Definitely on the Right Track

After hearing Lord Xingde's request, Liu Xiaolou figured his injuries must not be too serious. The days he'd spent looking after him hadn't been for nothing. Relieved, he couldn't help throwing a jab: "Not kicking me out anymore, huh, senior?"

Lord Xingde paused for a second, then repeated, "Fresh meat. Not grilled; I want it in a stew."

Liu Xiaolou shook his head. "You sure are picky. Get some rest."

Xingde Mountain sat deep in the Taoyuan range, teeming with wild animals and birds. Liu Xiaolou hadn't even made it all the way down to the valley before he came back with a full load: two wild rabbits and a pheasant.

Back at Xingde Temple, he headed straight for the kitchen and called out toward the east wing:

"Senior, I picked up some dogwood berries, wild ginger, cinnamon bark, Sichuan pepper; plenty of mountain goods. Only thing I didn't see was garlic shoots... Does Xingde Mountain even grow garlic? Eh, I'll go look again later…"

He made a soup with the pheasant, just as Lord Xingde asked. It would've been even better with bamboo shoots, but he hadn't spotted any groves. As for the two rabbits, he skinned them and stir-fried them into a spicy dish using rendered fat from cured pork. It was fragrant enough to make the whole temple smell like heaven.

Lord Xingde was already waiting, practically drooling, posted up at the east wing's side room with the table all set, just waiting for the food to be served.

A pot of pheasant soup, a bowl of spicy rabbit, a dish of steamed cured pork, and two bowls of rice; once it was all laid out, the two of them sat down to eat.

Lord Xingde went straight for the soup, drained a bowl, smacked his lips, and suddenly remembered:"Quick, get the wine! It's buried under the altar in the main hall. Just pull that candle stand outward, you'll see it."

Liu Xiaolou got up and went to the main hall. Sure enough, under the altar, he found the hidden mechanism. Buried beneath it was a wine jar sealed with clay.

Well now, looks like there's more to this place than meets the eye. I never noticed this before.

He brushed off the clay seal, and a fragrant aroma, clearly laced with spiritual energy, wafted out. Delighted, Liu Xiaolou said,"Isn't this Bamboo Leaf Green from Hongji Tavern? Senior, you've been hiding some excellent wine! We've got to drink our fill today."

Lord Xingde hadn't eaten properly in over half a month. Now that he finally could, he was too busy stuffing his face to answer, managing only a few muffled grunts.

By the time they were done, they'd only made it through half the jar. Lord Xingde's injuries still hadn't fully healed, and Liu Xiaolou's cultivation wasn't strong enough to handle too much spiritual wine. So they resealed what was left and decided to save it for next time.

There wasn't time for much conversation. Both returned to their places to cultivate. Liu Xiaolou spent the night in the artifact-refining room, meditating and slowly absorbing the wine's spiritual energy. By the time it was fully converted, he figured it was just as effective as using spirit stones for training.

When he opened his eyes again, Lord Xingde was no longer in the side room. He was already out on the cliff behind the main hall, standing in the wind and looking off into the distance.

Liu Xiaolou joined him, eyes sweeping over the distant mountain peaks. "Looks like it's going to snow again."

Heavy clouds pressed low over the range. The north wind howled, but it didn't feel cold. It was the kind of wind that came right before a snowfall.

Lord Xingde stared up at the sky for a while, lost in thought. "You bought two Heart-Nourishing Pills?" he suddenly asked.

"I did," Liu Xiaolou replied. "Your injuries were so severe, I was afraid one wouldn't be enough, so I got two. Cost me six spirit stones. They're from the Miao Feng Alchemy Sect; you've heard of them, right?"

Lord Xingde frowned, thinking for a moment before shaking his head. "Can't say I've heard of them."

"Doesn't matter. What's important is that the Heart-Nourishing Pills worked pretty well."

Lord Xingde nodded. "They did. In fact, they might even be a cut above what most major sects can produce... You spent a lot on this."

Liu Xiaolou waved it off. "Saving your life comes first. Spirit stones are just things; if spending every last one means I can keep you alive, I've got no regrets. No need to worry about it."

As they spoke, snowflakes really did begin to drift down from the sky, gently covering the surrounding mountains in a blanket of white.

Liu Xiaolou moved to support Lord Xingde, but he wasn't ready to head back just yet.

"My injuries are about 30% healed. A bit of wind and snow won't hurt."

So Liu Xiaolou stayed by his side as they slowly strolled along the cliff's edge.

"What sect are you from?" Lord Xingde asked.

"I'm Liu Xiaolou of Sanxuan Sect. Have you heard of it, Senior?"

Lord Xingde thought for a moment, then murmured, "The name rings a bell... Where is your sect located?"

Liu Xiaolou grinned. "Then you really do know your stuff. We're based on Wulong Mountain."

Lord Xingde paused, caught off guard and unsure how to respond. "Wulong Mountain..." he said slowly, after a moment. "Well, not everyone there is a bandit. As long as you're serious about cultivating and making progress... you can still walk the proper path."

Liu Xiaolou wasn't new to being looked down on, so he didn't mind. Taking advantage of the moment, he said, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior. I'll keep working hard, stay true to the Dao, and never stray into wrongdoing. I came all this way, 500 li, to seek your advice on formation arts and to ask your help crafting a formation disk."

Lord Xingde nodded thoughtfully. "Who told you that Xingde Temple was skilled at making formation disks?"

"Your great name—"

Lord Xingde cut him off before the flattery could start, sparing them both the awkwardness. "I know artifact forging, and I'm particularly good with formation disks. But not many people know that. That's why I asked."

Liu Xiaolou had no choice but to give a straight answer. "A disciple from Tianmu Mountain told me."

Lord Xingde raised an eyebrow, curious. "A disciple of the Lu family? They're usually quite reserved, don't tend to associate with... well... anyway, I doubt they'd know much about me."

"My friend's surname is Wei," Liu Xiaolou said. "He just joined the outer sect at Tianmu Mountain."

Thankfully, Lord Xingde didn't press further. If he had, Liu Xiaolou wouldn't have had a good answer. What was he supposed to do? Admit his friend Wei Hongqing had only heard about it from someone he was courting?

"What kind of formation are you trying to make?"

Liu Xiaolou had spent the last half-month preparing for this very moment. Without wasting a second, he pulled a formation manual from inside his robes. "Please take a look, Senior. I'm hoping to forge a disk for this formation."

"The Abyssal Blackstone Formation?"

Lord Xingde flipped through the manual, scanning its contents quickly.

The formation manual wasn't thick. Less than twenty pages in total. The first part mostly covered materials, structure, and crafting techniques, with plenty of diagrams. Only the last three pages described the formation's effects and how to use it.

Lord Xingde stopped reading once he reached the section on the formation's function. He didn't bother flipping further. Closing the manual he turned to Liu Xiaolou. "A small illusion formation. The formation disk isn't hard to make, just a bit time-consuming. And you'll need to gather some materials."

"Of course," Liu Xiaolou quickly said. "Just give me the list, and I'll go buy everything."

"No rush. We'll wait until I've recovered before we start forging. I'll hold onto the manual for now. Read through it a few more times and think it over."

Liu Xiaolou nodded. "As you should, Senior. Feel free to copy it if you'd like, too."

Lord Xingde chuckled. "No need. It wouldn't be right to copy someone's secret technique without permission."

Trying to please him, Liu Xiaolou said, "Is there anything special you'd like to eat? I can make it right away."

Lord Xingde nodded. "I'll trouble you then..." He thought for a moment and added, "In a few days, I plan to head down the mountain to gather the materials for the formation disk."

Liu Xiaolou was thrilled. "I really appreciate it, Senior. But... are you sure your body can handle it?"

"You'll come with me, won't you?"

"Of course!" Liu Xiaolou answered right away. "Looking after you is the least I can do."

....

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