Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 202 is becoming more and more like a heartless boss.

After bidding farewell to Xi Yue, Chen Ye walked with Ling Guangxian for a while, then said, "I think you should change your appearance, otherwise it's too easy for people to misunderstand."

Lingguang Xian frowned and said, "I don't know what form I should take."

Chen Ye thought for a moment and said to Lingguang Xian, "Then I'll help you, just listen to me."

Lingguangxian nodded, saying she could take any form she wanted.

"First, adjust your eyes..."

At first, Chen Ye only offered some simple suggestions, but as Lingguangxian's appearance changed under his design, Chen Ye found the character creation process increasingly interesting.

The two stood on the street for a long time until Lingguangxian had completely changed her appearance.

Compared to before, Lingguangxian was a little shorter and seemed to be younger.

Chen Ye had her shrink her eyes a bit, making her previously empty eyes softer, with the corners drooping slightly, adding a touch of gentleness. Her face also became much rounder, and her jawline was no longer cold and distinct, but had a soft curve like a young girl's. When she smiled, shallow dimples would appear on her cheeks, making her seem much more approachable.

She was a little shorter, her figure more slender and graceful, her skin still as white as jade, radiating a faint warmth, like the thin mist at dawn, hazy and gentle.

This adjustment made Lingguangxian look much cuter, standing next to Chen Ye like his younger sister.

Chen Ye nodded with satisfaction and praised, "This appearance should prevent any further misunderstandings."

Lingguang Xian conjured a mirror, carefully examined her own appearance, and asked in confusion, "Sect Master, I am much older than you, why have you made me look like a child?"

"That's why others won't associate you with Lingguang Xian when they see you. By the way, from now on, you should call yourself Chenguang. We all need to remember to change our address to avoid causing trouble."

Lingguang Xian... should now be called Chenguang Girl. She nodded and bowed to Chen Ye, saying, "Chenguang greets the Sect Master."

Chen Ye was very proud of himself. He hadn't lost his skill in character creation; he was still the same meticulous person who could spend hours creating characters for games back in the day.

With his appearance no longer a concern, Chen Ye led Chen Guang to Changshou's flower garden.

If you were to ask where in the entire city of Fengdu is most like a fairyland, it wouldn't be the towering Yellow Springs Palace, but rather this place where a hundred flowers bloom in vibrant colors right before your eyes.

Chen Ye also liked this sea of ​​flowers, especially the flower tea from Changshou.

I just don't know if it's Chenguang or a spirit form, or whether I should just throw her on the ground.

The flower garden is not far away, and it's just a few steps away from the Yellow Springs Palace.

Chang Shou said that although the Huangquan Sect treats mortals well, there are still many differences between cultivators and mortals. Some small insects attracted by the sea of ​​flowers are harmless to cultivators, but may be fatal to mortals.

Chen Ye also thought it made a lot of sense. Therefore, whether it was Changshou's sea of ​​flowers, Li Fan's golden bamboo forest, or the workshop that made mechanical puppets, they were all near the Yellow Springs Palace, and ordinary people in the city were not allowed to approach them at will.

Before even seeing the vibrant colors, Chen Ye could already smell the delicate fragrance of flowers. He quickly walked over and saw Fu Lu Shou and the other two gathered together, chatting and drinking tea.

Upon seeing Chen Ye arrive, the three of them quickly stood up to greet him.

Chen Ye introduced the three of them, saying, "This is Elder Chenguang, who has just joined the sect. I suppose the three of you already know her identity."

Fu Lu Shou and the other two were all good friends of Chen Ye and were among the earliest members of the Huangquan Sect. Since rescuing the Mirage Demon was a matter of great importance to the future of the Huangquan Sect, Chen Ye naturally wouldn't keep it a secret.

As the leader of a sect, one cannot make decisions without informing others, under the guise of secrecy.

If this matter causes trouble later, the entire sect will have to bear the consequences.

Therefore, Fu Lu Shou and his companions were well-prepared, but they were still shocked when they saw this second-ranked Tongxuan Realm expert.

Is this seemingly delicate and frail little girl the true form of the Fairy Lingguang?

It is said that no one has ever seen the true appearance of Lingguang Xian. If the three of them had not joined the Huangquan Sect, they would probably never have seen this mysterious and unpredictable Lingguang Xian in their lifetime.

However, this girl didn't seem to talk much. After a brief greeting, she sat down next to Chen Ye. She would only answer one question from others, and she was quite taciturn.

Fu Lu Shou and the others didn't mind. There are many strange quirks among cultivators in the world, and it's normal for them not to like talking.

The conversation quickly shifted from the newly joined Morning Light girl to the mechanical puppet.

Lu Fusheng said proudly, "Ever since you gave us some pointers last time, Sect Master, we've finally managed to create the mechanical puppet."

He clapped his hands, and a small golden table slid out from a corner of the flowerbed.

With four wheels on its legs, and several teacups filled with flower tea on the table, it was smoothly delivered to everyone.

Chen Ye looked at it and asked in confusion, "I can understand serving tea, but how was the tea poured in?"

This table is only movable by its wheels, so it's okay as a delivery platform, but it probably doesn't have any other functions.

Hou Lu laughed heartily, led Chen Ye around twice, and after passing several flower bushes, they arrived at a secluded corner.

Then Chen Ye saw something that surprised him.

On a long stone slab, a dozen golden mechanical arms were operating methodically.

From lighting the fire to boiling water, to adding tea leaves and pouring tea, and then picking up the teapot and pouring it into the teacup.

Even the cups were arranged in rows of a dozen or so, one by one delivered to the fixed teapot. After the tea was poured, they were then moved to small, movable tables by another mechanical arm.

"Amazing!"

Chen Ye couldn't help but offer a compliment.

Although these mechanical arms looked numerous and chaotic, and could only perform the simple action of brewing tea, Chen Ye watched them for a long time and surprisingly didn't make many mistakes.

Modular and standardized, although not very efficient, can be fully automated, which has exceeded Chen Ye's expectations.

Chen Ye had only given them a heads-up, telling them not to be confined to humanoid mechanical puppets. He never expected them to be able to apply that knowledge to create a tea-making assembly line.

Cultivators are indeed different from ordinary people. They are the most intelligent among ordinary people. As long as they are given a little inspiration, they can learn by analogy.

Hearing Chen Ye's praise, Lü Fusheng and Hou Lu were also very proud.

Chen Ye went into seclusion for a month, but they also spent a whole month working behind closed doors, and who knows how much effort they put into creating this system.

However, Lü Fusheng still humbly said, "Sect Master, although this tea-brewing mechanism looks smooth, it will knock over a bunch of teacups if it makes a mistake. Someone still needs to be here to keep an eye on it at all times. This kind of mechanical puppet is too stupid at first and does not know how to fix its own mistakes."

After saying that, Lü Fusheng called out to the side, and a rough bamboo figure walked out from behind the mechanical arms, stiffly approaching the crowd.

Upon seeing Chen Ye, the bamboo man knelt down and respectfully greeted him in heavily accented Central Plains dialect, saying, "Greetings to the great God of the Yellow Springs."

Only the spirits of the northern people in Fengdu City would call Chen Ye that; many habitual things cannot be changed in a short time.

Chen Ye asked Lü Fusheng in confusion, "Did you really make the Ten Thousand Souls Banner into human form?"

Lu Fusheng said proudly, "That's right, the sect leader's suggestion was brilliant. With a little modification to the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, allowing the spirits to possess it, it can become a freely moving mechanical puppet. Although its movements are a bit clumsy, it's perfect for guarding these mechanisms. I taught them how to operate the mechanical puppets, so if there's a mistake, they can easily repair and adjust it without delaying important matters."

Assembly line, processing workers... Chen Ye felt like he was back in his past life as a heartless boss.

However, seeing Lü Fusheng's smug look, Chen Ye said to the ghost possessing the mechanical man, "Your body is so unsteady that you can't even walk properly. Is it difficult to operate?"

The spirit replied, "Indeed, it is not easy... to answer the question from the heavenly god."

The joints of this mechanical puppet are very stiff, making even turning difficult; being able to walk is already quite an achievement. Lü Fusheng quickly said, "This can be adjusted gradually."

But Chen Ye said to the ghost, "Get out of here, leave this mechanical body first."

Upon hearing Chen Ye's instructions, the ghost flew out of the mechanism and reverted to the appearance of an honest and simple herdsman.

Chen Ye casually rearranged the teacups on the assembly line, causing a series of clicking and clattering sounds. One wrong step had caused problems with the entire assembly line.

Chen Ye then said to the ghost, "Repair it for me to see."

Upon hearing this, the ghost immediately flew to the mechanical arms, skillfully stopped the entire assembly line, then rearranged the teacups, cleaning up the spilled tea and the broken pieces.

It's clear that this person is very skilled at operating the entire production line, can fix things quickly, and is much more agile than before.

After he finished his work, Chen Ye said to Lü Fusheng, "Fengdu is a place where humans and ghosts coexist. With the blessing of the formation, they are not much different from ordinary people. Why force them into the mechanical puppets?"
"What I said back then was, if you really want them to be greeters, then you can consider having them possess mechanical beings. If they're just working in the kitchen, there's no need to make things so complicated."

Lu Fusheng and Hou Lu were stunned for a moment, then said in unison, "Thank you for your guidance, Sect Master."

Both of them fell into a mental trap, doing exactly what Chen Ye had instructed them to do, which resulted in them doing something unnecessary.

But this is only human nature.

Apart from Fengdu City, you can't find any other ghosts that can walk freely in the sunlight, let alone touch things like ordinary people.

The grand formation in Fengdu City is constantly gathering sweet dew to nourish the souls of the dead. Such a luxury is something that other places can only dream of.

This is the real Fengdu Ghost City, a place unique in the world.

Chen Ye reminded Lü Fusheng and Hou Lu, and in doing so, also reminded himself.

Since the spirits roam Fengdu City just like the living, they should be put to use. Refining blood pills doesn't necessarily have to be done by the living; as long as the spirits can control their death energy, the blood pills they refine will be nearly identical.

As for the livestock, the entire city of Fengdu is so vast that the ground has been hollowed out, so why can't we raise some underground animals? If all else fails, we can raise a bunch of rats.

It's time to get these idle ghosts busy; they can't just lie around eating incense every day.

Chen Ye heard that because there were too few living people, there weren't enough offerings to burn during the worship. In the underground level of Fengdu, even a set of mahjong tiles caused the ghosts to fight and howl in agony, with all sorts of fighting and scrambling happening almost every day.

However, with ghost messengers like Yang Chongguang maintaining order, anyone who caused trouble would be whipped, ensuring that the spirit would suffer unbearable pain without actually getting hurt.

But this can't go on; we have to make them do more work.

Especially the elderly, weak, women and children among the spirits. Chen Ye had initially planned to treat them well, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that once they died and became spirits, there was no distinction between the old and the weak. They all had to work.

To avoid having nothing better to do, with hundreds of people vying for a single set of mahjong tiles.

A sect can do a lot of odd jobs.

Even if one's cultivation level is insufficient to refine magical artifacts, one can still draw talismans and refine pills. Those simple five-element talismans are not complicated things. Even mortals who do not know how to manipulate spiritual energy can make finished products by simply copying them with cinnabar, although the success rate is extremely low.

Anyway, if you want to find a job, you can always find one.

Chen Ye has decided to become a ruthless boss. With over 100,000 "disciples," the Yellow Spring Sect should have become one of the most prestigious sects in the world long ago.

Fortunately, Fu Lu Shou and Chen Guang were all present. These four were all the guest elders of the Huangquan Sect. Once everyone was there, they began the meeting.

Chen Ye then began the first sect conference of the Yellow Springs Sect in this flower-filled setting.

Chen Guang, who had been silent all along, lit up with excitement when he heard Chen Ye's plan. He said to Chen Ye, "If the sect leader needs to draw a lot of talismans, I know where to find a lot of cinnabar. The Mirage Sect once discovered a cinnabar mine."

Chen Ye shook his head and said, "We probably can't just take the cinnabar mine from the Mirage Sect."

Saving the mirage demon could be attributed to Chen Guang's plea; saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda, so it's somewhat plausible.

But to forcibly seize someone else's mine is no different from being a robber.

Chen Guang said, "It's not a mine belonging to the Mirage Sect. They discovered it, but they've already given up. The vein is deep underground, making it too difficult to mine."

"The disciples of the Mirage Sect are unwilling to work hard, and asking mortals to dig is prone to injury or death. If they were to ask those rogue cultivators to dig, the cost would far exceed the value of cinnabar. Therefore, the Mirage Sect has abandoned this mine. But with so many Yin spirits, the Yellow Springs Sect is the most suitable place to mine underground."

As Chen Ye listened, he began to feel that something was amiss.

Mining, danger, injuries and deaths... it really sounds more and more like a heartless boss.

The biggest fear when going down into a mine is people dying, but if the people going down into the mine are already dead, then it's safe, isn't it?

Chen Ye asked, "Where is the cinnabar mine?"

After the Morning Light meeting, he said to Chen Ye, "It seems to be under the capital of the Central Plains dynasty, but that was two or three hundred years ago. It seems that the mortal dynasties have changed several times, but I heard that none of them moved their capitals. It should still be the capital now."

If the capital hadn't been moved, it might have caused some trouble.

Cultivators don't think much of the courts of mortals.

Even the demons don't think much of them, mainly because they are too flamboyant and easily attract the attention of the righteous path.

That demon had previously seized control of the Central Plains court, all for the sake of breaking through from the Profound Realm to the Divine Transformation Realm. But what happened? He had only been planning for a few years and hadn't even reaped any rewards when he attracted the Qinghe Sword Sect's wrath.

Unless they are nearing the end of their lifespan and have nowhere else to turn, these demons would rather choose a remote place to kill and practice their skills than provoke the imperial court.

However, Chen Ye isn't going to kill people to practice his skills; he's just going to mine some minerals. It shouldn't be a big problem, right?

If possible, you could speak to the mortal emperor and ask for some longevity pills; he probably wouldn't refuse.

Therefore, it was necessary to find someone familiar with the imperial court to act as a go-between.

Chen Ye couldn't help but think of Lan Shi, who had been brought to the Qinghe Sword Sect by Su Chun. It had been some time since he had seen her, and he wondered how she was doing.

Whenever Chen Ye thought of the Qinghe Sword Sect, he couldn't help but think of Su Chunyi.

I used to lament that despite my advanced cultivation, I had no time to travel the world.

Since that's the case, why not take this opportunity to visit some old friends?

Chen Ye said to everyone, "I'm going to the Qinghe Sword Sect. I'll leave the Huangquan Sect to you all. If you have any questions, just ask the Supreme Elder for help."

Chen Guang asked in confusion, "Why does the sect leader want to go to the Qinghe Sword Sect?"

Chen Ye explained, "There's an old friend in the Qinghe Sword Sect who has some connections with the mortal court, so it'll be easier for him to act as a go-between."

Chen Guang then said, "So it's still about the mine. I'll go with you, Sect Master."

“This…” Chen Ye quickly said, “Elder Chenguang, just draw me a map. You are still a spirit, and it will be inconvenient for you to leave Fengdu City. I’m afraid it will damage your essence.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Guang nodded obediently and said, "Thank you for your concern, Sect Master. I will draw it for you right away."

With the flow of spiritual energy between his fingers, the morning light easily sketched out an exquisite map.

The illusions can transform the false into the real; the magic of the Mirage Sect is indeed profound.

After receiving the gift, Chen Ye quickly left, eager to see his old friend again.

(End of this chapter)