Bai Yanqing refused to believe that Long Feiye had found the Life Door. He assumed the man was saying lies on purpose to lure him out.
But Gu Beiyue replied, “I’ve found it too, it’s in the kun position.”[1]
Now Bai Yanqing was stunned. Indeed, the Life Door was location in the kun position, his current hiding spot. But the two men hadn’t taken any steps before seeing through his array! He would have doubted them if he hadn’t heard it with his own ears!
As the shock wore off, Bai Yanqing grew tense as his eyes turned venomous. Since they’re good enough to find the Life Door, I’ll wait here until they come closer. I’ll have that stinkin’ brat Long Feiye learn the meaning of overestimating his skills to seek death!
As the Life Door was a dead-ended “Death Door,” this would be the most dangerous spot in the Seven Murders Array. As long as Long Feiye’s group got closer, he had plenty of ways to separate them!
Long Feiye had made him beg in that canyon so many times, but now he was going to reverse the favor! Bai Yanqing’s rage simmered as he stood behind a wordless stele, body half-turned to observe Long Feiye’s group.
But in the end, he discovered that Gu Beiyue and Gu Qishao had disappeared.
“It’s a Life and Death Door,” Long Feiye said. “There’s no way to break this array beyond changing it ourselves!”
What?
Bai Yanqing gaped at the words, thoroughly terrified! After all, this Seven Murders Array was the pinnacle of his studies and his ultimate ace. How did Long Feiye learn it? And see through it?
No!
While Bai Yanqing was still reeling, Long Feiye had already flung a pebble hidden in his sleeve towards Bai Yanqing’s hiding spot. A seal array was like a chessboard. To experts, a small change could wreck the entire playing field and even create something all new. The wordless stele by Bai Yanqing’s side vanished into nothingness as a new one took its place. He stood there, heart shaken.
Long Feiye actually replaced the entire Seven Murders Array with an original eight-trigrams array. For a formation like this, the Life and Death Doors were in separate locations. In other words, Bai Yanqing was no standing by the Death Door and the master of the array was Long Feiye instead!
Bai Yanqing’s mind blanked out. Even the highest experts in Wind Clan history can’t compare to someone of this caliber!
Their clan members were born with the talent to manipulate the wind and were required to study the Qimen Dunjia arts. For the past few centuries, they took pride in their mastery of array formations. Anyone who mentioned the Qimen Dunjia arts were sure to think of the Wind Clan before anyone else!
But as the head of the Wind Clan, he’d been bested by his own array today?
If this got out, he’d be a laughingstock. Even Bai Yanqing himself couldn’t accept the reality. The blow was too much!
Thanks to the formation of the Death Door next to him, Bai Yanqing’s surroundings grew chilly and dark. It seemed as if someone could slip out of the darkness to kill him at any second. Soon enough, this shadow multiplied into multiple figures instead. Bai Yanqing knew it was only an illusion. There was only one real person in that crowd! But he couldn’t tell who it was!
Each door was one node that hid at least one real human. The rest were all fakes, but who would Long Feiye hide in the node of the Death Door? Despite his panic, Bai Yanqing had enough frame of mind to reason out the most likely suspect: Gu Qishao!
I won’t die, but I’ll be trapped in Gu Qishao’s vines! My only choice is to leave right now!
Bai Yanqing desperately fled from the Death Door but almost broke down when he reached the center of the seal array. Long Feiye had actually changed his original design into the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Array! He had used the very same array in the back courtyard of General Mu’s estate to trap them in the past!
If Long Feiye has the heavenly skills to change my Seven Murders Array, he can definitely replace it with something stronger. Why choose such an easy to break formation? What’s he planning?
Although Bai Yanqing could see the Life Door--the exit--at a glance, he didn’t dare touch it. He began to think as he guarded against Long Feiye’s potentially hidden traps.
Meanwhile, Long Feiye had long helped Han Yunxi out of the array formation. Currently, husband and wife were standing outside the forest. In Han Yunxi’s eyes, she saw nothing but a grove of trees and a cemetery, but Long Feiye was controlling Bai Yanqing’s every single move. All it took was a flip of his hand to decide life or death.
“Bai Yanqing, this crown prince once lost to this formation. Today I’m giving it back to you!” Long Feiye said coldly.
Bai Yanqing was already uneasy, but he remained unmoving. “Do you think this will be enough to trap this old man?” he retorted.
“Since you didn’t kill this crown prince back then, I’ll give you a reminder. Gu Qishao is at the Death Door while Gu Beiyue is at the Life Door. See if you...dare to charge them!” Long Feiye replied.
Han Yunxi gave a start and looked at Long Feiye in amazement. Gu Beiyue had long left the array with them, so it was only Gu Qishao still inside! Moreover, he had told Gu Qishao to guard the Death Door, leaving the Life Door open for anyone to exit.
Isn’t this too much of a risk?
But when she saw his chilly gaze on the trees, she didn’t dare disturb him. She glanced at Gu Beiyue with worried eyes, but he simply smiled soundlessly. Han Yunxi looked up at Long Feiye again and he stroked her hair without a word.
Fine. Since they’re both so calm, why should I panic? I’ll just watch the show!
Back in the array, Bai Yanqing didn’t reply. He could guess that Gu Qishao was actually guarding the Death Door, but he had no idea about the status of the Life Door. Perhaps there was a trigger hidden there; perhaps this was simply an ordinary Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams array with a real exit.
This was now a psychological problem! How should he choose?
“What now, Bai Yanqing? You won’t even take the exit this crown prince offers you?” Long Feiye laughed coldly. “If that’s the case, don’t blame me for being merciless!”
A complex look flitted past Bai Yanqing’s eyes as he glanced in the direction of the Death Doo.
Rather than let Long Feiye trap me in an unfamiliar array, I’d rather take a gamble!
He would gamble that Long Feiye was only screwing around with him!
To break the array, I definitely have to pick the Death Door, not the Life Door! Gu Qishao’s probably hiding in the Life Door while Gu Beiyue guards the Death Door!
“He picked the Death Door,” Long Feiye intoned.
Gu Beiyue smiled softly, as warm and gentle as a spring breeze. It was hard to tell whether he was being kind or cruel at this moment. Han Yunxi inwardly rejoiced. Although she had no idea what was going on, she knew that Bai Yanqing would run into Gu Qishao if he picked the Death Door! Being trapped in a place like this would leave him with no more options!
Very soon, Gu Qishao’s wild laughter filtered out of the array as he and Bai Yanqing got into a fight.
In the darkness, multiple Gu Qishaos stood around Bai Yanqing while laughing wildly. Bai Yanqing couldn’t tell which one of the figures was the true Gu Qishao, much less fake vines from real ones.
“Hahaha, Bai Yanqing, don’t rush. This old man has plenty of time to play with you! I won’t trap you so soon!” Gu Qishao guffawed.
The pale-faced Bai Yanqing huffed for breath before sprinting away from the Death Door. He had no idea how pathetic he looked right now while fleeing for the Life Door.
Long Feiye didn’t lie to me. He was trying to screw me up! Gu Beiyue really is at the Life Door!
He would have to use poison against Gu Beiyue. No matter how many shadows he saw, he’d poison them all!
But Bai Yanqing had hardly reached the Life Door when he saw Gu Qishao laughing in front of it. “Ol’ Undying, I said I’d play with you today. Why don’t you believe me?”
“No!” Bai Yanqing cried. Why is Gu Qishao here?
It was impossible for a set location and node to shift without notice in the array formation, especially those associated with the Life and Death Doors. Moving them around would affect the overall flow of the array formation.
How did Gu Qishao get here from the Death Door? If he’s at the Life Door, then where’s the Death Door now? Did Gu Beiyue go there instead?
Bai Yanqing refused to believe his eyes. He unsheathed his sword, but Gu Qishao didn’t move. He allowed the man to cut him without putting his life in danger.
Did I...did I make a mistake? Is the Gu Qishao at the Death Door a fake? Did he actually guard the Life Door while Gu Beiyue guarded the Death Door? Does this array exit actually lie with the Death Door?
Once again, Bai Yanqing withdrew and flew towards the Death Door, but Gu Qishao was waiting for him. His laughs were infectiously generous! Bai Yanqing slashed him, but the man simply kept on smiling.
What...what’s going on?
Bai Yanqing refused to believe he could screw this up. He withdrew and hurried to the Life Door again, but Gu Qishao was still waiting for him at the entrance. Completely flummoxed, Bai Yanqing was close to losing his mind. He’d been reduced to a headless chicken running about in the very array he’d professed proficiency in.
Meanwhile, Long Feiye had already explained all the particulars to Han Yunxi. It was similar to Bai Yanqing’s Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams array, but still different. Like the Seven Murders Array, it was a deadlock with no way out. That was because the Life and Death Doors could switch places at all. Running into the Life Door would change it into the Death Door and vice versa. It was only possibly to build it upon the foundations of the Seven Murders Array, so Bai Yanqing had signed his own death warrant!
Besides Long Feiye, there was no one else who could end the array. Bai Yanqing could stay stuck inside forever even if he tried the other six doors, while Gu Qishao remained guarding the exits.
Thus, Bai Yanqing’s only choice was to stay trapped, or get tied up by Gu Qishao.
“Hahaha, that’s so much fun!” Han Yunxi laughed.
“Do you like it?” Long Feiy showed a rare smile.
“I adore it! Teach me someday, I want to learn these skills too,” Han Yunxi was growing restless.
But Long Feiye only said, “Count this as my apology to you and the child. I couldn’t break through it in the past and save you two.”