“Wusheng? Such a formidable formation exists in this world?” Xiao Yingtao knitted her brows tightly.

“Wusheng — in truth, no one can actually kill off every living thing with it. It can only drive away weaker creatures.” Zhao Yusheng continued.

“But if the person who set the formation is powerful enough, could the formation affect people too?” Xiao Yingtao asked.

“Unlikely.” Zhao Yusheng shook his head. “So far, no one has been able to use this formation to affect people’s daily lives.”

“I suspect the larger fish and shrimp are gone because the smaller ones were driven off, leaving the bigger ones without food, forcing them to leave as well.”

“Even achieving that level of effect would require combining the efforts of many people with formidable internal strength, so Xiao Yingtao’s worry isn’t necessary.”

“How is this formation broken?” Feng Jiu’er frowned slightly.

“The Phoenix Clan really does have so many formations. If we get the chance, we really must study them properly — otherwise we’re at quite a disadvantage.”

“Jiu’er’s right.” Zhao Yusheng nodded. “Before, when everything was just theory on paper, I thought I understood quite a lot.”

“Now that I’m putting it into practice, I realize what I knew was only superficial.”

Zhao Yusheng sighed softly, his attention returning to the book.

“The book says, to break the Wusheng formation, you must find the location where it was set.”

Zhao Yusheng looked up at Feng Jiu’er. “Once we find the location, I believe I can break the formation.”

Feng Jiu’er met Zhao Yusheng’s gaze, frowning slightly. “You mean to say, this location will be difficult to find?”

“Mm.” Zhao Yusheng nodded. “The place where the formation was set doesn’t necessarily lie within the formation’s range itself. Finding this place really won’t be easy.”

“Not within the formation’s range?” Qiao Mu frowned. “We’ve been here over an hour without catching any fish — the formation is this large, and the source still isn’t within it?”

“Right, what kind of formation is this large?” Xiao Yingtao pressed her lips together. “If it’s not within the formation, how could we possibly find it?”

“Although, if the formation has no effect on people, do we even need to bother with it?”

“Maybe a few of us could land and bring back some grain, and see if that can get us through these next few days.”

“Since this stretch of sea has been set with a formation, even if we can land, finding food won’t be easy.” Feng Jiu’er said flatly.

“Besides, we have so many brothers — relying on the strength of just a few people, how much could we possibly carry?”

Feng Jiu’er composed herself and turned back to Zhao Yusheng. “Is there no special way to find it? Looking for a needle in a haystack, by the time we find it, the brothers will already be starving.”

“Actually, there is a way to search for the formation’s source.” Zhao Yusheng frowned, handing the book in his hands to Feng Jiu’er.

“But we’re still out on the black waters right now — whatever we do is inconvenient. And we don’t even know if it’s one formation or several.”

“There’s also a possibility that the place where it was set lies within Phoenix Clan territory.”

“Jiu’er, what do you think would be the best way for us to search?”

Feng Jiu’er read through the book carefully for a while, then closed it.

“No matter what, we can’t just sit here and wait to die.”

“I know.” Zhao Yusheng nodded, taking the book back from her.

“Should we split up? Some of us search for the formation’s source, while the rest go into the city to bring back some rice or noodles.”

“At our current pace, it’ll take at least three or four more days to reach our destination. A bit of watery porridge is still better than an empty stomach.”

“I don’t understand formations, so I’ll go into the city to find food.” Qiao Mu said firmly.

“I’ll go find food too.” Xiao Yingtao said, pressing her lips together and nodding.

“Qiao Mu can go, but Xiao Yingtao, you’d better stay on the ship and help Xing Zizhou.” Zhao Yusheng said softly.

“You’re skilled at military matters, but your lightness skill isn’t strong enough — you shouldn’t take the risk.”

“I…” Xiao Yingtao looked at Zhao Yusheng, her moth-brows knitting together, unable to say another word.

Zhao Yusheng turned to look at Jian Yi, and Qiao Mu looked at Jian Yi too, and finally even Feng Jiu’er looked at him.

“For going into the city to bring back food, Jian Yi would be a good choice.” Zhao Yusheng glanced at Jian Yi, then at Feng Jiu’er. “I wonder what Jian Yi thinks?”

Jian Yi met Feng Jiu’er’s gaze, paying no attention to Zhao Yusheng.

Feng Jiu’er pressed her lips together and said, “Why don’t we go ashore together, and decide from there.”

She knew that persuading Jian Yi to separate from her wouldn’t be easy.

“Going ashore together?” Qiao Mu frowned. “Can you be certain the formation’s source is even on land?”

Feng Jiu’er looked at Zhao Yusheng without speaking.

Zhao Yusheng nodded. “Jiu’er makes sense. Setting a formation out on the black waters wouldn’t be easy either.”

“Maybe the four of us should go ashore and take a look around first before deciding. If we really can’t find it, at least we’ll have more hands to carry back some rice.”

“No time to lose, let’s get ready to set out right away.” Feng Jiu’er looked back at Zhao Yusheng. “Prepare everything needed to break the formation, and bring it ashore with us.”

“Alright.” Zhao Yusheng nodded in response.

“How long will it take?” Feng Jiu’er continued asking.

“With Qiao Mu’s help, about a quarter of an hour should do it.” Zhao Yusheng glanced at Qiao Mu and returned to the table.

Qiao Mu said nothing and walked over.

Feng Jiu’er glanced at Xiao Yingtao, then turned to head outside.

“Xiao Yingtao, come with me to find Xing Zizhou.”

“Okay.” Xiao Yingtao nodded and followed after Feng Jiu’er.

The Phoenix Clan was truly a beautiful realm.

The autumn weather was neither too cold nor too warm; in many places one could see fruit trees laden with abundant harvests, and even in autumn, everything still felt full of life.

On both sides of the main street, stalls of all sizes were packed with a dazzling array of goods.

Food, clothing, toys, household items — anything one could think of, it was all there.

Behind the stalls stood a row of old shopfronts, some selling cloth, some tools, some grain.

For whatever reason, the street was unusually crowded with people that day, everyone chatting and laughing, lively and bustling.

The disguised group made a smooth landing in a stretch of wilderness, but before long, they found themselves at a bustling marketplace.

“Jiu’er, there’s a grain shop up ahead. Why don’t we get some grain first? Breaking the formation, after all, is just to catch fish and fill our stomachs.”

“Who doesn’t know that?” Feng Jiu’er shot Qiao Mu a look. “With so many brothers waiting, how many pounds of rice could you carry with just two hands?”

“We can bring back some grain, sure, but we still need to break the formation — only the sea’s endless supply of fish and shrimp can truly sustain us.”

Qiao Mu nodded, then turned to look at Zhao Yusheng, who carried a bamboo basket on his back, dressed up to look like a fortune-teller.

“Zhao Yusheng, what’s the situation? Any movement?” Qiao Mu asked in a low voice.

Zhao Yusheng glanced at the compass in his hand and shook his head. “Nothing yet.”

If he hadn’t dressed up like this, walking down the street openly holding a compass would have drawn far too much attention.