Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 67: Die Sooner

There was also a female puppet on the other side of the arch bridge, but this one was more exquisitely crafted and also had wooden wheels under its feet. This puppet brought Rong Wanyin to the gate of the inner courtyard, then stopped and stopped, and another puppet in the inner courtyard took over.

In this way, after being relayed by four puppets, Rong Wanyin finally arrived at the main house where her master lived. The closer these four puppets were to the main house, the better made they were. If the last one didn't have wheels under her feet, and only her face was looked at, it would be impossible to tell whether she was a puppet or not.

In front of the main house, a silver-haired young man sat upright on a throne, painting the eyebrows of a woman who bore a striking resemblance to him, about seventeen or eighteen years old. The scene resembled a painting. The four puppets from earlier were all stunningly beautiful, but they paled in comparison to this woman. Her features were breathtaking, especially her eyes, which seemed to hold a spring of light, though they seemed shrouded in a thin mist. Beautiful, but without a shimmer. She wore a plain silk dress, and instead of wheels, she wore a pair of exquisite, lovely Shu brocade shoes. The man possessed an unparalleled aura, his silver hair flowing like a waterfall, his eyes filled with gentleness—a clear, bright young man. But Rong Wanyin instinctively sensed danger.

Rong Wanyin was puzzled: The man in her arms wasn't holding a doll? Why did its face look so lifeless?

The man finished drawing the other eyebrow, leaned back, examined it carefully, nodded with satisfaction, and took out the mirror again, letting the woman look at herself. He asked gently, "Sister, are you satisfied with the way these eyebrows are drawn?"

The woman just sat there, quiet and elegant, without answering.

The man lowered his voice again, as if coaxing a child: "You don't like it? Then Xiaotian will draw you something else."

The man took out a silk scarf, wet it with clean water, and carefully wiped off the eyebrows he had just drawn. Then he began to draw again, as if they were his most precious treasure. He went back and forth like this several times.

Seeing his unhurried attitude, Rong Wanyin couldn't help but feel a little anxious, so she said, "Senior, this sister is so beautiful. She would look good with any kind of eyebrows. As the saying goes, 'heavy makeup and light makeup always suit each other'. What do you think?"

Hearing Rong Wanyin praising his elder sister, the young man raised his head with a smile and looked at Rong Wanyin. He looked Rong Wanyin up and down as if he was looking at an object, but there was no emotion in his eyes, and there was no tenderness from before.

Rong Wanyin felt terrified by his stare, as if she would be turned into a puppet in the next second.

After a brief stalemate, the young man turned around and continued applying makeup to the girl in his arms. After a long moment, the man slowly spoke, "Do you really think you can beat my puppets? It's just that your attack was too ruthless, tearing down all the puppets in my outer courtyard. I was afraid my treasures would get hurt, so I let you through. If a real fight breaks out, you're no match for them!"

Rong Wanyin smiled and flattered him, "Of course. The treasures of the seniors are all exquisite. If a fight really came to a head, I wouldn't want to touch you sisters, right?"

The man smiled gently, put down the comb in his hand and asked, "Young lady, you have good taste. Tell me, what's the matter?"

"Senior, are you Sister Ruoping's master? She asked me to come to you." Rong Wanyin asked tentatively.

As soon as Rong Wanyin mentioned Ruoping, the smile on the man's face disappeared instantly. His eyes were as sharp as a knife, and he said coldly: "That evil disciple has been expelled from the sect by me. Who are you to her? What happened? If you tell a lie, I will make you into a puppet now!" Rong Wanyin saw that the man said that Sister Ruoping was expelled from the sect by him, but he was still concerned about what happened. She thought that there must be a trace of friendship between master and disciple.

Rong Wanyin then recounted the whole story of what happened to Ruoping after she came down the mountain and ended up in the hot spring village, and also explained the details of Yan Mingzhang's poisoning.

Rong Wanyin said anxiously, "Senior, please come down the mountain with me!"

The man carefully braided my sister's hair, not even looking up. He snorted softly, "What does your friend's poisoning have to do with me? My evil disciple is suffering a little, just think of it as punishment for stealing my book. Anyone who betrays me deserves death, why should I save him?"

Rong Wanyin knew that it was absolutely useless to talk about things like "saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda" with this madman who could make her own sister into a puppet, so she didn't say anything else, but looked around calmly.

The man squinted his eyes, casually sizing up Rong Wanyin, and said with a smile, "It's not impossible for me to go down the mountain to rescue people, but it depends on whether you're willing. My inner courtyard is still short of a puppet to serve as a close servant. If you're willing to let me make you into a puppet before you turn 18, I'll agree to go down the mountain to rescue people."

Rong Wanyin frowned slightly, a chill running down her spine as she asked in disbelief, "Make me into a puppet?"

The man pointed at the puppets, smiled sinisterly, and said slowly, "I personally operated on them and ripped out their intestines myself! Are you afraid?"

Rong Wanyin suddenly smiled calmly. If she wanted this madman's help, she had to follow his words and convince him: "But they didn't die at your hands. Or rather, it could be said that it was you who gave them new life."

The man clapped his hands, gathering all the puppets in the courtyard, and said to Rong Wanyin, "You said I didn't kill them, but do you have evidence? I can't just kill them all just to make puppets, right?"

Rong Wanyin shook her head, her words filled with sadness and sympathy. She slowly said, "If you killed them all, then for the convenience of making dolls, the killing method should be the same, and the wounds should be minimized and easiest to treat. However, the causes of death of these sisters are different. This one should have drowned, and this one should have died from being hit on the back of the head by a heavy object... Especially the sister who led me into the courtyard. Although her face was covered with thick powder, you can still see many scars on her face. I believe she must have suffered a tragic fate before she died. Senior helped them clean up and restored their appearance as much as possible. Therefore, I believe that you still have kindness in your heart. You will save your disciples and my friends!"

The man seemed touched, a glint in his eyes. He took my sister's hand and said to her, "Sister, did you hear that? They all said I was crazy, but only you and this little girl said I still had some good intentions. She really looks like you. I'll go help her, is that okay with you? ... Sister, you're so kind, you'll definitely agree, right?"

The man smiled and said to Rong Wanyin, "Little girl, what's your name?"

Rong Wanyin secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This was considered a pass, right? Earlier, Rong Wanyin had also been somewhat gambling, but now, seeing his attitude soften, she finally made up her mind: "Senior, my name is Rong Wanyin."

The man nodded, a strange smile on his face. He said, "Xiao Rong'er, you rest for a while. I'll pack up some things, and then we'll go down the mountain together. However, the conditions are still the same. If you die before the age of 18, you want me to make you into a puppet. How about that? Oh, by the way, I don't want you if you're too old! Remember to die early! Don't die too ugly!"