"Thank you, Senior Brother! But do you really not want it? It still seems like thereās plenty left?"
"No need, no need, I already have some family secret recipes, what the sect provides isnāt really useful to me, so you go ahead and take it, Junior Brother.
Ahem, speaking of which, Junior Brother, Iām really into calligraphy, so Iāll just borrow this for a bit, just for a few days, then Iāll return it."
"Sure, sure, itās just a piece of paper after all. It doesnāt matter if you donāt return it, Senior Brother."
Thus, Liu Xiaoliu made a new friend, took Senior Brother Wu into the camp, found a shop to settle him down first, and then hop-skipped his way to the warehouse in the backyard.
With a brush tucked behind his ear, Tang Tong, who was sitting on a pile of grain accounting with an abacus, looked up at him.
"How did it go?"
Liu Xiaoliu shook the medicine bottle and snorted.
"A pauper, gave me some elixir. Didnāt use much, probably never fought any tough battles along the way, didnāt get any Immortal Fate at all."
So Tang Tong took out a stack of transcribed letters and handed them over.
"The recent harvest hasnāt been great. I think we should come up with something new."
Xiao Liu took the letter paper, divided half of the medicine with him,
"Whatās your cunning plan this time, go ahead."
Tang Tong rolled his eyes,
"How about getting some of her hair, making it into sword tassels, as a memento, it should sell well."
Xiao Liu almost jumped up on one foot,
"Hey! You could think of that! Pulling wool directly from the sheepās head! You think she sees me as disabled and wouldnāt dare beat me too hard in case I get killed, do you?"
Tang Tong patted Xiao Liuās shoulder,
"Brother Liu, considering how many bullets youāve taken for her, and swords youāve faced for her, collecting some interest is only fair.
Besides, who told you to go straight for her head? Just say youāre asking Senior Sister for Sword Control Technique guidance, and then pretend to slip, cutting a bit off, wouldnāt you?
With her easy-going nature, she probably wouldnāt mind getting a cut on the face, so why would she blame you for something so trivial?"
Xiao Liu thought it seemed like a good idea.
Then Tang Tong got serious,
"Letās set aside these trivial matters for now. I just calculated that in the past three days, weāve had noticeably more cattle and sheep stolen compared to the previous months.
It seems Kan Country has really been unable to spare any forces to attack the Priest Garden because the Northern Demon Tide is accelerating southward, almost reaching Yan Zhi Mountain.
I think we should make early plans and prepare the array diagrams."
Xiao Liu shook his head,
"How could I not know, but everyoneās flying around slaying demons every day, and drop into bed as soon as they get back, no time for cultivation, who still has Qi Power to maintain the array diagrams?
Do you really expect that newcomer? He canāt do it, I tried, everyone just formed their inner core, his power isnāt even as good as mine, and Iām a cripple."
Tang Tong said,
"Isnāt Tie Dan still around? Judging by the days, he should have arrived by now. Heās so powerful, I donāt think thereās anyone in Honzan who can match him.
I reckon once he arrives, one person would be as good as a team or two teams, definitely easing everyoneās pressure."
Xiao Liu thought for a moment and shook his head,
"I feel somethingās not right. If he were coming, he should have been here by now. Maybe his Immortal Fate was so strong he got caught up in something. We need to prepare to handle this crisis ourselves."
Tang Tong scratched his head,
"Handle it ourselves? How do you plan on doing that?"
Xiao Liu said,
"The Sword Array Diagram from Nine Yin Mountain consumes too much, preparation is needed for setup, setting it up too early would be a waste, and setting it up during the demon tide would be too late.
Monitoring day in, day out and draining ourselves against demons isnāt a solution either. We have to take the initiative, send people to cross Yan Zhi Mountain heading north, to locate the main force of the demon tide.
Once we find the large wave of demon tides, immediately use a Flying Talisman to warn, then the others can start setting up the array diagram and activate the sword array to guard the mountain."
Tang Tong frowned,
"Xiao Liu..."
Xiao Liu continued,
"Iāll go, I have the weakest skills, also just a useless cripple anyway, if anything happens, Iāve told my Senior Sister about Guangxia Mountain, and left a letter with you, once Tie Dan arrives, pass on the message to him..."
"Xiao Liu!"
Tang Tong interrupted him,
"Are you looking to die? Going alone to track the demon beast without even a backup? Why play the hero?
And what do you mean youāre the weakest? Arenāt I the weakest here? Why donāt you send me north to scout instead?"
"Who said itās courting death, Iāve explained the logic, itās just sending the weakest to scout out the demon tide, while everyone else conserves strength and focuses on defense."
Liu Xiaoliu looked at Tang Tong, removed his leg, and showed the flying sword hidden inside his prosthetic,
"Moreover, sending you would really be sending you to your death, sure I canāt fight, but Iāve practiced Sword Control Technique for many years, if I canāt fight, I can use sword flight to escape. Can you fly?"
Tang Tong was speechless, suddenly feeling what he said made perfect sense.
Liu Xiaoliu smiled,
"Donāt worry, Iāll pluck a few more of her hairs before I go, make a sword tassel for me too, Iāll definitely come back to get it."