Lin Qinghe watched the retreating figures of Qi Yuan and Shen Lingfeng, a helpless expression in his eyes.
"Someone, issue a wanted notice to arrest the criminal Fang Shisan of the Radiant Society."
Jining Prefecture had a yamen, but within the yamen, the imperial court's decree carried less weight than a word from the Heavenly Sect.
In fact, anyone who wished to serve as commandery governor of Fengshan Commandery had to obtain the Heavenly Sect's approval first.
The Shen family was already an influential clan of great prestige in Fengshan Commandery, not to mention that Shen Lingxuan was a true disciple of the Heavenly Sect.
Lin Qinghe still had to give face to Shen Lingfeng.
"Understood, Chief!" the other constables answered with a nod.
***
Night fell. Smug satisfaction gleamed in Shen Baiting's eyes. "My performance today was quite decent. If I put in a little more effort and make it to Yeshan Lake... my standing in the Shen family will soar!"
Today, the Shen family had assembled many of the younger generation from both the main and branch branches to identify those with talent as implement masters, selecting candidates to go to Yeshan Lake for the implement masters' convention.
"Still, my talent... is a bit lacking compared to Shen Baihu and the others... I'll need some underhanded moves outside the board." Shen Baiting was thinking of giving bribes.
His talent was decent, but he wasn't among the elite.
He lagged far behind Shen Baihu in particular.
"Originally, bribing to edge Shen Baihu out of his spot made me feel a pang of guilt, but... since he went and told that matrilocal husband what I said to him, my conscience is clear!"
Shen Baiting muttered to himself, acting every bit like a whore trying to erect an arch of chastity.
"And that matrilocal husband..." Intense murderous intent rose in Shen Baiting's eyes.
That bastard had been so aggressive and overbearing that Shen Baiting was fuming with rage.
"Did you really think I wouldn't dare bully you?"
"If it were dead of night with no one around, I'd make sure you learn that I'm not someone to be trifled with!"
Shen Baiting muttered under his breath inside his room.
He was very confident; he had plenty of ways to teach Qi Yuan a lesson and still emerge looking like the victim afterward.
"What? You've finally caught on and want to bully me?"
Right at that moment, a figure who had been listening at the base of the wall pushed the door wide open, leaning halfway into Shen Baiting's room with a delighted grin.
At the sight of the intruder, Shen Baiting's eyes went wide with disbelief.
"Qi... Qi Yuan, what are you doing here?!" Shen Baiting's expression shifted wildly.
How did this Qi Yuan pop up out of nowhere like a rat?
"I'm waiting for you to bully me!" Qi Yuan beamed smugly. "I heard you say... you wanted to bully me. So here I am!"
To complete his roleplay task, he was giving it everything.
"You misheard! I never said that!" Shen Baiting frantically denied.
He was utterly speechless.
How could someone eavesdrop when he was merely talking to himself in the middle of the night?
"I heard it. You were talking to yourself. Let me share a little tip with you: talking to yourself is a bad habit; I usually just think things in my head," Qi Yuan remarked, then added another thought.
Actually, thinking in one's head wasn't safe either, because he could hear heart-voices.
Shen Baiting stared at Qi Yuan and glanced outside. Seeing no other silhouettes, his eyes flickered. "You came alone?"
"Yeah, all by myself. Didn't you just say that late at night, in a secluded spot... you could bully me?" Qi Yuan's face was full of anticipation.
Failing to pour bathwater for his mother-in-law had seemed like a dead end, but every cloud had a silver lining—now he could get bullied.
The corner of Shen Baiting's mouth twitched, completely lost for words. Seeing that no one was around, his courage grew.
"Are you actually mad, or are you just faking it?" Shen Baiting asked, his gaze turning icy.
"I'm not mad!" Qi Yuan answered earnestly.
Shen Baiting scrutinized Qi Yuan, practically certain that something was wrong with this man's head.
Otherwise, why would he come to Shen Baiting's courtyard begging to be bullied?
More importantly, coming alone—he truly had no fear of death.
"You really want me to bully you?" Shen Baiting lowered his voice.
He could sense no one else nearby.
"Yes!"
Hearing this response, Shen Baiting concluded that Qi Yuan had lost his mind.
A wave of jealousy flared within him. Why should a useless waste like this get to marry a peerless darling of heaven like Shen Lingxuan?
"Come on, let's step outside to talk!" Shen Baiting steeled his heart.
The courtyard he lived in was standalone and rather secluded.
The conversation between him and Qi Yuan just now had certainly gone unheard.
Before long, Qi Yuan followed Shen Baiting out into the yard.
Shen Baiting's courtyard was spacious, even featuring a small pond.
The pond was blanketed with emerald lotus leaves, tender lotus seed pods, and dense clusters of duckweed—decent feed for pigs.
Shen Baiting stood by the edge of the pond, countless thoughts racing through his mind, a look of mock pity crossing his face. "Qi Yuan... you shouldn't have crossed me."
"I didn't cross you."
"Even before you lost your mind, you were no match for me, to say nothing of after..." Shen Baiting sneered with contempt.
He had already planned how he would thrash Qi Yuan while framing himself as the victim.
As he spoke, he reached out and clamped his fingers viciously into Qi Yuan's waist.
"Didn't you want me to bully you?"
With that pinch, he secretly channeled hidden force. This insidious technique had been imparted to him by an expert; it was exceedingly mysterious, leaving injuries that not even an Earth-rank weapon wielder could detect.
He showed no mercy against Qi Yuan.
This surge of hidden force would cause sharp pain at first, then lie dormant within Qi Yuan's body, gradually tearing it apart from the inside.
Back in the branch family, he had possessed an older cousin whose talent was extraordinary, inciting intense jealousy in Shen Baiting.
That cousin had always looked after him, even sharing resources bestowed by the main family.
Shen Baiting's jealousy had grown wildly until, under the guise of sparring, he secretly struck this bizarre hidden force into his cousin's body.
Over the course of roughly two years, his cousin's health deteriorated day by day until he was no longer able to cultivate, even ending up crippled in one leg.
The cousin had never once suspected Shen Baiting, and had even handed over all his saved resources to Shen Baiting for free, hoping Shen Baiting would lead the branch family to greater heights.
"Now... is that enough?"
He pinched hard at Qi Yuan's waist, a triumphant smirk spreading across his face.
Then, his body jerked backward, plunging straight into the pond.
He had already prepared his excuse.
The matrilocal husband Qi Yuan had come looking for trouble in the dead of night; he had not dared offend him, taking Qi Yuan's beating and abuse, only to be pushed into the pond in the end.
Now, all he had to do was scream at the top of his lungs to draw everyone over.
The perfect victim achieved.
Yet, after splashing into the pond, just as he opened his mouth to shout, he discovered to his horror that no sound would leave his throat.
By the water's edge, the handsome young man looked down at him, utterly exasperated. "Your bullying is... way too pathetic. A pinch like that had zero force behind it."
Matrilocal husband Qi Yuan stood with hands on his hips, completely unbothered.
"I didn't expect you to not only be such a green tea bitch, but also a member of the Radiant Society. Could it be that everyone in the Radiant Society specializes in harem intrigue?"
When Shen Baiting had pinched him with that hidden force, Qi Yuan's eyes had read information revealing its connection to the Radiant Society—it was the Radiant Society's specialized Light-Dark Force.
In the pond, Shen Baiting's eyes bulged with disbelief.
"You were... feigning madness?"
He tried to speak, but his voice came out as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
"How am I mad? Have you ever seen a madman as handsome as me?"
Qi Yuan stretched lazily.
"Who... are you?!" Shen Baiting wheezed, his throat feeling as though it had been slit.
He vaguely sensed that the person before him was not Qi Yuan at all. He wanted to plead for mercy, to invoke the Radiant Society.
Unfortunately, Qi Yuan gave him no opportunity to speak.
"Tonight's trip wasn't a total loss. At least... you truly did bully me!"
Qi Yuan cast a calm glance at Shen Baiting, who was thrashing soundlessly in the pond. "Did you think that just because everyone was on your side, you were in the right?"
"Sorry, but around here, strength reigns supreme."
"A Qi Refinement ant slandering a Purple Mansion cultivator is practically begging for death!"
"Besides, I'm playing a madman. Madmen aren't held criminally liable for murder!"
Qi Yuan vanished.
He came quietly and departed quietly, drawing no one's attention.
In the pond, Shen Baiting struggled desperately, but it was utterly futile; he could not even produce a splash in the water.
In the end, he slowly sank to the bottom of the pond.
***
"Thirty percent! I actually unlocked the Heart of Implement Crafting."
When his progress in playing the matrilocal husband Qi Yuan reached thirty percent, Qi Yuan acquired one of the original husband's abilities: the Heart of Implement Crafting.
Qi Yuan had heard of the Heart of Implement Crafting before.
To become an implement master in this world required innate talent.
The Heart of Implement Crafting was a unique form of talent. Anyone possessing it gained an extra five-percent success rate when refining any implement.
It sounded ordinary, but in truth, it was terrifying.
In this world, the success rate of crafting implements was not very high. Even an Earth-rank implement master crafting a Mystic-rank dharma implement had a success rate below fifty percent.
An extra five-percent boost was tremendous.
"So that means I'm now qualified to study the way of implement crafting?" Qi Yuan mused. "Looks like I'll have to forge a drone. If I could forge Shen Lingxuan into a drone, that would be amazing. Then I could ride her into battle, and people would think I'm Divine Descent!"
Qi Yuan let his imagination run wild.
Having been bullied tonight, Qi Yuan ate an extra steamed bun from Chen Kangbao's stash. Chen Kangbao grumbled endlessly in protest.
However, Qi Yuan did not head out again that night, nor did he stake out his mother-in-law to dump her bathwater.
Now that his progress was past thirty percent, he had to pace himself.
A major task like the mother-in-law had to be saved for when it truly mattered.
***
The next day, not long after Qi Yuan woke up, an uninvited guest arrived in the courtyard.
"Brother-in-law, hurry! Father and Mother found a teacher for you!"
Shen Lingfeng dashed in briskly. Behind him followed a rigid, middle-aged man whose hair was combed immaculately, clothes arranged without a single wrinkle, and small mustache trimmed with strict symmetry.
He looked like a man obsessed with perfect alignment.
"A teacher?" Qi Yuan and Chen Kangbao stepped outside, a look of confusion on Qi Yuan's face.
"This is Chen Xianwei, a Mystic-rank implement master of our Shen family!" Shen Lingfeng introduced. "Father wants you to have something productive to do so you don't bring shame to your father's reputation."
"Oh... all right." Qi Yuan hesitated for a moment before accepting.
He was currently roleplaying matrilocal husband Qi Yuan; perhaps learning implement crafting would advance his progress as well.
Besides, he was somewhat intrigued by implement masters and wanted to see this mysterious discipline for himself.
Chen Xianwei glanced at Qi Yuan with a calm gaze, but when his eyes fell on Chen Kangbao and took in his slovenly appearance, his brow furrowed tightly.
He could not help reaching out to adjust the bun sticking out of Chen Kangbao's mouth. "When you eat, chew evenly on both sides! What's the point of chewing only on the left?"
Chen Kangbao froze.
Shen Lingfeng leaned in close to Qi Yuan. "Brother-in-law, Implement Master Chen is... very rigid. He likes everything neat and symmetrical."
*Ah, OCD.*
Qi Yuan understood immediately.
A flurry of ideas popped into his head, and he could not resist asking, "Teacher Chen, when you take a leak, does your stream split? If it splits, does it stay neat and symmetrical on both sides?"
Back on Blue Star, Qi Yuan knew many people with OCD.
In fact, he had always wanted to ask them all kinds of questions.
Presented with the opportunity today, he asked right away.
Hearing this, Chen Xianwei's mustache twitched, and the corners of his mouth spasmed.
"Teacher Chen, don't twitch! Your mustache isn't aligned anymore!"
"You..." Chen Xianwei hastily smoothed down his mustache, casting a resentful glare at Qi Yuan, his heart aching with misery.
With so many implement masters in the Shen estate, why did Chen Xianwei have to be the one to teach a madman how to craft implements?
Was this not pure torment?
After a quarter of an hour, Chen Xianwei took out an assortment of strange, bizarre objects.
Sitting on a pearwood chair, he spoke with a solemn expression: "In ancient times, when chaos first parted, the early ancestors emerged from the great mountains. They fashioned stone tools and iron implements, building a brilliant civilization."
To study the way of implements, one needed to know the origin of the craft.
Normally, Chen Xianwei would not mention such things when teaching others.
However, when teaching a madman, there was no need to delve into obscure, profound theories; telling mythical lore surrounding the way of implements was much more appropriate.
"How did ordinary stone tools and iron implements transform from mundane objects into magical dharma implements?" Qi Yuan asked.
Ordinary stone tools existed on Blue Star as well.
Yet the implements of this world possessed supernatural qualities.
Chen Xianwei nodded and continued, "However... guiling descended, corroding the world. Holding mere mortal iron, how could the ancestors battle the guiling?
"Right at that moment, implement arts descended from the heavens beyond, falling into the Great Realm. Only then could we rely on diverse dharma implements to fight the guiling!
"Implement masters harness the essence of mountains and rivers and the brilliance of the sun and moon, melting and hammering them to create supreme dharma implements that can transform heaven and earth and move mountains to fill the seas!"
Mentioning this, Chen Xianwei sighed with deep emotion.
"According to the records of the *Secret Essentials of Origin*, before dharma implements existed, our world was nearly overrun by guiling, turning into a playground for them!"
Qi Yuan listened attentively to the background lore of this game.
The origin of dharma implements actually involved the heavens beyond.
"Is anyone in our world in contact with the heavens beyond right now?" Qi Yuan could not help asking.
Chen Xianwei shook his head. "Such information is not something a mere Mystic-rank weapon wielder like me could know. If one day you reach the rank of Heaven-rank weapon wielder and step out of the Qingshan Realm into the Great Realm, perhaps you might find out."
This realm was called the Qingshan Realm, located in the Chaotic Star Domain—a small realm.
Above the small realm lay the Great Realm.
"It's far too early to speak of such things with you. If you can actually become an implement master, I'd probably be considered a legendary master teacher!" Chen Xianwei remarked with a sigh, finding humor in his misfortune.
"Come, let us continue with the history of implement masters..."
Indeed, he planned to teach history for a while.
After all, who knew what disasters might occur if a madman started crafting implements?
"Teacher Chen, does implement crafting require exotic flames?" Qi Yuan asked.
On television, alchemists needed exotic flames; what about implement crafting?
Chen Xianwei gave Qi Yuan a surprised look. "To craft implements, an implement master requires heart fire.
"The stronger your will and the higher your talent, the more vigorous your heart fire will be.
"That should be enough for today's lesson. Here is an introductory manual for implement crafting. Study it carefully on your own, and I will explain more to you tomorrow."
With that, Chen Xianwei tossed the introductory manual to Qi Yuan and hurried away.
In the room, Qi Yuan took the book titled *Basic Implement Crafting Methods* and flipped through it carefully.
"This..." Qi Yuan was astonished. "This and the implement crafting methods of the Tian Clan... seem to share the exact same origin!"
Chapter 496