mesbooks Chapter 3 7 Major Array Points
Chapter 3 7 Major Array Points
The badge emitted a faint silver light, forming an almost invisible protective layer around it. Almost simultaneously, a dark shadow swooped down from the ceiling, skimming past the protective layer and landing on the floor three meters away.
In the beam of the flashlight, the creature's outline gradually became clearer. It was about the size of a large dog, but its shape kept changing, like a living shadow. It had no fixed facial features, only two red dots flashing where it should have been a head.
"Shadow Nightmare!" Xu Qingqing exclaimed, "How did this thing end up in the library?"
She quickly untied a small cloth bag from her waist, grabbed a handful of silver powder, and sprinkled it on the shadowy figure. The powder hissed upon contact with the shadow's body, causing it to writhe in pain.
"Shadow Nightmares are low-level demonic beasts, but they usually only appear in places where negative energy gathers, such as abandoned buildings or crime scenes," Xu Qingqing explained as she continued to sprinkle powder. "A library, as a temple of knowledge, should have natural protection."
Shadow Nightmare took a few steps back, his body blending into the shadow cast by the bookshelf, and disappeared.
Li Shancheng nervously looked around, the beam of his flashlight sweeping between the bookshelves. He could feel that thing was still nearby, and the cold sensation hadn't subsided.
"It didn't leave," he said softly.
"I know." Xu Qingqing took out two small copper bells from her backpack and handed one to Li Shancheng. "This is an 'exorcism bell.' Shaking it can temporarily dispel low-level spirits and demonic beasts. But its effect only lasts for a few minutes. We need to use this time to leave."
"What about the investigation?"
"Safety first, as Editor-in-Chief Qin instructed." Xu Qingqing had already rang the copper bell in her hand.
The crisp ringing of the bell echoed in the dark reading area, unusually loud. The surrounding shadows seemed to be pushed aside by the sound waves, becoming thinner. Li Shancheng saw the "seal" symbol from before emit an even brighter golden light, as if responding to the bell.
He imitated Xu Qingqing and rang the copper bell. The two sounds intertwined, creating a strange resonance. At the same time, the ancient books on the bookshelf vibrated, emitting a low buzzing sound.
Suddenly, all the books took flight simultaneously, not randomly, but arranged in a complex three-dimensional formation. Hundreds of books spun and intertwined in the air, forming a massive cage of light. In the center of the cage, the silhouette of the Shadow Nightmare was forced to appear; it frantically rammed into the light barrier formed by the books, but could not break through.
"This is the library's own defense mechanism!" Xu Qingqing exclaimed in surprise. "The core of the literary array is protecting this place!"
The cage of light tightened, and the Shadow Nightmare's form gradually faded, finally turning into a wisp of black smoke and dissipating into the air. The books flew back to the bookshelf one by one, so neatly arranged that it seemed as if they had never been touched.
The lights came back on, and the emergency lighting system was back to normal.
Li Shancheng and Xu Qingqing stood there, panting heavily. Everything that had just happened was too fast; it had only taken two or three minutes, but it felt like a life-or-death struggle.
"Has Shadow Nightmare been destroyed?" Li Shancheng asked uncertainly.
"It must have been purified by the power of the array's core." Xu Qingqing put away the copper bell and walked to the spot where the Shadow Nightmare had disappeared. She took out a small bottle and a specially made cotton swab from her backpack and collected some residual energy samples.
"It's very unusual for Shadow Nightmare to appear here." She frowned. "The library is a sanctuary of knowledge, a place where positive energy gathers. A monster like Shadow Nightmare, which feeds on negative emotions, should be avoiding it like the plague."
"Unless... someone deliberately lured it here?" Li Shancheng guessed.
Xu Qingqing looked up at him, a hint of admiration flashing in her golden eyes: "It's very likely. Shadow Nightmares aren't very intelligent, but they can be controlled by cultivators. If that's the case, the problem is serious."
After checking everything again and confirming there were no other abnormalities, they decided to leave as planned. Before leaving the reading area, Li Shancheng noticed that an ancient book with a sheepskin cover on the bookshelf by the window was faintly glowing. He walked over and saw that the title was "A Study of the Geological Veins of Kyoto City," and the author's name was only indicated by a simple symbol.
"This book..." He reached out to take it down and look at it.
"Don't touch it!" Xu Qingqing hurriedly stopped her. "That's one of the core ancient texts of the array. It can't be moved by non-professionals."
Li Shancheng withdrew his hand. But in that instant, the symbol on the spine of the book suddenly lit up, and a stream of information flooded into his mind—not words, not images, but a pure concept of knowledge: the Core of the Literary Pivot Array, located slightly east of the central axis of Kyoto, governing knowledge and inheritance, connecting the seven subordinate array points...
"What's wrong?" Xu Qingqing noticed his unusual behavior.
"This book...it seems...it told me something." Li Shancheng rubbed his temples, feeling a little dizzy from the sudden information.
Xu Qingqing's expression turned serious: "The ancient text at the core of the formation is actively transmitting information? This is very rare, unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless it recognizes your qualifications to guard the array's core, or... the core itself is in crisis and needs to seek help from the outside." Xu Qingqing took out the energy detector, and the reading had returned to normal, but the worry on her face did not lessen.
They left the library via the same route. As they walked out the door, Li Shancheng glanced back at the building. Thanks to the lingering effects of the spiritual liquid, he could see the entire library enveloped in a faint golden light, as if protected by a giant, transparent dome.
"Does a library have its own consciousness?" Li Shancheng asked on the subway on the way back.
"It's not consciousness, it's more like a program," Xu Qingqing explained. "After hundreds of years of energy accumulation, large array cores will form a kind of automatic response mechanism. You can think of it as a very complex defense system that can identify threats and react accordingly."
"But it seems particularly...active tonight?"
Xu Qingqing nodded: "That's what I'm worried about too. Under normal circumstances, the defensive mechanism of the array core wouldn't be so obvious. Unless the threat level exceeds the normal range, or the balance of the array core is already very fragile."
When the subway arrived, they returned to the entrance of Qingyun Alley. It was already past 11 p.m., and most of the shops on the commercial street had closed, with only the 24-hour convenience store still lit up.
"Write a detailed investigation report when you get back, and submit it to Editor-in-Chief Qin tomorrow," Xu Qingqing said. "Including the information you obtained from the ancient books, that's very important."
Li Shancheng nodded. The moment he stepped into Qingyun Lane, he suddenly felt like he was coming home. The courtyard behind the black wooden door was quiet and peaceful, and the leaves of the purple dragon tree swayed gently in the night breeze, as if welcoming them back.
Unbeknownst to him, on the rooftop of an office building across from the library, a man in a black trench coat was observing their actions through binoculars. The man's notebook was open, detailing everything that had happened that night.
When he saw Li Shancheng and Xu Qingqing safely return to Qingyun Lane, a cold smile appeared on his lips. He closed his notebook, his figure disappearing into the shadows of the rooftop.
Under the night sky, the lights of Kyoto City still shone brightly. But for Li Shancheng, the city's veil had only just been lifted a corner.
Li Shancheng sat at his desk in his dormitory, rubbing his sore eyes. He hadn't slept all night, rushing to write a detailed report on the library incident, but what truly kept him awake was the persistent flow of information in his mind—fragments of knowledge from "A Study of the Geological Veins of Kyoto City," like a partially deciphered code, repeatedly surfaced deep within his consciousness.
Birdsong drifted in from outside the window; the two-headed blue phoenix had returned. Li Shancheng walked to the window and saw the strange bird perched on a branch of the purple dragon tree, preening its feathers with its two heads. The morning light gilded its blue feathers, making it seem otherworldly.
A knock sounded on the door, and Xu Qingqing's voice came from outside: "Shancheng, are you awake? Editor-in-Chief Qin wants us to go to the main room."
"Coming right away."
Li Shancheng quickly washed up and put on a clean shirt. He picked up the report on the table and the energy sample he had brought back from the library the night before, then pushed open the door and went out. In the courtyard, Editor-in-Chief Qin was watering the purple dragon tree, his movements slow and focused.
"You're here?" Editor-in-Chief Qin put down the kettle and looked at them. "Let's have breakfast first. No matter how urgent things are, we need to fill our stomachs."
They went to the small kitchen in the west wing, where a simple breakfast was already laid out on the table: soy milk, fried dough sticks, tea eggs, and several side dishes. Xu Qingqing was clearly used to this arrangement and naturally sat down to eat. Li Shancheng didn't stand on ceremony either; he was indeed hungry.
"I've roughly reviewed last night's report," Editor-in-Chief Qin said while peeling an egg. "The appearance of Shadow Nightmare in the library is very unusual, and even more unusual is the strong reaction of the Wen Shu array's core. Shan Cheng, you're saying the ancient books directly conveyed information to you?"
Li Shancheng swallowed the food in his mouth and nodded: "It's not language or writing, it's more like... a direct indoctrination of concepts. I received basic information about the core of the Wen Shu array, including its location, function, and connections to other array points."
"This is a 'certification' phenomenon of the array's core," Editor-in-Chief Qin said thoughtfully. "It usually only happens to people who have a special connection with the array's core or bear the responsibility of protecting it. How long did you spend in the ancient books section?"
"No more than five minutes."
"I've only seen this happen three times in my forty years: five minutes to get certified." Editor-in-Chief Qin put down his chopsticks, his expression serious. "The first time was before the previous guardian of the Wen Shu array passed away, the second time was three years ago when a wandering Taoist happened to pass by, and the third time is you."
Xu Qingqing looked at Li Shancheng in surprise: "You're not simple, kid."
"I...I don't know what happened either," Li Shancheng said truthfully.
"Talent is sometimes like a sneeze; you can't stop it even if you want to," Editor-in-Chief Qin said with a rare touch of humor. "But the certification itself isn't the point. The point is why the core of the formation chose to be certified now. Xu Qingqing, have you analyzed the energy samples?"