Chapter 44: Paradise (1)
"Yeah!" Zhilan nodded heavily. "Wait a minute." Chu Yun suddenly stopped them, "We can't just go through like this." "Why?" "Because this is probably a trap." Chu Yun's eyes flashed with a calm light, "The Nightmare already knows that we have seen through the first layer of the trap. It may be waiting for us to come to it and rush into the valley where it has been ambushed." "So what do you mean?" "Make a feint to the east and attack in the west." Chu Yun looked at Mo Li and said, "Mo Li, do you have any way to use your mechanical skills to create a few of our 'energy clones' that can be mistaken for the real thing?" Mo Li was stunned for a moment, and immediately understood Chu Yun's idea. Her eyes lit up: "Yes!" She said excitedly, "Using the 'heart knot' as the core, and borrowing your Taiyi Yuanqi as energy, I can imitate the mental fluctuations of each of us. Although it's not strong, it will definitely be no problem to deceive the other party for a while!" "Very good." Chu Yun nodded. "Then our plan is this: Mo Li will create our 'clones' and charge towards that valley with great fanfare, drawing the attention of Nightmare and Shadow Pavilion. Meanwhile, we, led by Zhilan, will quietly sneak around from another direction and behind it!" "A perfect craftsman never uses the front door." Mo Li's face lit up with the cunning yet confident smile of a Mo family descendant. With the plan set, the four of them immediately leapt into action without hesitation. They bypassed the alluring "Paradise Fantasy Garden" and quietly moved towards the true battlefield. Mo Li's movements were swift. With the help of her "Heart Knot," she managed to create three energy clones that mimicked their mental fluctuations in just a quarter of an hour. "Go," she whispered. The three clones immediately broke away from the group, making no secret of their whereabouts as they charged towards the darkness-shrouded valley. Almost immediately after the clones took action, Chu Yun and the other three could clearly sense that most of the hostility and attention within the dream world had been drawn towards the three "baits." From the direction of the dark valley came waves of violent energy fluctuations and silent roars. "The plan worked," Chu Yun said, "Let's go." The four of them immediately changed direction and, under Zhilan's precise and silent guidance, quietly infiltrated the side and rear of the seemingly peaceful and tranquil "Elysian Fantasy Garden." This time, they encountered no obstacles and smoothly reached the back of the beautiful wooden houses. "This is it," Zhilan paused, pointing to the most...
"Yeah!" Zhilan nodded heavily.
"Wait a minute." Chu Yun suddenly stopped them, "We can't just go over like this."
"Why?"
"Because this is probably a trap." Chu Yun's eyes flashed with calmness. "The Nightmare already knows that we have seen through the first trap. It might be waiting for us to come to it and rush into the valley where it has set an ambush long ago."
"So what do you mean?"
"Feint to the east and attack in the west." Chu Yun looked at Mo Li and said, "Mo Li, do you have any way to use your mechanical skills to create a few of our 'energy clones' that can be mistaken for the real thing?"
Mo Li was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood Chu Yun's idea. Her eyes lit up, "Sure!" She said excitedly, "Using the 'Heart Knot' as the core and borrowing your Taiyi Qi as energy, I can imitate the mental fluctuations of each of us. Although it's not strong, it will definitely be enough to fool the other party for a while!"
"Very good." Chu Yun nodded. "Then our plan is this: Mo Li will create our 'clone' and rush towards that valley with great fanfare to attract the attention of Nightmare and Shadow Pavilion. And we, under the leadership of Zhilan, will quietly go around behind it from another direction!"
"A perfect craftsman never goes through the front door." Mo Li's face showed the kind of cunning and confident smile that belonged to the descendants of the Mo family.
The plan was set, and the four of them immediately began to act without hesitation. They bypassed the alluring "Paradise Fantasy Garden" and quietly moved towards the real battlefield.
Mo Li moved quickly. With the help of the "Heart Knot", it only took her a quarter of an hour to successfully create three energy clones that mimicked their mental fluctuations.
"Go ahead," she whispered.
The three clones immediately left the team, without concealing their whereabouts, and rushed towards the valley shrouded in darkness with great fanfare.
Almost at the same time as the clones took action, Chu Yun and the other three could clearly feel that most of the malice and attention in the entire dream world was attracted by the three "baits". From the direction of the dark valley came waves of violent energy fluctuations and silent roars.
"The plan was successful." Chu Yun said, "Let's go."
The four of them immediately changed direction and, under Zhilan's precise and silent guidance, quietly sneaked towards the side and rear of the seemingly peaceful and tranquil "Paradise Fantasy Garden".
This time, they did not encounter any obstacles and arrived behind the beautiful wooden houses smoothly.
"This is it." Zhilan stopped and pointed to the wooden house in the middle that looked the largest and most magnificent. "All the 'suns' are locked up in there. That very sad adult is hiding in there too."
"Shall we do it?" Mo Li looked at Chu Yun, holding out a peculiarly shaped gadget that could silently remove the door lock.
"Wait." Chu Yun shook his head, "I always feel that it's not that simple."
As soon as he finished speaking, the door of the largest wooden house creaked open by itself.
No sound came from the room, and no one was visible. But an invisible, alluring spiritual wave, a hundred times stronger than before, slowly emanated from the open door. Like a gentle hand, it gently caressed each of their consciousnesses, whispering in their ears and appealing to their deepest desires.
"Not good!" Li Ge's expression suddenly changed. "This isn't an illusion targeting a certain person! This is... a 'shared' paradise! It's going to pull us all in!"
But it was too late.
The scene before the four of them changed dramatically again. They were no longer outside the cabin, but were now standing... inside it.
This is a magnificent and magnificent hall.
On the throne in the main hall sat a majestic figure clad in dragon robes and a crown. Beneath the throne, civil and military officials lined up on either side, kneeling in unison and chanting "Long live the emperor!" Among those kneeling figures, Mo Li spotted the official who had trampled upon her father with a look of disdain. He lay crouched closest to her, his body shaking with fear.
"Long live our emperor!" A shrill voice sounded, and a man who looked like a eunuch chief walked up to Mo Li holding a yellow imperial edict.
"Mo Li, descendant of the Mohist school, accepts the order."
Mo Li's body took a step forward uncontrollably.
"By the Will of Heaven, the Emperor decrees," the eunuch read aloud. "The Mohist lineage is loyal to the emperor and patriotic, and its mechanical skills are a treasured asset to the state. The previous dynasty's incompetence led to the injustice suffered by loyal and righteous people, and I am deeply saddened. Today, I hereby issue this decree to exonerate the entire Mohist family, restore their titles, and reward them with ten thousand taels of gold and a thousand acres of fertile land. Their daughter, Mo Li, is exceptionally talented and has inherited the true teachings of the Mohist school. I hereby grant her the title of 'Marquis of Heavenly Works,' a first-rank official in charge of the Ministry of Works. I decree this!"
"Marquis of Tiangong...a first-rank official..." Mo Li muttered to herself, her eyes momentarily dazed. She saw everyone in the hall looking at her with eyes filled with awe and admiration, and heard countless praises pouring in from all directions.
"The Mohist mechanical art is truly miraculous!"
"With the Marquis of Tiangong here, why should we worry about our dynasty not prospering?"
"Your humble servant pays homage to the Marquis of Tiangong!"
This was exactly the scene she had dreamed of, the goal she had carried for thirteen years and wanted to achieve at all costs - the family's glory would be restored to the world.
"Mo Li, accept my order." The majestic emperor on the throne smiled graciously. "From now on, you are the Marquis of Tiangong, second only to the emperor and above all others in our dynasty. No one will dare to look down on you, the Mo family, ever again."
Mo Li slowly stretched out his hand to receive the imperial edict that symbolized supreme glory.
"Wait a moment." Just as her fingers were about to touch the imperial edict, her own voice sounded coldly in her mind.
"I have a question." Mo Li looked at the eunuch in front of him, then looked at the emperor on the throne. The trance in his eyes was being replaced by an extremely rational scrutiny of a craftsman.
"Speak." The emperor's voice was still kind.
"You said that our Mohist mechanical arts are the most important weapon of the nation," Mo Li asked word by word. "Then may I ask, since Your Majesty ascended the throne, has our Mohist school ever built a plow or a cart for the imperial court? Have we ever designed a crossbow or a cannon for the frontier?"
The emperor's smile froze for a moment.
"You said you wanted to redress the injustice done to our Mo family," Mo Li pressed on. "Then, may I ask, where are those villains who framed our Mo family back then? Have they been publicly executed, announced to the world?"
There was a sudden silence in the hall.
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