Bai Mu took out his transmission stone when he left the room and imbued his spiritual energy, contacting Qiang Yan. His father immediately answered.
"Bai Mu! I'm currently in the Temple of Medicine, having them evaluate the lists. I don't know anything yet though."
Bai Mu nodded. "That's still good. It'll probably not take that long anymore then. Father, there is one thing …"
Qiang Yan who had just been worrying about the lists, couldn't help but turn away from the desk of the heavenly physician and look at the apparition of his son more closely. Bai Mu seemed a little … tense? "Did something happen?"
Bai Mu sighed. "Not quite. It's just that … there's something I promised somebody. I'm afraid, I'll have to make true on that right now. So I'm on my way to the human realm. When you do manage to have the pill refined, can you bring it over to Nie Huang and explain to her how cultivation works? You do remember everything about your past life, don't you? You should know about cultivation."
Qiang Yan nodded. "That's not a problem but … Is it alright for you to leave her? That promise, can't it wait?"
Bai Mu shook his head. "If it was something that could wait, then I wouldn't be on my way right now. But even though the person might not insist, I do have the feeling that they should need me to fulfill this promise as soon as possible."
"Then it is something I can help with? Maybe if I could help, you could be done with it sooner. Then you could return and help her with the cultivation yourself. I'm sure Nie Huang would also be happy about that."
Bai Mu nodded. "I'm sure she would. Unfortunately, I don't think there's anything you can do." He sighed when he said so. Who knew if he hadn't been right and his father was actually good with arrays? He might really be giving a chance away.
Bai Mu halted in the air and looked at the apparition of his father. Qiang Yan hadn't asked what the promise was about or who he had promised something. He wasn't somebody that pried into another person's secrets. Maybe asking him wouldn't be a problem after all? He hesitated but finally still spoke up. "You wouldn't know … about arrays, would you?" Yes, he knew that this was dangerous but he trusted this person. Even though they had only met recently, he had a very good opinion of his father. And if he really knew, then maybe they would be able to solve this matter soon. Wouldn't that also be good for that person? And when the array was constructed and that realm closed off with it, then even if his father knew about this person, nobody would be able to reach him anyway. So there wasn't too much of a risk involved, was there?
Qiang Yan raised his brows. "Arrays?" He pondered what to say and finally gave a wry smile. "As for the arrays of the human realm, that was always your mother's specialty. I do know a bit about our arrays though."
Bai Mu stopped completely, intensely looking at his father. "Our arrays? What do you mean?"
Qiang Yan couldn't help but feel a little awkward. His son — even though he actually had the blood of three races in him — he still felt more or less like a mortal. And the father that he had always been searching for had only been human too. Talking about this, wasn't that making the problems in their relationship even more obvious? But, well, he didn't want to keep quiet just because of that either. If it could help Bai Mu, then this was what he should do. "Well, just like the mortals have their arrays, the gods and dragons and even the demons do too. There are quite a few differences between them, mostly that those here in the Nine Heavens are a little more sophisticated."
"More sophisticated … You mean …" Bai Mu pondered and finally just cut to the chase. "I only know about that array that mother and you did in the Leyuan region. The one that you used to trap people in your realm if they could become troublesome. If you compared that, how would it hold up against the arrays of the Nine Heavens?"
Qiang Yan scratched his head. "Well, that array was the specialty of your mother. The key to it was actually her blood, rather than her the way it was made up. Although … It can't be said that it was bad. I guess what really made it a good array was the simplicity? At least that was what she always said."
Bai Mu nodded. "Yes, she taught that to me too."
Qiang Yan nodded. He hadn't expected anything else. Naturally, Huan Yin would've taught their son everything she could. "Why the sudden interest? Do you … Need to help that person was some array?"
Bai Mu smiled. Well, that probably had been easy to figure out. "Something like that. Actually, I'm trying to develop an array myself. It's supposed to be a bit like the one mother set up. Just that … I'd like to modify it a bit."
"Modify? How? I do know how she set it up. Maybe I could really help."
Before Bai Mu could answer, a voice sounded from behind Qiang Yan. "God of War, I'm afraid I'm unable to judge even half of these. Maybe we should rather ask the God of Medicine for help? That would be safer."
Qiang Yan sighed and turned around. "Let's do that." He turned back to Bai Mu but didn't cut him off. "You heard that. As I said they're appraising the lists right now. It seems they're of a higher-level than we originally thought. Let's hope that they'll be able to refine it without the recipe though."
Bai Mu nodded, his stomach turning into a knot. Don't tell him things on that end weren't going as well as he had thought?
Qiang Yan followed the heavenly physician to the study of the God of Medicine but continued to talk to Bai Mu. "Don't worry too much. The God of Medicine is very skilled. I'm sure he'll be able to figure this out. Isn't there more than one list anyway? So even if he isn't able to find the best one, he'll still be able to refine at least one of them. I'm sure of that. So don't worry, Nie Huang will soon be able to gain the spiritual veins."
Bai Mu nodded. "Yes, you're probably right. I shouldn't worry too much."
"Then about that array … What kind of modification did you want to make?"
"Well, your array back then could basically be used by everyone to get into the realm on the other side, but afterward, they would be trapped inside without a way to get out if they didn't have the key. I'd like to make an array that is the opposite. Something that will be able to keep people out as long as they don't have the right key."
Qiang Yan raised his brows. "Keep them out? That shouldn't be too difficult, should it?"
Bai Mu furrowed his brows. "I don't see how it is easy. I change the two layers but the shapes don't add up. Even if I add more basic shapes, I will have too many links between them. And even if you reduce the number of links, they would be too complicated. It just doesn't work!"
Qiang Yan chuckled. "Of course it doesn't. You're really trying to just take your mother's array and make another one out of it? I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. How about making a new one instead? I think I have an idea for that.
"You might need to refine it to insert the key that you want but, in general, it shouldn't be a problem. How about this? I'll go in and talk to the God of Medicine first and then I'll come over with the pill that he will have refined by then hopefully and draw the array for you. Can you wait that long?"
Bai Mu smiled. It seemed it had been the right choice to ask his father after all. Things suddenly seemed much easier. "Alright, then I'll wait here for you."
Qiang Yan nodded and cut the connection, stepping into the study of the God of Medicine.