In Great Wan, a “spiritual image stamp” was so deranged that speaking of it stunned Heaven’s Design Pavilion’s General Commander Su Zhun. But in Western Chu’s Wild Fox Country’s black market, where major players were clustered as densely as ox hair, they weren’t especially rare. 

Many “common cultivators” who couldn’t make it on their own had this kind of stamp. They either submitted to some clan with power and influence, or they joined an organization of common evil cultivators. They received resources and protection, and gave their undivided loyalty, acting as these people’s dogs. The stamps had all kinds of names. Among them, the most pleasant-sounding was precisely this Dragon and Phoenix Symbolizing Good Fortune. The “phoenix” party often had greater natural endowments or stronger cultivation; if there was no stamp, she would be too much for the fake dragon to stomach. And with this kind of stamp, for each step the “phoenixes” took along the path of cultivation, they would only get half the results. Half of every sliver of spiritual energy they took into their bodies would be shared with the dragon stamp. 

To be a person’s dog, you had to sell your life. But to have the honorable status of being a person’s “phoenix,” it clearly wasn’t enough to merely sell your life. You also had to sell your body. 

A stamp on one’s face could be removed, but there was nothing to be done about one that was stamped on one’s spiritual image—back in the Latent Cultivation Temple, even Zhi Xiu wielding the Bell of Tribulation hadn’t been able to remove one. In life, the person was controlled by the spiritual stamp, and after death, as with Lü Chengyi, the stamp would emerge on their flesh and follow the person to the grave. They couldn’t be clean even in the earth. 

Infiltrating other countries, the Luwu did in fact engage in an extremely dangerous line of work. But they still didn’t make this degree of sacrifice. 

As Xi Ping passed on word to the other Luwu in the Zhao family hidden realm, having them prepare a reception, he briefly explained to Xu Rucheng exactly what kind of seal a Dragon and Phoenix Seal was. “Dongheng’s Xiang family is too much for us to deal with. Leave it, get out of there.” 

After listening to this, Xu Rucheng was silent a while. He didn’t answer at once. He only used Zhao Qindan’s identity to say to Clan Leader Zhao, “Father, don’t you think this is a disgrace?” 

Clan Leader Zhao avoided his gaze. 

No one would think this wasn’t a disgrace, even if they really had just picked this girl up by the roadside. 

But in this world, there were vast numbers of people who were willing to bear disgrace in order to live. So what? 

In the future, when the Zhao clan regained its prominence, who wouldn’t say that the clan leader had been swallowing humiliation for the sake of the big picture? 

“Mr. Bai gave each of us a paperman substitute. It wouldn’t be hard for me to escape by slipping out of my skin, but we would have to think of a way to get the paperman back. Papermen have no intelligence. They can only perform a few simple actions. If it has to talk too much, it’ll be seen through. Mr. Bai’s methods are too particular. I’m afraid that if they discover the paperman, the Luwu will be exposed.” After saying this to Xi Ping, Xu Rucheng seemed to have used up his calm. He suddenly clenched his teeth and swore ferociously, “I’m simply not fucking having this shit.” 

“Xu Rucheng,” Xi Ping coldly called his full name, “a person’s death is like a flame being extinguished. Young Mistress Zhao isn’t A-Hua. Are you aware of that?” 

Upon the death of a loved one, eternal regrets become a pit that can’t be filled up. Given the chance, that pit will try to drag the living inside it. 

In Wild Fox Country, what brainless idiot’s heart didn’t hold a few graves?

Xu Rucheng began to breathe heavily through his nose. “…yes.” 

Xi Ping left behind a “take care of yourself,” then paid no more attention to him. He directed his gaze onto the “Zhao Qindan” who was currently walking around investigating inside the Law Breaker Bracelet. 

This “Zhao Qindan” was essentially a melody he had played, but her gestures were more accurate than the shoddy male Luwu’s. With a sudden thought, Xi Ping appeared before that “musical person.” 

First “Zhao Qindan” was startled, instinctively holding a talisman up in front of herself. Then she stared at him for a long moment and hesitantly said, “Fellow cultivator, may I ask…are you from Wan? Is your surname Xi?” 

Xi Ping bent his head. “Young Mistress Zhao, you still remember me.” 

At first “Zhao Qindan” displayed a hint of happy surprise at meeting a fellow countryman in a foreign place. Then, probably remembering that her family were rebels in exile in a foreign country, her happiness faded. She didn’t lower her hand holding the talisman. Zhao Qindan took half a step back and politely yet warily said, “I heard that Viscount Xi only spent half a year in the latent cultivation temple before entering the inner sect. I wonder what official business a distinguished disciple of Flying Jade Peak can have in Western Chu?” 

This reaction was too precise. Watching the subtle play of expression on her face, Xi Ping felt that this seemed entirely like a real person. If he kept answering her, they would get into a conversation. 

So he didn’t respond. With a thought, he simultaneously took the “musical person” and the “musical inscription” he had copied out of the Law Breaker Bracelet. 

As soon as she left the Law Breaker Bracelet, the copied “Zhao Qindan” vanished into thin air like a shadow exposed to bright light. 

But the inscription with spiritual energy coursing through it was still in his hand in its original form. Xi Ping examined that inscription for a moment, then rubbed away one side of it. Spiritual energy leaked out of the damaged inscription, returning to the Tai Sui Qin—his own essence had been used to carve this inscription. 

Xi Ping entered and exited the Law Breaker Bracelet several more times and found that anything with spiritual energy—living things, talismans, arrays, and inscriptions, immortal tools…as well as downgraded immortal tools—would make music when he carried them into the Law Breaker Bracelet. There were long melodies and short melodies, in completely different styles. The higher the grade of an immortal tool, the longer the melody would be, and the harder the sound would be to distinguish, but if he could only play it, he could use the Tai Sui Qin to make a copy. 

Stones, factory-made cloth, and the like, the Law Breaker Bracelet didn’t recognize. 

Apart from that, there were also some things the Law Breaker Bracelet couldn’t recognize that were probably of too high a grade and surpassed Xi Ping’s own cultivation: for example, his shifu’s consciousness, or the precious ancient water dragon pearl san-ge had placed on him. When Xi Ping removed the water dragon pearl and shoved it into the Law Breaker Bracelet, he in fact felt a faint touch on the spiritual sense attached to his ears, but with his current cultivation level, he still couldn’t hear it clearly. 

As for the copies he made, the talismans, arrays, and inscriptions could be taken out. The copy would be no different from the original object. Once it was taken from the Law Breaker Bracelet, he would lose the corresponding amount of essence. 

Things like immortal tools didn’t work, because apart from spiritual energy, immortal tools also used different materials. Once they left the Law Breaker Bracelet, those materials wouldn’t be fabricated out of thin air. 

But if he had the materials, he could probably do it. Xi Ping took a bit of Moon Plated Gold from the Snake King’s Immortal Palace and copied a gear from a downgraded immortal tool. When he succeeded in removing the copy, apart from the expense in spiritual energy, a bit of the Moon Plated Gold he had placed in the Law Breaker Bracelet also vanished, precisely the quantity needed to make that gear. 

For living creatures, though, it didn’t work at all—he couldn’t even bring out a blade of grass. 

Xi Ping hulled some grass seeds and put them in the Law Breaker, wishing to see whether he could use grass seeds to “manufacture” a blade of grass. The outcome was that that when he took the copied grass out, it still disappeared, and the grass seeds inside the Law Breaker Bracelet were untouched—it seemed that the bracelet wouldn’t agree to copy a thing using its own seeds. 

Even more interestingly, he used a bit of spiritual energy to urge a blade of grass to grow longer and took the same blade of grass into the Law Breaker Bracelet for the second time. Though the music that played was very similar, there was still a subtle difference. 

Living things were changing from moment to moment. 

Xi Ping considered, then played another Zhao Qindan inside the Law Breaker Bracelet. 

The new “Zhao Qindan”’s expressions and movements were identical to the one before, but they seemed to have no connection—she had no idea that a few ke earlier, another her had appeared here and walked her path of cautious investigation. 

This was a “living person’s consciousness” that only existed inside the Law Breaker Bracelet.

Xi Ping hid in the shadows watching her for a moment, then came up with a vague idea. He wrote Zhou Ying a letter: “San-ge, give me a paperman.” 

Then he drew a transport array inside the Law Breaker Bracelet and waited. 

For a moment, the array didn’t move. Xi Ping first heard music. This time, the style of the music was pressed a little “flat,” so that you almost couldn’t remember the tune, but at the end there were a few subtle shifts, the upstanding music gaining a demonic air like thin smoke. 

It made him think of Bai Ling himself right away. 

Xi Ping’s eyes lit up: as he thought, he could use a transport array inside the Law Breaker Bracelet. 

Next, a little person made of paper, palm-sized, jumped out of the transport array and urbanely saluted Xi Ping. In a monotone, it said, “I have received orders from my lord to convey a message: Just you wait.” 

Xi Ping: “…” 

Right. After reporting on his well-being, he had run off to do things. He had yet to explain what was going on to san-ge. 

After delivering the threat, the paperman stopped and didn’t move again. 

Its body was pure white, with only a vague head and trunk. There hadn’t been any features drawn on it. It was a paper embryo ready for anyone to use. 

“Bai Ling-da-ge understands me.” 

After this whisper, Xi Ping shouted inside the Law Breaker: “Zhao Qindan!” 

Zhao Qindan was startled and quickly turned her head in the direction of the sound. Xi Ping took this opportunity to blow the paperman towards her. 

As soon as Bai Ling’s paperman was attached to a real person, it would become a “paper shell” identical to that person. Carrying around that paper shell, its owner could use it to block one attack from an established foundation or below. And as soon as the owner left, the paper shell would be like a cicada’s sloughed shell; it could remain in place as a substitute, do some simple, mechanical things. 

The Zhao Qindan inside the Law Breaker Bracelet truly was a “living person.” As soon as the paperman touched her consciousness, it automatically accepted her as its master. The big-headed, thin-bodied little person made of white paper instantly stretched out and grew vivid, lifelike features and a body, perfectly fitting on the outside of that consciousness. 

Xi Ping knocked the panicked Zhao Qindan unconscious with a talisman, then passed a message to Xu Rucheng: “If you’re really unwilling to leave now, you can help me out with an experiment. It might not work. If it doesn’t work, you’ll run away.” 

Xu Rucheng had just finished acting as the “hopelessly apathetic” young mistress, and the Zhaos had left him a moment’s peace—the spiritual image stamp could only begin at noon. He was staring blankly. When he heard Xi Ping, he suddenly raised his head. 

Xi Ping said, “Prepare a transport array and wait to receive something.” 

Xu Rucheng thought, Where am I going to get a spiritual stone to draw an array? 

Then he saw a gopher squeeze out of a hole in a tree in the little courtyard, stick out a little head, and stare at him. 

Xu Rucheng immediately stood up with no change in his expression. Pretending that he was going out to divert himself in the courtyard, he walked up to the tree. The gopher opened its mouth and spat out a blue jade for him. From the gopher hole came the voice of one of his Luwu colleagues: “Careful.” 

Then small flames leapt up on the gopher’s body, and it burned into paper ashes. 

Xu Rucheng quickly used his foot to bury the ashes, feeling surprised and confused—a transport array was a basic array that all disciples who had just begun cultivating knew. As long as a person wasn’t particularly inexperienced, it would be enough to use a jade stamp or even green ore. How could it take a blue jade? 

What was Tai Sui going to send him? Some great treasure that could help him go above his grade to kill an established foundation cultivator? 

Xu Rucheng turned back indoors. First he cautiously inspected all the corners in the room, determining that these people had left the young mistress some basic dignity: they hadn’t put “eyes” in a girl’s bedroom. Despite this, he still cautiously hid behind a screen, and, pretending to be changing clothes, took off his outer robe and hung it over the screen. He quickly put together a transport array and pressed the blue jade to it. 

As soon as the array connected, a dark figure practically the same height that he currently was flew out of it and fell into his arms, nearly knocking over the screen. 

Xu Rucheng was startled and quickly caught the figure. The next moment, taking a clear look at the “thing” that had come through the array, he nearly let her fall—Tai Sui had used the array to transport a living person! 

But everyone knew that arrays couldn’t transport living creatures, not even kittens or puppies. How had he done this?! 

Xu Rucheng raised the person’s face and his brains tied themselves into knots. This was Zhao Qindan! 

“Senior, th-th-this…” 

Xi Ping interrupted Xu the Stutterer: “Is she breathing? Cold or warm?” 

Xu Rucheng sucked in a breath, and his voice went up a whole octave: “She’s breathing! And, and warm!” 

Xi Ping instantly sighed in relief: it had worked. 

He had been most worried that as soon as she left the Law Breaker Bracelet, the copy of Zhao Qindan’s consciousness would disappear, and the paperman would turn back into paper. Now it seemed that the Law Breaker Bracelet and the transport array had both tacitly acknowledged that the paperman holding Zhao Qindan’s consciousness was another form of tool; it was paper, not human. 

In other words, until the paperman’s spiritual energy was exhausted or it was destroyed, he had produced a temporary “Zhao Qindan”! 

Paper was inert, but Bai Ling was an established foundation half-demon. The Zhao family’s cultivators wouldn’t be able to see any flaws in his paperman. And the consciousness inside it brought out from the Law Breaker Bracelet was “alive.” It could have a spiritual seal stamped on it. 

“Have a heart. A whole village of braying donkeys couldn’t outshout you.” Xi Ping rubbed the roots of his ears and said to Xu Rucheng, “That’s a paperman.” 

Xu Rucheng said, “Huh?” 

How far had Mr. Bai’s cultivation advanced since he had last seen him just days ago? 

This was too realistic! 

Just then, the spiritual sense attached to his ears was suddenly touched. There were steps outside the courtyard. 

Xu Rucheng said a silent “no good” and was looking for a place to hide this paperman that seemed too much like a living person when he heard someone knock on the door. 

In a soft voice, Zhao Qindan’s mother called from outside: “Dandan, it’s Mom.” 

This “paperman” seemed very sensitive to the voice of the original’s mother. She suddenly tilted her head and opened her eyes, meeting Xu Rucheng’s gaze blankly. 

Meeting that gaze, Xu Rucheng’s heart skipped—an outsider wouldn’t have noticed it, but the Luwu were accustomed to using paperman substitutes. He had never seen a paperman with such a “living” look in its eyes. 

Next, panic appeared on the “paperman”’s face. She pushed aside Xu Rucheng and was just about to cry out when the two of them simultaneously heard a qin play. The paperman’s gaze became dazed. She stopped moving. 

Tai Sui’s voice sounded in Xu Rucheng’s ear: “Hide!” 

“No,” Xu Rucheng said urgently, “senior, tell me the truth, that’s a real person, isn’t it, you…” 

Xi Ping had no patience to bicker with him. He quickly played a few terrifying notes. 

Having taken back the Tai Sui Qin, it wasn’t like back in the East Sea, when he had only been able to control mortals. As long as the one listening to his playing was a lower level cultivator, they would be affected by it. 

Xu Rucheng instantly felt that he had become a puppet on strings, involuntarily moving in response to the music. He hid behind the bed curtains. When he had just hidden, Madam Zhao walked in, leading a group of maids. 

The “Zhao Qindan” who had been bewildered by Xi Ping’s playing was dazed and confused. She said nothing, letting the maids change her clothes. Only when Madam Zhao wiped away tears did the rims of her eyes turn red, but she stubbornly refused to shed tears. Madam Zhao met her daughter’s eyes in the mirror and was suddenly overwhelmed with grief. Covering her face, she turned her head away. 

Xu Rucheng, hiding nearby, was terrified: how could a mother fail to recognize her own child? Anyway, only a real person’s joys and sorrows could be infectious. However well-made a paperman was, staring at it too long would still only make you uncomfortable. 

“Don’t you know what the array you drew yourself is capable of? Is it an array that can transport a living person?” Xi Ping said. “If you’re still concerned, I’ll show you. She’s in Tao County.” 

Saying so, he went through his spirit to show Xu Rucheng a glimpse of Zhao Qindan through the reincarnation wood trees. “She’s just about to…hm?” 

The real Zhao Qindan put away a stack of completed protective talismans, pulled down her bamboo hat, and flew off on her sword in the direction of Yu Family Bend. 

She had felt her consciousness being taken into a hidden realm, and inside it she had seen someone impersonating her…and he seemed to have been discovered by her family. 

Zhao Qindan had never been so confused in her life. She didn’t know whether it was an illusion or the truth. So she had decided to go back and take a look.