Chapter 498: Your Bullying Is Too Useless, Origin of the Artifact

Chapter 498: Your Bullying Is Too Feeble, The Origin of the Artifact

Lin Qinghe watched the retreating figures of Qi Yuan and Shen Lingfeng, a helpless expression in his eyes.

“Someone, issue a wanted notice, apprehend the criminal Fang Shisan of the Radiance Society.”

Jining Prefecture had its yamen, but within that yamen, the imperial court’s words held less sway than those of the Heavenly Sect.

Indeed, to become the commandery governor of Fengshan Commandery, one needed the Heavenly Sect’s nod.

The Shen family had long been a house of bell and tripod in Fengshan Commandery, not to mention that Shen Lingxuan was a true disciple of the Heavenly Sect.

He still had to grant Shen Lingfeng face.

“Yes, chief!” the other constables nodded in agreement.

……

Night fell, and a smug look gleamed in Shen Baiting’s eyes: “Today’s performance wasn’t bad. With a bit more effort, heading to Ye Mountain Lake… my standing within the Shen family will soar!”

That day, the Shen family had gathered many of the younger generation from both the main and collateral branches, selecting those with talent as artificers, then choosing candidates to go to Ye Mountain Lake for the Artificer Assembly.

“But my talent… compared to Baihu and the others, it’s still lacking… I’ll need some underhanded tricks.” Shen Baiting thought of sending gifts.

His talent was decent, but not among the most outstanding.

Especially compared to Shen Baihu—he was far behind.

“Originally, sending gifts to squeeze out Shen Baihu’s spot would have weighed on my conscience, but… since he told that live-in son-in-law what I said to him, I feel at ease!”

Shen Baiting muttered to himself, like a whore wanting to set up a chastity arch.

“And that live-in son-in-law…” Shen Baiting’s eyes brimmed with thick murderous intent.

The other party was aggressive and overbearing, infuriating him to no end.

“Do you really think I wouldn’t dare bully you?”

“If it were deep in the night, with no one around, I’d make you see that I’m not to be trifled with!”

Shen Baiting whispered in his room.

He was confident; he had plenty of ways to teach Qi Yuan a lesson and still emerge as the victim afterward.

“What, you’ve come to your senses and want to bully me?”

Just then, a figure eavesdropping by the wall suddenly shoved the door open, half their body entering Shen Baiting’s room, a delighted expression on their face.

When he saw who it was, Shen Baiting’s eyes widened, his face a mask of disbelief.

“Qi… Qi Yuan, how are you here!” Shen Baiting’s face shifted and changed.

How did this Qi Yuan appear like a rat, out of nowhere?

“I’m waiting for you to bully me!” Qi Yuan’s face beamed with smugness. “I saw you say… you were going to bully me, so I came!”

To complete his role-playing task, he was putting in great effort.

“You misheard, I never said that!” Shen Baiting quickly defended himself.

He was truly speechless.

Muttering to himself in the dead of night, and someone still eavesdropped on him.

“I heard you. You were talking to yourself. Let me pass on a little tip: talking to yourself is a bad habit. I usually just think it in my head.” Qi Yuan said, then added another remark.

In truth, thinking it in his head wasn’t safe either, because he could hear thoughts.

Shen Baiting looked at Qi Yuan, scanned the outside, saw no other figures, and his eyes flickered: “Did you come alone?”

“Yes, I came alone. Didn’t you just say that in the dead of night, in a secluded place… you could bully me?” Qi Yuan was eager.

He hadn’t poured bathwater for his mother-in-law, but now, a twist of fate—he could be bullied.

Shen Baiting twitched, inwardly exasperated. Seeing no one around, his courage swelled.

“Are you truly mad, or faking it?” Shen Baiting’s gaze turned icy.

“I’m not mad!” Qi Yuan replied earnestly.

Shen Baiting stared at Qi Yuan, almost certain in his heart that this man’s mind was truly addled.

Otherwise, why would he come to his courtyard and beg to be bullied?

And most importantly, coming alone—was he not afraid of death?

“You really want me to bully you?” Shen Baiting lowered his voice.

He sensed no one else present.

“Yes!”

Hearing that answer, Shen Baiting thought Qi Yuan had a screw loose.

He grew even more jealous. How could such a waste marry a heavenly maiden like Shen Lingxuan?

“Come, let’s talk outside!” Shen Baiting steeled himself.

The courtyard he lived in was a separate, secluded one.

The conversation between him and Qi Yuan just now surely wouldn’t be overheard.

Soon, Qi Yuan followed Shen Baiting into the courtyard.

Shen Baiting’s courtyard was large, even boasting a small pond.

In the pond were verdant lotus leaves, tender lotus seedpods covering the surface, and a dense layer of duckweed floating on the water—decent enough as pig feed.

Shen Baiting stood at the edge of the pond, many thoughts flashing through his mind, a pitying look on his face: “Qi Yuan… you shouldn’t have crossed me.”

“I didn’t cross you.”

“Before you went mad, you couldn’t outplay me, let alone after going mad…” Shen Baiting’s eyes showed contempt.

He had already planned how to teach Qi Yuan a lesson while disguising himself as the victim.

As he spoke, he reached out and suddenly pinched Qi Yuan’s waist.

“Didn’t you want me to bully you?”

With that pinch, he secretly used a hidden force—a technique taught by a master, mysterious and profound, such that even a Earth-grade Weapon Master couldn’t detect the injury.

He showed no mercy toward Qi Yuan.

This hidden force first caused pain, then lurked in secret, gradually destroying Qi Yuan’s body.

Once, when he was in the collateral branch, one of his cousins had exceptional talent, making Shen Baiting intensely jealous.

That cousin had always looked after him, even sharing resources bestowed by the main line.

His jealousy grew wildly, and under the guise of sparring, he secretly struck that strange hidden force into his cousin’s body.

About two years passed, and his cousin’s health steadily declined, until he could no longer cultivate and even ended up with a lame leg.

The cousin never suspected Shen Baiting, even giving him all the resources he had saved, hoping Shen Baiting would lead the collateral branch to strength.

“Now… is that enough?”

He pinched Qi Yuan’s waist fiercely, a smug smile spreading across his face.

Then, his body suddenly lurched backward, tumbling into the pond.

He had already thought of an excuse.

The live-in son-in-law, Qi Yuan, had come to trouble him at night; he dared not offend him, letting Qi Yuan beat and scold him, until finally Qi Yuan pushed him into the pond.

Now, he only needed to shout and scream, to call the others over.

A perfect victim achieved.

But just as he fell into the pond and prepared to open his mouth to yell, he strangely found that his voice would not come out.

By the pond, the handsome man watched him, looking utterly speechless: "Your bullying is far too... pathetic. That pinch just now—utterly without strength."

The live-in son-in-law, Qi Yuan, stood with his hands on his hips, as if nothing had happened.

"I never expected you to be not only such a green tea bitch, but also a member of the Radiant Society.

Could it be that all you Radiant Society folks are masters of palace intrigue?"

The hidden force from Shen Baiting’s pinch—what Qi Yuan’s eyes perceived was information related to the Radiant Society: a special light-and-dark force unique to them.

In the pond, Shen Baiting’s eyes widened, a look of disbelief on his face.

"Are you... pretending to be mad?"

He tried to speak, but his words came out as faint as a mosquito’s hum.

"Where am I mad? Have you ever seen a madman as handsome as me?"

Qi Yuan stretched lazily. "Who... are you!" Shen Baiting’s voice leaked air, as if someone had cut his throat.

He vaguely felt that the man before him was not Qi Yuan. He wanted to beg for mercy, to invoke the Radiant Society.

But Qi Yuan gave him no chance to speak.

"Coming here today wasn’t without gain—at least... you did bully me!"

Qi Yuan glanced at Shen Baiting, who was struggling silently in the pond, his gaze calm: "Do you think that if everyone is on your side, you’re in the right?"

"Sorry, but here, strength is everything."

"A Qi Refining stage slandering a Violet Mansion—that’s asking for death!"

"Also, I’m playing the madman; killing doesn’t break the law!"

Qi Yuan’s figure vanished.

He came quietly, and left quietly, unnoticed by anyone.

In the pond, Shen Baiting struggled endlessly, but it was utterly futile—he couldn’t even make a splash.

Finally, he slowly sank to the bottom.

"30%—I’ve obtained the Heart of Artifice."

When the progress of playing the live-in son-in-law Qi Yuan reached 30%, Qi Yuan gained one of his abilities: the Heart of Artifice.

Qi Yuan had heard of the Heart of Artifice before.

In this world, to become an artificer, one needed talent.

The Heart of Artifice was a unique kind of talent.

Whoever possessed it could increase the success rate of crafting any artifact by half a percent.

It sounded trivial, but in truth, it was terrifying.

In this world, the success rate of artifact crafting was not high. Even an Earth-grade artificer crafting a Mystic-grade artifact had less than a fifty percent chance.

A half-percent boost was immensely powerful.

"So, does this mean I’m now qualified to learn the way of artifice?" Qi Yuan mused. "It seems I’ll have to craft a drone. If only I could turn Shen Lingxuan into a drone—then I could ride her into battle, and everyone would think I was a divine descent!"

Qi Yuan’s thoughts wandered wildly.

Having been bullied tonight, Qi Yuan ate an extra steamed bun from Chen Kangbao, who grumbled resentfully, muttering nonstop.

But that night, Qi Yuan did not go out again, nor did he time his mother-in-law’s bathwater delivery.

Now that progress had reached 30%, he had to take it slow.

A big task like dealing with his mother-in-law had to be saved for the right moment.

The next day, not long after Qi Yuan had woken up, an uninvited guest arrived in the courtyard.

"Brother-in-law, hurry! Father and Mother have found you a teacher!"

Shen Lingfeng rushed in excitedly, followed by a middle-aged man dressed in a stiff, old-fashioned manner. His hair was combed immaculately, his clothes were flawless, and his mustache was perfectly aligned.

He looked like a man of perfect symmetry.

"A teacher?" Qi Yuan and Chen Kangbao came out, confusion in his eyes.

"This is Chen Xianwei, a Mystic-grade artificer of the Shen family!" Shen Lingfeng introduced. "My father wants you to do something worthwhile, so you don’t disgrace your father’s name."

"Oh... fine." Qi Yuan hesitated for a moment but did not refuse.

He was playing the live-in son-in-law Qi Yuan, and perhaps learning artifice would increase his progress.

Besides, he was somewhat interested in artificers and wanted to see this mysterious system.

Chen Xianwei glanced at Qi Yuan, his gaze calm. When his eyes fell on Chen Kangbao, seeing his disheveled appearance, he frowned deeply.

He couldn’t help reaching out to adjust the steamed bun in Chen Kangbao’s mouth: "Eat from both sides. Why only chew on the left?"

Chen Kangbao was stunned.

Shen Lingfeng leaned close to Qi Yuan: "Brother-in-law, Master Chen is... very rigid. He likes things neat and orderly."

Oh, obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Qi Yuan understood.

Many ideas sprang to mind, and he couldn’t help asking: "Master Chen, when you pee, does it split? If it does, do you make sure both streams are symmetrical and aligned?"

Back on Blue Star, Qi Yuan knew many people had OCD.

He had always wanted to ask them a lot of questions.

Today, he had the chance, so he asked immediately.

Hearing this, Chen Xianwei’s mustache twitched, and the corner of his mouth spasmed.

"Master Chen, don’t twitch—your mustache is out of alignment!"

"You..." Chen Xianwei quickly straightened his mustache, glaring at Qi Yuan with displeasure, his heart filled with anguish.

With so many artificers in the Shen residence, why did they have to send him, Chen Xianwei, to teach a madman artifice?

Wasn’t this torture?

Half an hour later, Chen Xianwei brought out a pile of strange and bizarre objects.

He sat on a pearwood chair, his expression stern: "In ancient times, when chaos first parted, the early people emerged from the mountains, crafted stone tools and iron implements, and built a splendid civilization."

To learn the way of artifice, one must know its origins.

Ordinarily, when teaching others, Chen Xianwei would not mention these things.

But teaching a madman, there's no need to teach those obscure and hard-to-understand things; what one teaches is the mythological tales of the Way of Artifacts.

"How can ordinary stone tools and iron implements transform from the lawless to the lawful?" Qi Yuan asked.

Ordinary stone tools also exist on Blue Star.

But in this world, artifacts carry supernatural elements.

Chen Xianwei nodded and continued, "However... when the eerie spirits descended, eroding the world, how could our ancestors, wielding mere mortal iron, fight against the eerie spirits?

It was then that the Artifact Method descended from beyond the heavens, falling into the Great Realm, and only then did we rely on various magical artifacts to contend with the eerie spirits!

Artifact masters, using the essence of mountains and rivers, the radiance of sun and moon, smelt and hammer to create supreme magical artifacts, transforming heaven and earth, moving mountains and filling seas!"

Speaking of this, Chen Xianwei's face was full of emotion.

"According to the 'Secret Records of Origins,' before there were magical artifacts, our world was nearly overrun by eerie spirits and became a paradise for them!"

Qi Yuan listened attentively to the story background of this game.

The origin of magical artifacts actually involved the beyond-heavens.

"Is there anyone now who can contact the beyond-heavens?" Qi Yuan couldn't help asking.

Chen Xianwei shook his head: "Such information is not something a mere Xuan-level Armament Master like me can know.

If one day you step into the rank of Heavenly-level Armament Master and from the Green Mountain Realm enter the Great Realm, perhaps you may come to know."

This realm is called the Green Mountain Realm, located in the Chaotic Star Domain, a small realm.

Above the small realm, there is the Great Realm.

"Telling you all this is a bit too early; if you can become an Artifact Master, I might even be considered a renowned teacher!" Chen Xianwei sighed, finding solace in bitterness.

"Come, let us continue with the history of Artifact Masters..."

Indeed, he planned to teach history for a while first.

After all, when a madman learns artifact forging, who knows what accidents might happen.

"Teacher Chen, does artifact forging require a strange flame?" Qi Yuan asked.

On TV, alchemy requires a strange flame, so what about artifact forging?

Chen Xianwei glanced at Qi Yuan in surprise: "Artifact masters need the Heart Flame for forging.

The stronger the will, the higher the talent domain, the more intense the Heart Flame.

Just as today's lesson is about over, here is an introductory technique for artifact forging. Take a good look at it yourself, and tomorrow I will explain it to you further."

Having said that, Chen Xianwei tossed the introductory technique to Qi Yuan and hurriedly left.

In the room, Qi Yuan took the book titled "Basic Artifact Forging Method" and began to read it carefully.

"This..." Qi Yuan was astonished, "This seems to share the same origin as those artifact forging methods of the Celestial Clan!"

(End of this chapter)