Chapter 611 Discussion

He Lingchuan likes to change places after each meeting. This time, the two did not meet at Chen Sao Fish Soup Restaurant, but at Yangbang Tavern two miles away.

There is a river behind the tavern. The autumn wind blows the reed flowers open, and the shallow river water is swaying, giving the feeling of being all over the mountains.

The tavern got its name from this, and the main dishes are reed fish and shrimp, smoked duck and meat.

The restaurant is small, and can only accommodate five or six tables, but when Dong Rui walked in, he didn't see He Lingchuan.

His heart skipped a beat. Is it a trick?

Just as he was about to leave, the squirrel said, "Go in, go in, what are you afraid of!"

Dong Rui was actually despised by a squirrel. He laughed in his heart, and walked two more steps forward. Sure enough, he saw a side passage by the wall, but the light in the restaurant was dim, so he didn't see it at first glance.

Going in, there is a small compartment.

In fact, it is a corner separated by boards next to the kitchen. The advantage is that the place is small and can only accommodate one table.

He Lingchuan raised his hand to him at the table: "Come on, I've ordered the dishes."

Dong Rui sat down and saw that He Lingchuan's hair was wet, so he couldn't help but frown: "Did you jump into the ditch behind?"

"What are you talking about?" He Lingchuan put up a barrier and poured him wine enthusiastically, "I played in the lake for a while." There was too much fog on the mountain today, and after rowing for a while, the hair on the back was wet.

"..." Dong Rui thought, "It would be great if I couldn't float."

Then, he found that he had said it accidentally.

"How could it be?" He Lingchuan patted his shoulder, snap! "We fell into the water together that year, you know how good I am at swimming."

The hand was so strong that Dong Rui's shoulder tilted.

The little squirrel jumped onto He Lingchuan's shoulder and said disdainfully: "This guy is so stupid! He doesn't even know how to walk."

"You are so bad at leading the way. I passed the alley and you said turn right!" The dishes were all on the table, and Dong Rui turned his back to the aisle again, and took off his veil.

As soon as that face appeared, the little squirrel squeaked in fright and went directly into He Lingchuan's clothes.

Dong Rui's forehead veins jumped: "Where did you pick up this little thing? Can you refine it into a demon puppet for me?"

"You want to refine my telephone operator?" He Lingchuan raised his chopsticks, "Stop making trouble, eat the food."

The fish in the ditch has a strong earthy smell, so it must be fried first and then braised, using heavy flavors to cover the fishy smell.

Yangbang Tavern went a step further, a big fat crucian carp was first grilled on charcoal fire, then braised with sweet and sour sauce, and it was served on the table. It was red and oily, which made people very appetizing.

He Lingchuan tasted a chopstick of fish meat and nodded.

No wonder it is a place frequented by locals, and it has some skills.

"Did you have a smooth trip today?"

"What's wrong?" Dong Rui snorted, "I just went out and they didn't dare to say anything."

He Lingchuan chewed fried peanuts: "How long did it take you to get rid of the tail behind you?"

"... About a quarter of an hour."

"Are you sure no one is following you?"

"Nonsense." Dong Rui squinted at him, "I have more experience in getting rid of people than you."

He is always on the run.

"Has the snail toad's injury been healed?"

"Soon, it will be able to jump around in a few days." Dong Rui felt depressed when he thought of how the snail toad was injured, "Fortunately, the 'mud palace' on its back is a rare treasure, and the power of the explosion was mostly blocked by it." If there was no treasure to protect its owner, the snail toad would have been torn into pieces and died.

"What's the matter with calling me out?"

"I want to tell you something. Zhu Erniang's remains are indeed in Xushan."

"Isn't that nonsense?" Dong Rui glared at him. "Didn't I say that last time?"

He also went to Xushan to look for it, and it wasn't that he didn't do anything.

"I found the official who supervised the construction of the Xushan Soul Gathering Array. He said that this array was built based on the Big Dipper, and the center of the array was suppressed by the remains of the ancient spider fairy."

Dong Rui's eyes fixed: "Zhu Erniang's remains were used to block the array's eye?"

He Lingchuan picked up a piece of smoked duck and chewed it slowly: "The array focuses on the interaction between heaven and man, so that spiritual energy can be gathered from all directions. Three thousand years ago, the world was in turmoil, and the stars also changed. Only the star map on Zhu Erniang's remains is synchronized with the sky and is always changing. Using it as the array's eye can keep the Soul Gathering Array running non-stop."

"Then if we find the array's eye, we will find the remains?"

"In theory, that's right." He Lingchuan said slowly, "but the array's eye is usually hidden."

"What?" Isn't this a bit unethical?

"The spirit gathering formation benefits the entire Lingxu City, greatly increasing the efficiency of all practitioners here in absorbing spiritual energy. It is one of the most important formations in the entire Lingxu City, so the formation eye is not fixed, but changes with the position of Tianluo Star."

"You mean, how does the Tianluo Star in the sky change, and the formation eye of Xushan changes?" Dong Rui was stunned, "That's a mess. Tianluo Star is a dark star, and it is not bright at ordinary times. How can we observe it!"

"The formation eye operates according to this principle." He Lingchuan took a sip of wine, "You don't have to panic. Tianluo Star starts to shine in autumn and winter, and it will not disappear until February or March of the following year. I guess it will soon be bright."

Speaking of this, he was a little stunned.

Doesn't the period of Tianluo Star's long brightness overlap with a period of climate he is familiar with?

"So during this period of time, the array eye will appear, which is convenient for maintenance."

"Maintenance?"

"Houses need regular maintenance. Shouldn't such an important array be regularly inspected?" He Lingchuan said, "Inspect once in the fall and once in the spring every year, and then we have to wait until the next fall."

Dong Rui's eyes lit up: "When will the latest inspection start? Can we sneak in?"

"In theory, the autumn inspection will be within the first seven days after Tianluo Star lights up. We can't get the exact schedule." He Lingchuan shook his head, "Even if we get it, it won't be easy to sneak in. Lingxu City is very cautious when it comes to formations. The inspectors are assigned positions and people by the superiors. Once they are replaced, they must report to the higher authorities."

"Also, there is indeed a big monster in Xushan. It is a rock and fire monster that was born and raised by nature. It is also a mountain swamp in Xushan."

"Really?" Dong Rui was obviously impressed by it. "I have seen it in Tianshu Peak. It is an elemental monster that was born and raised by nature. It can't be made into a demon puppet. Alas, it's a pity."

"It is a monster formed in the late ancient times. It has a high intelligence. It used to be the mountain guardian spirit beast of Dahuan Sect, but later defected to the enemy."

Dong Rui nodded: "It is indeed very intelligent."

How can a stupid creature have such a high-level idea of ​​"betrayal"?

He Lingchuan picked up some dregs of small stream fish: "It lived a good life for hundreds of years after it surrendered to the Northern Demon Kingdom. Lingxu City did provide it with sufficient supplies. But this guy has a big appetite. In the past hundred years, the black crystal mineral production in Lingxu City has been declining, and the cost of supporting this rock fire monster has been increasing. I think Lingxu City may not be able to bear it. This formation also has a suppressive effect on it."

"What's funny is that the rock fire monster also put a lot of effort in the construction of the gathering spirit formation, moving mountains and peaks, but it ended up being suppressed by it. It can no longer lose its temper like before. So the supply from Lingxu City to it has been visibly reduced." He Lingchuan laughed, "Of course, after the formation was built, it realized that it had lost money."

The rock fire monster has a history of betrayal, so Lingxu City will certainly be wary of it.

The best way to prevent wild beasts from biting people is not to keep trying to please it with food, but to tie it up or trick it into a cage and lock it up.

"By the way, do you remember the big earthquake that happened in Lingxu City more than ten years ago?"

"Hmm."

"According to the official, the Gathering Spirit Array was basically completed at that time, and the only thing left was to move the center of the array to Xushan Mountain and activate it."

"Move?" Dong Rui was surprised, "The center of the array was moved last, wasn't it built directly on Xushan Mountain?"

"They didn't dare." He Lingchuan smiled, "It's impossible to keep silent during the construction process. Shanze will hear everyone's discussion. If it finds out the truth, then don't even think about continuing this project."

"But the accident still happened?" Otherwise, how could there be a volcanic eruption and an earthquake that day?

"On the day the center of the array was placed, the emperor ordered people to appease the rock fire monster and put it into a deep sleep." The landlord fell asleep, so the construction team could quietly enter the site to catch up with the progress. The Ke family was the one who accepted this assignment, but He Lingchuan did not name them. "However, halfway through their work, the monster woke up, saw through the trick, and became furious."

"Then the volcano erupted?"

"Hmm." He Lingchuan spat out a fish bone. "The gods did not want the great formation to fail, so they had to suppress it themselves. At that time, the former demon emperor was already old, and it was the current emperor who personally assisted the gods to suppress the rock and fire monster. Then the array eye was built, the array was in operation, and the fire monster was finally controlled."

To be honest, when he learned about this tortuous secret from his father's dream last night, he felt that the current demon emperor's succession was probably related to the proper handling of this crisis and the reward from the gods.

The eruption of Xushan and the succession of the new emperor were not far apart.

Dong Rui chuckled, "It sounds like the legend of Lingxu City is not wrong. The earthquake was indeed caused by the monster in Xushan."

"There is no smoke without fire." Many rumors become true after being refuted.

"But whether this Shanze is willing or not, it is obviously the most powerful guardian of the formation." He Lingchuan whispered, "We have to bypass it and find the center of the formation. Is there any way to delay its action?"

When the Juju was furious, it could force the gods to descend to the earth, so he never thought about fighting with this rock fire monster.

Dong Rui shook his head: "It represents the anger of Xushan. Do you think conventional means will be useful once this monster gets angry?"

"Then you should think of a way."

"Isn't it intelligent? It's very smart." Dong Rui shrugged, "Why don't you use your eloquence to convince it?"

"What conditions should you offer it?" He Lingchuan stroked his chin and thought of this, "Help it to break the suppression of the formation?"

"Yes." Dong Rui took it for granted.