The Nine Godheads Chapter 58

Chapter 58: Let’s Play in Mud Together!

 

Only when one has experienced everything from civilized studies to rough labor can one claim to have seen the world as it is.

 

Hong Xiaobao was rather acquainted with managing mud — he easily moved a 1 jin pile of mud. Qingqing squatted by Xiaobao’s side and looked at his muddy hands with much curiosity.

 

Most would think that the Living Printing Technique was an impressive invention, but not many would believe it involved a pile of mud! However, Qingqing was slowly comprehending the true use of the mud. “Brother Xiaobao, do you mean to use these clumps of mud and have words carved onto them? Then you can apply ink on it and press it on a piece of paper to make a word, right?”

 

“Eh? Wow, you’re really smart! To think that you got it after only seeing it for the first time!” exclaimed Hong Xiaobao as he ruffled Qingqing’s head affectionately. “That’s right, do you know the stamping seals we have? The words are already carved onto it so there’s no need to rewrite the word every time right? The Living Printing Technique operates on the same principle, but it can print multiple words at once. To achieve that, simply arrange the words together and push a piece of paper over all of them at once. Right now, I’m working on the first step, which is carving the words onto the word blocks.”

 

“Hehe, Brother Xiaobao, you’re so smart,” said Qingqing. She looked at Jian Pu only to discover that she had an expression of astonishment on her face.

 

While the Living Printing Technique’s fundamental principle was rather simple and it wasn’t hard to create, not everyone could have thought of the application of such a simple principle on a scale like that. The fact that the stamp seal which had already existed for thousands of years in this world was testament to that. However, Hong Xiaobao actually managed to connect the dots. That signified that Hong Xiaobao was definitely not an ordinary person.

 

While Qingqing and Jian Pu were still stunned at that revelation, Hong Xiaobao sat on the ground as he picked out a clump of mud roughly the size of his finger and formed it into a cube before using a wooden branch to carve some words out.

 

The word on each word block had to be carved mirrored. Hong Xiaobao wasn’t too used to it at first so he took ten minutes or so before finally managing to carve the character for ‘Hong’ onto the block. He proceeded to carve ‘Xiao’ and ‘Bao’ before finally letting out a breath of relief.

 

“Hehe, these rough carvings will do for now,” said Hong Xiaobao as he looked at the crooked characters on the word blocks with much satisfaction. “En. After that, I’ll have to use fire to bake the clay blocks dry, hehe!” Standing up and stretching himself, Hong Xiaobao said, “Ah, all this work has left me tired. Qingqing, I’m going to rest for a bit so you can go play for a while. Remember, don’t go too far from here.”

 

He subsequently brought his guards into a nearby house and went to sleep instantly.

 

Within the bracelet…

 

“Hey, old guys…” Demon King Meng Xianji said as he looked at the sleeping Hong Xiaobao, smiling. “I didn’t think that this kid had this kind of luck with women. This Qingqing’s ident.i.ty is indeed not as simple as it seems…”

 

“That’s right,” said Xi Hong, “that girl is indeed not simple. It is quite strange how she approached our kid just like that. I think things are going to be more interesting.”

 

“The female servant that follows that girl around should be the strongest person we have met so far, right?” said Xiao Sanshao. “It really is rather amusing how the two would choose to stay by Xiaobao’s side while hiding their ident.i.ties. For someone who had just entered the world of cultivation, Hong Xiaobao really does have quite a number of monstrous figures around him.”

 

“That goes without saying! As expected of someone who was noticed by this old one!” said Meng Xianji pleasantly as he was rather pleased with himself. “I say, this child’s brain is filled with quite a number of great ideas and he truly is a treasure trove. However, that Ye Feihong might still pose some kind of threat to Xiaobao. Should we warn him about it?”

 

When Hong Xiaobao took back Yun Caixiao from the Thunder Sound Pavilion, Ye Feihong was thoroughly offended. It wasn’t totally impossible for him to continue causing Hong Xiaobao trouble. That’s why prioritizing Xiaobao’s safety was paramount for the time being.

 

“Hmm, that’s a fair point,” said Xi Hong, nodding. “After all, this kid’s martial foundations are still rather weak. Well, it’s not like anyone can instantly become a martial expert overnight. It’s just worrying that his enemies will be plotting against him when he’s still in the early stages of cultivation. Oh right, doesn’t he have some kind of armor on him? Later, I’ll remind him about it and get him to level up that Soft Hedgehog Armor for a bit. It should be able to take on full strength attacks from a 3-star martial artist without a problem.”

 

Hearing Xi Hong say that, Meng Xianji and Sanshao smiled and nodded in agreement. “En, this will work!”

 

It was quite sufficient already for Hong Xiaobao’s armor to be able to withstand a full force hit from a 3-star martial artist, but even that is only an emergency measure. After all, with Hong Xiaobao’s extraordinary wit, not many people would be able to get away with plotting against him!

 

……

 

Meanwhile in the Chiyun Empire Imperial Palace.

 

Hong Wenqing and Zuo s.h.i.+xian sat at a corner of the pavilion. Hong Wenqing raised his wine cup and said, “Brother Zuo, I’m afraid I’ll have to leave the security of the Chiyun Empire to you for the time being. I hope you’ll be able to offer some a.s.sistance before Xiaobao shows some results with his sect.”

 

“Brother Hong, you’re too polite,” said Zuo s.h.i.+xian as he raised his own wine cup. The two of them gave the wine a drink before Zuo s.h.i.+xian said, “However, Brother Hong, are you really that confident that Xiaobao will really be able to make a sect? The funds involved in founding one is without a doubt astronomical! Even if he manages to make that kind of money, normal sect leaders are at least 6-star martial artists! Otherwise, who would be willing to join his sect?”

 

What Zuo s.h.i.+xian spoke was the truth. n.o.body would want to enter a sect with an incompetent head teacher. That was why all the head teachers of the sects in the Jiang Hu was without a doubt top cla.s.s martial experts!

 

“Since Xiaobao has made such a declaration, I believe he will find a way,” said Hong Wenqing full of confidence for his son. “All this time I’ve watched him grow up, I can say for sure that there’s no one that can match his intelligence. If he dares to propose such a thing, I will support him all the way. Otherwise, why would I be not fazed at all when the Thunder Sound Pavilion threatened to stop guarding the empire? Don’t underestimate my son just because he’s still 18 years old. He is pretty capable, you know.”

 

“This…” In the 70-80 years of Zuo s.h.i.+xian’s life, there wasn’t much that he hasn’t witnessed or experienced before. However, it was indeed his first time seeing an emperor like Hong Wenqing entrusting the fate of his nation to a young kid that was his son. After giving it some thought, he shook his head and said, “Sigh, I really can’t figure him out. I was totally stunned when he rejected the head teacher’s offer to take him in as a personal disciple. Oh well, time will tell. I’m also really curious what sort of disruptive change Hong Xiaobao can usher in.”