The Blade-Wielding Legend-Chapter 1394 - 719: Sui Lun True Monarch (Part 2)

"This is the 'heart' of the Divine Artifact!"

Yuan Feng explained, "We shall use the Mystical Sect Secret Technique of 'Charging' to enshrine it within the True Monarch Golden Body."

"By Your Majesty's sacred decree, the True Monarch's divine status has been established in the National Ancestral Temple, enjoying the grand ceremonies of national tributes! Henceforth, every province, government, and county that establishes factories and forges machines must erect a 'True Monarch Temple.' Seasonal festival rituals, animal and wine offerings, the whole populace participates in the worship, there must be no slack!"

As he spoke, a near-maniacal fervor ignited in his eyes once more:

"The great wheel of the Human Dao has been set in motion, the grand momentum is unstoppable! Instead of hesitating and fearing, why not follow the heavens and comply with destiny?! What harm is there in divulging the method of the Divine Artifact to the world?"

"If the artifact benefits the people, wealth will follow, and if people are wealthy, the nation prospers! From today onwards, anywhere in the lands of Great Xuan, as the steam engine roars, it adds one more incense of the Human World to the True Monarch—a divine fuel of the toil and vitality of the populace, transforming into the Qi Fortune of the Divine State... an eternal kindling!"

Seeing Yuan Feng's almost crazed expression, Li Yan felt a chill crawling from his spine to his scalp.

He inexplicably felt as though he had bent the timeline...

......

"Is there really such a bizarre affair?!"

At Rouyuan Posthouse, Sha Lifei clutched his shiny bald head, his eyes wide and round.

After returning to the posthouse and the clamor of the opening ceremony faded away, Li Yan began to narrate everything he had witnessed and heard.

Everyone was shocked and pale at his words.

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard, full of concern: "The fortunes are difficult to fathom, dangers... unpredictable..."

It's no wonder they were worried, even Li Yan felt a fog ahead.

"Enough, enough, what's the point of thinking about all that?"

Sha Lifei shook his head and said, "The court has already laid out the plans, after the opening ceremony all major forces will undoubtedly move, interests lead to grave consequences, we are ultimately people of the pugilistic world and can't intervene, after all, when the sky falls, the big ones will bear the weight."

"By the way, did that Director Yuan agree?"

"Rest assured, he agreed."

Li Yan said firmly, "Tomorrow, we will move to the Academy. Previously, the 'Seeking Immortality' chapter and the steam engine matter involve considerable debts owed by the Academy to us. Your firearm Magic Artifact and other people's Magic Artifacts will be managed by the Academy."

"The required Spiritual Objects, the Academy will be responsible for them, but next time it won't be possible."

"This time will be sufficient, this time will be sufficient!" Sha Lifei responded with glee.

Their crafting of Magic Artifacts using Spiritual Objects would consume quite a bit.

The Academy being able to provide them means no immediate concerns for money.

Beside them, Wang Daoxuan frowned and asked, "What about Zhao Qingxu? Are there any clues?"

Li Yan shook his head, equally puzzled, "He remains unseen."

"I have asked, the steam engine has been guarded by Huo Yin personally at the Academy until it is transported to the National Ancestral Temple, accompanied by experts from the Ancestral Affairs Office and several State Preceptors, along with Sharpshooters from the Captain Bureau—it is airtight."

Lv San pondered, "Could it be false information released by Zhao Qingxu, with an ulterior motive?"

"Perhaps."

Li Yan turned to look out the window and spoke solemnly, "Luo Mingzi and the others have already dispatched people to other Divine Mountains recorded in the 'Seeking Immortality' chapter. Once all things from the 'Immortal Ascension Formation' are extracted, they won't be able to overturn the heavens!"

......

Just as Li Yan expected, the wave stirred by the opening ceremony of the Academy had just begun.

Early the next morning, Li Yan and his group packed their belongings and headed straight for the Academy, while the streets of Beijing were already bustling like boiling water.

"Bang!"

A jolt of awakening wood slammed onto the table in the teahouse, the storyteller spewing words with exuberance: "Word has it that auspicious clouds were swirling at that time, purple aura rising from the east, and Your Majesty sat atop the Immortal Dragon Carriage..."

Below, the crowd surged, with street kids and hawkers huddling together, exchanging rumors caught from various places: "'Fire-breathing Iron Beast'? I heard from the neighbor butcher Zhang, he saw with his own eyes that the Iron Ox Car's eyes spouted sparks, and its belly could swallow a thousand pounds of coal!"

"Oh, who knows what's true or false? But the coal yard contracts skyrocketing yesterday is indeed true! Many wealthy merchants broke their heads to grab... but alas, we're short on cash, otherwise we'd sell our pots and pans to get into it! It's a sure-fire profit!"

"Hmph! What's there to be happy about?"

A man with bleary eyes hummed and muttered, his voice raised, "My uncle works in the Ministry of Industry, insider information! That 'Divine Artifact' can replace hundreds of laborers! The businesses are vying to buy it, will there be any work left for us common folk in the workshops in the future? We'll be living on air!"

This statement brought an abrupt silence, faces looking at one another.

"It... it can't be, right?"

Someone nearby laughed to break the tension, "I'm a kiln burner, brick maker, skilled in the craft. If the bricks aren't solid, they'll spoil in the furnace! And my wife, she works at Jinmen Embroidery Workshop, skilled with needlework, could it be that iron monstrosity will do needle threading?"

"Exactly! The court has gained the treasure, which is meant to stabilize the nation, so why are they competing with us common folks for food?"

"I heard," a dark-skinned man lowered his voice, "the Jinzhou Chamber of Commerce is constructing the 'Iron Ox Car' to run on the 'Divine Path', and they are recruiting worldwide! Working this job, you won't have to worry about food for years!"

"What?! Why didn't you say so earlier, you damn fool!"

"Let's go! Quickly!"

Upon hearing of job opportunities, a few men slammed the table and rushed out of the teahouse like a gust of wind.

In a dim corner of the teahouse, a short street kid sat alone by the window, with a gray cloth cap pulled low, but his ears twitched slightly like a lynx's.

He absorbed those half-true, half-false discussions and noted them silently.

A moment later, he tossed a few copper coins, got up, and left.

Once out of the teahouse, he turned and headed into East City.

East City, adjacent to the Cao Yun Pier, was already a murky pond of mixed elements.

Ever since the leader of the "Iron Anchor Association", Luo Gongseng, lost his head at the vegetable market, this once-mighty behemoth turned into a hornet's nest, descending into chaos in an instant.

The people with some connections in the upper echelons had already packed up and fled far away to other places.

Only a group of red-eyed desperados remained, currently fighting amongst themselves on the long street to seize territory.

"Kill those bastards!"

The curses and screams intertwined, and those usual weasels of the city now couldn't care less about the unwritten rule of "no killing".

Clubs became mere ornaments; bright blades and small axes aimed only for vital points.

Thud! Someone was pierced through the chest and fell into a pool of blood without even groaning.

Splash! The bloody corpse was tossed into the turbid river ditch.

Civilians screamed and fled in fear, while in the distance, the urgent shouts of government officials and chaotic footsteps could be heard...

Watching this bloody chaos, a thick mockery flashed in the eyes of the short street kid, as if watching flies fighting over rot.

He pulled down his cap and slipped sideways into a narrow, dark alley.

This area was home to the poor families of the Capital.

The alley was filled with an indescribable mixed stench—a damp, moldy odor of years, the stench of stale urine, and the pungent, obnoxious smell of small workshops tanning raw hides in the corners, making one's head throb.

Low, dilapidated houses leaned like toppled building blocks, crowded on the muddy paths filled with puddles.

With his head down, the street kid weaved through the web-like narrow alleys.

With each step, he trod through sewage and mire, occasionally sprinkling some colorless powder behind him in vigilance.

A few stray dogs rummaging through garbage sniffed nearby, their fur stood up like hedgehogs, and they ran away with their tails between their legs, howling mournfully.

Finally, he stopped in front of a rundown courtyard overgrown with knee-high wild grass.

Several ragged, vacant-eyed beggars squatted by a collapsed screen wall, boiling stinky water and moldy buns collected from various places in a chipped pot, the stench enough to knock a live person out.

"Get lost!" The street kid covered his mouth and nose, growling in disgust, and tossed out a few copper coins.

The beggars mechanically picked up the copper coins and dragged their makeshift grass mats aside.

Slipping into the backyard woodshed, he listened carefully for a while, confirming no one was around before uncovering a thick, moss-covered cellar door in the corner.

A foul flow mixed with earthy decay and cold dampness surged forth.

The short street kid, without hesitation, flipped like a kite into the darkness.

The narrow tunnel was damp and cold, and in the darkness, he navigated through familiar turns and corners. After roughly the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the path opened up into an underground cavern, which looked like a place where private salt traders had once stored goods.

Under the flickering dim light of the oil lamps, about twenty figures sitting cross-legged were clearly reflected.

Though they wore coarse clothing as Han people, their heads were uniformly shaved in the middle, with "moon topknot" hairstyles, and long, cold rib knives slanting at their waists.

Sharp, fierce eyes swept in unison, like a pack of evil wolves lurking in their den.

The short street kid no longer concealed anything, kneeled, and kowtowed:

"I greet the Dharma Master!"

From the darkened area behind the lights, a cold voice echoed:

"Well, any news of Zhao Qingxu?"