Great Zhou Martial Immortal

Chapter 54 A Kiss of Fragrance, the Mechanized City Opens
Gao Jian's expulsion from the capital did not cause any disturbance.

Wu Chengsi only regarded him as a side project; if he succeeded, it would be good, but if he failed, there would be no loss.

In any case, ever since he failed to decipher the Four Symbols Revolving Heart Wheel and returned, Wu Chengsi's expectations of him have been declining again and again.

The only thing Wu Chengsi regretted was that Lu Chenyuan had managed to restrain himself from killing him. With Gao Jian dead and Yun Zhejun emerging from seclusion, this pawn would be able to play its greatest role. If the third of the Ten Greats could join their ranks, it would be of great help in both crippling Li Dan and Li Lingyue and eliminating the old ministers who protected the Li family.

Wu Chengsi didn't react, and the others didn't react either.

Ever since that notice was posted, all the martial arts masters from various factions flocked to it and became obsessed with that little box!

Empress Wu Zetian personally issued an edict, ordering the entire nation that as long as there was any sense of shame left, the court would not break its promise.

If one can enter the Mechanical City and decipher the Four Symbols Revolving Heart Wheel, even if one cannot take the "Heavenly Craft Scroll" with them, at least one can see and learn from it, which is no different from taking it with them.

The "Wanxiang Rubik's Cube" quickly became the best-selling item in the capital.

Li Lingyue didn't miss this opportunity to make money either—not to make money herself, but to plunder the wealth of these江湖人 (jianghu people). She ordered her craftsmen to make hundreds of these items using the cheapest wood, and distributed them to her more than twenty shops, each priced at thirty taels of gold—a price that couldn't be higher!
One tael of gold is about eight strings of copper coins, and thirty taels of gold is enough to buy the finest jade carvings!

This is completely selling wooden Rubik's Cubes as top-tier luxury goods.

Time was too tight, and no one on the market had yet made a copy. Moreover, since it originated from Princess Taiping's residence, no one dared to imitate it. The martial arts practitioners who had finally seen a glimmer of hope for the Hidden Immortal Secret Technique could only grit their teeth, spend money to buy the Rubik's Cube, and hurry up with their research.

Li Lingyue made over a thousand taels of gold overnight!

"You always have the most mischievous ideas."

Inside the princess's bedroom, Li Lingyue was delighted to see the intelligence.

Money isn't important; what matters is that these martial arts practitioners, who often use violence to disrupt the law and cause trouble for the Kite Guards, have been humiliated.

She was happy to see them pinching their noses while cutting meat.

Lu Chenyuan was reclining on his soft couch reading a book. After listening to his roommate finish his victory speech, he casually said, "It's only been a short time. Making Rubik's Cubes doesn't require much skill. Those mechanics can just take one apart and make one themselves. But they're not short of money. Right now, they're probably busy solving the puzzle."

Li Lingyue put down the intelligence report and looked at him: "This time, many experts skilled in Qimen Dunjia have come. Among those who have already shown up are Dongfang Ming, the young master of Baixiaolou; Zhuge Yun, the 'Little Zhuge' of the Zhuge family; Zhang Xuanxiao, the junior uncle of Longhu Mountain; as well as Yingyue Sect and Qiansi Pavilion... Gongshu Jie's fate may scare away some people, but there are definitely still those who will not give up until they are in dire straits. These people come from prestigious families and have outstanding talents. They are the ones that Youming Palace wants to capture but has no chance to do so. They may really be able to break the Heart-Turning Wheel."

Lu Chenyuan continued flipping through the book: "It would be even better if we could decipher it. With the 'Heavenly Craft Scroll' now available, everyone can take what they need—a good thing!"

Li Lingyue was helpless.

The biggest swindler is right here; this guy won't act until he sees the profit!
She walked to the soft couch, squatted down, took his hand, and whispered, "Mother was also a little surprised to see these people. She didn't know where the Mechanized City was hidden before, but she knew that there was something in the Mechanized City that was even more important than the Heavenly Craft Scroll!"

"Oh?"

Lu Chenyuan became interested, thinking that he should keep it under wraps, otherwise he would be solving the mystery without knowing anything about the inside story, and would be doing all the work for someone else. Even if he couldn't keep it, it would be good to get the information. He turned to Li Lingyue and asked, "What is it?"

Li Lingyue said solemnly, "The first of the Twelve Yuan Chen, crafted by the Hidden Immortal Gu Yunsheng using his unparalleled puppetry skills—the Puppet Goddess!"

The Twelve Earthly Branches, also known as the "Twelve Monthly Generals" or the "Twelve Zodiac Animals," are the names of deities in Taoism.

This refers to the Yuan Chen Shen (元辰神) that governs the twelve months, arranged in accordance with the twelve Earthly Branches.

The person born in the Year of the Rat is named [Shenhou]!
Lu Chenyuan sat up: "Is this mechanical puppet very special?"

Mechanical artifacts, such as the [Ling Shu Arm], have already appeared in the Mechanical City, as have mechanical beasts like the [Tiger-Dragon] and [Zhu Yan], but mechanical puppets have not yet appeared.

The mechanical puppet is the culmination of divine mechanical arts. In the past three hundred years, there have been only two or three qualified people to become mechanical puppeteers, and all of them are renowned masters of mechanical engineering, such as Yuwen Kai, who built the Sui capital Daxing City, and He Chou, who built mobile mechanical fortresses. Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, there has only been one person, namely the hidden immortal Gu Yunsheng.

It's very difficult to create a mechanical puppet, but once you've poured your heart and soul into it, it's basically a living, breathing person!

Li Lingyue said, "The puppets are the culmination of puppetry techniques, which in turn are the culmination of mechanical arts. The most exquisite mechanisms are all meticulously crafted from rare and precious materials, inscribed with runes and nurtured with spiritual energy, much like magical artifacts. The puppeteer integrates these artifacts into an inseparable whole, giving birth to a unique spirituality. This spirituality then absorbs the essence of the sun and moon, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and transforms into intelligence. From then on, the puppets, like humans, possess a true 'soul.' Generally, puppets with their own intelligence are already of superior quality, like the mechanical entertainers created by the 'puppet masters' in ancient times, who could sing, dance, and communicate without hindrance. But there are also some puppets that not only develop intelligence but also, like divine weapons, give birth to supernatural powers and extraordinary abilities!"

Lu Chenyuan understood the underlying principle.

Just like the Vajra Bell in Wang Yizhi's hand, once the talisman array is activated, it can summon the primordial energy from all directions to transform into a golden bell to protect the body; another example is Lan Xiuyi's chessboard, which can unfold the Yin-Yang magic array after activation.

Magical artifacts are treasures that seal away spells and talismans.

To some extent, mechanical puppets are also magical artifacts, so they can naturally possess the same functions.

Lu Chenyuan pondered and said, "So, the Divine Empress's extraordinary abilities are quite unusual?"

Li Lingyue nodded: "You're well-read, you should know about the 'Lucky Rat', right?"

"what?"

Lu Chenyuan was taken aback and jumped to his feet: "The divine power on the Divine Empress is the 'Returning to the Source Technique'?!"

"Exactly."

Li Lingyue smiled; she knew he would find out.

This guy has a unique trait that sets him apart from other male consorts. Most male consorts, whether from the previous or current dynasty, are dependent on others. Their actions and thoughts revolve around tyranny and currying favor with those in power. He is different. Even now, as their feelings for each other deepen, he continues to read books and practice martial arts as always.

This made her somewhat dissatisfied, yet also very satisfied!
"It's actually the Returning to the Source Technique..."

While Lu Chenyuan was shocked, he sighed inwardly. It was a pity that he was nothing now. Even with such a treasure in front of him, he had no right to speak. You must know that this kind of supernatural power is the most coveted skill of all cultivators!
The "Lucky Rat" is an extremely rare and exotic animal, seldom seen in the world.

It has a pair of precious eyes that can identify more than 47,600 kinds of materials for alchemy and weapon crafting in this world, making it an excellent assistant to the artificer... If that were all, Lu Chenyuan wouldn't have any particular feeling; his own discerning eyes would suffice.

But these eyes also have another function: they can perceive and identify the "treasure light" inherent in the spiritual objects of heaven and earth. Therefore, they are extremely good at finding treasures. Even if they are ten or dozens of miles away, they can see the treasure light around them clearly and gather it together. So they are called "Guicang". The lucky rat is also known as the "treasure-hunting rat" or "treasure-rich rat".

Because of this extraordinary ability, the lucky rat is always captured whenever it appears in the world, and thus it has become increasingly rare.

It has not appeared in the world since the Han Dynasty.

The Cocoon Goddess actually possesses such supernatural powers!
Lu Chenyuan was full of praise, "The Hidden Immortal truly lives up to his name!"

Li Lingyue said, "Regarding the mechanical puppets, the details are vague. Even during Emperor Taizong's reign, no one could force them to use such treasures. Mechanical beasts alone were enough to conquer cities and roam the world, so no one knows what the Hidden Immortals' mechanical puppets are like... Mother wants the Heavenly Craft Scroll and the mechanical puppets, but the previous results of the deciphering forced her to seek help from the wild... The Hidden Immortals' arrangements have always been meticulous. Since they went to such great lengths to find a successor and left behind such a treasure, the Empress is very likely not a successor and therefore cannot use it..."

The artificial machine's intelligence originated from the puppeteer and only obeys the puppeteer's commands.

If the Hidden Immortal left clear instructions, then once the Wheel of Reincarnation is deciphered by an outsider, it means that the Goddess may also lose it.

Those who came were all very important figures; if they were detained, it would surely cause trouble.

Therefore, the best approach is for someone within our own organization to crack the code, ensuring absolute security.

After explaining, Li Lingyue looked at Lu Chenyuan: "My mother has already said that as long as the puzzle is solved and presented to the court, one can choose any treasure from the sixth floor of the Xuanji Pavilion."

The sixth level is filled with top-grade divine artifacts, which Li Lingyue has no authority to access.

This is a huge investment...

What were you doing all this time? You should have broken it earlier! You had to wait until the army was at the gates before you were willing to reward your soldiers... Of course, Lu Chenyuan was just complaining. People are like that. They won't think of cutting their own flesh and bleeding themselves out until they are at their wits' end and have nowhere else to turn. If it weren't for all the setbacks she had suffered before, she would definitely have thought that she could just find any master to break it.

I guess that's about the price it can fetch...

Lu Chenyuan was quite satisfied—he wanted to stay, but with his current strength, he couldn't keep him.

Of course, the play still has to be performed.

"Your Highness, why are you telling me this?"

Lu Chenyuan suddenly lay back on the soft couch, covering his face with a book, and drawled, "I am powerless to help you."

Still pretending!

Li Lingyue was so angry she gritted her teeth. This scoundrel! He clearly knew the truth, but he still pretended to be innocent.

She clenched her sleeves tightly, her fingertips turning slightly white, her almond-shaped eyes glistening with tears, reflecting the flickering candlelight.

She suddenly leaned down and quickly gave Lu Chenyuan a light peck on the cheek, as fleeting as a dragonfly skimming the water.

"Is this alright now?" she said, blushing and speaking softly, her earlobes even flushed with a sunset-like hue.

Lu Chenyuan was clearly caught off guard. He abruptly sat up, staring at Li Lingyue in astonishment. He instinctively looked out the window. Had the moon risen in the west?

Heavens have mercy, this little vixen actually took the initiative!
In the candlelight, Li Lingyue's face was as beautiful as a peach blossom, her eyes were brimming with tears like spring water, and her long eyelashes trembled gently, casting a light shadow on her porcelain-white skin.

Lu Chenyuan felt a surge of heat in his heart. After a long while, he sat up straight and said in a serious tone, "Well, I was reading a book just now and didn't notice. Could you do it again? Let me see if it's worth it."

"Pfft!"

Looking at his feigned seriousness, Li Lingyue suddenly couldn't help but laugh out loud. Her laughter was like a spring breeze, dispelling some of her previous shyness. "Rogue..." she muttered softly, but still cautiously moved closer.

She closed her eyes slightly, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings, and slowly moved closer to Lu Chenyuan's cheek.

In that instant, Lu Chenyuan suddenly turned his head.

"Well……"

Li Lingyue froze, her almond-shaped eyes widening suddenly.

But soon, Lu Chenyuan's gentle yet firm kisses gradually relaxed her. He slowly pried open her defenses, and then she felt a tightness around her waist as he wrapped his strong arms around her, and she was enveloped in a warm embrace.

The flickering candlelight cast the silhouettes of the two figures onto the wall, gradually merging them into one.

From initial shock to a slow response, Li Lingyue awkwardly imitated his rhythm. At this moment, it was as if time itself stood still, leaving only the sound of their intertwined breaths and their increasingly rapid heartbeats.

……

The next day.

Lu Chenyuan awoke from the Sumeru throne in the Lingni Palace, with the giant cat Jinni sleeping beside him.

He moved the big cat's paw away as usual, sat up and sighed. He wondered if it was because of cultivating the "Gold-Swallowing Treasure Scroll" that he felt his self-control was much weaker than before. He almost couldn't resist yesterday—although he could sense Li Lingyue's arousal, it was clear that she wasn't ready yet, and the reason she kissed him was because of her "trust" in him.

Lu Chenyuan is a man of principle. He is not greedy and will accept what is not his own, waiting for things to fall into place naturally.

"I still need to work on my mental state..."

Today is an important day.

After getting up and washing up, Lu Chenyuan didn't have time to wait for Li Lingyue's loving breakfast and rushed to the Mechanized City early. There was no other way; Li Lingyue had already paid the deposit, and he had to complete this task successfully!

Above the underground palace, in front of the former residence of the King of Rinan.

The guards, clad in imposing armor, stood with their hands on their swords, completely surrounding the courtyard.

At this moment, many martial arts practitioners were eagerly watching from the outside, gathering in twos and threes. Many of them were holding a Rubik's Cube and turning it, pondering deeply while keeping an eye on the entrance.

At the entrance, Xie Tingyun, dressed in a crimson robe, sat upright behind a rosewood table with upturned ends. In front of the table were five gilded lion-shaped incense burners, each holding a slender stick of incense for keeping track of time, with wisps of smoke rising from them.

Five people were already sitting upright and starting to solve the Rubik's Cube, their hands clicking and rattling, and fine beads of sweat appearing on their foreheads.

These five people are all renowned masters of mechanical engineering.

The old man on the far left has white hair and beard, but his ten fingers are exceptionally nimble. He comes from the Mo family and is known as "Mr. Ghost Hand" Mo Sanjue. He once built the Nine-Turn Exquisite Pagoda for Emperor Wu. At this moment, his brows are furrowed, and the Rubik's Cube in his hand makes a faint sound of precise mechanism meshing as it turns.

The second woman was a woman veiled in light gauze, Xu Wanping, the "Thousand Machine Fairy" of the Shadow Moon Sect. It was said that she could control thirty-six puppets simultaneously with seventy-two silver needles. At this moment, her fingertips fluttered like butterflies, but she could only capture one side. As the incense burned shorter and shorter, she couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

In the middle sat Qi Yuheng, the second young master of Baiqiaolou. This young talent, known for his ability to "see through ten thousand things at a glance," was staring intently at the Rubik's Cube, his eyes bloodshot.

The fourth is Elder Cui Wuming, known as "Ten-Finger Yama" of the Silk-Pulling Pavilion. On the far right is a strange man who looks like a dwarf, known as "Thousand-Faced Child" Abudu from the Western Regions' Ingenuity Sect. Both of them were similar; they only managed to turn one side before being trapped by a massive amount of calculations, and sweat beaded on their foreheads.

Xie Tingyun watched coldly as the five incense sticks gradually burned out.

She tapped the table lightly, her voice cool and clear: "The incense has burned out. Please leave."

Upon hearing this, all five of them paused in their actions.

The onlookers all showed surprise; these five people were no ordinary individuals, for even they couldn't solve the puzzle...

Mo Sanjue sighed deeply and shook his head dejectedly.

Seeing that there was no hope of entering the city and that she had missed her chance to obtain the "Heavenly Craft Scroll," Xu Wanping's face grew even more gloomy as she looked at the four bronze corpses behind Xie Tingyun, which exuded a murderous aura: "Lord Xie, this thing has six different colors on each side, and it is impossible to restore it! Is the court trying to make a fool of us?"

Qi Yuheng fiddled with the Rubik's Cube in his hand, a glint of light flashing in his eyes: "Since we can't turn it, why not take it apart and reassemble it?" As he spoke, he subtly exerted a clever force with his fingertips.

Cui Wuming smiled sinisterly, the silkworm silk appearing and disappearing between his fingers: "This is clearly a scheme set up by the imperial court to monopolize the Celestial Master's secret techniques! Using such a cunning object to block the way, are you perhaps just buying time for your own people?"

These words immediately caused a stir among the onlookers.

Xie Tingyun spoke calmly and slowly, his voice as cold as frost: "Celestial Master creations are hundreds or thousands of times more difficult than this Myriad Forms Rubik's Cube. If you can't even solve the Rubik's Cube, what use would it be if we let you in?"

"you--"

The five people were either ashamed or angry, but they were speechless.

Just as tensions were about to rise, a soft laugh suddenly came from the crowd: "How about I give it a try?"

A young man dressed in a black silk robe walked out slowly. He was about twenty-six years old, with a handsome appearance. His phoenix eyes were half-closed, as if he were asleep. He gently waved a bamboo fan in his hand, on which the four characters "Observe the Way of Heaven" were written in ink. A bronze compass hung at his waist, its pointer moving automatically without wind, making a soft clicking sound.

Xie Tingyun recognized him; he was from the Zhuge family, known as "Little Zhuge," Zhuge Yun.

"please."

Xie Tingyun took out a scrambled Rubik's Cube and tossed it to him. He was clearly prepared. Before his subordinate could light the incense for timing, his slender fingers flew like butterflies, and the Rubik's Cube clicked and clacked in his hands. In just a moment, all six sides were put back in place, perfectly fitting together.

Exclamations arose from the crowd.

The five who failed were especially shocked, and even Xie Tingyun couldn't help but admire them: There are so many talented people in the world!
Before everyone could react, a white figure suddenly appeared from the crowd. The person was dressed in a plain white brocade robe, with silver hair cascading down to his waist. His face was so exquisite that it was almost unreal. His eyebrows were like swords, and his eyes were like cold stars. A faint scarlet line at the corner of his eye added a touch of eeriness. Every move he made exuded a dashing and elegant air.

"I'll give it a try too."

The voice was clear and melodious, like jade striking each other, yet it was impossible to tell whether it was male or female.

This person is also a key focus of the Iris Guard: Dongfang Ming, the young master of the Hundred Knowledge Tower.

Xie Tingyun threw out another Rubik's Cube.

Dongfang Ming took it, glanced at it briefly, and then twirled it in his hand with effortless grace, restoring it to its original state in an instant.

Two experts in a row were able to solve the Rubik's Cube, leaving onlookers dumbfounded.

Xie Tingyun nodded slightly: "Please, both of you." Then he stepped aside.

Dongfang Ming and Zhuge Yun entered one after the other, and everyone was surprised to realize that Xie Tingyun's words were true—it was not that the court was deliberately making things difficult, but that they were simply not as skilled as others.

For a moment, those martial arts figures who had been shouting incessantly all looked ashamed and dared not say another word.

Just then, another person dressed in purple came into view in the morning light. The stars embroidered in the fabric were faintly visible as his clothes fluttered. He was handsome, no less so than Dongfang Ming, except that one was effeminate and the other was dashing. He walked calmly through the crowd and nodded slightly to Xie Tingyun.

Surprisingly, Xie Tingyun, who was usually as cold as ice, smiled slightly and nodded in acknowledgment.

The man in purple then strode straight in and vanished into the deep underground palace passageway in an instant.

"..."

Cui Wuming had clearly not done his homework, or perhaps he was too busy to prepare. He didn't recognize the person and immediately glared at him, shouting, "What kind of logic is this? Why can he get in without even having to try?!"

Mo Sanjue, who came from the Mo family and had a partial connection to the imperial court, was well-informed. Hearing this, he smiled bitterly and was about to speak.

Xie Tingyun laughed and said, "Because this Rubik's Cube that you can't solve was created by him!"

The arena fell silent for a moment.

Then an uproar ensued!
(End of this chapter)