Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Repairing the Formation

Having been trapped for many years, Master Chang had conducted deep research on the Star Picking Record.

He had long noticed that among the group, Bai Zhengliu was subtly taking the lead. Now that Bai Zhengliu spoke up, Master Chang couldn’t wait to explain: "To defeat Liu Shi, the poisonous woman, the first step is to strengthen the formation that the Taoist priest left behind. It’s not a difficult task. I will teach you how to repair the broken formation. But there’s one important point: Liu Shi will definitely try to stop us. She will not sit idly by when she sees her soul about to dissipate. So, each of you must carry the talismans I prepared earlier and chant the incantations as a form of protection."

"If she truly attacks, don’t panic. With the talismans, she won’t be able to harm you for a while. But we must act quickly—the entire formation must be repaired in one go. Otherwise, who knows what trouble might arise."

As soon as Master Chang finished speaking, An Bo, standing beside him, chimed in at the right moment, "Master! What you’re saying is underestimating our Bai Daxia. When Liu Shi tried to block us earlier, hah, Bai Daxia only summoned his precious sword, and Liu Shi was so frightened that she fled far away!"

Master Chang listened to this and smiled while sighing, "If that is indeed the case, then it would be a good thing."

They didn’t linger on trivial matters for long.

According to Master Chang’s explanation, nightfall was approaching, which was the time when Liu Shi would make her move. As the number of spirits in the mansion grew fewer, every moment they delayed in the main courtyard increased the risk.

He was extremely anxious to teach Bai Zhengliu the method to repair the formation and repeatedly emphasized, "When I was a mere mortal, I was still able to seize life from Liu Shi’s hands. Bai Daxia, you’re young, and you’ve already achieved so much. You will certainly do better than I did!"

Bai Zhengliu didn’t pay attention to these words but suddenly said, "Liu Shi is so dangerous, yet I must face her head-on. As for these gentlemen," he turned to look at Gu Miao and Fu Ming, "let them repair the formation; perhaps that’s the only way to succeed."

Master Chang was stunned.

The Ninth Prince and Young Master Gu had been uneasy about the dangerous task ahead. At this moment, hearing Bai Zhengliu’s words, both of them were struck with a sudden realization.

"Exactly!" Fu Ming said. "I’ve practiced some fine brush techniques. If we’re talking about repairing a formation..."

Master Chang lifted his gaze and looked at him.

Fu Ming suddenly felt a chill in his heart. Before he could sense the danger, he saw Master Chang examining him with a scrutinizing look, sweeping up and down several times as if hesitating.

Master Chang spoke slowly, "But when Liu Shi the poisonous woman appears, she will definitely be the first to rush to those with various rare treasures, wanting to repair the formation."

Fu Ming hesitated.

Master Chang then changed the topic, "But if someone can delay her halfway and not interfere with the people repairing the formation, it will be twice the result with half the effort."

Fu Ming: "…"

To sum up these two statements: if he trusted Bai Zhengliu enough, repairing the formation would indeed be a good task. But if he had even the slightest doubt about Bai Zhengliu’s martial skills or character, it would be safer to stay on the sidelines with the talismans, helping to protect the formation.If it were any other time, Fu Ming wouldn’t hesitate. But just two days ago, Bai Zhengliu had witnessed what happened between him and Gu Miao... In that moment, the Ninth Prince didn’t know what choice to make.

However, Bai Zhengliu didn’t give him the chance to make a decision.

He knew which tasks were the most dangerous, and how could he possibly leave the formation repairs to others? But Master Chang’s attitude was too subtle, making Bai Zhengliu feel as though, "Among the six of us, it seems like he only wants me to set up the formation." That’s why he mentioned Fu and Gu.

Now that he knew Master Chang didn’t care who repaired the formation, Bai Zhengliu no longer had any doubts. He glanced at the sky and urged Master Chang, “Alright, quickly tell me, how exactly should we proceed?”

Hearing this, Master Chang sighed slowly and said, “Alright.”

He had lied countless times before, but there was one thing he had said that was true: repairing the formation wasn’t a troublesome task. Bai Zhengliu simply needed to use the materials already prepared in Chang’s residence within a certain time frame to draw around the well where Liu Shi was trapped, and then place some items in specific positions according to the sequence and orientation.

He quickly memorized the process. To prevent forgetting later, he silently made another copy for Master Chang. After Master Chang read it, a clear look of joy appeared on his otherwise dull face. “Good, good! — Cough, cough, cough!”

Bai Zhengliu thought, "That cough sounds like a leaky burlap sack."

Unaware of Bai Zhengliu’s thoughts, Master Chang was still smiling and had An Bo bring out the talismans.

A stack of old talisman papers was pulled out, enough for one person to have one, but two for each person seemed insufficient. Bai Zhengliu thought for a moment, then said straightforwardly, “Sister Wang, you stay behind with Brother Hu…”

Before he finished speaking, Master Chang quickly interrupted, “No, absolutely not!”

Bai Zhengliu: “...?”

Master Chang explained, “As I mentioned earlier, the place where we are now is actually a shadow between the realms of life and death. If we all remain here, the shadow can persist. But if you truly defeat Liu Shi, and we go to reincarnate, Chang’s residence will no longer exist.”

At that point, Wang Shi and Hu the butcher would be lost between the realms.

He spoke with a sense of danger, and Bai Zhengliu looked at him, unable to come up with another reason why Master Chang would want to send away Wang Shi and Hu. He could only say, “Alright. Then let’s give one talisman each to Sister Wang and Brother Hu for protection.”

Both Master Chang and Fu Ming showed expressions of sympathy. Wang Shi quickly said, “I can’t use so many! I wouldn’t be of much help anyway, so Bai Lang, please take two more talismans.”

Master Chang then persuaded, “It should be this way.”

But Bai Zhengliu remained firm, “We can protect ourselves. As for you, you’ll need the talismans for protection.”Wang Shi secretly sighed.

She couldn’t refuse anymore. But before the group set out for the small courtyard where Liu Shi resided, Wang Shi quietly took out a talisman from her sleeve and tucked it into Hu the butcher's chest.

Her reasoning was simple. No matter how dangerous it was, if she faced it, she could still run with her two legs. But Hu the butcher, when the situation got chaotic, might not have anyone to look after him. At that time, this talisman would be the real thing to protect his life.

After slipping the talisman in, Wang Shi muttered, "What kind of business is this! Such a life-threatening task, and they’re still sitting in the main courtyard."

Mei Yinghan softly comforted her, "They came here because there must be other troubles waiting."

Thinking about Master Chang’s way of doing things, Wang Shi inhaled deeply and nodded, "That’s true."

Though they had only passed through this road once, everyone present, except for Hu the butcher, knew the way clearly. They arrived at Liu Shi’s small courtyard just before the full moon rose in the east.

It had only been a day since they had last passed this way, but the mood of the group had changed drastically.

Wang Shi silently stood to the side with Hu the butcher, while the remaining four began to get to work.

Although they were busy, Bai Zhengliu was the one taking charge. During the work, he noticed that Mei Yinghan seemed to be trying to take over some of the tasks. He couldn’t help but laugh and tease, "Brother Mei, don’t fight with me over who gets to claim the title of ‘hero’ this time."

Mei Yinghan could only helplessly smile. He knew that Bai Zhengliu’s words were referring to the matter with the Blood Demon Ancestor. Back then, Mei Yinghan had first encountered the Blood Demon, and after a long battle, he was seriously wounded, and the Blood Demon had also suffered some new injuries. Bai Zhengliu arrived just in time to save Mei Yinghan, and this was how Bai Zhengliu gained his fame for "heavily injuring the Blood Demon."

But from Bai Zhengliu’s point of view, the situation wasn’t like that. If it hadn’t been for Mei Yinghan’s perseverance in the beginning, how could he have endured through those battles with the Blood Demon?

At this moment, Mei Yinghan said, "I..."

He didn’t finish his sentence.

Not far away, Gu Miao suddenly screamed, "The well! That well!!!"

Everyone looked in the direction of his voice.

They saw that the stone slab which had sealed the well was now gone.

Below the well, the water churned, and the foul, decaying stench quickly filled the entire courtyard. Soon after, a damp head slowly emerged from the well.

It was Liu Shi!Bai Zhengliu instantly suppressed the slightly mischievous look on his face and coldly said, "Brother Mei, it's up to you!"

As he spoke, he quickly sorted through the various materials for the formation in his hands and began running between the spots in the courtyard!

Liu Shi was clearly enraged by Bai Zhengliu’s movements, and a "gurgling" sound came from her throat as she lunged toward him! But at that moment, a long sword was drawn in front of her, its blade reflecting the bright moonlight.

Mei Yinghan didn’t speak; he simply raised his sword and attacked!

He remembered Bai Zhengliu’s earlier instructions and knew that he must not let Liu Shi touch him. With the Zhenxing Sword in hand, he danced it in the air, forming a tight defense, blocking Liu Shi while protecting himself.

"Whoosh—"

A large amount of foul-smelling water gushed out from the well, flowing in all directions!

The small courtyard quickly began to chill. In just a short time, it felt as though Bai Zhengliu had fallen into an ice cave.

His expression remained unchanged as he continued sprinkling powder and debris… Just at that moment, the swordsman’s peripheral vision caught something, and his movements suddenly halted!

It turned out that Liu Shi, seeing she could not break through Mei Yinghan’s defense, decided to go the opposite route. She abruptly retreated, and in the blink of an eye, she reached the spot where Hu the butcher and Wang Shi were standing.

In her panic, Wang Shi grabbed Hu the butcher and tried to run. But how could she, a woman, drag a tall, strong man like Hu the butcher?

Wang Shi could only watch helplessly as Liu Shi approached Hu the butcher. In an instant, her hands were about to wrap around Hu the butcher’s neck. Meanwhile, Hu the butcher was still wearing a silly grin on his face, clueless about what was happening.

At that moment!

Mei Yinghan rushed to protect them but was too late! Fu Ming and Gu Miao, in a panic, stopped in their tracks.

A long knife, like a meteor, flew through the air and pierced Liu Shi's shoulder once again after several hours had passed.

Liu Shi let out a familiar, agonized scream, and the sound was so loud it shook the very air, causing the swordsman to momentarily lose his focus.

He took a sharp breath and was about to move forward to retrieve the knife. However, just then, Liu Shi turned around, staring at him with swollen, pale eyes.

The blade slowly disappeared into her chest.

From Wang Shi's position, she just happened to see Hu the butcher pull the long knife out.Wang Shi was dazed, thinking: "After all, he is a butcher. Seeing the knife handle, it must have triggered some instinct..." Before she could finish the thought, she saw Liu Shi's figure suddenly disappear. Immediately after, Mei Yinghan's sharp cry rang out: "Brother Bai!!!"

From Bai Zhengliu’s perspective, the entire situation unfolded as follows: The moment he saved Hu the butcher, Liu Shi directly darted toward him. Then, she grabbed him with one swift motion and dragged him into the deep well that had suppressed her for many years!