Mortal: Fairy Song Yu has issued you a task.

Chapter 46 Setting up the Grand Array

Du Dong traveled a long way to Tiantong City, and his intentions were far from insignificant.

Under normal circumstances, Lin Jingchu should have left immediately after completing his task with the Shen family.

But Du Dong was able to stop him so precisely, which meant that he and his senior sister had been targeted as soon as they entered the city. If he refused outright, they might be harmed.

Moreover, fortune is found in danger, and with a top-tier disguise technique like the "Great Luo Thousand Illusions Technique" right before our eyes, it would be against all reason not to take it.

A thousand thoughts in one's heart can be contained in a single moment.

Lin Jingchu deactivated his spiritual connection, which had only lasted for a few dozen breaths, and said with feigned difficulty, "However... my master is very strict. If I return late without a reason, I will definitely be severely punished."

Du Dong gently nudged Lin Jingchu's shoulder and chuckled, "The journey back to the sect is long, and it's only natural that you're a little delayed, fellow Daoist."

"That won't do." Lin Jingchu was startled and spoke quickly: "Although the reward for setting up the array for the Shen family this time is five hundred spirit stones, Master took half of it. If we take on the Qin family's job, we must inform Master in advance, otherwise he will definitely be displeased when he finds out later."

Du Dong was taken aback. This guy's master was far too ruthless!

Before he could speak, Lin Jingchu sat up straight and said:

"Furthermore, I need to get back to the sect as soon as possible. There are many fellow disciples waiting for me to set up the formation. They all cost me a full amount of spirit stones."

Now Du Dong realized he had misunderstood; it turned out this direct disciple of the Luo Yun Sect was greedy for money but not for women. But being greedy was fine too; the more greedy, the better it suited him.

Anyway, these spirit stones are going through the Qin family's accounts, so what does it have to do with Du Dong?

He or she smiled gently, covering their mouths and noses with a round fan, and whispered secretly:

"In this way, the Qin family will officially announce 800 spirit stones, but will actually give you 1200 spirit stones. What do you think?"

A faint fragrance wafted over, and Lin Jingchu felt an indescribable tingling sensation in his heart.

If the old demon Yunlu of the Hehuan Sect were here, he would be ecstatic, but himself...

Well, what can you say when a grown man dresses up as a woman and asks you for a favor?

Lin Jingchu feigned shock and leaned back, taking the opportunity to create some distance, and excitedly asked, "Really...really! Could it be something extremely dangerous?"

Du Dong chuckled and said, "Don't worry, there's no danger. I just feel a connection with you, young master."

Lin Jingchu picked up a cup of spiritual wine from the table, raised it in a toast, and said, "Thank you for your generous gift, Fairy Qin!"

After both parties finished drinking the spiritual wine, Lin Jingchu said, "However, this matter can only be carried out after the Shen family's affairs are settled."

Du Dong nodded noncommittally. He hadn't received his goods yet, so it wasn't wise to rush things.

The two stopped discussing the matter and rejoined the conversation.

The blue-faced man opposite him finally stopped gritting his teeth—he had felt incredibly bitter and frustrated watching "Qin San Niang" and that boy whispering sweet nothings to each other.

About half an hour later, Lin Jingchu saw that the time was right, so he took his leave from Du Dong by saying that "Senior Sister is still waiting at the Shen residence." He then called over Steward Shen, and the two left the table to return to the Shen residence.

Upon arriving at the Shen residence, Steward Shen went about his business, while Lin Jingchu went straight to the guest courtyard.

Passing through the soundproof and protective barrier set up by Song Yu, the clear and melodious sound of the zither immediately entered my ears.

Looking at the graceful figure sitting on the bluestone in the courtyard, playing the zither with an ethereal air, Lin Jingchu felt that the discomfort he had felt from his close contact with Du Dong earlier had been instantly purified.

He quietly sat down on a stone bench and listened attentively.

The song ended, its lingering notes still echoing.

Song Yu pressed her slender fingers on the zither strings: "Why did it take so long? Did something happen along the way?"

"The Shen family's spirit stone mine is located in a remote area, so it took a lot of time." Lin Jingchu suddenly changed the subject, "When the return journey was nearing its end, I ran into Qin San Niang again. She invited me to a small banquet in the mountains."

Clang——

The zither string emitted a sharp sound.

Song Yu looked up at him: "What exactly did she want to invite you about?"

Lin Jingchu then made a startling statement: "I previously learned a secret technique, and after investigation, I suspect that Qin San Niang is a person of the demonic path in disguise."

Song Yu's focus, however, was quite biased: "Could she really be from the Joyful Union Sect?"

Lin Jingchu shrugged, "How would I know?" Then he continued, "She invited me to set up a magic array for one of the Qin family's spirit stone mines, and I agreed."

Now, Song Yu was even more puzzled: "If you suspect she's a demonic cultivator in disguise, why did you agree to it?"

"It's just a temporary measure," Lin Jingchu explained. "As I said, we must wait until the Shen family's matter is resolved before we can set up an array for her. If anything happens at that time, we can simply abandon our plans and flee immediately."

It's better to tell Song Yu part of the truth so she can be prepared than to be caught off guard when the time comes.

For the next few days, Song Yu stayed in this small courtyard, focusing on his cultivation and enjoying playing the zither and sipping tea in his spare time.

Lin Jingchu would occasionally go to Shenjialing Mine to explore.

When the attendant who had accompanied him that day came to summon him, Song Yu stepped out of the guest courtyard and set off with Lin Jingchu.

The three of them flew to Phoenix Perch Mountain again. This time, however, Steward Shen was replaced by Song Yu.

When Lin Jingchu and the others arrived at the valley, the place had been completely transformed.

The ground is paved with gray stone bricks, and the natural cave entrance has been excavated and expanded, with tall arches and eaves built with regular stone blocks.

In the corner of the venue, spiritual materials such as gold, stones, and spirit wood needed for setting up the formation were neatly stacked.

More than a dozen guards from the Shen residence who remained behind saw the three land and stepped forward to pay their respects.

The attendant explained, "These are the spiritual materials needed for the 'Six Harmonies Heavenly Formation.' The materials for the formation in the side passage have already been sent into the mine. We'll have to trouble you two fellow Daoists from the upper sects from now on."

Lin Jingchu nodded: "Then my senior sister and I will begin. Please make yourselves at home."

After saying that, he and Song Yu walked toward the pile of spiritual materials.

As the saying goes, men and women working together makes the work easier.

One person was responsible for carving the array plates, array towers, and array images, while another person was responsible for inscribing the array patterns.

The two moved with practiced skill and worked in perfect harmony. Moreover, both of them were quite accomplished in the art of array formations. Several days later, in the afternoon, all the large array artifacts were finally completed.

Next, Lin Jingchu surveyed the terrain and determined the location of the array's core. With the assistance of Song Yu, he began to set up the large array.

In a short while, the Six Harmonies Heavenly Grand Formation was set up.

Lin Jingchu filled the array tower with spirit stones and then activated the array.

A low humming sound rang out.

A massive, transparent shield, shimmering with a pale blue, watery sheen, rose from various points on the ground, rapidly converging towards the center and finally closing completely overhead, firmly enveloping the entire spirit stone mine.

Lin Jingchu waved his hand, signaling that outside the protective barrier, Song Yu and the Shen family members began to gather their magical power and unleash powerful spells to bombard the area.

Bang! Bang! Clang! —

Various colored lights collided with the protective barrier, causing ripples to spread across it, yet it remained as solid as a mountain, completely unmoved.

Lin Jingchu stood at the core of the array, carefully sensing the flow of spiritual energy in the protective shield, the rate at which its strength decreased, and the rate at which the spirit stones in the array tower were consumed.

A moment later, his eyebrows relaxed and a smile appeared on his face.

The Six Harmonies Heavenly Grand Formation is complete. As long as there are enough spirit stones, even a Golden Core expert would have to go through a lot of trouble to break it.

He removed the protective shield and said to Song Yu, who had just landed, "Come on, let's work harder and try to finish the rest of the formations today."