Alchemists and Formation Casters
“Sorry, but I can’t come home yet, First Brother,” Mu Yu uttered, scattering the divine will retrieval herbs into the air as dust. “I still need bloodlust energy to take down Third Heaven Palace. You haven’t returned home, either, have you?”
Mu Yu might have progressed fast as a cultivator, but even a prodigy would need time to nurture his talent. Jin Xiyun and Gu Chaofeng, Ascension Realm cultivators, were in their thirties, while it had only been around a decade since Mu Yu started. Third Heaven Palace was not going to give him the luxury of time, and they would improve as he did. The only way he could surpass them, then, was to gamble on bloodlust energy.
***
Cheng Yan, sitting on the edge of a cliff located fifty kilometres north of the cavern Mu Yu stayed at, sighed to himself. He looked down at the grey divine will retrieval herb sitting in a jade bottle beside him. A snow eagle soared freely above him, yet that freedom appeared awfully lonely against the expansive, yet empty, backdrop.
“I know where home is. I’ve never left home. I’ve always been waiting for all of you, waiting for you to come home.”
Cheng Yan, who had been walking his path solo all this time, ran his finger across the grey leaf, turning it golden.
***
Upon returning to the cavern, Mu Yu found Yao Wuji reeking of smoke and in tatters. Thus, Mu Yu asked, “What happened?”
Yao Wuji anxiously cried, “Elder, Greater Heaven Caster Lu is out of his mind!”
Mu Yu pieced together what happened based on the fact that Lu Deyi’s fists had crackling lightning bolts. “Greater Heaven Caster Lu, did I not make it clear that you were not to hurt him?”
“I was just practicing my lightning formation. We need to diligently train in this time and age. I cannot be blamed if he decided to run into my formation.”
“You purposely attacked me!”
“So what if I did? Are you claiming you didn’t deliberately hurt our patriarch?” snapped Lu Deyi, electricity crackling again.
If Lu Deyi meant to, he could have disabled Yao Wuji already, yet he held back. That was the reason Mu Yu did not flip straight out.
“Enough. You are all respected gentlemen, so let’s carry ourselves as people who live up to the respect we’re given,” Mu Yu asserted.
“Of course, Sir. The onus is on them to watch where they walk, though,” replied Lu Deyi.
Yao Wuji took a deep breath to quell his fury. “Sir, I am a level six alchemist from Pill Cauldron Sect. We are indebted to you.”
Mu Yu did not look old, but dealing with reclusive elders disguising themselves as youths was the norm in the cultivation world. There was no way a young man could deploy domains. Hence, Yao Wuji deemed it most appropriate to address Mu Yu as “Sir”, which was courteous, yet it would not grind gears if the elder deliberately sported a young appearance due to their dislike for looking old.
Lu Deyi and Mu Chenghong were well-versed enough in formations to discern that Mu Yu was hiding his appearance behind a formation. Howbeit, that was the extent they could see. Although Mu Yu did hide Primordial Yin Yang’s presence from them, he did not actually need to actively hide it for bloodlust energy suppressed the former’s presence even if he did not make the conscious effort.
“I am a formation caster from Formation Sect, Lu Deyi. Thank you for saving our patriarch. If I can be of service, you need only say the word,” conveyed Lu Deyi, sneaking a quick vindictive glare in at Yao Wuji.
Lu Deyi’s eye-for-an-eye personality was displayed in Zhou Jinglin’s case. Yao Wuji, in comparison, was more polite and composed; he was the sort of man who believed a man with a pen could not win a man with a sword. Mu Yu, consequently, did not want to tell them what to do about each other.
“How are everyone’s injuries?” Mu Yu inquired.
“We only have minor injuries, but I do not know when Patriarch will come to,” replied Lu Deyi.
Mu Yu went over to check on Zhuge Xiaosheng and inwardly said, He’s lucky he’ll heal with time. Formation Sect’s Formation Palace and Formation-Talisman Stone can protect him while he’s at Formation Sect; however, he’s a liability as soon as he leaves Formation Sect now, unfortunately.
“What do you advise we do now?” consulted Lu Deyi.
“It is our incompetence that allowed elemental demons to seek into our sect’s vicinity. If you do not mind, we can confer at Pill Cauldron Sect,” voiced Yao Wuji.
“Pill Cauldron Sect? So we can be assassinated more conveniently?” scathingly asked Lu Deyi.
“Greater Heaven Caster Lu, there must be more to this than we know. I believe the elemental demons manipulated my martial uncle. We promise to get to the bottom of this.”
“You expect me to believe it’s safe there when your martial uncle, an Ascension Realm cultivator, was manipulated?”
“’Honour’ is a principle we have always adhered to. Please do not frame us.”
“Frame you? Please do enlighten me as to what was honourable about sticking a walking stick through our patriarch’s chest. I would kill him right now if it wasn’t for our savour here.”
Yao Wuji pulled Daoist Yuan De behind him out of instinct. “We will ensure we provide you with a proper apology and explanation. Until then, please do not attack us.”
“You two need to stop. We can discuss this when the two of them come back to us,” Mu Yu interjected.
“Hmph.” Lu Deyi, after a short pause, queried, “Are you a formation caster, Sir?”
“I am.”
Lu Deyi glanced Yao Wuji’s way again. “Sir, as formation casters, we do not fear anyone, correct? Now that elemental demons are running amok, alchemists’ era is up; it is our era now. All alchemists can do is be yes men now. As a senior among formation casters, would you agree?”
This old man doesn’t give up once he starts building momentum, does he? Mu Yu mused, amused. “You are correct. That being said, alchemists are valuable in their own way. They are medics and can provide combatants short-term boosts.”
Yao Wuji immediately verbalised, “That is right. We need not worry about elemental demons with you assisting.”
“Bootlicker,” insulted Lu Deyi, throwing ad hominem.
“I actually have studied some alchemy and am connected to Pill Cauldron Sect,” Mu Yu stated, turning Lu Deyi’s face to clay.
Yao Wuji effused, “It would be our honour to host you.”
“He’s not even one of you, so wipe that smug grin off your face,” Lu Deyi muttered under his face.
Yao Wuji, all smiles, knew he had Lu Deyi in check after what Mu Yu stated. Refusing to be resigned to defeat, Lu Deyi subsequently queried, “Would you happen to know Grandmaster Chen Tiandao, Sir?”
“I do. We’re quite close, actually.”
Amplifying his volume, Lu Deyi verbalised, “You must be Grandmaster Chen’s close friend he often mentioned!”
“Sir, you are friends with one of our elders, are you not?” inquired Yao Wuji, refusing to back down.
“Che, you know already, don’t you?” scoffed Lu Deyi.
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