Cupid was looking for him? Zhang Yuanqing's heart sank. He had only just learned from Herasine about the bad blood between "himself" and Cupid, and now he was being summoned.
Especially right after he had bedded his mother's handmaiden and planted the seeds of trouble.
*Sigh, is this the Western equivalent of an illegitimate son being too outstanding and incurring the legitimate son's jealousy?* he thought wryly, trying to find humor in his misery.
Cupid had disliked him for a long time yet had never killed him, clearly wary of his bloodline. Illegitimate or not, he was still an offspring of the Goddess of Beauty.
Helen had mentioned that if the Goddess of Beauty found out an illegitimate son had violated her personal handmaiden, she would at most banish him from Paphos Island—kicking him out of the family, at worst.
Not killing him.
Therefore, Cupid probably wouldn't go so far as to murder him over Helen. Besides, with Paphos Island facing the threat of the God of Light's followers, this was precisely when they needed manpower...
Thinking this, Zhang Yuanqing calmed down.
*Well, Cupid has a mischievous and unruly personality and can't be judged by conventional logic. If push comes to shove, I'll switch to my main account and fight him. But first, let me see what Menia is capable of...*
Zhang Yuanqing silently unleashed Emotional Manipulation, attempting to influence Menia's emotions, only to discover with shock that her emotions were like a solid chunk of iron. No matter how he tried to "grip" them, he couldn't deform them in the slightest.
*Holy shit, she's at least peak Level 8! Even if I switch to my main account, I might not beat her. Pardon my rudeness!*
Zhang Yuanqing's mind cleared instantly, and he put on the humble smile of an illegitimate son.
"Oh, respected Goddess Menia, I'll go see Cupid right away. You haven't told me where he is yet."
Menia replied coldly, "The west garden."
Zhang Yuanqing nodded immediately. After getting his bearings, he headed west.
With her dark green hair, Herasine followed closely behind him, bearing the posture of a devoted wife who would follow him anywhere in life or death.
Unlike her elder brother Amini, who naturally represented "desire," she represented "love" within love and desire.
The castle had several gardens planted with fresh flowers, dotted with fruit trees and artificial pools; the scenery was truly splendid.
The two walked westward along a flagstone-paved path for a short while before arriving at the west garden of the castle. From a distance, they saw a five- or six-year-old child loudly berating several slave overseers.
He had fair skin, chubby cheeks, and large, round, azure eyes, looking exceptionally adorable.
Behind his back, a pair of pure white wings flapped gently, keeping him floating in midair.
He held a small bow in his left hand, while his right hand grasped two arrows—one golden and one lead-gray.
"Kenophen, I said to dig up a hundred baskets of black ore within three days. You failed to complete the task." Cupid stood with hands on his hips, glaring at a slave overseer.
The slave knelt on the ground in utter terror, pleading in defense, "Lord Cupid, the black ore is as hard as the shield in Athena's hand, and we are short on both tools and men... Oh, great Cupid, I'm not trying to make excuses, I... I only beg you for a few more days."
Cupid drifted down, hovering right above the overseer's head. That adorable little face took on a mockery dripping with derision.
"Oh, my slave Kenophen, then please go out to sea and ask the followers of the God of Light whether they are willing to give us time to prepare weapons."
He floated back up and looked at the spear-wielding soldiers nearby. "Cast him out to sea!"
Despair filled the eyes of the overseer named Kenophen. Trembling, he begged, "No, no, please don't! The followers of the God of Light have already blockaded these waters! Anyone who sails out will be killed! Lord Cupid, my wife and children still need me..."
His pleas earned no sympathy from Cupid, and two guards dragged him away.
Cupid turned to look at another slave overseer, smiling. "Halse, where are the fifty catapults? I heard from Eriga that you only finished twenty."
With the previous overseer's fate as a warning, the slave named Halse trembled as he threw himself to the ground. He didn't dare make the slightest excuse, hoping only that Cupid might show some leniency.
Cupid tilted his head, thought for a moment, and suddenly broke into a mischievous grin.
"Halse, I hear you are exceedingly faithful to love and deeply love your wife..."
He glanced at a guard beside him. "Bring a nanny goat over."
The guard hurried off and soon returned leading a white goat with curved horns.
Under Halse's terrified gaze, Cupid nocked a golden arrow, grinning.
"I punish you to betray your love for your wife and fall in love with a goat."
The short golden arrow shot from the bowstring, piercing through Halse's and the goat's hearts in succession. Halse stiffened; though his chest had been pierced, there was no wound and no blood.
However, the way he looked at the nanny goat changed, desire and passionate love intertwining in his eyes.
Thirstily, he unfastened his belt, stripped naked, and pounced toward the goat. The guard laughed heartily and gave the goat a kick.
Startled, the goat fled in terror, and the naked Halse gave chase. Man and goat gradually receded into the distance, vanishing from sight.
"He's simply a monster!" Herasine seemed long accustomed to Cupid's antics. Grasping Amini's hand, she whispered, "My dear Amini, you must not make Cupid angry. Otherwise... otherwise he'll make you fall in love with a goat too."
*The bow and arrows in Cupid's hands are almost certainly high-grade Dominator props, perhaps even rule-based...* Zhang Yuanqing's expression grew gloomy. "My assignment isn't finished either, is it?"
Herasine whispered back, "Of course not! Cupid told you to make two thousand arrows within two days, yet only gave you six craftsmen. It's an impossible task! Lightning crystals are very unstable; they have to be polished with extreme care, or they will explode. That's why the craftsmen are so cautious when polishing the crystals. Making two thousand arrows in two days is completely out of the question."
*Damn it, I'm going to become a goat rider too!* Zhang Yuanqing's heart dropped.
Recalling the strained relationship between Cupid and Amini, it was obvious that Cupid had deliberately made things difficult for him.
—Assigning an impossible task, then seizing the excuse to punish him and settle a personal score under public authority.
*The dungeon's first crisis has arrived...* Zhang Yuanqing's mind raced, contemplating how to weather this storm.
If he were made to fall in love with a nanny goat, he would rather die. No, he would rather Cupid died.
However, Cupid had four full siblings born of the same parents. If a fight broke out, Zhang Yuanqing had no chance of winning, and the S-rank dungeon would immediately end in failure.
Therefore, head-on confrontation was out of the question right now; he could only win by wit.
The third overseer Cupid punished was a handsome young man with long black hair wearing a tunic, carrying a sunny demeanor.
This overseer had several lovers and was very popular with women, so Cupid shot a lead-gray arrow at him, stripping him of the ability to love.
As for the next two slave overseers, one was punished by having to surrender his beautiful daughter, while the other was punished by having his wife fall in love with someone else.
Once he finished dealing with the slave overseers, Cupid finally turned his gaze toward Zhang Yuanqing and Herasine.
"Oh, Amini, the embodiment of justice on Paphos Island. Pray tell, are you satisfied with the punishments I just handed down?"
Herasine looked at Amini nervously.
Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath, stepped forward, and bowed.
"Great Lord Cupid, your punishments are fair and just. I have no objections."
Before actually seeing Cupid, Zhang Yuanqing had considered bowing obsequiously to resolve their feud. But after witnessing Cupid's behavior, he silently abandoned that thought.
On the one hand, given Cupid's vicious temperament, yielding might not even work. On the other hand, he would never bow to evil men.
Even so, he still chose to yield on the surface.
Hearing this, Herasine let out a massive sigh of relief.
Cupid put his hands on his hips and laughed loudly. "Ah, the God of Justice of Paphos Island, where have your courage and righteousness gone? I liked you better the way you were before."
The surrounding guards chuckled along.
Immediately, his chubby, adorable little face once again showed a derisive smirk, a subtle ferocity lurking in his eyes.
"Although you say so, that doesn't cover up the fact of your dereliction of duty. Amini, you failed to complete your task within the allotted time. I punish you to fall in love with a goat."
Zhang Yuanqing hurriedly said, "Great Lord Cupid, I am willing to accept your punishment. However, I believe doing so is not wise."
"No, you get no chances." Cupid looked toward the guards, signaling them to fetch a nanny goat, while eagerly drawing his bow to aim at Amini.
Herasine's face was completely drained of hope.
Zhang Yuanqing's mind turned at top speed, and he said loudly, "The God of Light is threatening Paphos Island! We should be uniting! Lord Cupid, I can guarantee that by this time tomorrow, all two thousand arrows will be finished. If you punish me to fall in love with a goat, I won't be able to part from it, which would be extremely disadvantageous for Paphos Island."
Cupid narrowed his eyes. "And what if you still haven't finished the work by tomorrow?"
Zhang Yuanqing answered immediately, "If that happens, I will bear whatever punishment Lord Cupid decrees."
Cupid tilted his head, thought it over, and said, "I'll give you one more day. By this time tomorrow, if you cannot deliver two thousand arrows..."
He chuckled twice, deliberately leaving the punishment unsaid, and flapped his pure white wings, flying back toward the towering clock tower.
Zhang Yuanqing let out a stealthy sigh of relief. Ever since he heard he hadn't finished the work, he had been manipulating Cupid's spirit. Although this mischievous child's willpower was as hard as iron, just like his sister Menia's, having sufficient time had allowed him to exert a slight influence.
Coupled with the background of Paphos Island facing a crisis, he had managed to successfully persuade Cupid and barely scrape through the ordeal.
Herasine pulled Amini away, whispering, "Amini, my work is already done. I'll help you make the arrows. I was so exhausted yesterday that I fell sound asleep before sunset... Hmph, that's why that slut Helen had the chance to sneak in."
Her pretty face was filled with worry, dreading that her sweetheart might fall in love with a goat.
"My dear Herasine, thank you for your devotion to me." Zhang Yuanqing naturally let Herasine lead him to the arrow workshop.
Leaving the castle, the two arrived at a cluster of stone houses resembling a small town. Walking along the sandy streets, they entered a domed building.
Inside, six craftsmen were working with their heads down. Three were polishing bright blue crystals with rasps, while three were carving wood with dull knives, shaving out slender arrow shafts.
Bundles upon bundles of arrows were piled in the corner of the wall, their arrowheads made of bright blue crystals containing lightning.
"Lord Amini! Lady Herasine!"
The six craftsmen stood up to greet them.
Although Amini was a slave of the Goddess of Beauty, the status of a deity's slave was still far above that of ordinary mortals.
Zhang Yuanqing waved his hand, signaling them to keep working. He picked up an arrow and held it in his hand. A few seconds later, the item information surfaced:
[Name: Thunder Arrow]
[Type: Weapon]
[Functions: Paralysis, Detonation]
[Description: An arrow polished from crystals harboring lightning. Upon hitting an enemy, it explodes and generates a powerful electrical current to paralyze the target.]
[Remarks: Since it is a consumable, there is no drawback.]
There were at most five hundred arrows here, leaving fifteen hundred remaining. Wanting to finish them by tomorrow was practically impossible—unless he had enough craftsmen.
*I can't fall out with Cupid just yet. Tsk, and to think he's targeting me on purpose. With Cupid's personality, it feels like our conflict is irreconcilable. Well, I really don't want to make peace with such an awful person anyway! But right now, one who is under the eaves must bow his head.*
Zhang Yuanqing decided to complete the task properly.
He secretly cast an illusion, blinding the senses of the six craftsmen and Herasine. Then, he spat out three Dominator-stage wraiths and the Ghost Bride.
"Master!"
"Husband!"
The spirit servants bowed in greeting one after another.
Zhang Yuanqing instructed, "Produce fifteen hundred arrows."
Pointing at the craftsmen hard at work, he said, "Do as they do!"
The four spirit servants immediately clustered around the craftsmen, watching how they made the arrows. Zhang Yuanqing took out Little Red Riding Hood, summoned Commandery Princess Yinyao, and issued the same order.
Thus, another yin corpse joined the ranks of the spirit servants.
Making the arrows was simple; the critical part lay in being exceedingly careful when polishing the crystals. The slightest carelessness would cause a crystal to explode, enough to blow off a craftsman's arm.
Commandery Princess Yinyao and the four spirit servants watched for a few minutes before setting to work.
Zhang Yuanqing then gave Little Red Riding Hood another shake, tumbling out ten yin corpses. He and Yinyao controlled five each to join in the labor.
...
A desolate mountain, an ancient temple.
Xiahou Aotian looked toward the half-decayed hall doors and asked in an unhurried voice, "Who is outside?"
As he asked, he opened his inventory and quietly retrieved a mechanism crossbow, hiding it behind his back.
"Young master, this humble maiden is a nearby herb gatherer. I came into the mountains to pick herbs and was caught in the heavy rain. I wish to enter the temple to seek shelter, and hope young master will permit it," came a woman's soft, sweet voice from outside the door.
It sounded gentle, charming, and thoroughly alluring.
*A woman...* Xiahou Aotian's guard lowered considerably. He said, "Enter."
With a creak, the temple door swung open. A young woman with a graceful figure ran lightly into the hall, using her sleeve to shield her head.
Xiahou Aotian scrutinized her. She looked around sixteen, exceptionally pretty and delicate. Wet strands of hair clung to her fair, enchanting cheeks, and the rain had soaked her dress, accentuating her slender curves.
She carried a bamboo basket on her back filled with freshly picked herbs.
Glancing at the campfire, the woman asked timidly, "Young master, may I warm myself by the fire?"
Xiahou Aotian looked at her and suddenly asked, "You're here to kill me, aren't you?"
The woman froze, standing there dumbfounded. She had clearly not expected him to say such a thing. After a few seconds of bewilderment, she asked, "Why do you say that, young master?"
Chapter 934