Chapter 517: Blind Artifact Master, the Glorious Jiang Yunxi

Chapter 517: The Blind Artificer, Jiang Yunxi in Her Glory

"Your birthday? What a coincidence?"

"On your birthday, slaying demons and vanquishing evil—you do have the air of a protagonist."

"Enough, I'll stay a while longer..."

The voice gradually faded over the surface of Yeshan Lake.

About two hours later.

A delicate little hand grasped the slender brush handle, and crooked, wobbly characters wandered across the rice paper.

"I haven't written in my diary these past few days because I went and did something momentous!"

"...The blade spun in my hand, ten thousand thunderbolts surged forth, and wherever my gaze fell, every eerie spirit was cut down!"

"As for the final Luotong Water Lord, a powerful fiend that had plagued the land, under my valiant strike it offered no resistance.

In the last moment before its life faded, the Luotong Water Lord told me a story of its own.

It turned out that it had once been a human being, had joined the Heavenly Sect, and had a senior fellow apprentice who was a childhood sweetheart.

But when the two went on an adventure together, it met an untimely death outside, and when it awoke, it was no longer human..."

"Indeed, every great villain has a moving story behind them."

Jiang Yunxi set down her brush, glanced at the cleaver beside her, feeling both joy and a hint of regret.

What a pity—the cleaver hadn't shattered in her arms, drenched in blood, nor had she lost an eye or a leg; only then would this world-saving journey have been more legendary and memorable.

Although in her diary, this world-saving expedition was described as fraught with danger, and she had even endured several bloody battles, in reality she had bulldozed through without any peril.

"Indeed, the world-saving journey I write is far more interesting than the real one."

At that moment, Jiang Yunxi lived within her own pen.

"Is it because reality is too smooth and easy, so... it lacks style?"

"Old Cleaver, what are you doing?"

Jiang Yunxi's thoughts wandered, and she glanced at Qi Yuan.

"I'm summing up the gains from this time."

Qi Yuan replied, then fell silent.

His words were half true, half false.

At this moment, his thoughts were quite tangled.

"The reward for completing the role was actually... Wood."

The first reward for playing the cleaver was the Sharpness of Iron; the second was similar, granting Qi Yuan a body comparable to a Heaven-grade artifact.

When the role was fully completed, the reward was the Vitality of Wood.

A vast, inexhaustible vitality surged endlessly, filling Qi Yuan's body.

"So then, this Wood... is the knife handle?"

Qi Yuan could only make that connection.

The final reward was related to the knife handle.

"Originally I was a technique-based warrior; after gaining a powerful physical body, I bulldozed everything. Now with this immense Vitality of Wood, am I truly... immortal?"

In a way, the reward from this role was exceptionally generous.

The endless vitality, like a surging river, combined with the great skill Death Radiance, would unleash tremendous power when facing a siege.

If surrounded by enemies of the same rank, he could even achieve immortality!

[Cleaver role completed. Role Character Four unlocked.]

[Role Character Four: The Blind Artificer.]

Instantly, a flood of information poured into Qi Yuan's mind.

The Blind Artificer had been blind since birth; his parents were poor and couldn't raise a blind infant, so one rainy night they threw the baby into a river.

The blind infant was very lucky—he was swept into a deep mountain and picked up by an old man.

The old man was a down-and-out artificer apprentice, whose lifelong wish was to become an artificer.

Unfortunately, his talent was lacking, and he placed his hopes on the Blind Artificer.

When the Blind Artificer was seven years old, the old man passed away, and from then on the Blind Artificer had a demon in his heart.

He wanted to become a Divine... Artificer, to fulfill the old man's long-cherished wish!

His talent was actually extremely strong, with a phenomenal memory; he grasped every forging technique and incantation as soon as he learned them.

But alas, he... was blind.

Even seeking out a powerful Medical Sage could not cure him.

Blindness imposed too great a limitation on artifact forging.

Despite his astonishing talent, the Blind Artificer could only reach the rank of Heaven-grade Artificer.

His greatest wish in life was to become a Divine Artificer, or even stronger, to see what lay beyond.

"Hmm, now this has the look of my blood; as for Qi Yuan the Son-in-Law... he's too useless."

Qi Yuan already had a guess.

Back then, when this game crashed, he had poured his essence blood into it to keep this game world from collapsing.

The characters he now played were, in a sense, the continuation of his essence blood.

But Qi Yuan was also surprised at how much his essence blood could change.

Not only was there Qi Yuan the Son-in-Law, but also a cleaver.

Still, at least there was someone like the Blind Artificer.

He carefully recalled the Blind Artificer's life.

Instantly, various forging methods and repair techniques flooded into his mind.

Qi Yuan also gained a deeper understanding of the art of artifact forging.

"This Blind Artificer is truly a genius, with excellent talent—unlike Qi Yuan the Son-in-Law, whose mind is always full of being bullied and pouring foot-washing water for his mother-in-law."

Qi Yuan felt gratified.

At least his blood was still somewhat useful.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Qi Yuan's expression shifted slightly.

In the Blind Artificer's memories, he heard a familiar voice.

"Is that... the voice of Qi Yuan the Son-in-Law's father?"

"Did he have dealings with the Blind Artificer?"

Qi Yuan was somewhat curious.

He never imagined the world could be so small.

“Your talent is astonishing, sir—you have the potential to step into the divine realm, perhaps even further. Please join us, for the sake of Green Mountain Realm, for our homeland, to dispel the darkness and bring back the light!”

These were the words spoken by Qi Yuan’s father, the son-in-law.

According to the blind artificer’s memories.

Qi Yuan’s father, the son-in-law, had joined a mysterious organization—one that was rather fanatical, always prattling on about the world’s impending doom, claiming that only by uniting all artificers to forge the ultimate weapon could destruction be averted.

Qi Yuan’s father had invited the blind artificer to join their ranks and forge that supreme weapon.

However, the blind artificer refused.

“I must note this down. After all, if I’m to play the role of Qi Yuan, the son-in-law, I need to grasp every piece of information about him.”

“Playing the blind artificer…”

Qi Yuan pondered.

Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes.

“This role is so strange—once I take it on, I go blind, and if the completion isn’t perfect, I’ll be stuck as the blind artificer forever?”

None of the other roles had such a problem.

He could be the cleaver, the Divine Descent, or Qi Yuan the son-in-law, switching freely.

But not the blind artificer—once he started, he had to finish it in one go.

“Is it because, among all the roles, his will is the strongest, dominating the others?”

Qi Yuan guessed as much.

“It seems I can’t play the blind artificer just yet. I still need to be Qi Yuan the son-in-law and the Divine Descent.”

“Still, even if I don’t take it on willingly, I’ll have to within five months at most.”

Qi Yuan sighed.

The roles came with limits; he didn’t want to be solely the blind artificer now.

But if he didn’t play it, within five months he’d be forced into it anyway.

“No matter—I have five months. I need to rapidly boost my strength, and… study more.

After all, the blind artificer’s lifelong wish is merely to become a divine-grade artificer. What if I reach that level in five months? Wouldn’t I pass the role instantly?” Qi Yuan didn’t want to go blind.

He couldn’t help but glance at Jiang Yunxi, a look of deliberate surprise on his face.

“This connection… I ought to make use of it.”

…

The fall of the Luotong Water Lord sent tremors through the world.

Especially that day—ten Weapon Masters had gathered at the underwater palace, and the strongest among them, Wei Kun of the Mournful Wind, chose to remain behind.

But who could have guessed? Shortly after the other Weapon Masters departed, the underwater palace erupted with a deafening roar, and that sturdy artifact collapsed into nothingness.

Wei Kun of the Mournful Wind perished inside the underwater palace, never emerging.

The remaining Weapon Masters were caught off guard, sensing… could there be a conspiracy?

Each harbored their own suspicions, yet news of the Water Lord’s death and the words Jiang Yunxi left behind spread like wildfire.

Especially the next day, when the Mountain-Quelling King sought out Jiang Yunxi.

Regarding the underwater palace affair, Jiang Yunxi was evasive, but that night, the Mountain-Quelling King happened upon her personal diary by chance, unveiling the truth.

“Jiang Yunxi is the Chosen One! An old mystic took a liking to her, lent her an artifact cleaver, and she slew the Water Lord!”

“Hiss—a mere Profound-grade Weapon Master could kill the Luotong Water Lord, whom even the Heavenly Sect struggled to handle? What grade of artifact is that?”

“From now on, I’m Jiang Yunxi the princess’s loyal dog!”

“The Luotong Water Lord is gone… gone?”

Those who learned the news felt as if they had woken from a dream.

Everyone had been fervently preparing the Artificer Assembly, discussing the restoration of the Mighty Dragon Xuanyuan, and the Weapon Masters had sworn to die in their mission to slay the Water Lord.

And then they were told the Water Lord had simply vanished, killed by an obscure princess.

Now, Jiang Yunxi could truly be called a favored daughter of heaven.

At the Mountain-Quelling King’s temporary residence, visitors came daily bearing gifts.

The Mountain-Quelling King beamed with joy every day, utterly delighted.

Jiang Yunxi, by contrast, kept to herself, each day asking the artificers at the Assembly to send her ancient texts on smithing—a gesture that won her much goodwill.

“Neither arrogant nor impatient—Princess Yunxi has the bearing of a phoenix!”

“What a pity. According to the old storyteller at the tavern, when that legendary fearsome artifact slew the Luotong Water Lord, it shielded Princess Yunxi, took several blows from the Water Lord, and turned to ash.”

Someone lamented.

Jiang Yunxi, after all, lived within the pages of a book, and the diary had been altered.

Her artifact cleaver, in this tale, had shattered valiantly protecting its master.

“When will I ever get an artifact like that?”

Meanwhile, at that very moment, outside a certain courtyard, Xie Danran’s expression was solemn, his demeanor righteous—but if one looked closely, a trace of worry lurked in the depths of his eyes.

He stood respectfully outside the courtyard, his posture straight and tall.

Just then, a maidservant emerged.

“Master Xie, please enter. The princess awaits you inside.”

Xie Danran quickly bowed.

Yet his heart was a tangled mess.

A few days ago, he had seen that foolish princess by Ye Mountain Lake.

They had clashed then.

The princess had declared she was there to save the world and told him not to stand in her way.

He had dismissed it, sneering inwardly.

But now, who could have guessed that the Water Lord had truly been slain by Jiang Yunxi?

“The princess hates evil like an enemy, and she’s innocent at heart… I must have offended her last time. This meeting, I need to change her impression of me. I couldn’t fool someone as sharp as Shen Lingxuan, but can’t I fool her?”

Xie Danran’s thoughts churned, and he stood even straighter, like a modest gentleman.

He had to reshape his image before the princess.

Soon, led by the maidservant, he came before Jiang Yunxi, who sat behind a curtain.

Xie Danran bowed hastily: “Xie Danran of the Heavenly Sect pays respects to Your Highness. Your Highness stepped forward to save the common folk from fire and water—truly, Danran is in awe!”

He hunched his body, nearly kneeling, his demeanor utterly humble.

"In Ye Mountain Lake, Danran failed to recognize a true phoenix and offended the princess; every time I recall it, I feel an unbearable guilt!"

Behind the curtain, Jiang Yunxi's toes nearly curled up; she seemed to relish being flattered.

Yet, remembering the true task Qi Yuan had assigned, she spoke, her voice crisp as a deer biting a tender lotus root: "I hear you once offered a venomous scheme, intending to present Shen Lingxuan to the envoys from the Central Plains Raksha Kingdom?"

Xie Danran was puzzled—had the princess summoned him not for his obstruction?

Instead, she asked about this.

He quickly knelt, his expression turning fervent and impassioned: "Your Highness, you may not know, but the one I love and cherish most in this life is none other than my junior sister, Shen Lingxuan.

To give my junior sister to the Raksha envoys—ask who feels the deepest pain, and it is I; this agony, even if my heart were torn out ten times, would not suffice.

Yet despite the pain, for the three hundred million people of Jining Prefecture, I must speak this venomous scheme!"

Xie Danran knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly, appearing deeply remorseful.

As he spoke, he beat his chest, tears streaming down.

Behind the curtain, Jiang Yunxi was also moved by Xie Danran's performance.

Could Old Cai have been mistaken?

Was Xie Danran a good man, and they had misjudged him?

But recalling Old Cai's instructions, she still snorted coldly: "Hmph, who knows what wicked schemes you harbor!"

"If I can save the myriad people, what fear have I for this body to shatter?"

The two continued their exchange.

With Jiang Yunxi's mind, though she had some cleverness, it was limited.

After an hour of conversation, Jiang Yunxi was swayed by Xie Danran.

The confidence in Xie Danran's eyes grew fuller, and he stood ever straighter.

He felt that, given a few more hours, he could win Jiang Yunxi over.

"You may withdraw."

Jiang Yunxi waved her hand.

This left Xie Danran somewhat disheartened, feeling he still had many tricks left unplayed.

But he had no choice but to leave.

"Old Cai, I think this Xie Danran seems like a good man; when he speaks, he is righteous and impassioned, just like a righteous character from a storybook.

Alas, as you instructed, I deliberately provoked him, but he did not anger, not even uttering a curse." Jiang Yunxi murmured.

Nearby, the knife flipping through books paused for a moment.

"You, ah, are still too young. I leave tomorrow, so let me give you the final lesson of your life."

"Come, let me ask you: during this time, did Xie Danran say not a single curse or insult?" Qi Yuan asked.

"Yes." Jiang Yunxi nodded.

"This shows he knows curses and insults inside out, and thus can avoid them perfectly."

"Ah?"

"Understand? What kind of good person knows these things so thoroughly?

This is not an ordinary morally corrupt person; it is a morally corrupt person skilled in disguise!"

Jiang Yunxi's eyes widened: "Old Cai, what you say makes sense!"

She felt as if a light had dawned, suddenly enlightened.

"Moreover, in these hours, did he ever deny being a murderer, a rapist, a bandit, a specter, or the like?"

"It seems... no."

"Then the answer is clear."

"Shuddering to think—Old Cai, without you, I would never have known how well he disguises himself. I'll have him killed at once!"

Jiang Yunxi said hastily.

Now that she had slain the Luotong Water Lord and saved Jining Prefecture, her power was great, her word law.

Xie Danran had offended her; there was only death awaiting him!

"Old Cai, you are truly a good teacher; a single casual word from you enlightens me like a draught of wisdom. Alas... I cannot long remain by your side." Jiang Yunxi's words carried a hint of melancholy, "Otherwise, with my talent, the future greatest chef in the world, a savior, might even become the smartest person in Great Ning!"

On her birthday, Old Cai had stayed an extra day with her.

Later, because Old Cai wanted to read, he stayed a few more days.

Now, the books were finished, and it was time for Old Cai to leave.

(The chapter ends)