[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou":3,"chapter-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-193":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ink Saint of Great Zhou",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2292156,4481,"Chapter 193: The Clay Figurines","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-193",193,"\u003Cp>During dinner, Lu Fang repeatedly comforted Lu Ling before returning to his bedroom, where he lay on the bed and sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To say he had no regrets was impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For everyone’s sake, he made a hard decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he felt somewhat guilty toward Li Yu, both of them had quietly stepped back from this relationship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She left!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He did not try to stop her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu’s departure proved she had feelings for Lu Fang—if she didn’t care, why would she choose to leave this way?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang didn’t stop her not because he didn’t care, but because he had no reason to ask her to stay or forgive him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu had never said she loved him; in terms of status, he was merely her junior uncle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang had never openly expressed his love, had no right to ask her to stay, let alone let her witness him kissing Lu Ling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To declare his love now was already too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment had passed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Devil Heart’s voice chimed in: “It’s just a woman. Do you really need to be so torn? Wait until she cools down, then find an opportunity—make it irreversible. After all, you both like each other, don’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t bother me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang snapped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since returning from Luo Sha Country, his relationship with the Devil Heart had improved somewhat, for he could sense it was telling the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, he might have had a way to erase the Devil Heart from his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after emerging from the Gold Radiance Mirror, having used the Devil Heart’s perception—even without drawing on its power—had fused it with himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant removing the Devil Heart now would endanger him too; this shared fate had, without them realizing it, drawn them closer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, the Devil Heart’s temptations also lessened, becoming less targeted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Devil Heart chuckled: “Fine, I won’t meddle in your love life. But you should get your act together. Didn’t I tell you before? Deep in the Scorched Lands, there’s the aura of Punishment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you just going to sit here and wait? Let that aura grow stronger bit by bit until it comes for you at its peak?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t cling to luck. Don’t think that aura won’t come for you. We can devour each other to grow stronger. Even if neither of us wants to, for our own safety, we’ll both choose to strike first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Devil Heart sighed, preparing to press further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang cut in: “Let me finish writing The Water Margin these few days. Don’t push me until then.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, since returning from Luo Sha Country, he had already resolved: once he finished The Water Margin, he would head into the Scorched Lands to find the Solid Stone and assess the strength of that Punishment aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That day, the weather was bright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang, seated at his desk writing the final chapter of The Water Margin, suddenly paused his brush—just a few characters remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reward was about to appear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To ensure secrecy, Lu Fang activated the Transcendent Ability: Veil the Heavens and Conceal the Earth, enveloping the entire study so even a deliberate observer could not see what transpired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even a Semi-Sage could penetrate it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What will the reward for The Water Margin be?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Lu Fang awaited it, he finished the final strokes. Instantly, beams of light emerged, swirling around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Devil Heart exclaimed excitedly: “Excellent! Your elegant prose has granted you a Transcendent Ability. No surprise—it’s you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang ignored the Devil Heart, his full attention fixed on the lights. He too was curious what reward this completion would bring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Logically, as one of the Four Great Classical Novels, the reward shouldn’t differ much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Dream of the Red Chamber granted the Grand Void Illusion—let alone the Grand Void Mountain, even the Ink-Color Flowers were immensely powerful rewards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Romance of the Three Kingdoms granted Veil the Heavens and Conceal the Earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nie Xiaoqian granted the Book Spirit Yan Chixia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Smiling, Proud Wanderer granted an internal cultivation technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Few ever unlocked the techniques in The Water Margin—its reward should be stronger by comparison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Lu Fang pondered the reward, the swirling lights before him coalesced into dozens of clay figurines, appearing on his desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the sight of these clay figurines, Lu Fang blurted: “The One Hundred and Eight Heroes of The Water Margin? Song Jiang, the Timely Rain! Lin Chong, the Leopard Head! Li Kui, the Black Whirlwind…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thirty-six Heavenly Stars, seventy-two Earthly Fiends—each of the one hundred and eight heroes was rendered in lifelike clay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simultaneously, the purpose of these clay figurines appeared in Lu Fang’s mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One clay hero represented one Book Spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One hundred and eight Book Spirits in total!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But these Book Spirits differed from Yan Chixia: to awaken them, Lu Fang must drip his blood upon them, then infuse them with a thread of Book Fragrance—no more than one thread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The amount of Book Fragrance used determined the innate potential of each figurine when it transformed into a human form; thus, one thread was optimal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for cultivation advancement, the first awakening matched Lu Fang’s current realm; subsequent growth required personal cultivation and opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang thought of this and chuckled softly—it was as if heaven had delivered a pillow just as he fell asleep. He and the Devil Heart had both considered building their own faction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had delayed it, fearing Emperor Zhou would notice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, these one hundred and eight heroes solved the problem entirely—they were his Book Spirits, utterly loyal, never to betray him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if they appeared, no one would link them to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as he didn’t reveal it, no one would suspect they were Book Spirits—they appeared as ordinary humans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, Lu Fang eagerly picked up the clay figurine of Lin Chong, the Eighty-Thousand Imperial Troop Instructor, dripped a drop of blood onto it, and infused it with a thread of Book Fragrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wondrous sight unfolded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clay figurine gradually transformed—within mere seconds, it became Lin Chong as depicted in the novel, a long spear clutched in his hand, faint Book Fragrance coiling around it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I pay homage to my lord.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chong bowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang sensed Lin Chong’s aura—it matched his own, Sixth Rank, Third Stage. He smiled and nodded. One hundred and eight Sixth Rank, Third Stage warriors—this was formidable power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, each of the one hundred and eight heroes possessed unique Transcendent Abilities and charisma—truly invaluable allies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Devil Heart stammered: “Th-this… is this because of your elegant prose? So many clay figurines—all your Book Spirits? Just one drop of blood, and they become your equal in realm? How is that possible?”\u003C\u002Fp>",1117,"2026-06-20T03:56:21.568Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","48a8bdfb8a89f750c7287d978762e3db4067f7c1379d9637d1356daed1fa8956","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-194","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-192",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]