Chapter 36 Stop shouting, you're just not skilled enough...

Anyway, she just focused on setting things up. Once she was almost done, she decided to go back to Lirenfang. When she arrived by car, Fifth Hai was instructing several unfamiliar puppeteers to sweep the courtyard.

When Fifth Hai saw her, he smiled slightly, "Your martial aunt has arrived?"

Shimi nodded, then turned to look at the few puppeteers. Their hands and feet were still slightly uncoordinated, indicating that they had just been urged to work.

She peered into the room again, "Where's my senior brother?"

At this moment, Gu Jingguan came over from the back corridor, said nothing, and turned to enter the hall.

Shi Mi instructed Ali Dao and the others to help clean up, then entered the room and called out "Senior Brother".

Gu Jingguan pointed to the puppets outside and said, "I saw that you still had some limbs in your storeroom. It was a waste to leave them lying around, so I reconstructed their faces and got them to tidy up the courtyard."

Shi blinked in confusion, "My puppet, can my senior brother also urge it to come to life?"

Gu Jingguan smiled and said, "I can use my blood to open the mind. Anyway, I'm free. I've pieced together all the loose pieces. I counted them, and there are eleven or twelve. That should be enough."

Shi Mi almost cried. "Those were all the scraps I ruined! I never thought you could use them, Senior Brother. They'll actually be useful in a few days. You've saved me from my immediate crisis!" Overjoyed, she dragged a chair over and sat down in front of him, hurriedly telling him, "I went to Baiyujing this time and saw the Yan Emperor. I thought he'd be a tall, strong man, but his physique and appearance were quite ordinary. Senior Brother, I left a vision urn on a palace maid, intending to use her eyes to sculpt a portrait of Emperor Shengyuan. If there's a chance to replace the real person, why waste time here in Zhongdu? And I heard from Lu Min that they're currently undertaking massive construction projects, actually building an imperial mausoleum. They'll be pushing all the city's inhabitants into the tomb passage for a live sacrifice… Chong'an City has 2,800 households, with a total population of 27,826. The Yan people massacred 200,000 Yu Dynasty soldiers, and now they want to slaughter the entire city. I absolutely cannot stand by and watch such atrocities happen!"

Gu Jingguan was probably shocked by the Yan people's madness. He never expected that their massive reconstruction of Chong'an City was to turn this immortal city into the emperor's mausoleum.

The Yan people did indeed have the custom of human sacrifice, but the number of people involved was small, and in later periods they were usually replaced with dummies. Now, Emperor Shengyuan has unified the five kingdoms and wants to completely sever the bloodline of the Yu people. This kind of depravity is truly chilling.

"Please, Senior Brother, you must help me." Shimi tugged at Gu Jingguan's sleeve. "I know it's difficult to switch Emperor Shengyuan in Dragon City, so I need to prepare for two possibilities and recruit the generals stationed in Zhongdu. I've only made half of those six puppets, and I still need to find the right opportunity to complete the half-puppets. I'll work on the rest as soon as possible, but Emperor Shengyuan can't take his heart. I need to completely replace him with a puppet like the Fifth Sea that has gained sentience. But my skills are not yet proficient, and I still have shortcomings. I can only beg Senior Brother to think of a way for me."

Gu Jingguan agreed without hesitation.

Has he gone mad? No.

He helped her out of camaraderie as fellow disciples, but even more so for the sake of tens of thousands of lives. If it weren't for the precedent of the Yan army massacring the Yu army, he might not have believed that Emperor Shengyuan, now the ruler of a nation, would allow so many innocent people to perish. However, once you've witnessed war firsthand, what else wouldn't happen on this land? The ugliness of human nature surpasses your imagination; no one with a conscience can stand by and watch such a tragedy repeat itself.

"Give me the puppet of Emperor Shengyuan, and the remaining three. If I can deceive Xin Quan, it will be easier to deal with those above. If not, the sentient puppeteers can still fool them; my subordinates will never be able to tell the difference." He said, smiling calmly. "We puppeteers have never had a good reputation among the common people. Most call us demons, simply because they think we are skilled in strange and ingenious tricks that bewitch people. But puppeteers also have passion and conscience. I am not doing this to help you restore your kingdom; I am only doing this to protect the tens of thousands of people in Chong'an City. When Miao Ruo died, I died with her, lying immobile in a deserted temple. It was an old woman from Qian Yu who brought me a cake every day, keeping me alive. For this life-saving grace, I should do something. Although it is like an ant trying to shake a tree, if I don't try, how will I know I can't succeed?"

Shi Mi grinned even more broadly, "I've always been arrogant, and I've never doubted my ability to succeed. I've been lying low in Zhongdu, plotting my plan. If it doesn't work in two years, I'll do it in five; if it doesn't work in five years, I'll do it in ten. Even if the winds are small, I'll still confuse the bandits in Longcheng. I used to be arrogant even when I was fighting alone, but now with my senior brother's help, what am I afraid of! As long as I can seize control of the Six Guards of Zhongdu before the Divine Path is completed, even if the country doesn't change hands, I can at least ensure the safety of the people of Ancheng. Anyway, I've made a profit."

She possessed a vibrant life force and a resolute determination to face life and death. As Gu Jing gazed at her, his old heart seemed to slowly fill with blood, and he let out a soft sigh, saying, "Then from today onward, let us each get busy."

Shi Mi nodded and then instructed him again, "The capital has sent censors to investigate the matter of the Grand Princess falling from the building. They will probably find out about this place sooner or later. This residence is no longer usable. I sent a message to Madam Xie and asked her to arrange a place for me to stay. Senior Brother, take the Yanmen back to Nevernight for temporary refuge."

Gu Jingguan had just learned that she still had dealings with Madam Xie. When pressed for details, she did not hide anything and said with a smile, "Jie Duyan deserved to die for betraying the Yu Dynasty. I originally wanted to take Madam Xie's life, but then I thought that she would be useful, so I changed her body so that I could rely on her to raise grain in the future."

Gu Jingguan suddenly realized, "I knew that Jie Duyan was colluding with the enemy, but I didn't expect you to have taken in Madam Jie. You are quite shrewd, young lady. As expected of a princess of the Yu Dynasty, you know how to plan ahead."

Shi Mi was beaming with pride after receiving the praise. Meanwhile, the kitchen had already prepared the food, which was being brought in one after another. She picked up her chopsticks to look at the dishes, each one exquisite, clearly not made by Ran Dian or Yan Dian. She turned to Fifth Hai and asked, "Did you make these dishes? Your cooking is really good."

Fifth Hai was a little shy. "I worked as a waiter at Yanlou for a few days, specifically to learn cooking skills."

Shimi's eyes were full of envy for his senior brother. "This child has really gone to great lengths to support you."

Gu Jingguan also praised, "Over the years, I have been grateful for the Fifth Brother's care. I don't earn much money fishing, so he goes to Yanlou to serve dishes and to the Ghost Market to paint human skin masks. He earns more in a day than I do in a month."

Shimi murmured, "If only I had a disciple like that!"

Gu Jingguan looked up at Ali Dao and the others pacing around in the courtyard. Although he couldn't praise them for being smart, he could at least praise them for being considerate.

That's true. Shimi never dislikes her own children. With them by her side these past two years, her desolate life has finally gained a little joy. In short, God has been kind to her. She has also met her fellow disciples here. Being able to have a meal with people she trusts without any worries is the greatest happiness she has experienced recently.

The two disciples sat facing each other, finished their meal, and then leisurely drank tea. Although she knew that their actions were definitely under Lu Min's surveillance, it did not prevent her from feeling fearless and in a good mood.

When it was time to leave, Gu Jingguan felt it inconvenient to see him to the door, so he asked Wu Hai to do it for him. As Shi Mi stepped out the door, he suddenly remembered a question and turned back to ask Wu Hai, "Do you know how to make purses?"

Fifth Hai smiled gently, and without removing the silver pin behind his ear, no one would guess that he was a near-mad killer. He tucked his hands behind his back, his tone calm, "I've never made purses, but I can do needlework. I sewed all of Master's clothes myself; they're much cheaper and sturdier than anything bought from outside."

Ali, who was driving the carriage, was completely in awe of him. "Fifth, I admire you so much. Next time I come, I must learn from you."

Fifth Hai nodded, took a step back, looked up at the car window again, and cupped his hands in greeting to Shi Mi.

As the carriage drove away, Yan Dian sighed, "He's not a puppeteer; he's clearly a living person! The puppeteer used all his knowledge on him, but he certainly didn't put in the effort when he was working with us, so we're far inferior to him."

Shi Mi was furious. This was clearly a questioning of her skills. Was the difference in skill really that obvious?

Unfortunately, I couldn't tell them the truth, so I could only try my best to correct them: "You can't become a good puppeteer without putting in the effort. You were puppeteers after the puppeteers, and you've only lived for two years. Do you know how many years Fifth Sea has lived? So don't envy his intelligence. He's older than you. If you live another ten years, you definitely won't be any worse than him."

Ran Dian and Yan Dian immediately grabbed her hands excitedly, "Ami, you're the best. You never looked down on us and always believed in us."

Those who are deluded laugh, thinking to themselves that it is only natural; the legendary self-cherishing is actually the most unbreakable self-confidence and self-esteem in the world.

Upon returning to Jiuzhang Mansion, she immediately went into the dark room, leaving Ali Dao and the others to keep watch below, as she was busy perfecting her previous work.

She lifted the lid of the box and found the puppet of the Heavy Cavalry General curled up quietly inside. She touched his forehead with the light of the lamp, and the puppet slowly awoke, stiffening his limbs as he stood up straight before her.

Looking him up and down, she noticed the mustache seemed a little off. She put down the candlestick, took out a hook knife and awl, and, according to her memory, reshaped its distribution. After another inspection, she was finally satisfied. Any little movement in the General's mansion could provoke the General's wife; it shouldn't be long before Madam Yang's visit arrived.

However, the pair of eyes that were always watching from the shadows made her somewhat uncomfortable, and she needed to prepare a clever escape to get away with it.

Fortunately, she was prepared. The spare face in the peach wood box had not been shown to anyone for a long time. She took it out, carefully applied a layer of ointment, and then carefully drew her eyebrows and eyes before putting it back.

Humming a song as she went downstairs, she was rarely unhappy. Although she had experienced the fall of her country and the destruction of her family, she was not disappointed in the future. At least she still had her relatives in the circular walled city of Baiyujing. She was not an orphan.

After going downstairs, I went to watch Ali Dao thread the needle. Before I could even sit down, I heard the steward at the door say that General Yang's wife had sent an invitation to the tea house tomorrow.

As expected, this Mrs. Yang lacked patience and came knocking on our door so quickly.

She agreed and continued to watch Ali's stitches. Although she was cautious with each stitch, her work was undeniably precise. She patted Ali on the shoulder and said, "It's all up to you now. Finish the purse first, then we'll make the clothes."

Upon hearing this, Ali Dao's spirits immediately dampened, and he muttered, "Why do we still need to make clothes..."

Shimi said, "Yes, if we don't make clothes, how will we have an excuse to go to the market to buy silk, and how will we avoid the Grand Tutor's eyes and ears?"

After careful consideration, Yan Dian said, "Let's just kill him."

Shi Mi said that wouldn't work, "If you kill this one, there will be another. There are so many secret guards, how can you kill them all?"

Actually, keeping them around has its advantages; deceiving the scouts is equivalent to deceiving Lu Min. Compared to the Grand Tutor's shrewdness, the scouts are much easier to deal with.

As they were talking, a loud clap of thunder sounded overhead, signaling that it was going to rain. The rain curtain blended with the dusk, and before long, night fell.

Knowing that the Grand Tutor had been away from Zhongdu for several days, Shimi must have a mountain of official documents on his desk. So he ate dinner early, lit a stick of benzoin incense, and lay down on her bed amidst the continuous rain.

The silver curtains swayed, occasionally flashing with tiny rays of light. The lotus flowers on the wall screen were outlined with gold thread, stretching alluringly in the shadows. She closed her eyes, thinking of her senior brother's words, and felt very at ease. Just as she was drifting off to sleep, she suddenly heard a mechanism activate with a swift, muffled sound.

They arrived earlier than she had anticipated, but fortunately her mechanisms were robust and meticulous, and the building was tall and deep enough. The spring mechanism on the corridor door was the first layer, and there was a second layer on the room doors, so there was no need to worry.

Therefore, Shimi slept soundly, even more safely than Yanren hiding in a box. The Grand Tutor couldn't cause a commotion in Jiuzhang Prefecture; he would only be angry, annoyed, and resentful. Thinking of that distorted face of anger, she felt the world was truly beautiful.

The spring keeps turning, the tenon and mortise break and then reassemble, but this person still won't give up.

Shimi lay on her side, her head resting on the pillow, listening intently to the sounds outside with one ear... Strangely, the mortise and tenon joint had been connected seven times, meaning it would break apart in just two more attempts!

No, don't scare yourself, you must have misheard. She forced herself to calm down and slowly turned over. But she had only turned halfway when she heard a crisp, light sound outside. She sat up abruptly, unable to believe that he had solved her first trap so easily.

It was absolutely infuriating! She jumped off the bed barefoot, ran to the bedroom door, and watched in horror as the mechanism was triggered, twisting like a noose and completely blocking the bedroom door.

Countless palm-sized square tenons protrude and sag, undulating like waves. This one is much more complex than the previous one, but Shi Mi is still confident that he can defend against it.

Is this person a monster? A normal person would need at least two hours to solve this puzzle, yet he solved the first one in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. He's completely underestimating her skill in solving puzzles. The next one is a contest of abilities; if he solves it again…

It shouldn't be that bad. Back when Lu Xuanzhou led his men to surround and intercept Senior Brother Gu, Senior Brother set up this mechanism on the cave entrance. If even his father couldn't do it, he certainly couldn't either.

So she watched the tenon open and close, her heart pounding like a machine spring. Almost a cup of tea's time had passed, and he tried again and again, without any progress. She grew increasingly certain that he was about to stumble on this mechanism. The Imperial Tutor, who always seemed so confident, was finally experiencing the taste of defeat!

She couldn't resist stretching, which made her nervous for a while, but it turned out to be a false alarm.

However, just as she was feeling smug, the smile on her face instantly turned into horror. She saw her mechanism crumble, with tenons shattered all over the floor. He stepped in from outside, casually brushed off his sleeves, and frowned, saying, "I'm covered in sawdust. Someone should fetch some water for me to take a bath."

The screams of the idiot were deafening, forcing him to take two steps back and cover his ears.

"Stop shouting. You're just not skilled enough. The puppet master didn't teach you the most powerful mechanical arts."

He was actually comforting her… he was comforting her! After her initial scream, Shimi sat down on the ground and wailed, “How could this be… this is absolutely impossible! The tenon must have come loose, and you, you scoundrel, took advantage of it!”

She searched for reasons, but it was all just self-deception. She lost her first direct confrontation; she couldn't find a reason, there was no logic to it, she just lost, and he barged in.

Her face was full of sorrow, and Lu Min was completely puzzled. "Shouldn't I be the one who's sad? You're so wary of me, even resorting to mechanical tricks. If I can't break through them, won't I be kept out of the door forever?"

The person sitting on the ground looked up at him. The lamplight illuminated her face, revealing red eyes and a red nose, making her look pitiful.

He had no choice but to change his tone, "But setting up mechanisms is quite interesting. I get tired of listening to those lengthy official documents in the council chamber, so it's a pleasant surprise to be able to exercise my mind when I get back. If you have any more, you can set them up tomorrow and see how long it takes me next time."

His words only made things worse, utterly trampling on her dignity. She angrily retorted, "Do you consider my mechanical skills a harmless pastime? Did I set up these mechanisms for you to relax and relieve fatigue? You can insult me, but you can't humiliate me like this. I'm done with you..." She bowed slightly as she spoke, "Farewell!"

She was walking barefoot when she passed by him, and he reached out and put his arm around her waist.

"What are you doing? Are you angry because I cracked your mechanism?" At this point, further ridicule would only make things worse for herself, so he decided to try and calm her down. He said, "Your mechanism is actually quite impressive. It took me a lot of effort to figure out its secrets. Such a technique would be flawless in front of others, but unfortunately, it came down to me. I happened to have read the 'Mo Jing' a couple of days ago and learned a little about its intricacies. I did some random deductions, and unexpectedly, it opened."

Another blow, with his "some understanding" and "random deductions," he didn't forget to praise himself.

Shi Mi, his face contorted with rage, called out to Ran Dian, intending to pack his things and return to Li Ren Fang. Unfortunately, his voice was muffled by Ran Dian's hand. He grabbed Ran Dian with one hand and closed the door with the other, saying, "Please consider the bigger picture, young lady. It's not wise for you to be threatening to divorce me at this time."

The confused one retorted, "Does divorce have to be scheduled? It's not like getting married!"

"The censor has arrived today and is staying in the adjacent courtyard," he said in a low voice. "Do you want him to suspect why I got married so hastily and divorced so hastily?"

Shi Mi finally calmed down and realized that attracting the attention of the censor was a major taboo, so he had no choice but to swallow this loss for now and plan for the future.

She glared at him fiercely, then turned and went back to the inner chamber. "A bed has been prepared for you outside. You can sleep there and you're not allowed to come in."

He asked with his sleeves hanging down, "Then why did I go through all that trouble to crack the mechanism?"

Shi Mi snorted loudly, "You're planning to take credit, aren't you?"

“Not at all,” he softened his tone. “I’ll make a deal with the lady and ask if I can move the bed into the inner chamber. I’ll just watch you from afar, without coming over, is that alright?”