Volume 9 Chapter 64 Love and Separation

I shut Six Evil Beasts Chronicles once I finished reading the last page and stowed it in my shirt. Luo Ming had to have jumped through plenty of hurdles to procure the same edition as my shifu’s. Hence, it was something worth thinking about.

The six evil beasts are walking catastrophes, the enemy of life and the most terrifying, emotionless power. Irrespective of one’s purpose when letting them out, the outcome would always be the same - mayhem. I will kill any soul that tries to use them.

Seeded in my analysis of Luo Ming’s entire library, I had two conclusions that I could be confident about. Firstly, Luo Ming was searching for a specific evil beast’s information. The books he had for research were the worst information sources. Still, all books related to them were on his bookshelf. He also researched terrain and domains, suggesting he was scrupulous in his study.

Secondly, Luo Ming didn’t set up the formation to protect Repository Sword Theory. Based on what I could see Boss doing while I was reading, the formation wasn’t designed to attack intruders but trap them in an illusion. If he wasn’t positive the room was immune to thieves, he wouldn’t have set an illusion formation.

When I was searching for the odd spot of the formation, I chanced upon a crystal under the floor at the most outer section. How did I search? Old-school style - pull everything apart. Carved on the egg-sized jadeite crystal was, “The deeper love is, the more painful parting is.” On the other side was “Emotion Barrier”. I don’t know. Maybe the crystal was called Emotion Barrier Stone?

If I were to hazard a guess, the crystal was the medium. According to Shifu, you need rare mediums for certain formations to work. In the same vein, crushing it would defuse the formation. I held back, howbeit, for the reason that Boss wasn’t evading danger or speaking. On the contrary, she had a smile on her rosy lips while she was looking at or watching something. From what I could interpret, that was a smile of someone reminiscing and indulging in nostalgia.

I’ve never seen that smile from her. What does the illusion do?

I could’ve just crushed the crystal; however, my curiosity got the better of me. I closed my eyes and shut down my protective mental cultivation so that the formation would work on me.

“You disregarded me again. All you do is train, train, train. I hate you.”

Upon parting my eyelids, I was in a forest on a mountain I recognised at first glance, and there was eight year old young shiyi whining at my eleven year old self in her signature akimbo stance.

“Grandaunt, wait for me. I’ll piggy back you after I’m done training,” my young self promised as he continued throwing his fists.

Young Shiyi watched me for a long while and then decided to roll around on the ground, disregarding the fact that she’d smear her clothing in mud and dust.

“… Feizhen.”

“Hmm?”

“Feizhen.”

“Yesum.”

“Pffthehe… Feizhen. Feizhenah… Feizhen, Feizhen, Feizhen.”

“Grandaunt, I can’t respond if you call me that fast.”

“Feizhen, Feizhen, Feizhen, Feizhen.” Young Shiyi just lied there, laughing as she called my name for the giggles.

I remember that was when I could always feel blood in my oesophagus, hands and feet immobilised. I really suffered when I trained as a kid, yet I saw my young self smiling jovially. Seeing as I didn’t realise it until now, I probably didn’t notice having Young Shiyi keep me company while I train was so much fun back then, either. I suppose that explained Boss’ smile.

In the subsequent scene I was shown, I was even younger. Second, who is two years older than me, was the only disciple in my age bracket who could spar with me. Because I was horrible at controlling my power back then, I floored him in no time.

After getting up to his feet, Second burst out wailing as he ran off. “Eat crap, Shifu. Eat dog crap, Grandmaster! Why does he get to be the senior disciple?! I refuse to acknowledge him! Eat crap! Eat crap! Eat cr-” And I will never forget him tripping, pulling off a triple cork and… beautifully landing in a pile of manure. I still remembered the breakneck-speed slap yourself moment as if it was yesterday.

As I surmised, the formation wasn’t harmful. It was merely a formation stored in the crystal and activated when a certain condition or conditions were met. I suppose what it exhibited was moments where we were touched in our lives given I saw Young Shiyi, Second and my youth at Mount Daluo. That w