The Cultivator's Reborn to 1970s
Chapter 80 - 68 (Third watch of the night)_2

Chapter 80: 68 (Third watch of the night)_2

Polishing the peach branches into beads wasn’t difficult; it was completed in one morning. Each bead was translucent and smooth, turning with flowing light. Lan Tian was satisfied and kept them close to her body. The real challenge was engraving arrays; Lan Tian had little understanding of arrays, not even at a basic level. Fortunately, she had plenty of materials in her Sleeve Universe, enough peach branches to last a long time.

In the Sea of Consciousness, Lan Tian found the basic principles for array formation and studied them carefully, starting with basic array practices. Little Tao was an Immortal Seed, and had aged for many years, making the peach leaves rich in Spiritual Energy, perfect for practicing array engraving. Lan Tian gathered some peach leaves, placed them beside her, then sat cross-legged in meditation, calm and composed, in order to engrave defensive arrays onto the peach leaves.

Engraving arrays and Array Formation were two different techniques; with Array Formation you can think as you set materials in place. Engraving arrays, like drawing talismans, from start to finish, must be done in one go. The slightest mistake could waste all previous efforts and the materials would be ruined.

First in the Sea of Consciousness, she repeatedly visualized the defensive arrays until she was fluent. Lan Tian took a peach leaf, concentrated her mind, Spiritual Energy transformed into a pen, and she engraved the array onto the leaf.

Time quietly passed, and the ground was covered with fallen peach leaves, another leaf drifted down, curling as it fell, and landed on the ground, mixing with the other leaves.

Lan Tian reached for the peach leaves, empty?

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that she had gone through the pile of peach leaves without a single success. At the beginning of her practice, Lan Tian didn’t know how to control Spiritual Energy, directly using it as a pen to engrave the array, but as soon as the array started, a ’puff’ sound would come, and the peach leaf would emit a wisp of smoke and be ruined.

After trying various methods and practicing on countless peach leaves, Lan Tian finally figured out how to control Spiritual Energy. The last one, she almost succeeded, only the final step remained. She was thrilled and suddenly her emotions fluctuated, and it was ruined again.

With her current state, it wasn’t suitable for engraving arrays. Lan Tian ended her closed-door practice, formed a Fireball Technique, the peach leaves on the ground burned to ashes, then with a Cleaning Technique, the ashes were scattered from the window to the backyard vegetable garden, which was perfect for adding nutrients to the Gathering Spirit Grass.

"Lan Tian, come out." As soon as Lan Tian came out, Zhao Li saw her while washing vegetables in the yard, Mo Yuanle was sitting beside helping, his cane resting nearby.

"How many days?" Lan Tian asked abruptly.

Zhao Li knew what she was asking, "Five days, it’s a short time, are you going back in?"

"Let’s wait a few days," Lan Tian went to get water to wash up, not seeing Grandma Sun around, she asked again, "Where is grandma? Didn’t see her this early?"

Zhao Li looked up, towards the direction of Mo’s fourth son’s house, "She’s gone to your Fourth Grandpa’s house, Hui Li came by to fetch your grandma, saying your Fourth Grandpa is planning his seventieth birthday, asking her over to discuss. Your Fourth Grandpa wants to do it big, even hire someone to show a movie, but his brothers seem not to agree."

"Seventieth birthday?" Lan Tian had no interest in Fourth Grandpa’s affairs, she turned her head to Zhao Li, "Aunt, is it grandma’s seventieth next year?"

Zhao Li laughed, "You remember! Yes, next March, let’s have a big celebration at our place too! Not many days left, I need to think it over, whether to hire someone to perform opera or to show a movie. Yuangle, which do you think is better?" Zhao Li was unsure and asked Mo Yuanle beside her.

"Family matters, you decide," Mo Yuanle responded, focusing on picking vegetables.

"You big men are always careless, no use talking things over with you. I should decide for myself. Also, about the return gifts, this year we need to make more rice cakes." Mentioning rice cakes, Zhao Li remembered Lan Tian’s colored water, she shouted, "Lan Tian, prepare more of that red and yellow rice cake water this year."

"Alright!"

Lan Tian nodded, went to the kitchen to make breakfast, then to the drawer under the wardrobe in her room, and opened the red envelopes she had collected over the years. The older she got, the bigger the red envelopes. The first year, grandma and aunt gave two yuan, uncle gave three yuan, all in ten-cent coins, the envelopes bulging. The next year, uncle gave five yuan, grandma and aunt gave 2.5 yuan, increasing year by year. There were also some from other relatives.

Lan Tian counted, totaling 47.5 yuan, a substantial sum. Originally, there was even more, but Lan Tian had spent over one yuan on candy for her friends. Lan Tian stored all the money in her Sleeve Universe, then left the house.

"Aunt, uncle, I’m going to the county town to buy school supplies, anything else needed at home that I should get?"

Lan Tian’s words startled Zhao Li; she still vividly remembered the time Lan Tian was abducted by human traffickers, "You going to town alone, buying what? Don’t worry about school, I’ll go to town in a few days to get it for you."

"It’s not school stuff, it’s other things, only I can buy them. Aunt, you don’t know what I need and can’t get them. Besides, you have enough to handle at home, and grandma is getting old, traveling back and forth is too much for her. Don’t worry, I’m not the old Lan Tian anymore, I’m capable now. Don’t believe me? Ask my uncle, right uncle?"

Unable to convince Zhao Li, Lan Tian’s gaze shifted to Mo Yuanle for support.

"Let her go, the girl is grown now, she has her own things to do. When I was her age, I was wandering the world alone." As soon as Lan Tian spoke, Mo Yuanle supported her unconditionally, which annoyed Zhao Li, who pointed at Mo Yuanle and yelled, "Can she be like you? You’d give yourself away for nothing."

Taking advantage of Zhao Li’s distraction, Lan Tian waved to Mo Yuanle and quickly ran off. After Zhao Li finished scolding Mo Yuanle, she turned around and saw no one, chasing after Lan Tian. Seeing her coming, Lan Tian ran even faster.

"That ungrateful girl," Zhao Li watched the fast-disappearing figure, amused yet vexed, "Alright, stop running, you can go."

Then Lan Tian stopped running, waiting for Zhao Li to catch up.

At the village entrance, Wang Guiyu was fussing over Mo Junhua about various matters; to wear more clothes as it was getting cold, eat well, not overstrain during training, and just to get by without exhausting himself. His eldest son moved things onto the ox cart, then silently sat in the front waiting.