Chapter 211 – Pioneering the South, Cutting Through the Chaos - Part 1

It was the twelfth lunar month, with light snow falling.

At the Hundred Lotus Manor, the maids bustled about making dumplings. Steam rose from the boiling pot, carrying with it the cozy warmth of daily life, and each dumpling brimming with broth spoke of simple home comforts.

Ping’an didn’t quite understand what innate shadow blood meant, but he knew it was some kind of powerful gift. Every day, he asked, “Where’s my sister? When is she coming home?”

Li Yuan hadn’t immediately brought Tang Nian and Sheng'er back because he feared Gu Xuejian might return. He had attempted to use his ninth rank chameleon parakeet hidden among the reeds by the Eternal Rest River to watch the boat departing in the distance, until a flash of cold light shot over and tore his bird to pieces. His two blackbirds further out witnessed the tragedy. They saw that the culprit was a lone chopstick, presumably fired by Gu Xuejian on board. Judging by its shape, it must have been the boatman’s own utensil.

That startled Li Yuan. But the boat did not turn back. She had simply removed his lookout. It was also a grim reminder for him not to extend his senses so casually around experts.

Ordinary people mostly relied on sight, and even then, one could often sense when someone was staring. But high ranking martial artists possessed senses that bordered on the supernatural. As the sixth rank, Li Yuan could discern fine details from a small distance away. So if someone else tried to watch him from that same distance, he would feel it too.

In a crowded street, it was easier to stay hidden because of all the bustle. But in the lonely ferry crossing, the sensation of being watched stood out clearly. Li Yuan had his birds abandon their observation of the receding boat and only circle the nearby area. He also replaced the lost ninth rank chameleon parakeet with another bird. It wasn’t as rare as his original, but it would do as a lookout.

Two days later, once he was sure Gu Xuejian had left for good, Li Yuan went to the black market ghost domain to bring the two girls home. To his surprise, Tang Nian and Sheng'er, both rather solitary by nature, had become fast friends. Had they stayed in the same estate without that shared time, they might never have bonded. But something in the black market ghost domain brought them closer. They stuck together now, whispering about who knew what.

As soon as they returned to Hundred Lotus Manor, the two dashed into Tang Nian’s spacious residence. One tall, one short, a teenage girl and a little one, with the ever-stoic Tang Qiu following behind. He carried on his back a large iron chest, bigger than a person, that clanked with what sounded like puppet-making gear.

They entered the house, and right before the door closed, someone stuck out a hand to hang a sign reading,

In Seclusion—Do Not Disturb.

Then the door was locked tight.

Ping’an, thrilled that his sister was back, picked up his wooden sword and hurried over.

“Young Master, slow down!” Xiao Ju chased after him.

Ping’an paid her no mind.

“Oh, why are you in such a rush? I don’t understand!” Xiao Ju asked, changing tack.

Ping’an stopped in his tracks. He loved explaining things. “Some things,” he said solemnly, “are better told sooner rather than later. My sister needs to know.”

Xiao Ju stifled a laugh, having long understood his ways. She mimicked his manner of speaking, “I’m sure she’ll be very happy.”

Ping’an, hands clasped behind his back, sped off once again. He wanted his sister to know that he, Li Ping’an, possessed the terrifying innate shadow blood. But when he reached Tang Nian’s door, he saw the do-not-disturb sign hanging there. He’d learned to read at an early age, so he recognized the words and felt a pang of disappointment. Still, he tried knocking. It made no difference; the girls inside were too focused on whatever they were doing.

Even Xiao Ju didn’t dare disturb them, so Ping’an’s grand entrance fizzled into nothing. He went off dejected, eager to show off but left with no audience.

He began waiting for his sister to come out for meals, only to see others bringing food in. Day after day, whenever he wasn’t practicing his sword, he would run over to check.

In his mind, family shouldn’t keep secrets. He was determined to let that sister of his know that he, Li Ping’an, the bearer of the finest sword in the world...had awakened the power of innate shadow blood! Now, she wouldn’t be able to make fun of him for being a crybaby anymore!

That day, after finishing practice with his

Nameless Sword Skill That Sounds Terrifying But Has Zero Lethality

, Ping’an hurried back to the large house again. He stood outside the door, longing for the moment it would swing open and his sister would emerge.

Today felt different from the usual. Before long, strange, jarring noises came from inside...like the rasp of a dull blade slicing through flesh, the wrenching of twisted steel, and the repeated boom of something heavy being raised and slammed down again. The sounds all mingled together in a clamor.

Suddenly, the house began to shake. Roof tiles rattled and trembled. Ping’an’s eyes widened in alarm, his mouth gradually falling open in disbelief. And then—

BOOM!

In an instant, the entire residence exploded. A wave of force blew Ping’an off his feet. Behind him, the maid Xiao Ju lunged forward and caught him, twisting to shield him with her own body.

Out of the swirling dust and debris stood Tang Qiu, expressionless as always, six arms extended. Two of those arms brandished enormous shields to fend off flying shards of metal. Behind him, protected from the chaos, were Tang Nian and Sheng'er.

Outside, Ping’an pursed his lips, his eyes welling. In a moment, the possessor of the fabled innate shadow blood burst into tears, bawling so hard he almost couldn’t breathe.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

“Hands out. Now. And keep them steady!”

“But...Godfather, take it easy...”

“Enough with the excuses! If you don’t feel pain, you won’t learn.”

Li Yuan wore a stern expression as he faced the two culprits who had blown up the house and sent poor Ping’an flying. He grabbed Sheng'er’s hand first, lifted his disciplinary ruler, and gently tapped twice. “If you’d been hurt, what then?”

Next, he turned to Tang Nian. Filthy and disheveled in her once-white robe, now gray with soot, she extended her hand as well. Li Yuan raised the ruler high, looking as though he meant to bring it down with real force. But in the end, he merely gave her two light taps.

“Your little sister might not know better, but you do. You’re already an experienced puppet maker, so how did you manage to blow up the entire house? Suppose your little brother had been seriously hurt, what would you have done then?”

Tang Nian lowered her head. “I’m sorry...”

“Explain exactly what happened.”

So she recounted the chain of events. Over these past few months in the black market ghost domain, she and Sheng'er had gradually started playing together. Tang Nian tinkered with puppets while Sheng'er busied herself with crows. They often talked about each other’s little hobbies and how their gadgets worked.

For puppets below sixth rank, the typical materials were metal, a demonic beast’s heart, and the standard circuit etched into the metal using a special flame-engraving knife. This

standard circuit

had to be precise, but it wasn’t overly complicated, and ready-made templates were even sold in the marketplace. Tang Nian could also engrave them herself.

A sixth rank puppet, however, used soul iron crystal in place of ordinary metal, and the etched network of lines became far more complex. It required extreme precision and expertise, a rare skill that made such puppeteers highly sought-after. In essence, puppetry was simply an application of Yin and Yang, with the soul iron crystal representing Yin and the monster’s heart representing Yang.

According to the Tang Family’s texts, this soul iron crystal was found near ghost domains, filled with a misty, nebulous

soul

. Whether that was strictly true or not, at least it helped them conceptualize it. By nourishing the crystal with the blood from a sixth rank demonic beast’s heart, merging Yin and Yang, the resulting puppet would actually sprout flesh and gain a kind of rudimentary intelligence. It became far more clever than the brainless below-sixth-rank contraptions that would blindly walk straight off a cliff if told to.

“But that also means puppets below sixth rank have no

soul

,” Tang Nian explained.

At that point, Sheng'er mentioned that her little crows might have a soul, and that her mother had recently taught her crow possession.

Li Yuan cut in at this part. “Crow possession?”

Sheng'er’s sweet, childish voice answered, “It means my crow can take over someone’s body, or maybe a small animal’s, for a short time. Mama said if it stays too long, either the host will get hurt, or the crow will.”

Li Yuan was speechless. Wasn’t that basically letting a ghost cling to someone? A person brimming with vital energy could repel it, but someone weaker might become ill if possessed for too long.

He patted Sheng'er’s hair. “Be sure you don’t do that to people for no reason.”

Her small face lit up. “Papa, I wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

Li Yuan smiled gently to encourage her. He almost added, “Well, if it’s a bad person, that might be okay,” but decided against it. It was best she hide that particular power for now. Once she grew strong enough and had a solid sense of right and wrong, they could revisit the subject.

“All right, Nian Nian,” Li Yuan said, turning back to Tang Nian. “So, you two were trying to combine crow possession with puppet-making to create some sort of new...toy?”

Tang Nian answered calmly, “Yes.”

Li Yuan said, “So you two failed?”

Sheng'er piped up, “We didn’t fail. It’s just that the puppets went mad.”

“Mad?” Li Yuan was intrigued.

Sheng'er tried to explain but struggled for the right words. Tang Nian picked up where she left off. “Let us show you. Then you’ll understand.”

Li Yuan nodded. The three went to the courtyard. Tang Nian pulled out a puppet shaped like a rabbit. Meanwhile, Sheng'er flicked her hair, and a crow flew out, slamming into the puppet rabbit and merging completely with it.

No sooner had the crow fused with the puppet than the rabbit started twitching in a bizarre way—twisting its head, contorting its legs.

A moment later came the ear-splitting sound of grinding metal, and the rabbit’s head tore off, its legs snapped, and its tail spun like a tiny rotor, switching directions until it exploded.

From the jagged openings on its body, fresh blood spurted out. It managed a few desperate, shuddering steps before collapsing onto the ground.