by Fang Xiang
Therefore, his wages were one third of other people’s income.
Master Ji Wei suddenly gathered people together. “Who knows how to make small parts?”
The dejected Wei Cheng Bin instantly jumped out, his eyes bright. “I know.”
Other than him, a few other people had also stood up. Wei Cheng Bin glanced and laughed inside. All of them were people that had not performed well in the recent days.
Master Ji Wei did not say anything and gave them each a jade scroll.
“Make whatever you can from what is in there. All the materials are over there. It’s the same, pay by unit.”
Finishing, Master Ji Wei did not waste words and left. In the time he had spent here, Wei Cheng Bin had gradually gotten used to the busy atmosphere in this place. There were no idle people to be seen here. All the people, including Boss, seemed extremely busy. The cave was even more so. Because wages were calculated according to quantity, everyone was furiously working as the meditation mat meant jingshi became a life-saver. Everyone hoped to get more jingshi.
Only xiuzhe that had experienced the lack of ling energy and faced the possibility that their cultivation could collapse at any time would work so crazily.
He started to read the jade scroll in his hands and made a sound of surprise. Everything inside the jade scroll were strange metal constructs. There seemed like talismans but were not talismans. There were very detailed descriptions. Wei Cheng Bing recognized them. These were for a type of puppet.
He silently praised the wisdom of the person who had this idea. The puppet had been deconstructed to many little constructs. This person clearly was going after assembly. Wei Cheng Bin reacted. The number of xiuzhe here was limited, and there were no xiu slaves. Puppets were a pretty good substitute. However, what puzzled him was that puppets needed xiuzhe to direct them. With so many puppets, how many xiuzhe would be needed to direct them?
This thought turned in his head once before he threw it out. That wasn’t something he should care about. He started to work. A short while later, he made his first finished product. He was greatly encouraged, and worked hard. He gradually found that the smaller and more exquisite the item, the easier it was for him to make it.
Master Ji Wei quickly noticed his specialty and was somewhat shocked before giving him a job with a batch of small items.
His wages quickly grew with astonishing speed. The xiuzhe around him stared jealously.
These days were actually not bad, Wei Cheng Bin occasionally thought.
———
“Still haven’t found them?” He Xiang bellowed, “You group of garbage. How many days has it been since they escaped? You still haven’t found them?”
“This group is very cunning. They had scattered and escaped which wasted a lot of our time.” His subordinate defended.
“Don’t find excuses!” He Xiang controlled his anger, his tone dark, “What I want are results! As long as Old Forefather’s order has not come down, I am the Chief Elder. Before this, I can execute any of you!”
The subordinates paled. They knew that He Xiang was not wrong.
“I’ll give you three more days. If you cannot find them in three days, you can take your heads to see me.”
He Xiang’s words seemed to come from the depths of hell, cold and terrifying.
The subordinates knew that defending themselves was ineffective at this time. Everyone dejectedly bowed and quickly left. The Chief Elder would do what he said! The Old Forefather would not interfere. There were too many people waiting to enter to the Outer Hall, too many people that could replace them.
When everyone had left, He Xiang collapsed on the chair as though he had been robbed of all energy. His eyes were as dull as those of a dead fish.
Three days, that was the deadline the Old Forefather gave.
If there were no further developments in three days, he wasn’t going to live any longer. Originally, he had wanted to conceal this matter, and had not expected someone to bring it to Old Forefather. The result could be imagined. If he did not display enough ability, he knew very well the outcome waiting for him.
———
Ma Fan chewed a piece of grass in his mouth, looking in boredom at the sky above his head. He muttered, “Troublesome, it really is troublesome!”
The platoon leader tightly followed behind his butt, completely disregarding Ma Fan’s grouching. He was overjoyed at having gotten picked by Ma Fan. He was one of the original ones and very clear as to Ma Fan’s previous position and effect within the troop. Previously, many people had expected Ma Fan would have been the First Division leader.
This platoon leader knew one thing. If he followed behind Ma Fan, he would learn many things.
The xiuzhe under his command did not understand why the platoon leader was so respectful towards this xiuzhe that had been inattentive all this time. In their eyes, the biggest reason Ma Fan did not fit in with the troop was that indifference he exuded.
Idle, lazy, wasn’t those things that the platoon leader extremely disliked?
“They aren’t far from us.” A piece of grass held between his lips, Ma Fan’s words were slightly muddled. The platoon leader listened very carefully. On the way here, he was full of admiration towards Ma Fan’s judgement. Ma Fan raised his eyelids, looked into the distance, and continued, “Let everyone recover their ling power. They will probably encounter us in six hours.”
The platoon leader’s expression tensed.
The slight wind in the air suddenly seemed slightly murderous.
* * *
Translator Ramblings: The effects of what Xie Shan and the others did at the village are being seen. Zuo Mo gets the blueprints for his city and we get another glimpse of Wei Cheng Bin. For the person who commented and asked about Wei Cheng Bin, his skill in making small parts is much more profitable at the moment.
My reasoning on why Zuo Mo didn’t really pick Sky Star Lake and the surroundings randomly and it is not plausible to take over Nan Zheng Village. First, Nan Sheng Village is under the control of Clear Sky Sect and there are also local factions. Gongsun Cha’s little militia is enough to defeat a few hundred people but not a few thousand. Secondly, you can think of it as Zuo Mo being located close to the jie river that he came through. He went deeper into Little Mountain Jie. While Nan Sheng Village’s location is not specified, it is most likely much closer to Clear Sky Sect at the other jie river and not so close to where Zuo Mo is now. This way, he has the freedom to expand his territory while still keeping himself under the radar (which Xie Shan and the others ruined.) Lastly, Nan Sheng Village is not a place that is easy to defend. It has almost no defensive measures which are effective. If they took over Nan Sheng Village and tried to hold it against Clear Sky Sect, they would need to fortify it through changing the village. In that case, building a new city might save more effort, especially if it is in a better strategic location and Zuo Mo can design it anyway he wants.
Chapter 250: Pu Yao’s Insane Suggestion
Zuo Mo stretched and released a long breath, his entire body sore. However, when he looked at the jade scroll in front of him, he couldn’t help but give a proud smile. He had completely improved the new plan. All the formations in the plans were redone.
Formation-defense-style, hee, have a taste of the true formations-defense-style!
Zuo Mo was very satisfied and proud of the finished plan. In the process of improving them, he had benefited. It had been very valuable. There were many questions he had never thought of before. There were many problems when building a city, and it was far more complex than formations. He tried to put different kinds of formations into every corner of the plans. Unlike Yuan Jiang and the others, Zuo Mo would use formations in any place possible if he did not have to use manpower.
The enormous construction would become a shockingly complex formation group, a gigantic formation belt composed of more than four hundred formations of various sizes.
Zuo Mo anticipated what expression Yuan J
iang would have when he saw this completely transformed plan.
Pu Yao suddenly came out to remind him, “This is a good chance.”
Zuo Mo stilled and asked, “What’s a good chance?”
Gongsun Cha had become at leisure recently and spent everyday playing war chess with Pu Yao. Usually, as long as he was facing off Gongsun Cha, Pu Yao would be much calmer. Many times, Zuo Mo could not help but feel that Pu Yao really was like a child. Of course, this kind of comparison was something a Sky Yao could not tolerate. Zuo Mo had smartly shut his mouth.
“Your body is barely acceptable, but you have been lacking in your cultivation recently. The potential of this body has not been completely excavated,” Pu Yao said, his voice heavy, “Wastefulness is shameful!”
Zuo Mo looked in shock at Pu Yao. That tone, why did it sound so similar to his own?
Wrong feeling, wrong feeling. Zuo Mo shook his head and threw the feeling aside. He said in helplessness, “There’s no other way. You can see it. I’m just one person. I can’t be split in two.”
“So what is in front of you is a chance. Right now, you have reached the peak of mountain physique. If you take another step, you will give birth to the moon soul, and reach the level of mo captain.” Light flashed through Pu Yao’s bloody pupil.
“The level of mo captain?”
“Equivalent to your xiuzhe’s ningmai.”
Zuo Mo was greatly disappointed. He was already ningmai. After the breakthrough to create a moon soul, that would just be equivalent to a ningmai. It was not that attractive to him.
Pu Yao seemed to see what Zuo Mo was thinking and smiled coldly. “Don’t feel as though it is unprofitable. Your physique has a name, it is called Jade Metal Head. Metal skin, jade bones. In low level mo physiques, it is among the top. That guy really put a lot of effort into it. Your luck isn’t bad, you made it through. Once you have a moon soul, you can absorb the power of the moon, and grow quickly. Also, there is an extra benefit to you that others don’t have.”
“What benefit?” Zuo Mo hurriedly asked.
“Your spiritual cultivation is star spiritual cultivation. If you can cultivate to moon soul, you can absorb the powers of the stars and moon. If you are lucky, you may cultivate the Stars and Moon Wheel.”
“What is the Stars and Moon Wheel?”
“Just like you xiuzhe like using grades to divided good and bad, high and low, yaomo have similar divisions. Mo cultivate their bodies. There are many considerations. Other than the mo skills learned during life, all kinds of mo physiques are crucial, and there are naturally differences in quality. Mo live under military law. They like using military rankings to divide everything. Soldier, captain, colonel, brigadier general, marshall, king. That group of people are simpleminded. Almost everything is divided like this, it’s easy to remember.” Pu Yao’s tone was filled with disdain and scorn towards the intelligence of mo.
“Then Jade Metal Head is what level?”
“Fifth in captain level.” Pu Yao spread out five fingers and waved them. Seeing the disappointment on Zuo Mo’ face, he sneered, “Alright, don’t act as though you didn’t get anything. Mo physique isn’t so easy to achieve. Any physique in the top five of all levels are what others dream about. However, you have to be careful, hee hee, mo physique is good, but if you encounter those people that refine corpses, you have to be careful. Mo physique is something they dream about too! Ha ha!”
Zuo Mo’s heart tightened as he listened.
“Then Stars and Moon Wheel? It’s also a mo physique?”
“It is also a mo physique, but it is even more rare. Twelfth in colonel level,” Pu Yao recalled, “If I didn’t remember it wrong.”
Zuo Mo listened and was even more confused. “Is there any practical benefits?”
Pu Yao stilled. “What is called practical benefits?”
“Like can I defend against other people’s flying swords, like my strength is ten times what it was, like … …”
Pu Yao rolled his eyes, “If someone like you can deal with flying swords with just your body, you xiuzhe would have been destroyed by us yaomo a long time ago.”
Zuo Mo was embarrassed. He found it was correct when he thought about it. If mo could handle strikes from a flying sword with only their body, then xiuzhe of the same level would not be a match for them. Flying swords could deal the greatest damage of all the talismans, and it was the sharpest. If even the flying sword could not wound the other, then other talismans really could not do a thing against the yaomo.
“The flying swords of the xiuzhe are still very powerful,” Pu Yao sighed. “You have never seen truly powerful xiuzhe. With their actions, they can destroy the earth and sky. They can even easily tear apart space, and nothing can stop them.”
Zuo Mo was not interested in those things that were too far away from him, and diverged back to the topic. “Those old people has nothing to do with us. This Jade Metal Head is fifth in captain level, it should have some unique attributes.”
“Unique attributes?” Pu Yao nodded. “Of course. The biggest attribute of the Jade Metal Head is that it is suitable for all mo skills.”
“Just this?” Zuo Mo asked in response.
“Yes, you don’t think this is enough?” Pu Yao looked at Zuo Mo like he was looking at a weirdo.
Zuo Mo was slightly embarrassed by Pu Yao’s stare. “But I don’t know mo skills.”
“If you don’t want to be killed at any moment, don’t cultivate mo skills in the short term.” Pu Yao said solemnly, “When you start to cultivate a mo skill, the presence will radiate out. You will only die terribly.”
Zuo Mo was dumbstruck. After all this time, every word was a waste. “Then why should I cultivate my body? I should just cultivate the sword. If not that, then even the consciousness works. Little Thousand Leaf Hands is stronger than that.”
In a reversal of his usual attitude, Pu Yao shook his head. “If you do not have this Jade Metal Head, I won’t urge you, but with such a wonderful mo physique, if you do not cultivate it, it really is a waste. You cannot practice mo skills at the moment, but that is fine. The Jade Metal Head itself contains extremely deep potential. If you can dig out all the potential, when you cultivate mo skills in the future, half of the work is already done, and you do not have to worry about the mo energy slipping out.
Zuo Mo waved his hand and said unconcernedly, “You say these pleasing things, but if we don’t get over this obstacle, any mo skill cultivation is useless.”
Pu Yao was speechless. He thought and then nodded, “You are also right. Maybe we can alter it.”
“Alter?” Zuo Mo was slightly bewildered. What was with Pu Yao today? Why was he so chatty?
“We shall do an analysis of what moves you have available.” Pu Yao sat down. “Let’s not include sword scriptures, your talent with the sword really is not good, and your sword essence level is too low, not even at Heart Turn Sword Essence. It isn’t even enough to scratch an itch for a jindan. [Little Thousand Leaf Hands] is pretty powerful, but your consciousness is not strong enough to threaten a jindan. The [Sky Wave Fist Scripture] is not enough against a jindan. The only thing that can be effective is your big formation. The grade of the yin fire beads are too low to be of significance. Those sonic lightning walnuts might give him some trouble if they are forged properly.”
When he finished, Pu Yao spread his hands. “See, no matter what you cultivate, it’s useless.”
Zuo Mo was extremely impacted and speechless.
“However, some areas have potential.” Pu Yao knew very well how to use the stick and the carrot.
Zuo Mo became alert at those words. “Tell me.”
“It’s a good idea to use [Yang Fiend Hard Lightning] to forge sonic lightning walnuts. You may want to borrow from the methods of the yin fire beads,” Pu Yao reminded.
Zuo Mo slapped his forehead and said with joy, “Right, why didn’t I think of that?” In the [Yin Fire Bead Chapter], there hadn’t been just one powerful way to
make yin fire beads. Wouldn’t their effects be better than what he thought of himself?
He wanted to immediately read the [Yin Fire Bead Chapter]. The Clear Sky Old Forefather was like a sharp sword hanging above his head. He could not sleep well. He had always lacked moves that could threaten his enemies. Now that he had found one, how could he not rejoice?
“Other than the sonic lightning walnuts, if your physique could improve greatly in the short term, [Sky Glass Wave] may also give him some trouble.”
Zuo Mo still again. When he thought closely, he instantly found it feasible! If his body cultivation could make another step forward if the number of revolutions his ling power took could increase, the power of [Sky Glass Wave] would also increase. He had used Sky Glass Wave to break through the space shield of a fifth-grade ling beast. Even though the Bloody Horn Serpent was just a semi-fifth grade ling beast, but if he could increase, he might be able to threaten the Clear Sky Old Forefather.
The more he thought, the more excited Zuo Mo was. He suddenly found that he could attack. It was like seen a ray of light in the darkness. Even though it was just a thread, but it still gave him hope.
He asked impatiently, “What is the opportunity you said?”
“City construction.” Pu Yao blinked his bloody pupil.
“City construction?” Zuo Mo stilled again, “What does this have to do with city construction?”
The corner of Pu Yao’s mouth carelessly rose, his bloody pupil narrowed slightly, and his peerlessly handsome face became even harder to decipher. He looked like a cunning hunter that threw out the bait he had already prepared. With a light laugh, he said, “Haven’t you ever thought of building the city by yourself?”
“Build the city by myself?” Zuo Mo was dumbstruck where he stood.
“Yes, build the city by yourself.” Pu Yao raised his long and white finger that contrasted with the bright red fingernail. He chuckled, “Such a meaningful affair. A city that belongs completely to you. Making the foundation by yourself, making the city by yourself, making the formations by yourself … …”
