Chapter 93

"Listen, I know, that's why I suspect something is wrong." Chen Yong said seriously.

"What do you suspect? Haven't you already cracked it? Come on, come and have a drink." Li Zhi rolled his eyes at Chen Yong and then beckoned for him to sit down and drink.

"What did I crack? You sent me a note today, without any of the usual nonsense. There must be something up." Chen Yong replied.

"What note? I sent you a wooden box, which requires cracking an array to open. I calculated that you should have opened it a bit later." Li Zhi said.

"Wooden box? No, just a note was sent."

"..." Li Zhi fell silent for a moment, then said, "Black Bear."

"Master, what's the matter?" As soon as he spoke, a burly man appeared, living up to his nickname.

"Did anything happen when you delivered the box this morning?" Li Zhi asked.

Black Bear shook his head and said, "No, I handed the box to the gatekeeper disciple of the Qingyun Sword Sect. Nothing happened before that."

"Gatekeeper disciple? He gave me a note, not a box." Chen Yong said.

"This is strange. Black Bear gave him a box, but you received a note. Could it be that the gatekeeper disciple opened the box?" Li Zhi asked, puzzled. When did the gatekeeper disciples of the Qingyun Sword Sect have such skills? The Qingyun Sword Sect isn't known for array techniques. Chen Yong's array skills are only decent because he has been maintaining this tradition with him.

Moreover, from Li Zhi's perspective, Chen Yong's array skills are very weak, equivalent to a beginner's level. The difficulty is just a form of friendly fun, not intentionally making it hard for him. The difficulty is always controlled at a level he can crack, and Chen Yong enjoys these games.

"Let's go and ask." Li Zhi said directly. He had no appetite for eating now. If he didn't figure this out, he wouldn't be at ease.

"Let's go." Chen Yong knew Li Zhi's character and understood that he wouldn't be able to sit still until he figured this out.

"Who is that gatekeeper disciple? Does he know array techniques?" Li Zhi asked as they walked.

"I don't know. He's just an ordinary servant disciple. Why would I bother to find out? I guess he just got lucky and opened the box." Chen Yong thought for a moment but couldn't recall Bu Zheng's information, not even his name.

Li Zhi shook his head and said, "It's impossible to get lucky. My design requires many steps to complete. One wrong step and you have to start over. If he could open it by luck, it would be a miracle."

"It's unlikely he cracked it. If it was cracked, I would have received the note before noon. When did you send it? Bu Zheng gave it to me before noon, shortly after receiving it."

"Before noon?" Li Zhi was taken aback. He remembered calling Black Bear to deliver it when the sun was already high. It should have been delivered around noon, with almost no time in between.

This seemed impossible. Even if he knew the array, it would take him some time to open the wooden box. If he didn't know the array, it would take him an hour to crack it.

This means it should have been after noon, not before.

It doesn't seem like the array was cracked. It must have been opened by some other method. We should ask first.

Soon, the two of them arrived at the courtyard in a carriage. After calling out, Bu Zheng appeared before them and was immediately questioned by Li Zhi—

"Do you understand array techniques?"

"A little." Bu Zheng was taken aback and then replied.

Li Zhi was excited. He really does understand array techniques. If he really opened it using array techniques, this kid must be a hidden array expert. I can recruit him.

While secretly excited, Li Zhi asked, "How did you open the wooden box this morning?"

"That one? I just removed the back cover of the wooden box and opened it." Bu Zheng's answer made Li Zhi speechless.

"What do you mean?" Li Zhi's heart sank.

"The front of the wooden box had an array, which took time to open. I opened it from the back, just pried it open with a knife." Bu Zheng explained.

"..."

When Li Zhi made the wooden box, he never thought it would be forcibly opened. He didn't set any defenses for that. This mistake wasn't a big issue, but it made him feel a bit embarrassed.

"Who told you to open it? It was for me to crack the array." Chen Yong spoke up, slightly scolding Bu Zheng, but also for Bu Zheng's own good. Angering Li Zhi isn't a good thing.

"It was this Black Brother who told me to open it." Bu Zheng pointed at Black Bear. He didn't call him Black Brother because he knew his name, but because Black Bear was dark-skinned.

"I told you to open it? No, I told you to give the letter inside to Elder Chen." Black Bear was puzzled. He didn't say anything like that.

"Exactly, to give the letter inside to Elder Chen. How could I give it to him without taking it out?" Bu Zheng replied.

"..."

"This..." Black Bear was embarrassed. That's indeed what he meant, but he was just trying to make sure Elder Chen saw the letter, since he knew what was inside.

"Alright, let's drop it. Let's continue eating and drinking." Chen Yong pulled Li Zhi away. If they left now, Li Zhi wouldn't pursue it further, which would save him more face.

"Hey, wait, this..."

Li Zhi was about to leave, but then he noticed something. Bu Zheng was drawing footprints on the ground, which were actually an array.

"What's this array?" Li Zhi felt this array matched what he was looking for. At least, what he saw so far matched. Even though a small change in an array can make it different, this was still a hope.

"I drew it, for practicing lightness and agility." Bu Zheng smiled and explained. "Drawing on the ground shouldn't be a problem, right? You wouldn't control that too, would you?"

"You drew it? Show me the original array." Li Zhi said eagerly.