The End of Dharma 40K: My Evil God Wife Feeds Me to Prove My Emperorship

The Wang family's old residence is a large courtyard located at the end of the street.

Under the moonlight, one can see the flying eaves and green tiles, the intertwined roots, the twists and turns, and the thick bronze pipes crisscrossing above.

While the overall appearance retains a classical charm, it has lost some of its true ancient and dignified feel, and gained more of a modern, industrial vibe.

In contrast, the small workshop next door looked like a dilapidated bungalow.

A wooden gate with a slightly worn brass lock.

Li Mingyu's eyelids drooped; he had been on edge all night and was utterly exhausted. Not wanting to waste any more time, he asked softly, "Brother Chen, where are the keys?"

"As for the key..." Wang Chen walked to an elm tree in front of the Wang family's old house, pointed to a huge rock under the tree, and said, "It's right here."

Li Mingyu walked over, took out the key, and successfully opened the door to enter the small house.

The bungalow has two bedrooms and a living room, and is fully equipped. The overall design by Wang Chenbu leans towards a bronze mechanical style.

Li Mingyu went straight into the room and found Wang Chen's desk. The desk was next to the bookshelf, on which were several books scattered. Most of the books were related to bronze craftsmanship, and there were also a few introductory books on government affairs.

There was also some scrap paper, a few ordinary copper pens, and some dried bloodstains on the scrap paper.

Wang Chen ignored Wei Kun and simply pointed to one of the thick red notebooks, saying:

"Mingyu, this is the one."

Li Mingyu picked up the red notebook. The notebook was not thick, but it had a subtle, ancient feel to it.

Upon opening the book, one finds that every page is covered with densely packed theoretical knowledge written in blood ink, and some pages even contain detailed mechanical diagrams.

The accuracy of these illustrations, from minute details to overall structure, is beyond imagination, comparable to printing.

However, these mechanical illustrations depict large, sophisticated machines that ordinary monks cannot access, and they almost never appear in regular printed books.

Therefore, this notebook is of great value; at least for those who are still learning basic bronze-making techniques, it is priceless and unavailable.

Wang Chen stood aside watching and explained:

"That scarlet copper pen is actually a life-bound artifact, hmm... perhaps it was bestowed by destiny. Through my experimentation, I discovered that the true function of the copper pen is to automatically analyze and draw the internal structure of machinery, but it can only use blood ink."

This notebook also appears to have been drawn with this same bronze pen. The owner of the notebook claimed to be a master of bronze, and the content, illustrations, and annotations are quite advanced.

Li Mingyu knew all this; he had already learned a lot of information from Wang Chen's fragmented memories, and now he was just going through the motions.

As for life-bound artifacts, he had heard of them before.

"Life-binding artifacts" is a general term for a type of item that possesses strange and mysterious powers. Although the uses of these items are mysterious and bizarre, they often contain strong side effects.

Judging from Wang Chen's behavior in the warehouse, the side effects of that copper pen may be related to loss of sanity or bloodlust.

Judging from the blood-ink manuscripts on the table, Wang Chen must have plundered a lot of refugees' corpses and extracted their heart blood, and the side effects he suffered must have been considerable.

Li Mingyu touched the copper pen in his pocket, still feeling that he should avoid using such items if possible.

Wang Chen continued, "The essence is all concentrated in this notebook. Take this notebook with you, along with some of my manuscripts, and that will be enough for your research."

Li Mingyu: "Understood."

"There are a few silver notes left. Remember to bring them with you. You can withdraw the money from money shops in other prefectures later," Wang Chen reminded him.

Soon, Li Mingyu found several silver notes in the cabinet, totaling nearly 200 banknotes, which were not a large amount.

One banknote is worth 100 coins, and 200 banknotes are worth 20000 coins.

The monthly cost for reaching the second level of the Spirit Awakening Realm is around 1500 coins.

If all these precious notes were used to purchase spiritual resources, it would probably be equivalent to the cultivation expenses of a cultivator at the second level of the Enlightenment Realm for two years.

If it is a cultivator at the third level of the Qi Refining Realm, it can only cover less than a year's worth of cultivation expenses.

If a cultivator at the fourth level of the Qi Refining Realm were to spend all 3 coins in just three months of cultivation expenses, it would be enough.

With each advancement in realm, the cost of advancing in realm doubles.

Moreover, cultivators not only have expenses related to their cultivation level, but also expenses related to food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. They also need to save up for future advancements in their cultivation level, which is known as "cultivation expenses."

The higher the level of a cultivator, the higher their status and the more complex their social relationships tend to be. They also tend to have a more upscale lifestyle and spend more money on food, clothing, housing, and transportation.

With multiple factors intertwined, the 20000 coins seemed insufficient for a cultivator at the second realm.

This is also why Wang Chen was reluctant to advance to the third stage of the Spirit Awakening Realm.

Wang Chen: "A large part of this money came from my father, and some of it was from my savings. I don't want to rely on my father completely. I wouldn't normally touch this money, but the situation is special now, so it's really necessary to use it."

Li Mingyu stroked the few silver notes in his hand and nodded: "I understand."

Wei Kun: "We've made a killing from this."

Wang Chen's eyes blazed with fervor: "Based on my previous insights under the Bright Eyes, coupled with this Machine Soul Master's notes alone, no one of my generation will be able to surpass me in the path of Machine Soul Immortal Arts!"

Li Mingyu laughed and said, "Good, good, we will definitely become stronger! We will have status and dignity."

……

Li Mingyu carried a small bag and hurried back from the Wang family's old house in the north of the city. He crossed the streets where refugees gathered and returned to his small courtyard. He went inside and met his aunt.

"Auntie, I'm back."

As soon as I entered the courtyard, I saw a beautiful woman standing there in the dim light. She was in her early thirties, with skin as smooth as jade. Her phoenix eyes were slightly upturned and misty, with a faint red at the corners, as if she had been crying.

The old clothes she wore looked loose and baggy, with her waistline accentuating her graceful curves.

Behind the beautiful woman hung a portrait on the wall. The portrait depicted a kind-looking middle-aged man, and several sticks of incense were burning in an incense burner on the table below the portrait.

The beautiful widow in front of me is Li Mingyu's aunt. The portrait on the wall is of her deceased husband, who is also Li Mingyu's uncle.

The aunt was worried and sat with the light on. She had already packed her small bag of luggage and was waiting for Li Mingyu to come back.

My aunt's name is Shen Xiuzhen. Although she is very beautiful, she comes from a rural background and her parents died early.

She had never attended state school or received any formal education, but she was simple, honest, and impeccable.

But such a background and character predetermined one fact:

Just maintaining one's initial stage of cultivation to survive already requires exerting all one's strength.

However, even though life was difficult, she found someone to connect with emotionally.

She adored her nephew Li Mingyu, and for many years she did everything she could to care for and look after him.

Since her husband's death, she only has Li Mingyu left as a relative.

Upon hearing Li Mingyu enter, she immediately stood up to greet him, her face tense and worried as she asked:

"Xiaoyu, how are you?"

"Everything is going well, we can set off now."

Li Mingyu smiled, and the atmosphere immediately relaxed considerably.

After tidying up briefly, Li Mingyu led Shen Xiuzhen out of the courtyard.

"Wait, Xiaoyu." Shen Xiuzhen turned around, having deliberately arranged things to emphasize the signs of life, and tossed her hair aside, saying:

"This way, it shouldn't give people the feeling that the doors are locked and they're fleeing for their lives."

……

Li Mingyu helped Shen Xiuzhen carry her small bag of luggage and hurried towards a remote location on the outskirts of the county.

"Xiaoyu, where are we going?" Shen Xiuzhen asked cautiously.

"Go get two fake IDs. We can use them to get through the inspection and distract the Immortal Palace, buying us more time," Li Mingyu explained.

"Huh? Where do you get fake documents?" Aunt Li asked, following beside Li Mingyu, somewhat surprised.

"Auntie, don't worry, there's a way," Li Mingyu reassured her.

"Oh, Auntie was just asking casually. Xiaoyu, I trust you with everything you do." The aunt smiled and didn't ask any more questions. She just followed behind and noticed that her nephew had grown taller and his shoulders had broadened.

As the local civilization has developed to this day, it has formed a relatively complete set of rules and regulations for the verification and inspection of monks' certificates. Forging or altering certificates will be punished as a crime of forgery.

However, now that Li Mingyu is facing a murder case, he is not afraid of taking on a few more minor offenses. Right now, nothing is more important than buying himself some breathing room.

Moreover, he originally had no way to obtain fake documents, but Wang Chen mentioned that he and Wang Hao had been to a place that produced high-quality fake documents. After a little discussion, they figured it should work.

Since it was still dark and we had plenty of time, we came.

Li Mingyu and Shen Xiuzhen walked along a damp stone path and arrived at a dark bungalow.

The lights were off inside, and the house looked like it had been uninhabited for a long time.

Wang Chen appeared to the side, observing intently: "This is it, I've been here before."

"Knock knock knock".

Li Mingyu stepped forward and knocked on the door.

No one responded.

He knocked on the door again.

No one responded.

Wang Chen gestured a rhythm and said, "Mingyu, you tap it like this."

Li Mingyu did as instructed.

Soon, an impatient, gruff male voice came from inside:

"We're closed."

Wang Chen: "My cousin from my hometown came to order a notebook."

Li Mingyu read aloud: "My cousin from my hometown came to order a notebook."

The gruff male voice continued, "What specifications?"

Wang Chen: "A standard that isn't afraid of being investigated."

Li Mingyu continued reading, following Wang Chen's instructions: "Standards that are not afraid of being checked."

Wei Kun exclaimed, "He said he's not afraid of being investigated! Let's go report it to the police!"

A moment of silence.

Wei Kun suddenly realized: "Okay, we really should wait until we get the documents before reporting the case."

silence.

The door opened.

Li Mingyu took his and his aunt's original identification documents into the house, while his aunt stood guard at the door.

……

About an hour later, Li Mingyu came out, holding two brand-new folding cardboard notebooks with many pages inside.

"Auntie, please keep the original document safe. Take a look at this new document."

Shen Xiuzhen took the document and saw that it contained all kinds of information.

The greenish-gray headshot was replicated exactly like the original ID photo, complete with fake seals and fingerprints; the name and key information were all fake.

The average lifespan of cultivators at the lower levels of the Qingxuan Heavenly Dynasty is not long, and they do not consider long-term plans. Shen Xiuzhen does not care about crimes or anything. In this short-lived era, she is willing to accompany her little nephew to do anything, even if there is only a sliver of hope.

Looking at the injury on Li Mingyu's left arm, she suppressed her grief and smiled contentedly:

"That's great, our Xiaoyu is really capable."

The sky was already beginning to lighten.

A gentle breeze carries the cool, earthy scent unique to early spring.

After a fierce battle, Li Mingyu hadn't slept a wink all night and looked utterly exhausted. He gazed at his aunt in the morning light. Her hair fluttered gently, and the corners of her eyes curved into delicate hooks.

His lips curled slightly upward, his smile warm and gentle.

"Auntie, let's go to Fengzhou Station."

"Okay," Shen Xiuzhen said softly.