44: Chapter 44 Formation

Ye Qingshuang stood on the highest watchtower, her forehead covered in sweat, but her hand gripping the sword remained motionless.

At the entrance to the inner residence, Madam Lin protected all the children behind her, while Ning Changqing stood in front of Madam Lin, his flowing cloud sword already drawn.

Ning Yuan nodded at his son, then turned to Su Yuniang: "Clear the battlefield. Collect the fragments of those skulls and burn them; do not leave any remnants. Patrol around the manor and see if there are any hidden sentries that slipped through the net."

He then turned to Madam Lin: "Is anyone injured?"

"No." Madam Lin's voice trembled slightly, but her tone remained steady: "The children are all in the inner residence, not a single one is missing."

Ning Yuan nodded and turned to walk towards the Cultivation Room.

At Qingyun Temple, after receiving the transmission talisman, Old Daoist Zhou brought Ning Changqing and Ning Changhe back to the manor overnight.

"Father!" Ning Changqing ran up to Ning Yuan, his small face filled with excitement: "I heard that you drove away three Cultivators of the demonic path all by yourself! And one of them was at the Late Stage Foundation Establishment!"

Ning Changhe also shouted along: "Father is the most amazing!"

Ning Yuan set down his teacup, watching the undisguised admiration in his two sons' eyes, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly: "It wasn't just me. Your mother guarded the inner residence, your Third Mother and Aunt Zhao guarded the perimeter wall, and your Aunt Ye was the first to discover the enemy. The Ning Family is not a Ning Family that belongs to me alone."

Ning Changqing was stunned for a moment, then nodded vigorously: "I understand!"

Three days later, news came from Qing Province. Master Ziyang personally led the men of The Alliance to Pingan County to inspect the battlefield.

When he saw the scorched, deep pit in front of the manor's gate and the remains of the locust tree shattered by the Pure Yang Sword Qi, he remained silent for a long time.

"Master Ning, the Blood-Hand Butcher is at the Late Stage Foundation Establishment." Master Ziyang finally spoke, his tone carrying a trace of complex meaning: "You repelled him with your Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, suffering only minor injuries yourself. Once this matter spreads, no one in the cultivation world of Qing Province will dare to look down on the Pingan Ning Family again."

Ning Yuan stood beside the deep pit, looking at the congealed black blood at the bottom of the pit, his tone calm: "Master, whether they look down on us or not is not important. What is important is that the Black Lotus Cult has not been eliminated, and the Blood-Hand Butcher is not dead. Once his injuries heal, he will definitely come again, and next time he won't bring just two people."

Master Ziyang's expression also became grave: "The Alliance has already dispatched two mobile teams to patrol the surroundings of Pingan County. After hearing the news that the Blood-Hand Butcher had been repelled, House Master Zhao Heng proactively proposed an alliance with the Ning Family. If Master Ning is willing, the Zhao Family can send a Foundation Establishment retainer to be stationed in Pingan County long-term."

Ning Yuan glanced at Master Ziyang. Zhao Heng's actions were indeed fast—the news of the Blood-Hand Butcher being repelled had just spread, and he was already showing goodwill.

However, he did not want to accept this gesture for now; although the Zhao Family had shown their stance, there was no life-and-death friendship between the Ning Family and the Zhao Family yet. Rather than relying on someone else's Foundation Establishment retainer, it would be better to push Zhao Qingli to Foundation Establishment as soon as possible.

"The matter of an alliance can be discussed. As for being stationed here, that is unnecessary; it is better for the Zhao Family's people to guard the Zhao Family."

Master Ziyang nodded and did not try to persuade him further.

After sending off Master Ziyang, Ning Yuan called Zhao Qingli to the Cultivation Room.

"Your seclusion is advanced. From now on, you will exert all your efforts to break through to the 8th Layer of Qi Refining. There is no limit on ningyuan pills and pulse protection pills; when you break through to the 9th Layer of Qi Refining, I will give you the foundation establishment pill."

Zhao Qingli looked at Ning Yuan, did not ask why, and just nodded solemnly.

The news of the Blood-Hand Butcher being repelled spread faster than Ning Yuan had anticipated.

At noon the next day, Zhao Dehai from the Pingan County Magistrate's office personally visited, bringing a cart of rice, flour, meat, and eggs along with a few minor officials, standing outside the gate of the Ning Residence with a face full of smiles.

Ning Yuan met this Magistrate in the main hall with an indifferent attitude; he did not bring up old accounts because the other party had neglected the Ning Family in the past, nor did he put on airs because the Ning Family was now powerful.

Zhao Dehai drank half a cup of tea with a sense of relief, said a few polite words like "Master Ning brings blessings to Pingan County," and left the items before tactfully taking his leave.

By the afternoon, the village heads and local gentry from several nearby villages and towns seemed to have agreed upon it, sending people one after another to deliver congratulatory gifts.

Some sent grain, some sent cloth, some sent cured meat, and there were even those who, having learned from somewhere that the Ning Family was expanding the manor, specifically sent two carts of bluestone bricks.

Madam Lin, accompanied by the steward Old Liu, was at the gate receiving gifts and keeping accounts, so busy that her feet barely touched the ground.

She neatly recorded the source and quantity of every gift in the ledger, then arranged return gifts according to the weight of the gift list.

Over these years, managing the Ning Family's accounts, she had developed a flawless way of handling affairs—neither making people feel that the Ning Family was putting on airs, nor making people feel that the Ning Family's benefits were easy to take advantage of.

Su Yuniang watched the gifts piled up like a small mountain from the side, smiling and joking: "Back when our Ning Family first moved to the foot of Qingyun Mountain, not a single one of these local gentry came to visit."

Madam Lin continued to keep accounts without raising her head: "Back then we were a small, humble family; why would they come to visit? Now that Master has repelled a Late Stage Foundation Establishment demonic Cultivator with his own strength, it would be strange if they didn't come."

She drew a line in the ledger and closed the book: "These things are just icing on the cake; the real big items will have to come from The Alliance."

Madam Lin was right. On the third day, Master Ziyang's thank-you gift arrived—three thousand Spirit Stones, one 4th-grade "ningshen pill," and one Profound Rank Low Grade protective inner armor.

The one who delivered the items was Deacon He Song. After putting the items down, he did not rush to leave but pulled Ning Yuan aside in the main hall to talk for quite a while.

"Fellow Daoist Ning, Master Ziyang asked me to tell you something in private." Deacon He Song's voice was very low: "Although the Blood-Hand Butcher was repelled by you, he has not left Qing Province. The Alliance's secret agents buried in Cang Province sent news that the Black Lotus Cult is gathering manpower. The Blood-Hand Butcher himself is said to be recuperating in some secret place; once his injuries heal, he will likely have even bigger moves."

Ning Yuan's hand holding the tea did not pause, he only asked: "Gathering manpower? What scale?"

"The exact number is unclear, but the secret agent said that this time it won't just be people from the Black Lotus Cult. The remnants of the Black Lotus Cult are active everywhere, and it is very likely they have recruited a group of desperate Loose Cultivators, with at least thirty people or more."

Deacon He Song's brows were knitted together: "Master Ziyang's intention is that Pingan County is, after all, in a remote location, and no matter how sturdy the manor is, it cannot withstand a simultaneous siege by dozens of Cultivators. He would like to ask Master Ning to consider temporarily relocating his family to Qing Province city; The Alliance can arrange for accommodation."

"No need." Ning Yuan set down his teacup: "Is it safe if we move to Qing Province city? The Sun Family is in Qing Province city, yet their outer courtyard was still breached. Rather than putting my family on someone else's territory, it is better to keep them in my own home. At the very least, every perimeter wall and every watchtower of the Ning Family Manor was designed by my own hands."

Deacon He Song opened his mouth, but in the end, did not try to persuade him further.

After sending off Deacon He Song, Ning Yuan handed the Profound Rank Low Grade protective inner armor to Madam Lin. Madam Lin was a Mortal; wearing this inner armor, she could block all attacks below the Foundation Establishment level.

Madam Lin did not refuse; she only touched the inner armor, which was thin as a cicada's wing, and said softly, "Don't worry, dear, I will wear it."

On the fourth day, Old Daoist Zhou arrived. He was not here to deliver a congratulatory gift, but to apologize.

The old Daoist sat in the guest seat of the main hall, saying with a face full of guilt that he had not rushed to the manor immediately after receiving the transmission, and that he had truly failed to live up to the trust placed in him.

Ning Yuan waved his hand: "Brother Zhou, there is no need for this. You helped the Ning Family guard Qingyun Temple and protected Changqing and Changhe; that is the greatest merit."

Old Daoist Zhou's eyes reddened slightly, and he took a Jade Slip from his bosom and placed it on the table: "Fellow Daoist Ning, this is a collection of Formation diagrams passed down by the successive masters of Qingyun Temple. It records a 'Qingyun Mountain Protection Formation.' Although it is only a Yellow Rank Top Grade Formation, once set up, it can cover a radius of five hundred zhang and can withstand attacks from Early Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators without a problem. My cultivation is insufficient to set up this Formation, but Fellow Daoist Ning certainly can."

Ning Yuan accepted the Jade Slip and extended his Divine Sense into it. A moment later, he bowed solemnly to Old Daoist Zhou: "I will remember this generous gift, Ning."

"Fellow Daoist Ning is too polite." Old Daoist Zhou stood up and returned the bow: "The Formation requires nine Formation eyes, and each Formation eye needs one Mid-Grade Spirit Stone to maintain its operation. The Formation diagram has detailed markings, which Fellow Daoist Ning will understand at a glance. I have no great ability; I can only help with this small matter. If there is any place where I can be of use, Fellow Daoist Ning, please do not hesitate to speak."

After sending off Old Daoist Zhou, Ning Yuan immediately began to study the Formation diagram. The Qingyun Mountain Protection Formation required nine Formation eyes, and each Formation eye needed to have a Formation base buried and a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone placed.

The Formation base could be replaced with bluestone engraved with runes; he would carve the runes himself, and he had enough Mid-Grade Spirit Stones on hand. He spent three days carving all nine Formation bases and burying them in nine specific locations outside the manor's perimeter wall.

When the last Formation base was set in place and the Spirit Stone was embedded into the Formation eye, the ground of the entire manor trembled slightly, and a pale cyan light barrier rose simultaneously from the nine Formation eyes, slowly closing in mid-air, enveloping the entire manor within it.

The light barrier lasted only a few breaths before fading into the void, but that faint, lingering power of protection had already permeated the area.

Su Yuniang stood on the perimeter wall, extending her hand to feel the faint resistance in the air, and said with some surprise: "This Formation is more than ten times stronger than our previous warning Formation."

"Yellow Rank Top Grade, of course it is different." Ning Yuan leaped down from the perimeter wall and brushed the dirt off his hands: "With this Formation, even if the Black Lotus Cult comes out in full force, it can hold for at least the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."