Lan Ting used to meditate at night instead of sleeping, but ever since joining the barbecue shop, he developed a good habit of sleeping at night.
When the four of them woke up, they felt refreshed and full of energy, thanks to the formation Lan Ting had set up.
“Let’s go, let’s go! I want to have some fun!” Meng Jingzhou was the most energetic, practically dragging Lu Yang out of bed like he was chasing a pig.
Lu Yang kicked Meng Jingzhou and reluctantly got up.
Man Gu had already gone to the market early to buy supplies, so he was the first to wake up.
Man Gu made a pot of dumpling soup, added four eggs, and drizzled a few drops of sesame oil, filling the whole hall with a delicious aroma.
Lu Yang liked to add vinegar, so he put a small spoonful into his bowl of dumpling soup. The four of them finished every last drop and felt great as they headed out to play.
They left the house fairly early, but the streets were already bustling with tourists. Lu Yang heard that the inn was fully booked, and many people were choosing to stay in homestays instead.
People were smiling joyfully, and the children wore tofu masks like Lu Yang's, holding big windmills, jumping around excitedly while their parents held their hands, worried they might get lost.
“It’s as lively here as at a temple fair.”
“Did you hear? Someone brought a huge creature from the southern mainland, right by the river! Let’s go check it out!” someone excitedly told their companion.
Hearing this, Meng Jingzhou couldn’t contain his curiosity and led the three of them to the riverbank to see the giant creature.
They arrived at the familiar big stone bridge, but this time they stood on top of it, with small flags planted all around.
When they saw the giant creature, Meng Jingzhou was a bit disappointed. “I thought it would be something amazing, but it’s just an elephant.”
By the hidden riverbank, this place was already a gathering spot for tourists every year. Now, with someone showing off by bringing an elephant from the southern mainland, even more curious onlookers gathered.
Lu Yang didn’t need to say much; he had definitely seen elephants before. Meng Jingzhou and Lan Ting came from prominent families and had seen many strange things since childhood, even more than Lu Yang had heard about. Man Gu lived in the wild and had even hunted elephants.
Most people didn’t have the same experiences as the four of them, so they were very interested in such a large animal.
Tourists exclaimed, “Is this a monster? It’s so big, with such a long trunk and tusks?”
The elephant’s owner, a foundational stage cultivator, explained, “It is indeed a monster. The realm of monsters is hard to assess; it’s probably at the sixth level of Qi training. But its size doesn’t determine its status as a monster; this kind of being is called an elephant, and they grow this big when they reach adulthood.”
Tourists continued to ask, “How much does such a large creature weigh?”
The elephant’s owner chuckled, “Who knows? There’s no scale big enough to weigh it.”
Another tourist suggested, “Since we’re right by the river, we can put the elephant on a big boat, mark where it touches the water, and then load the boat with stones. When the marked spot touches the water again, we can weigh the stones to find out how much the elephant weighs.”
The elephant’s owner was also curious about his pet’s weight and happily agreed.
At the owner’s command, the elephant was led onto the boat. However, it was too heavy for the shallow water, so the owner rowed to the middle of the river and marked the spot where the water met the boat with a knife.
Just as the owner was about to row back, the elephant accidentally looked up and spotted Man Gu, getting startled.
Monsters are very sensitive to presence. The ancient barbarian tribe often hunted elephants in the wild, and that fierce killing intent flowed in their blood. Although the elephant didn’t understand the meaning, it felt a chill when it saw Man Gu, a reaction rooted in its instincts.
The elephant panicked and fell into the water with a splash, sinking straight to the bottom.
People on the shore gasped, urging the owner to save the elephant. To their surprise, the owner calmly marked the spot where the elephant fell and said, “This is where the elephant went under.”
People were confused, and the owner didn’t explain. As they got closer to the shore, the owner pointed to the mark and explained, “My elephant fell right here, and it’s still here!”
Everyone burst into laughter, thinking he was joking. But then the river churned, and a whirlpool appeared. The elephant actually emerged from below the mark, flapping its large ears.
It was a special giant elephant from the southern mainland.
Man Gu watched this scene, furrowing his brow, and then suddenly realized, slapping his palm, “I remember now! We learned about this idiom in class; it’s called ‘Carving a Boat to Seek an Elephant!’”
He now had a deep understanding of this idiom.
Lu Yang: “…”
What on earth did you learn in class?
Meng Jingzhou laughed, “I still remember when we found the first reverse longevity talisman under the bridge. I was really shocked when I learned about such a thing. Luckily, we reported that person.”
Just as Lu Yang was about to joke along with Meng Jingzhou, he suddenly noticed a small flag in front of him. His smile faded as if he remembered something, and he pulled the flag down, frowning as he studied it closely in the sunlight.
When Lu Yang saw the flag’s appearance in the sunlight, he felt a chill in his heart.
“What’s wrong?” Meng Jingzhou noticed Lu Yang’s expression. He hadn’t received the teasing he expected, so he realized something was off with Lu Yang.
Lu Yang’s expression was serious as he pointed to the faint pattern on the flag and said, “Do you see this pattern? What does it look like?”
“Reverse longevity talisman?!” Lan Ting was the first to react, as she was most familiar with this pattern.
Meng Jingzhou’s eyes widened. The pattern on the flag was very faint; unless you faced the sunlight, you couldn’t see it. Even if someone could see it, tourists would just think it was a festive decoration. How many people knew what the reverse longevity talisman looked like?
“Don’t panic; maybe the reverse longevity formation isn’t set up yet!” Meng Jingzhou tried to calm himself.
Lu Yang analyzed calmly, “That’s impossible. Don’t forget, this flag isn’t just one or two; the whole Yanjiang County has these flags!”
Flags with the reverse longevity talisman pattern hidden among ordinary flags—who would expect that?!
Lu Yang continued, “In other words, the reverse longevity formation has already been completed, right in front of everyone, but no one has noticed!”
“Then why hasn’t the reverse longevity formation activated?” Meng Jingzhou remembered the conditions for activating the formation. Besides needing the reverse longevity talismans to set it up, it also required blood as a sacrifice.
Anyone daring enough to set up the reverse longevity formation could easily kill a few people. What was he waiting for?
Lu Yang said coldly, “He’s waiting for people. Right now, there aren’t enough people celebrating the festival. More and more people are heading towards Yanjiang County!”
The reverse longevity formation steals the lifespan of mortals and converts it into the cultivator's power. The more mortals it takes from, the greater the increase in power!
Meng Jingzhou also remembered, “According to tradition, on the second night of the festival, people gather in the streets to sing and celebrate, gathering by the river for a feast and singing event!”
Today was the second night of the festival.
(End of Chapter)