Xiao Yuansi held the formation diagram up, studying it for a dozen breaths before shaking his head:
"I thought it was something new and exotic. But it is merely the same old Mist Maze trick, with a different name pinned onto it."
He tucked the diagram away and handed it to Li Xiangping, continuing:
"I may not be well-versed in the path of formations, but this diagram is far too crude. It would only fool those Embryonic Breathing cultivators. Anyone with the Jade Capital Wheel can escape unscathed, and a Qi Refining cultivator could break the formation and seize the banners with ease."
"My Li family is poor and bare. Even so, having a formation lets us rest a little easier."
Li Xiangping cupped his hands and gave a wry smile.
Xiao Yuansi looked at the Li Xiangping before him, who had only formed the Chengming Wheel, and the Li Tongya at the Orbital Wheel, and could not help but laugh:
"Indeed, for the likes of you it is a sound choice."He tapped the embroidered pouch lightly, and six small banners appeared in his hand at once. The banners bore blue-and-white cloth painted with arcane spell marks, their shafts a mottled red-brown — quite handsome to look at.
"These are the formation banners I used back in my Jade Capital Wheel days," he said. "The cloth is made from the skin of the white-striped crucian, the shafts from red birch wood. Among Embryonic Breathing treasures they count as fine goods, and they fit your formation well."
"Since I have no further use for this banner formation, I shall leave it here so you can lay out a Mist Maze. If you ever find a better formation diagram, you can make use of these banners to set it up as well."
With a smile, Xiao Yuansi waved a hand to cut off Li Xiangping and Li Tongya, who were about to thank him, and said:
"Twelve spirit stones."
Li Xiangping fell silent for a moment, then gave an embarrassed laugh:
"Might I ask what these spirit stones…"
"You don't have any spirit stones?"
Xiao Yuansi hesitated, then explained:
"To cultivators, spirit stones are what gold and silver are to mortals. In market towns and shops, business is usually settled in spirit stones. And when a larger clan pays tribute, it must also be made in spirit stones."
Li Xiangping's mind stirred at these words, and he hurriedly asked:
"Might I ask how many spirit stones the White Origin Fruits and spirit rice could be worth?"
"Should we pledge these two items as security…"
Xiao Yuansi rubbed his chin, pondered for a while, and answered:
"Ten White Origin Fruits should equal one spirit stone, while a hundred catties of spirit rice are worth one."
Li Xiangping and Li Tongya were struck speechless, each thinking to himself:
"A hundred catties of spirit rice was enough to drive the Wan clan to send cultivators to rent land from us and plant rice. Twelve spirit stones would be a full twelve hundred catties of spirit rice! I fear even selling off the entire Li family would not fetch that much."
Seeing the two lower their heads in silence, Xiao Yuansi understood at once, and said in a low voice:
"Very well. Count this fog-veil formation of yours as sold to me, set against two spirit stones. The rest you may record on account. Once your family has scraped together the sum, entrust it to the senior brothers who come to receive the tribute in Lixia Prefecture, and have them deliver it to Qingsui Peak."
Li Xiangping gave a bitter laugh and bowed in thanks, and then saw Xiao Yuansi pinch a hand seal, causing the six formation banners in his hand to float up one by one.
"Go!"
Xiao Yuansi made a gentle lifting gesture, and five of the six banners shot into the air dragging trails of faint white fire, as though possessed of their own will, scattering to bury their heads in the bamboo grove at the foot of the mountain.
In an instant, mist and fog rose at the mountain's base, and layer upon layer of thick grey vapours spread out, completely shrouding Lijing Mountain.
Before long, the grey mist gradually thinned. Seen from afar, the crowd on the mountainside vanished as well, and the whole mountain seemed frozen in that moment, no longer changing in any way.
"There! What I have laid for you is the sect's inner Mist Maze, a fair sight better than that fog-veil formation."
Xiao Yuansi withdrew his hand, and plunged the last banner into the ground, where at once a palm-sized formation eye emerged, divided into inner and outer layers, giving off a faint white light.
"That formation eye has an outer formation and an inner eye," he explained. "If the outer formation flares, someone is breaching the formation at the foot of the mountain. If the inner eye flares, that person has broken through and entered."
Clapping his hands, Xiao Yuansi pointed to the formation eye and explained:
"If you cultivate the Jade Capital Wheel, you can refine the formation eye with your spiritual sense and control the formation at will. Standing where you do, with only the Orbital Wheel, you need only drip a drop of fingertip blood onto the formation eye's banner, and the formation will come to know you."
"Thank you, Immortal Master!"
Li Tongya and Li Xiangping hurried forward to drip their blood, and the formation eye flickered. At once, the two felt a faint connection forming with it.
Seeing this wondrous scene, Li Xiangping's mood, which had been weighed down by the debt he had taken on, improved greatly, and he mused to himself:
"This Mist Maze turned out far better than I expected. It can conceal the mountain gate and keep prying mortals at bay, and these banners can be reused over and over. It seems those ten spirit stones were money well spent after all."
"Once the younger generation grows up, all the spirit fields in the village can be put to use as well. We would simply have to repay a few years longer. But the mountain gate is the matter of utmost weight! Especially that mirror…"
Xiao Yuansi withdrew his art and asked with a smile:
"Do you have any further questions?"
Seeing everyone shake their heads in turn, Xiao Yuansi laughed aloud and said in a low voice:
"Then I shall take a turn about these mountains, slay some beast, gather some spirit herbs, and return by daybreak tomorrow to refine pills."
"We see the Immortal Master off!"
Li Xiangping and the others said hastily, watching as Xiao Yuansi summoned a flying shuttle and stepped upon it to soar away.
Li Tongya waited until Xiao Yuansi was far off, then turned his head to Liu Linfeng:
"Uncle. This school is not suited to the mountain any longer. Move it down to the foot of the mountain tonight."
"I will see to the packing."
Liu Linfeng took his leave and went down. Li Tongya looked at Li Xiangping and began:
"Tomorrow we shall take that mirr…"
"Brother!"
Li Xiangping was suspicious by nature, and still harboured doubts that Xiao Yuansi had not yet gone far, so he hurriedly cut him off.
Li Tongya understood at once. The two exchanged a look, then sat cross-legged to cultivate.
Although Lijing Mountain was no famous peak, it was at least an offshoot of Greater Li Mountain, and had once raised spiritual roots such as the Snake-Dragon Fruit. Now, with the formation sealing off the flow of spiritual energy within and without, the mountain's veins revived, and the concentration of spiritual energy gradually rose, until it climbed a tenth above the outside and slowly stopped.
The two cultivators felt a sudden burst of joy, and within themselves held the formation in even higher regard.
The two breathed and refined the energy until a splendid golden light rose from the east, and the mist among the hills slowly dispersed, condensing on the treetops into droplets of dew.
Only then did Xiao Yuansi descend from the sky, his robes and crown immaculate, stepping down from the flying shuttle into the courtyard.
"Open the furnace and refine pills!"
He laughed aloud, and from his storage pouch summoned a man-high, pitch-black pill furnace. Sitting cross-legged, he said to the two:
"Although this Snake-Yuan Pill wears the name of snake and dragon, its nature is gentle. Though it is a Qi Refining-stage pill, one at Embryonic Breathing may still take it, and it will do you both great good."
Taking a section of brown-yellow wood from his storage pouch, Xiao Yuansi clasped his hands, and called up a streak of pure white elixir fire from his dantian. He wiped the fire lightly across the wood, and at once the block hissed and burst into a burnished flame of hidden blue.
He flung the wood beneath the furnace, then produced the jade box, drew the Snake-Dragon Fruit out with his magic power, and cast it into the furnace.