Free Web NovelChapter 319: Chapter 48: Attempting to Imbue a Substitute Puppet
Mornings in early winter were especially cold in Shangjing City.
Just as day broke, the first people to appear on the streets were the night-soil collectors. They had to be out of the city before dawn. In the past, this job was handled by people specially hired by the Government Office, but with the prevalence of slaves nowadays, the Government Office not only didn’t have to spend a single coin, it could even turn a small profit.
Appearing alongside the night-soil collectors were the patrolling Corpse Collectors. They would clear away those who had frozen to death on the streets ahead of time. These groups were typically led by two clerks from the Government Office. They would divide the districts under their charge into several zones, leading a dozen or so slaves and a large horse-drawn cart on a fixed patrol route.
Most of those who froze to death on the streets were also slaves, usually the ones waiting outside the brothels for their masters. Of course, there were also some common folk who had gotten drunk and collapsed on the street.
For a dead slave, the clerks would simply remove the tag from their body and inform their master at a later time. Commoners received much better treatment. They would be taken to the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office to be identified, and their families would be notified to come and pay to reclaim the body. If no one came to pay after three days, they would be tossed into the Burial Mound outside the city and buried with the slaves.
At daybreak, shops on both sides of the city’s main street opened their doors in unison. They would sprinkle some ash on the cold, smooth stone paths in front of their shops to prevent customers from slipping, and then, in a synchronized fashion, they would all light incense.
By the time the fragrance of incense enveloped the entire city, it was about 7:45 AM. From the Imperial Palace on the mountaintop, the pleasant chime of golden bells would ring out. This signaled that it was time for the daily political discourse in the grand discussion hall. All the Prime Ministers and lords would gather there to discuss matters of state with the Emperor.
And with that, the city came back to life.
In a small district in the eastern part of the city, near the city gate, at the end of a row of houses built along the river, stood a small courtyard home. That morning, a street vendor, followed by a slave carrying his food, stopped before the courtyard gate and shouted, "Mutton offal soup! Steamed buns! Stuffed buns!"
Before long, the sound of footsteps came from within. The courtyard gate was pulled open from the inside, revealing a stout man in a Constable Uniform. He was holding a tray. Looking at the vendor, he said, "Two bowls of mutton offal soup and ten mutton-stuffed buns."
"Do you have a guest, sir?" the vendor asked warmly.
"Yes, a friend I met while traveling on Yunjiang Road," replied the man. This was Wang Ping’s Puppet Zi Hong, but his current name was Huangjiang. As he spoke, he handed over six large coins, equivalent to sixty copper plates.
"Enjoy your meal then, sir." The vendor bowed, then beckoned his slave to follow him deeper into the alley.
Zi Hong closed the gate with one hand while balancing the tray with the other. He carried the tray into the courtyard and went into the side room on the left, which was warmed by a stove, and placed the food on the table.
"Mutton! And it’s quite fresh!"
By the stove, Wang Ping sat upright on an old chair. Smelling the mutton, Yu Lian cheered and, with a Tengyun, hovered over to the table and flicked her snake-like tongue.
"Just one bun for me."
Wang Ping set his teacup aside and gave Zi Hong a nod. The moment he spoke, Yu Lian had already gulped down a whole bowl of mutton soup.
The buns were quite good. The mutton filling was mixed with some dried vegetables, creating a taste that was both refreshing and deeply satisfying. After finishing one, Wang Ping glanced across the table. Yu Lian had stuffed five buns into her mouth in one go. Noticing his gaze, she said, "But you said you only wanted one!"
"..."
Wang Ping looked at Zi Hong and asked, "Is Junior Brother Wang Kang’s grave still on Yellow Sheep Mountain?"
The first thing he needed to do was pay his respects at the graves of Junior Brother Wang Kang and Second Senior Brother Liu Zixiu. Wang Kang’s side shouldn’t be a problem, but Liu Zixiu’s would likely be very troublesome. After his death, he had been deified as a Human Dao Saint, and his tomb was guarded by soldiers year-round.
"It is! Disciples of the Wang Family guard it year-round," Zi Hong replied respectfully.
"And what about Second Senior Brother’s grave? Have you found a way in?" Wang Ping asked again.
"I have failed. I haven’t found a way yet," Zi Hong said, lowering his head.
Wang Ping didn’t seem to blame him, and the room fell silent. Yu Lian seized the opportunity to swallow the remaining buns in one gulp. Satisfied, she flew over to Wang Ping’s shoulder, lay down, and let out a long sigh.
After the meal, Wang Ping had Zi Hong return to his shift at the Government Office. He then scattered some weed seeds with a very stable aura into the air and took out a puppet brimming with spiritual nature.
This was a Corpse Soldier that had been refined into a Spirit Body. Wang Ping had already repaired most of it; all that remained was to grant it consciousness.
Wang Ping took it out now because he suddenly recalled Xia Yao’s warning. If someone in Shangjing City really was going to make a move against him, they would have investigated him thoroughly. If so, they would surely have anticipated that he would go to pay his respects to Wang Kang.
"Why are you staring at a Spirit Body like that? You’re making my scales tremble," Yu Lian said. She had probably been reminded of some scene from one of those folk tales she’d seen.
The interruption snapped Wang Ping out of his chaotic thoughts. He glanced at the altar in the main room of the house, then walked over to a cluster of flowers in the courtyard. He used the Natural Wood Spirit Qi emanating from the flowers to mask both his own aura and that of the puppet.
Once he had composed himself, Wang Ping summoned a True Spirit Consciousness he had refined in advance. After carefully confirming the memories contained within this portion of consciousness, he used the Enlightenment Skill to drive it into the puppet’s core.
A few breaths later, the puppet’s closed eyes snapped open. Upon seeing Wang Ping, its subconscious compelled it to bow and say, "Greetings, Daoist!"
Wang Ping hadn’t programmed the address term ’Master’ this time; he found it a bit embarrassing to hear. He glanced again at the altar in the main room and then observed the national fortune hanging in the sky above the city. Then, he drove a stream of Wood Spirit Qi into the puppet’s Qi Sea. Instantly, its arid Qi Sea was activated.
The next moment, under the influence of Wang Ping’s Primordial Spirit Consciousness, the activated Qi Sea began to circulate through the Spirit Body’s limbs and meridians. As the first Grand Circulation was completed, the puppet’s consciousness began to solidify, and a sliver of soul instinctively shot out from its body.
Wang Ping formed a hand seal for a Spell, doubling the range of the Wood Spirit Qi from the flower cluster. It merged with the surrounding golden fortune, completely sealing off the puppet’s aura.
Following that, Wang Ping activated three Talismans in quick succession: a ’Heaven-Reaching Talisman,’ a ’Luck-Borrowing Talisman,’ and a ’Spirit Communication Talisman.’ Of course, they were all for show. They possessed the aura of the three Talismans but were incapable of borrowing the Power of Heaven and Earth.
After confirming there were no issues, Wang Ping drove these three Talismans into the puppet’s newly formed spiritual consciousness. The aura of the puppet’s soul flared dramatically, but it was quickly suppressed by Wang Ping’s Primordial Spirit Consciousness, which then forced this spiritual consciousness to evolve according to his will.
"Did it work?" Yu Lian asked.
"It’s too early to tell. We’ll know the result in a few days."
Wang Ping replied softly. He had used a part of his own consciousness to activate the puppet, so the bond between the puppet’s spiritual consciousness and the Wood Spirit Qi was incredibly strong. However, its ultimate success would depend on how well the soul and the Spirit Body fused.
Moreover, Wang Ping estimated there was a time limit, or else he could have prepared this in advance.
