Chapter 58

In the Quzhit Pavilion, lunch had already begun, but Mr. Le was not among them. This was not an uncommon situation, so Lu Zheng and Xin'er did not find it strange at all.

With a "clatter," Lu Zheng's chopsticks fell onto the table for the third time. Li Yi's gaze instantly swept over, and he saw Lu Zheng's hands trembling uncontrollably as he struggled to pick up the chopsticks. This action was naturally a violation of dining etiquette. Seeing his teacher's gaze, Lu Zheng quickly stood up and retreated to stand outside the pavilion, waiting obediently for the punishment from the戒方 (disciplinary rod).

To his surprise, Li Yi said indifferently, "If you can't use chopsticks, use a spoon. This is the only time, and it won't be allowed again."

The teacher did not punish him and even allowed him to use a spoon to eat. Lu Zheng knew in his heart that his teacher still cared for him. He had practiced all morning, not only completing the 200 arrows his teacher had assigned but also adding another 100 on his own. After shooting 300 arrows, his back and arms ached, and his hands could barely lift, let alone hold chopsticks steadily.

After thanking his teacher, Lu Zheng was about to sit down to eat when Li Yi suddenly said, "Wait."

As soon as he spoke, a black shadow appeared out of nowhere, which was the戒方 (disciplinary rod). Lu Zheng was taken aback, thinking, "Teacher, you already let me off, why are you going back on your word?" Before he could react, the戒方 (disciplinary rod) had already struck his back firmly.

Strangely, when Lu Zheng usually violated etiquette, the戒方 (disciplinary rod) would only strike him three times. But this time, after hitting his back, it continued to strike his back, legs, and arms, producing a series of "cracking" sounds. However, what was odd was that this strike to his back did not cause the usual sharp pain; instead, it made his entire body tremble, and the swollen and numb parts of his body felt relieved, even somewhat comfortable.

Moreover, the戒方 (disciplinary rod) not only struck but also poked and pressed on various parts of Lu Zheng's legs and arms, with just the right amount of force, making him feel very comfortable. At this moment, he realized that his teacher was not punishing him but relieving the numbness and pain in his body. However, he did not understand how his teacher could do this, as the wooden rod striking his body produced such an effect, which was different from the usual punishment. Lu Zheng couldn't help but suspect that it wasn't the same piece of wood.

Finally, the戒方 (disciplinary rod) stopped striking and disappeared again. Lu Zheng's face was filled with joy, as the soreness and numbness in his body had largely disappeared, and his hands had regained sensation. It seemed that eating with chopsticks should not be a problem. He quickly stepped forward and said, "Thank you, teacher!"

Li Yi's expression did not change, and he simply said, "Eat your meal." Lu Zheng happily responded, and he and Xin'er exchanged a smile before sitting down to eat.

After the meal, Lu Zheng and Xin'er went to the depths of the flower garden to water the seedlings Xin'er had planted. The original seeds had now sprouted two tiny leaves, a bright green. Xin'er cherished them greatly, being very careful when weeding and watering, for fear of damaging the delicate seedlings.

Lu Zheng praised her, saying, "Xin'er, you are so meticulous."

Xin'er wiped the fine sweat from her face and smiled, saying, "Big brother, this little seedling is so small. If you're not careful, it can easily be damaged. Xin'er has been tending to it for a long time, and I thought it wouldn't grow at all. But when big brother came, the seed sprouted. It's all thanks to you, big brother."

Lu Zheng said, "That's not true. It's all because of Xin'er's hard work... By the way, Xin'er, what kind of flower is this seed?"

Xin'er frowned and said, "I don't know. When the teacher gave me the seed, I asked, but he told me something strange."

Lu Zheng, curious, asked, "Something strange?"

Xin'er nodded and said, "Yes, the teacher said, 'Whatever flower you want it to be, it will be that flower.' Big brother, isn't that strange?"

Whatever flower you want it to be, it will be that flower. Is there really such a seed in the world? Lu Zheng thought, then wondered, what kind of flower would this seed grow into? For example, the Jinbola flower beside them, would its seeds grow into a different flower? However, the teacher is a great person with great powers, and he always emphasizes the importance of words, advocating for clear speech. Even when his thoughts are uncertain, he doesn't speak, so he certainly wouldn't say something nonsensical.

Therefore, Lu Zheng was even more curious about what kind of flower this seed would grow into. He asked, "Xin'er, what kind of flower do you want this seed to grow into?"

Xin'er giggled, her eyes full of mischief, and said mysteriously, "Big brother, do you want to know?"

Lu Zheng nodded.

Xin'er beckoned to him and said, "Come closer, I'll tell you quietly."

Seeing her so mysterious, Lu Zheng became even more curious and leaned in. Xin'er leaned close to his ear, covering her mouth with her hand, and whispered, "Big brother, I won't tell you." Then she darted away, leaving a trail of laughter.

Lu Zheng realized he had been tricked and pretended to be angry, shouting, "Xin'er, you tricked me!" He took off after her.

In the afternoon class, Xin'er continued to read and write, while Lu Zheng went to practice archery. After being struck by the戒方 (disciplinary rod) at noon, his body felt refreshed, and he was determined to practice hard and not let his teacher down.

He adjusted his stance, drew the bow, and aimed at the target. With a "whoosh," the arrow flew like a meteor and hit the target. It seemed he had hit it more accurately this time. Lu Zheng excitedly ran over to check, and indeed, the arrow had hit the right eye of the beast pattern on the target.

The teacher had said that the center of the target was the nose of the beast pattern. Hitting the nose was called "center," while the two eyes were called "left" and "right." If the arrow was closer to the left eye, it was called "left bias," and if it was closer to the right eye, it was called "right bias." The teacher also said that if the arrow was biased to the left, it meant the archer was too hasty, and if it was biased to the right, it meant it was a lucky shot. The proper way to shoot was to aim for the center, without any bias.

Now, Lu Zheng's arrow had hit the right eye of the beast pattern. According to the teacher, this was a lucky shot. But it was the first time Lu Zheng had shot so accurately, so he was still very happy. He thought, if he could hit the right eye now, with more practice, he could gradually aim for the center of the target.

With this thought, he quickly ran back to continue practicing. However, the next dozen arrows all missed the target, leaving him disheartened. After resting for a while and reflecting on his stance, he tried again, but unfortunately, after shooting nearly fifty arrows, he still couldn't hit the nose of the beast pattern, and even the eyes were out of reach. The bow and arrow seemed to have some strange properties. Watching the teacher shoot casually and hit the center, while he couldn't hit even one arrow, even by chance, was frustrating.

Lu Zheng held the bow and arrow, staring at the target, which was a hundred steps away. From his position, the nose in the center of the target was just a small black dot. He thought, "If only the target were a bit larger, I might be able to see it more clearly and shoot more accurately."

This thought reminded him of the small supernatural ability he had triggered on Liangjie Mountain. If he could have such vision, he could see the target clearly and definitely hit it. But the small supernatural ability was just an illusion, and even if he could see clearly, he might still miss. Moreover, Mr. Le had said that his meridians were sealed, so he couldn't trigger the small supernatural ability again.

Despite this, Lu Zheng couldn't help but close his eyes, calm his mind, and then open his eyes to focus on the nose of the beast pattern on the target. His intention was not to trigger the small supernatural ability but to concentrate on the target, hoping to shoot more accurately.

As he calmed his mind and focused on the target, his gaze locked onto it. Suddenly, a loud dragon's roar echoed in his mind. Lu Zheng felt two streams of heat rush into his eyes, making them extremely hot. Then, a scene appeared before his eyes. He could see the target clearly, but it was not the same as before. It had become enormous, and the nose of the beast pattern was now as large as a table.

The changes continued, and the nose in his eyes grew larger and larger, as if it were about to burst. The two streams of heat intensified, continuously flowing into his eyes. The heat in his eyes increased, and he could see more and more details, but all the images gradually lost their original form, turning into white gas, like mist but not quite.

Just as Lu Zheng felt the heat in his eyes becoming unbearable, suddenly, the heat streams shot out of his eyes. From the outside, it looked as if two beams of golden light shot out from Lu Zheng's eyes, hitting the white gas.

The golden light shot out, and the white gas instantly dissipated, producing a sound like crystal breaking. Lu Zheng, unable to bear the heat, let out a loud cry, and the abnormal heat streams quickly retreated to some place. The illusion immediately disappeared, and Lu Zheng looked around in confusion. The training ground had completely changed, and the target was gone, replaced by a pavilion. He recognized it as the Congge Pavilion, located on the west side of the Tianyuan Difang Pavilion. The arrows he had shot and the bow and arrow in his hands had also mysteriously disappeared.

Lu Zheng was shocked and was about to run to find his teacher. As he took a step, his body went limp, and a strong dizziness overcame him. He felt as if he were being drained and fell to the ground, unconscious.

Li Yi was in the Tianyuan Difang Pavilion, supervising Xin'er's calligraphy practice. Suddenly, he felt a disturbance in his mind. The illusionary array he had set up had been hit by a powerful force, and the impact affected his mind. In his perception, the power of the attacker seemed to be even greater than his own. Before he could react, the illusionary array was shattered by the force!

"Such a powerful and domineering force!" Li Yi was startled. "What kind of expert can enter the Rizhuelu without triggering the array, and I didn't even notice! Not good, Lu Zheng!"

"Xin'er, stay here and don't go anywhere. Wait for the teacher to come back!" Sensing that the broken array was the one where Lu Zheng was, Li Yi quickly instructed Xin'er and rushed out of the Tianyuan Difang Pavilion. As soon as he stepped out of the west gate, he saw that the illusionary array had been broken, revealing the true appearance of the Rizhuelu. Lu Zheng was lying unconscious on the ground, and the situation was unknown.

Li Yi's divine sense swept over, but he found no signs of any intruders. Shocked, he suddenly had a thought: "Could the person have reached a realm beyond all laws?" Thinking of this, Li Yi immediately flew to the top of the Tianyuan Difang Pavilion, pointed his right hand at his brow, and shouted, "Sun moves, moon shifts, water descends, fire ascends, wind rises, thunder moves, mountains stop, marshes change, the array of heaven and earth, open!"

With Li Yi's shout, a beam of golden light shot out from the Tianyuan Difang Pavilion, piercing the sky. The sky above the Rizhuelu suddenly showed the image of the sun and moon crossing the sky. In the void, the wind and thunder moved, and water and fire appeared. The mountains and marshes around the Rizhuelu shifted, and a murky mist rose from all directions, covering the three lights of heaven and earth. The entire Rizhuelu suddenly disappeared!

PS: Today's update is half an hour later than usual. I apologize. Thank you for your support and recommendations!