Yun Wei didn't say much; he tapped his fingertip on the table.
As the grayish-white light shone from the palm, the mottled lines, like the veins of a leaf, silently spread across the tabletop.
In just a moment, thin bone tissue formed beneath and above the already pulverized and decayed debris, as if coated with two nearly transparent layers of bone membrane.
As the glow faded, the blueprints remained lying peacefully in their original spot, but their state was now completely different from before, when they had made people afraid to even breathe.
This was the first time Yun Wei had used "shape mimicry" so meticulously, and thankfully the effect was quite good.
He said to the other two, "We can put it back into our space later."
Isaac and Xie Mulang looked at Yun Wei's masterpiece with great surprise, and finally gave him a thumbs up together.
...
The next few days were relatively calmer.
Although Yun Wei was somewhat flattered by the frequent expressions of concern from Tianji Mansion, he still managed to spend the most heartwarming New Year in history with Isaac in Bili City.
Under Qin Lvshu's guidance, the two also learned many interesting customs and taboos.
For example, on the third day of the Lunar New Year, which is the Little New Year's Day, the two of them not only strictly followed the "three no's" of not drawing water, not asking for fire, and not sweeping the floor, but also put up a "Red Mouth" sign on the door to drive away the God of Poverty.
Yun Wei was stunned by the meaning behind these actions, and he was able to fully immerse himself in the rich atmosphere of the New Year.
...
On the sixth day of the month, Qin Lushu arrived at the door early in the morning.
"Mr. Yun, the list of those who will be going with you tomorrow has finally been finalized." The young man couldn't wait to speak as soon as he saw Yun Wei.
Since New Year's Eve, the young man refused to address Yun Wei as a brother anymore. Instead, after a sincere apology, he held Yun Wei in high esteem.
Yun Wei couldn't persuade him otherwise; after all, it was just a title, so he let him have his way.
He couldn't help but tease, "So, who will the Qin family and the Nangong family send? It won't be you and Miss Ning, will it?"
"I did think about it, but my brother wouldn't allow it." Qin Lushu waved his hand, not keeping them in suspense. "In the end, it was decided that it would be Grandmaster Uncle and Third Uncle Xie."
"Who is Uncle Xie again...?" The generational hierarchy in Bili City was so confusing that Yun Wei was always a little confused when he heard it.
Qin Lushu was not surprised and introduced, "He is Elder Xie's third brother and Huo Mingchan's maternal grandfather."
Yun Wei immediately understood. Just a few days ago, Xie Mulang had said that the other party had a falling out with Elder Xie.
The young man continued, "Don't be fooled by Uncle Xie's apparent indifference to worldly affairs. He was once the head of the Tiangong Hall. When it comes to who in the city is most familiar with all kinds of crafts, there is no one but him."
Yun Wei nodded knowingly and said, "That's great. With him coming with us, Sid won't be disappointed."
As the two were talking, they suddenly heard a commotion in the front yard, as if people were running back and forth talking.
The sound was dense and noisy, like the buzzing of bees, and sounded chaotic.
Qin Lushu raised an eyebrow and scolded, "Hey, what big thing has happened so early in the morning?"
“I’m afraid it’s something serious.” Isaac, who was sitting on the other side, took over the conversation. “I just listened for a while, and it seems that not only the Court of Imperial Sacrifices is in an uproar, but the entire Nine Heavens is in an uproar.”
The three exchanged glances for a moment before hurrying towards the front yard. They stopped the servants who were whispering and questioned them carefully before finally understanding what had happened.
It turns out that although the matter of the visitors from the East China Sea has come to a temporary end, the city's self-examination and rectification are still not over.
Starting with the luncheon at the Court of State Ceremonial, the Dali Temple continued its investigation along the trail of the already deceased Old Man Mo. They even dispatched a prison official to go out to sea and follow the current of the sea to find Old Man Mo's body.
"It's said that those prison officials were terrified and were still talking nonsense back at the temple." The one who answered the three was an old man who told the story with great enthusiasm and vivid detail.
Qin Lushu couldn't help but ask, "Sixth Uncle, please continue. It's not fair to leave us hanging here. What exactly did he see in the depths of the East Sea?"
Upon hearing Qin Lushu's question, Yun Wei's heart skipped a beat.
Deep in the East China Sea...
Surely it's not an abyss?
“Well, since Lord Shaoqing has spoken, I won’t keep you in suspense any longer.” Amidst the urging of those around him, Uncle Liu slowly replied, “They saw corpses, a dense mass of corpses, crammed together like sardines…”
With Sixth Uncle's embellished description, Yun Wei finally managed to piece together the whole story.
The ancestors of Bili City came to the Zhuyuan Continent from the sea.
Even back when they were adrift at sea, if someone died unexpectedly, they could only helplessly be thrown into the sea.
After the establishment of Bili City, due to the initial scarcity of resources, only simple burials were possible. When a person passed away, they would be wrapped in a specially made mat and carried away by the eastward tide.
Thus, this habit gradually formed a custom, which is the "rule" that Huo Miaodan said cannot be broken.
Perhaps because the Zhuyuan Continent was far away on the other side of the mudflats, or perhaps out of fear of the sea, no one ever bothered to investigate where these corpses, drifting with the current, ultimately went.
As the saying goes, when a whale falls, all things come to life.
Generally speaking, when immersed and washed by seawater, the body will quickly decompose, becoming nutrients for other life forms, and returning to the world in another form, completing the cycle of energy.
But when the prison guards finally reached the end of the sea, they only saw what appeared to be still water.
But when they looked down, they were horrified to discover that beneath the water lay countless souls who had perished in the city of Bili over the past millennium.
These deceased floated expressionlessly in the clear seawater, as if they were forever frozen in the past.
The event itself wasn't terrifying, just extremely bizarre.
After seeing off the servants who were making unfounded speculations, Yun Wei couldn't help but sigh. "Intuitively, I feel that I need to go there. But if I do, I'm afraid I won't have enough time to make the trip."
The round trip would probably take another seven days. Spring began in the latter half of the month that year, and the east wind had not yet risen, so they were still traveling against the wind on their return journey.
I'm afraid of delaying things back in Alchemy City.
"Don't worry, Mr. Yun. You can return to Alchemy City tomorrow without worry. I'll go find Huo Mingchan now." The young man immediately strode off towards the temple gate, turning back to say, "If I make any new discoveries, I'll have a nearby caravan send you a message!"
Yun Wei wanted to say something more, but Qin Lüshu had already disappeared into the distance.
He could only stand there, lost in his own melancholy.
Isaac comforted him, saying, "Unfortunately, there aren't any teleportation arrays here. However, if you really want to go, we can—"
“Alright, Issa.” Yun Wei shook his head, finally resigned, “Let’s just stick to our original pace. We’ve done our best.”
The left and right apostles were all targeting the major cities on the continent of Zhuyuan. The most urgent task was to concentrate on defending the Alchemy City.
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