Heavenly Craft

Lianshan Xin watched the entire process of silencing a witness. Involuntarily, he took a step back. The unspoken understanding among these three terrified him. "Brother Lianshan, don't be afraid. You're not like him." As if Tian Ji had eyes in the back of his head, he paid no heed to Lin Xiangwen, who had died with his eyes wide open, and instead immediately consoled Lianshan Xin. "This fellow knew too much. He had to die. You don't know nearly as much, and you're far smarter than him." Steadying his mind, Lianshan Xin began integrating himself into their circle. As peers at the level of Nine Heavens young masters, they needed common ground. "It seems Brother Tian and Lady Zhuo both harbor lofty ambitions in coming to Jiangzhou," Lianshan Xin remarked. Tian Ji burst into hearty laughter. "See? Didn't I say Brother Lianshan was far cleverer than that guy?" Zhuo Biyu nodded as well. "Madwoman Qi, this new Chosen Son of Heaven you've cultivated is far better than the dozens before him." Qi Shiyun's expression shifted slightly. She had not yet told Lianshan Xin that she had already picked ninety Chosen Sons of Heaven before him. Fortunately, she observed Lianshan Xin's face and noticed he did not seem surprised. Qi Shiyun swiftly changed the subject. "How did you two get here so fast?" Zhuo Biyu explained, "We flew here from Shenjing." Lianshan Xin was startled. "Flew from Shenjing to Jiangzhou? Can a Grandmaster sustain aerial flight for that long?" Wasn't that a bit too exaggerated? "Of course a Grandmaster couldn't. It's because Lord Heavenly Craft achieved a breakthrough in mechanism craft. From now on, no matter how remote a corner of Great Yu's Nineteen Provinces may be, a round trip to Shenjing takes at most three days. His Majesty was overjoyed and bestowed upon Lord Heavenly Craft the title of marquis. From this day forth, Lord Heavenly Craft is Marquis Mo." "Lord Heavenly Craft achieved a breakthrough in mechanism craft?" Qi Shiyun's eyes lit up. Lianshan Xin was deeply shaken as well. Anyone knew that a dynasty's governing power depended heavily on the capital's control over regional territories. In ancient times, transportation was always a key obstacle hindering feudal dynasties from expanding their frontiers. Even if a territory was conquered, governing it effectively proved nearly impossible. But with "airplanes," everything changed. Imperial authority would radiate to the borderlands, bringing a qualitative transformation to Great Yu's rule. "It hasn't reached the point of replicating the flying dharma treasures from the golden age of cultivating immortality a thousand years ago, but the mechanical bird Lord Heavenly Craft crafted requires only a wisp of true qi to power it. It can complete a round trip between Shenjing and Jiangzhou in a single day, which is already a tremendous breakthrough," Zhuo Biyu said. Qi Shiyun nodded in deep agreement. "Lord Heavenly Craft's merit will endure for centuries. Conferring only the title of marquis strikes me as too little—he should have been made a duke." "His Majesty originally intended to make him a duke, but Lord Heavenly Craft declined, accepting only the rank of marquis while making a request of His Majesty." "What request?" "To step down from his post and yield the seat to someone worthy, so he could focus entirely on researching mechanism craft." When Tian Ji said this, Qi Shiyun and Lianshan Xin were both taken aback. Qi Shiyun asked with concern, "Did His Majesty agree?" "Of course. Marquis Mo retired after achieving crowning merit. How could His Majesty refuse?" "Which means there is an empty seat among the Nine Heavens right now?" "Correct." "No wonder you came to Jiangzhou." One of the Nine Heavens was unquestionably a figure of monumental importance across both the court and the land. Some were indifferent to fame and fortune, viewing the post as a shackle. But far more people chased fame and clawed for power, desperate to rise to the top. "We're all still young. We're not qualified to vie for the seat that just opened up. But for the three seats opening in five years, we might stand a chance. Right now, headquarters is utter chaos; staying there means being forced to take a side. Better to head out, rack up merits, and build seniority." Tian Ji hid nothing, for this was hardly a secret to begin with. "Besides you two, who else came?" Qi Shiyun asked. Tian Ji wore an odd look. "As far as I know, everyone who didn't want to wade into muddy waters and take sides has left Shenjing. As for whether they came to Jiangzhou, I can only confirm that the Blind Man is here. The whereabouts of the others are uncertain." "The Blind Man came to Jiangzhou too? Then the others probably did as well." Qi Shiyun's expression turned grave. "Looks like everyone has set their sights on this juicy piece of meat, Jiangzhou." Zhuo Biyu said indifferently, "Headquarters discovered that the Demon Cult has laid extensive groundwork in Jiangzhou. On top of that, a hidden Great Grandmaster rescued Thousand Faces from under Lord Heavenly Sword's blade, so sending reinforcements was only natural. If Thousand Faces is captured, all is well. If not... Jiangzhou's officialdom and jianghu are in immense trouble. When our Nine Heavens take action, we never come away empty-handed." Lianshan Xin understood. They didn't have the courage to capture Thousand Faces. Yet under the pretext of hunting Thousand Faces, their nerve to sweep across Jiangzhou's officialdom and jianghu was not only present, but brazenly vast. In that case, he had to adjust his own strategy. He couldn't focus too much on Thousand Faces. That was Zhang Aniu's headache. What he needed to focus on were Thousand Faces's partisans and the Demon Cult's heretics. Like Zeng Ningbing, and like Mingren's sister. "Tanhua Qi, you arrived in Jiangzhou before us. Over the coming days, please provide intelligence support," Tian Ji offered, cupping his hands proactively. Qi Shiyun nodded. "As it should be. What are your plans next?" Tian Ji replied, "'Long captive in a cage, now back to nature once again.' As a newcomer to the jianghu, I naturally have to savor Jiangzhou's martial world. After greeting you, I'll set up a fortune-telling stall on the streets of Jiangzhou and take a good look at this grand city." Qi Shiyun warned him, "Tread carefully. You fortune-tellers always speak the blunt truth, which easily gets you beaten." Tian Ji gave a sly grin. "I anticipated that long ago. That's why I started cultivating external hardening arts ten years ago—just to prepare for that day." Qi Shiyun was left speechless. "Zhuo Biyu, what about you?" "Naturally, I'll follow Master's orders. Master finds me far handier to use than you anyway. Qi Shiyun, now that I'm here, you can go attend to your own business." Zhuo Biyu was considered the orthodox successor of the Heavenly Sword lineage... well, not entirely orthodox. Qi Shiyun quipped, "Lord Heavenly Sword might not even want to see a rebellious disciple like you." A Great Grandmaster of the sword teaching a disciple who practiced the saber was practically tarnishing the Heavenly Sword's reputation. It was only because Zhang Aniu was broad-minded enough; otherwise, he would have expelled Zhuo Biyu from the sect long ago. "Fine. Since you're here, cleaning up after Lin Xiangwen is in your hands." Qi Shiyun immediately washed her hands of the matter. "Who would have thought he actually knew where Thousand Faces was hiding? Thousand Faces was far too careless." "Indeed. A titan of the demonic path, yet so sloppy?" Tian Ji also frowned. Zhuo Biyu spoke in a crisp voice, "Don't worry. I'll do my best to keep Master from learning Thousand Faces's whereabouts." *Good grief,* Lianshan Xin thought. A disciple came all the way to Jiangzhou just to filter out every shred of useful information from Zhang Aniu, was that it? He saw it clearly now: these young masters of the Nine Heavens were dead set on inflating Jiangzhou's pie to astronomical proportions, and then devouring every last bite themselves. "Then are we formally allied?" "Agreed." "Excellent." Lianshan Xin watched helplessly as the three sealed their wicked alliance. Night descended. The young masters had arrived, and darkness was upon them!