Chapter 41 Fortune is always found in danger; only silence can be forced.
Inside the Jin Family Escort Agency in Shengjing, a young man in black robes sat alone in a corner. After a moment of staring at each other, Xiao Jingze placed the golden bead on the table with a blank expression. Suddenly, the bead began to roll, its trajectory outlining strokes of calligraphy, first a complete "mouth," then a "closed" character.
Mingying: Ha
Xiao Jingze: ...
He didn't speak for a moment, but leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and watched lazily as the golden bead rolled again, this time on a longer trajectory.
Mingying: Guess who I am ^v^
Xiao Jingze smiled briefly, understanding dawning on him. He lightly tapped the golden bead on the table with his fingertip: "Soul separation is extremely dangerous. Why would the Imperial Preceptor let you leave the Star Gazing Tower? And how did you end up in the Sumeru Ring?"
Mingying paused. Xiao Jingze had guessed too quickly; she hadn't said so much yet. However, she herself wasn't entirely clear about the matter.
She thought for a moment and wrote down her answer: Things of mutual affinity.
Xiao Jingze circled the golden ring for a moment, then thought of the dragon scale in the Sumeru Ring. He hadn't told the Imperial Preceptor about the dragon scale; if they hadn't taken a dragon scale back then, where would the original compatible item be?
Jinzhu touched his hand and wrote: ?
Xiao Jingze said, "Usually, the only thing we refer to as a compatible entity is the human body itself. A person walks the world with a single body, and it is difficult to make up for what is missing with another person. Even a Celestial Venerable cannot replicate a second human body; he can only use loopholes in the laws to occupy your body."
Jinzhu paused, and Mingying realized that only the dragon's body could exist for thousands of years. This ancient technique seemed to be tailor-made for her at this moment.
Xiao Jingze asked, "Who else has used this method?"
Mingying wrote: None
Seeing that he didn't respond for a long time, Jinzhu bounced twice on the spot. Xiao Jingze came back to his senses. Seeing that Jinzhu was about to fall to the ground, he reached out and caught her without thinking.
The gold bead rolled out of his palm again, bounced on the table, and Mingying took the opportunity to write: What are you doing?
Her handwriting became increasingly messy, but Xiao Jingze understood it. He propped his forehead up and casually poked Jinzhu: "I've come to inquire about a messenger. There's some news about the Ming family that I can't let you know."
Is there anything about the Ming family that she can't know? Ming Ying wrote it down with a flourish: "Speak..."
Xiao Jingze smiled, opened the thin bamboo tube beside him, and poured out a rolled-up piece of paper. As he unfolded it and read it carefully, he replied, "Of course, I'll show you the message once I find the person. The messenger is using the alias Li Wei and is a regular at gambling dens, which makes things easier."
Mingying glanced at it and wrote: Go
Xiao Jingze threw the paper back into the tube, spun the bottom, and flames shot up inside. The paper began to burn, leaving only ashes. "Made by the Jin family, burn after reading."
Jin Zhu stared intently at the bamboo tube, looking somewhat curious. Xiao Jingze explained, "It was developed by that old man at the academy; he previously served the Jin family."
Mingying nodded slightly, rolled the golden bead closer, and stuck it to the edge of the bamboo tube. She wanted to try to turn into the bamboo tube, but why couldn't she?
Xiao Jingze rubbed his temples and put the bamboo tube aside: "The gold beads in the Sumeru Ring are quite special. Most of them are mined from near the dragon vein, which is why you were able to attach them to it. These ordinary things naturally cannot support them."
Mingying wrote: Oh
She was a little dizzy from rolling around, and wrote again: Change
Xiao Jingze reached out and picked her up, holding her in his palm, and asked, "What kind do you like? I'll cast a golden statue for you."
Jinzhu shook her head from side to side to indicate her refusal, and then bounced in his palm in dissatisfaction.
Xiao Jingze stared at her thoughtfully for a moment: "How about a wooden figure?"
With metal as the bone and wood as the skin, he could create a wooden puppet body that she could control and move freely.
Mingying's interest was piqued: [Can...]
She didn't get to see Xiao Jingze carve a "deity statue" for her last time, but this time she can finally see it.
Xiao Jingze smiled slightly, took out a piece of camphor wood from his ring, and carved with a knife as swift as a butterfly. He knew exactly what he was doing, and his cuts were clean and decisive, without any hesitation.
Mingying sat quietly on the small cushion made of handkerchiefs, watching his movements expectantly. In just a few breaths, the little wooden figure had taken shape, with limbs carved out, a round face, and round hands—a basic version of a little wooden figure without any distinguishing features.
Xiao Jingze was very satisfied and placed the little wooden figure in front of her: "Done."
The golden bead rolled around the wooden figure once, and Mingying moved it in confusion: That's it?
Xiao Jingze raised an eyebrow: "Hmm? Is there anything that needs to be changed?"
The golden pearl immediately rolled rapidly, and Mingying wrote a long sentence: The puppets I played with when I was a child all had hair, clothes and shoes!
Xiao Jingze chuckled softly, drawing out his words: "I see—"
He put the gold bead back, then picked up the carving knife and carefully carved the hair texture into the puppet. Next, he took out several pieces of fabric and laid them out for her to choose from. The gold bead rolled into a small piece of moon-white brocade, and before long, a delicate and petite dress was made.
Mingying tilted her head. How could Xiao Jingze still make clothes? His skills were so proficient, much better than hers when she was a child. Her clothes were always crooked and messy.
She carefully examined the wooden puppet before her, its eyebrows and eyes curved, and it seemed even more exquisite than she remembered. When she was little, an older girl had given her a puppet when she made a wish, but unfortunately, she had accidentally broken it later.
Jinzhu happily moved closer and touched the puppet. The puppet's arm moved, and Mingying controlled it to do two somersaults. The puppet's body became lighter and more agile, unlike Jinzhu's restraint.
However, the wooden figure had short wooden legs, and its steps were small and clumsy, making its way to the gate a difficult journey. Xiao Jingze lifted her up, then looked away with a complicated expression. He had only ever seen four- or five-year-old children carrying dolls around, but he was determined to bring Mingying along.
Mingying climbed onto his shoulder and sat down steadily, then draped an invisibility talisman over her body as if it were a cloak.
Shengjing was more prosperous than anywhere Mingying had ever been. As night fell, the long streets were gradually lit up. Passing by a stall selling children's toys, Mingying poked Xiao Jingze, and the wooden figurine Mingying now had a small cloth tiger toy the size of her palm.
She rode on the tiger's back for a while, a feat she never experienced when she was still a human.
Xiao Jingze glanced at her sideways. He had noticed earlier that Mingying seemed to enjoy transforming into all sorts of things, whether it was becoming a little sparrow in her dreams or a wooden figure now—and she seemed to enjoy it and adapt very quickly.
He glanced at the sky, calculated the time, and put the cloth tiger away: "It's time to arrest them."
Mingying nodded solemnly, and when she reached out her hand, she found it was still a round wooden hand; Xiao Jingze hadn't carved ten fingers for her.
She patted his cheek with her round hand. She was actually quite strong, but after turning into a wooden doll, this amount of force was no big deal to Xiao Jingze.
Xiao Jingze was very familiar with the location of Jin's Gambling House. He stepped into the gambling house with his companion, and the clinking of copper coins and the rolling of dice created a noisy atmosphere.
Mingying leaned on his shoulder, watching Xiao Jingze's familiar and confident demeanor. Suddenly, she remembered the rumors circulating about him, saying that he was a spoiled young master who spent his days in brothels and gambling dens, and that he had completely disgraced the Xiao family. She hadn't thought it was true before, but seeing Xiao Jingze's composed manner as he moved between the gambling tables, she couldn't help but feel curious.
Unfortunately, she can't speak now, and writing is too troublesome to ask questions. That's the downside of being a puppet. She can't understand a lot of questions and can only be forced to remain silent.
The lights in the gambling den distorted the shadows, and Xiao Jingze's gaze settled on a burly man with a face full of fat. The man looked very wealthy, with his flabby flesh bulging out, and his hands gleaming with gold. The appearance matched the information; this man was Li Wei.
Mingying was immediately disgusted by the oily look after just one glance, and turned to look at Xiao Jingze to cleanse her eyes. Even with similar clothing styles, there are still big differences in temperament between people, and Xiao Jingze's outfit looked very refreshing in comparison.
The clean-cut man stood out in the gambling den, but the waiters pretended not to see him. Xiao Jingze went upstairs by himself and stared down at Li Wei from his vantage point.
Although Li Wei was a cultivator, he was still stuck in the Qi Refining stage at over forty years old. There were quite a few cultivators with similar aptitude; although they possessed spiritual roots, they were not much different from ordinary mortals. At this moment, he was gambling intensely, and the veins on his neck were bulging.
Mingying couldn't help but scratch his neck and wrote: You, are we very familiar?
Xiao Jingze squeezed her round hand and said, "I've been here a few times when I was doing missions. This gambling den is also part of the Jin family's business."
Li Wei was on a winning streak today, winning more than he lost, and left the house beaming. Xiao Jingze silently climbed onto the roof and dropped a gold bead in his usual path, as if it were a gambler carelessly leaving it behind.
Li Wei was cautious, seemingly having learned his lesson from being followed, and kept looking back every three steps. Xiao Jingze followed at a distance until Li Wei turned into an alley corner, spotted the gold bead, looked around, and quickly picked it up.
With the Thousand Machines Locator in hand, Xiao Jingze strolled leisurely across the rooftop. When he reached the front of the Li residence, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. This gambler was living quite a comfortable life.
As Li Weigang stepped into the courtyard, two beautiful maids greeted him. The three of them entered the house amidst laughter and banter, and immediately began to undress.
Xiao Jingze tossed the golden ring around, turning Mingying's eagerly peeking-out head in a different direction. Mingying was currently attached to the puppet, so she didn't need to see with her eyes.
Xiao Jingze said helplessly, "Aren't you afraid of getting a sty?"
Mingying was naturally not afraid. How could a wooden person get a sty? Li Wei looked fat and chubby. He took off his clothes and revealed a full-sleeve tattoo. The tattoo looked very special and didn't match his fat body at all.
Xiao Jingze's expression suddenly froze. He straightened up and squinted at Li Wei's face. Ten years can indeed change one's appearance, but it's certainly not enough to completely alter it.
His eyes darkened, and his fingertips unconsciously rubbed the gold ring in his palm. Mingying noticed his unusual mood and gently patted the back of his neck: What's wrong?
Xiao Jingze's eyes were cold; he had long since lost interest in watching the live sex show. He leaped off the roof and sneaked into the study to search. Ten years ago, he had seen Li Wei by his mother's side. At that time, Li Wei was a crew member on a merchant ship. Until that ship sank in a storm, the Jin family searched in vain and concluded that no one had survived.
But he unexpectedly encountered a survivor from that year, who had not only changed his name but also completely altered his appearance. Apart from the distinctive tattoo on his arms that was difficult to remove, he could no longer see any trace of the person from back then.
He searched through the study carefully and found several property deeds. Xiao Jingze looked at them closely, his face growing increasingly gloomy. Many of them contained Jin family properties, indicating that Li Wei and the Jin family still had connections in private.
Mingying watched his actions quietly. Xiao Jingze remained silent, the talisman burning in his hand. He returned to the escort agency and went straight to the point: "Where is your boss?"
The镖局 (bodyguard agency) employee had never seen Xiao Jingze before. Seeing him return, he worried that Xiao Jingze was there to cause trouble and became wary. Xiao Jingze didn't bother to explain, threw down the jade pendant, and went straight upstairs.
Just as the waiter was about to call for help, a pair of gold-embroidered shoes appeared on the stairs. Jin Zhufeng heard the commotion and came down from the second floor. She patted the waiter on the shoulder and waved her feather fan lightly: "A rare guest indeed."
Xiao Jingze twitched the corners of his mouth, but the smile didn't reach his eyes: "I've come to buy some information from Boss Jin."
The aroma of tea filled the private room. Mingying jumped off Xiao Jingze's shoulder, took off her invisibility cloak, waved her wooden hand at Jin Zhufeng, and sat cross-legged obediently on the tea table.
Jin Zhufeng looked at the lifelike puppet with great interest, then turned to Xiao Jingze with a smile in his eyes: "For the sake of our kinship, I'll give you a discount. May I ask what brings you here today, Young Master Xiao?"
Xiao Jingze asked bluntly, "Wasn't my mother's shipwreck an accident?"
Jin Zhufeng paused slightly in the hand holding the fan: "How could you think that way? Both the Jin family and the Xiao family have investigated what happened back then, and it was indeed just an accident."
"Then why are those who should have perished at sea still alive and well?"
"You must have seen wrong."
Xiao Jingze's eyes were icy: "I could never be wrong. Since Boss Jin knew the inside story, why did he hide it?"
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Author's note: Don't panic in dangerous situations, Mingying will lend you a helping hand?
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