The Wulong Mountain heroes had a habit of scattering whenever the situation was unclear, each one running in a different direction. As soon as word came, they were already preparing to bolt.

But before they got far, they saw Huang Ye Xian climbing up the peak. In no time, she was already at the top.

Huang Ye Xian was a female cultivator, over forty years old, ninth layer, with a straightforward temperament that put most men to shame. People said her strikes were so ruthless that even among her peers she stood out. Her looks were ordinary, but since female cultivators were rare on Wulong Mountain, she was highly regarded and well connected.

Now she appeared with a smile, without the least sign of panic, which put everyone at ease. Clearly this wasn’t a major sect crackdown. Some even came to their senses, reassuring one another: “It’s fine, it’s fine. The big sects already agreed. Wulong Mountain is a boundary mountain. None of them are allowed to come up here.”

Huang Ye Xian walked over and called out loudly: “Xiaolou! Xiaolou, hurry back to your sect. Plenty of fellow cultivators have come looking for you! From Shenwu Mountain, no less. Sons of high families, more than a dozen of them, all here!”

Liu Xiaolou quickly stepped forward to greet her. “For Senior Huang to come in person to bring the news, this junior is truly honored!”

Huang Ye Xian grabbed Liu Xiaolou by the arm and turned to leave. “Come on! These young lords from noble families, every one of them elegant, dignified, polished, with refined manners and conversation. All fine young talents. Let’s hurry back to welcome them. After staying on Wulong Mountain so long, just seeing them is refreshing. Ah, except for you and that Wei boy of course. I don’t mean you two…”

Liu Xiaolou laughed. “Honestly, once you spend enough time with those young masters from noble families, you’ll see. They’re pleasant enough to look at, sure, but when it comes to loyalty and boldness, no one beats our Wulong Mountain.”

Huang Ye Xian nodded. “Mm, mm, you’re right. It’s just something nice to look at…”

Tan Bajhang and Fang Bu'ai followed close behind. Zuo Gaofeng glanced back at Jiang Feihu and Zhang Shihua, sneering. “Well? Didn’t I tell you? Even if he’s a cast-off son-in-law, he’s still a son-in-law all the same!”

Jiang Feihu’s face darkened. Zhang Shihua sighed, put an arm around him, and started leading him down the mountain. “Brother Jiang, about setting up that stone stele forest at the Tiankeng Drum… do you think we should put it up or not?”

Jiang Feihu spat the words out bitterly. “Put it up, of course! Why shouldn’t we? I’ll build that stele forest just to spite him!”

Then he muttered, “A cast-off son-in-law… how can he still be a son-in-law?”

He glanced at a few companions trailing behind and asked, “Where’s Lingling Ke? Why hasn’t he come?”

Zhang Shihua’s expression turned grim. “He said he botched a meridian during cultivation and is healing.”

Jiang Feihu spat on the ground. “Coward.” He pointed at someone in the group. “You, go check Qianzhu Ridge. See if the ones who came are really from Shenwu Mountain.”

Back at Feihu Cave, they sat waiting for news. Before long, the scout returned. “Brother Jiang, quite a few people came up to Qianzhu Ridge. I lingered nearby and caught the gist of it. One was dressed in white, from White Cloud Manor, surname Yun, called the White-Robed Swordsman. Then there was a big fat fellow, from the Xiong family. There was also a Daoist they called Thunderclap Daoist (Leiming). And someone called Young Master Tie, another named Brother Jiayin… hard to say if all of it’s true. But Senior Huang was being very warm with them, chatting here, laughing there, even saying she’d host a banquet for all the young masters.”

When he finished, Zhang Shihua thought aloud. “Makes sense… Lady Ye is from Pengze, not far from there. She’s probably met them all before.”

“What a damn cursed life,” Jiang Feihu muttered darkly.

While they brooded in Feihu Cave, full of resentment and unwillingness, Qianzhu Ridge was bustling with excitement. Yun Ao, Xiong Xi, and the rest of the young masters had all come together. It was unexpected, yet not entirely surprising.

Liu Xiaolou had known they would come looking for him eventually, but he hadn’t expected them all to come at once. When the commotion finally settled down, he spoke with them openly.

“Gentlemen, I’m no longer the Su family’s son-in-law. I’m sure you’ve all heard. At the time, I was disheartened, ashamed to face anyone, and all I wanted was to return to Wulong Mountain. That’s why I never reached out. I hope you’ll forgive me. My plan was to recover my spirit first, then contact you all, but I never thought you’d come find me. Since you’re here, let me give you my word. Wulong Mountain is indeed far, no denying that. If any of you find it inconvenient to come again and want your spirit stones back, I’ll never argue. For example, Brother Yun and Brother Xiong, together you’re short nine visits. I’ll repay you with one spirit stone, and you can split it as you see fit. The rest of you are in about the same situation. As for Thunderclap Daoist, you’ve got a month left. I can’t give you spirit stones, but I can make it up to you in silver.”

“Brother Liu,” Yun Ao said, “we didn’t come this time for spirit stone refunds.”

Liu Xiaolou cupped his hands. “Thank you, Brother Yun, for your understanding. If you gentlemen are still willing to come, I’ll of course welcome you, and I can even add a few more visits to your tally.”

Yun Ao shook his head. “Brother Liu, the journey back and forth takes three to five days at least. To be honest, it’s not convenient for us to come often. So everyone came up with an idea. We’d like to ask you to forge us a set of formation disks. Whatever it costs in spirit stones or silver, we’ll pool together.”

That caught Liu Xiaolou off guard. He thought for a moment, then said, “A full set of formation disks is worth quite a lot. And my illusion formation isn't something you can just use forever once it's made. After some time, it'll need fresh materials and refining.”

Yun Ao nodded. “Of course. Any formation requires spirit stones to keep it running over the long term. We understand. Just name your price, Brother Liu.”

“Then I must ask you all to stay here a few days,” Liu Xiaolou said. “I’ve never done this kind of business before, so I’ll need to calculate exactly how many spirit stones it will take. That way I won’t take a loss, and you won’t feel cheated.”

The young lords all laughed. Xiong Xi called out, “First time visiting our son-in-law’s place, we’ll definitely be staying a few days. We ought to enjoy the famous scenery of Wulong Mountain!”

Daoist Thunderclap said, “I hear you’re skilled in the arts of dual cultivation. I’d like to ask for some guidance.”

Young Master Tie laughed. “It’s not easy for me to get out from under my wife’s watchful eye. Now that I’m free, with the sky high and the sea wide, of course I plan to stay a few more days.”

Liu Xiaolou quickly reminded them, “Gentlemen, this is Wulong Mountain. If you’d like to enjoy the scenery, the views around my own Qianzhu Ridge are especially fine. Please don’t wander elsewhere. You might disturb cultivators in seclusion, and if in your excitement you accidentally injure someone, you can just leave, but I’ll be left with the trouble. I hope you’ll be considerate. Now, Senior Huang of Jade Maiden Cave happens to be from the same region as you, so you’re welcome to visit Jade Maiden Cave if you like.”

So the young masters settled at Qianzhu Ridge. Huang Ye Xian and Fang Bu’ai took them around the area, sometimes wandering nearby, sometimes visiting friendly acquaintances like Tan Bajang and Zuo Gaofeng.

During those days, Liu Xiaolou finished working out the design for his formation disk. He simplified the Abyssal Blackstone Formation as much as possible, stripping away anything unrelated to watching the thing. He cut out parts he didn’t need, such as protective measures that could withstand attacks or the techniques that confused enemy senses. With those gone, the time and materials required for refining were cut in half.

Based on this plan, he drew up a rough list and divided the required materials into two categories.

Most of the items were the usual materials needed for refining a formation disk. Things like metals and stones, a dozen common birds and beasts, and various spirit flowers and herbs. Liu Xiaolou couldn’t possibly gather all of that on his own; it would waste too much time and effort, so he planned to hand that task over to the young masters. He deliberately added more types than strictly necessary, just to make sure no one could piece together his recipe.

The second list contained the truly crucial materials: Bewildering Fragrance, Blackstone from Mount Mo, Springwater Essence Jade, and toads from Dongting. Of these, the most important was without a doubt the Bewildering Fragrance.

Once the lists were ready, he called the young masters together to discuss. “I’ll need you all to help collect these materials. As for how much it costs, that’s not my concern. I only need the items. Once I have them, I’ll begin the work. Refining a full set of formation disks takes about three months. During that time, I’ll need spirit stones to provide true qi support, about nine stones in total. I can’t work for free; I have to feed my family and advance my cultivation. So I’ll take three stones a month as my fee. On top of that, we’ll need to hire a formation master to assist, which will cost four stones, and we’ll have to rent a source of earth fire for another three stones. Altogether, that comes to twenty-five spirit stones. I’ll leave it to you gentlemen to consider.”