Chapter 9: The Formation

The afternoon of the third day.

The maidservant Xiaowu came to the western wing and informed Liu Le'er and the others that White Stone Master was ready to treat Liu Shi.

Guided by Xiaowu, Liu Le'er led Liu Shi through winding corridors, crossed four courtyard gardens, and passed through a circular arched gate before finally arriving at the Yu residence's backyard.

The twisting corridors had already amazed Liu Le'er, but when she saw the small lake covered with green lotus leaves, she truly grasped the vastness of the Yu estate.

Calling it a small lake was only relative to the rivers and streams Liu Le'er had seen before; in fact, the lake was at least three to four hundred zhang in circumference, a world apart from the ponds in ordinary wealthy households.

"Miss Le'er, that's where White Stone Master refines his elixirs and cultivates," Xiaowu said, raising her hand to point at an islet in the center of the lake.

Following Xiaowu's finger, Liu Le'er saw a nine-bend stone bridge made of white marble, threading through the dense lotus leaves and connecting to the islet.

The islet was not large, but it was thickly wooded and shrouded in mist, making it hard to see clearly.

Thinking that once on the islet, her "Stone Brother" might be cured, her small face could not hide her excitement, and her thoughts became unsettled.

"The Master's cultivation ground is not a place for servants like us. Miss Le'er, you'll have to go on alone from here." Seeing Liu Le'er lost in thought, Xiaowu giggled.

"Thank you, Sister Xiaowu." Liu Le'er snapped back to reality and quickly thanked her.

Liu Le'er's sweet "Sister" pleased Xiaowu, who waved happily and then turned and left with quick, light steps.

The girl looked at the misty islet in the center of the lake, one hand on the stone bridge railing, but she did not hurry to cross. For some reason, a thought suddenly arose in her heart:

"If Stone Brother is cured, will he leave Le'er?"

Thinking this, she felt a pang of anxiety, but when she looked again at the tall youth's familiar face, she suddenly felt at ease.

"Stone Brother, let's go."

The girl stepped onto the stone bridge first, leading Liu Shi toward the islet.

Walking among the green leaves and stone bridge, the closer they got, the more nervous Liu Le'er became. Liu Shi, however, looked calm, occasionally distracted by the koi surfacing under the lotus leaves, turning his head this way and that.

When they reached the islet's edge, Liu Le'er found the mist less thick than it had seemed from afar. There were few bird calls, and the place was exceptionally quiet and elegant.

At the end of the stone bridge, a path paved with bluestone slabs wound deep into the islet.

Liu Le'er and her companion followed the path without any forks, arriving directly before an ancient Taoist temple with white walls and black tiles.

White Stone Master stood waiting at the temple gate. Seeing them, he said expressionlessly, "Come in," then turned and walked toward the rear hall.

The two followed the old Taoist through three main halls to the backyard, where a huge rockery stood.

White Stone Master walked up to a certain rock face, pressed his hand against it, and a heavy stone door slowly opened, revealing a man-sized opening.

After the two entered the cave behind the old Taoist, the heavy stone door slowly closed behind them.

The cave was man-made, not very large—only slightly bigger than the western wing they had stayed in. Several lamps hung on the walls, burning some kind of oil that gave off no smoke.

In the center of the floor was carved an octagonal pattern, resembling the Eight Trigrams but clearly different.

The carvings in the pattern were deep, containing not only strange bird and beast motifs but also oddly shaped lines. She vaguely felt she had seen them before—they seemed to be some kind of ancient seal script.

At each corner of the octagon stood a small dark-red triangular flag, on which golden threads traced strange patterns.

"What are you standing there for? Have him sit in the center of the formation," White Stone Master said coldly, glancing at Liu Le'er, who was studying the formation.

"Yes."

Liu Le'er quickly withdrew her gaze and guided the tall, wooden youth to sit in the circular pattern at the very center of the formation.

"Stone Brother, you will get better. Le'er will stay here with you." Liu Le'er stared into Liu Shi's eyes and said seriously, then reluctantly left the formation, pressed against the stone wall, watching the old Taoist with a tense expression.

"Now stay where you are. Don't make a sound to disturb my spell, and don't move a step. Understand?" White Stone Master instructed solemnly.

Liu Le'er nodded emphatically.

Only then did White Stone Master step forward. He first made a Taoist salute with one palm, then walked around the formation, silently chanting an obscure incantation.

As his chanting began, golden lines on the eight triangular flags around the formation lit up with brilliant light, spreading from all sides and covering Liu Shi.

Liu Shi had been looking around, but the moment the golden light enveloped him, his body jolted as if shocked, and he sat bolt upright.

Seeing this, Liu Le'er's heart also jumped—both worried and expectant.

Golden light swirled around Liu Shi, vaguely coalescing into strange golden patterns, while specks of golden light gathered in his eyes, making him look eerie.

Suddenly, White Stone Master's chanting stopped. His hand seal changed abruptly, and he pressed his fingers together, shouting:

"Suppress!"

The golden light that had been swirling around Liu Shi instantly solidified, wrapping him like a layer of gold paper.

Through the golden light, Liu Shi's face was still visible, his brows furrowed in apparent pain.

A loud sizzling sound arose!

The eight flags around the formation then flared with red light, and streams of black-gray mist flowed out from them, converging toward the center of the formation.

Seeing this, Liu Le'er's expression changed slightly. For some reason, the moment the black-gray mist appeared, she instinctively felt extremely uncomfortable.

Suddenly, Liu Shi grunted, his facial muscles twitching.

"Ah!"

Liu Le'er couldn't help but cry out, but immediately covered her mouth with a pale hand.

"Shut up! If you interfere with my spell, can you bear the consequences?" White Stone Master snapped, his fingers still locked.

Liu Le'er's heart trembled; she dared not say another word, but the panic in her eyes did not fade.

The mist, like living things, wove into tentacles that writhed and climbed, swallowing Liu Shi entirely.

Then the old Taoist made a hand seal with one hand, and a somber incantation sounded.

The black-gray mist grew thicker and denser.

Inside the mist, the tall youth first showed a confused expression, then his eyelids drooped, and he slowly closed his eyes, falling asleep standing up.

Seeing this, the old Taoist showed a hint of joy. His hand seal changed abruptly, and he opened his mouth to spit out a mass of essence blood, which turned into specks of blood light and sank into the black-gray mist.

Immediately, a strong smell of blood came from the mist, and countless blood-red runes surged forth.

"Something's wrong."

Watching until now, Liu Le'er's expression changed several times. Her intuition strongly told her that the situation was not right, but because of the earlier warning, she hesitated.

But just then, with a low shout from the old Taoist,

the temperature of the black-gray mist plummeted, and in a shimmer of crystalline light, it turned into a huge block of black ice, freezing the tall youth inside.

"Stop! What are you doing?" Liu Le'er finally confirmed the 'malice' of this Master Yu Shi. Her face flushed red as she shouted, and disregarding everything else, she stepped into the formation. A small rattle appeared in her hand, and she was about to smash the ice to save him.