The genius of the Luo Clan
Yuxian City.
The Luo Clan.
Within a small courtyard, at the corner of the yard, an old maple tree stood there.
Its canopy spread in deep crimson hues, branches leaning like a silent figure, sighing amid countless seasons of fallen maples.
"When will I… finally have an ending that belongs solely to me?"
Opposite the tree was a brown wooden step. The wood grain had faded with the years, blending with the color of fallen leaves. For a moment it was hard to distinguish what was earth, what was wood.
Above the step was a plain wooden door erected simply, leading into the room inside.
In front of the yard, maple leaves fell sparsely, one pressing upon another, brilliant yet tranquil like a painting without a painter. A few clusters of leaves drifted far with the wind, landing lightly upon the wooden floor.
Before the courtyard gate, a youth stepped in.
He wore a simple, clean white robe. Bright eyes of youth, an ordinary face.
But his long jet black hair covered with morning dew, tied neatly high up, made him appear a few parts more composed than his age.
The familiar youth walked in, calmly stepped onto the wooden step, skillfully opened the door. In the movement still carried a sigh that had yet to leave his mouth.
The door opened, a gust of wind slipped through the gap, carrying the chill from outside the yard inside.
Inside, candlelight flickered in the darkness, wavering as if about to go out. Pink wax dripped down drop by drop. Each drop formed into scales by rhythm, congealing on the rim of the cup.
The sound of pages flipping rustled amid the flickering candlelight, the scene both tinged with a scholarly air, yet faintly eerie.
The room on all four sides was filled with books. Bookshelves stood tall, surrounding this place like a gigantic library.
In the middle of the room was a towering pile of books, paper and cloth garments mixed together. Two colors black and white blended into one, like a chessboard yet to decide victory or defeat.
Within that heap of chaos, a youth about fourteen years old lay curled inside.
His hand still held a book with special characters, vaguely four words "Tu Zhen Bai Yi".
Pitch black clothing, hair disheveled. A few strands loosely tied with a red thread.
On his right cheek was stuck a yellow talisman. Complex patterns, stretching from eyelid to wing of the nose.
His face pale, dark circles heavy. Complexion haggard as if he had bathed many nights in the sea of knowledge.
The pink candlelight slanted across one side of his cheek, the shadow trembling with the wind.
At this time, the youth in white stepped in. He stood at the door, hand still holding the door, voice not loud but clear: "Brother Thu, you stayed up late reading again. Staying up too much is not good for health."
"Right now I'm catching up on sleep."
The youth in black slowly stood up, stepped out of the pile of books. Hand still rubbing his eyes, the two dark circles were easy to see.
The books around him slid down, falling with thuds. One rolled beside the candle cup, causing it to tilt, roll a few rounds to before him. Candle wax flowed in one streak, printing into a long trail on the wooden floor.
This person is called Luo Tian Qiu, son of the late Second Elder. People in the clan often call him the genius of the Luo Clan.
If anyone asks where his parents are, he only answers:
"I don't know, since the age of four I have no longer seen where they were."
Relatives could be counted on fingers. Once every month, the Great Elder would come to distribute allowance from the clan.
Not a few people mistakenly believed the old man was the one backing Luo Tian Qiu.
At this time, he reached into his sleeve, took out a medicinal pill and swallowed it.
A stream of warmth quickly spread throughout his body, dispersing some of the fatigue. The dark circles faded gradually, but the haggard look had not yet diminished.
He indifferently stepped barefoot onto the flame, the pink light extinguished.
Hot candle wax stuck to his foot, burning pain, yet he treated it as if nothing had happened.
The sweet scent of wax faintly lingered in the closed room, drifting out with the wind like immortal qi hovering.
Luo Tian Qiu yawned long, lazily dragging his steps outside. His gaze swept across the yard, shifted to Luo Wu Chang standing by the maple tree, then stopped at the broom leaning beneath the other's feet.
The scenery of ten years had not changed, maple still fell, leaves still withered.
Each moment passed, waves of leaves fell again, from one layer covering another, overlapping day after day, month after month.
After that Luo Tian Qiu put on flip flops, stepped down into the yard, swept away wave after wave of fallen maples.
Maple still fell, people still swept. Each day waking up, another time brushing away the past.
But it was still there, existing until this very moment. The past may fade with the years, but it will never disappear.
Luo Wu Chang stepped back for him to sweep, casually asked: "Why do you always skip class?"
"Skip class?" Tian Qiu frowned, glanced at him. "Chang Chang what are you saying. I am only making use of the empty time."
The other could only smile helplessly, mouth crooked.
"Whatever you say is right."
Luo Tian Qiu sighed, holding the broom back and forth: "You tell me. At the academy, what do the clan elders teach."
Luo Wu Chang raised his hand to his mouth pondering, eyes looking up to the sky.
"Dan, qi, talisman, formation, and also mechanism arts."
The other stopped the movement in his hand, seriously asked.
"What does dan teach?"
After asking, Luo Tian Qiu continued sweeping. But unfortunately a maple leaf fell down, slipped into his heel. He threw the broom aside, took off the flip flops, picked up the leaf, mouth cursing.
"Damn it. Sweeping the yard every morning is already tiring, now I still run into you."
"I know my flip flops are dirty, but who told you to sweep for me?"
Meanwhile Luo Wu Chang was still seriously answering.
"Distinguish types of medicinal herbs, medicinal pills by color and scent."
"For pill refining must grasp the rule of four steps. Prepare types of medicinal herbs, grasp the ratio and components of the pill, regulate the temperature of the flame, finally condense the pill."
Luo Tian Qiu while putting back the flip flops, continued asking.
"What about qi?"
Luo Wu Chang slightly frowned, as if trying to recall what had been taught at the academy.
"Grasp materials for artifact refining through characteristics and color, and method of refining a simple magic artifact."
"To refine one magic artifact need to firmly grasp two basics, how to regulate temperature, the formation patterns of the artifact one wants to refine."
"Each type of artifact needs one type of temperature and formation pattern different. Like Fire Fish Wheel needs high temperature and Blazing Sun pattern, while Cloud Frost Sword needs yin cold below a thousand degrees and Frost pattern."
At this time the smile of Luo Tian Qiu under sunlight gradually faded. He continued slowly asking. "Talisman?"
"Recognize types of talismans by pattern and color. Method of making talisman then remember materials and strokes, to truly draw one is not easy at all." Saying here, Wu Chang grinned again. "Skillful hands under heaven surely only you."
Luo Tian Qiu rubbed his nose, not knowing it had already grown more than ten meters. Though praised, he still would not let go.
"What does formation teach?"
"Method of arranging formation, points to note when breaking formation. Most prominent are Five Elements Grand Formation and Yin Yang Grand Formation. The former can freely control five elements within formation, the latter manipulates yin and yang."
Wu Chang speaking to here became excited, unable to hold back raising hand to grasp the sky. "Grasp both, controlling heaven and earth only one short distance away."
Luo Wu Chang answered him with serious eyes. For him, this was also a chance to review knowledge.
At this time, Tian Qiu looked at him with doubtful eyes: "Do you think I still need to learn mechanism arts?"
Hearing this, Wu Chang slightly wavered. Because mechanism arts was precisely the path he pursued.
In his heart also rose a bit of jealousy. To become a mechanism master, a cultivator first must understand dan, qi, talisman, formation.
But those things, Thu had already mastered, while he had not. Wu Chang dejectedly replied: "No."
Luo Tian Qiu finished sweeping, gathered a pile of leaves, then turned and said to Luo Wu Chang: "You see, all knowledge needed to learn I have already learned."
"Going out on the road, roaming the jianghu what need to know many types of pills, talismans, formations, magic artifacts. Only need enough to use is enough."
Saying here, he let go of the broom for it to lean against the maple tree, right hand raised to the sky, gaze distant.
"You say, in this world how many people know all knowledge of cultivation. Yet still can live as long as heaven and earth?
"In the end still get killed, or lifespan exhausted."
Words just finished, fallen maple immediately fell as if speaking: "Is longevity truly good. I have lived through hundred years, do not know to take one spring, also do not understand what is the withering of winter."
"All now, not much better than a living corpse. Want to live again not complete, want to die also not done."
Luo Wu Chang was speechless, glanced at him: "But you are going against what you are saying."
"Oh really?" Luo Tian Qiu hugged the broom standing still a few seconds, face blank as if just realizing he spoke somewhat wrong.
"I did not tell you to read fewer books. I only advise you should pay attention to your health. How to live is your matter, whether have life to live or not is another matter."
Who told Luo Tian Qiu to have talent beyond others? Basic knowledge like pill refining, artifact refining, arranging formation, he all mastered.
Especially drawing talismans, level already could compare with master, enough to walk side by side with geniuses in Immortal City.
After sweeping the yard, Luo Wu Chang suddenly asked: "Did you bathe?"
"I bathed!?" Thu answered calmly.
Luo Wu Chang's eyes full of suspicion, observing him from many sides: "Was it from that night?"
Tian Qiu hugged the broom helplessly sighed: "Just bathed this morning then I slept immediately."
"What water?" Wu Chang asked again. "Book water?"
Seeing Thu slow to answer, Wu Chang secretly admitted: "You live so dirty, no wonder until now still no girlfriend."
Thu helpless, finally could not endure, took off flip flops holding up, only waiting to throw at the other.
"I let you say that again!?"
"Who lives dirty?"
Wu Chang felt he joked a bit too far, so hurriedly clasped hands admitting fault: "It is my fault, it is I who live dirty."
"Although I bathe every day, tidy the house neatly, sleep on bed… not sleep in book room. But still it is I who live dirty."
Apologizing like that made Thu feel as if being mocked. He still bathed regularly, the lake behind house could testify.
It was a bit clean.
If clean like that how to prove he bathed, and too dirty then say he lives dirty. Either way is a dangerous move.
"Damn it!"
He did not argue with a youth who did not understand, took back flip flops put on foot. Finally only glanced at the other once, like looking at a madman.
Thu walked a few steps, suddenly stopped, tilted head asking: "Right, these days I rested, any fun thing?"
Luo Wu Chang did not answer immediately, only looked at him probing: "Seems you have not eaten breakfast right?"
"No hurry." Tian Qiu smiled faintly. "How about go to eatery then talk."
Tian Qiu walked somewhat fast. Wu Chang immediately chased after, hand reaching out as if wanting to hold something back: "You not change flip flops?"
Tian Qiu's voice full of confidence: "Flip flops are for the strong. I am the genius of Luo Clan, naturally have right to wear them."