Revelation of the Way of Heaven

Chapter 373 Secrets

The next day, when Lin Shiwei saw Shiyi again, she was surprised that Shiyi took the initiative to ask if Old Li had accepted the commission. When she heard that Old Li had refused, Shiyi's expression was complicated. After a while, she asked, "Is this commission very important to Shiyi?"

Qin Xiaochuan knew that the reason she asked that question was because she genuinely cared about Guo Shiyi.

"It's very important; it concerns her safety." Qin Xiaochuan nodded seriously.

Lin Shiwei was silent for a moment, then took out a wooden box from under the counter. She handed the box to Guo Shiyi and said, "Give this box to Li Shijie. I believe he will accept the commission."

This was the first time Qin Xiaochuan had learned that Old Li's real name was Li Shijie. He thought that probably very few people in the entire Crescent City knew this name.

After receiving Lin Shiwei's wooden box, Qin Xiaochuan couldn't wait to go to Old Li's residence. After all, he was in a real hurry. Sure enough, when he handed the wooden box to Old Li through the maid, Old Li opened the courtyard gate and invited Qin Xiaochuan and the others in shortly afterward.

Without a single pleasantry, as soon as he entered the living room, Old Li went straight to the point and asked, "How did you obtain this wooden box?"

"Of course it was given to me by Lin Shiwei. She said that as long as I give this to you, you will definitely accept the commission," Qin Xiaochuan said calmly.

Upon hearing the name "Lin Shiwei," Old Li's expression visibly changed, and he slowly said, "Since she has said so, I will naturally accept your request."

Qin Xiaochuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, then immediately asked, "How long will it take to make this magical artifact?"

Without hesitation, Mr. Li replied, "If all the materials are prepared, it will take about five days."

This answer far exceeded Qin Xiaochuan's expectations. He frowned and said, "We have prepared the developing solution and pheromones you mentioned before, but the production time is too long. We urgently need this magical artifact now. Can you shorten the time a bit?"

Upon hearing Qin Xiaochuan's words, a hint of displeasure flashed across Elder Li's face. As a renowned artifact crafting master in Crescent City, it was already quite difficult for most people to commission him to craft a magical artifact. No one had ever bargained with him about the crafting time and materials. Normally, he would have dismissed people without a word. However, when he saw the wooden box in his hand, his anger immediately subsided, and he patiently asked, "So, how long do you expect it to take?"

"We need this magical artifact tomorrow, so of course we hope to get it by tomorrow. Hopefully, this isn't wishful thinking," Qin Xiaochuan said truthfully.

"Of course, that's wishful thinking. You have to understand that this is designing a completely new magical artifact. If someone else were to do it, five days wouldn't be enough just to finalize all the components and the spatial arrangement," Elder Li said proudly. But after pausing for a moment, he continued, "I could compress the time to three days, but it wouldn't be as exquisite. Anyway, what you need is just a practical item, not a work of art."

"That's good, as long as it works," Qin Xiaochuan replied. "Three days it is then. I'll find a way to delay it for a while."

What Qin Xiaochuan didn't know was that Old Li was a perfectionist. For him, if a magical artifact wasn't designed to be both small, exquisite, and practical, he would rather not design it at all. The reason he agreed to do this for Qin Xiaochuan was entirely because of Lin Shiwei.

"We also have another request that we hope you can grant," Qin Xiaochuan added when Li Lao remained silent.

"What are the conditions?" Old Li asked, frowning.

"I need you to make this magical artifact in a different place. There's no other reason for this; it's just for your safety," Qin Xiaochuan said.

"Safety?" Old Li looked at him, puzzled.

"You must have heard about the curse case, right?" Qin Xiaochuan asked.

"I think I've heard the maids mention it, but I don't really care about that, and I don't know the specifics."

Qin Xiaochuan hadn't expected him to be so isolated from the world, unaware even of the most sensational events in Crescent City recently. He could only helplessly say, "Then I think you'd better ask your maid for a detailed understanding of this case. The spiritual artifact we're trying to make, capable of playing back memories, is precisely the account of how this case unfolded. If anyone finds out you can make such a spiritual artifact, it will definitely be detrimental to you."

"If you don't tell me, who will know that I'm making this kind of magical artifact?" Old Li said dismissively.

"I think our operations are being closely monitored, so for your safety, it is necessary for us to take you to a completely safe place."

Old Li stared at Qin Xiaochuan in silence for a long while before asking, "Who exactly are you people?"

"You'll know when you get there," Qin Xiaochuan said.

"I will absolutely not leave here," Old Li said decisively. "As for my safety, you don't need to worry about it."

"We will also bring Ms. Lin Shiwei there, of course, for her safety as well." Qin Xiaochuan looked at him quietly.

Old Li's heart skipped a beat, and without much thought, he said, "If that's the case, I can go with you."

After confirming the time with Elder Li, Qin Xiaochuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. He planned to send Elder Li and Lin Shiwei to stay temporarily in the back garden behind the inner palace. There were only some maids responsible for taking care of the garden in that place, and even the Imperial Guards could not easily enter. He could also protect their safety at any time.

Han Kexin was in charge of escorting Old Master Li and Lin Shiwei. When Qin Xiaochuan walked out of the Li residence with a relaxed mood, Qiu Jie suddenly appeared out of nowhere and whispered a few words to him. Qin Xiaochuan frowned upon hearing this.

"What's wrong?" Guo Shiyi noticed the change in his expression and asked with concern.

Qin Xiaochuan said to Qiu Jie, "Take us over to take a look." Then he turned to Guo Shiyi and said, "You'll know once you see it."

Qiu Jie led them to the Public Security Bureau. There was a huge display screen on the outer wall of the Public Security Bureau, which was usually used to broadcast important notices. When they arrived, the screen was already surrounded by people, all of whom looked excited and were talking loudly.

Before even getting close to the display screen, Guo Shiyi heard words like "curse case," "human race," and "accusation" from them. Guo Shiyi frowned, realizing that the content on the screen must be related to her.

There were too many people in front of the police station, so Qin Xiaochuan and Guo Shiyi naturally didn't want to squeeze through the crowd to get to the screen. Instead, he opened his mental space and shared what he saw there with Guo Shiyi.

The display screen notified residents that, given the recent surge of rumors, and in order to clear Guo Shiyi's name and provide an explanation to all residents, the truth of the case will be revealed in a public hearing at the Royal Court tomorrow. To ensure transparency, the Royal Court will broadcast the proceedings live.

Han Kexin had already given him a heads-up about this, so Qin Xiaochuan was mentally prepared, but he still sensed something fishy in the announcement.

First, although the announcement stated that it was to clear Guo Shiyi's name, it was conducted in the form of a public court hearing, which is tantamount to treating Guo Shiyi as a criminal suspect. Second, the live broadcast of the hearing was announced without a parliamentary resolution, which is obviously a fait accompli, leaving Qin Xiaochuan no room for maneuver. The other party's purpose is too obvious. Conspirators always put a lot of effort into small things.