Chapter Fourteen: The War Automaton

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The palace maids were slightly taken aback. Su Lian’s temperament was something the lady of the house had always despised. As for diligence, no one present was less industrious than Su Lian. Regarding sensibility, many there were far more considerate than she was. As for who had called the lady an old hag, there was no reason for her to be mistaken.

Since things were out of the ordinary, it seemed the lady was deliberately targeting this slender-faced maid. Once the maids realized this, they all chimed in:
“The lady is right, I heard it too; it was that little wretch who spoke rudely.”
“Yes, it wasn’t Su Lian who cursed, it was that little wretch.”
“I heard it clearly and can testify.”
…

The slender-faced maid was dumbfounded to hear everyone twisting the truth in unison. She hadn’t expected that trying to steal a chicken would only cause her to lose the rice bowl—in the end, the blame was pinned on her. She was so angry she couldn’t even argue in her defense.

This left her both furious and shocked to the point that her eyes rolled back and she fainted right there. Guo Min didn’t even bother to glance at her but took Su Lian’s hand warmly and said, “Since you’re working so hard, the lady won’t treat you unfairly.”

“From now on, you won’t need to wash clothes anymore. Stay by the lady’s side as an overseer.”
“Look at you—working yourself too hard without taking care of your health. You’ve become so thin.”
“You won’t have to serve the lady at night either. Get some rest earlier.”

At this, the maids were utterly stunned. The lady, who also disliked Su Lian, was suddenly so kind to her? Not only was she made an overseer, but she was excused from service too? How did all the good tasks end up with Su Lian, especially right after she had just insulted the lady as an old hag? The maids couldn’t understand.

Su Lian’s little mind was even more confused. “I…” Her eyes widened and mouth opened, not knowing what to say. Guo Min, however, pulled her along toward a distant place.

“Come, aren’t you always so greedy with your mouth?”
“The lady’s going to take you to try some Osmanthus cake. It’s something the lady recently received.”
“You little glutton, you probably have never tasted it before, right?”

Su Lian’s heart was flustered as Guo Min led her away. They walked all the way to Guo Min’s chamber. Guo Min affectionately took out the Osmanthus cake for Su Lian to taste, but Su Lian was so frightened she didn’t dare to take a bite.

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Only then did Guo Min explain, “Su Lian, don’t be afraid. What the lady said earlier is all true.”
“I honestly didn’t expect you to have relatives in Taiyang County. The letter from home clearly explained everything.”
“Thanks to your relatives sending the divine medicine, they cured the plague in my family. The entire city was filled with death, yet my family managed to stay safe.”

As Guo Min spoke, her heart brimmed with emotion. When she had received news from home some days ago about the plague ravaging the area and her family falling ill, she was desperate and helpless, shedding tears every day. But today, the latest letter brought good news. Her young palace maid Su Lian had quietly resolved the family’s crisis.

Guo Min couldn’t help but grasp Su Lian’s hand and say, “Su Lian, it’s rare to find someone with such a heart. The lady will remember this kindness.”
“Rest assured, as long as the lady is in this palace, she will take care of you.”

At first, Su Lian was still confused. When exactly did she have relatives in Taiyang County? But she soon recalled that Jin had once asked her for the lady’s home address.

In that instant, Su Lian understood. No wonder the sun seemed to rise from the west today—the lady, who was usually harsh toward her, suddenly became so gentle. It turned out all of this was thanks to Jin’s help!

………………

The Imperial Palace.

Late at night, silence reigned everywhere. Frost had formed on the ground and eaves, even on Liang Jin’s armor.

Night duty was the hardest. In summer, the insects bit; in winter, the cold chilled to the bone. Liang Jin stretched to shake off the frost clinging to him.

After the recent commotion, Liang Jin finally had some peace. He wasn’t afraid of Wu Huan’s retaliation; a mere grudge wouldn’t cause much trouble. However, since beating Wu Huan, the soldiers who were once close to Liang Jin had begun to distance themselves. After all, they were not as tough as Liang Jin and would have to submit to Wu Huan’s authority.

Liang Jin didn’t mind. He intended to keep a low profile until the end. If Wu Huan hadn’t pushed him too far, he wouldn’t have stirred up any trouble.

At that moment, a line of text suddenly appeared on the screen:
[Congratulations, host, you have successfully used talisman water to cure one thousand patients. Reward granted: Junior Combat Puppet (Desert Wanderer).]

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Liang Jin was slightly surprised:
“A thousand already?”

He had been speeding up the healing process but still managed to keep control. People often didn’t value things that came too easily. The slower the cure, the more devoted the followers of the Way of Peace would be.

So far, although the Way of Peace had tens of thousands of members and the symptoms had all been alleviated, with no risk to life, few had been truly cured. It was surprising to have now surpassed a thousand.

“Should I slow down the healing speed?”
“If the cure is slower, they will be more devout toward the Way of Peace.”

Liang Jin thought for a moment but abandoned the idea. A cure was a cure. Although a bit fast, saving lives was a meritorious deed. Besides, the plague didn’t afflict just Taiyang County; many places and people awaited his salvation.

Speeding up would save more lives and expand the influence of the Way of Peace. Most commoners followed the crowd; once their neighbors joined, they would naturally join too.

Then Liang Jin examined the reward he had received:
[Junior Combat Puppet (Desert Wanderer): A combat puppet born for battle, utterly loyal, obeying only its master’s commands. This junior combat puppet possesses the strength equivalent to a martial artist at the peak of the sixth rank. (Desert Wanderer, originally a Kunlun apostate, has good attack and defense capabilities and moderate mobility.)]

This revelation shocked Liang Jin:
“Sixth rank peak strength!”

Since reaching the seventh rank, the martial arts cultivation he had accumulated was still far from enough to reach the sixth rank. It showed that as one’s rank rose, the cultivation required for advancement increased dramatically. Each rank’s power differed vastly.

Reaching the sixth rank meant, in a sense, truly establishing oneself in the martial world.

“I want to see what this junior combat puppet looks like.”

Since his main body was in the palace, it was not suitable to summon the puppet there. So he decided to use his body double to check.

Immediately, Liang Jin’s body double, far away in Jiniu Township, silently arrived in the forest behind the Lu family village.

Then, from the [Inventory], the body double took out the [Junior Combat Puppet (Desert Wanderer)].

In the next moment, a tall figure appeared in the darkness.

Like a sculpture, it knelt on one knee before Liang Jin.

At the same time, a chilling aura of coldness, murderous intent, and madness radiated from it.