Chapter 3, Mechanical Puppets

Upon this reflection, Ying Chong could no longer remain seated. First, he carefully made preparations, then he sensed the silver pot within his belly, and after a thought, he indeed felt the heavens and earth rotate once more, and he reappeared within that ten-zhang space.

In other words, two months later, Ying Chong will not only lose the 'Star-Extracting Divine Armor' of the Duke of Anguo, but he will also have his dukedom, passed down from his father, seized by his uncle, General Ying Shiji of Huaihua.

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The young girl finally came to her senses, glanced faintly at Ying Chong, and remained silent, merely pulling up the sleeve of her arm.

This girl is actually a mechanical puppet

Do I really need to return to that cursed place? It seems that there are quite a few benefits inside. The Nameless Cauldron and the Sun-Moon Divine Refining Pot can refine any tangible or intangible object in the world. The Sun-Moon Divine Refining Pot, when combined with the Mysterious Universe Heavenly Pearl, is said to be able to transform one hour into half a day, which is equivalent to six hours.

This young girl does not pull back her sleeves; to the eye, she appears almost indistinguishable from a real person, and she is a beauty among beauties, with skin like ice and bones like jade. Every expression and demeanor is utterly lifelike. Yet, her true identity is, astonishingly, that of a mechanical puppet

Just as the truth was about to be revealed, all the clues and evidence collected by Ying Chong were destroyed and cut off by someone. That person who acted was none other than An Xibo Ying Ding

The title of Duke of Anguo does not originate from the old Anxi Bo, but rather from Ying Chong's father, Ying Shentong. The latter was a renowned general of the Qin dynasty four years ago, commanding six thousand armored troops and defeating various states, having never encountered an opponent on the battlefield. At the height of his power, even King Fuchai of Wu could not gain an advantage over him.

The three great princely states of the Great Qin, the nine grand dukes, and the twelve inherited ink armors were all crafted with the full strength of the Great Qin. They are all at the celestial origin level, equivalent to the Xuantian rank among martial artists

A well-coordinated warrior equipped with a fine ink armor can often amplify their combat power by several times or even dozens of times. For instance, the celestial-grade "Star Plucking" divine armor from the Duke of Anguo's residence can be wielded by someone who is not even a martial artist, yet still possess combat capabilities comparable to those of a mid-tier martial artist. Furthermore, if it is controlled by a practitioner of the Profound Heaven tier, its power can even suppress that of a Sovereign tier.

The foremost of the four evils in the capital, Ying Chong, truly instills fear and apprehension, primarily due to the continued favor of the current sovereign and the two sworn siblings taken in by the Duke of Anguo, Ying Shentong, in those years

Neither the imperial physician nor Zhang Yi, who could perceive the body through qi, noticed any abnormalities at all

Ying Chong slept through the night and did not awaken until a whole day later. By this time, a royal physician had been summoned by Zhang Yi to change his bandages, using the finest wound medicine and a special elixir to strengthen his constitution and restore his vitality

Could this woman be a mechanical puppet left over from ancient times? He had once seen two mechanical puppets in the underground auction house of Xianyang City, which also resembled real people, but they were far less agile than the girl

Ying Chong indeed reached the level of a fourth-tier martial artist before the abandonment of his martial veins. Although it may seem that he has been wasting time aimlessly over the years, in reality, the foundation of his martial arts has been diligently practiced and has not been neglected. While he cannot advance further, his cultivation has not declined. However, it seems unlikely that the heir of his family will inherit the ancestral ink armor.

After Ying Ding left, Ying Chong opened his eyes again, his gaze still a mix of resentment and ferocity

Ying Chong's hatred and resentment towards his grandfather, An Xibo Ying Ding, were not without reason. Ying Chong, being intelligent, began to investigate the cause of his martial lineage being severed after the age of ten. Ultimately, every piece of evidence pointed to his uncle, the current Third Rank General of Huaihua, Ying Shiji.

Zhang Yi remained silent, watching as Ying Chong shook out the bedding and covered his head to sleep, unable to help but furrow his brow tightly

Ying Chong turned his head upon hearing the words and saw a remarkably burly man standing by his bed. This was Zhang Yi, the deputy chief of the guards of the Duke of An's residence, as well as the leader of his personal bodyguards. At only twenty-two years of age, he appeared to be in his thirties or forties due to his rugged features and thick beard.

The so-called 'heir apparent' is merely a title without substance

Ying Chong remembered that yesterday he saw within that bamboo slip that if he wished to enter the Sun and Moon Refining Spirit Cauldron again in the future, he only needed to sense this object with his mind and then invoke it in his heart.

May I ask the young master, how can one not harbor hatred? And how can one not feel resentment?

However, this action has indeed hurt the heir.

On that day, Ying Chong was merely struck by the residual impact of a falling star; apart from being unconscious, his injuries were not too severe. It is estimated that he will recover in no more than two or three days.

Could this be a trap set by the "Prince An"? Intentionally leading him to covet benefits, becoming careless and falling into a trap from which he cannot extricate himself

When Lord Anxi prevented the heir from uncovering the truth back then, it was to protect the reputation of General Ying Shiji of Huaihua and his son Ying Fei. This was to avoid inciting the wrath of the palace, which could lead to the loss of the inheritance rights of Ying Shiji's branch, thereby allowing the two noble titles of Duke Anguo and Lord Anxi to fall into the hands of other collateral relatives.

Moreover, now that Ying Chong is injured and lacking in energy, it is indeed a time when he is vulnerable. Therefore, Zhang Yi does not dare to leave lightly, nor does he feel at ease entrusting the responsibility of guarding him to his subordinates. Although there are a few trustworthy individuals among them, Zhang Yi cannot afford to be careless at this moment

The two orphans from yesteryear, once without support, have now risen to prominent positions, wielding significant military power. Out of gratitude for the kindness shown by his father, they have taken meticulous care of Ying Chong, making him someone whom no one dares to provoke

After sending away the imperial physician and having consumed the meal brought by Zhang Yi, Ying Chong lay back down on the bed, lost in thought again

Ying Chong had not finished speaking when he noticed the disapproving expression on Zhang Yi's face. He couldn't help but curl his lips, his gaze becoming more serious and tinged with mockery: "According to your words, he might indeed care a bit about me, his grandson, but what he cares about even more is the Wuyang Ying clan, and even more so about his second son and grandson! Heh heh, what am I, Ying Chong? Can I even be counted among them?"

Upon re-entering this place, he found that everything here was exactly the same as when he left last time, with not a trace of change

If one were to add a high-quality ink armor, even a celestial position could be fought against

But if it is true, then the stele states that he has received the Gongshu inheritance, which indeed seems quite possible

At first, Ying Chong did not notice anything unusual, but soon he felt a sense of horror, his gaze filled with a hint of astonishment as he looked at the joint of her elbow. It was made of an unknown metal, with a portion exposed, gleaming with a metallic luster

The ink armor has nine stars, with the first star being the weakest and the ninth star being the strongest. Above the nine stars, there exists a divine-grade ink armor with combat power comparable to the heavenly ranks—namely, Ren Yuan, Kun Yuan, Qian Yuan, Xian Yuan, Shen Yuan, and Huang Yuan, which correspond to the minor heavenly rank, middle heavenly rank, major heavenly rank, mysterious heavenly rank, authoritative heavenly rank, and imperial heavenly rank, respectively. As for the ink armor corresponding to the imperial heavenly rank, it has yet to appear in the world

Standing for a long time, until Ying Chong's breathing gradually stabilized, Zhang Yi quietly stepped out of the door. However, he did not move far away, but instead sat down at the entrance, entering a meditative state to regulate his breath.

Or perhaps this woman was personally crafted by Prince Ying Chong? However, upon reflection, Ying Chong felt that this was unlikely. Could his mechanical puppet technique, developed over several decades, really reach such a level?

After the passing of Ying Shentong, it was supposed that the heir would inherit the title of Duke of Anguo. However, the Great Qin has laws that stipulate that only those who have attained the rank of a warrior or above, and have inherited the family heirloom ink armor, are eligible to inherit the title

Your Highness, in fact, the Lord Duke still cares very much about you. During the days when Your Highness has been in a coma, I have seen the Duke staying here without leaving your side, taking care of you day and night without closing his eyes.

According to what he learned later, the Crown Prince was not of such temperament in the beginning. Diligent and eager to learn, he had already opened four martial veins by the age of ten, becoming a fourth-tier martial master. At that time, the Crown Prince did not possess the current hostility and was exceedingly kind to others. It was only after he abandoned his martial veins that he gradually fell into self-destructive behavior and acted recklessly.

One cannot help but sigh, as the heir apparent seems to be in a foreign land even within his own marquis residence.

Raising an eyebrow, Ying Chong spoke without any courtesy: "Hey, are you hungry over there? Do you want to eat something?"

Furthermore, there is this deputy chief of the guards, who, at a young age, has already reached the eighth rank of martial arts mastery. Coupled with his extraordinary physical constitution and immense strength, he has also cultivated the highest level of martial arts techniques. In a real fight, only those who are stronger than the celestial rank can subdue him

Does he care? He would be more than happy to see me dead

It was only after waking up that he realized there was indeed an additional silver pot inside his body. It was located beneath his abdomen, but when he reached down to touch it, he could not feel any foreign object there; he could only sense the existence of that thing.

He arrived at the Duke of Anguo's residence when Ying Chong was eleven years old, at which time Ying Chong was already notorious in the city of Xianyang

Ying Chong's gaze immediately turned towards the girl. This time, she did not cry, but she still curled up, hugging her knees, her eyes lost in thought, devoid of focus, and her expression still appeared utterly heartbroken

If the Duke of Anguo has no heirs, then it is necessary to select a worthy successor from among the collateral relatives of the duke's legitimate line.

Ying Chong felt uncertain in his heart, but he soon thought of the girl in the pot. He had slept for an entire day and night; would that girl starve? How would she manage to eat, drink, and relieve herself in that small pot? This so-called Sun and Moon Spirit Refining Pot was still hidden in his belly. That girl was like a fairy, but even a true fairy must partake in the mundane affairs of the world, dealing with all sorts of filth.

Due to experiencing several assassination attempts during his childhood, the heir is suspicious and sensitive by nature. Not only does he have no close maidservants or attendants by his side, but he also never entrusts his tea, food, or meals to anyone within the household. Even starting from the age of eleven, Ying Chong could only sleep peacefully under his watchful care.

The strength is significantly inferior. Prince Ying Chong of the An Kingdom stated that this girl possesses martial prowess comparable to a high-level celestial position, and a high-level celestial position is at least at the level of the Xuantian position. As for the two ancient puppets he has seen, the highest one was only at the minor celestial position, but due to some damaged components, it could only reach the ninth rank martial honor, and its expression was extremely dull, far inferior to this young girl

Such a significant artifact can only be inherited by the bloodline of the first Duke of the State, which is also the reason why the Great Qin established this law; it is absolutely impossible to allow such a significant artifact to remain idle

If one were to say that there is anyone trustworthy in the residence of the Duke of An, it would only be Zhang Yi. Even the maids and servants in his Cuiyi Garden are far inferior. Over the years, Ying Chong has been engaging in cockfighting and dogfighting in Xianyang, acting tyrannically and committing all sorts of evils, not relying on his identity as the son of the Duke of An—truth be told, there is nothing substantial to rely on. In the eyes of others, this son of Ying Chong is nothing but a joke. Over the years, Ying Chong has been engaging in cockfighting and dogfighting in Xianyang, acting tyrannically and committing all sorts of evils, not relying on his identity as the son of the Duke of An—truth be told, there is nothing substantial to rely on. In the eyes of others, this son of Ying Chong is nothing but a joke.