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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 19 Six Yao Lantern Formation
Ji Zichen arrived at the intersection first, as it was the closest location. He hid on a slope covered with ankle-high green grass. To his left, there was a large stone, taller and wider than a person. Ji Zichen crouched behind the stone, surrounded by the shadows of several towering trees. If he didn't shout, it would be difficult for anyone to notice him.
Below the slope where Ji Zichen was hiding, there was a newly established campsite. Two medium-sized tents were pitched in the camp, facing each other. To the left of the camp, an open area was enclosed like a vegetable garden. The fence surrounding that area was quite far from Ji Zichen, and despite his elevated position, he couldn't see clearly.
All he could make out were some objects that looked like corn planted in the ground within the enclosure—yellow with some crimson hues on top.
At the bottom of Ji Zichen's slope stood a giant tree with branches extending forward. Two soldiers were sitting under its shade, setting up a square wooden box on which a Go board was placed. The two soldiers sat facing each other on the ground. The soldier on the left held white stones and appeared hesitant, while the soldier on the right impatiently said, "I, Yuan Gao, are you going to make your move or not?"
Yuan Gao furrowed his brow, seemingly deep in thought about how to break the deadlock. "Xiang San, let me think for a moment."
Xiang San shot Yuan Gao an annoyed glance. "What’s there to think about? If you lose, you lose; it’s just a few coins. Why drag this out? You’re being too stingy."
Yuan Gao couldn't stand the mockery and glared at Xiang San. "Fine! I’ll make my move! What’s the rush? It’s just three coins; why are you so anxious?" Yuan Gao growled as he leaned forward, extending his right arm to place a stone on the board with a loud clack.
Ji Zichen found it amusing; placing that stone seemed like a life-or-death decision. Upon seeing the white stone placed, Xiang San exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, Yuan Gao! I didn’t expect you had that move in you!"
Yuan Gao laughed heartily at that moment. "Stop wasting time; it’s your turn now."
The two of them continued their game fiercely. Ji Zichen had been observing them for some time now, but aside from these two, he hadn't seen anyone else around. He wondered to himself, "Could it be that it's just the two of them here?"
But Ji Zichen said, "There should be others here. If it were just the two of them, there would be no need to set up two medium-sized tents."
Ji Zichen looked up at the sky; it was already noon. Some other soldiers must be resting inside the tents. The distant sun hung in the sky like a burning fireball, radiating heat.
The sun in Zhuque Chenjing was no different from the one outside. Ji Zichen couldn't help but recall his time in The Divine Alliance Under the Covenant, where the azure sky also bore such a scorching sun. Beneath that sun lay vast fields of green and Mountain Valley.
Not far from Twin Cliffs, there used to be a deep and cool lake where many companions played. They were blissfully unaware of the world around them, but he had no recollection of when that lake dried up.
At that moment, Yuan Gao suddenly stood up and said, "Wait a moment, I’ll go change and come back. Don’t try to trick me; I remember all the positions of the pieces clearly."
Xiang San laughed and replied, "With your level of skill, do I even need to trick you?"
Yuan Gao left while jokingly cursing. Ji Zichen watched as Yuan Gao entered the tent on his left. After a short while, Yuan Gao emerged holding something yellow that resembled corn and headed toward what looked like a vegetable patch.
The object in Yuan Gao's hand was entirely yellow, without any hint of crimson mixed in. He entered the enclosure and began to search around as if inspecting vegetables for ripeness. After a moment, Yuan Gao pulled up an ear of corn that was yellow with red streaks and inserted the new item into the ground.
When Yuan Gao returned to the tent, Ji Zichen noticed that the yellow-and-red object was no longer in his hand; it was clear he had placed it inside the tent.
Ji Zichen frowned and asked, "What exactly is that thing? It looks very much like some kind of magical artifact."
A gust of mountain wind blew near Xiang San, stirring up dust from the ground. Xiang San covered his nose and complained. Once the dust settled, he seemed to have inhaled quite a bit of it and felt parched. He picked up a water pouch beside him and took a sip.
Yuan Gao came over, and the two resumed their game of chess. Through their casual conversation while playing, Ji Zichen learned they were under military orders from Ling Xuan to stay here. In truth, they didn’t really need to be there; Ji Zichen had already known this.
This task seemed incredibly dull, which was why they were passing time playing Go. During a break in their game, Xiang San glanced at the "vegetable patch" and remarked on the crimson glow, "Yuan Gao, how long do we have to keep doing this? What are we collecting all this blood for?"
"Collecting?" Ji Zichen thought to himself. "That thing must be a magical artifact, but what kind? Why have I never seen it before?"
Yuan Gao appeared extremely nervous as he said to Xiang San, "Make your move. Why do you have so many questions? Aren't you afraid the Grand Punishment Department will cut out your tongue?"
Hearing the mention of the Grand Punishment Department made Xiang San's hair stand on end, but he still tried to be clever and replied, "Stop trying to scare me with the Grand Punishment Department. We're so far from the main camp. Do you really think they have spies here? Besides, if it weren't for her identity as a high-ranking officer, she might actually be quite a beauty."
Ji Zichen thought to himself, "The main camp, Chief Justice, beauty? Could he be talking about Ling Xuan?"
It was quite possible. Ji Zichen had originally been unaware of Ling Xuan's status under the Western King, but now he understood. "Chief Justice? That makes me think Ling Xuan is capable of handling things."
Yuan Gao didn't want to bring up Ling Xuan at all and nervously said, "Are you going to make your move or not? You may not care about your life, but I still want to keep mine."
Xiang San laughed at Yuan Gao's cowardice. "Alright, alright. I won't. I'll focus on the game; that should be fine."
The two of them began playing chess on the slope. It was broad daylight, and Ji Zichen couldn't go down there. If he made any sudden movements, it would surely alert both of them. With no good options available, Ji Zichen could only continue hiding behind a large rock, waiting for an opportunity to observe further.
As Yuan Gao and Xiang San played several rounds, Ji Zichen had no interest in chess. Just when he started to feel drowsy, he suddenly noticed a faint red mist enveloping the area within the vegetable patch's fence. Yuan Gao and Xiang San were immediately captivated by the red mist, and Yuan Gao suddenly stood up, knocking over the chessboard.
Xiang San was also startled by this strange red mist; he had no mind left to scold Yuan Gao for overturning the board. Yuan Gao took a deep breath and involuntarily stepped back a few paces.
Ji Zichen couldn't believe his eyes. In that red mist, he saw blurry human figures shifting around—about eight shadows holding various long weapons, thrusting them into the air. In midair above the vegetable patch, three phoenixes formed from the red mist seemed to be dodging the weapons aimed at them.
Ji Zichen exclaimed in shock, "It looks like a battle!"
"Xiang San, did you see that?" Yuan Gao gasped as he stood beside Xiang San, seemingly forgetting that they had just been playing chess.
Both of them were stunned by the scene created by the red mist until Yuan Gao regained his senses and shouted at Xiang San, "Quick! Go wake up the commander!"
Xiang San moved as if in a daze. "I... I'll go find the commander!" Although those were Yuan Gao's words, just as Xiang San was about to leave, Yuan Gao called out, "Wait!" He knew well that their commander wouldn't be able to handle such a strange situation effectively.
"Let's not get involved anymore. Find Elder; he will know what to do," Xiang San said.
Yuan Gao and Xiang San hurried towards the left tent. Although they were leaving, Ji Zichen's gaze remained fixed on the images in the "vegetable field." Even though Ji Zichen had not participated in that battle, he had witnessed one of the fierce fights from the Watchtower. He exclaimed, "Is this another image from that battle?"
The Divine Soldiers were engaged in combat with the Vermilion Bird. The Divine Soldiers were much larger than the bird, but they wore heavy armor, making it seem like a fair fight.
The Divine Soldiers moved swiftly, using not only weapons but also magical artifacts. The number of Vermilion Birds in the images increased, surrounding the Divine Soldiers as both sides continued to clash.
Ji Zichen couldn't help but wonder, "What kind of magical artifacts are those? How can they display such images?"
Just as Ji Zichen was still staring at the images, a group of over twenty people emerged from the left tent. Ji Zichen looked over and saw an elderly man among them. The old man was thin, with a head full of white hair, dressed in a purple robe. Ji Zichen remarked, "That old man must be Elder Yuan Gao."
The commotion from the left tent attracted soldiers from the opposite tent.
A tall and robust figure stepped out first from the right tent, followed by eight soldiers. He was stronger than anyone else present, but his eyes were greedy. He bellowed like a lion, "What’s all this noise about?"
Yuan Gao immediately stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Hong Shanling, look! There’s a problem with the Six Yao Lantern Formation!"
At that moment, Ji Zichen was surprised. "Are those corn-like things lanterns?"
Only then did Hong Shanling notice the images. He was taken aback and glanced at Elder. Ignoring Elder's white hair and wrinkled face, he recognized that Elder was the calmest among them; despite his thin frame, he stood straighter than anyone else.
Elder focused on the images, a smile spreading across his aged face. "Hard work pays off; we have finally drawn in the images."
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