Free Web NovelChapter 320: Chapter 49: Paying Respects at Yellow Sheep Mountain
「Three days later.」
Wang Ping was roused from his meditation by the cries of street vendors outside. Tongyu Taoist then materialized and asked, "Was that lamb soup any good?"
"It was delicious. A shame you can’t drink any." Yu Lian was being deliberately provocative.
As expected, Tongyu Taoist was infuriated and shot back into the Purgatory Banner. Artifact Spirit Nether Water gave Yu Lian a thumbs-up, then vanished as well.
After breakfast, Zi Hong left for his post at the Government Office as usual. Wang Ping pushed open the door. The courtyard was covered in a layer of snow. Yu Lian, no longer as sensitive to the cold as she used to be, ran out and started rolling around in a snowdrift.
Wang Ping, however, walked over to the puppet meditating beside the flower cluster.
The puppet’s Qi Sea was stable, as was its Grand Circulation. The Spirit Body showed no signs of going rampant, and its Primordial Spirit Consciousness was placid. The auras of the three Armor Talismans were likewise steady.
"I suppose it’s a success," Wang Ping muttered to himself. Yu Lian landed on him without a sound.
A quarter of an hour later, the puppet opened its eyes. Wang Ping immediately used his Primordial Spirit Consciousness to suppress its aura, then passed on some Magic and techniques for controlling that aura. Before long, the puppet could conceal its aura on its own.
"Very good. You go on ahead." Wang Ping glanced up at the persistent golden halo in the sky.
He then took a set of blue Daoist robes from his storage pouch. The puppet accepted them and dressed itself neatly. It then performed the Wood Spirit’s Transformation Art. In the next instant, the skin on the puppet’s face seemed to crawl with countless insects. A dozen breaths later, it had taken on Wang Ping’s appearance.
"Mm, not bad."
Sensing the rate at which the puppet’s Spirit Body was dissipating, Wang Ping looked at Yu Lian on his shoulder and said, "It’ll last for at least ten days."
Yu Lian said, feeling the pinch, "These things are expensive, you know. You’re so extravagant. Why not install a ’Five Elements Condensation Art’ inside it?"
The "Five Elements Condensation Art" was the Power Pill!
Hearing this, Wang Ping smiled and shook his head. "There’s not enough time. Otherwise, I could have it advance slowly like a normal person, and its Spirit Body wouldn’t disintegrate. As for the condensation art, let’s forget it. After all, this is for Junior Brother Wang Kang’s tomb."
As he spoke, he glanced meaningfully at the puppet. The latter sensed its surroundings, and when no one was paying attention, it vaulted over the wall at the corner of the courtyard.
Wang Ping pointed a finger, using Wood Spirit Qi to sweep away all traces around the flower cluster. Afterward, he walked to the center of the courtyard, took out divination blocks, and cast a fortune. The moment the result appeared, one of the blocks shattered into two pieces.
"What’s wrong?"
Wang Ping stated eight words: "The nation’s fate is supreme. All divination is forbidden!" Then, with a wave of his hand, the divination blocks on the ground turned into a cloud of dust.
"Speaking of the nation’s fate, I just sensed someone trying to probe my whereabouts," Yu Lian reminded him.
"It’s probably related to that young master. But as long as you don’t leave my side, you’ll be fine. Worst-case scenario, even if they do find out it was you, that Prime Minister can’t do anything to me."
As Wang Ping replied, he walked toward the courtyard gate. Yu Lian quickly ducked back into his sleeve.
He pushed open the gate and stepped out. A cold wind, carrying the scent of incense, swept in from the river. Watching the passersby, Wang Ping tightened his own padded jacket and pulled up the hood of his cloak.
When he reached the street corner, a young slave in his teens, wearing a tattered padded jacket and carrying a small hand warmer, approached him. A heavily bundled-up middle-aged woman nearby smiled and said, "Young Master Li, heading out? Would you like to buy a hand warmer for the road?"
Wang Ping had been out and about frequently these past two days, so the neighbors knew he was Zi Hong’s friend, just staying in Shangjing City for a while.
"How much?"
"Twenty wen. It’ll last for six hours."
This price wasn’t considered expensive for Shangjing City, but for the people of the Southern Region, it was a bit steep.
Wang Ping’s current identity was that of a sole heir who had inherited his family’s fortune. He certainly wouldn’t care about such a small sum in the middle of winter, so he paid without hesitation.
"Should I have someone retrieve the warmer from Lord Huang’s residence tonight?" the middle-aged woman asked with a smile.
"Alright."
The hand warmer was made from a combination of scrap metal and a clay pot. It burned long-lasting charcoal inside, and one side was wrapped in a layer of cotton cloth so it could be held against the lower abdomen.
Many people on the street were doing the same, though most of them carried hand warmers from their own homes.
"Young Master Li, where are you off to today? Need a carriage?" A middle-aged man in a padded jacket emerged from a small alley, with several small horse-drawn carriages behind him.
"I plan to go see Yellow Sheep Mountain," Wang Ping said with a smile. "I hear the snow-covered scenery there is beautiful."
"Beautiful my ass! That’s just to trick you scholar-types. If you want to have fun now, you should go to Tingyu Pavilion in the city." An old man renting out sedan chairs nearby had a booming voice.
The middle-aged man was furious that someone was trying to steal his business and was about to retort when Wang Ping smiled and said, "I’m set on Yellow Sheep Mountain today. I’ll check out Tingyu Pavilion another time. Are you going? How much?"
"One large coin for a round trip!"
"Alright."
Yellow Sheep Mountain was quite a distance from Shangjing City. First, you had to leave the city, head west for over ten li, cross a bridge to the west bank, and then travel another ten li to get there.
By 1:30 PM, Wang Ping could finally see the silhouette of Yellow Sheep Mountain through the carriage window. A small town had formed at the foot of the mountain. Many people were visiting today, most of them scholars dressed like Wang Ping. Their destination was the pine forest on the mountain.
When Wang Ping arrived at the foot of the mountain, he sensed the puppet’s presence. It was still behind him. This was because the puppet had only appeared at the Wang Family residence after Wang Ping himself had already left the city, and it had been delayed for some time before heading this way. The puppet was accompanied by two disciples of the Wang Family.
"Wait for me here..."
Wang Ping gave the slave driver five copper coins. Under the Court’s current laws, slaves were allowed to own a small amount of private property, but whether this was actually enforced was another matter.
After alighting from the carriage, Wang Ping, like the other scholars, followed a stone stairway up the mountain. It took Half an Hour to reach the pine forest. Within the forest were pavilions and gazebos, but there was a fee to enter. That’s right—this place was a privately operated manor.
As Wang Ping was led by an attendant into a warm private room, he sensed the puppet scattering a number of spiritually-infused seeds. Led by the two Wang Family disciples, it was taking another path to the other side of the Yellow Sheep Mountain range, to a burial ground with excellent feng shui.
There were guards with yellow waist tags at the entrance to the cemetery, but with the Wang Family disciples leading the way, the puppet easily entered the tomb area.
The process of paying respects went smoothly. Wang Ping’s worries seemed to have been unnecessary.
Just as the puppet’s group was returning to the foot of the mountain, a series of piercing sonic booms suddenly erupted over the quiet main road. A flying sword was attacking from a nearby mountain peak.
CLANG!
With a crisp ringing sound, a Golden Armor Soldier materialized in front of the puppet to block the blow. Immediately after, a ’Heaven-Reaching Talisman’ appeared above its head.
"It’s him! Attack!"
An angry shout came from the opposite mountain peak, and then a barrier of alternating light and shadow enveloped the entire area...
