Great Zhou Martial Immortal

Chapter 48 Because I Built It
The Rubik's Cube has an unremarkable appearance.

Ying Wuqiu examined it for a moment, then shook his head and said, "The material is ordinary, and there are no runes or arrays set up. It looks like nothing more than a child's toy. How can something like this be worthy of stopping the heroes of the world?"

His fingers flew across the paper, the colored blocks dancing between them, as if victory was assured. But soon, he let out a soft "hmm," and then his expression turned serious.

Mao Polu initially thought it was just a matter of permutation and combination, and that it could be restored in half an incense stick's time at most. However, after only restoring one side, he saw that the other five sides were in complete disarray, and he couldn't help but frown, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on the forehead of the monk Huiming. This young high monk, who was known for his "unmoved by the eight winds," gradually came to understand the complexity of the box and began to secretly ponder and calculate.

Gao Jian's skill in crafting mechanisms is even more profound. You can tell it's not simple once you get your hands on it. The six colors are intertwined, and moving one part affects the whole thing. With a little manipulation, the color blocks become chaotic like a maze. Even for a master of divination, restoring it would be extremely difficult.

The seven Rubik's Cubes spun in the hands of the seven people, and for a moment only the soft "click" sound could be heard in the mechanical city.

Song Zhenyue fiddled with the Rubik's Cube, exchanged a glance with Yan Bingning, and smiled at the same time.

They had already tried it last night and were familiar with the complexity of the little box.

Looks like we're all the same~
If one person can't solve it, it might be due to their own lack of ability. But if a group of people can't solve it, then it's not just an individual problem.

After a long while, the expressions on their faces grew increasingly solemn.

You have to understand, this thing is meant to be used to stop martial arts practitioners. If these few can't unravel it either, then aren't they just like those martial arts practitioners? They don't even have the right to enter the Mechanized City. What face do they have left to stand here in this broken Four Symbols Heart-Turning Wheel!

Thinking about it this way only intensified his sense of shame, and he racked his brains for a solution.

Ying Wuqiu's knuckles turned white from gripping the Rubik's Cube so tightly that it creaked under the strain.

Yan Bingning smiled and reminded him, "Lord Ying, please be gentle. It's not that I'm afraid you'll break them, but I only brought seven with me today. If you break them, you'll just have to watch from the sidelines."

"I'm ashamed..."

Ying Wuqiu chuckled and let go, then suddenly solemnly picked up the Rubik's Cube: "This thing is seemingly simple yet incredibly ingenious, with subtle and intricate variations. I wonder which master craftsman created it? Why not invite one of them to help us solve this puzzle?"

Yan Bingning opened her mouth, about to speak, when Song Zhenyue teased, "He'll come too. Lord Ying, is this thing worthy of stopping the heroes of the world?"

"..."

Ying Wuqiu's face stiffened slightly as he recalled his earlier words, feeling his cheeks burning.

Mao Polu sighed deeply, his withered fingers stroking the edges of the Rubik's Cube: "I have studied mechanisms for decades, and only today do I understand what it means to return to simplicity. Without relying on the power of talismans or rare materials, but only on ordinary wooden blocks and mortise and tenon joints, it can actually conceal the changes of the universe. This is the true way of mechanisms."

"Amitabha."

The monk Huiming closed his eyes and chanted a Buddhist prayer. He already knew the principle that there are heavens beyond heavens, so he was not ashamed at this moment. Instead, he exclaimed in admiration: "The six sides intertwine like the cycle of cause and effect, which is truly wonderful."

Jiang Zhanqiu turned the Rubik's Cube, shook his head, and uttered four words: "The greatest truths are the simplest."

Gao Jian calculated carefully for a long time, but could only piece together one side. He sighed softly. This time, he had seen what it meant to have mountains beyond mountains and heavens beyond heavens. He suppressed the throbbing pain in his temples and said softly, "The colors are mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining, just like the evolution of yin and yang. We are like frogs in a well, looking at the sky."

One person's inability to solve it might be due to a lack of skill, but for several renowned experts to fail is truly astounding...

This is the true insurmountable barrier.

"I don't think so."

Just then, a clear voice came from outside the hall.

Everyone turned around and saw Lu Chenyuan, dressed in a purple robe, stepping in.

He looked around at everyone, and finally fixed his gaze on Gao Jian, and smiled and said, "Young Master Gao, why do you underestimate yourself? This thing seems ingenious, but it is actually just an inanimate object with a fixed formula and limited variations. Even if it is difficult to solve for a while, you can figure out the rules after trying it a few more times. When you memorize the formula, even a three-year-old child can solve it."

"..."

Yan Bingning and Song Zhenyue had strange expressions upon hearing this; they wanted to laugh but couldn't, so they had to hold it in.

Mao Polu frowned. Just as Jiang Zhanqiu was about to speak, Gao Jian sneered, "Lord Lu, what a boastful tone!"

"Is not it?"

Lu Chenyuan stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering: "It can't be used to hide secrets, it can't be used to kill enemies, and it's annoying to turn on. What use is such an object besides killing time?"

Mao Polu couldn't help but say, "Lord Lu, this item contains—"

"Does it implicitly contain the profound principles of the universe?"

Lu Chenyuan interrupted, shaking his head and sighing, "You are all masters of our time, how could you be blinded by a blockhead? The true path of mechanisms should be the Thousand-Mechanical Crossbow and the Chain Lock, not..."

Gao Jian resolutely said, "Lord Lu, you are mistaken!"

"Oh?"

Lu Chenyuan raised an eyebrow slightly: "Does Young Master Gao have any further insights?"

Gao Jian, enduring a headache, said, "Everything can be used as a tool! Although this object has no killing power, it secretly conforms to the principles of deduction. If used for military formation training—"

"hehe."

Lu Chenyuan chuckled, his laughter carrying a hint of lazy mockery: "Qimen Dunjia also contains profound principles of deduction and is infinitely varied, a hundred times more complex than this Rubik's Cube. But in ancient military battles, when have we ever seen large-scale deployments? This kind of secret art, ten people studying it will have ten solutions, a hundred people studying it will produce a hundred variations. In the midst of a chaotic army, who will wait for you to slowly deduce it? On the battlefield, the soldiers are illiterate, so who can understand your complete commands? Who will wait for your micro-management?"

Gao Jian's expression changed several times, and he opened his mouth as if to speak.

Lu Chenyuan continued calmly, "The true way of killing is to crush with a single blow, not to meticulously craft it. Your master is known as a learned man, didn't he even teach you this?!"

"you……"

Gao Jian's face turned deathly pale, and he swayed.

Everyone else was also taken aback by the sharp and incisive words.

Too bad!
Yan Bingning couldn't bear to watch any longer and silently mourned for Gao Jian.

Lord Lu has no concept of "don't pursue a cornered enemy"; he only wants to beat a drowning dog mercilessly, and he'll beat it every time he sees it. I wonder if Young Master Gao will regret showing hostility and angering Lu Chenyuan.

A flicker of excitement flashed in Song Zhenyue's eyes. Lord Lu was indeed learned and talented, and dashing and charming. There was more to talk about!

"Gao's skills are lacking, and he has disgraced his master..."

Despite the dizziness, stinging pain, and humiliation in his heart, Gao Jian sneered and said, "Since Lord Lu regards this Myriad Forms Cube as worthless, do you dare to solve it on the spot? Let us see what it means that 'even a three-year-old child can solve it'!"

The hall suddenly became dead silent.

The crowd reacted with a variety of expressions; some were expectant, some shook their heads, and some watched the spectacle with amusement.

Lu Chenyuan quietly looked at Gao Jian's white knuckles, then suddenly smiled and said, "Okay."

I've been waiting for you to say that, so I can slap you in the face!

In the novel, Zhuge Liang was able to anger Zhou Yu three times, eventually causing Zhou Yu's death. Judging from Zhou Yu's weak physique, it would have been easier if he could have been angered to death.

He still doesn't understand where this person's initial hostility came from, nor does he care to investigate further. Anyway, the one who starts it is the one who's rude, so don't blame me.

Just as Song Zhenyue was about to hand him the Rubik's Cube, Lu Chenyuan said to Gao Jian, "How about we borrow Young Master Gao's?"

That way you won't have anything to say!
Gao Jian didn't say much and simply threw the Rubik's Cube out.

After Lu Chenyuan took it, he glanced at it briefly, his five fingers flying across the paper, his movements so fast that they almost left afterimages, dazzling the eye.

Instead of restoring a single face, he restored the center piece, then merged the edge pieces, and then downgraded the size. The whole process was smooth and seamless.

Before anyone could question whether he knew how to do it or not, there was a "click" sound, and the Rubik's Cube was firmly placed on the table, with all six sides perfectly aligned and without a single mistake!
The entire cracking process took only a little over ten breaths.

A dead silence!
The others were stunned for a while before they realized what had happened. Looking at the restored Rubik's Cube, they all showed their astonishment.

In the corner, Nuoga suddenly looked up, glanced at Lu Chenyuan, and then quickly lowered his head again.

The entire city of the machine suddenly fell silent.

Gao Jian's pupils suddenly contracted. He stared intently at the solved Rubik's Cube on the table. The neatly arranged colored blocks stung his eyes in the dim light, and a metallic taste suddenly welled up in his throat, which he swallowed forcefully. Mao Polu stared in disbelief, finally managing to utter a few words after a long pause: "This...this is impossible..."

Huiming muttered to himself, "No rune array fluctuations, no true qi circulation... is it just a technique?"

Jiang Zhanqiu frowned deeply: "Could there really be a fixed pattern?"

Just as Ying Wuqiu was about to speak, he suddenly noticed Song Zhenyue suppressing a laugh. A thought flashed through his mind, and he looked at Lu Chenyuan strangely: "Lord Lu, have you ever come into contact with this Myriad Forms Cube before?"

Before Lu Chenyuan could answer, Song Zhenyue couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing: "Lord Lu has done more than just 'have been in contact with' him~" She lightly tapped the Rubik's Cube on the table with her fingertips, "Isn't this the very thing that Lord Lu designed and carved yesterday, which was then presented to His Majesty by our Princess?"

——Dead silence.

—And then it exploded!
"What did you say?"

Mao Boluo was shocked. Creating something was much more difficult than solving it. He pointed at the Rubik's Cube and exclaimed, "This...this was made by Lord Lu?!"

Ying Wuqiu was taken aback at first, then suddenly burst into laughter, slapping the table and exclaiming, "Brilliant! Brilliant indeed!" He turned to look at Gao Jian, his eyes filled with a hint of schadenfreude, "Young Master Gao, it seems we've all been used as whetstones to test our skills!"

Jiang Zhanqiu's face was ashen, and the veins on his sword-wielding hand bulged. Considering that Wu Zetian also had her intentions, he ultimately remained silent.

Monk Huiming gave a wry smile: "Amitabha... I see."

Gao Jian stood there, his face ashen.

He suddenly realized that all his previous deductions, his forced resistance, and his defiance had become a joke.

"Everything can be used as a tool!"

"This object perfectly aligns with the principles of deduction!"

Every word of praise felt like a slap across the face.

This was clearly a trap set by Lu Chenyuan, yet he walked right into it like a fool.

"puff--"

He spat out a mouthful of blood, his vision went black, and he fell backward.

—I'm dizzy.

Lu Chenyuan raised an eyebrow, inwardly scoffing: "You fainted already? Your mental fortitude is too weak. I still had a few sharp things to say..."

Song Zhenyue covered her mouth and chuckled, then leaned close to Yan Bingning's ear and whispered, "The princess is right. Lord Lu's ability to infuriate people is truly first-rate."

Yan Bingning shook her head helplessly, saying with a wry smile, "Now look what's happened! Yun Zhejun's disciple fainted from anger in the Mechanical City, and if word gets out..."

"So what if it gets out?"

Lu Chenyuan lazily interjected, "He's the one being praised, and he's the one being angry. What does it have to do with me?"

Everyone: "..."

Yan Bingning immediately ordered someone to take Gao Jian out for treatment.

Lu Chenyuan then calmed down and looked at the unfamiliar face: "And this is...?"

Song Zhenyue introduced him: "His name is Nuoga. He was recommended by Princess Qianjin. He comes from Miao territory, possesses the [Thinking Gu], and has the unique skills of the Escape Technique Master. He is here specifically to help you deduce the White Tiger Carrying a Corpse."

Lu Chenyuan looked at him carefully.

Nuoga was also looking at Lu Chenyuan, and bowed with his fists clasped: "Nuoga, a Miao person, greets Lord Lu."

Lu Chenyuan nodded: "Then you should focus on solving the White Tiger carrying the corpse problem first, and we can discuss the rest later. How about that?"

"Noga understands."

He put down the Rubik's Cube, strode into the rotating wheel, glanced at the array plate, and began to work on solving it.

Lu Chenyuan glanced at his Rubik's Cube, raising an eyebrow. Although he hadn't solved it yet, he had taken the first step—merging the center pieces.

The 4x4 Rubik's Cube does not have a fixed center piece. If you start from one side, the solution will be extremely difficult. The correct approach is to first merge the center pieces to make it similar to a 3x3 cube, and then derive the solution using the 3x3 formula.

In such a short time, this person saw the key point at a glance, which is much better than those few fools who only know how to fight on one side.

It seems we still cannot underestimate the people of the world.

……

at the same time.

Taiping Prefecture, Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

"Princess, there's something wrong with this Noga!"

Yuan Qingshuang quickly entered the building with a piece of intelligence in her hand.

Li Lingyue was sitting at her desk reviewing information sent back from various places when she heard the voice and looked up: "What's wrong? What's the problem?"

Yuan Qingshuang's expression was serious: "Just now, our spies from Miao territory sent back news that fifteen years ago, a woman from Luohua Cave did indeed refine the [Thought Gu]. However, on the day it was refined, Luohua Cave in Huagu was invaded by the Bliss Cave. The Thought Gu was lost in the battle before it could be implanted into the Gu Master's body, and its whereabouts have been unknown ever since..."

"Of unknown origin?"

Li Lingyue frowned and said, "Li Zhaotang shouldn't be so stupid as to bring in someone of unknown origin... How did this person get in with her? Is he a guest of her household?"

Yuan Qingshuang said, "It's not that she doesn't understand. This Nuoga has been in her household for six years, always as a guest. He knows how to refine a kind of face-preserving gu, which can spit out a youth-preserving ointment that makes people look radiant and is very effective. Princess Qianjin kept him in her household for the youth-preserving ointment. In fact, this ointment has been presented to Emperor Wu many times, and after being examined by the imperial physicians, there were no problems. This is one of the reasons why Emperor Wu was at ease letting him enter the Mechanized City."

Aside from occasionally venturing out to gather herbs, this man had always been very honest. He was introduced by the princess's household steward, an official appointed by the court, and extremely law-abiding. On the surface, there seemed to be no major problem, but there was no corroborating evidence regarding the origin of his "Thinking Gu" poison or how he "devoured" Wu Jiuhuan. Informants carefully investigated his background and discovered that his identity and resume were identical; either the places he had lived in were long abandoned, or the surrounding areas were deserted. There was likely something fishy going on here.

Li Lingyue thought for a moment: "What news is there from the Five Poisons Sect? Did Wu Jiuhuan die at their hands? How could he have been eaten by this Nuoga?"

Yuan Qingshuang replied, "Based on the known information, about ten years ago, Wu Jiuhuan heard that the Five Immortals Sect's Gu Immortal was said to be incredibly beautiful, with unparalleled beauty, so he went to the Hundred Thousand Mountains to see her. After that, he disappeared without a trace... Very few members of the Five Immortals Sect knew about this, and their spies couldn't find any definite information. Given the strength of the Miao region, the only ones capable of killing Wu Jiuhuan were the Five Immortals Sect, but this is..."

Yuan Qingshuang sighed.

"That is to say..."

Li Lingyue narrowed her eyes: "His identity, background, martial arts, and Gu worms—are they all just his side of the story?"

Yuan Qingshuang nodded.

Li Lingyue frowned in thought.

Yuan Qingshuang asked, "Should we report this to the Martial Emperor and have this person imprisoned and thoroughly investigated?"

Li Lingyue shook her head: "Arresting people without any evidence or proof, how is that any different from those cruel officials? Besides, he is a guest minister, originally from the Jianghu. Which high-ranking official in the court doesn't have a few people like him in his household?"

Isn't there a Zen Master Yunhe in the Princess's residence? He has superb martial arts skills, but he is content with an ordinary life, and his previous resume is completely blank.

Yuan Qingshuang immediately said, "It's different. The Zen Master is highly respected and has the guarantee of the Imperial Preceptor..."

"At least in Li Zhaotang's view, they are all the same."

Li Lingyue said, "And Wu Chengsi's men are even more diverse. This is a bad precedent. He would never agree to it, otherwise he would send out a group of people to investigate himself. Also, Mother has already sent this person into the Mechanized City to help break the Four Symbols Heart Wheel. If we immediately imprison him, where will Mother's face be? The most important thing is evidence. Without evidence, just relying on rumors is ultimately not appropriate."

"The princess is indeed very thoughtful..."

Yuan Qingshuang thought about it and agreed: "Then let's..."

"Just keep an eye on it first."

Li Lingyue smiled and looked towards the direction of the Mechanized City: "He will see it too. Let's hear his opinion when he comes back. There shouldn't be anyone who can escape his eyes..."

(End of this chapter)