The night is deep and silent, wrapped in shadows. With no moon or man-made light, only fireflies glow softly, drifting like sparks through the dark. Above, stars shimmer cold and distant, casting a faint silver hue. The world feels still, as if holding its breath, lit only by the quiet dance of fireflies and the endless sky.
Su Meilin entered her residence with silent steps, walking towards Bai Shuying's room. She slowly opened the room's door and poked her head in, observing the inside. Bai Shuying's room was very plain. As a former man, she did not believe in the need to decorate her room; she preferred to keep it simple.
Four immaculate walls of pale sandalwood, polished to a subtle sheen. A pristine meditation mat of woven lotus fibers rests in perfect alignment upon the floor. The air carries a crisp, clean aroma of mountain herbs and faint ozone, the lingering trace of honed spiritual energy. A low black-lacquer table holds a somewhat used inkstone, a brush with dried ink at the tips, and an incense holder with an incense stick burnt out.
Su Meilin turned her gaze towards the bed where the moonlight shone on two figures wearing plain white robes, well, one large figure that stuffed the smaller figure in her arms.
Su Meilin pouted.
Hmph, why didn't they wait for me to join them?
Su Meilin noticed how peacefully the two were sleeping and smiled. After all, these two were the most important people in her life. Su Meilin brought her head outside, slowly and lightly closed the door, she was so focused on trying not to make noise, she failed to see Hua Xiran with a smile on her face with her eyes slightly open, seeing everything she did. Hua Xiran saw the door completely closed and hugged Bai Shuying tighter.
Su Meilin sighed with relief that she did not disturb the two.
Can't get distracted, I have things to do!
Su Meilin lightly slapped both her cheeks with her hands, with determination in her violet eyes, she headed to her room.
…
"Ugh."
Bai Shuying stirred awake, felt her head encompassed by two warm, soft cushions. Confused, she raised her hand and grabbed one cushion, squeezing it.
"Hmm."
Hearing a familiar sound and feeling a faint breeze on the top of her head, Bai Shuying froze. As if guessing the kind of situation she was in, Bai Shuying slowly removed Hua Xiran's arms from around her body and moved away.
Is this the third time?
Bai Shuying was embarrassed, but she was not flustered as before. She sat on her legs, straightened her back, and stretched her hands up. Her two tails swayed, and her fox ears twitched. Bai Shuying looked at the sleeping Hua Xiran and gulped.
The sun shone on Hua Xiran's exposed skin. The white robe was only tied at the waist, revealing portions of Hua Xiran's chest and thighs. Bai Shuying looked for a while, but quickly shook her head.
No, No, No, I am a gentlema… gentlewoman! Why do I keep forgetting the wo?
She tightened Hua Xiran's clothes and tucked her in.
As Bai Shuying stared at the sleeping Hua Xiran, she recalled everything that had happened the day before. The cold she felt, the brush against death, and the warmth that saved her.
Was it the master who saved me?
Bai Shuying smiled. She noticed a loose strand of hair on Hua Xiran's face, she tucked it behind her ear, and softly said.
"Thank you, master."
Bai Shuying saw that she was wearing plain white robes and searched for her sect uniform. She looked at the ground and found strips of pinkish white cloth.
Hmm, what is this?
The strips looked familiar to her, so she gathered all of them together. Bai Shuying stared at it for a while, suppressing the urge to cry.
Why?! My poor clothes! I only had this set!
Some might wonder, with all the profits Bai Shuying racks in from her books, why she does not buy more clothes? In her past life, Bai Shuying was poor, but she could still manage, while in her current life, she was dirt poor. This ingrained in her the poor person mentality!
Spend less, save more!
If you have a hole in your shirt, patch it up! Why spend money to buy a new one?
"Sigh, I wonder if I could borrow some clothes from Meilin."
Bai Shuying softly said. Hua Xiran's ears twitched, feeling embarrassed. After all, the culprit was herself.
Bai Shuying emptied her Yin Gourd to wash away her sadness, and her bare feet touched the cold floor as she stood up. She walked on the tips of her toes to avoid making any noise and left her room.
Hua Xiran smiled.
She walked down the hall, her two red tails swaying gracefully behind her, but soon she stopped at a certain door that was slightly open.
Bang! Tang! Click!
As she went closer to Su Meilin's room, she heard many different sounds. Bai Shuying slowly peeked inside, making sure not to make any noise.
Su Meilin's room was similar to Bai Shuying's, but a lot messier. Bai Shuying's gaze turned to Su Meilin's back. In the dimly lit room, Su Meilin sat cross-legged on a cushion with a low table in front of her. Her hands moved rapidly as if working on something, but Bai Shuying could not tell what it was she was working on.
"Hehehe, yup, like this and like that."
Su Meilin mumbled. Sometimes she would be cheerful as if she solved a complex math problem, other times she would grumble as if she got the incorrect answer.
Bai Shuying gulped.
This… looks kind of scary!
Due to how dark it was in the room, Bai Shuying was very close to the door. She raised her bare right foot and tried to step back slowly, but her big toe lightly tapped the wooden door, making it creak.
Su Meilin's ears perked up, her hands stopped, and her head slowly turned towards the door. Watching this unfold, Bai Shuying felt as if she were in a horror movie where her roommate had dark intentions. Bai Shuying's palms started to become sweaty, and she almost screamed.
"Oh, Shuying, why are you up so late?"
Su Meilin had dark circles under her eyes, said with a slight smile, with a hint of exhaustion in her voice.
"Uh, Meilin, the sun is already up."
Bai Shuying hesitantly said as she walked in, taking a seat next to Su Meilin.
"Oh, silly me!"
"Meilin, what are you working on there?"
Su Meilin slapped her forehead, but soon became excited at Bai Shuying's question.
"I'm working on a formation plate!"
"Formation plate?"
In the Martial Heaven Continent, the most prominent field is Alchemy, then Refining, followed by Talisman, and lastly Formations. While the barrier to entry, from least to greatest, is Alchemy, Talisman, Refining, and Formations.
For Alchemy, anybody can get a pot, some herbs from the wild, make a fire, add in some qi, and you have a 70% chance of failing, but that means you have a 30% chance of success in refining a pill. While for Talismans you need to be somewhat educated, if not for that, it would surpass Alchemy since all you need is paper, brush, ink, and some qi. But Refining and Formations are harder to begin since you would need the guidance of an expert.
What, you expect to figure out the temperature where a certain type of metal is malleable enough to become a sword from trial and error?
That is why there are a lot of Alchemists, Refiners, and Talisman crafters around, but Formations are few and far between. After all, formations take time to learn and are a delicate process; one mistake could cost a lot of spiritual stones.
In turn, the wealthiest of the four is Formations. The big sects and the wealthy need formations, and there is barely any competition; sometimes, sects fight over formation masters.
"Shuying, do you know what formations are?"
Su Meilin knew she could not explain formation plates if Bai Shuying did not even know what formations are.
Bai Shuying shook her head, making her fox ears sway.
So adorable!
Su Meilin thought.
"Ehm, well, Formation Masters are revered experts who manipulate natural energy, spatial laws, and elemental forces through intricate Formations."
Su Meilin explained. Bai Shuying nodded.
"One example is the grand formation that encompasses the Yin-Yang Sect."
Su Meilin said with passion in her eyes.
"Uh, wait, Meilin, how are formation masters and formations ranked?"
Su Meilin scratched her head in embarrassment for jumping too far ahead.
"Well, Formation masters are ranked by Novice Formation Apprentice, Formation Disciple, Formation Master, Grand Formation Master, Saint Formation Master, and Divine Formation Emperor."
Su Meilin explained the classifications of Formation masters. She looked at Bai Shuying for a moment and saw her attentively listening. She smiled and continued.
"Formations themselves are ranked by Mortal Formations, Spirit Formations, Earth Formations, Heaven Formations, Divine Formations, and Dao Formations."
"Wow, so Meilin, what is your rank?"
Bai Shuying asked.
"Me? I'm a Formation Disciple, which means I can create spirit formations."
Su Meilin said, puffing her chest in pride.
Bai Shuying was impressed by Su Meilin, but Su Meilin would be shocked that her junior sister, a complete novice, could craft spirit-grade artifacts and spirit-grade pills.
Bai Shuying turned her gaze to a small plate that could fit in a person's palm.
"So, what is a formation plate that you're working on?"
"Oh, a formation plate is a portable formation."
Su Meilin said while grabbing the formation plate and injecting her qi inside. Bai Shuying watched the qi slowly flow through the engraved formation until it completely lit up, and soon it flashed, and a yellow barrier expanded from the plate, encompassing the two.
Wow! It's like watching a circuit that was attached to an electrical source.
Bai Shuying raised her hand and flicked the barrier.
Su Meilin giggled on the side, watching Bai Shuying's amazement.
"Wait, Meilin, you mentioned the sect has a grand formation?"
"Oh, yeah, did you notice how the concentration of qi is higher inside the Yin-Yang Sect than outside?"
Bai Shuying nodded. Su Meilin grinned.
"That's because of the Earth Formation."
Su Meilin grandly raised her hands.
"By using the ley lines, the formation attracts ambient qi towards it, increasing the qi concentration."
Bai Shuying's mouth slightly opened.
All the top 8 great sects have such a formation; if they didn't, they would put such a grand title to shame.
Bai Shuying watched Su Meilin nerd out about the formation plate she made and smiled.
It's the first time I've seen Meilin show such passion.
"Oh, Meilin, how much damage could the barrier take?"
Bai Shuying asked a question while Su Meilin answered. Soon, the two sat together with their shoulder touching, working on formation plates, Bai Shuying completely forgot her original purpose in visiting Su Meilin.
Unknown to the two, a certain master who was pretending to sleep was observing them with a smile.