Chương 97: Little progress

"Well, that should make the formation function; at least this part won't have any issues. But where is the source of qi? How do you guide it?" Fan Shimo asked.

"I…I guess it's just there," Shu Yang said hesitantly, taking back the note from Fan Shimo's hands.

"Thanks for the help."

"It's fine. It was a neat little puzzle," Fan Shimo said, looking up at the grand door covered in patterns.

"Where did you see it? Or did you make it up?"

"Something like that," Shu Yang said.

"Well, don't take my word for the truth; I really can't understand these engravings. They don't feel natural to me," Fan Shimo said.

"I don't understand them much either," Shu Yang said, shaking his head slightly.

"You understand plenty. I'm a formation master, you know. And you still know just as much as I do about these patterns," Fan Shimo said.

"Not as much as you, Master Shimo," Shu Yang said with a slight smile. There was a reason Shu Yang came to Fan Shimo for help after all; there were a lot of things Shu Yang couldn't figure out even with days to think them through, which Fan Shimo could see through at just a glance.

"Haha," Fan Shimo chuckled, "Maybe not just yet, but you're making rapid progress. Perhaps it is a blessing that you don't have the knowledge I have; it lets you think more freely."

"More freely than her?" Shu Yang questioned, gesturing to Song Hongchi, who was sitting a bit further away, scribbling down notes.

"Well," Fan Shimo smiled awkwardly, "Either way, it's not a competition. You just need to be concerned with your own improvement."

"Right," Shu Yang said, nodding.

'If only that were the case.' He thanked Fan Shimo for his help again and walked off. It was time to give Chongzi some food. Another month had passed, and it was only about two months left until the hidden corridors opened up for what Shu Yang assumed to be the final test. While Shu Yang had made some progress in the past month, it was nothing compared to Song Hongchi. It was just too difficult to compete with someone with years of experience.

What took Shu Yang days could be solved by Song Hongchi at just a glance.

'It feels like catching up will be impossible.' Shu Yang had noted down the formations that he had seen in the hidden corridor, but he wasn't close to figuring out how to solve them all.

'Maybe I should just show them all to Song Hongchi. If she solves them in front of me, and we both have all the answers, I might have a chance to solve them all quicker.'

'No. I doubt that would work. Song Hongchi is clever; she will find a way to derail me if I try to learn from her.'

"Zhangye! You're back! Chongzi yelled in excitement as Shu Yang came upon him.

"Brought you some food and water," Shu Yang said, taking out some supplies from his storage ring.

"Fasting pills again, huh?" Chongzi asked.

"Do you think I have a source of meat in here?" Shu Yang asked.

"No, no. Thank you, Zhangye," Chongzi said, accepting the bottle of pills. Shu Yang did have meat left, but he didn't plan on sharing that when he had fasting pills to give.

"How long do you think we'll be stuck here? Has it been a year already?" Chongzi asked.

"Not quite a year," Shu Yang answered, taking a seat next to Chongzi.

"Any progress with the formation?" Chongzi asked.

"I don't know. I don't really have any knowledge about formations; it's up to the others out there to solve it," Shu Yang answered. Chongzi sighed, looking quite haggard.

"Well, I guess I should just be happy to be alive. I can be patient." Shu Yang talked with Chongzi for a while longer. The young man had spent his entire life in Chenqi Immortal City, so he knew quite a lot of things that Shu Yang was interested in.

"Do you know about Yide Pavilion?" Shu Yang asked after a while.

"Of course, who doesn't?" Chongzi questioned.

"Ever been there?" Shu Yang asked.

"No," Chongzi said, shaking his head.

"You?"

"Once," Shu Yang said with a nod.

"They claim they know it all. Every question you have, they have an answer to, if you have the money to pay for it." If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

"Well, 'everything' is obviously an exaggeration. But almost everything. That's what I've heard at least," Chongzi said.

"Who controls it? Do you know? It has to have a backer, right?" Shu Yang asked.

"I only know they have a very impressive background," Chongzi said.

"As a Chen family member, you get taught early on what forces you can never offend, and the Yide Pavilion is one of them. Not even the Green River Sect can mess with them."

"So is the backer the Sword Sect?" Shu Yang asked.

"Not that I've heard," Chongzi said.

"Maybe it's a power from elsewhere."

"Do you know of any?" Shu Yang asked.

"I'm afraid not," Chongzi said.

"I've only heard about the Heaven-Reaching Forest, the Desolate Mountains, and the Evil West. But not of any specific powers there."

"Right," Shu Yang said, nodding. He had heard about those places too. But he didn't know much about them.

'I guess knowing won't do me any good now either way. I'm still too weak to be thinking about that.' Shu Yang stayed for another half hour before saying goodbye. He couldn't afford to waste too much time.

"Zhangye! Where did you wander off to?" Song Hongchi asked as he got back.

"I have another experiment I want to try."

"Alright," Shu Yang nodded, feeling a bit hopeless about the current situation.

'I just need to try my best for two more months. If it works, it works. If not, I'll just start robbing people until I have enough spirit stones to pay for the information I need.'

'Get Tianyi. Get back home.'

'No more time can be wasted.' He used one of his Piercing Gaze opportunities to look at Tianyi, and she still seemed fine. But Shu Yang was still worried.

'I already have the final test completely mapped out. I can start using my Piercing Gaze to try to see Xiaorong and Lady Jiangxi.'

'Hopefully, I can spot something that enables me to make some preliminary plans.'

"Can you engrave this?" Song Hongchi asked, holding up a sketch.

"I can try," Shu Yang said, "Where did you see it?"

"It's a mix between that one over there and that one over there," Song Hongchi said, pointing to two different patterns on the grand door.

"Mix? You can mix them?" Shu Yang asked.

"I can try," Song Hongchi said, "Let's see what happens."

'I really don't stand a chance, do I?'

"Hongchi, let me give it a go. I've gotten quite good at engraving now," Ding Yilang said, stepping toward them.

"You can try another one," Song Hongchi said, "I have a bunch of patterns I want to try."

"Why not this one?" Ding Yilang asked, gesturing to the sketch Shu Yang was holding.

"It's too difficult for you. Zhangye is better at engraving," Song Hongchi said.

"Then I'll do another one," Ding Yilang answered after some hesitation, forcing a smile. He didn't forget to give Shu Yang a warning glare when he left. Shu Yang scrutinized Song Hongchi carefully.

'She has to be aware of what she's doing, right?'

"What?" Song Hongchi asked, giving Shu Yang a light smile.

"Nothing," Shu Yang said, shaking his head. It was obvious that this Ding Yilang fellow was very interested in Song Hongchi, but she didn't feel the same way. Shu Yang refused to believe Song Hongchi wasn't aware of those feelings. And yet, she would at times make remarks like that. Ding Yilang had already threatened to kill Shu Yang in the first minute they met each other, and that hatred had only grown stronger since then.

The only thing holding him back was Shu Yang's sword intent, and the fact that no one wanted a fight to break out while they were stuck there.

'Is she trying to get him to kill me? Maybe she doesn't want anyone else to learn about these patterns, and she hopes that Ding Yilang will take care of me afterward.'

"Explain a bit first," Shu Yang said.

"Explain what?" Song Hongchi asked.

"Your thought process," Shu Yang replied.

"What do you think these patterns do? And what are you hoping to observe from their combination?"

"That wasn't the deal, was it?" Song Hongchi questioned.

"It wasn't the deal to antagonize Ding Yilang either," Shu Yang said. Song Hongchi raised a confused eyebrow.

"Did I? I don't really care what he thinks. If you're afraid he will hate you because I work with you, then you worry for nothing."

"Is that so?" Shu Yang asked, not believing it in the slightest.

"Of course," Song Hongchi said, nodding, "He already hated you when you managed to pass the trial on your own, unlike him. If you don't have any backing, he'll have you killed when we get out of here. That was always the case; working with me has nothing to do with it." Shu Yang didn't really know what to say about that.

"He just kills anyone better than him?" Shu Yang asked.

"Better, stronger, smarter, more handsome, you name it," Song Hongchi said with a shrug, "Unless they come from a better background, of course."

'He's that crazy? Is that normal in the cultivation world?'

"And you're fine with that?" Shu Yang asked.

"Why would I concern myself with Ding Yilang's business?" Song Hongchi asked with a frown.

"I'm concerned with my business and no one else's. And my business is that you help me, and you get to observe what I do. That's it. Still a deal?"

"Still a deal," Shu Yang answered, rolling his eyes. He still learned a lot faster when he worked with Song Hongchi, so there wasn't much of a choice.

'I can't wait to get out of here.'

'But with Golden Core cultivators outside, and these Ding people inside, I need to find a separate exit, or I might really be done for.'

'But there might not be a way out even for the one who gets the inheritance.' Shu Yang started his engraving, deep in thought.

'I'll have to come up with a plan on how to escape. And if that's not possible, how to talk my way out of here.'

'I guess it's not all bad to be stuck here. At least it gives me some time to think.'