Chapter 71

Chapter 71: Who Was Stirring Trouble

“Senior Brother Ying.”

Bai Meng Jin stopped in front of Ying Shao Guang and bowed politely.

Ying Shao Guang made an awkward sound and rubbed at his nose. He’d never had a qualm about picking on Ling Bu Fei, but Bai Meng Jin’s calm courtesy threw him off for a moment, like stepping on an unexpectedly slick stone.

Bai Meng Jin pointed toward the posted notice. “We want to try the Myriad Flowers Formation for fun. Will you come with us?”

Even if she hadn’t invited him, Ying Shao Guang would have gone. He’d come to Flowing Moon City bored out of his skull, and then Ling Bu Fei had wandered right into his reach. If Ling Bu Fei entered the formation, how could he not follow?

But there was a difference between tailing them like a rabid dog and being invited.

If Ling Bu Fei’s group registered first and he strutted over afterward, it would be unmistakably petty.

If Bai Meng Jin invited him, could he really keep ramming his head into her kindness?

“Senior Brother Ying?” Bai Meng Jin looked up, as if she hadn’t noticed his hesitation at all.

Ying Shao Guang’s fan paused mid-flick. Then, with a stiff nod, he said, “Fine.”

Bai Meng Jin’s smile brightened. “Great. We have three people, and you have three people. That’s six. We only need four more.”

She turned away as if the matter were already settled.

When she returned to Ling Bu Fei, he lifted his gaze. Across the short distance, his eyes met Ying Shao Guang’s.

Both were expressionless.

[He agreed because we needed numbers. He never said he would stop competing for first.]

They were short four people. Not long after, two more small groups arrived, and the count fit neatly.

A shop clerk led them into the Treasure Convergence Tower. As he walked, he said warmly, “Immortal guests, our Myriad Flowers Formation will not take your lives, but if you are careless, you can still be injured. Please be cautious.”

Everyone acknowledged him. No one looked surprised.

A prize like the Ginseng Fruit didn’t come without teeth.

The clerk stopped at the staircase and gestured. “This way.”

“The formation is upstairs?” Ying Shao Guang asked.

The clerk smiled. “Yes. Once immortal guests step onto the stairs, that counts as entering the formation by default.”

Ying Shao Guang didn’t hesitate. He stepped forward first.

His cultivation was high, his strength solid. What did he have to fear?

With him leading, the others followed quickly.

Bai Li Xu naturally fell to the rear. With Ying Shao Guang in front, he took the back without complaint.

At the top of the stairs, a ring of pale light hovered.

When Ying Shao Guang stepped into it, his figure shimmered—and vanished.

Then the second person. The third.

After the first seven disappeared into the light, it was Bai Meng Jin’s turn.

The instant she stepped toward the ring, something prickled across her senses. Wrong.

She reached back. “Hold on to me.”

Ling Bu Fei froze.

“Quick,” she urged.

He hesitated for a fraction of a breath, then reached out. Bai Meng Jin caught his hand at once and drew him close, fingers firm and sure.

For a foolish moment, Ling Bu Fei wondered if she was scared.

Impossible.

He stepped into the ring with her. White light surged, swallowing his vision. When it faded, the world had changed.

They stood on the second floor of the Treasure Convergence Tower—only it was no longer a tower at all. Where there should have been open space and lacquered wood and carved screens, there was only a maze.

Pots of strange flowers and rare spirit plants formed the walls. Petals brushed their shoulders. Leaves swayed as if breathing.

Bai Meng Jin released his hand.

Ling Bu Fei looked around and immediately understood what she’d sensed on the stairs. “The teleportation is random,” he said quietly. “That’s why you—”

“That’s why I held on,” she confirmed, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

The others who had entered before them were nowhere to be seen.

If she hadn’t dragged him with her, Ling Bu Fei—unable to use spiritual power—would have been thrown into the maze alone.

Something warm stirred in his chest.

And beneath it, for reasons he didn’t want to name, a faint, stupid disappointment.

He looked back. Bai Li Xu was gone, too—teleported somewhere else.

If they wanted to get out, they would have to rely on themselves.

Most people didn’t know that Ling Bu Fei’s formation skills were excellent.

Since he couldn’t use spiritual power, every time he entered Mirror Flower Water Moon, he had been forced to find a way out with nothing but his eyes and his mind. Leaving a formation without brute force was often harder than smashing it apart.

This Myriad Flowers Formation could be entered by Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators. No matter how cleverly designed, it could not compare to Mirror Flower Water Moon.

Ling Bu Fei wasn’t worried.

Bai Meng Jin tilted her head. “Any ideas?”

“Let me think.”

Ling Bu Fei scanned the area. Nearby was a resting spot—tea, fruit, a neat plate of snacks placed with almost insulting calm, as if daring people to relax.

He picked up a piece of fruit and tossed it into the maze.

“Dong.”

The fruit dropped between the potted walls. In response, the flowers ahead shifted. The maze rearranged itself with a soft rustle, like a living thing changing posture.

Bai Meng Jin’s eyes sharpened. A formation that changed mid-way was a formation meant to frustrate.

Ling Bu Fei frowned, watching the new configuration settle. Then he tossed a second fruit.

“Dong.”

The maze shifted again.

A third.

“Dong.”

And then someone inside the maze snapped, voice raw with anger. “Ling Bu Fei, enough! I finally found the path!”

Bai Meng Jin and Ling Bu Fei exchanged a glance.

So they weren’t alone on this route.

A moment later, Ying Shao Guang pushed out from between the pots, face dark, still holding the fruit Ling Bu Fei had thrown.

He looked like he wanted to bite someone.

Ling Bu Fei brightened into an infuriating smile. “Senior Brother Ying—so it was you.”

Ying Shao Guang stared at him, then at the fruit in his hand, and his jaw clenched. He had entered, tested the maze, found a clue, calculated the shift—

And then those two arrived and started throwing fruit like they were feeding fish.

Once, the maze moved.

Twice, it moved.

Three times—

Ying Shao Guang’s hand tightened until the fruit nearly split. “Are you breaking the formation or trying to break me?”

Ling Bu Fei’s smile only widened. “Sorry. I’m breaking the formation, too.”

Ying Shao Guang huffed, then narrowed his eyes. “You two got teleported to the same place? Convenient.”

Ling Bu Fei’s tone stayed light. “Lucky, isn’t it?”

Ying Shao Guang muttered something under his breath. When he realized the teleportation was random, his first reaction had been annoyance. How could he ruin Ling Bu Fei’s good time properly if he couldn’t land on the same route?

Now that fate had dropped them together, his urge to stir trouble started itching again.

He flicked his fan open. “Young Sect Master, aren’t you going to break the formation?”

Ling Bu Fei lounged back into a chair as if he belonged there. “I’m a cripple. What formation am I breaking?”

“Then why did you come in?” Ying Shao Guang’s smile turned sharp. “Don’t you want the prize?”

Ling Bu Fei waved a hand. “Isn’t A Xu still in here? With his ability, clearing this formation won’t be hard.”

Ying Shao Guang’s expression stalled.

They all had companions. Even if Ling Bu Fei and Bai Meng Jin stayed here doing nothing, Bai Li Xu could still clear the formation on his own—and Ying’s two junior brothers were no match for him.

Annoyingly, blocking Ling Bu Fei directly was pointless.

Ying Shao Guang turned on his heel. Fine. If he wanted to win, he needed to be faster than Bai Li Xu. Nothing else mattered.

He stepped into the maze—

“Dong.”

A fruit dropped somewhere behind him.

“Senior Brother Ying, sorry,” Ling Bu Fei called cheerfully. “I just want to see how the maze changes.”

Ying Shao Guang’s teeth ground. There were only a few fruits on the plate. How many times could this brat throw—

“Dong.”

Another.

“Oops,” Ling Bu Fei said, almost thoughtfully. “I’m out.”

Ying Shao Guang exhaled, relieved—

A loud clang rang out.

Something heavy had been tossed.

His head whipped around in disbelief.

Ling Bu Fei’s laugh drifted through the maze. “I don’t have much else on me, but I can still pull out a few thousand spirit stones. Same effect, right?”