Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 184 The Night Before Breaking the Formation

"The key to the formation..." Chen Anran pondered, "Master Zhang, do you have any clues?"

Zhang Nanshan shook his head and stroked his somewhat disheveled beard: "That formation is extremely well-hidden, almost integrated with the earth's veins. Brother Tianbao and I went to great lengths to barely stabilize the nodes. To find the exact location of the formation's core, we still need to investigate carefully. Moreover—"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present: "That formation seems to have the ability to conceal itself, making it difficult to detect using ordinary methods. I'm afraid we'll need the assistance of fellow cultivators who are skilled in earth vein techniques or have extremely keen senses."

Jiang Yan immediately patted his chest and said, "Master Zhang, rest assured! Although our Jiang family mainly focuses on weapon crafting, we have also been studying earth vein minerals for many years. I will send a message back to our main family to summon a few elders who are proficient in this field!"

"Very good." Master Tianbao nodded gently. "Furthermore, although the traces of the blood sacrifice have been destroyed, the remaining aura may serve as clues for our investigation. The Liu family of Xiangxi is skilled at commanding corpses and is most sensitive to bloody resentment. Their people should be arriving soon."

Just as Master Tianbao was about to continue speaking, a few faint "meows" suddenly came from outside the hall, interrupting the somewhat heavy atmosphere.

Qi Lan had somehow slipped to the window and pushed it open a crack. Two skinny kittens, who seemed to have crawled in from nowhere, were timidly clinging to the windowsill, their amber eyes sparkling in the night, gazing longingly at the fragrant dining table inside.

Qi Lan's vertical pupils softened instantly. She casually picked up a piece of steamed fish belly from the table, tore it into thin strips, and gently offered it out the window. The kittens initially retreated warily, but were then attracted by the aroma, cautiously approaching and purring contentedly.

"Ahem," Zhang Nanshan watched this scene, the tense lines on his face relaxing slightly. He suddenly raised his hand to rub his stomach. "Speaking of which, I am indeed hungry. Of all things under heaven, eating is the most important. That formation won't disappear anytime soon, and we can't let our fellow Daoists fight demons on an empty stomach."

Jiang Yan immediately seized the opportunity, his round face beaming with smiles again: "That's right! Master Zhang is absolutely right! No matter how big the matter, you need to be well-fed to have the energy to handle it! Come, come, this braised pork with fermented rice wine is freshly heated up, it's incredibly flavorful; and this mushroom soup, made with freshly picked mushrooms from the back mountain, it's so delicious it'll make your eyebrows fall off!"

As he spoke, he enthusiastically served food to everyone, especially taking care of Chen Anran, Zhang Nanshan, Tianbao Zhenren, and Qi Lan.

This is because Qi Lan's seniority in the cultivation world is not among the juniors, but rather her peer, being the junior sister of True Person Tianbao.

Master Tianbao chuckled, picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in his mouth, narrowing his eyes: "Elder Jiang's manor, putting aside everything else, has truly superb culinary skills. It's far better than those disciples on our mountain who just like to run around all day."

Qi Lan continued feeding the cat without turning her head and retorted, "Senior brother, you want someone to sing and play mahjong with you, and you also want someone to cook for you? There's no such thing as a free lunch."

Master Tianbao wasn't annoyed by his junior sister's retort; instead, he laughed heartily, "Junior sister, you're wrong about that. I'm already this old; am I not allowed to have some hobbies?"

The heavy atmosphere in the hall was somewhat eased by the casual banter between the fellow apprentices. Slight smiles appeared on everyone's faces, and they picked up their chopsticks again.

Jiang Yan beamed with delight, eagerly offering drinks and serving dishes.

Chen Anran noticed that her senior sister, Su Wan, only ate a few bites of vegetarian food before putting down her chopsticks and gazing quietly into the deep night outside the window, seemingly lost in thought.

He was about to ask in a low voice

Suddenly, a series of slightly hurried footsteps came from outside the hall, accompanied by the announcement from a member of the Jiang family:

"Elder! Fellow Daoists from the Liu family of Xiangxi and the Jingang Temple have arrived!"

Before the words were even finished, the group had already entered the hall, looking travel-worn.

The Liu family's arrival was led by an elderly man with white hair and beard, carrying an ebony snake-head staff. Behind him followed several clansmen dressed in indigo robes, their faces either sallow or pale. They moved almost silently, carrying with them a lingering, faint scent of herbs and antiquity. As soon as they entered, the candlelight in the hall seemed to dim for a moment.

The group from the Vajra Temple was quite different. The eighteen warrior monks were all dressed in gray robes, and their steps were steady and powerful. The leader was Master Haishan, who had a white beard and held a fine steel crescent shovel. There were Sanskrit characters flowing on his shaved head.

"Master Liu, Master Haishan, you must be tired from your journey." Zhang Nanshan stood up, cupped his hands, and smiled. "You've arrived just in time; the banquet has just begun."

Fifth Master Liu, with a thin face deeply wrinkled and a hoarse voice, said, "Brother Nanshan, Brother Tianbao, I could smell the blood from afar. Let's get straight to the point."

Master Haishan of Jingang Temple raised one palm to his chest and spoke in a booming voice: "Amitabha. Saving people is like putting out a fire, and subduing demons is equally urgent. Zhang Tianshi, Tianbao Zhenren, please give us your orders."

Jiang Yan hurriedly invited people to add seats and bowls and chopsticks, but the Liu family and the people from Jingang Temple all waved their hands, indicating that it was not necessary.

Master Liu's nose twitched slightly, and his slightly cloudy eyes swept over everyone in the hall before finally settling on Zhang Nanshan and Master Tianbao: "The resentment of the blood sacrifice hasn't completely dissipated. It's gone northwest along the earth's veins and the yin wind. The source... is hidden deep, but it can't escape the nose of the 'corpse-sniffing dogs.'" Behind him, a young man with an unusually pale face silently stepped forward, holding a small cage covered with a black cloth in his hands. Faint scratching and low moaning sounds came from inside the cage.

Master Liu's nose twitched slightly, and his slightly cloudy eyes swept over everyone in the hall before finally settling on Zhang Nanshan and Master Tianbao: "The resentment of the blood sacrifice hasn't completely dissipated. It's gone northwest along the earth's veins and the yin wind. The source... is hidden deep, but it can't escape the nose of the 'corpse-sniffing dogs.'" Behind him, a young man with an unusually pale face silently stepped forward, holding a small cage covered with a black cloth in his hands. Faint scratching and low moaning sounds came from inside the cage.

Master Haishan said, "Our monks have already chanted sutras along the way to purify several places where the yin energy is stagnant, but this is only a temporary solution. Only by destroying the source of the evil formation can we cleanse the demonic atmosphere."

Zhang Nanshan and Tianbao Zhenren exchanged a glance and nodded.

"In that case," Zhang Nanshan said with a serious expression, "Fifth Master Liu, please ask the Ming family's spirit dog to lead the way and track down the source of the resentment from the blood sacrifice. Master Haishan, please lead your temple's monks to accompany and protect us tomorrow. Buddhist teachings can suppress evil spirits and also support Fellow Daoist Liu in performing his spell. Brother Tianbao and I will also go to investigate the exact location of the array's core and find a way to break it."

Afterwards, Zhang Nanshan arranged the tasks for the other cultivators and sects who had come, as well as the tasks for the next day. Finally, he looked at Chen Anran and Su Wan.

"Young An Ran, Sect Leader Su Wan, would you two be willing to come with us to the core area of ​​the array? The dangers there are unknown, and we need people with keen senses and quick reflexes."

Chen Anran replied without hesitation: "Of course I will go with you."

Su Wanyi nodded slightly: "I am willing to do my best."

Qi Lan had already withdrawn her hand from feeding the cat, and a hint of excitement flashed in her vertical pupils under the brim of her hat: "Finally, I can stretch my muscles a bit."

Feng Changyuan said gently, "My brother and I are willing to go together, and perhaps we can do our part in exploring the earth's veins."

Feng Lie nodded silently, his hand already resting on the bulging magic pouch at his waist.

Seeing this, Zhang Nanshan didn't waste any more words: "Alright! Everything is settled. Fifth Master Liu, Master Haishan, please take your seats, have a simple meal, and rest for the night."