Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Chapter 312 Preparations for the Retained Program

As dusk settled the following day, Lin Yan appeared at the entrance of the tavern. The cotton curtain fell, bringing in a few unmelted snowflakes.

Xu Hui was calculating on an abacus behind the counter when she looked up and smiled at him, "Brother Lin, I haven't seen you for the past two days. Where have you been making your fortune?" Before she finished speaking, she saw that the other man's expression was serious, and his usually smiling eyes were now filled with unfathomable depths.

"Boss lady," Lin Yan said in a low voice, "is there a quiet place to talk?"

Xu Huizhen's heart skipped a beat. She put down her abacus and said, "Please come with me." She led him through the kitchen and pushed open a dark red wooden door. It turned out that behind the tavern was a neat courtyard house, with last year's paper-cut window decorations still pasted on the windowsills of the main room.

"No need for all that." Lin Yan sat down at the octagonal table, raising his hand to stop her from making tea. "We just want to say a few words."

Xu Huizhen wiped her hands on her apron and sat down opposite him anxiously.

"Boss lady," Lin Yan's gaze pressed down on her heart like a weight, "you need to carefully consider what he's about to say. The country might be in chaos." Seeing her pupils shrink, he continued, "When that happens, small businesses like yours, and even former Qing dynasty officials like Master Niu, will suffer because of their background—criticism, confiscation of property, no one can escape it."

The crisp sound of snow breaking branches came from outside the window. He leaned forward: "Six months at the earliest, a year at the latest. If you want to leave, I can help you. You can let Uncle Niu know, but before you make up your mind—" He tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, "if I find out that this message has leaked out from you..."

Xu Huizhen nodded stiffly, her throat tight. Only after Lin Yan's figure disappeared at the end of the porch did she realize that her palms had been dug into by her fingernails, leaving four crescent-shaped white marks. She felt empty inside, as if her backbone had been suddenly ripped out.

It was the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, and the Lunar New Year was approaching. Lin Yan leaned against the daybed, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the rosewood armrest. Fine snow was falling outside the window, and he suddenly remembered a tradition from a few years ago—it was time to prepare New Year's gifts for that island nation to the east.

"Setting off fireworks is certainly lively..." He chuckled and shook his head. "It's a pity the commotion is too great. If so many people die again this time, Heaven will probably take notice." Cultivators are most averse to indiscriminate killing, and he has always been good at judging this.

His gaze swept over the nautical charts on the display shelf, and he suddenly sat up straight. Japan is an island nation, its lifeline entirely dependent on shipping lanes. If a complex formation were used to envelop the four islands, with an inner whirlwind formation to create typhoons year-round, and an outer maze formation to generate a hundred-mile-long fog...

"Brilliant!" He clapped his hands and chuckled, a sly glint in his eyes. This way, no one would be killed, and those little devils would get a taste of what it's like to live off someone's wealth. He took out a compass from his sleeve and began to calculate, the light flowing and forming arrays between the lines of latitude and longitude.

Lin Yan secretly gave himself a thumbs up, thinking to himself that he was truly a genius.

With a slight thought, Lin Yan appeared in the newly built Nascent Soul cultivator residential area within the space. He extended his divine sense and instantly summoned Wang Qin, the head of the Nascent Soul group.

"Young Master," Wang Qin bowed respectfully.

"Find someone who is proficient in formations," Lin Yan said succinctly.

A moment later, a middle-aged cultivator dressed in a blue robe arrived on the wind. This man had a lean face and his eyes shone with spiritual light; he was Xie Qingci, the person in charge of the formation team.

"Your subordinate greets you, young master." Xie Qingci bowed respectfully.

Lin Yan's fingertips danced with light, outlining the Japanese archipelago in the air. As he spoke in a low voice, he recounted the smoke of war in Nanjing, the devastation of the Chongqing bombings, and the suffering that China had endured.

Xie Qingci listened intently to these historical fragments, his gaunt face gradually hardening with frost. His fingers, hidden in his sleeve, tightened slightly, his knuckles turning white: "These Japanese pirates... their evil deeds surpass even those of demonic cultivators."

Upon hearing Lin Yan's plan, a glint flashed in his eyes: "This plan is brilliant! It serves as punishment without violating natural law." He stepped forward, carefully examining the terrain map in the air: "The formation must be adapted to the terrain. Please, young master, indicate the specific location and scope."

"No need for such formalities." Lin Yan flicked his sleeve, dispelling the spiritual light. "Tonight at midnight, you will select three of your most skilled disciples to accompany me to the skies above the East China Sea."

A slight smile played on his lips, a sly glint in his eyes: "If we're going to set up a formation, we naturally need to choose a location that will make these Japanese the most uncomfortable."

At three in the morning, five figures stood silently atop the clouds above the Japanese archipelago. Xie Qingci's robes fluttered, and a compass in his palm projected a golden light that crisscrossed the latitude and longitude lines. The three array masters each held a magical artifact and guarded the four directions, meticulously calculating the terrain and ocean currents of the islands below.

"There are unusual undercurrents in the sea area at 35° North latitude."

"The monsoon velocity on the southeastern side of the state exceeds the standard by 30%."

"The ley lines of the four islands are perfect for setting up an array."

Amidst the rising and falling reports, Xie Qingci's fingers moved with incredible speed, transforming countless data points into a star chart. As the hour of Yin approached, Lin Yan gently swept everyone back into his spatial dimension, revealing Xie Qingci's piercing gaze as he presented the array diagram:

"Young Master, the triple-layered complex formation is now fully prepared—"

He unfurled the scroll, and the array patterns, shimmering with spiritual light, moved as if alive: "The innermost layer, the [Myriad Manifestations Gale Array], draws upon the pure and ethereal energy of the Nine Heavens to transform into 3,600 tornadoes, rotating according to the celestial cycles. It's guaranteed to show the Japanese what it means to 'blow a long wind for tens of thousands of miles, passing through the Jade Gate Pass.'"

His fingertip moved towards the second layer of azure array patterns: "The middle layer, the [Vortex Dragon-Trapping Array], subtly aligns with the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams. Two thousand four hundred vortexes conceal deadly intent; even a ten-thousand-ton cargo ship would find it difficult to escape this inescapable net."

Finally, he pointed to the swirling mist at the edge: "The outermost [Boundless Illusionary Sea Array] is the most exquisite, using water vapor as a medium and moonlight as a guide to teach them the feeling of 'Suddenly I heard of a fairy mountain on the sea, a mountain in the misty void.'"

Lin Yan clapped his hands and chuckled, a cold glint flashing in his eyes: "Let this shore of the East Sea truly experience what 'the net of heaven is vast and inescapable' means."

"Qingci, the array formation team will have to work hard these next two days. All the materials needed to refine the array plate can be obtained from the Endless Sea and the Myriad Evolution Mountains. The ferocious beasts there will pose no threat to you. One day outside is equivalent to one year in this space; you must complete the array plate refinement before New Year's Eve."

Back in his study in the real world, Lin Yan immediately contacted Alexander, who was far away in the United States, through his spiritual sense:

"Alexander, I will sabotage the Japanese on New Year's Eve. In the next two days, immediately notify all factories in Japan to close down, collect all equipment, and relocate them, along with our own personnel, to Hong Kong. Discuss the details with Lin Er."

"Understood, young master." He then severed the connection with his divine sense.

Lin Yan strolled to the window, gazing at the weathered bluestone slabs in the courtyard. "Your Majesty, I'm back again. This program is very exciting, I hope you enjoy it!"