The next morning, Zhou Jinhai was up at the first light of dawn as always. Willow Retreat was already a hive of activity as Masters, senior disciples and even most of the juniors were up and about their daily tasks. Those that saw the blindfolded Zhou Jinhai made way for his passing, the older students scolding the younger ones when they made to push past. Thus the man clad in his white mourning robes, the white blindfold stark against black hair, was able to move through the halls and pathways with minimum issue. He took his time with the various steps and stairs, fingers outstretched to trace a line along the wall or railing as he went. When he was half way to his destination, a hand grasped his own firmly. A soft, almost reluctant smile curled his lips briefly as he turned his head towards the newcomer. 

“Morning Laohu.” He said softly, using his old friend’s childhood name. He could practically feel Feng Jianyu smirk as the grip loosened and moved to his elbow, a new habit the man had formed recently. 

“How’d you know it was me?” The deep voice asked next to him, the tone light but genuinely curious. Jinhai shook his head slightly, letting Feng Jianyu lead the way. His hand having been commandeered from it’s wall-tracing, leaving him to rely on the man beside him. 

“The scent you carry.” He answered, only to receive a quiet curse in reply, quickly followed by a rather afronted query. 

“What, do I smell or something?” Feng Jianyu demanded in an offended tone. Though there was no real heat to it.

Jinhai was able to picture the frown forming between his friend’s brows and couldn’t help a soft chuckle, his free hand lifting to cover his mouth briefly to try and hide his amusement. But the elbow in his side told him he hadn’t succeeded. Finally he took pity on the other man. 

“It’s a nice smell… your preferred herbal soap and the oil you use for your sword. Plus… your footsteps.” He finally admitted. The way the tension bled from the man beside him made Jinhai want to smile again, but the emotion didn’t quite bloom in his heart the way it used to. After all, the only reason he had started to notice such things was due to his injury, and the weeks he had spent bedridden and unable to properly communicate. He had learned to recognise people by things other than their appearance. And Feng Jianyu always smelt strongly of metal and oil from his hours spent caring for his many weapons. He also had a rather solid tread, compared to most Liu cultivators, as their sword style leaned heavily into footwork that was light and soft. But then, nothing about Feng Jianyu could be called soft. He was a man of solid determination and fierce battle spirit, proven by his mastery of many different weapons beyond the sect’s usual swordsmanship. Jinhau could recall the demonstration Feng Jianyu had put on at the previous year’s tournament. The man had shown distinct mastery over the spear, the polearm, sabers, axes, short knives, tridents, whips, bows, the three-pronged sai, and even the circular charkran. A strange weapon that confounded Jinhai every time he saw it in use. That didn’t even cover the many styles of jian and other swords he had reached the expert level with. 

Turning his mind from the random thoughts, he walked beside his friend as they made their way through the sect. Before he could ask where they were actually headed, another voice called out to the pair. Friendly, warm and very familiar. 

“Hey! Laohu, Xiulan!” Liu Feiyu, courtesy name of Liu Yuxuan, called out to the pair as he jogged over, ignoring the many disapproving glances from the sect seniors as he did so. As he arrived he threw his arms around both men, thrusting himself between them with easy familiarity. Luckily, Zhou Jinhai had braced for the impact and so only swayed slightly, Feng Jianyu swotting at the interloper as he reached around to steady Jinhai. 

“What the hell Feiyu! Did your brains melt or something?” Feng Jianyu scolded the laughing man, even as he wrapped an arm around Zhou Jinhai, his other shoving Liu Yuxuan off the two of them and into the wall. Not that Liu Yuxuan seemed to mind, Jinhai could hear the grin in his voice as he bounced off the wall and settled beside them. 

“It’s been ages since I saw you! Don’t be mad.” He exclaimed, voice light and exuberant. 

Zhou Jinhai knew he was putting in the effort to be cheery and bright for his sake… as Yuxuan was usually one of the quieter members of their group. Being something of a talent with formations meant he typically had his head buried in his books and scrolls. Jinhai appreciated the effort, but he rather wished his friends didn’t try so hard around him. It was.. painful. Nevertheless, he turned towards the other, forcing a small smile for the man. 

“Good morning, shidi.” He teased gently, putting levity he didn’t feel into his voice. Accepting the light punch the other threw his way in retaliation for the nickname, he asked. “What brings you out so early?” 

Liu Yuxuan didn’t mind the teasing, simply smiling and shaking his head. 

“Shifu wants me to go out and check the alarm arrays and the largest of the defence formations.” His voice was genuinely excited, as it was rare any of the sect members other than the elders were allowed to work on the formations that protected the entire mountain. 

Zhou Jinhai nodded. It wasn’t too surprising that Liu Yuxuan was the one they selected for the duty. As he would bet his monthly wage that Yuxuan was actually better at Formations than most elders. A true Prodigy. 

“You two come with me. It would be nice to get out of here for a bit, no?” Liu Yuxuan suggested, practically dragging Feng Jianyu and Zhou Jinhai along as he started to head towards the main gateway. Without a good reason to refuse, Zhou Jinhai could only allow himself to be directed along the path, Feng Jianyu sticking firmly at his side.

With Feng Jianyu guiding Zhou Jinhai, the three arrived at the gate that separated the Inner Sect compound from the Outer Sect areas. Liu Yuxuan made the hand signal for his sword to slide from it’s scabbard and settle near his feet, floating a few inches above the stone pathway. Suddenly he looked to where Feng Jianyu was scowling at him, pausing as if confused and then muted dismay twisted his expression, swiftly fallowed by embarrassment and concern. Beside Feng Jianyu, Zhou Jinhai could practically feel the sudden awkwardness that settled in the air around him. Tilting his head towards Feng Jianyu, he reached out and settled his hand on the man’s upper arm. “I’ll ride with you.”

He felt the taller man suddenly tense up under his fingers, a sensation that confused him but which swiftly fell away as Feng Jianyu shifted at his side, body twisting slightly. He assumed the man was calling his sword forth, as a moment later an arm wrapped around his waist and drew him both up and in, so he was pressed flush against Laohu’s side. The sword firm and steady under his feet.

“This ok?” The low, slightly rough voice of his old friend fell upon his bent head in a quiet query. The sudden closeness and the soft voice in his ear was startlingly intimate in his dark world. As if Feng Jinayu possessed a gravity that drew his body’s focus towards him. Feeling a warmth in his face that he knew would soon turn him pink, he quickly nodded. 

“I’ll be fine.” Shifting his weight back he had to fight to ignore the sudden sensation of instability. For despite Feng Jianyu’s excellent control over his sword, it was not the same as standing on solid ground. Something he had never noticed before he lost his sight, but now, it felt like he was adrift in the sky with no anchor. Reaching out he caught hold of Feng Jianyu’s clothing. Then, in a bid to save what face he could, moved his hand up to the man’s shoulder, holding on with a tight grip as he stood just behind Feng Jianyu. 

He could imagine the dubious look Feng Jianyu must be wearing, as he felt the body under his palm shift and twist, indicating Louhu was looking back at him. But, thankfully, he made no comment and simply said to Liu Yuxuan. “Let’s go.

Zhou Jinhai was familiar with the speeds that his friends usually flew at, and knew they were going slowly on this trip. For his sake. He was glad that Feng Jianyu was in front and couldn’t see him right at that moment, as a complicated frown clouded his brow. He felt a mix of embarrassment, frustration and a little bit of irritation that they were being so careful of his condition. But he knew all those feelings were unfair to the two men. He was the one who had gotten himself in this situation, one that no cultivator beyond the qi gathering stage should ever have to experience. He had no idea how to cope with their thoughtful actions, as he was sure they had no idea how to accommodate for his new disability. 

Frustration welled up inside him, making his chest tight and forcing tears of shame to burn at the corners of his eyes. But at least the wind that whipped past them as they flew dried the evidence of his weakness before his companions spotted anything amiss. 

By the time the trio landed, Jinhai had gotten himself back under control. He felt Feng Jianyu reach for him, so held out his hand and accepted the aid as he stepped down off the other man’s blade. As both swords sheathed themselves, Jinhai turned to where he felt power radiating across the landscape. Liu Yuxuan moved up besides him and grinned. 

“Impressive right? Have either of you been this close to one of the formation anchors before?” Jinhai shook his head, the sentiment echoed by Feng Jianyu’s grunt of denial. With no more encouragement needed, the scholar of the small group launched into great detail about the formation’s initial creation by the clan’s founder Liu Lijun. By the time the three men had walked up the long valley that led to the impressive stone pagoda that housed this particular formation anchor, Liu Yuxuan was counting on his fingers, listing the many issues that running such complex formations caused day to day. 

“Founder Lijun was a genius, but he really did leave a lot for his descendants to figure out.” Liu Yuxuan complained with an exaggerated huff as the three stopped at a small door hidden at the base of the gigantic tower. Removing a talisman from his sleeve, he murmured several words Jinhai didn’t catch, then touched the paper slip to the door directly. A flash of light lit the three before both the talisman and the three men simply vanished from the spot. 

Jinhai couldn’t help but reach out with a gasp as he felt the world spin for a moment, fingers tangling in the soft silk of Feng Jianyu’s sleeve. The gruff voice of the taller man cursed beside him before he heard the thump of Liu Yuxuan’s body hitting something hard.

Feng Jianyu scowled darkly at their friend as the far more slender man muffled a laugh, pushing himself off the wall Feng Jianyu had shoved him into. “Hey. I wanted you to have the chance to appreciate the mystery of this place.” He grinned, shaking his head. “No sense of adventure.” He chastised the scowling Jianyu, even as Zhou Jinhai stepped away from the two and further into the huge open space they had appeared within. Head tilting back as he felt the sheer openness of the interior, he stretched out his spiritual sense. 

“Where are we?” He asked, voice subdued as he felt the power radiating through the structure. It almost felt like a living, breathing creature, the way the energy swirled and spun through the stone all around them. 

Liu Yuxuan’s expression calmed from teasing into muted wonder. He, of course, had been here many times. But the structure would never not be impressive. “This is the internal space of the formation tower.” He pointed at the golden script that covered every available bit of space on the stone wall that surrounded them. Similar script shimmered on the internal pillars that supported multiple ringed walkways that encircled the tower from top to bottom. 

“This is the formation itself. Or the part of it that can be seen right now. When a ticates, this script will create the active portion of the formation. Which can vary depending on what part is activated. The base layer are the usual shields. Like the one set up over the training ground. Just reversed. But it can do so much more.” The reverence in Liu Yuxuan’s voice was obvious, and it was warranted. Jonhai had never seen the clan’s defencive formation fully activated. But he knew that it spanned the entire mountain and the foothills where the nearest mortal settlement was located. 

Jinhai again reached out with his spiritual sense, trying to get a feel for the formation that filled the entire tower they stood within. At his side Feng Jianyu begrudgingly made a noise of appreciation. 

“So…. As impressive as this is… why are we here?” Feng Jianyu asked, walking to one of the walls and poking at the golden script, causing it to spark and flicker. Liu Yuxuan  slapped his hand away. “While It's not exactly fragile, no touching.” He told the pair as he stepped away and started pulling out a variety of scrolls and measuring instruments from his sleeves. As he was rummaging around, he continued. “Who wouldn’t love to cone see this? But I did have an ulterior motive.. “ He made a noise of relief as he withdrew a complicated metal contraption and set it on a small pedestal that had previously gone unnoticed. “There we go. I needed someone to be on guard while I work. What with the troubles of late, and this being on our outer border….” He left the rest unsaid as the two behind him nodded. 

Liu Yuxuan spent the next several incense sticks worth of time measuring, cross referencing and otherwise fussing over various parts of the formation. Leaving Feng Jianyu and Zhou Jinhai to entertain themselves. The pair ended up wandering along the many galleries, slowly climbing up the tower as they went. Jianyu described what changed as they went higher, and Jinhai would occasionally stop before a particular bit of wall and trace the elegant and detailed script with his fingers. But neither were formation masters so it made little sense to them. Even so, neither felt like it was a wasted trip, as very few ever got to see the inside of the Guardian Pagodas that ringed their mountain.