Royal City... In the Imperial Study:
Having just left court, the Emperor found a rare moment of respite and began to play a game of chess. His opponent was none other than his most trusted official and veteran of accomplishment, Minister Liu Yu.
"Minister Liu, your beloved apprentice's letter has been delivered, instructing that I proceed with the Crown Prince's consort selection as usual, without concerns. It seems he greatly resembles you from his early days, haha..."
Upon hearing this, Liu Yu shook his head, "My impudent apprentice dares to take such matters lightly; once he returns, I must severely reprimand him!"
"Eh, don't be too harsh. Young people need to go through experiences to grow!" The elderly Emperor was more lenient, and after making a couple of moves, he continued, "I plan to follow Minister Wang's advice and proceed with the consort selection for the Crown Prince as usual."
"This..." Liu Yu hesitated slightly in his next move.
"It seems our strategist has become old and lacks the boldness of your pupil!" the Emperor teased with a chuckle.
"This is caution!" Liu Yu, unfazed, replied earnestly, "My apprentice has found that this issue may be related to Master Huang. If that man is involved, his methods are likely to be far from simple. The matter of the Crown Prince's consort selection is of great importance and must not go awry."
"This I also understand..." the Emperor sighed, "but now, when all aspects of government need reviving, we especially need stability in the people's hearts. If the Crown Prince delays in choosing a consort much longer, there could be criticism, and as for Tiandu... you know, some folks have been restless for a while."
"Shall I make a personal visit?"
"You, the eager one now? How come you're more anxious than I am?" The Emperor rebuffed with a nonchalant glance, "We've said that the young people need more experience. Whether it be Wang Ye or Weichi Peng, both are the future pillars of the state in my eyes. If we old folks intervene at the slightest issue, how will they ever handle future challenges?"
As Weichi Peng was mentioned, Liu Yu's furrowed brow relaxed slightly. Although that child from the Weichi Clan wasn't the brightest, in terms of strength, it was feared that no family head in the last five generations could match the current one. Having his apprentice team up with him, at least safety was assured.
"Then let's do as Your Majesty suggests and see what happens..." for once, Liu Yu showed a smile, "to see if my worthless apprentice can shoulder any responsibility..."
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"Alive?"
Master Huang didn't look up as he sculpted a wooden body with exquisite craftsmanship in the small courtyard. A face was being carved so lifelike that it seemed more like a person's skeleton than wood.
At this time, the two foes that had clashed with Wang Ye arrived at the courtyard: the tall Ghost Doll and Mr. Miao, who cloaked his entire body in a black robe.
"Alive..." Mr. Miao's voice, hoarse, began, "At such a young age, he has already used the power of the 'Evening Star' to that extent. His talents are not inferior to Liu Yu, a pity..."
"The world is full of pitiable people," Master Huang replied as he blew the sawdust off the puppet's face before walking over with a carving knife. He glanced at Mr. Miao and whispered, "You alright?"
He wasn't worried that the minor official from the Judicial Court could harm Mr. Miao – after all, no matter how talented one might be, they had only entered the path of magic for a few years and couldn't compare to the old monster before him.
However, magicians are strictly forbidden from defying natural order, and altering the fate of a person with strong fortune invites severe backlash, yet Wang Ye was exactly such a person with a thriving destiny.
"Ill or not, I won't live many years. You need not worry about me..."
Upon hearing this, Master Huang nodded and signaled the Ghost Doll to set Wang Ye down.
Ghost Doll carefully placed Wang Ye next to the puppet, and Master Huang approached, delicately slicing on Wang Ye's face with a small knife. Wang Ye's body convulsed, and a complete layer of facial skin was smoothly excised!
The removal was so precise that one could feel the skin still writhing in Master Huang's hands. He draped it over the wooden puppet he had carved, and in the next moment, the blood vessels on the skin swiftly connected with the puppet like finding their home. It took but a moment for the wooden face to seamlessly merge with the flesh, having no trace of its puppet origins – it looked... utterly like a real face!
"Impressive skills!" Mr. Miao coughed slightly, "Those master craftsmen from the Ministry of Works would never achieve your level of artistry even if they studied for a hundred years."
"Merit of one's natural gift..." Master Huang shook his head slightly, attentively making fine adjustments to the newly covered face.
"How long until it's complete?" Ghost Doll frowned and asked.
"At least three days..." Master Huang squinted his eyes, "I must observe bone structure because every single bone in the body needs to fit correctly, with dimensions down to the slightest measure. Then, I must arrange the internal organs and fill in the flesh. Only then can perfection be achieved. Any slight inadequacy, and it would be impossible to fool Liu Yu!"
"But if it's made too realistically, could it truly become Wang Ye?" Mr. Miao asked a very curious question.
"About that..." Master Huang laughed, "I've never managed to create one."
Mr. Miao nodded, then remarked, "One has escaped."
"Escaping from your grasp?" Master Huang was stunned.
"Yes, Wang Ye sent him away using Flying Star Teleportation, I couldn't stop him, he's likely going to find Weichi Peng," someone replied.
"That's of no consequence," Master Huang, upon hearing this, continued to focus on his work without raising his head, "My student is just an ordinary person; he can't get close to Weichi Peng."
"An ordinary person?" Mr. Miao's voice carried a hint of doubt.
According to the intelligence, that person named Chen Qing was indeed an ordinary individual, not from an ancient bloodline, and claiming to be a descendant of magicians was even less likely. The surviving magician bloodlines were very few, and it was impossible for them to be in the wilderness.
Weichi Peng had many of their people infiltrated around him; in theory, a frail scholar indeed had no chance of getting close to Weichi Peng, but…
Liu Yu was not a fool, giving away his chance to escape to someone else when he himself had the opportunity meant that Chen Qing was certainly not that simple.
"But there indeed seems something strange…" Master Huang also felt that something was amiss, after all, an ordinary person… couldn't possibly see through Ali's Illusion Technique.
"I should go there myself… cough cough…" Mr. Miao's coughing grew heavier, causing Master Huang, who was working, to frown.
"With your health… let's have Ghost Doll make the trip this time," Master Huang suggested.
"I'm not quite at ease…" Mr. Miao shook his head: "This Judicial Court Minister Wang's fate is not to be underestimated. There's still a possibility of slips within these three days; we must keep a close eye on Weichi Peng!"
Upon hearing this, Master Huang eventually refrained from advising further. If there was anything left in Lyuzhou that could turn the tides, it was the Weichi Clan's young man. Truth be told, he wasn't very reassured to let Ghost Doll handle it.
"Take it easy…" Master Huang sighed, "Those of us who followed King of Qin, only a few old fellows are left now."
Mr. Miao, who had reached the door, paused momentarily upon hearing this, but the next second, without saying anything more, he walked straight out of the door...
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"Old man, is this the place?"
Outside Lyuzhou City, Chen Qing, drenched in sweat, followed the direction pointed by a man in his sixties, looking at a remote hillside and asking.
"That right there is Panlong Slope!" The old man grinned and said, "Not many people know about this place now. You should be careful, little Scholar; they say there's a real dragon suppressed under this big mountain!"
"Have you seen it?" Chen Qing asked curiously.
"Never seen it, but that's what they say…" the old man shook his head, "Such a vast forest without even a wild rabbit, it's oddly strange. Not a single thought of going hunting crosses my mind. With such a big mountain, if there weren't something suppressed here, how could it be so eerie?"
"That's true, haha!" Chen Qing laughed along but was even more convinced he had found the right place.
Lyuzhou, surrounded by mountains and waters, had excellent feng shui, and the nearby villages prospered because of this natural geography. The only exception was the desolate region around Daqing Mountain, where animals and birds kept away, farmers couldn't cultivate the land, and the vast mountain range was almost uninhabited.
Frankly, without someone to guide him, Chen Qing might wander around for half a month and still not find the place he wanted to go. It must be said he was somewhat lucky; not only was the position where Flying Star Teleportation dropped him nearby, but he also happened to meet a group of carpenters who had come near Daqing Mountain to gather timber.
There might be nothing else on Daqing Mountain, but it did possess centuries-old quality wood. However, due to the distance, carpenters from neighboring towns normally only came once every few months. Chen Qing was lucky enough to encounter a group on their trip.
Chen Qing didn't believe it was a coincidence. After successfully arriving at Panlong Slope, he felt it was due to fate! Wang Ye, still young, had become a Judicial Court Minister and also inherited the magician lineage of the Twilight Elephant; his destiny must be extraordinary. Such a person, facing a life-or-death crisis, the heavens would unconsciously create many opportunities for survival.
Whether one could seize those opportunities relied on the person in question. This belief was one of the world-view templates designed by Chen Qing's partner, making him consciously feel that his current smooth progress might be because the righteous Judicial Court Minister Wang… wasn't quite dead!
Of course… this was just speculation. Whether his current choice was truly a path to life, Chen Qing was not completely sure.
With that thought, Chen Qing looked at the vast mountain range with a mix of reverence and awe.
After more than two decades, seeing the prison he had once designed on a computer in front of his eyes felt extraordinarily bizarre.
It was bizarre, but also frightening because what was locked inside was no easy adversary.
If things had followed the original script, the creature inside would have been released by a travelling merchant from the previous dynasty, ultimately annihilating Lyuzhou City!!