Chapter 343: Small Bags and Small Houses

Less than a quarter-hour of fighting, and several days of repairing the house.

However, the Ministry of Rites had invited old craftsmen, and Wan Xinrong had also brought Daoist Tao and others to help. With the addition of the steady Luo Gong, the Junior Shimei who became energetic whenever she saw manual labor, and Lin Jue and Pan Gong, the courtyard had been quite lively these past few days.

Everyone worked with great enthusiasm during this cold winter season; in a trance, it felt somewhat like the time on the road down the mountain when they helped their Shixiongs repair and paint Daoist temples and shrines.

Following this, there was a period of peaceful days.

The news of the battle in the palace spread outside the palace walls, and the incident of the Dazu Dharma Master and warriors launching a night raid on the residence of Lin Zhenren could not be hidden from those with keen ears. These two events began to spread throughout the capital. It just so happened that not long after, it was the Spring Festival, which became the talk of the town for the capital's commoners after their meals, a good medicine to dispel their distress and boredom.

It actually bolstered the name of "Lin Zhenren."

It faintly had the implication of overshadowing "Master Fan Tian."

After the Spring Festival, the Junior Shimei and Xiao Hua also returned to the mountain.

Lin Jue, meanwhile, remained in the quiet room writing.

"Thus, one does not seek a small balance at every moment, but rather a great balance within a single day; this is the Great Yin-Yang Method."

As the last character was written, a wind suddenly rose in the room.

It was the early spring of the third year of Jingping. There had been a few sunny days; the cold winter had just passed, and the late spring chill had not yet arrived. Lin Jue was not dressed thickly, and having just washed his hair in the good weather, his clothes were light and his hair fresh. Both were lifted by this clear breeze that came from nowhere, and the white gauze outside the quiet room seemed to be dancing.

"Whoosh..."

The paper was also blown until it rustled, as if heaven and earth were flipping through it one by one.

"Hm?"

Lin Jue reached out and pressed it down.

The wind gradually subsided.

Lin Jue took out all the paper he had written on the Great Yin-Yang Method over the past half-year, placed them neatly in order, added the blank book cover he had prepared, and sewed them together carefully with needle and thread.

Fortunately, he had done this kind of thing more than once or twice, and his self-binding skills were now passable.

Not long after, a book of spiritual methods was bound.

Although no clear breeze came again, a spiritual aura gradually emerged on the book. All of this happened imperceptibly. When Lin Jue finished sewing the book, he sensed something was wrong. He picked it up and examined it carefully; the paper of this book had become incredibly tough, as if it could not be cut by a knife, and was impervious to water and fire.

"As expected..."

Spiritual methods and arts all secretly accord with the Great Dao of heaven and earth, especially this "Great Yin-Yang Method," which is extremely profound and rare. He did not know how many copies of the "Great Yin-Yang Method" still existed in this world, but in any case, there should be very few.

Writing it down with his own words also gave rise to wonders.

Just like this ancient book of his, which recorded too many magical arts and supernatural powers, it had also become extraordinary.

Lin Jue held the book and flipped through it a few times. He couldn't think of any omissions for the time being and was quite satisfied, so he put it away and took out the book of arts.

A few pages had already been added to the book.

"Whoosh..."

Painting Cloth into a River, an ancient theatrical art.

It is rumored that in ancient times, there was a supreme painter who excelled at painting dragons, painting them so lifelike that one dared not dot the eyes, lest they gain spirit and come to life, flying away into the sky. It is also rumored that there was another painter whose painted objects could become real; painting a fierce tiger could make it emerge from the painting to harm people, painting mountains and rivers allowed one to enter and exit, and painting a great river could pour out enough water to submerge a hundred-mile plain.

Later, someone realized a theatrical art based on this, named Painting Cloth into a River, which generally refers to all theatrical arts where paintings confuse the false with the true or turn the false into the true.

When one's attainments are shallow, one uses the false to hallucinate the true; when attainments are deep, it is half-true and half-false; if one attains the realm of the ancients, the false becomes true.

"The false becomes true..."

Lin Jue naturally knew that the ancients mentioned here were the two legendary painters who could paint objects into reality.

But were there really such strange things?

Lin Jue's gaze shifted; he first saw this ancient book, then saw the Great Yin-Yang Method he had just written, to which he had not actively imparted any spiritual aura or magical art, yet he had to believe it.

This world is truly profound.

"Whoosh..."

Blinding technique, an illusionary theatrical art.

Anything that causes changes in the scenery before one's eyes without other wonders is a blinding technique.

From as small as making grass bloom, to as large as dragons and phoenixes dancing together, and even to changing the sky and shifting the earth, with the galaxy hanging upside down, all only cause changes before one's eyes, without any real wonders.

Lin Jue watched and flipped to another page.

"Whoosh..."

Seven Arrows Curse, a curse technique.

This method originates from the Nail-Head Seven Arrows, paired with a doll, it can curse a person to bleed from the seven orifices and die; it is ineffective against gods, ghosts, and immortals.

"Whoosh..."

Entering Water, a Five Elements art.

Beginners can enter the water without drowning, for a short time of a quarter-hour, or a long time of a day; further cultivation allows one to breathe freely in the water and move with ease, as if one were a fish or a dragon.

"Whoosh..."

Earth Escape Method, one of the Five Elements escape methods.

Heaven gives birth to the five energies, earth bears yin and yang, all can serve as paths. Therefore, yin, yang, and the five elements all have escape methods, sensed from heaven and earth, born from the Great Dao; those who practice can come and go freely among all things in heaven and earth. When practiced to a high level, the practitioner becomes one with the method, identical to all things; nothing can harm them, and they can travel between metal and stone or tread upon water and fire.

To learn the Five Elements escape arts, one must have a sense for the five elements and be in harmony with them; those who are not compatible cannot learn it, and those with a mind full of distracting thoughts cannot learn it. "The Junior Shimei is definitely suitable for this."

Since the Junior Shimei has no distracting thoughts and is in harmony with the earth element, plus she is now practicing the Five Elements spiritual method, she will likely learn it faster than he does.

Lin Jue flipped to another page.

"Whoosh..."

Wall-Walking Technique, a divine movement method.

Practitioners can walk on vertical walls and steep cliffs, traverse mountain cliffs as if walking on flat ground, and even hang upside down overhead.

Lin Jue flipped further down, and there were actually two blank pages, emitting a faint golden light, wanting him to put pen to paper and record.

It must be that in the previous battle, it sensed that he had been hit by a magical art, and this art should have been from the Dazu side, and did not come from the Central Plains. To the ancient book, it was unfamiliar, so seeing an unfamiliar art, it wanted to collect it and wanted him to write it down.

Unfortunately, Lin Jue had not obtained such an art.

"My apologies, I will have to wait until I attain the Dao and the truth, when I have more time, to travel to various places and slowly collect them for you."

Lin Jue had a faint feeling—

In looking through them one by one...

Before him, this ancient book must have had several owners, so he could not possibly be its final destination.

Either he would fail to attain longevity, in which case he would inevitably reach the end before the ancient book, or if he attained longevity, there would inevitably come a day when this ancient book would no longer be of help to him, and at that time, he should let it go and find the next person with affinity.

Before that, he should, like the predecessors before him, add some opportunities for the next person with affinity.

Even if the predecessors before had already written down seven or eight out of ten of the world's arts, how could the world's arts ever be fully written down?

Lin Jue watched for a long time before putting away the ancient book.

Today's weather was too good, especially after the cold winter; it was not a good time to stay at home reading and writing, but rather a time to go out for a stroll.

Lin Jue then went out and walked to the lakeside.

Sure enough, Master Fan Tian was playing chess with Pan Gong.

Before he came to the capital, these two didn't have much to say to each other; Master Fan Tian thought Pan Gong had a bad temper, and Pan Gong had set a trap to make Master Fan Tian go find the Tu Long Wang. He didn't expect that after he came to the capital, these two had actually reached the point of sitting here playing chess whenever they had nothing to do.

"Friend Fan."

"Eh? Daoist Brother!"

"Benefactor!"

Both of them stood up immediately and bowed to him.

"No need to be so polite," Lin Jue said. "The weather is good today, I want to go out for a stroll and make two small bags. I wanted to ask Friend Fan, which family nearby does good needlework?"

"Needlework? In these few streets nearby, Zhou Sanniang of the Jinyun Workshop does it well; everyone praises her. Not only do many rich people go to her for work, but some high-ranking officials and nobles also invite her to their mansions to work, and even invite her to teach their own daughters."

"Friend Fan actually knows even this kind of thing so clearly?"

"Oh my, there are many yaoguai and ghosts in the city, among whom a group of 'foxes' likes to eavesdrop on other people's household affairs and loves to chat everywhere. I heard it inadvertently, heard it inadvertently, not worth mentioning," Master Fan Tian said while waving his hand at Lin Jue. "I have warned them several times, 'do not listen to what is improper, do not look at what is improper, do not speak of what is improper,' but how can nature be changed so easily?"

"Jinyun Workshop, Zhou Sanniang," Lin Jue noted. "I also want to make some small trinkets; I wonder which carpenter nearby has good craftsmanship?"

"Small trinkets?" Master Fan Tian pondered and said, "As for the carpenters nearby, whenever high-ranking officials and nobles want to make tables, chairs, or beds, they all go to invite Zhang Daizhao of the Qiongzhi Workshop to take action. It is said that even some of the beds in the palace are the work of his old hands. But if it's for making some small trinkets, it's actually another Liu Daizhao who does it exquisitely and quickly."

"Liu Daizhao..."

"Although I know the place, it's not easy to find. The weather is indeed good today, and Pan Gong has already lost the game, so I might as well take Daoist Brother there," Master Fan said, standing up.

"That won't be necessary."

"I also want to walk a few steps."

"That's fine."

Lin Jue said, looking into the courtyard:

"Fuyao!"

Unexpectedly, the willow branches overhead shook, and the fox actually descended from the sky, landing on the ground.

"Let's go! I'll make you a bag!"

"Ying!"

The fox was stunned at first, quickly became interested, but immediately felt a bit bewildered.

As a fox, what would it need a bag for?

In any case, it followed Lin Jue with small steps, and Lin Jue followed Master Fan Tian. The two and one fox walked through streets and alleys. People on the road always cast glances at them; some bowed from afar, and some opened their mouths to greet them.

When they arrived at the Jinyun Workshop and found Zhou Sanniang, the fox was just feeling puzzled on the ground when it was picked up by the Daoist.

The Daoist held the fox in one hand and the cloth bag in the other, saying he wanted to make a bag that could hold this cloth bag, using the best and softest material, and there had to be a small bag on the outside, so that no matter how it ran or jumped, the bag wouldn't shift too much, and things wouldn't fall out.

Fortunately, there were many people in the capital who wasted their time on playthings; most of the wives and daughters of high-ranking officials and nobles loved to keep cats and dogs and loved to make clothes and small bags for them. This Zhou Sanniang was quite familiar with this.

It was just that the people standing in front of her were Master Fan Tian and Lin Zhenren; Zhou Sanniang's awe for them was even greater than for the Wang Gongguizu, so she asked more detailed questions and was more attentive.

Immediately after, she made another small cloth bag suitable for the Bai He to carry in its beak or hold.

After settling this, they went to the Qiongzhi Workshop.

They found Liu Daizhao.

After arriving here, Lin Jue again asked the carpenter to customize a small house the size of a palm and about two inches high, made of the best wood, and inside, it had to be placed with beds, tables, and chairs just like an ordinary house.

Liu Daizhao had made many similar ornaments. Although he didn't know what this Lin Zhenren was using it for, he tried his best to ensure it would be made exactly like a real one.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 344 =====