Chapter 112: Heaven Net Earth Net Formation

I was restricted from participating in the operation, and I felt this was already a foregone conclusion. Ever since the night we discussed Operation 5, Old Man Jiang and Hui Jue had started acting mysterious, going out almost every day, often leaving early and returning late.

I did not know what they were doing outside, but over these past few days at school I learned something.

The bamboo forest area around the yin accumulation site had been placed under lockdown. By lockdown, it meant a small military unit had been stationed there, claiming that an ancient tomb had been discovered with great archaeological value, and that no one was allowed to approach.

There was also another small change. A low wall had been built around the ancient tomb within a radius of about three miles, leaving only a small iron gate.

The villagers did not have much objection. After all, discovering an underground ancient tomb meant tighter precautions were normal. What they did not know was the situation inside that low wall.

I was lucky enough to go in once, because I happened to catch my master on the way home from school and shamelessly followed him inside.

As soon as I entered, I saw at least eight magical artifacts filled with spiritual energy. I had not yet started learning about ritual formations, so I did not understand much, but I knew that normally a formation only needed one artifact to suppress the formation core, while the other points could be replaced with ordinary black and white stones.

But this formation had eight magical artifacts. Among them, I saw my master’s copper coin and a piece of jade.

“Master, what kind of formation is this?” I asked as soon as I went in, unable to hide my curiosity despite my shock.

“Something similar to the Heaven Net Earth Talisman, a Heaven Net Earth Formation. Its power can be strong or weak. This time it is set at a medium level,” Old Man Jiang said. He was quite generous with explanations in these matters. Whatever I asked, he would answer.

“Hungry ghosts are so powerful. Why not set up a high level one?”

As soon as I said this, Old Man Jiang looked at me as if I were an idiot, then slapped me.

“High level? Do you think it is that easy while standing there talking without back pain? You do not understand anything and still talk nonsense.”

I was scolded, but I did not mind. I was used to it. I looked around, unable to stop making impressed sounds. Besides the formation, the walls were covered densely with talismans. The scale was truly huge.

“Do not touch those talismans randomly. They are extremely lethal to spiritual bodies and yin evil things. Your spiritual perception is strong, but talismans do not have eyes. If your perception gets damaged, do not come crying to me,” Old Man Jiang said calmly with his hands behind his back as he walked behind me.

“Master, those hungry ghost worms are underground. Why are you setting all this up outside?” I still did not understand. Why focus all the effort outside?

“You understand nothing. This is just in case. This tomb is not as simple as you think. There is only a mother ghost and a pile of insect eggs, but what if something else crawls out and disturbs the civilians? Once the formation is activated, these talismans will also take effect. This is to ensure absolute safety. Do you understand?”

I stuck out my tongue.

“Master, a mother ghost and a pile of insect eggs are not scary enough? And you say I am thinking too simply.”

Old Man Jiang glanced at me and suddenly said, “That mother ghost and those eggs were most likely raised by someone using the situation. This tomb may be a tomb within a tomb.”

“What?” I froze. That meant the hungry ghost tomb was just the outer shell of another tomb.

“Hungry ghost eggs are extremely yin in nature. The mother ghost is even more special. To raise them, you would need an extremely sinister and heavily yin place,” Old Man Jiang said.

I suddenly thought of how this place used to be a yin accumulation site. Because the yin energy was so heavy, it even attracted a snake spirit.

What kind of person would have such a massive setup? And what was the purpose of raising hungry ghosts?

Thinking of these possibilities, I looked at my master in shock. He only said calmly, “If you can think of it, Hui Jue and I have already thought of it. We have been worried about this for a long time. Even without Operation 5, we would have gone down to take a look ourselves. Last time I quietly checked Guo Er and the others. Their fate charts were very strong, and there were four adult men. If it had been other people, just the yin energy at the bottom of the tomb would have driven them insane. It is impressive they stayed that long.”

“So Guo Er and the others were actually quite capable?” I said jokingly.

“That is only one possibility. No one knows what is really inside the tomb. They did not go too deep, so it is hard to say. That is why I secretly checked their fate charts. But still…” He paused, then sighed. “I cannot figure it out.”

I disliked this part of him. If he had something to say, he should just say it clearly.

Under my continued questioning, Old Man Jiang only added one more sentence.

“However, based on this setup, the intensity of the yin and evil energy below should not be limited to that level. Guo Er and the others should not have been able to endure it.”

After finishing that sentence with me, Old Man Jiang chased me out. From his attitude, it was clear I would not be allowed to participate in Operation 5.

Forget it. If I had no chance, Su Rou definitely had no chance either.

Operation 5 was like a cat scratching my heart, itching me from time to time. My curiosity about it grew day by day, but by the time school reached the last two days before vacation, I no longer had the mood to think about it.

Because final exams were about to start.

The academic pressure on me was heavy. Old Man Jiang educated me like this.

“Now that Liu Chunyan has gone to study elsewhere, you have lost your benchmark. So from now on, just stay in the top ten of your grade.”

“Master, were you bad at studying when you were young and now you are using me to fulfill your dream? That is not right. That is a psychological problem. It needs treatment.”

As the saying goes, where there is oppression, there is resistance. I had to resist.

What I got in return was an eighteen move beating, followed by a sentence.

“You damn brat, just the top ten in a rural school and you are already like this. How much future do you even have? I think when your parents gave birth to your eldest and second sister, they gave all the brains to them and only left you with the body of a pig.”

Fine. A pig it is. Under the power of the eighteen move beating, I accepted it, along with the requirement to stay in the top ten. Compared to my father’s iron fists when I was younger, Old Man Jiang’s palm technique was truly terrifying.

So the final exams took up all my attention, and I had no time to think about Operation 5.

The two days of exams passed quickly, which meant winter break was coming. During these unsettled days, I also spent my fifteenth birthday. Ever since I was nine, Old Man Jiang had not celebrated my birthday, so I was used to it.

After the exams ended, I suddenly realized that so many things had happened during this time that I had already turned fifteen.

Was I going to leave?

I felt a bit sad.

But thinking of the hungry ghost tomb, I figured I would probably still be here for a while longer.

That made me feel a little better. Maybe if it drags on, I could even spend the Spring Festival with my parents and sisters.

I did not know how long my master and the others would need to prepare, but I had heard that night they were waiting for someone, though that person had not shown up yet.

Lost in thought, I returned to the bamboo forest residence. I expected it to be the same as always, quiet and empty with no one around, but I found my master there, furiously shoveling rice into a bowl in the kitchen. It startled me so much that I nearly jumped.

After calming down, I looked at his bowl. It was just plain rice soaked in boiling water with a few pieces of pickled radish. Tsk. My meat loving master had actually fallen to this state.

“Master, why are you eating this? Should I make something for you?” I joked while preparing to start a fire and cook something.

From childhood until now, my master and I had almost never been apart. He had been disappearing frequently these days, and I actually felt a bit concerned about him.

“No need. I still have things to do. I have to go down the mountain later. I came back to tell you that I will not be able to look after you during winter break this year. Go back home and stay there,” Old Man Jiang said after swallowing the last mouthful of rice.

“What?” I was slow to react.

In previous summers and winters, I usually spent holidays on the mountain. My family would come visit me, and apart from Spring Festival, my master and I would occasionally go to town. This arrangement was because my master did not want to interrupt my daily training.

I was not used to this sudden change at all.