Chapter 2680: The Capital (Part 36)

Mr. Zhou was accompanying his daughter in building a snowman in the courtyard. He claimed it was Juli who wanted to build it, but that was merely a cover—deep down, he was the one who wanted to play in the snow. After all, as a Southerner born in Zhejiang and educated in Guangzhou, he had rarely seen such heavy snowfall, let alone the kind of goose-feather flurries thick enough to pack into snowmen.

When a servant announced that Master Wang had come to pay a New Year call and was already at the gate, he hurried out to welcome him.

"Well now, Lord Wang, what brings you here?" He bowed with clasped hands in the traditional greeting while beckoning him inside.

"I happened to be passing by and thought I'd pay Mr. Zhou a New Year visit." Wang Yehao stepped through the gate and surveyed the courtyard, noting how everything was arranged in perfect order. There were flowers, ornamental plants, and decorative installations he hadn't noticed on his previous visit. It seemed this Hearthstone Immortal had quite refined tastes—which would only make things easier to handle.

"This must be Juli. Look at this little one—truly makes one fond of her." Wang Yehao bent down kindly and pinched Zhou Juli's cold-reddened cheek. The girl retreated behind Mr. Zhou, regarding the stranger curiously with her large, watchful eyes.

"Why so shy around guests? This is Uncle Wang." Mr. Zhou scooped up his daughter and gave her nose an affectionate pinch, then turned to address his visitor. "Don't stand at the doorway—please, come inside!"

Mr. Zhou handed his daughter to a nursemaid, then led Wang Yehao toward the study in the side courtyard. Mr. Zhou clearly had no interest in poring over ancient texts, so rather than a proper study, it was more accurately described as a game room and laboratory combined.

He had knocked through the walls of all three rooms and furnished the space with brand-new pieces—the original tables, chairs, and fixtures hadn't suited Mr. Zhou's aesthetic sensibilities or practical needs, so he had commissioned a carpenter to custom-build the entire set. The carpenter had proven quite resistant to Mr. Zhou's guidance, which was filled with ideas of decidedly anachronistic significance, and had even gone on strike several times in protest. This experience had also taught Mr. Zhou a profound truth: all those transmigration stories about casually introducing modern designs to lead fashion trends and raking in pots of gold were nothing but damned lies!

Lord Wang, whose self-restraint was evidently superior to the carpenter's, offered a diplomatic and conservative assessment of Mr. Zhou's designs: "Mr. Zhou's study furnishings are quite... distinctive."

"Oh, this is the minimalist aesthetic." Mr. Zhou pulled over a chair to demonstrate. "My Lord, please observe—this chair is just four wooden strips and two boards. Simple to assemble, novel in style. And that over there is a lounging cushion," he gestured toward what was essentially a beanbag chair, "filled with buckwheat husks. It may not look like much, but it's remarkably comfortable to sit on. Would my Lord care to try?"

Wang Yehao eyed the lumpy cotton sacks on the floor with barely concealed distaste. Though he found them rather unacceptable, his words remained unfailingly polite: "Hehe, Mr. Zhou's decorations embody authentic rustic elegance—great skill appearing unpolished, carrying the aesthetic legacy of the Wei and Jin dynasties."

"Not Wei and Jin style—it's Nordic... Well, let's just say this style is popular where I learned my craft." Mr. Zhou reclined comfortably on one of the lounging cushions. Wang Yehao struggled for some time, unable to figure out how to lower himself onto such a thing with any dignity. Fortunately, Zhou Lezhi was conducting experiments in the study and hastily brought over a proper round-backed armchair.

Zhou Lezhi had been working at his experiments in a corner of the study—the apparatus was all cobbled together under his teacher's guidance. Some pieces had been made by carpenters following his teacher's sketches; others had been hunted down and purchased from various markets and shops according to specifications. Together, they formed a crude but functional set of experimental equipment.

Seeing Master Wang and his teacher seated, Zhou Lezhi made to withdraw, but his teacher stopped him: "No need. You are my student; it will do you good to listen." Then he turned to Wang Yehao. "He won't be in the way?"

"Not at all," Wang Yehao replied with a smile. "Who doesn't keep a few trusted confidants? He is the Teacher's inner disciple; this student naturally trusts him."

Zhou Lezhi offered his thanks, then quickly retrieved the tea and snacks that a servant had brought to the door. At the start of the New Year, the Zhou Residence had prepared several Nanyang-style tea refreshments and, per his teacher's instructions, specially brewed Yuanbao tea.

At the sight of this Yuanbao tea, Wang Yehao felt a wave of homesickness wash over him—that familiar longing for water shield soup and sea bass. It reminded him that this mysterious Hearthstone Immortal could ultimately be counted as someone from the same greater homeland. A pity that despite all his probing, he still knew nothing of the man's true identity. Though the help had been considerable, there remained a persistent, prickling unease.

He took a shallow sip of tea and placed an olive in his mouth to savor.

"Since meeting the Teacher in Guangli, three years have passed in a flash, yet I rarely hear the Teacher speak of his earlier training."

Zhou Lezhi stood behind his teacher and couldn't see his expression, but from the way he began tilting his head and the habitual gesture of touching his eyebrow, he knew his teacher found this topic rather embarrassing. "Ah, well... there's a confidentiality agreement. I can't discuss it freely outside—there would be divine punishment."

"Heavenly secrets are indeed mysterious; Daoist methods, subtle and profound. I hadn't expected that even with supernatural powers like the Teacher's, one must still observe strict rules and commandments. The training must have been extraordinarily arduous." Wang Yehao sipped his tea, his tone light and teasing.

Mr. Zhou seized the opportunity to commiserate: "More than arduous—utterly inhuman. Endless tedious grinding... no publications... If I hadn't managed to refine the Qiankun Mirror, who knows how many more years I'd have languished there." As he spoke, a pained expression crossed his face; evidently, that period of cultivation was too agonizing to recall.

"Speaking of which, the Teacher's Qiankun Mirror still hasn't been found, correct? Have there been any recent clues?"

"Alas, it's proving difficult to locate. I don't even know where those Australians are hiding." Mr. Zhou sighed, the picture of helplessness.

"Teacher, please examine these." Wang Yehao signaled Liu Zhao to present several items from Zizhenzhai.

Mr. Zhou took them and studied them for several moments, his expression shifting. After turning them over repeatedly in his hands, he pressed: "These came from Guangzhou?"

"Correct—though not obtained directly from Gao Ju, but purchased from a shop called Zizhenzhai." Wang Yehao watched his face carefully. "The proprietor is named Guo Yi. Does the Teacher know him?"

"So the Australians are back? And they've opened a shop!" Mr. Zhou's expression grew visibly agitated.

"Nine times out of ten, yes."

"Yes, yes—this is definitely Australian craftsmanship!" Mr. Zhou sprang to his feet and began pacing restlessly around the study. "I should have realized—should have realized sooner!"

Wang Yehao felt certain there was no mistake; the man clearly knew something of the Australians' origins.

"What is this Guo Yi's background? Does the Master know anything?" Mr. Zhou stopped abruptly and asked.

"He claims to be a Guangzhou local and speaks fluent Cantonese. However..." Wang Yehao smiled meaningfully, letting the implication hang.

Mr. Zhou stood frozen, his mind evidently churning with thoughts. Only after a long pause did he speak:

"I need to go to Guangzhou and investigate."

"There's no need to rush, Teacher." Wang Yehao said. "From the capital to Guangzhou is over a thousand li, with many difficulties along the way. This student actually has some resources at his disposal; perhaps I could lend the Teacher some assistance."

Mr. Zhou hesitated briefly. Though there was risk, it was also an option worth considering. "If my Lord is willing to help locate them, that would naturally be ideal. Just one condition: if any clues are found, you must not act rashly. You must wait for me to collect them personally."

"Oh? What reasoning lies behind that?"

Mr. Zhou's hand drifted to his eyebrow again in that habitual gesture. "Well, this... specifically speaking, this treasure is rather delicate and temperamental—not easy to control. Handled properly, it can produce mountains of gold and silver. Handled poorly, well..." He suddenly straightened, eyes alight. "The explosion three years ago—my Lord remembers it, yes? Even more powerful than that!"

Yet the threat of explosions did nothing to frighten Wang Yehao. Instead, he seemed suddenly captivated, his eyes gleaming with interest. "The Teacher just said this thing can also produce mountains of gold and silver?"

"That's no idle boast!" Seeing the other party's keen interest, Mr. Zhou painted an extravagant picture. "Only what you can't imagine—nothing I can't produce. Pearls, jadeite, colored glass, agate—those are mere trifles."

"I never imagined such a treasure could exist in this world." After listening to Mr. Zhou's grandiose claims, Wang Yehao couldn't help but stroke his beard and sigh deeply. "If one possessed such a means of generating wealth, one could fill the court's treasuries and ensure soldiers never went without rations or pay. With that accomplished, what need to worry about the Jianzhou Slaves remaining undefeated?"

"Crushing those Jianzhou Slave cavalry would be child's play—just get a few machine guns and mow them all down." Mr. Zhou grew more animated as he spoke. "These machine guns are continuous-firing firearms with a range of four or five li. Cavalry would never get close."

Wang Yehao listened to Mr. Zhou's wild claims with admirable restraint for the better part of an hour before finally rising to take his leave. At Mr. Zhou's request, he left the "Australian treasures" behind—supposedly for "research purposes."

Liu Zhao saw the guest off on his master's behalf outside the gate and whispered: "Master, what does my Lord make of Mr. Zhou's words today?"

"Difficult to distinguish truth from fiction..." Wang Yehao shook his head. "There may be falsehoods and pretexts, but this Official believes the Qiankun Mirror truly exists."

"This subordinate feels that if the Qiankun Mirror truly possesses such supernatural power, then everything makes sense."

"Oh? How so?"

Liu Zhao guided Wang Yehao to one side and spoke in a hushed voice: "It's possible the Qiankun Mirror really did fall into the Australians' hands. Through some combination of chance and circumstance, they grasped certain methods of operating it, which is how they've been able to produce these glass treasures."

Wang Yehao's eyes lit up as the entire matter suddenly clicked into place. The report's claim that a mere few dozen Lingao village militia could slay hundreds of sea bandits was simply preposterous. Moreover, Lingao County was a poor and remote backwater with almost nothing worth plundering—Old Liu Xiang had absolutely no reason to send a thousand thugs there. The only explanation that made sense was that the Australians had occupied Lingao, established some sort of ritual site, and were using the Qiankun Mirror to manufacture glass vessels. This business of pure profit with no capital had made Old Liu Xiang green with envy, driving him to try to seize it for himself. The sea bandits had fought each other, both sides suffering losses, and Lingao County had then reaped the fisherman's reward—collecting hundreds of heads to claim as their own victory. Since glass vessels were still being sold, the Australians clearly hadn't collapsed and remained in Lingao. If so, then Guo Yi wasn't without backing; besides Gao Ju, there was at least a substantial force of sea bandits supporting him.

At this thought, Wang Yehao felt a surge of excitement. If such a treasure could be secured for his own use, wouldn't that be magnificent? After pondering for a moment, he collected himself and asked: "The day before yesterday, I asked you to investigate carefully the relationship between that Guo Yi and Eunuch Yang and Gao Ju. What did you find?"

"This subordinate has already verified: Zizhenzhai did not offer its allegiance to Eunuch Yang. Guo Yi merely relies on Gao Ju to establish his footing in Guangzhou."

"Hehe, since he lacks a proper patron, then this Official shall find one for him." Wang Yehao smiled meaningfully. "I wonder if that Miss Pei suits Imperial Relative Tian's tastes."

(End of Chapter)