In the SunRain Hibiscus Garden, the wind suddenly rose.
A big white goose flapped its wings twice. Instinctively, it wanted to peck at the fallen leaves that were about to be lifted by the breeze, but then remembered it had just cleaned the garden. The ground was spotless, and no gust of wind could stir up a mess. Relieved, it folded its wings back and waddled a few steps away.
“You’re here again?”
“Why shouldn’t I be?”
“If I’m not mistaken, you already admitted defeat half a month ago.”
“That was half a month ago!”
“Don’t tell me you’ve picked up some new technique?”
“That, I can’t tell you.”
“Or is it that your wife taught you a few more tricks?”
“Su Liu, you’re unusually talkative today!”
“Oh, White-Robed Swordsman, do you really think I can’t kill you?”
“When we spar and test our arts, it ends when the point is made. What’s the point of talking about life and death?”
“If you don’t dare speak of life and death, then what kind of sparring is this? Do you think this is child’s play? If you don’t have the courage to fight, then go back and pretend you were never here...”
“Take my sword!”
“Eh? To hell with you—!”
The Abyssal Blackstone Formation roared to life. Liu Xiaolou sat cross-legged on the ground, true qi flowing through him as he took control of every plant and tree within the formation.
Yun Ao swung his sword in wild slashes, but his mind wasn’t on breaking the formation. Skipping out of the pavilion, he bounded past the pond, kicked open the carved sliding doors of the illusionary building, and rushed excitedly into the hall. He hooked a silk-cushioned stool toward him with his foot, sat down with his sword across his lap, and fixed his eyes intently on the bed before him, utterly focused, not glancing aside even once.
Liu Xiaolou, full of suspicion, watched Yun Ao’s every move with unwavering attention. He made up his mind: this time, he would hold out until the very end and see just what trick Yun Ao was playing.
Yun Ao sat in the hall, watching the scene before him. Liu Xiaolou, outside the formation, watched him in turn. Doubt filled Liu Xiaolou’s heart, while the bed’s curtains filled Yun Ao’s dream.
After a long while, Yun Ao pinched his own arm, wrenched his gaze away by force, then threw back his head and shouted, “I give up!”
Liu Xiaolou was nearly bursting with curiosity. Dispelling the formation, he caught hold of Yun Ao, who was already turning to leave. “Brother Yun, wait, just wait a moment. Come, come, let’s have a proper talk. I’ve got fine wine ready...”
“Xiaolou, don’t be like this... let me go!” Yun Ao struggled free of Liu Xiaolou’s grip and bolted out of the SunRain Hibiscus Garden.
That very night, he rushed back to White Cloud Manor without pause, burst into his bedchamber, and startled Lady Yunhua into sitting bolt upright. “Where on earth have you been... ah!”
The rain had ceased, the wind had stilled, and the heavy banana leaves bent low over a crabapple tree. Yunhua lay against Yun Ao’s chest, her voice soft and sticky-sweet as she asked, “My lord, what sort of miraculous elixir was it, after all?”
“Wife, don’t talk nonsense. Why would I need an elixir?”
With a flick of her wrist, Lady Yunhua produced a short blade in her palm. She slid it downward, and Yun Ao instantly froze.
“What are you doing?”
“You know I’m terribly curious. Better to settle things once and for all than be left in the dark...”
“It was an illusion formation! Truly, not an elixir, a formation!”
“What? A formation? Do you take me for a fool? I—”
“Please, wife, spare me! Spare me! It was Liu Xiaolou! That live-in son-in-law from the Su family of Shenwu Mountain... yes, you’ve heard of him too? It was him! He’s a formation master. He has this formation... I don’t even know what it’s called, but it works, it really works!”
“So you’re saying you went all the way to Shenwu Mountain in the middle of the night? Eighty li there and back, and you still come home full of energy? Who are you trying to fool?”
“No, wife, listen! Let me explain in detail. Once you hear it, you’ll understand...”
For several days after, White Cloud Manor was filled once more with laughter and cheer. Lady Yunhua’s smile grew ever brighter, and her manner toward the servants softened more than ever.
One day, Yunhua’s close friend Lady Xiong Wu came to visit. Watching her carefully, she couldn’t help but exclaim, “Sister, what miraculous elixir have you been taking? I haven’t seen you for a month, and you’re glowing as if nourished by spring breeze and morning dew. You look as young as you did five years ago!”
Yunhua didn’t wish to say much. She only smiled proudly. “You flatter me, sister.”
But Lady Xiong thought for a moment and quickly guessed the truth. Curious, she asked, “That husband of yours, wasn’t he all show and no substance? Did he really take some elixir after all?”
Yunhua could no longer hold back. “Come closer, sister, and I’ll whisper a little secret to you...”
After hearing her out, Lady Xiong’s mind began to turn, and she could no longer sit still. “I won’t stay any longer today. I’m going back to tell my husband.”
Yunhua warned, “Sister, don’t let this spread.”
Lady Xiong laughed. “Do you take me for a fool? There’s only one son-in-law of the Su family. If word spreads, he won’t be able to handle the storm it’ll cause. Better to let him focus on serving us sisters properly.”
Yunhua nodded. “That’s exactly right.”
Back home in Huagou, Lady Xiong called for her husband. “Rice Ball... come here...”
The moment Xiong Xi saw the smile on her face, he knew trouble was coming. Pulling a bitter face, he refused, “Wife, it’s not even dark yet...”
Lady Xiong’s face hardened. “Look at you, such a coward! You think you’ll be any better once it’s dark? I called you over because there’s a remedy I want you to try. You know that son-in-law the Su family took in last year?”
“You mean Liu Xiaolou?”
“Exactly. But do you know he’s a formation master?”
“Huh?”
“And I bet you don’t know he’s devised a secret formation that can... enhance performance?”
“This... where did you hear that, wife?”
“Today I went to White Cloud Manor...”
After explaining the whole story, Lady Xiong continued, “Tonight you’ll go and try it. Huagou is close to Shenwu Mountain. You can make the trip there and back quickly. I’m warning you, Rice Ball, if you still can’t manage after this, then there’s truly no hope for you!”
Xiong Xi sighed but had no choice except to obey. As soon as he stepped out the door, Lady Xiong hurried after him. “Oh, and one more thing. When we went to Shenwu Mountain for the ceremony last time, I heard Liu Xiaolou is very reclusive. He once shut himself up in the Hibiscus Garden for half a year without setting foot outside. If he refuses to face you, then provoke him.”
“Provoke him?”
“The Yun family has a trick for that. Come closer, I’ll whisper it in your ear.”
“Can’t you just say it normally? Do you really have to bite my ear again, wife?”
“Come here!”
“Agh... ow, that hurts!”
“Now go!”
Xiong Xi hurried to Shenwu Mountain before nightfall. The Xiong clan of Huagou had long been vassals of Shenwu Mountain, so he passed without hindrance and soon arrived at the SunRain Hibiscus Garden. He lingered at the gate for a long while, mustering his courage, and at last stepped forward to knock.
The moment he heard knocking, Liu Xiaolou leapt up and rushed to open the door. “Coming, coming. Brother Yun, just a moment...”
But when he pulled the gate open, it wasn’t Yun Ao standing there, but a round-bellied fat man. Liu Xiaolou blinked at him, the face tugging at his memory. After a moment, it clicked. “Ah, you’re Xiong...”
Xiong Xi cupped his hands politely. “I am Xiong Xi, come to learn from the honored son-in-law’s great skill!”
Liu Xiaolou was baffled. “Wait, Brother Xiong, you and I have no quarrel. As far as I know I’ve never wronged you. Why are you here?”
Xiong Xi was clumsy with words. Stumped by the question, he couldn’t come up with an answer. So he simply skipped the explanation and pulled out the secret “strategy pouch” his wife had given him. “Su Liu! Do you dare to fight me or not? Speak plainly!”
What the hell? Provoking me? Do you take me for someone you can just push around? Does everyone think they can walk all over me now?
Liu Xiaolou’s fury exploded. Without another word, he clashed with Xiong Xi on the spot.