Free Web NovelChapter 322: Chapter 51: New Year’s Eve in Shangjing City
After returning to Shangjing City, Wang Ping took no immediate action. Every day, after completing his daily practice, he would simply wander about. Sometimes he would be in a teahouse listening to storytellers, other times at a brothel listening to songs, or even visiting a nearby famous mountain to admire the snowy scenery.
「Half a month later.」
The weather in Shangjing City had grown colder, and the Spring Festival was drawing near. Red lanterns were hung outside every household. At the street corner, two old Scholars had set up a stall to sell couplets, and their business was booming.
When Wang Ping returned home these past two days, his neighbors asked him to write some couplets for them. He didn’t accept any money, only taking things like rice and flour in return. The best payment he received was a leg of lamb.
Over the past half-month, Wang Ping’s idle wanderings had been nothing more than a performance for the sake of caution. The time he spent in his courtyard was dedicated to crafting new puppets. This time, he was using ordinary Corpse Soldiers to make them.
Tongyu Taoist had been right. After successfully creating the first puppet, he gained experience, and making subsequent ones became much simpler. In just half a month, Wang Ping had repaired two Corpse Soldiers that had been in relatively good condition, bestowed them with some standard memories, and had Zi Hong register two new identities for them.
There were many people in Shangjing City who bought and sold identities. Normally, constables from the Government Office would make extra money this way, but none could provide identities as flawless as the ones Wang Ping had arranged.
Wang Ping had sent both of these puppets out on missions. One was to contact Qianmu Temple’s internal affairs network in Shangjing City, while the other was to follow the secret channels of the Sanhe Temple gathering to visit Yue Ziyu. He wanted to arrange a meeting with Jiangcun through Yue Ziyu.
Ten days after sending out the two puppets, Wang Ping successfully created another one.
One evening, as he was trying to activate the new puppet’s Qi Sea, one of the puppets he had previously dispatched returned silently to the small courtyard.
No one had followed it. This was because it had contacted Yue Ziyu through Qianmu Temple’s internal network. These secret contacts were severed after each use. It seemed wasteful, but the sole purpose for which these people were trained was to serve Wang Ping.
It brought a reply from Yue Ziyu and a token for their meeting. The letter didn’t waste time on pleasantries; after a few simple greetings, it got straight to business. The meeting place was set at Hundred Flavors Hall in the West City District. It was an apothecary, quite famous in Shangjing City, and considered the best choice for a meeting place in the city, aside from those used by Cultivators.
The appointed time was in three days, on the twenty-seventh of the twelfth lunar month. The token was a Jade Pendant. Yue Ziyu told him to arrive at Hundred Flavors Hall at Noon and give the Jade Pendant to the Chief Shopkeeper, who would then arrange everything.
After memorizing the contents of the letter, Wang Ping immediately burned it. He then put away the Jade Pendant and sent the puppet away. This puppet would continue to lie low in Shangjing City.
As the puppet left, Wang Ping stood deliberately at the door, watching the golden halo in the sky. He also connected with the nearby vegetation he had been communicating with recently. After confirming the puppet was not being followed, he turned his gaze to the puppet he was in the final stages of creating.
"Can you feel your Dantian and Qi Sea?" Wang Ping asked.
"Yes, Daoist, I can feel them," the puppet replied, bowing its head respectfully. It was currently sensing the Dantian and Qi Sea within its body according to the memories Wang Ping had given it.
Wang Ping had not imposed his own consciousness on this puppet. Instead, he intended for it to cultivate slowly on its own. That was why he had specifically chosen a Corpse Soldier with a good aptitude when creating it.
Hearing this, Wang Ping said no more. With a light tap of his finger, a stream of pure, ordinary Spiritual Qi gathered at his fingertip. It then entered the puppet’s brow and slowly sank down to its Qi Sea and Dantian.
"HISS!"
The puppet sucked in a sharp breath from the pain but managed to endure it.
Wang Ping nodded. ’The pain response is intact, and so is its willpower. Not bad, not bad at all.’
Yu Lian retorted, "You’re the one who set the puppet’s memories, aren’t you?"
Wang Ping ignored Yu Lian. He carefully probed the puppet’s body with a very weak stream of Spiritual Qi. A quarter of an hour later, upon confirming that Spiritual Qi could flow through the puppet’s Qi Sea and all its meridians, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"Xiao Shan Lord has ruled the south for so long. How many puppets do you think he has in total? Do you think he has any puppets in Qianmu Temple?" Yu Lian’s topic jumped quite far.
"It’s useless to think so much. Just do what we can."
As he spoke, Wang Ping transmitted the Chang Chun Technique and the Guiyuan Technique to the puppet. "From now on, your name is Huang Qi. For the time being, you will serve under Zi Hong."
"Yes!"
The puppet answered dutifully.
But Wang Ping just waved a hand. "Go find Zi Hong."
The puppet immediately lowered its head and backed out of the room. Once the door was closed again, Wang Ping closed his eyes and entered a meditative state, while Yu Lian, perched on his shoulder, fell into a deep sleep.
「Three days later.」
It was now New Year’s Eve, and the streets outside were bustling with activity.
The small courtyard where Wang Ping lived remained quiet, though the breakfast he bought that morning was a bit more lavish than usual.
After finishing his daily practice, the fusion progress of the Heaven-Reaching Talisman was still at (1/100). The refinement progress of the Pocket World Mirror was close to ten percent, allowing him to barely use its mirror-like functions.
Finishing his practice, he walked out into the courtyard. The puppet, Huang Qi, was practicing the Chang Chun Technique under the eaves of the main house. Heavy snow was falling in the courtyard. When the cold wind blew against his face, chilly air filled his lungs with each breath, causing his body temperature to drop noticeably.
"Sir!"
Huang Qi greeted Wang Ping, using the title appropriate for his cover identity.
Wang Ping simply waved his hand, pulled his cotton-padded jacket tighter, and then, like everyone else, threw on a warm cloak and strode through the snow toward the courtyard gate.
Outside the gate, the streets were simply a bit more crowded, and the smell of incense was much stronger. A grand sacrificial ceremony was taking place in a nearby square, and solemn prayers had been echoing through the streets and alleys since before dawn.
Other than that, the streets were not much different from any other day. The same vendors were at their stalls on the corner. He bought a small hand warmer on the street and hired a sedan chair with a built-in brazier, heading straight for West City.
West City was on the other side of the river. There were two ways to cross: via one of the two stone bridges in the city, or by ferry from the docks. Now that the river was frozen, the only option was the stone bridges. The bridges had been forged with the Magical Power of Earth Cave Sect Cultivators and were connected to the riverbanks on both sides, counting as one of Shangjing City’s scenic spots.
As he crossed the stone bridge, Wang Ping lifted the sedan chair’s curtain and saw two large, red boats on the frozen river. A wooden walkway connected them to the bank. Despite the heavy snow and it being New Year’s Eve, quite a few people were coming and going across the walkway.
After crossing the bridge and traveling about two hundred zhang, he reached the imposing, ten-zhang-high wall that encircled West City. Where there was a wall, there was naturally a gate. The Gatekeeper on duty here wore the robes of a Fourth-Grade Military Officer over his armor.
The soldiers had not relaxed their vigilance for the holiday. Wang Ping and his sedan chair were searched inside and out. He also had to pay an entrance fee of two large coins. As for the slaves carrying the chair, their masters had already made the necessary arrangements; the city guards only needed to check the numbers on their identity tags, and no entrance fee was required for them.
The sedan chair passed through the main gate and the barbican. The first thing that came into view was a great avenue, five zhang wide. The areas flanking the avenue near the wall were the garrisons of the City Defense Military Department. Farther in were inns and restaurants, and beyond that, various shops.
Hundred Flavors Hall was located at a crossroads in the center of West City. Its sign was clearly visible from the streets to the left, right, front, and back. The nearby streets were filled with horse-drawn carriages, and the white jade plaza in front of its main entrance was packed with sedan chairs.
A throng of people was surging through the main doors. The Chief Shopkeeper Wang Ping was looking for was very busy, and he had to wait in line to see him. The wait lasted for Half an Hour. After Wang Ping handed the Jade Pendant to the Chief Shopkeeper, the man sized him up with a glance, then had an assistant lead Wang Ping toward the back courtyard.
