Jin Se

Chapter 47

"This array is treacherous," Banya declared. He had, after all, been around the block a fair few times, and was far more powerful than the useless disciples, that Shi Wuduan had once tricked with a candle, and didn't know that there was anything more to cultivation than martial arts and magic spells.

He carefully assessed his surroundings, made a few finger calculations, paused, then said solemnly, "We've been careless. Everyone, check your belongings. They've planted something on us to lure us into this array."

His eldest disciple Zhao Chengye frowned and leaned over by his ear, "Shishu, this kind of insidious ruse reminds me of someone."

Banya glanced at him.

Zhao Chengye said, "Do you remember that person who escaped ten years ago.... Shi Wuduan?"

Banya blurted in shock, "Are you saying that brat's behind all this?"

Zhao Chengye said, "The thought's been on my mind ever since the Qingcu was murdered. The Qingcu's temper is volatile and fierce, its roar can shake mountains. Normal disciples, even from our sect, don't dare to aggravate it. How is it that a bunch of outsiders lured it out and assassinated it? But when you think about it, didn't that brat used to hang around the Qingcu all day?"

Banya's expression frosted over, "Don't worry about that for now. If it really is him, we must carefully withdraw and report back to the sect. Ai, this is what softheartedness leads to. Loose ends always come back to bite one."

Master Banya, who was going to rub the words "I told you so" in Bitan's face the moment he got back, said those words utterly shamelessly. He'd probably said those words specially for Shi Wuduan, who he knew was in the array, to hear. He even shook his head and sighed, as if he'd ever been soft-hearted.

"Right now, our top priority is to break this array," Jiang Chongwen spoke up. All those who'd had the honor of being brought to Dazhou Mountain were considered elites within the Xuan Sect.

Jiang Chongwen, in particular, believed himself to be a man of great talent, standing head and shoulders above his compatriots, who'd grown up brawling in the dirt, flinging fireballs at each other. Compared to those numbskulls who needed an abacus to add two-digit numbers, his understanding of illusions and arrays made him shine even brighter.

Letting his guard down and getting trapped by Shi Wuduan's array all those years ago had left a permanent smear on his face. Oh, how he'd longed to find him and defeat him in a grand duel, to wash himself clean of that shame. Now that the opportunity had finally come, he was just shy of throwing aside his phony, staid facade and hopping like a louse in agitation.

"Anyone who gave items, like food or money, to those beggars earlier must discard anything that came into contact with those items. I know of this array, it's the 'Hidden Heart Array,' yin natured, one must not foster the yin qi of this array. All those items must be removed, then burned, before we can escape."

Immediately, Banya approved of his idea. He removed his pouch and used Samadhi Fire to reduce it to ash. It was easy enough for him, but he'd forgotten that most of the Xuan Sect's disciples weren't as particular about their appearance as he was, and didn't bedeck themselves with embroidered pouches and jade ornaments. Most of them stored their belongings haphazardly in their sleeves or waistbands for convenience's sake.

They were all screwed now.

Their shishu had already given their shixiong's lousy idea his stamp of approval, so what choice did they have but to follow orders? They stripped off everything they could, not wanting to be the reason their fellow sect members were trapped. Exchanging reluctant glances, they begrudgingly started setting things on fire.