ng Bai wondered if he had ever used this much ink in his entire life.
Usually, a single bottle of ink could last a month for most people, and with a fifty-liter barrel, one could easily fill a hundred bottles. Compared to that, the ink ng Bai had made was simple.
It was created using soot ford from burning oil and other materials, mixed with water. While it was certainly not the best ink and was not absorbed well, it remained a highly accessible option, even for the poorest peasants.
"I have to use all this?!" ng Bai was incredulous, unsure if the stack of papers he had been given would even be enough to use up all the ink.
"Yes. One of the most fundantal aspects of learning formations is penmanship. Without that, you won't be able to create complex formations," Lin Mu reiterated.
SIGH
"Alright… I'll do it." ng Bai resolved himself to follow whatever Lin Mu suggested.
"Good." Lin Mu then took out a desk and chair from his spatial storage, placing them down for ng Bai to use.
He also retrieved a few additional items, such as a Spirit Lamp that illuminated without the need for extra fuel and an ink bowl for pouring ink into. After all, using the large barrel directly would be rather inconvenient.
"Begin," Lin Mu instructed.
"O-Okay." ng Bai placed the stack of papers nearby and poured so ink into the bowl.
Then, he began writing while Lin Mu observed. The boy filled the entire sheet of paper, but his runes still looked awkward.
"Hmm… this won't do," Lin Mu muttered. "Hang on a minute." He reached into his storage and pulled out a book.
"A reference book?" ng Bai imdiately recognized it as one of the most basic texts used by new students.
These books contained a list of all the common characters one needed to learn in Dao Script.
"Your runes need to match the ones in the book," Lin Mu stated. "That will be your first goal."
"I'll try." ng Bai nodded and began copying the characters from the book.
Lin Mu observed the boy for half an hour. While he didn't show much improvent yet, Lin Mu could see the determination in his eyes and decided to let him continue.
"I'll finish so other tasks while you do this," Lin Mu said.
"Sure." ng Bai remained focused on his work.
With that, Lin Mu moved to work on the other room and the hall. He inscribed formations on them and placed essential furniture such as beds, lamps, tables, and more.
He then added finishing touches, including doors and proper windows that could be closed. But his work wasn't done yet—there were still more formations to be made.
Next, he added several formation arrays to the courtyard itself. These included an Alarm Formation that would alert them to any intruders within a five-hundred-ter radius, identifying who or what they were. He also set up barrier arrays to protect against beast attacks and an isolation array to prevent their presence from being detected.
With everything in place, Lin Mu stepped back to survey the simple courtyard that had been built within a few hours. One could also consider it a School since Lin Mu was teaching ng Bai here.
"This should serve us well while we're here," Lin Mu mused. "And I think I'll be able to move the entire courtyard later if needed."
If he could store the entire place within his spatial ring, he wouldn't need to build another one from scratch. It was a luxury few could afford.
Satisfied with his work, Lin Mu checked on ng Bai, who hadn't shown much improvent but had already filled around thirty sheets of paper. Since his goal was to match the characters in the book, he prioritized quality over speed. Once he mastered accuracy, he could focus on increasing his pace.
Feeling content for now, Lin Mu stepped outside and called for Little Shrubby.
SHUA!
The kitten appeared in front of him, sniffing the air as he examined their new surroundings.
"We're in the forest?" Little Shrubby asked.
"Yeah," Lin Mu replied.
SNIFF SNIFF
"There's soone else here." Little Shrubby imdiately picked up on the unfamiliar scent.
"Yes, we have a new person," Lin Mu said as Little Shrubby peeked through the window.
Inside, he saw ng Bai diligently writing. The boy didn't notice him, too focused on his work.
"Who's he?" Little Shrubby asked.
"He's ng Bai. Soone I'm teaching for now," Lin Mu answered.
"Oh? Will he be staying with us?" Little Shrubby's ears perked up.
"Yeah," Lin Mu nodded.
"Nice! We'll have more people to play with!" Little Shrubby was excited. "Though… he seems weak," he observed after sensing ng Bai's cultivation base.
"For now, yeah," Lin Mu agreed. "He has a lot to learn."
"We'll train him," Little Shrubby declared. "Xiao Yin and Xiao Yang wanted a junior brother too."
"I… suppose that counts?" Lin Mu furrowed his brows.
He then rembered that the twins and Ashy were still in the city.
'I should check up on them,' he thought, using his spiritual link with them.
A few seconds later, he located them within the city. From the looks of it, they were moving around quite a bit.
'What are they doing?' Lin Mu wondered and contacted them.
"We're just looking around," Xiao Yin responded first.
"We found so nice things!" Xiao Yang chid in.
"Lots of shinies!" Ashy added excitedly.
"Okay, we're outside the city right now, in the forest," Lin Mu inford them. "You can co here when you're done."
"Alright!" the three replied in unison.
Lin Mu decided to leave the surprise for them until they arrived. He reckoned they would find it nice to et a new person. 'Though I don't know about playing wiwth ng Bai.. The boy won't be able to keep up with them at his cultivation base. Even Ashy is stronger than him.' Lin Mu thought to himself.
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