"Huff... huff... huff..." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Zhen Yue was lying in a ditch, his chest heaving violently.

The Zhen Family is skilled in array skills research, but in essence, they are still Array Masters, and a relative weakness in physical fitness is inevitable.

That Fat fellow had lost his human skin, yet could run so far in one breath, while Zhen Yue was already exhausted by the time he reached here.

Thankfully, that terrifying Taoist did not continue chasing.

After panting for a while, Zhen Yue struggled to swallow his saliva, got up, and knelt down in the direction he escaped.

Holding incense in both hands, he made the gesture for three kowtows, finally placing his forehead against the ground while inserting the incense into the nearby gap.

"Thank you, elders, for coming to my rescue!"

Indeed, in Zhen Yue's view, the one who saved him earlier must be an elder of his family. Otherwise, it could not be explained why the other side would use the Giant Eye Binding Spirit Array.

"I'm not your elder."

Zhen Yue raised his head to search for the source of that suddenly appeared voice, then he saw the youth standing on the ditch.

The first glance was a bit blurry; the second glance, under the starlight, felt familiar.

His brain quickly processed memories, and he finally remembered who the youth was.

Back in Lijiang, a group of people gathered to attack that guesthouse; he, along with Zhen Lang and Zhen Xin, participated too. At that time, they all praised the Defensive Array of the guesthouse.

"It's you... sir?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Why did you save me?"

Suddenly, Zhen Yue's expression froze because he finally grasped one thing. Since the person before him was also someone who walked the Jianghu illuminated by lanterns and appeared there at that moment, didn't it imply some sort of setup regarding tonight's encounter of their team and the Fat team?

No matter what, neither team should have encountered such a dreadful existence upon just entering this wave, which nearly led to their annihilation.

Perhaps having guessed Zhen Yue's thoughts, Li Zhiyuan candidly explained:

"Yes, it was arranged by me."

"You..."

Zhen Yue straightened his neck, wanting to be angry but found no trace of anger in his heart.

In this matter, he couldn't criticize the other party's actions. If conditions permitted, he would do the same.

Most importantly, he had done so before; back then, the three of them participated in breaking the array of the Lijiang guesthouse. If not for the timely reinforcement of the formidable array, their group would have stormed in and overwhelmed the youth's team to seize the broken jade in their hands.

Whether it was the rule-tradition of walking the Jianghu illuminated by lanterns or his own actions, Zhen Yue had no reason to be angry with the youth's actions tonight; what's more, the youth had just saved him, reciprocating virtue for grievance.

Zhen Yue: "Thank you..."

Li Zhiyuan: "No need for thanks."

Zhen Yue: "I'll return to carry the lantern twice, admit defeat, and henceforth disconnect from worldly affairs, focusing on array research at home, nurturing the next generation."

Li Zhiyuan took out paper and pen from his bag; the zipper on this little pocket wasn't closed properly, so he sealed it casually.

This pocket contained various seasonings; earlier, Zhao Yi specifically took a packet of salt from here when they separated.

Li Zhiyuan sat down, placed the notebook on his knee, holding the pen, writing quickly while asking:

"Do you understand the seven transformations of array operation?"

Zhen Yue froze a bit; the seven transformations of Zhen Family's array operation are the seven fundamental principles of the Zhen Family's array skills, Zhen Family's unspoken Secret -- is he asking for the Zhen Family's skills?

Is it blackmail, coercion, or perhaps exchange gratitude for reward?

Li Zhiyuan: "Do you understand or not?"

"I understand." Zhen Yue cleared his throat and continued elucidating, "The seven transformations divide into Sky Change, Earth Change, Skill Change..."

Li Zhiyuan's pen slightly paused, then continued writing.

He was not asking for Zhen Family's skills apologetically, simply questioning whether Zhen Yue understood this part; if he did, it would be skipped, allowing him to proceed with the following sections, saving time.

After all, Zhen Sha'an's engraving board took a while to organize, still somewhat messy upon completion - writing it all down at once would fill an entire notebook, and his hand would ache.

"Do you understand the twelve tactics of harmonizing array nodes?"

"The twelve tactics of harmonizing array nodes delve into array investigation and..."

Li Zhiyuan kept questioning, Zhen Yue kept answering while Li Zhiyuan continuously made jumps.

Zhen Yue assumed Li Zhiyuan was recording his answers.

If he deliberately acted ignorant and resisted, Li Zhiyuan might stop writing.

The youth owed him nothing, naturally wouldn't indulge him; opportunities desire conditions of serendipity.

Gradually, towards the end, Zhen Yue faced the youth's questions with diminishing strength, failing to provide answers.

He persistently explained:

"This I don't know."

"There's no record in the family scriptures."

"Can these two relate?"

"Could it work this way?"

Back when Zhen Sha'an taught below the Yulong Snow Mountain, what he researched and pondered far surpassed the Zhen Family's inherited knowledge.

Moreover, it must be considered that family sects aren't universally growing and evolving over time; most reach a peak and begin declining.

Zhen Yue's lips trembled a few times, finally gathering courage to ask, "What exactly are you doing?"

He couldn't provide answers anymore, yet the opponent kept writing.

Having finished, Li Zhiyuan threw the notebook down, put the pen cap back on, and rubbed his wrist.

Zhen Yue caught the notebook, opened it - inside were lines and words, though messy, aesthetically pleasing; moreover, the lines possessed clear rhythm, embracing Mental Realm.

No, including the text itself, in reality, was part of the design, imbued with the profundities of array mystery, concealed within - it truly is "words carrying weight."