「Several days later, at 9:00 AM.」
The sun was already high in the sky, bathing Qingzhu Hall in a warm, pleasant light. The air, now warmer and comfortably humid, made Lu Mingyuan yawn several times as he copied a Daoist Talisman in the main courtyard.
Yesterday, he had asked Yun Qinghe for a Daoist Technique called the Paper Cutting Technique, and he had been mulling it over ever since he woke up.
To master the Paper Cutting Technique, one had to follow three main steps: Drawing the Talisman, Qi Condensation, and God of Giving.
He had spent the entire morning practicing the first step: Drawing the Talisman.
It was no easy task to properly draw the messy, intricate talisman. He remembered how last night, when Yun Qinghe performed the technique, the talisman had merged into the paper in a matter of breaths. Yet when he tried it himself, his drawings just didn't look right.
This wasn't a matter of comprehension, but of practical application.
He couldn't even ask for tips.
Yun Qinghe had vanished from the courtyard early in the morning. He had no idea where she'd gone, and she hadn't said anything, not that it was his place to ask.
Fortunately, after a morning of practice, he was starting to see results. He was just copying the design, but the talisman on his paper was already about halfway there.
The second step was Qi Condensation.
Logically, since he was not a Daoist Cultivator and had no Mana, it should be impossible for him to complete the step of Qi Condensation. However, Lu Mingyuan had accidentally discovered a viable method before going to sleep last night.
Lu Mingyuan took out the Blessed Vermilion Bird Brush and examined it again and again. What was coalescing at the brush's tip was genuine Taoist Qi.
'This brush has a special use.'
If he used the Taoist Qi stored within the Vermilion Bird Brush to activate the Paperman Daoist Talisman, he could successfully perform the Divine Technique.
With this in mind, Lu Mingyuan decided to give it a try.
Holding the Vermilion Bird Brush, he lightly tapped the drawn Daoist Talisman. A halo of cyan Taoist Qi slowly emerged from the brush tip, seeping into the paper bit by bit.
The final step was now underway: God of Giving.
This step bestowed the paperman with vitality and divine essence, allowing it to truly move.
FLUTTER!
The rice paper twitched. Lu Mingyuan's eyes lit up with anticipation, thinking he had succeeded.
But a second later, the movement ceased.
'It must be the paper. The Taoist Qi is too weak, and since it isn't my own, the paperman won't obey my command,' Lu Mingyuan thought, annoyed.
The yellow talisman paper Yun Qinghe had used last night was a special Dao Paper from the Taoist Sect, the most common kind used for creating talismans.
The different colors of talisman paper corresponded to different functions. Lu Mingyuan had learned this by chance while idly perusing various classic texts for his own interest.
For example, red talismans were for slaughter, and cyan ones were for blessings and protection. The highest grade belonged to the Golden Talisman, which also possessed the most astonishing power.
Legend has it that at the summit of the mountains at the entrance to the Western Wilderness, an unnamed Daoist stood guard. He once used a Golden Talisman to trigger a celestial phenomenon, summoning Celestial Thunder to annihilate tens of thousands of the Demon Race who trespassed the border. Even an eight-hundred-year-old Great Demon wouldn't dare take a single step into the territory.
Lu Mingyuan wondered, 'Would it be more effective if I drew the talisman directly with the Vermilion Bird Brush?'
But on second thought, he realized that wouldn't work.
'This brush is my lifeline. I can't just use it casually and drain its Taoist Qi.'
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him.
An idea popped into his head.
'Since there's not enough energy for it to move freely, why don't I just try a different approach?'
'I completely forgot about the Blood Glutton Little People!'
'What if I use Taoist Qi just to activate the paperman, use Bloodthirsty Blood as the energy source, and control its movements with the Blood Glutton Technique? Wouldn't that solve everything?'
The main problem with the Blood Glutton Little People was their poor mobility. No matter how human-like he shaped them, they were just clumps of flesh and blood. Their range was extremely limited, and they could only devour things, see, and hear. They couldn't do anything else.
This was a weakness the Paper Cutting Technique could remedy.
Conversely, the Paper Cutting Technique had its own obvious flaw: the creations couldn't see or hear. They could only be commanded to perform simple tasks.
However, if he used Bloodthirsty Blood for its Essence, Qi, and Spirit, and the paper-cut figure for its bones and meridians, the resulting new creation could compensate for all these weaknesses, effectively forming an entirely new Divine Technique.
Lu Mingyuan immediately put it into practice. He first summoned a mass of dark red, writhing blood, then injected it into the paperman's body, feeding it with Martial Arts Qi.
Finally, he lightly tapped the paper with the Vermilion Bird Brush.
FLUTTER!
This time, the little figure on the desk actually moved!
A brand-new, impossibly thin yet nimble figure was born. At the same time, Lu Mingyuan discovered he could see through its eyes, which meant the Blood Gluttonous Avatar's function was still active.
Lu Mingyuan tried to control the finger-sized paperman to lift a stone, a book, and a chair from the ground.
It had no problem with any of them.
But it had its limits. It could only move light objects. If it tried to lift anything heavy, the spell would fail and the paperman would be completely misshapen.
'The paperman provides the skeleton, and the Blood Gluttonous Avatar is draped over it like skin. The overall effect is quite good.'
Next, Lu Mingyuan started experimenting with new applications.
Things like swinging a tiny sword, performing a Fist Technique, or throwing a hidden weapon...
Most were easy enough to perform, but they had no real power.
After tinkering with his new "toy," Lu Mingyuan decided to control the paperman and take a stroll outside the Cold Palace.
He controlled the tiny paperman with his mind, letting it swagger through the Harem. The snow had not yet fully melted, and it was nearly impossible to spot a thumb-sized paper figure amongst the patches of white.
'Father went to war this morning? No wonder the Harem feels so empty.'
Lu Mingyuan had gleaned news of the morning's grand send-off ceremony from the gossip of Palace Maids and eunuchs.
The number of Imperial Guards in the palace seemed smaller, and the Consorts who usually enjoyed flaunting their charms had no mind for it today. They were all huddled in their chambers by the fire, hiding from the cold wind.
For once, the Harem was quiet.
'After all the trouble of mastering the Paper Cutting Technique, I can't believe today is so boring.'
Lu Mingyuan had the paperman wander around for a while but found nothing of interest.
It wandered far from the Imperial Palace, and just as he was about to recall it...
...he found the paperman in a place he'd never seen before, an area filled with tall buildings and intersecting corridors.
The Great Yan Imperial City was vast. Even Lu Mingyuan himself had never explored all of it, so it was perfectly normal to come across an unfamiliar area.
The paperman looked up. It was a place called the "Imperial College."
Seeing those words, Lu Mingyuan instantly understood.
The children of the Royal Family, Vassal Kings, Gated Communities, and Generals and Ministers typically studied at the Imperial College. The students there were either the children of powerful officials or exceptionally brilliant scholars. It was the most prestigious academy in all of Great Yan.
The paperman passed through corridors and buildings, arriving inside a study hall called "Wensi Court." The room was open on all four sides, with bamboo curtains hanging in the entryways. Twenty small desks were laid out, and a dozen or so luxuriously dressed young masters sat inside, most of them propping up their heads, drowsy. The only ones sincerely engrossed in their books were the few young ladies from official families.
Clearly, everyone in this classroom was the descendant of a high-ranking official; there were no Lower-class Youth present.
However, what truly captured Lu Mingyuan's attention was the Female Scholar lecturing eloquently at the front of the hall.
This Female Scholar was the very same elegant woman he had encountered at the entrance to Qingzhu Hall the night before!
Lu Mingyuan was a little confused.
'Isn't she a Consort from the Harem?'
'But now it looks like she's a teacher at the Imperial College.'
Last night, he didn't have the time to scrutinize her appearance. Today, he finally got a clear look.
This Female Scholar looked to be in her early twenties. She held a book, her face free of powder and her lips untouched by rouge, yet her skin was as smooth as cream. Her aura was one of graceful elegance. Waist-long hair was held in place by a simple Begonia hairpin, and she carried the scent of books about her. She was, without a doubt, a great beauty.
Lu Mingyuan watched for a moment before a bell chimed outside the study hall.
The class was over.
Qi Muxue tucked the book under her arm and left the study hall, only to be met by a stately man who had clearly been waiting for some time.
"Why, if it isn't Miss Mu Xue. To think we would meet again."
Lu Mingyuan frowned upon seeing this guy.
'Eldest Prince Lu Changfeng?'
'What's he doing here?'
At some point, Lu Changfeng had emerged from the academy courtyard. He looked at Qi Muxue and smiled. "Indeed, 'A thousand mountains in twilight snow, the begonia remains.' Miss Mu Xue, you are as pure and gentle as the poem suggests. The high praise from the various academies is well-deserved."
Blech!
Hearing this flattery, Lu Mingyuan nearly gagged. It was just so... greasy.
'It's so cringe. The Eldest Prince is a middle-aged man, for crying out loud. Why is he hitting on a young woman like that? Robbing the cradle, much?'
'So shameless.'
That's right. Don't be fooled by the Eldest Prince's current youthful appearance. He's actually almost fifty years old. It's the result of taking a Taoist Sect Youthful Appearance Pill, plus his Martial Dao cultivation, that allows him to maintain his current looks.
It wasn't just the Eldest Prince. In fact, many of the princes were older. Those of the "Guang" generation, for example, were all in their thirties. Only the younger ones were in their twenties. Lu Mingyuan, ranked sixth, was twenty-five.
Some, like Empress Dowager Liu, could face the passage of time with grace and never took a Youthful Appearance Pill, allowing themselves to appear their true age. Others, however, could not. They would take Elixirs to maintain a youthful face even at eighty, though their internal life force had long since withered.
...