Immortality Through Array Formations

Master Chen was fuming with rage, and his disciples dared not even take a breath.

“Why are you silent now?”

Everyone looked around at each other, thinking bitterly, “Isn’t it because you, Master, started hitting as soon as you entered, not letting us speak at all?”

They turned to look at Dazhu, who had no choice but to bite the bullet and say:

“Master, this is not our fault.”

“If not your fault, then whose? Mine? Did I start this fight?”

“They started bullying first!” Dazhu whispered.

“Exactly, Master, they were too oppressive!” all the disciples chimed in agreement.

Master Chen scoffed, “Oh, they were oppressive, and you had no fault at all? Even if others were wrong, did you have to fight to this extent? If the Taoist Court had detained you, would I not have to shamelessly go to the Taoist Court and beg for your release? And if someone got seriously injured, would I not have to compensate them with Spirit Stones?”

Master Chen’s anger grew as he spoke, “Not to mention anything else, are Spirit Stones so easily earned? How did I raise such a wasteful bunch of you, who still haven’t learned much about Artifact Refining and only cause me trouble!”

“We only acted because Mo Hua was being bullied!”

“So what if Mo Hua was bullied? Who hasn’t been bullied before? If everyone who was bullied had to fight back, how many Cultivators would die or be injured in this world? I think you won’t learn your lesson today until you get a beating…”

Master Chen raised his stick as if to strike, then suddenly stopped and frowned, asking:

“Who was being bullied?”

“Mo Hua…” Dazhu said, glancing at the stick in his master’s hand and shrinking his neck slightly.

“Mo Hua?”

Thinking of Mo Hua’s appearance, a boy around ten years old, well-behaved and adorable, as well as harmless, Master Chen couldn’t help but ask with confusion:

“Who went crazy, to bully Mo Hua, that little kid?”

Seizing the moment, Dazhu hurriedly said, “It was not just bullying, it was obviously with a murderous intent, that’s why I stepped in!”

“A murderous intent?” Master Chen angrily said, “This is simply lawlessness!”

“Exactly! Exactly!”

“Absolutely intolerable!”

“Completely shameless!”

“Shut your mouths!” Master Chen barked.

Master Chen wasn’t clear about what had happened. He had just finished his work and had gone for a drink to ease his fatigue. Before he could even settle in, he heard that Dazhu had gotten into a fight again—not just Dazhu, but other apprentices as well. It wasn’t just a fight; the commotion was huge, not only were people injured, but even the Taoist Court was disturbed.

His blood surged with anger, and he rushed back to hold these disciples to account.

Master Chen continued to question Dazhu, “Who was bullying Mo Hua?”

“Qian Xing.”

“Qian Xing? The young master of the Qian Family?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know why?”

Dazhu shook his head.

Master Chen’s brow furrowed tighter. What conflict could there be between the Qian Family and Mo Hua? They had nothing in common…

But Qian Xing… I’ve heard that kid has always been a piece of work, bullying others just to show off his power seems likely.

Dazhu continued, “When I got there, Qian Xing and his group had already surrounded Mo Hua, and some were about to strike, aiming for the forehead. Out of urgency, I intervened.”

Listening, Master Chen got angrier, feeling that his guess was correct, and he couldn’t help but curse, “The little bastard…”

Probably used to being a tyrant on ordinary days, he wanted to bully someone to showcase his influence. If anyone did not yield to him, he’d lose his temper.

Though the Family Head of the Qian family, Qian Hong, was not a good man, he at least knew some limits. How could he possibly have a son like this…?

Could it really be… a bastard child?

Master Chen also couldn’t help but wonder.

Dazhu, seeing that his master was no longer angry, quietly asked:

“Master, are you still going to hit us?”

Master Chen glared at him: “What, you’re not comfortable unless you get a beating?”

Dazhu shook his head repeatedly, “No, no, no!”

Master Chen threw aside the stick but still said, “It’s good that you helped someone, but to end up in such a state just from lending a hand is unlikely. You must have gotten carried away in the fight and then lost all sense of measure, regardless of the consequences.”

Master Chen knew these disciples too well. If they really wanted to save someone, they would just save and leave. It must have been some conflict that arose. They were all young and with resentments, they couldn’t pull back once they started.

Luckily none of the disciples had been seriously hurt or killed, or else just the cost of the pills for treating the injuries would’ve been a hefty sum of spirit stones, a significant burden for a typical cultivator’s family.

Once a cultivator falls into debt, it’s like having an iron weight pressed upon them, making every breath feel exhausting.

It’s good for young people to be spirited, but their backgrounds and family circumstances can’t support that kind of temperament.

Master Chen sighed, but even so, right and wrong still couldn’t be muddled.

Looking at the group of kids in front of him, Master Chen felt both concern and relief:

“There were reasons for the incident, so I won’t delve into it. Helping others is right, but avoid casualties when you can, and don’t always act impulsively. Don’t make your parents worry. Today, you won’t get a beating. Kneel here for two hours, reflect on your actions, and then you can leave.”

Dazhu and the others sighed with relief. Kneeling for two hours was nothing as long as they were not beaten. Besides, it seemed that the master wasn’t really angry with them, and he appeared to believe that they hadn’t done wrong but was just punishing them symbolically.

With such realization, everyone felt much more comfortable, and even while kneeling, they sat up straighter.

It was then that Dazhu thought of something and said to Master Chen, “Master, Mo Hua said that since we helped him, if we ever need any formations drawn, we could just look for him. As long as they aren’t too difficult, he should be able to handle them…”

“Oh,”

Master Chen, hands clasped behind his back, began to walk away, then after a few steps, turned back around and asked, “What did you say?”

Dazhu sensed something unusual about his master and said, “Mo Hua said…”

Dazhu repeated what Mo Hua had told them.

“Did Mo Hua really say that?” Master Chen asked.

Dazhu nodded, and the disciples added, “That’s what he said.”

After calming his mind several times, Master Chen couldn’t help but rub his hands together, pondered for a moment, and hesitated before saying:

“If we helped him and he helps us draw some formations, that shouldn’t be considered taking advantage of him, right…”

After thinking for a moment, Dazhu replied, “Mo Hua said it’s mutual aid among loose cultivators, not taking advantage!”

“That’s right!”

Master Chen couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore, but then, remembering he was in front of his disciples, he tried to keep a straight face, though he couldn’t quite suppress his smile.

Now that they had someone to take care of the formations in the Refinery Shop, even if it was just saving on the Formation Master’s fee, it was a significant expense spared.

The saved spirit stones could go towards necessary repairs in the Refinery Shop, purchases that needed to be made, better quality metal for artifact refining, and his disciples could even have a few more bowls of rice each meal.

Master Chen felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and he felt more invigorated.

“Such good children…” Master Chen, in high spirits, turned to his disciples and said, “Mo Hua may be young, but he’s talented and diligent. By helping us with the formation drawings, we are the ones at an advantage. If his family ever finds themselves in trouble, you must help out as much as you can. Remember this!”

“Yes, Master!” Dazhu and the others quickly nodded their heads.

“Alright, you can all go now,” Master Chen waved them off.

“Yes.” Just as Dazhu was about to respond, he suddenly remembered something else and asked quietly, “Aren’t we kneeling anymore?”

Master Chen was both amused and annoyed, “Kneel what? Scram!”

“Yes!”

The disciples replied loudly, running off as if a great burden had been lifted.

Master Chen shook his head, “A bunch of silly boys, who knows when they will grow up…”

He had initially returned in anger, but now, looking at his disciples, his mood was much better. He thought about finding a place to have a few drinks, took a few steps, then suddenly stopped.

Master Chen slapped his forehead, “I forgot to ask, how did things end up with the Qian Family?”

Though Qian Xing was no good, any mishap would still be troublesome.

But after another thought, with the Qian Family’s numbers and strength, along with a host of guards, it was unlikely they came to harm. Besides, it was just a fight involving children in the middle phase of Qi Refinement, and even if someone got hurt, it shouldn’t have been too serious. If there had been an incident, these children wouldn’t have been able to return safely.

Thinking this, Master Chen felt at ease and went on to enjoy his drink with peace of mind.