Chapter 232: A Wise Man Knows Which Fumes to Breathe

“Tch.”

Ji Jue had nothing left to say. Jian Yuan had been famous for years, and age had only made the old geezer craftier. More importantly, he was a Grand Craftsman whose standing within the Depths rivaled that of a Grandmaster. One glance from him had revealed more than a full background check ever could.

Given the situation, Ji Jue couldn’t even be bothered to resist. He glanced at the old man’s monocle, then sprawled flat on his back with his arms and legs spread wide. “Just kill me!”

“That would be a waste,” Jian Yuan said. “I might as well put you to use. That is the proper way of the Ember Path, after all.”

Honestly, he wasn’t wrong. To those of the Ember Path, every part of a Chosen One was valuable, and for an old follower of Putrefaction like Jian Yuan, moral boundaries were hardly worth mentioning.

Leaving Ji Jue’s flesh, bones, and soul aside, both Flawless Craft and Spirit Primacy were exceptionally rare prizes. Then there was Pacifier, an ability that could no longer be found anywhere else. Simply killing him would have been an appalling waste.

Just as Ji Jue prepared to fight him to the bitter end, Jian Yuan waved his hand. A huge pile of materials came crashing down from midair. They poured over Ji Jue like rain, leaving only his head exposed. He stared at the old man, utterly dumbfounded.

Jian Yuan pointed toward the furnace. “Process all of this before time runs out.”

Ji Jue nearly laughed from sheer anger. Process it? No fucking way!

He had come here as an undercover infiltrator. Fine, he was going to die, but this bastard still expected him to work?!

In your dreams!

Ji Jue snorted. “And what if I refuse?”

Bang!

He was sent flying backward. Without the slightest warning, spirit matter intertwined in midair, overlapping into a complex circuit before taking the shape of a nail. It pierced his throat and pinned him to the floor before disappearing. A dense chain of cold, sinister runes remained around his neck, one that restrained his body and soul, sealing both his blessings and matrices.

In a split second, Jian Yuan had complete control over him. This was the equivalent of holding a blade against Ji Jue’s throat, one that was ready to take his life at any moment.

“For all these years, people have called me the Putrefied Dire Furnace. Partly, it was a mockery of how I could never measure up to the Divine Furnace, but it was also an acknowledgment that I truly excelled at tailoring my methods to the material at hand.” Jian Yuan looked down at Ji Jue. “I always have ways of dealing with disobedient apprentices. Would you care to try them?”

Ji Jue raised both hands. “I surrender! The Ember Path is shallow compared with the vast profundity of Putrefaction! I’ve abandoned the darkness and embraced the light, and I welcome the Great Abomination with open arms! There’s just one problem. I literally can’t stand up right now. Could I trouble you to return my crutches?”

Jian Yuan’s smile grew more mocking than before. “You mean those two half-finished contraptions? Isn’t that blade enough for you? Besides, you have Pacifier. Make yourself another pair.”

“Come on, my devotion to the Abominations is completely sincere!” Ji Jue grew more anxious, while his smile turned more ingratiating. “Under your watchful eye, how can an insignificant ant like me possibly stir up any trouble? There’s no need to be so wary of me.”

“You’re not going to try resisting?” Jian Yuan asked with a kind smile. “Who knows? Perhaps I have a fondness for those with a backbone.”

Ji Jue shook his head firmly. “Of course not. A wise bird chooses the right tree to roost in, and a wise man knows which fumes to breathe[1]! Being allowed to serve you must be a blessing I earned over countless lifetimes.”

The more he spoke, the more impassioned he became. He thumped his chest so hard it rang. “I love it! I absolutely love it!”

“Very good. I’m beginning to like you too.” Jian Yuan gave him one last look before turning away. “Do your best. I look forward to seeing how you strike back.”

Strike back, my ass! Ji Jue rolled his eyes and collapsed flat on his back. His life was over. He was completely screwed. The worst-case scenario in his plan had come to pass, and he had exposed himself right under Jian Yuan’s nose.

A workshop. A workshop. A workshop...

Why did every craftsman dream of building a workshop of their own? Because within their workshop, a craftsman was practically omnipotent. No matter how insignificant an ant was, inside the workshop it remained entirely at the craftsman’s mercy. It could escape notice most of the time, but once it was spotted, crushing it or twisting it into any shape desired took no more than a thought.

Ji Jue had never counted on luck. Even if he was going to pull something under that old man’s nose, he would only get one chance while Jian Yuan was not paying attention. His original plan had been to use this opportunity to bring Cun Ling down, then find another craftsman to latch on to. Ideally, he would eventually get close to the Skyrail engine.

What he had never expected was for Jian Yuan to be so vigilant. Ji Jue had barely caused a stir before his disguise was blown. The plan had succeeded, but he had been caught in the process. The one blessing amid all this misfortune was that he had not been thrown into a cell to await some gruesome death, nor had he been chopped into pieces, broken down into character shards, and sent along an assembly line.

Instead, Jian Yuan had kept him right under his nose. This had the makings of one of those stories about a beautiful investigator infiltrating an illegal factory. Her identity was accidentally exposed before a gang of vicious criminals, and what awaited her was... being chained to an assembly line and forced to work until she died?

Wasn’t there something wrong with this plot? Was this really what the audience wanted to see?! And what exactly was that old geezer Jian Yuan playing at? Why even bother? Why would Jian Yuan need to play games with a small fry like him? Surely he wasn’t actually planning to take Ji Jue in as an apprentice.

The thought nearly made Ji Jue laugh. Although he was now trapped, he at least didn’t have to worry about being skinned, drained of blood, and sent down an assembly line to be canned. At least, not for the time being.

After that full-body scan, Jian Yuan had seen almost everything there was to see about him. But, there were still things he had failed to notice, weren’t there?

As Ji Jue sorted through the materials scattered across the floor, he glanced toward the corner. President sat there looking bored, licking one paw. Ji Jue’s watch was still hanging from its collar as it waited in silence.

He looked away.

So Jian Yuan wanted to play cat and mouse? The old man had better be careful. The mouse he looked down on could just bite off his ear.

Ji Jue took a deep breath, ignored the searing pain in both legs, and pulled himself upright against the wall. He then limped toward the material storage area, one agonizing step at a time. The mouse’s first priority was to make himself a pair of crutches.

Jian Yuan was even more generous than Ji Jue had expected, but he was also far more powerful than Ji Jue had imagined.

The fourth floor of the workshop seemed divided into two entirely different worlds. The area outside was little more than an ordinary work floor, while the interior felt like a world Jian Yuan had created for himself. Beyond one door stretched row upon row of shelves, so many of them that their end could not be seen. Many materials were neatly sorted and stored by category, extending beyond even the limits of Ji Jue’s perception.

He turned around and opened another door. Within the empty space beyond, a single point of fire flickered in midair. It burned without a sound, giving off no heat whatsoever.

Ji Jue stood beyond the warning line, expressionless, and quietly closed the door. This was the Annihilation Furnace.

He opened another door. Behind it lay a valley shrouded in storms, lightning, and unending rain. A hazy figure walked through the valley. Sensing Ji Jue’s gaze, it turned and looked back at him. A moment later, it looked away again and continued trudging onward.

Ji Jue shut the door and abandoned any thought of exploring further.

This workshop had clearly been built from the accumulated knowledge and painstaking effort of countless generations of craftsmen. It was practically a complete, self-contained realm. God only knew how many bizarre things Jian Yuan had stuffed inside it. If he opened the wrong door and spotted a Godzilla, things would get really interesting.

When Ji Jue lowered his head, he finally noticed the phantom that had appeared behind him at some point, flickering in and out of sight like a wandering spirit. Its features were impossible to make out, and it merely waited in silence, watching from the sidelines.

Ji Jue pondered for a moment, then pointed at the phantom. “You. Go cook me a couple of dishes.”

The phantom didn’t react. With two loud thuds, two packets of compressed biscuits dropped from above and landed on the floor. A bottle of water came with them as a complimentary extra.

Cooked dishes? Dream on.

Ji Jue thought again. “Find me some crutches.”

Several steel bars fell from above and crashed onto the floor in front of him with a loud clang. The cut edges were still covered in burrs.

Oh, so he could ask for whatever he wanted, but he had to make it himself. Was that it?

“This little bit of material won’t fool anyone,” Ji Jue said with a frown. “Rubber.”

Smack!

An entire slab of rubber slapped him across the face. The message was clear: Quit pushing your luck.

As expected of a Master Craftsman’s workshop, even the artificial intelligence had an attitude.

Ji Jue laughed it off and didn’t press the issue. With the combined support of Pacifier and Flawless Craft, a wheelchair took shape in just a few minutes. It lacked a motor and couldn’t move on its own, but he had even fitted it with a suspension system. Unfortunately, the limited materials meant the armrests were too narrow to hold two shotguns.

After leisurely wheeling himself around a few times, Ji Jue returned to the main hall and began sorting through the pile of materials. They were all common substances produced by Spring City’s corrupted environment. To craftsmen of the Association, they were nothing but pollutants, but they made decent auxiliary materials for the Putrefaction’s Aberrant Alchemy.

Based on their physical and spirit matter properties, Ji Jue could roughly determine what some of them were used for. Before long, however, he frowned at them.

“You only told me to sort the materials. Where are the specifications? What are the requirements? Am I supposed to dice them or cut them into chunks? This is ridiculous. There isn’t even a single blueprint. How is a worker supposed to get anything done?”

The phantom remained motionless. With a soft pop, a requirements sheet materialized out of thin air. It showed no concern whatsoever about Ji Jue’s probing or his attempts to peek into Jian Yuan’s legacy. Before he could even ask, two manuals detailing the procedures and requirements for processing the materials were tossed into his arms.

Then came two introductory volumes explaining the basic theory behind creating aberrant artifacts, followed by a brick-thick book titled A Comprehensive Review and Basic Introduction to Aberrant Alchemy.

With a heavy thud, the books struck Ji Jue in the stomach before he could react, hitting him like a swift, merciless punch.

The final item placed before him was an alarm clock. A four-hour countdown began ticking away.

The message couldn’t have been clearer. He had four hours. If he didn’t grasp the basics and completed the work by the time the countdown ended, then there would be quite a show to watch.

“What’s the meaning of this? Who forces people into a life of crime like this?!”

Ji Jue flew into a rage. Clutching An Introduction to Aberrant Alchemy, he was so furious that a chill ran through him. He trembled all over, and tears of humiliation spilled from his eyes.

I’m a legitimate apprentice craftsman of the Association, the heir to Fluid Alchemy, and an honest, respectable Chosen One of the Ember Path! Why should I have to learn this godforsaken garbage? I’m tainted. I’ve been defiled...

Huh. This section is actually pretty interesting. And those annotations really get straight to the point. That old man knows his stuff...

By the time Ji Jue realized what he was doing, he had already opened the book.

Oh no. My body is moving on its own. Mr. Ember, save me! You can’t blame me for this, it’s force majeure! That old geezer must be controlling me!

With a look of utter disgust, Ji Jue leaned closer and began reading the book word by word. Well, he was already here. Wouldn’t the trip have been a complete waste if he didn’t learn something?!

***

Three hours, forty minutes, and fifty-one seconds later...

All the materials had been processed and delivered to Jian Yuan, who had appeared without warning. Jian Yuan swept his emerald-green eyes over them, then gestured casually with one hand. “Passable. Acceptable. Passable... These few are decent. The rest are garbage. Do them again. You have half an hour.”

“Half an hour?” Ji Jue glared at him furiously. “I’ve only been studying this crap for two hours! I haven’t even finished the books yet! How is that remotely reasonable? Don’t push me too far!”

“You know perfectly well how much time you’ve wasted,” Jian Yuan said, maintaining his poker face. “Fail, and I’ll cut off one of your fingers.”

Ji Jue fell silent. After a long while, he tossed the book aside and sighed helplessly.

“Why go to all this trouble, Master Craftsman?” he asked with heartfelt sincerity. “Why not save yourself the hassle and simply kill me? Letting a menace like me live might come back to haunt you someday.”

Jian Yuan glanced at him. His indifferent expression finally changed slightly, as though he were looking at a clown. “Don’t worry. Should you ever be fortunate enough to become a genuine threat to me, I would be delighted.”

Ji Jue applauded in admiration, his respect utterly sincere.

“Well said! Brilliantly said! So good that even Ember would cheer for you! But this world is plagued by so many threats. Why not seize control of the Depths while you still can, storm the Association, and deal with those so-called Three Grandmasters? Kill the Scavenger first, destroy the Ploughsmith next, then scatter the Divine Furnace’s ashes to the wind. You could ascend to the absolute pinnacle of Ember. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Why lower yourself by associating with vermin like the Heretic Cult? Why waste your time here? Hmm?”

Propping himself up on the wheelchair’s armrests, Ji Jue leaned forward curiously. “Could it be that you simply don’t like the idea?”

It had probably been many years since anyone had dared spout such nonsense in front of Jian Yuan. Ji Jue wouldn’t have been surprised if Jian Yuan lost his cool in the very next second, pulled out a brass-buckled belt, and whipped him around like a spinning top.

Yet to Ji Jue’s surprise, Jian Yuan remained perfectly calm. He showed no offense at all and merely asked in return, “How do you know I haven’t already tried?”

Ji Jue froze. He remained rooted to the spot, utterly speechless.

Before him, Jian Yuan grinned and raised a hand. Then, with effortless familiarity, he peeled his face off. It came away like a mask, the mocking expression still fixed upon it. Beneath it, his head was riddled with gruesome wounds and deep fissures, while streams of cursed light coiled and writhed across its surface.

Under the shell of a human body, everything seemed to have been hollowed out. The soul residing within was scarred and tormented, shifting constantly as it revealed glimpses of its true form.

As Jian Yuan’s face closed back into place, a knowing, derisive smile appeared upon it. “The study of life is vast and profound, boy. You still have a long way to go. You have twenty-five minutes left.”

The phantom emerged from behind Jian Yuan and held up a cigar cutter for Ji Jue to see. Snip. Snip.

The countdown began anew.

1. “吸细雾者” is a pun on the idiom “识时务者为俊杰”, meaning “A wise man knows when to yield to circumstances.”

Literally, 吸细雾者 meant “one who inhales the fine mist.” In this context, Ji Jue is jokingly claiming that he was sensible enough to submit to Jian Yuan and embrace the Putrefaction Path, even if that meant breathing its sinister fumes. ☜