Ink-Clad Creator

Seven days later, the illusion and reality were reversed and the formation was completed.

On the edge of the cold pool on Yingyue Island, Li Xian, Miss Chunmeng, and Peng Shitao stood side by side. Shen Aonan and Peng Shitao stood three steps away, with several elders of Peach Blossom Village and dozens of villagers behind them.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the pool was as calm as a mirror, reflecting the lingering shadows of peach blossoms on both banks—the peak blooming season was over, and only a few petals remained on the branches, fluttering down in the morning breeze.

"The array's core is secured, the earth's veins are connected." Elder Lin held the compass, its pointer steadily pointing to the center of the icy pool. "Using the Star Envoy's command as the pivot, the Holy Water as the guide, the power of the Three Realms seals the gate—activate!"

Shen Aonan, Peng Shutao, and Miss Chunmeng made their moves simultaneously.

Shen Aonan thrust out with both palms, and the sword energy of the cold pool transformed into a pale blue pillar of light; Peng Shutao's fingertips blossomed with green vine shadows, which coiled upwards; Miss Chunmeng's sleeves released dark red demonic energy, and the three converged in the heart of the pool!

Although Li Xian was powerless to act, the last vestige of the manager's consciousness before his slumber was awakened deep within him. He bit his fingertip and flicked a drop of blood, infused with the remaining holy water energy, into the convergence point—

"Buzz—"

A deep rumble came from underground! The surface of the icy pool trembled violently, and a whirlpool appeared out of nowhere in the center! The whirlpool spun faster and faster, but just before it reached its peak, it suddenly stopped!

Immediately afterwards, countless fine silver runes appeared on the surface of the water, intertwining into a net, slowly sinking and disappearing into the depths of the pool.

Everything returned to calm.

"It's done." Elder Shi breathed a sigh of relief. "The Illusion-Reality Reversal Formation has merged with the earth's veins. Unless a powerful expert above the Divine Origin Realm attacks it with brute force, no one will be able to find the entrance to the Star Chariot again."

Shen Aonan withdrew his palm and looked at Li Xian: "Brother Li, take care on your journey."

Peng Shutao stepped forward and handed a small bundle to Peng Shitao: "Inside are some changes of clothes, silver, and some special healing medicine made in Peach Blossom Village. Shitao, the world is dangerous, so be careful in everything you do."

"Okay, sister!" Peng Shitao took the bundle, her eyes slightly red, but she forced a smile. "By the time I come back, I might already be a world-renowned goddess doctor!"

Miss Chunmeng didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly to Shen Aonan.

Li Xian cupped his hands in greeting: "Brother Shen, Miss Peng, I'm entrusting Peach Blossom Village to you."

"Rest assured." Shen Aonan returned the greeting solemnly, "Once the clan leader recovers, we will reorganize the formation and restore peace to Peach Blossom Village."

There were no further words of farewell. For those in the martial world, parting is the norm.

The three boarded a small boat, and Shen Aonan personally poled it to take them to the exit of Peach Blossom Pool—a hidden waterway that led through a crevice in the rocks to the rivers outside.

Farewell.

A light boat drifted out of the crevice in the rocks as dawn broke.

Three days later, within the territory of Tonghai Prefecture.

The Tonghai River is one of the waterways that runs through the north and south of the Ōtani Dynasty. It is wide and teeming with boats. Li Xian and his two companions rented a small passenger boat and sailed downstream.

Miss Chunmeng was recuperating and healing her injuries in the cabin—the hidden injuries left by the battle on the Star Chariot were more serious than she had expected, especially the wound on her left arm that had been grazed by the Bone-Eating Yin Sha Palm of the Bone Master, which had been turning black in the past few days and was showing signs of spreading.

Peng Shitao was decocting medicine at the stern of the boat. The small medicine stove was bubbling and steaming, and the bitter smell of the herbs was carried on the river breeze.

Li Xian sat at the bow of the boat, holding a purple clay basin in his arms, his fingertips gently stroking the tender buds of the small pine tree. After losing all his internal energy, his five senses had become much dulled, but his mind was unusually clear—perhaps because there was no longer any interference from the manager's consciousness, or perhaps it was some kind of transformation of destruction and rebirth.

"Brother Li," Peng Shitao said, bringing over a bowl of medicine, "it's time to take your medicine. I added some calming herbs to this dose of 'Xupai San'; it should help you sleep better."

Li Xian took the medicine and drank it all in one gulp. The medicine was very bitter, but he didn't show any change in expression.

"How is Sister Meng's injury?" he asked.

"This isn't good." Peng Shitao lowered her voice. "She's been afflicted with the 'Mother-Child Heart-Eating Gu,' a legitimate poison from the Demonic Sect. The mother Gu should be in the hands of the Bone Master. The child Gu is currently being forcibly suppressed by her internal energy, but every time she uses her demonic arts, it accelerates the spread of the poison. I checked her pulse this morning and found that the poison has already invaded the vicinity of her heart meridian..."

Li Xian frowned deeply. Miss Chunmeng had never mentioned the Gu poison.

Just then, a commotion suddenly arose from the river.

At the bend in the river ahead, three official boats blocked the water! Banners fluttered on the boats, embroidered with the "Azure Eagle" pattern—the Azure Eagle Guard of the Otani Dynasty, specializing in apprehending criminals and patrolling waterways.

The passenger boatman hurriedly lowered the sails, and the small boat slowly came to a stop.

A silver-armored captain on the official ship shouted sternly, "Routine search by the Azure Eagle Guard! Everyone assemble on deck!"

Miss Chunmeng stepped out from behind the curtain, her expression slightly grim: "It's a Silver Eagle Captain from the Azure Eagle Guard, probably equivalent to the early Earth Realm. He doesn't seem friendly."

Li stood up first: "I'll handle it."

"You currently have no internal energy..."

"It's precisely because there's nothing there that it's safer," Li said calmly. "Don't come out of the cabin."

He walked onto the deck alone.

More than ten Green Eagle Guards jumped off the official ship, led by the Silver Eagle Captain, who was about thirty years old, with a stern face and a sword at his waist. He sized up Li Xian a few times and, seeing that the other man's aura was weak and he did not seem to be a martial artist, his expression softened slightly.

"Name? Place of origin? Where to go?" the captain asked routinely.

"Mr. Li is from the north and has come south to visit friends," Mr. Li replied calmly.

Who else is on board?

"My wife and younger sister." Li paused. "My wife caught a cold and is resting in the cabin, so it's not good for her to be exposed to the wind."

The captain narrowed his eyes: "Open the hatch, I need to inspect it."

Just as Li Xian was about to speak, the sound of rapid hoofbeats suddenly came from the direction of the riverbank!

Five riders galloped along the riverbank, all dressed in black and masked, with bows strapped to their backs. The leader raised his hand and fired an arrow, which pierced the air and struck the mast of the official ship!

"Enemy attack!" The Green Eagle Guards were thrown into chaos.

The Silver Eagle Captain drew his sword, deflecting an arrow, and shouted sharply, "Protect the lord!"

Li Xian then noticed a middle-aged man in a brocade robe sitting in the cabin of the middle of the three official ships. The man had a refined appearance, but there was an air of nobility between his brows. He was calmly drinking tea, seemingly unsurprised by the attack on the shore.

The men in black were clearly after this "lord." Arrows rained down like locusts. The Green Eagle Guards formed a defensive formation, but the men in black were skilled archers, and two more leaped from their horses, swooping down like birds towards the official ship where the man in the brocade robe was!

Captain Silver Eagle roared and charged forward with his sword! The blade flashed like snow, and after exchanging several blows with the two men in black in mid-air, he was forced back three steps!

"Early stage of the Heavenly Origin realm!" The captain's expression changed. "You're the 'Black Feather Guards'? Remnants of the previous dynasty!"

The man in black did not answer, but intensified his attack. Although the Green Eagle Guards were well-trained, they were outnumbered and outmatched in strength, and several of them were soon injured and fell into the water.

The fighting reached Li Xian's small passenger boat. A stray arrow pierced the awning and became embedded in the bulkhead!

Miss Chunmeng lifted the curtain and stepped out, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. Just as she was about to make a move, Li Xian grabbed her wrist.

"Don't use your internal energy, or the poison will take effect," Li Xian whispered. "I'll handle it."

"What are you going to do now?" Miss Chunmeng frowned.

Li Xian didn't answer. He walked to the bow of the ship and took out a metal sphere the size of a walnut from his pocket—this was a "sonic oscillator" that Superman made from scraps left over from the Starship. It was originally intended for Batman to upgrade his sonar, but Li Xian made some modifications after being instructed by the manager.

He attached the sphere to the side of the boat and tapped its surface rhythmically with his fingers. The force and frequency of the tapping were precisely calculated; it seemed random, but in fact, it subtly conformed to some principle of energy resonance.

"Thump, thump, thump-thump-thump..."

The sound wasn't loud, but amidst the chaotic sounds of battle, it reached everyone's ears with exceptional clarity.

At first, no one noticed. But after a few breaths, the movements of both sides in the battle became slightly sluggish—the sound seemed to have a magical power, disrupting the rhythm of their internal energy circulation!

"What the hell?!" a man in black shouted angrily, his attack slowing down.

Silver Eagle Captain also felt his blood and qi slightly disordered, and looked at Li Xian with surprise and uncertainty.

Ignoring the stares of the crowd, Li Xian continued striking. At the same time, he mentally called out, "Batman, cooperate with me, release a 377.5 Hz reverse sound wave, covering a radius of thirty feet."

"receive!"

An invisible sound wave spread out from Li Xian's small boat. This sound wave was almost inaudible to human hearing, but to internal energy and the flow of energy, it was like a pebble thrown into water, creating ripples.

The men in black were the first to be hit. Their cultivation methods were of a sinister nature, making them particularly sensitive to sound interference. The leader let out a muffled groan and fell from the air, barely managing to stand, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"Retreat!" he decided immediately.

The five men in black turned their horses around and galloped away.

The Green Eagle Guards wanted to give chase, but the Silver Eagle Captain raised his hand to stop them: "Don't pursue a desperate enemy; protecting our lord is the priority."

He turned around, gave Li Xian a deep look, and clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying, "Thank you for your help. May I ask what school or sect's secret technique you used?"

"A mere trick, not worth mentioning." Li Xian put away the sphere. "If there's nothing else, may we continue our journey?"

The captain hesitated for a moment, then looked towards the official ship in the middle. The man in the brocade robe inside the cabin nodded slightly.

"Please go ahead." The captain stepped aside to make way for the waterway.

The small passenger boat slowly sailed away.

Li Xian returned to the cabin and had just sat down when Peng Shitao exclaimed, "Brother Li! You're bleeding from your nose!"

Miss Chunmeng took out a handkerchief and handed it over, a look of worry flashing in her eyes: "You forcibly activated the sound wave resonance, which aggravated your broken meridians, didn't you? Don't push yourself next time."

Li wiped the blood from his nose and smiled wryly, "We can't just stand by and watch the ship get destroyed."

Just then, the boatman suddenly shouted from outside, "Young master! A speedboat is chasing us!"

The three stepped out of the cabin and saw that it was indeed a speedboat belonging to the Green Eagle Guard. There were only two people on board: the Silver Eagle Captain and the man in the brocade robe.

As the speedboat drew near, the man in the brocade robe boarded the passenger ship. He was about forty years old, with a lean face and gentle eyes, but the authority of someone who had long held a high position was inadvertently revealed.

"My name is Chu Huaizhou, Inspector of Tonghai Prefecture, Da Gu Dynasty." The man smiled and cupped his hands in thanks. "Thank you for helping me out of that predicament, young master. May I ask your esteemed name?"

Inspector? A fourth-rank civil official, but able to mobilize the Green Eagle Guard, his identity is clearly more than just what it appears to be.

"Li Xian." Li Xian returned the greeting, "It was nothing, sir, you needn't worry about it."

Chu Huaizhou replied, "The sonic technique you used just now was extremely exquisite, seemingly unlike any other martial art from the Central Plains. I am not very talented, but I have some knowledge of the wonders of the world and have never seen such a method before."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Miss Chunmeng and Peng Shitao, then lingering for a moment on the faint outline of the drone visible inside the cabin: "These... mechanical creations around you, young master, are quite peculiar. May I ask who your teacher is?"

They've come to investigate.

Li Xian calmly replied, "My family's miscellaneous skills are nothing to be proud of. As for these mechanical puppets, they are just little trinkets I tinkered with in my spare time. I hope you will forgive my poor skills."

Chu Huaizhou smiled, not pressing the matter further, and changed the subject: "Where is Young Master heading south?"

"I have no fixed abode yet, I just wander around."

"In that case, I have a suggestion." Chu Huaizhou took out a token from his sleeve. The token was made of bronze, with the words "Patrol" engraved on the front and a pattern of a blue eagle spreading its wings on the back. "I have been ordered to patrol the three prefectures of Jiangnan and am in need of a staff member who understands esoteric arts. If you do not mind, young master, you can temporarily accompany me. The remuneration will be generous, and you can also avoid the trouble of being checked along the way."

This is recruitment.

Miss Chunmeng secretly tugged at Li Xian's sleeve, signaling her refusal—getting too close to the imperial court would easily expose her identity.

After a moment's hesitation, Li Xian said, "I am honored by your high regard, sir. However, I have my family with me and it is inconvenient for me to accompany you. If you would not mind, would you allow us to follow at the rear of the procession? This way, we can look after each other and not disturb your official duties."

A compromise.

Chu Huaizhou gave him a deep look and smiled, "Very well. In three days, I will be hosting a banquet at the Wangjiang Tower in Tonghai Prefecture. I hope you will do me the honor of attending."

"must."

Chu Huaizhou took his leave.

After the speedboat had gone some distance, Miss Chunmeng whispered, "Are you crazy? Getting involved with the imperial court, what if they find out about our connections with the Demonic Sect and Peach Blossom Village..."

"That's precisely why this cover is so necessary." Li Xian looked into the distance. "Chu Huaizhou is clearly no ordinary inspector. The fact that he can recognize the Black Feather Guards shows that he knows a great deal about the secrets of the previous dynasty. Following him might allow us to access more information about the Star Raft and the extraterrestrial remains."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Moreover, we need a legitimate identity to roam the martial world. The position of a guest advisor to the Inspector is quite good."

Peng Shitao tilted her head: "But Brother Li, aren't you going to find a way to restore your strength? Won't following the imperial court cause delays...?"

"No." A dark glint flashed in Li Xian's eyes. "The world is vast, and opportunities won't just fall into your lap. Sometimes, you have to actively stir up trouble to reap the rewards."

The implication in those words made Miss Chunmeng pause slightly.

She suddenly realized that although Li Xian was physically weak after losing his internal energy, the calmness in his eyes, which showed a complete control over everything, was even sharper than before.

The evil influence has not dissipated, but is merely contained within.

At this moment, Superman flew down from the top of the cabin and whispered, "Boss, we just intercepted an encrypted message—it's the 'Corpse Puppet Transmission Technique' of the orthodox Demonic Cult. Master Kugu is mobilizing manpower, and the target is... Tonghai Prefecture City."

Li Xian's lips curled into a smile: "Look, the fish are here."

The small passenger boat sailed downstream towards Tonghai Prefecture, a hundred miles away.

Behind them, in the dense forest along the riverbank, a figure in green quietly disappeared.

Xiao Lingshan stood on a treetop, watching the departing ship, a newly received message carried by carrier pigeon in her hand—an urgent letter from Han Family Fortress:

"Ling Shan, return immediately. Yun Yang is seriously injured, and trouble has arisen within the fortress. There is suspicion of an accomplice from the Demonic Cult."

She bit her lip, took one last look in Li Xian's direction, and then turned and sped north.

Hanjiabao needs her.

But Li Xian... has already embarked on his own path.

Ultimately, they parted ways at the crossroads.

Outside Tonghai Prefecture City, at Yuelai Inn.

Li first requested two superior rooms. Miss Chunmeng needed to rest due to her injuries, so she had a private room; he, Peng Shitao, and the drones shared the other room.

As night fell, Peng Shitao brewed the medicine and watched Li Xian drink it before taking the small medicine stove next door to deliver it to Miss Chunmeng.

Li Xian sat alone by the window and took out the pair of small dolls—Mu Sheng and Ling Yu.

The doll lay quietly in my palm, dressed in a small black and white outfit, its face exquisitely lifelike, yet cold and lifeless.

"The Boltzmann brain..." Li Xian muttered to himself, "You said you wanted to complete the human creation experiment, but now you've lost contact, and I've lost all my powers. How... should I proceed?"

Deep within my consciousness, the cracked, dark red crystal remained unresponsive.

But just as he was about to put the doll away, Mu Sheng's fingers twitched very slightly...

This time it wasn't an illusion.

Li Xian held his breath and slowly channeled the remaining energy of the holy water—so weak it was almost negligible—into the puppet's body.

Mu Sheng's eyelids trembled.

It felt like I was about to wake up, but I was too weak to open my eyes.

Suddenly, very faint footsteps came from outside the door and stopped at the doorway.

Li Xian quickly put away the doll.

A knock sounded on the door; it was Miss Chunmeng's voice: "Mr. Li, are you asleep?"

"Come in."

Miss Chunmeng pushed open the door and entered. She had changed out of the scarlet dress she wore during the day and was now wearing a plain white nightgown. Her long hair was loose, and she looked less charming and more vulnerable than usual.

"That girl Shitao forced me to drink the calming soup, and now I'm incredibly sleepy but can't sleep." She sat down at the table and poured herself a cup of iced tea. "The intervals between the Gu poison attacks are getting shorter and shorter. At this rate, the Gu will completely gnaw through my heart meridian in three months at most."

Li Xian looked at her: "Is there any way to remove the curse?"

"The mother Gu is in the hands of the Bone Master. Kill him, or he will take it back on his own." Miss Chunmeng smiled bitterly. "But the Bone Master is at the Divine Origin Realm. Even in my prime, I am no match for him."

"Perhaps... we can find a solution from the Gu itself." Li Xian pondered. "Gu is also a living organism, and as long as it is a living organism, it has the laws of energy circulation. If we find the laws, we might be able to counteract it."

"You make it sound so easy," Miss Chunmeng shook her head. "The orthodox Gu-raising technique of the Demonic Sect has been passed down for three hundred years. How could it be broken so easily?"

She paused, then suddenly said, "Li Xian, if I die, take that girl Shi Tao and find a secluded place to live in seclusion. The martial world... is not suitable for you now."

Li Xian looked up at her: "This doesn't sound like something you would say."

Miss Chunmeng remained silent for a long time before softly saying, "I just suddenly feel... tired. Revenge, power grabs, and domination all seem meaningless. It's better to just drink some bitter medicine and get a good night's sleep."

The moonlight outside the window was as clear as water.

Li reached out and placed his hand on the back of her cold hand.

"Then you must live even more," he said. "Only by living can you watch your enemy fall."

Miss Chunmeng looked up at him, her eyes glistening with tears.

The atmosphere was subtle.

Just then, a commotion suddenly erupted downstairs!

"Blue Eagle Guards, search! Everyone inside!"

Then came the sound of hurried footsteps going upstairs, stopping outside Mr. Li's door.

"Knock knock knock!"

"Young Master Li, excuse me." It was the voice of Captain Silver Eagle. "An assassin has infiltrated the inn, and his target may be Lord Chu. For safety reasons, please open the door for inspection."

Li Xian and Miss Chunmeng exchanged a glance.

An assassin? What a coincidence!