"Automata... Scripture?" Xue Qiming smacked his lips thoughtfully. "Is it about mechanisms?"
Rao Shuang cast an almost imperceptible glance at Tang Jinnian but remained silent.
Tang Jinnian nodded calmly as he flipped through the pages. "Indeed, it’s a treatise on mechanisms. This book contains methods for crafting various puppets, from large creations like birds and beasts to small ones like fish and insects. Everything is recorded within."
Ye Beizhi and the others listened quietly to Tang Jinnian without stepping forward to look at the book in his hands, they all understood the unspoken rules of the jianghu. They knew better than to overstep boundaries since Tang Jinnian had openly displayed the Automata Scripture.
Only Xue Niang seemed unconcerned about such matters. She climbed onto a stool and peered over Tang Jinnian’s shoulder to look at the book, her eyes shining brightly as she occasionally let out an exclamation of surprise.
"This, this is that big bird from the other day!" Xue Niang pointed to the page Tang Jinnian had just turned to.
Tang Jinnian’s expression darkened. Remembering something unpleasant, he shot a fierce glare at Xue Qiming.
Xue Qiming awkwardly rubbed his nose, picked Xue Niang up, and said, "What’s so interesting about a bigger bird? It was nothing much."
At this moment, Tang Jinnian continued, "The final section of this book records the creation of puppets forged with a Transcendence Stone as the core. It is said that once completed, these puppets can speak, move independently, and are indistinguishable from real people...
"But no one has ever seen one, so whether it’s true remains unknown. Originally, I sought out the Transcendence Stone to test it myself, but... alas." As he spoke, Tang Jinnian glanced at Baili Gucheng with a somewhat resentful expression.
Baili Gucheng gritted his teeth and was about to bow deeply, but Tang Jinnian quickly stepped aside. "Don’t bother with that. I’ll remember this favor well, Impending Sword. You owe me big."
Baili Gucheng cupped his fists solemnly at Tang Jinnian. "I will repay this favor in the future!"
Yang Lu made a move to get out of bed and express her gratitude, but Tang Jinnian stopped her. "Let’s keep things separate. This favor is his debt to me... It has nothing to do with you."
Alluring Elegy felt like she was in an awkward position after hearing Tang Jinnian's decisiveness.
"If that book is about mechanisms, where does alchemy come into play?" Chi Nanwei asked with some confusion.
Tang Jinnian gave her a casual glance and said, "I'm about to get to that... When the author of this book mentioned the Transcendence Stone, it seems they casually wrote down its uses as well.
"This method of alchemy comes from there. They detailed the required equipment, precise temperature, extraction methods, and so on... and, of course, all those strange names. I don't know whether the author actually tested the Transcendence Stone or not... However, it doesn’t seem like a fabrication."
"Then what exactly is happening to us now?"
Baili Gucheng, hearing that they were getting to the point, grew anxious.
"I drank the dregs of the medicine and my damaged meridians have completely healed, but my martial strength is utterly gone. Yang Lu was revived immediately even though she was gravely injured. Why does she have no inner qi either?"
Tang Jinnian spread his hands. "I have no idea. No one’s used it before, so how would I know?"
As he spoke, another loud boom echoed from afar, interrupting the conversation in the room.
The room fell into silence.
After a long silence, Ye Beizhi was the first to speak. "Now that this matter is settled, we should leave."
Fang Dingwu stood up as well, following Ye Beizhi’s words. "As long as we’re alive, there’s always hope. Like Brother Ye said, the most urgent task now is to leave this trouble behind... It's possible that Liangzhou may not hold. The Northern Qiang army outside the city is aggressive, things will be different from the minor skirmishes of a few days ago."
Tang Jinnian let out a cold snort. "Leaving the city is easy. The south wall has the fewest guards. We can fight our way out if we must. The problem is, where do we go after that?"
The group exchanged uneasy glances.
It was Xue Qiming who finally spoke. "Hmm... I probably won’t be traveling with you. Xue Niang still has family in Miaojiang. I plan to take her back and see the world for myself while I’m at it." Xue Niang glanced up at Xue Qiming quietly, saying nothing.
Tang Jinnian sneered. "I’d wager no one wants to travel with a beggar like you," he mocked sarcastically. "No matter where you all go, I’m heading home. After all this running around, I thought I’d gain something, but instead, I’ve lost everything.
"I didn’t forge a single new puppet and even lost the Transcendence Stone. Don’t think I’ll forget this!" As he spoke, Tang Jinnian pointed angrily at Ye Beizhi and Xue Qiming. "Each of you destroyed one of my puppets. I’ll make sure to settle this with you both eventually."
Hearing Tang Jinnian say he was going home, Rao Shuang opened her mouth to speak but Tang Jinnian continued speaking before she was able to speak up.
"You’re coming back with me. I haven’t given you permission to leave, so you can’t."
"Then," Rao Shuang stammered, "Then... What about my fan?"
"I’ll return it when I’m done playing with it," Tang Jinnian replied impatiently, waving her off.
Baili Gucheng listened silently to the others. When he looked up, he found everyone staring at him.
Tang Jinnian asked, "And you? The North Watching Pass is gone. I suppose there’s no need for you to return to those ruins, right? So where are you going?"
Baili Gucheng was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "No... I still want to go back and take another look."
Even Xue Qiming frowned at this and couldn’t help saying, "What kind of joke is this? Without your martial abilities, it's questionable if you can make it there... that place is at war! Have you lost your mind too?"
Baili Gucheng shook his head. "I’ve thought it through." His tone was resolute.
"Unbelievable." Xue Qiming waved his hand dismissively. "Whatever. It’s none of my business anyway. Do as you please."
Suddenly, Baili Gucheng felt a warm, soft hand slip into his palm. Turning around, he found Yang Lu smiling at him.
"I’ll go with you," she said.
Baili Gucheng furrowed his brow and was about to refuse when Alluring Elegy interrupted his train of thought. "
What’s this? You followed me to the capital, but I can’t follow you home?"
Baili Gucheng opened his mouth but found himself speechless.
Ye Beizhi had been quietly sitting by the window, listening to their discussion. Suddenly, Chi Nanwei approached him and gently tugged at his sleeve, her voice soft and tinged with expectation. "Dummy... so, where are we... no, where are you planning to take me?"
Ye Beizhi froze, momentarily unable to react.
Fang Dingwu, seeing Ye Beizhi’s dazed expression, grew impatient on his behalf. He strode forward, grabbed Ye Beizhi by the shoulders, and shook him while almost shouting, "Brother! My sister’s asking you a question! Where are you planning to take us?"
Chi Nanwei was stunned by what Fang Dinwu had said in more ways than one... She had indeed forgotten to include Fang Dingwu earlier.
Ye Beizhi snapped out of it, staring blankly at the pair of blades hanging from Fang Dingwu’s waist. Slowly, he decided, "Xuanfeng Valley."
As soon as those words left his mouth, the room fell silent. Those who knew the place stared at Ye Beizhi in surprise, while those who didn’t were simply confused.
Take Chi Nanwei, for instance. She asked curiously, "Xuanfeng Valley? Where is that? And why are we going there?"
These three questions summed up what everyone in the room wanted to ask.
But Ye Beizhi didn’t answer. He simply laid a slip of paper on the table.
Outside the window, a messenger hawk with a red cord around its neck spread its wings and soared into the sky.