Chapter 939 Rescue of the Craftsman (Seeking monthly votes!)

Actually, Chen Jiaxin was right when she said something during our last meeting.

Ouyang Rong waited for a while, finishing his bowl of porridge, but Aqing still hadn't come over.

He touched the bowl of porridge he had prepared for Aqing, picked it up immediately, and gulped down the cold porridge.

The taciturn young man stood up, went to the kitchen, and returned with another bowl of hot food, placing it on Aqing's seat.

As if seeing this scene, Aqing walked over and sat down on the stone bench.

She had just returned to her room, retrieved her sword, and now, with the sword resting on her lap, she freed both hands to hold up a bowl of porridge that was larger than her small face, and took a sip.

Ouyang Rong cracked open a white egg, peeled it for her, and said with a smile:

"Be careful, it's hot."

Aqing put down her bowl, lowered her eyes, stared at the warm white porridge, and said softly:

“Brother, I don’t mean to bother you while you’re working, but you have to go to the dining hall during the day, and then come back to work for Madam Li next door. You also stay up all night… This isn’t good. You need to get more rest.”

Under his sister's control, Ouyang Rong had no choice but to nod obediently:

"Okay, definitely."

Ah Qing paused, seemingly sensing the atmosphere at the table, and added with her eyes lowered:

"I dare not interfere with my brother."

Ouyang Rong coughed and said seriously:

“What Sister said makes sense. It’s not about controlling, it’s clearly good advice and reason.”

Aqing glanced at Ouyang Rong, then turned to look at the snow-white Wu skirt that was being hung out to dry again.

Suddenly asked:

“It rained last night, brother, you must have heard it.”

Ouyang Rong nodded: "Mm."

Aqing asked casually:

"Why don't you come out and take in the clothes? They're just drying in the yard."

Ouyang Rong's expression remained unchanged.

Actually, he had thought about going out to collect the clothes last night, but he put the idea aside.

Ouyang Rong said apologetically:

"Well, it was indeed my brother's carelessness. He was so engrossed in his own affairs that he forgot to collect the clothes."

Aqing didn't say anything, finished the white porridge in one gulp, stood up, and went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.

A moment later, she walked out of the kitchen with her sword on her back and said calmly:

"Brother, I'm leaving now. I don't know when I'll be back next time; it depends on Master's mood."

Ouyang Rong, who had been waiting outside the door, immediately went to greet him.

While discreetly observing Aqing's calm expression, he said earnestly:

"be safe."

Aqing asked directly:

"Brother, is there anything you need to tell me? Don't be so polite with Ah Qing."

Ouyang Rong pondered for a moment and said:

"Could you get me a piece of calligraphy by the Second Lady? Anything she wrote herself will do."

Without hesitation, Aqing agreed.

"Yes, brother, don't worry, I'll take care of it."

Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow:

"Ah Qing, aren't you going to ask your brother why he wants this?"

“I won’t ask about my brother’s affairs unless he wants to talk about them and I’m willing to listen.”

Ouyang Rong paused for a moment, then patted her head:

"I'll tell you the details when you come back next time."

Aqing pursed her lips, tiptoed, gave Ouyang Rong a light hug, and whispered in his ear:

"Brother, take care of yourself. If you need anything, you can contact me anytime. Just have a Yue woman pass on a message saying that you are looking for A Qing from the Queen's Palace..."

She gave Ouyang Rong his contact information.

Ouyang Rong silently kept it in mind.

Finally, the question was asked:

"These clothes are drying here, do you need me to bring them to you?"

Aqing shook her head:

"No need, I have other spare Wu skirts with my master."

"good."

The two said goodbye, and Ouyang Rong escorted her to the courtyard gate.

Aqing walked out of the courtyard gate and had only taken a few steps when Ouyang Rong breathed a slight sigh of relief and was about to turn back into the courtyard. Suddenly, the sword-wielding girl in the distance turned around and said to him:

"By the way, brother, if it's inconvenient for you to collect my clothes, you can ask Mrs. Li next door to help collect them."

She left after saying that.

The words lingered faintly in front of the courtyard gate, seemingly carrying a hidden meaning.

Standing by the door, Ouyang Rong's expression suddenly turned somewhat awkward.

The farewell was going well, so why did this suddenly come out...?

Ouyang Rong looked somewhat helpless and turned to walk into the courtyard.

He looked up at the empty courtyard, and at the snow-white Wu skirt and the green bellyband hanging on the clothesline in the corner, their corners lifted by the breeze.

Ouyang Rong withdrew his gaze, shook his head, and after a moment, walked back into the house without looking to the side.

...

For the next few days, everything in the dining hall remained normal.

There's still no news from Chen Jiaxin, and Madam Chen hasn't shown up either.

Ouyang Rong was happy to have some peace and quiet, leaving early and returning late.

Daytime life remained largely unchanged, with the occasional appearance of the mischievous Li Shu.

Ouyang Rong "remembered" the two goddesses' prohibition and did not give Li Shu any special treatment.

If the large pot of rice he cooks every day happens to be the kind of food Li Shu likes, then it has nothing to do with him; it's just a coincidence.

But he didn't stop working every night.

Qi cultivators naturally possess superior energy compared to ordinary people. Although they also need to sleep to replenish their energy, they can stay up all night to the maximum extent possible. A short nap will replenish their energy to the minimum level. Of course, they cannot do this every night, but staying up all night for a few days to unleash their full potential is still within reach.

Ouyang Rong made the most of this advantage.

Eleven Kui Xing talismans have been made, and thirty-eight blank talisman papers remain.

The next day, before dawn, twelve more Kui Xing talismans were made.

On the third day, I woke up in the early morning, leaning against the back of a chair, and there were eleven more Kui Xing talismans on the table in front of me.

On the fourth day, in the evening, he returned early, declined the kind invitations from Li Wan and others, placed a basin of refreshing cool water on the table, and with one burst of energy, made the last fifteen Kui Xing talismans!

Ouyang Rong rubbed his slightly blurry eyes and looked up, where gray light was seeping in through the cracks in the window.

He walked over, opened the window, and was greeted by the chirping of insects and the morning mist.

Just after dawn, the first rays of light appeared on the distant horizon.

Ouyang Rong let out a long breath, returned to his chair, leaned back against the backrest, and stretched out a big yawn.

His gaze fell on the stack of talismans on the table, a hint of a smile in his eyes.

A total of 49 Kui Xing talismans have been made.

Ouyang Rong put away the stack of Kui Xing talismans with considerable satisfaction, took the basin and went out to wash his face, then went to work as usual.

That evening, Ouyang Rong left on time and returned to his house early.

He did not immediately take out the Kui Xing Talisman and the Mo Family Sword Box.

Instead, he boiled water to take a bath, washing away the sweat of the past few days, then returned to his bedside in the inner room and fell asleep immediately.

I slept until midnight.

Feeling an itch in her nose, she opened her eyes and saw Miaosi's small face close to hers, scrutinizing her closely.

"You're awake! How can you sleep like a pig? Get up, get up! You've gone overtime. It's been half an hour since I told you to wake up. Hmm, I called you but you wouldn't wake up. I thought you'd passed out, Xiao Rongzi."

Ouyang Rong's eyelids drooped, and he propped himself up, looking around.

The room was pitch black. Little Mo Jing was holding a small whisk in his hand, which he must have used to scratch his nose just now.

Ouyang Rong nodded: "Thank you."

Miaosi glanced at him, then waved her little hand:

"No need to thank me, no need to thank me. Who told you to be my little follower? Sigh, I really can't do anything with you."

Ouyang Rong chuckled, then suddenly leaped up like a carp and jumped off the bed.

"Xiao Rongzi, what are you doing?"

He ignored them, picked up a lamp, and went straight to the wardrobe, desk, kitchen, and other places, checking them one by one.

Upon seeing this, Miao Si's expression changed slightly.

After Ouyang Rong finished his examination, he raised an eyebrow slightly.

Sure enough, the ink sticks, snacks, and other items he had saved up for a "slow and steady" life were all gone, and even the last radish left in the kitchen was gone.

Are you a rabbit?

Ouyang Rong turned his head, glanced at Miao Si's bulging little belly, and nodded:

"The immortal lady seems to have eaten quite a lot."

Miao Si's eyes darted away, her arms crossed over her chest, subtly concealing her lower abdomen.

"What do you mean, 'full'? Hmm, this fairy doesn't understand what you mean. If you lost something, please report it to the authorities. Don't make false accusations against me here."

Her tone was condemnatory and warning.

Ouyang Rong gave a forced smile: "Eat up, or you'll be starving. If you eat your fill now, you might be hungry again later."

Little Ink Spirit's face immediately turned anxious:

"Xiao Rongzi, you..."

Ouyang Rong curled his lip, ignoring the lazy and unruly little Mo Jing.

He carried the lamp to the table, took out the Peach Blossom Spring painting, and placed it on the table.

The room was dark, and he was all alone. He took a Mo family sword box from the painting and placed it on the table.

Forty-nine Kui Xing talismans were arranged around the sword box, in order, on various parts of the table.

It seemed as if they had vaguely sensed the Sword Master's actions.

Deep within Ouyang Rong's mind, a little fellow who had been trapped in the Thunder Pool and had been listless for a long time suddenly felt a surge of joy and excitement.

"Don't worry, it's coming."

Before the lamp, the taciturn young man murmured something.

He closed his eyes and, following the memory of when Cui Hao possessed him, made a hand seal with one hand.

At the same time, Ouyang Rong kept a close eye on the merit points displayed above the small wooden fish on the merit tower.

Since he was not a Confucian Qi cultivator, he could not directly activate the Kui Xing Talisman like Cui Hao and Tao Yuanming. To successfully use this Confucian technique, he needed to consume precious merit purple mist.

This is also why Ouyang Rong has only now been able to "rescue" the trapped [Craftsman] – his merit points have been insufficient and he has no surplus.

The Peach Blossom Sword Formation was first created by Tao Yuanming three hundred years ago, and further improved by Cui Hao, reaching its pinnacle.

This formation can fully unleash the power of a single cauldron sword.

At the same time, it can lower the threshold for "sword wielders", allowing more people to control the killing power of the Ding sword or Ding sword by means of counterfeit Ding sword, and also to mobilize the Ding sword's supernatural powers.

The original Tao Yuanming comprehended the Yunmeng Order, hid the "Humble Scholar" in Peach Blossom Spring, and stole the blood bronze material of the Yunmeng Order to forge the first fake Ding sword for the "Humble Scholar," which is the predecessor of the Peach Blossom Spring Map in Ouyang Rong's possession. Before Wu Daozi reorganized and modified it, it was a bronze scroll that recorded the true Peach Blossom Spring Record.

This first counterfeit Ding sword once replaced the "Humble Scholar" and was used by the Southern Dynasty royal family to defend against the northern enemy.

Later, after the Southern Dynasties were defeated, it fell into the hands of Emperor Wu of Northern Wei, and was subsequently given to Cui Hao, the Grand Preceptor of Northern Wei.

Cui Hao improved this technique, dispersing the power of a single counterfeit cauldron sword into multiple counterfeit cauldrons. At the same time, he replaced blood bronze with mithril in the array materials.

After Cui Hao presided over the suppression of Buddhism, the 320 Buddhist temples that remained in the territory of Northern Wei were the culmination of this technique. The 320 Buddhist temples were like 320 counterfeit tripods.

Historically, after Cui Hao's death, the secret techniques of the Peach Blossom Sword Formation were kept by the Northern Wei royal family until the country was destroyed.

The Northern Wei imperial family changed their name to Yuan, which is the family of Yuan Huaimin. They have lived in the Jingzhao region and quietly passed down their lineage to the present dynasty.

Later, she was offered to the Wei family by Yi Qianqiu and his daughter, who came from the Yuan clan.

Later, it was used by the King of Wei and the King of Liang, who, together with the Imperial Observatory, launched the Great Zhou Praise the Celestial Pivot and the Four Directions Buddha Statue Project.

It was a magnificent project comparable to the 320 Buddhist temples built during the Northern Wei Dynasty.

However, the corresponding cauldron and sword are no longer for the "poor scholar," but for the "Emperor Wen"!

The strings of Buddhist prayer beads bestowed by the sage were actually the counterfeit tripods of Emperor Wen.

In terms of lethality, the counterfeit cauldron is inferior to the unique counterfeit cauldron sword, but it has the advantage of being more numerous.

The killing power of the Dingjian sword was already extremely strong, unparalleled in the world. Dividing it into smaller pieces did not weaken it; on the contrary, it made it more efficient and had a wider range of killing power.

This is also the reason why the Heavenly Pivot and the Four Directions Buddha statues were cast in various places in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Strings of Buddhist beads are the keys to mobilizing the killing power and supernatural abilities of the Emperor Wen.

The reigning empress only needs to sit peacefully on the dragon throne and, with the help of this largest Peach Blossom Spring Sword Formation in history, can extend the tentacles of the Great Zhou imperial power to all parts of the world.

Through Cui Hao and the Lady Historian, Ouyang Rong learned the ins and outs of the Peach Blossom Sword Formation.

What he could use was not the improved and advanced version of the Peach Blossom Sword Formation by Cui Hao, but the original Peach Blossom Sword Formation, the one first created by Tao Yuanming.

All you need to do is create a unique counterfeit Ding sword and use it to replace the original Ding sword when traveling outside.

This is also a shortcut to temporarily extricate [Craftsmanship] from the trap.

Tao Yuanming left without teaching him this initial version of the Peach Blossom Spring Sword Formation, having left with nothing but the wind and rain.

But Cui Hao taught him anyway.

Instead of a long farewell speech, he turned back with a smile and offered a single insightful remark.

“Ouyang Lianghan, I personally taught you this technique when we dealt with them.”

Ouyang Rong suddenly remembered the string of eighteen-bead Buddhist prayer beads that he had already given to Rong Zhen.

At that time, he used his divine power to fight against the imperial court and Jianze forces in the main grotto on the north bank. Under Cui Hao's control, he drew a Kui Xing talisman, which shattered all the fake Buddhist beads and cauldrons in the entire area, including the golden Buddha head. He also absorbed all the secret gold from them and poured it all into the string of eighteen-bead Buddhist beads in his hand.

It was modified and upgraded into the counterfeit Ding Sword of the Emperor Wen, borrowing the Emperor Wen's triple golden light divine power to suppress the entire scene.

With the Tian Shu and the Four Directions Buddha statues now collapsed, it is the only counterfeit Ding Sword of the [Emperor Wen].

Cui Hao did indeed demonstrate the technique once, step by step, using his body as a guide…

In the dimly lit room, Ouyang Rong sat upright before a wooden table, holding his breath and concentrating.

Following the hand gestures and incantations from memory, he began to mutter them, his mouth and hands moving faster and faster.

At first, everything around remained still and unchanged, including the sword box on the table and the forty-nine Kui Xing talismans surrounding it.

Suddenly, the young man with his eyes closed reached out and, without any apparent reason, took out a small bronze sword from the Peach Blossom Spring painting.

With a "thud," it landed firmly on the sword case.

A Yunmeng Order.

I've kept this for a long time; I found it on a "rebel from the south."

He doesn't have Mystic Gold, but he has Blood Bronze!

...

——————

(P.S.: Requesting monthly votes at the beginning of the month!)

(End of this chapter)