Chapter 2292: Vision

Zhong Xuan on the second floor of Dao Bi Pavilion stuck out his slender face. “Zhong Liyan? You weren't willing to join the cabinet? You didn’t show up last time.”

“Not willing? Absurd! Rumors!” Zhong Liyan suddenly got angry. “How could I shrink back from contributing to the common people of the world? I just made you all wait first. Qian Gu has a thousand years of history, and is dependent on this cabinet. Don’t I need time to hand over affairs? I’m packing my luggage, just getting ready to dedicate myself fully to the matters of Tai Xu Cabinet!”

There weren't many cabinet members staying inside Tai Xu Mountain.

Besides Huang Sheli at Jing Wu Tavern and Zhong Xuan who was writing behind closed doors, there was also Ju Kui who was revising the regulations related to Tai Xu Huan Jing.

At this moment, from the top of Wu Xing Tower, an iron grating slowly rose, pushing open a high window. Ju Kui sat upright at his desk, raising his head from amidst a mountain of legal provisions, and looked at Zhong Liyan from a distance. “Has the Chu Court finalized it?”

“This wasn't something finalized early on!” Zhong Liyan didn’t care about historians or legalists, and didn't hold back from anyone. He pushed the national letter forward. “Can you read?”

Suddenly, there was a blur in front of his eyes, and the national letter left his hand.

Zhong Liyan gripped his heavy sword and glared. He then saw a figure in a red-bottomed, gold-edged military uniform standing between the sea of clouds, gradually solidifying from nothingness.

“Ha… yawn.” This gentleman yawned lazily, covering his mouth with the sealed national letter, extremely casually. “Midday, still having a midday nap! Why do I hear dogs barking at Tai Xu Mountain?”

Old Master Zhong Liyan didn't argue with someone who lacked manners, only sneered coldly. “Scare! Isn't this Lu Shuanghe's defeated general?”

This confident attitude and disdainful gaze made Dou Zhao briefly think that it wasn't him, Zhong Liyan, who had been suppressed by Lu Shuanghe's sword at Bing Xu in the beginning.

He's still mocking!

“I was having a midday nap.” Dou Zhao pointed at Zhong Liyan with his hand and pointed outside. “Don't lose the face of the people of Chu to Tai Xu Mountain — hurry up and scram.”

“Midday nap is a good habit, it can let you evade reality and indulge in fantasies!” The iron-boned Zhong Liyan, of course, wasn't willing to scram. He grinned and said, “But did you sleep in the wrong bed? Go home! This is this cabinet's territory!”

At this time, both Ju Kui and Zhong Xuan didn't speak. Huang Sheli even put her hands on her hips and just watched from the side.

Among the sea of clouds, the various cabinet buildings were vaguely visible. Basically, everyone at Tai Xu Mountain was watching with relish.

Dou Zhao felt a bit of a headache.

Being gnawed by countless ghosts in E Bi Gui Ku seemed less painful than this. A clear line seemed to appear in his brain, flashing violently, jumping and jumping.

“Surname Zhong.” Dou Zhao bared his teeth. “You have to do this in front of so many people, right?”

“Damn it, this old man's surname is Zhong Li!” Zhong Liyan suddenly became angry, lifting his Nanyue and jumping down from the chariot. Facing the black evil force that was unwilling to yield its dominant position, he struck first!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

In the howling strong wind, the sword body was dyed with blood flames, as if carrying ten thousand mountains and chopping down.

But only blood flames burning gullies were seen, dividing into a full nine paths, winding and twisting, all heading towards Dou Zhao. They didn't pass through the air and didn't affect the five elements.

Like nine blood-colored tunnels within a spatial barrier!

Martial Dao lacks foundation, and the further up, the more it lacks. After all, it’s a newly opened path, with only a few Martial Dao True Persons. But the space is vast, with infinite possibilities.

Speaking of which, his strength as a Martial Dao True Person has also advanced quickly, growing stronger by the day. Although he was suppressed and beaten by Zhong Liyuzhao, this sword strike still showed great style.

Dou Zhao lifted his knife and pointed towards Dao Bi Pavilion. “I'm telling you, surname Zhong, remember this.”

He was unyielding his entire life and never yielded to anyone. When his temper flared, he didn't care who was who. But this time in E Bi Gui Ku, he did receive favor from someone named Jiang, and it was really hard to get angry at that dog king's face. No matter how unhappy he was, he could only suppress it.

After suppressing a belly full of fire, it was time to release it!

Tian Xiao wasn't repaired this quickly, so he casually conjured a Dream Realm knife to cope.

If Zhong Xuan wasn't satisfied, he would deal with them one by one.

If he got annoyed, it would be fine to conveniently give Huang Sheli and Ju Kui a beating too, lest they all dare to watch his, someone named Dou, show!

How many years has Zhong Xuan been around? How could he argue with these young colleagues? He only smiled. “Good, good, it's not the main duties of Tai Xu Cabinet, not recording it is fine too.”

Before he could finish speaking, Dou Zhao's figure had already disappeared into the sea of clouds.

Zhong Liyan's downward striking figure also disappeared!

Zhong Xuan followed the trace with his eyes, instantly locking onto the battlefield — he only saw the armor on Zhong Liyan's body already cracked open. A muscular, knotted arm, flashing with golden light, was firmly choking Zhong Liyan's neck, pressing him into the cloud layer, continuously falling down!

Just one touch… victory and defeat were decided.

After Dou Zhao returned from Yin Xian Forest, he became outrageously strong.

Zhong Xuan was a little worried about Zhong Liyan's physical condition. Just as he was wondering whether to protect him a bit, Cabinet Member Dou's mood seemed not very good. What if he accidentally lost his hand and injured the candidate for Zhong Li… Immediately, he knew he was thinking too much.

Zhong Liyan's newly worn armor was broken again, his muscles were all bursting with blood marks, and the qi energy inside his body continuously exploded and was suppressed, but his spirit was still very good.

He was imprisoned and continuously falling, yet he still somehow took out a blazing light ball the size of a fist. He also didn't know what secret weapon it was, and wildly waved it in front of Dou Zhao's face.

Zhong Xuan looked carefully and immediately recognized it — Sun Essence Gold.

Ordinary people who see Sun Essence Gold usually only see fragments, which are already rare treasures. Those masters who cast soldiers add one or two particles when casting soldiers and only then dare to say they want to cast a famous knife.

Such high purity, such a large piece of Sun Essence Gold, extremely yang and fierce, truly rare in the world…

Zhong Xuan was so blinded by that light that he silently closed the window.

Yet, Zhong Liyan held the Sun Essence Gold and wildly waved it in front of Dou Zhao, still muttering, “I shine, I shine, I shine!”

But he fell all the way and shone all the way, and Dou Zhao had no reaction.

He couldn't help but be a little doubtful. “Eh? Aren't ghosts most afraid of this?”

“Is it possible that this old man's collection is fake?”

He still reached out to pinch Dou Zhao's face. “What's your reaction now? Is it hot or not?”

Dou Zhao looked at him expressionlessly, and then fiercely punched him, smashing him into the ground!

“This Play Suitable, for disregarding the Mo family spirit, not taking facts as reason, acting arbitrarily, and unauthorizedly activating Ming Gui. With a True Puppet that punishes evil and promotes good, her behavior is like a tiger wreaking havoc, leaving evil traces. Capturing innocent people and causing wrongful imprisonment for eight years. This is a shame for the giant city and a scandal for the Mo family!”

“Recite her past from no bad traces, a disciple who respected the rules. Although she received the dispatch of the former Juzi, she did not understand the truth and acted on orders. She has repeatedly made great contributions and has considerable achievements in ingenious mechanisms… After discussion, she is stripped of the True Puppet Ming Gui, her title as Master of Mechanisms is deleted, her true transmission is revoked, she is expelled from the sect walls, and is no longer associated with the Mo name!”

The voices of the Mo family elders proclaiming rang in the air one after another.

The rhythm was like the shark teeth of the fourth section of Wan Xiang Lun, always pausing inexplicably after four to six notes.

Play Suitable sat on the floor, tidying her small box.

She was leaving.

To be precise, she was notified to leave.

The city she had lived in since she opened her eyes, the city where she had lived for so many years, no longer had her home.

Play Suitable didn't feel any sadness, just that she wasn't very used to it.

This room wasn't big, nine steps square, which was the standard specification for a Mo family True Transmission disciple. It was divided into nine equal squares, horizontally and vertically, making the entire room into one large grid composed of small grids.

The room was like a larger toolbox, with front puppets, spine screws, tail pillars, wing strings… all the accessories related to puppets were placed in different areas.

There were forty-nine kinds of wing strings alone, each with different materials, all commonly used by Play Suitable.

The Mo family advocates frugality. Mo followers often wear straw raincoats and straw shoes, tempering their hearts through hardship. They live in simple rooms and narrow houses, regulating their will. After Qian Jinhua took charge of Ju Zi Ling, he developed the 'New Mo Faction', which pursued a luxurious life.

Perhaps it shouldn't be described as 'luxurious' to describe their pursuit. In Play Suitable's view, one should still view the problem objectively — only some members of the 'New Mo Faction' were only seeking profit and were extremely luxurious.

Undeniably, their extreme pursuit of material desires inspired far greater creativity than ordinary Mo followers, greatly enriching the products of Qian Ji Tower.

Getting off track.

Play Suitable's thinking was always very divergent, like a wild horse. Perhaps this is also an embodiment of creativity.

The core idea of the 'New Mo Faction' was actually 'mechanisms changing life'. Or, more formally — 'gentlemen control tools, everyone is like a dragon.'

Everyone can live a prosperous and dignified life through the use of mechanisms — this was the vision that Qian Jinhua proposed back then.

Oh, almost forgot. Play Suitable is now a 'New Mo Faction'.

Although she still didn't particularly understand the spiritual outline of the 'New Mo Faction'. Although there was nothing in her room except mechanism accessories.

But she was of Qian Jinhua's faction.

Because Qian Jinhua mismanaged the True Person Puppet Ming Gui, and also because of Qian Jinhua, she was expelled from the giant city.

She wasn't actually too familiar with Qian Jinhua, and she wasn't too familiar with everyone in the giant city. She was familiar with those mechanisms, those parts, and those puppets one after another.

Qian Jinhua was also busy every day, doing research, operating businesses, and managing his studies. When he was free, he would patrol the giant city and occasionally look at her, but he only looked at her making puppets and didn't talk much.

Anyway, Qian Jinhua was the Juzi, and whatever the Juzi said, she would do.

If the Juzi said something wrong, then she would do it wrong.

If she did something wrong, she should apologize and accept the punishment.

So she accepted being driven out of the giant city.

She just wasn't used to it.

A cyclical life wasn't torture to her. Breaking the fixed order was what truly made people confused.

“Eh.” Play Suitable suddenly thought of something. She took out a thick, metal-shelled booklet from her bosom, holding it forward with both hands. “The key points for maintaining Ming Gui, and various data from each time Ming Gui operated, are all on this. I'll give them all to you.”

“Ah… oh!” The Mo family disciple responsible for accepting the Mo family's property, named Mo Zhu, was stunned and took it.

This Mo family disciple, named Mo Zhu, was like many Mo followers, only knowing how to get along with mechanical creations and being clumsy with words.

He wanted to say something, but didn't know what he could say.

“She's still not leaving?” At this moment, a voice sounded from outside the door.

Mo Zhu hurriedly went out to greet him. “Just tidying up—”

He was pushed aside by the face.

A man wearing a martial arts towel on his head and black silk arrow clothes on his body walked in and looked at Play Suitable coldly. “Hurry up and leave, don't be an eyesore here.”

Play Suitable still had that same appearance of a little boy, with tiger whisker-like greasepaint on her face. She wrinkled her nose and didn't speak, just tidied up by herself.

“Leave, hurry up and leave!” The man in black silk arrow clothes suddenly became furious. “This isn't your home!”

Play Suitable's nimble little hands suddenly stopped. With a snap, she closed the small box, said nothing more, did nothing more, carried the box, and walked outside.

Outside the door… there were many people.

The people were not there to send her off.

The expressions on their faces were the kind of expressions of people surrounding an execution ground.

“Is that her… the one who claimed to be the most genius of this generation?”

“I've never seen her before, how old is she? Truly a genius.”

“Talented but lacking virtue, fundamentally lacking the Mo family spirit. Not to mention universal love, she doesn't even have humanity! She captured an innocent person and shut him up for eight full years!”

The crowd discussed fiercely, like discussing the quality of a piece of pork on a cutting board.

Play Suitable originally wanted to point out a fact — it wasn't eight years. At the time of Dao Calendar 3923, Qian Jinhua had already stopped the torture, proclaiming that the truth had finally been investigated, and turned to Huang Jinmo to apologize. For the following time, it was Huang Jinmo who was unwilling to leave.

But eight years or three years, there didn't seem to be any difference.

So she didn't say anything.

“Back then, the one who went to redeem the city, wasn't there still one? Tie Tui Si?”

“He committed suicide a few days ago… you didn't know?”

“Bah! Bad omen! One Play Suitable, one Tie Tui Si! They've all done good things, implicating our Sect Master—”

“What kind of Sect Master!” The man in black silk arrow clothes suddenly walked out. “The burden on the Mo family's reputation all started from Qian Jinhua. He is the Mo family's eternal sinner!”

Play Suitable no longer listened to the remaining words.

She closed her ears to the sounds, walking out of this city always filled with the sound of turning gears, into a silent world, under various gazes.

Where should she go?

She stood outside the city gate, directionless for a while.

Having lived in the giant city since she was a child, mechanisms and puppets were her life. She would wipe Ming Gui twice every day, once in the morning and once in the evening. Carefully checking every key component and regularly maintaining the array patterns. When there was a need, she would go out on missions.

Her life was like gears interlocking into a firm line, moving forward on a fixed track at a fixed speed.

Now she was thrown out of that order, unclear how to rebuild herself — no one taught her.

A shadow fell in front of her.

She looked up and saw Play Fate's very proper face.

Overly proper… she thought to herself.

“Where are you going?” Play Fate asked.

“I don't know.” Play Suitable wrinkled her nose and said, “Why are you asking me?”

Play Fate said calmly, “I am also not a Mo follower. Wherever you go, I will go.”

“Aren't you in charge of Qian Ji Tower now?” Play Suitable was surprised.

Qian Ji Tower was a very important position now, and half of the giant city's finances relied on Qian Ji Tower for support. Play Fate could be considered a person of 'high position and great power'.

“Not now.” Play Fate said, “I am of the New Mo Faction. No, I should be called the Qian Mo Faction now.”

“How are you of the New Mo Faction?” Play Suitable didn't understand. She knew that Play Fate was the most self-disciplined person, never luxurious, and he didn't even look at those luxuriously dressed New Mo followers.

Play Fate smiled slightly. “You are my sister. Whatever faction you are, I am that faction.”

Play Suitable had never felt very sad, but at this moment, she didn't understand why, and her eyes felt a little sore.

She turned her head. “Then I’ll just walk around.”

“Then let’s walk.” Play Fate said, “Brother will walk with you.”

Play Suitable carried the small box on her back, stepped out, and walked forward with effort, walking vigorously like a tiger. Her silk clothes and colored ribbons fluttered like butterflies.

Play Fate, who was much taller than her, followed behind her.

Under the sunset, two figures, one large and one small, moved forward side by side, not near and not far.

“Do you know that Mo Wenqin was Mo Jingyu's best friend?”

“He didn't think that the former Juzi made a deal with Mo Jingyu's death, hiding the truth and delaying its disclosure, causing Mo Jingyu to die with his eyes not closed… so his resentment is very great, and he doesn't hold it against you. Or, the former Juzi died too cleanly, and his resentment had nowhere to go, so he could only hold it against you.”

Play Fate explained one sentence after another. “That Mo Zhu who accepted the Mo family's property, he is Huan Tan's younger brother, right, that Huan Tan who later became the Demon of Beheading—Mo Jingyu still told me before that he wanted to find time to eliminate the scum of the sect. Our Mo family has no rule of implication, so Mo Zhu won't be too affected, but more or less some people will not favor him. He can actually understand your situation.”

Play Suitable might have heard, or she might not have heard. Only at a certain moment, she raised her head to look at the sky. In her large eyes, there were clean, directionless clouds. “Why do I never grow up?”

“You just grow slowly.”

“Grow slowly, so you live long.”

“Yes, you will live long… ten thousand years.”

Note: “There are seven original puppets, namely the front puppet, spine screw, tail pillar, wing string, profound puppet, spirit pivot, and limb teeth. Used by the Juzi and compared to humans.” — 《Ou Li》

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