Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 97: Notch the Boat To Find What Again?

Lan Ting was originally used to sitting in a meditative state instead of sleeping at night, but ever since she joined the barbeque shop, she had developed the good habit of sleeping at night.

When the four of them woke up, they felt rejuvenated, and this was partially due to the array set up by Lan Ting.

“Let’s go! I still haven’t had enough fun!” Meng Jingzhou was the most energetic, trying to wake Lu Yang up as if he were chasing a pig.

Lu Yang kicked Meng Jingzhou before reluctantly getting out of bed.

Man Gu had risen the earliest and had already gone to the market to stock up. He prepared a pot of Dough Drop Soup, cracked in four eggs, and added a few drops of sesame oil, filling the entire hall with a fragrant aroma.

Lu Yang liked vinegar, so he added a small spoonful of vinegar to his soup. After the four of them finished their meal, they set off, feeling invigorated.

It was still somewhat early, but the streets were already teeming with tourists. Lu Yang heard that the inns were long fully booked, and many people chose to stay in guesthouses. People’s faces were wreathed in jovial smiles; children wore tofu masks of a similar design to Lu Yang’s, holding large pinwheels as they jumped about, while parents grabbed their children’s hands tightly, fearing that they might get lost.

“It’s as lively as a temple fair.”

“Have you heard? Someone brought a colossal creature from the southern region; it’s right by the river! Let’s go check it out!” someone shared the news with their companion excitedly.

Overhearing their conversation, Meng Jingzhou couldn’t contain his curiosity and led the three of them to the riverbank to see the colossal creature.

The four of them arrived at the familiar Big Stone Bridge once again, but the difference was that they stood on it this time. Small flags were planted all along the bridge’s sides.

Upon seeing the colossal creature, Meng Jingzhou was disappointed. “I thought it would be something extraordinary; turns out it’s just an elephant.”

Every year, the banks of the Hidden Dragon River were a gathering place for tourists. With someone now showing off an elephant to attract attention, even more curious onlookers had congregated in the area.

Lu Yang had certainly seen elephants before. As Meng Jingzhou and Lan Ting came from aristocratic families, they had encountered more strange things than Lu Yang had ever heard of. Since Man Gu had lived in the wilderness, he had even hunted and killed elephants.

However, most people didn’t have similar experiences to the four of them. They were extremely interested in colossal creatures like the elephant.

A tourist marveled, “Is this a demon beast? It’s so huge, and it even has such a long nose and teeth?”

The owner of the elephant, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, explained, “It is indeed a demon beast, but it’s hard to gauge the cultivation level of demon beasts; it should be roughly at the Level Six Qi Training Stage. However, its size has nothing to do with being a demon beast. This type of living being is called ‘elephant,’ and they all grow this big upon reaching adulthood.”

The tourist continued to ask, “How heavy is a huge creature like this?”

The elephant’s owner involuntarily chuckled. Who knows? It’s not like there’s a scale big enough to weigh it.

Another tourist suggested, “Since we happen to be right next to the river, we can place the elephant on a large boat and mark the spot where the water level rises to. Afterward, we can load the boat with stones. Once the marked spot touches the water again, we can weigh the stones to find out how heavy the elephant is.”

The elephant’s owner also wanted to know how much his spirit pet weighed and readily agreed.

Under the owner’s command, the elephant was chased onto a boat. However, it was too heavy for the boat in shallow water, so the owner paddled the boat to the river’s center and took out a small knife, notching the spot where the boat contacted the water surface.

Just as the owner was about to paddle back, the elephant happened to lift its head and spotted Man Gu, getting startled instantly.

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Demon beasts were highly sensitive to aura waves. Since the Ancient Barbarian Tribe often hunted elephants in the wilderness, their intrepid killing intent flowed through their bloodline. Although the elephant didn’t understand the deeper reason, it couldn’t help but feel a chill creep into its heart—this stemmed from a bloodline suppression.

In a frenzy, the elephant fell into the water with a splash, sinking straight to the bottom.

The people by the banks gasped in confusion, urging the elephant’s owner to quickly save the elephant. To their surprise, the elephant’s owner calmly marked the spot where the elephant had fallen. “This is where the elephant fell into the water.”

The crowd was perplexed, but the elephant’s owner didn’t bother explaining. When he was about to reach the bank, he pointed at the mark and shouted, “My elephant fell from here, and it’s still right here!”

Everyone burst into laughter, thinking that he was joking.

Suddenly, the river churned, and a whirlpool appeared. The elephant flew out from beneath the mark, flapping its large ears.

It was an endemic species limited to the southern region—the Giant Flying Elephant.

Witnessing the whole scene unfold before him, Man Gu furrowed his brow before hammering his palm in realization. “I remember now! We learned this idiom in class—this is called ‘notch the boat to find the elephant!’”[1]

I now have a profound understanding of this idiom.

Lu Yang, “...”

What on earth did you learn in class?

Meng Jingzhou laughed. “I remember when we first found the first Lifespan-Reversal Talisman under the bridge, I was really shocked to learn that such a thing existed. Fortunately, we had already reported it.”

Lu Yang was about to join in on Meng Jingzhou’s joke when the small flag before him suddenly caught his attention. The smile faded from his visage, as if he had recalled something. He pulled the flag out, frowning as he examined it under the sunlight. Upon witnessing how the small flag appeared under sunlight, a chill seized his heart.

“What’s wrong?” Meng Jingzhou noticed something off with Lu Yang when he didn’t hear Lu Yang tease him back for a long time.

Lu Yang’s expression grew grave as he pointed at a faintly indiscernible pattern on the small flag. “Look at this pattern. What does it remind you of?”

“The Lifespan-Reversal Talisman?!” Lan Ting was the first to react as she was the most familiar with the pattern.

Meng Jingzhou widened his eyes. The pattern on the small flag was almost indistinct; it was hardly perceptible without direct sunlight. Even if someone could see it, tourists would most likely think of it as a special feature of the Spring Harvest Festival. How many people would know what the symbol of the Lifespan-Reversal Talisman looks like?

“Don’t panic! Maybe the Lifespan-Reversal Array hasn’t been completely set up yet!” Meng Jingzhou convinced himself to remain composed.

Lu Yang calmly analyzed, “That’s impossible. Don’t forget that it’s not just one or two of these small flags, the whole Yanjiang Commandery is planted with such flags!”

Who could have thought that the small flags with the Lifespan-Reversal Talisman’s design are hidden among the ordinary flags?!

Lu Yang continued, “In other words, the Lifespan-Reversal Array is already completed and is blatantly displayed in front of everyone, but no one has noticed it yet!”

“Then why hasn’t the array been activated?” Meng Jingzhou recalled that apart from arranging Lifespan-Reversal Talismans to form the Lifespan-Reversal Array, one other condition was a blood sacrifice. It’s a cinch for the culprit to kill a few people; after all, he dares to even set up the array! What is he waiting for?

Lu Yang coldly stated, “He is waiting for people. There aren’t enough people at the Spring Harvest Festival yet; countless more are currently heading toward Yanjiang Commandery!” The Lifespan-Reversal Array robs the lifespans of mortals, converting them into cultivation for the one who set up the array. The more mortals it plunders from, the greater the boost in cultivation!

Meng Jingzhou also made the link. “According to tradition, on the second night of the Spring Harvest Festival, people would gather to sing on the streets, feast by the river, and conduct performances!”

Today was the second day of the Spring Harvest Festival.

1. The original idiom is ‘notch the boat to find the sword,’ and refers to being inflexible to change or clinging to outdated ideas. ☜