Xinxiang rat clutched a person and gnawed, with a crisp crack, it bit open the little doll’s head, but nearly broke its big teeth. It was then that it noticed the doll was made of porcelain, not flesh and blood.
However, the porcelain doll’s head was bitten open, and it perished on the spot.
As for that porcelain doll whose Golden Core was devoured, it too lost its life, its body lying right there.
Only one porcelain doll managed to escape and save its life.
This porcelain doll fled to the post road, braving the risk of being trampled to death or crushed by carts. It endured great hardships and finally reached the middle of the road, glimpsing a carriage rushing by. It leaped up, grabbed the axle of the carriage, and amidst violent jolting, the carriage headed towards the provincial city.
Upon arriving in the provincial city, the porcelain doll did not wait for the carriage to stop before letting go and falling to the ground. It heard a crisp ’ding’ sound from under its foot, its face dramatically changed, and it hastily lifted its foot to see a crack on the sole of its left foot.
The porcelain doll hobbled into the shadows of an alley nearby.
After a long while, it crawled to a store window, holding a wooden plaque.
There were words on the plaque.
"I am Zhao family’s Second Miss from Xuanying Mansion, inform my father, Zhao Yanlong, there is a heavy reward!"
It was not long before people spotted this scene, and more and more onlookers gathered.
The porcelain doll’s eyes were filled with tears. It was indeed Zhao Second Miss who had been tricked into the kiln factory by Chen Shi.
During these days, it had lived through days like years in the kiln factory, avoiding the pursuit of kiln workers while hoping for the Zhao family to send rescue. However, help was slow in coming. Its companions dwindled by the day, either caught by kiln workers to throw into the kiln for cremation or captured by wild beasts when they ventured out.
Zhao Second Miss, a determined sort, decided not to sit still and die. She convinced the other porcelain dolls to follow her to the provincial city, to actively seek the Zhao family.
The other porcelain dolls were persuaded by her, and they left the kiln factory together.
This departure turned into an epic and magnificent journey.
They scaled high mountains, crossed great rivers, battled fierce beasts, avoided giants, and their companions gradually withered away, dying on the way to the provincial city.
By luck, Zhao Second Miss survived and finally arrived in the provincial city.
In Xuanying Mansion of the Zhao family, Zhao Yanlong and his wife sat on Taishi Chairs. The wife lifted her handkerchief to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes, crying to Zhao Second Lady, "You’ve suffered, my dear child! Lord, you must seek justice for Minrou!"
Zhao Second Lady was an external title. Her name was Zhao Minrou.
Zhao Yanlong’s expression was unchanged. Having found this daughter, he had called for experts in the house to try and undo Zhao Minrou’s porcelain form, but regrettably, her porcelain form was too deep-set to revert.
Although Zhao Yanlong loved this daughter, he could only accept it.
"Minrou, did that Cheng Shi lure you into the kiln factory in the mountains, turning you into this?"
Zhao Yanlong’s eyes flickered as he said, "Describe that kiln factory in detail."
Zhao Minrou took a fine brush and began writing and drawing on paper. After a moment, Zhao Yanlong picked up the paper and examined it closely, a smile gradually appearing on his face.
"Madam, Minrou has done a great service."
He cradled Zhao Minrou in his palm, smiling, "The kiln factory Minrou mentioned must be the one producing burial porcelain for True King’s Tomb. If we locate that place, we can find the clues to True King’s Tomb! Minrou, did you see in that kiln factory a porcelain statue with eight arms and four heads? Were those kiln workers melting you and others to repair the body of this statue?"
Zhao Yanlong laughed heartily: "This four-headed, eight-armed porcelain statue must be the origin of the Ghost God Domain. Judging by the repairs to the statue, the origin has been damaged. This is a heaven-sent opportunity for our Zhao family! True King’s Tomb is virtually in our hands! Minrou, rest assured, your father will definitely avenge you!"
Soon, a servant brought some documents, saying, "Master, all the information about the people of Huangpo Village is here."
Zhao Yanlong skimmed through them briefly, then took Zhao Minrou to the backyard. There, an old man with white hair was vigorously writing under a pavilion, which had various talismans and talismanic scripts hanging from its eaves.
Country talismans tended to be simple in structure, but the talismans drawn by this old man were extremely complex.
The so-called talisman refers to symbolic writings of magic skills, mostly based on patterns with few texts.
The so-called script refers to the titles of gods and demons, mainly mysterious texts with few patterns.
The so-called seal refers to the language of gods and demons recorded, often possessing incredible power.
Mastering any one of these three could make one quite renowned among talisman masters. Some spend their entire lives studying and still might not master even one.
The contents written by this white-haired old man included talismans, scripts, and seals, all of which were exquisitely complex and contained immense power!
"Uncle, I would like you to take action and go to the countryside to kill a grandfather and grandson."
The old man with white hair looked up, his aura suddenly becoming immensely terrifying, "Who?"
"Huangpo Village, Chen Shi, Chen Yindou!"
"I’ll be back soon; save dinner for me."
Zhao Yanlong watched as the white-haired old man left. He knew this uncle was the person with the highest realm and strongest power in Xuanying Mansion. If not for his love of home, the position of Master of Xuanying Mansion would not have fallen to his old father, and he would not have been able to inherit the position of Master of Xuanying Mansion.
"Uncle’s going there will surely be successful, and it also counts as avenging Minrou! I should also prepare to go and search for True King’s Tomb." His heart swelled with eagerness.
The old man named Zhao Cunyi moved very swiftly. By evening, he had reached Huangpo Village. Despite having hurried along the way, he was still poised and at ease, his demeanor leisurely and carefree. As he walked through the village, he politely asked the villagers for directions to Chen Shi’s house.
Though his hair was gray and white, his body was robust, his steps steady. Even after traveling over three hundred li from the provincial city to the countryside, he showed no signs of fatigue.