest. The pent-up frustration from staring at math problems for ten hours exploded in an instant.
Outside stood a monk nearly nine feet tall, with a waist as thick as a water barrel, who was kicked three feet off the ground by the youth, rolling and tumbling as he cried out in pain. Li Guanyi retracted his leg, exhaled, and rolled up the scroll, turning his back as the commotion outside erupted.
Looking out from the room, a group of stout monks charged forward, while the Daoists were thin. The Daoists here were not from martial arts sects and were no match for them. Even the Apothecaries who brewed medicine for the common folk were knocked down, the stove falling to the ground, the aroma of medicine wafting thickly.
A monk shouted, "Another little Daoist has come!"
"Knock him down!"
Li Guanyi exhaled, raising his hand to grab a green bamboo used for drying clothes. With a flick of his wrist, the bamboo shot out like a spear, and with another twist of his wrist, the bamboo shook, sending several monks flying.
The monks clamored and charged at Li Guanyi. The other incense patrons could not intervene due to the court's rules. Li Zhaowen was about to leave but saw Li Guanyi emerge, brandishing his staff. She frowned slightly; one person facing dozens of stout monks without killing them could be troublesome.
She held back her weapon but was soon astonished.
The youth charged out, wielding the long staff in his hand, sweeping and stabbing. Dozens of monks were actually no match for him. Over ten monks rushed up, trying to grab his green bamboo staff. Li Zhaowen had already stepped forward, but the youth suddenly bellowed.
A fourteen-year-old handsome youth faced off against over ten round-headed, big-eared stout monks, a stark contrast. Yet the youth actually lifted all ten monks with the bamboo!
Long Sun Wugou was stunned.
What kind of physique was this!
What kind of strength! And the second young lady watching this scene...
She turned around and indeed saw the girl holding her sword, watching this scene with sparkling eyes, filled with excitement. Long Sun Wugou sighed, feeling helpless.
As expected.
After Li Guanyi lifted the ten monks, he suddenly bellowed, gripping the green bamboo with both hands, shaking it like a mighty general wielding a long spear. With a single shake, the force spread, and all the monks were knocked over, unable to hold onto the bamboo.
They fell to the ground, groaning incessantly.
Yet Li Guanyi merely exhaled a few breaths, and the muscles that had unleashed their maximum strength began to recover rapidly.
A physique of dragon tendons and tiger bones!
Li Guanyi used the green bamboo to topple the remaining monks. The monk, bruised and battered, angrily shouted, "We’ve lost today! Hey, you little Daoist, dare you leave your name?!"
Li Guanyi was heading towards the Vermilion Bird Gate and couldn't be bothered to respond.
Leaving a name? He wasn't a wandering hero.
He merely pointed the green bamboo at the monk, scaring him pale, then with a twist of his wrist, the bamboo spun like a dragon, pointing back at the Daoist temple before he sheathed his weapon and strode away. The monks were puzzled, saying, "Daoist temple? You wouldn't be calling it Daoist temple, would you?!"
"No, brother, he might be saying we should ask the Daoist!"
"Could it be some Daoist?"
Long Sun Wugou blinked and gently said, "Daoist, is it called Li Dao?"
"Or is it Li Guanyi?"
She, with her graceful and intelligent nature, softly murmured to herself, a Daoist temple.
Li.
Li Yi Gu, or perhaps...
Li Guanyi?
Long Sun Wugou seemed to understand, while Li Zhaowen, holding her sword, smiled and said, "Li Guanyi, Li Dao?"
"What kind of name is that?"
She thought for a moment and smiled, "Perhaps it is like this?"
Looking ahead, the youth in a brocade robe, holding a green bamboo, strode forward. Though he was merely a youth, with his brocade robe and green bamboo, the crowd around him seemed to bow in submission, as if he were clad in armor and wielding a spear, exuding an imposing aura.
Li Zhaowen said, "There is an Apothecary inside, so his name is—"
The dragon and phoenix figure of the girl looked at the youth who held the bamboo like a spear, stepping forward and moving slowly, saying:
"Called Li Apothecary."
(End of Chapter)