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墨書 Inktalez
I forced myself to remain calm as I pushed open the door. The wooden door, aged and creaking, let out a sharp crack. In the blink of an eye, a cold arrow whizzed past my ear, sending a chill down my spine as I noticed a few strands of hair fall to the ground. If I hadn't heard the sound of air moving just in time and dodged, that arrow would have embedded itself in my skull.
I was taken aback, but quickly scoffed coldly, "I didn't expect a divine doctor to resort to such underhanded tactics."
From within came a few strange laughs, followed by a chilling voice, "Everyone in the martial world knows that I, the Strange Divine Doctor, have this peculiar hobby. If you aren't prepared, you shouldn't come in; otherwise, you might not make it back alive."
"Peculiar hobby?" I murmured to myself, feeling puzzled. I had no idea what he meant. Moreover, I had never heard of your title as the Strange Divine Doctor before this.
However—I chuckled coldly; even if there were mountains of blades and seas of fire waiting for me, I, An Jin, would still charge in.
With determination, I pushed the door wide open. Only then did I realize that the interior was nothing like the shabby exterior suggested. In the spacious room across from me sat a figure leisurely preparing herbal medicine. Wisps of blue smoke curled around him, obscuring his face from view, but I could tell it was one filled with confidence.
Looking down at my feet, I discovered that I had stepped into a formation; one wrong move could trigger a mechanism that might cost me my life.
I studied the formation for a while and then burst into laughter, feeling somewhat dizzy. This Strange Divine Doctor was truly childish; he set up such a formation with such confidence to harm others. I found it strange how those who came before me seeking him could be stumped by something so simple, only serving to bolster his confidence in his own skills.
After pondering for some time, I realized that this formation bore an uncanny resemblance to the Plum Blossom Formation used in Gomoku (Five in a Row). The Plum Blossom Formation is known for its offensive capabilities; no wonder he chose it for his trap.
In Gomoku, the Plum Blossom Formation thrives on multiple pathways; if one cannot find the key points, defense becomes nearly impossible. In other words, if I couldn't identify those key points, I might fall victim to this little trick.
The main characteristic of the Plum Blossom Formation lies in its combination of three diagonal lines and four straight lines, creating openings for attack while simultaneously disrupting the opponent's defensive connections—thus creating opportunities for victory or even death.
However, I chuckled again; this formation had a fatal weakness: it could easily be countered by the Bagua Formation.
The essence of Bagua lies in sealing off all of the opponent's offensive moves. Once arranged into Bagua formation, even if you want to strategize further, you cannot do so. The key to Bagua is not its shape but its intent. So at this moment, my eyes were fixed intently on the formation before me—yin lines and yang lines… connecting pieces… My mind raced as thoughts began to clarify bit by bit. Suddenly, a vast expanse unfolded before me; everything became clear.
Images appeared vividly before me, forming a coherent path. A smile of understanding spread across my face as clarity surged within me like a spring of clear water; confidence shone in my eyes.
A cold voice came from across the room, "I advise you to leave quickly."
I looked up and scoffed.
In the next moment, before he could react, I appeared right in front of him.
I smirked at him, and his gaze was filled with astonishment. Even his hand, which had been stirring a potion in a jar, froze, causing the spoon to clatter to the ground. Clearly, he hadn't expected anyone to bypass his defenses.
"You... how did you...?"
His surprise was cut short as my fingers tightened around his throat. With just a slight struggle, I could ensure he would never see the sun rise again.
His eyes had calmed down at that moment, indifferent to my threat, merely gazing at me with curiosity.
It was then that I noticed—this person, this divine doctor, was actually a youth! A boy who looked even younger than I was!
His pale skin made him appear unhealthy; I could clearly see the blue veins beneath the surface. His lips were dry and somewhat pale, thin and fragile-looking, giving him the appearance of a delicate youth who could be easily blown away by the wind.
I felt a sense of confusion.
Was this really the hoarse-voiced, eccentric divine doctor Tu Mi?
Seeing my bewilderment, he forced out a somewhat sickly smile and said in a cold, raspy voice, "Is it strange? I've had a peculiar illness since childhood. I've looked like this since I came of age. They all say I'm a devil and fear me; in truth, I'm just someone who is ill and needs medication to survive. I am already sixty years old."
I stared at this "youth" with mixed emotions. Sixty years old—that certainly matched his voice and the rumors circulating in the martial world. Looking at this young and peculiar face, I suddenly realized that immortality wasn't necessarily a blessing; it was indeed strange for a sixty-year-old to bear the face of a boy.
Noticing my astonished gaze, he seemed utterly unfazed; perhaps he had long grown accustomed to such looks.
"By the way," he turned to me and asked, "how did you break my formation?"
I chuckled lightly. "It's quite simple; it's something even a child could do where I'm from."
Upon hearing this, his face flushed slightly with anger and embarrassment. He glared at me, fuming, "How dare you insult my masterpiece! Don't try to deceive me."
I smiled innocently, then scoffed, "How do you know I'm not telling the truth?"
He was so furious that the veins on his forehead were bulging, his thin lips struggling to form words: "You, you..."
I didn't have time for his nonsense. I tightened my grip around his neck; I heard a faint crack as his bones shifted. His face turned crimson from the lack of air, and the whites of his eyes began to show.
I showed no mercy, my expression cold as I demanded, "Tell me how to break the Blood Curse." I never expected there would come a day when I would threaten someone like this.
He struggled to breathe but still managed to say, "I won't tell you... not even if it kills me..."
A glint of killing intent flashed in my eyes, and my expression darkened. Just as I was about to escalate the situation further,
he squirmed and said, "Unless... unless you promise me one thing..."
"What is it?" My eyes sparkled with interest; I didn't have much time and couldn't afford to waste it on trivial matters.
As he neared unconsciousness, he finally said, "Unless you teach me how to set up formations and break them—how did you manage to break mine?"
I paused for a moment, taken aback that he wanted to learn this too.
But I maintained my icy demeanor and replied, "Fine, it's a deal."
It was only at this moment that I realized the Strange Divine Doctor in this world had a childlike obsession with arranging various formations and creating all sorts of mechanisms.
Thus, in order to exchange for his knowledge on how to break the Blood Curse, I had no choice but to stay and give him a lesson that lasted several hours. I shared everything I knew about the formations and mechanisms I had seen or heard of in modern times, as well as those depicted in movies.
He indeed listened with fervent enthusiasm, remaining highly engaged throughout my lecture. In some instances, due to his eagerness to learn how to Jiu Yi Jun, I could only briefly touch on certain topics. However, he would not let me off the hook, relentlessly digging deeper until he had extracted nearly all of my knowledge.
By the end, my throat was dry and parched, yet he appeared thoroughly satisfied and enriched by what he had learned.
Sensing my impatience, he finally spoke up: “I don’t know how to break the Blood Curse either, and it’s under the most powerful Sorcerer.”
Before he could finish, my gaze nearly killed him. If he didn’t know, why was I wasting my time here?
“Hey, hey, don’t be so hasty—” he interjected just before I could act. “The Wujie Flower is a necessary ingredient for it, and this flower can only be found in the estate of the Ninth Prince Yuwen Ruojian within the Later Qin. You can seek it there.”
“Thank you,” I replied solemnly before rising to leave.
He called out behind me with a tone of deep admiration: “If you manage to return alive from your journey, remember to come back and see this old man. I still want to discuss the formations we covered today.”
I turned back to glance at him and offered a faint smile before departing like the green bamboo in the courtyard swaying gently in the wind.
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