Chapter 75: Using Flowers to Aid the Formation

That was supposed to be my question! Zhang Pu thought to himself, for he saw that this was his own courtyard, the Flower Sea Cottage in the midst of transformation, not the Flower Valley where the Fairy of Hundred Flowers resided in the world of cultivators.

Yet, the Fairy of Hundred Flowers reversed the roles and questioned him instead—had she become confused?

Zhang Pu was troubled by this.

Suddenly, he noticed that the Fairy of Hundred Flowers seemed to have changed—heavens! This person was not the Fairy after all...

In an instant, Zhang Pu snapped awake, nearly spilling the handful of Milan flower seeds he still held.

“Something’s wrong!” he muttered, rising to his feet.

He quickly left the room.

Outside, he spotted Liu Yingde at a spot beyond the manor.

Liu Yingde appeared to be in a state of frustration, as though he had been chasing something elusive and had returned empty-handed.

“Just now, it seemed someone special triggered the manor’s protective array!” Liu Yingde reported as soon as Zhang Pu approached.

Zhang Pu had considered this possibility himself: those who were authorized to work in the manor followed strict rules set by the estate, and would never recklessly disturb the critical nodes of the protective array.

When Zhang Pu began transforming the manor into the Flower Sea Cottage, he had made certain adjustments to the array. For someone to deliberately touch its sensitive points under these circumstances, it was surely intentional—a person with ulterior motives, not one of the ordinary laborers.

“Did you see anyone suspicious?” Zhang Pu guessed Liu Yingde had just been chasing such a person.

“They got away,” Liu Yingde replied. “Blended in with the renovation workers, moved incredibly fast—and acted strangely.”

Though the intruder had sensed danger early and fled, Liu Yingde’s failure to catch them suggested they were not a demon or monster, but undoubtedly a martial arts master.

Zhang Pu fell into deep thought, wondering who would sneak into the Flower Sea Cottage, and for what purpose.

He mused: he had recently dampened the arrogance of a few people, and it was inevitable that some resentful villains would seek their chance for revenge.

But without real evidence, he could not be certain which side was involved.

With the ongoing construction, the influx of people had created a mixed crowd, exposing a flaw: the array was not sophisticated enough. He had not learned of the intruder’s presence immediately.

When he first set up the array, Zhang Pu was only just approaching the threshold of Foundation Establishment, his abilities not yet solid.

Now, he needed to reinforce the array so that he could detect any suspicious intruder the moment they entered the Flower Sea Cottage. Beyond his improved intuition from rising cultivation, the key lay in strengthening the array itself, especially certain materials.

Last time, Zhang Pu had asked Liu Yingde’s Witch Ghost Sect to gather some common materials, which they obtained. But the most crucial core material—a stone imbued with spiritual energy over millions of years, known as Spirit Stone—remained elusive, even after consulting Wang Gang and Zhou Yu, whose abilities still fell short.

Stones were plentiful, but finding one that had absorbed millions of years of spiritual energy was nearly impossible on Earth, where the energy was thin and unsuitable for cultivators. Even in the deep oceans, where energy was denser than on land, such stones might not exist.

Liu Yingde had suggested Zhang Pu try his luck at larger underground auctions than those at Moonlit Manor.

For now, Zhang Pu could only use lesser materials as substitutes, much as he used earthly flowers and herbs to replicate formulas from the world of cultivators. These formulas, though weaker when compared to their originals, still produced notable effects on Earth.

Even the most ordinary prescription, measured against those from legendary healers, was hardly inferior—and sometimes superior.

With such means, Zhang Pu could easily be regarded as a miracle doctor in the area, if he chose to claim that title.

After failing to catch the intruder and returning to his room, Zhang Pu began pondering the matter of the array.

He thought: even if Liu Yingde took him to grander auctions, the chance of finding such Spirit Stones was remote.

Some things, especially given his currently low cultivation, remained unattainable.

Yet the array must have stronger measures to ward off enemies. What if someone even more formidable than today’s intruder arrived next time? Wouldn’t the Flower Sea Cottage be thrown into chaos?

“Flower Sea Cottage—”

Contemplating the new name for his abode, Zhang Pu suddenly felt a surge of inspiration.

Flower Sea... Of course! Why hadn’t he thought of it before? In the world of cultivators, he knew of an array called the Flower Sea Maze!

And not just that—there were even arrays like the Flower Sea Mind Maze.

Moreover, for those with greater skill and ingenuity, mastering such arrays meant they could substitute other objects for flowers and still create mazes that bewildered both movement and mind.

Flowers were merely a surface element.

But for Zhang Pu, who had only just stepped into Foundation Establishment and whose power was still weak, he needed to rely on the flowers themselves to affect his enemies.

He began to contemplate deeply how to design this flower-fortified array.

“Yingde, come here and direct some people to lay out these flower fields...”

After a while, Zhang Pu had formed a concept in his mind, and consulted his original array as reference. After sketching a blueprint, he sought out Liu Yingde.

He personally instructed Liu Yingde to gather workers and plant flowers at key positions, specifying which flowers should be arranged in particular formations.

Array formation was a deeply mysterious art, and Liu Yingde knew this well.

Upon hearing that Zhang Pu intended to use the flowers to reinforce the array, Liu Yingde was once again awestruck: this young master was becoming ever more enigmatic!

It seemed he had chosen the right person to follow. From now on, he must be even more devoted.

Under Zhang Pu’s guidance, Liu Yingde worked with fervor and utmost respect, leading people busily from task to task.

The flower fields were being sown, and in time, the place would be utterly transformed!

Zhang Pu now often stood atop the ridges, observing here and there. Though many seeds had yet to sprout, the array was already faintly operating.

Those who worked there had been taught which paths to follow and which not to stray upon.

For now, it was manageable; but once the flowers bloomed, anyone who failed to heed the rules might find themselves wandering the flower fields as if lost in a labyrinth, endlessly circling.