"Legend has it that by injecting a soul with the Ziwei Destiny into the Suihou Pearl and then swallowing the pearl, one can escape a death tribulation."
Yan Chou carefully examined the dark green Suihou Pearl, then scoffed, "But it's just a legend."
Yan Chou's few words brought Yan Shouyi immense surprise.
He asked in astonishment, "Dad, does the Suihou Pearl not prevent death tribulations?"
Yan Chou retorted, "If the Suihou Pearl truly had this effect, do you think the National Master would have let it go so easily, even throwing the bone chain into the Mercury River?"
Hearing this, Yan Shouyi fell into thought.
Indeed, everything about Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum was shrouded in mystery.
Yan Shouyi hadn't thought much of it before because he didn't know the true function of the Suihou Pearl. But now, after Yan Chou's reverse deduction, he realized something was amiss.
The times back then were different from now. Currently, Yan Shouyi was constrained by the era and couldn't openly enter the imperial mausoleum.
However, in the National Master's era, if he had wished, he could have easily incited the emperor of the time, ordered the troops, and directly flattened the imperial mausoleum.
Even if he accidentally dropped the bone chain when he first entered the mausoleum and met Huo Ban, he absolutely wouldn't have let it slide afterward.
Unless... unless the National Master had died not long after leaving the mausoleum, otherwise, this matter wouldn't make sense.
Yan Chou held the Suihou Pearl and said, "From my guess, it's likely that after seeing Huo Ban and the Suihou Pearl, the National Master considered the Suihou Pearl a scam. Therefore, he simply discarded the bone chain and left."
"As for why I suspect the Suihou Pearl is a scam... it's simple. Huo Ban possessed the Suihou Pearl, and Qin Shi Huang was the one with the Ziwei Destiny. Huo Ban could have easily injected Qin Shi Huang's soul into the Suihou Pearl and thus evaded his death tribulation."
"But he didn't do so. Instead, he racked his brains to build the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, then usurped the nest, meticulously planning for two thousand years just to seize your Heavenly Fiend Corpse Puppet body."
Yan Chou's sharp analysis gradually clarified the situation.
Everything Yan Shouyi had been confused and worried about was no longer a problem.
"It seems I need to find another way to avoid the death tribulation," Yan Shouyi sighed lightly. "I only have two years left."
The tea room fell silent for a moment.
Yan Chou's face held unconcealed worry; he was naturally extremely concerned for Yan Shouyi.
Having lived to his age, he had weathered all sorts of storms. However, the thought of a parent outliving their child was something Yan Chou dared not even imagine.
Especially since, in this lineage of the Yan family, the inheritors of Lu Ban's craft, the one who was supposed to die was him. But his father, Yan Baixiang, had transferred the death tribulation to his son, Yan Shouyi. Yan Chou felt an indescribable guilt.
Wen Yuxian comforted him, "Shouyi, your father will definitely find a way to help you."
Yan Shouyi didn't doubt this at all. He, in turn, comforted everyone, "We still have two years, we're bound to think of a solution."
Yan Chou nodded, not wanting to continue discussing this topic.
"Temporarily hand the Suihou Pearl over to me for safekeeping," Yan Chou said. "In exchange, I'll give you two things."
Yan Shouyi smiled, "Dad, you're being too formal!"
Their father-son relationship meant that what belonged to Yan Shouyi was Yan Chou's, so why be so calculative?
Yan Chou, however, shook his head and insisted on the exchange.
He took the Suihou Pearl, then produced two items and placed them before Yan Shouyi.
The first was a thin ancient book with four large characters on the cover: "Yuanshen Rumian." The second was a small, exquisite entwined knot, with a warm jade stone woven into its center.
"The 'Wooden Puppet Dharma Body' is a secret manual I obtained from another Lu Ban inheritor during the recent eradication of the Xin Xuan Mountain sect's forces. It happens to be the lost content of our lineage's Lu Ban book. This technique even your grandfather doesn't know," Yan Chou said.
The Lu Ban inheritors were not limited to just the Yan family. Moreover, the Lu Ban book had been passed down for many years, with its content preserved and evolved differently in various branches.
For example, Yan Shouyi knew many skills that Huo Ban did not, and Huo Ban's skills also included many that were not passed down to Yan Shouyi.
Yan Shouyi was both surprised and delighted. He took the ancient book and began to read it.
The technique of the "Wooden Puppet Dharma Body" could be inferred from its name: it allowed Lu Ban inheritors to create and control a Wooden Puppet Dharma Body.
The difference was that ordinary wooden puppets were controlled by threads or thoughts, while the Wooden Puppet Dharma Body was directly controlled by a soul projection. Apart from being made of wood, it was indistinguishable from a living person, a true clone!
If this technique were mastered, when Yan Shouyi needed to take risks, he wouldn't have to be present himself. He could directly control the Wooden Puppet Dharma Body to go in his place. However, when the Wooden Puppet Dharma Body received a fatal blow, its soul would directly return to the main body.
But there was a problem.
Yan Shouyi was a Heavenly Fiend Corpse Puppet; he had no soul himself. What would happen if he practiced the Wooden Puppet Dharma Body?
Yan Shouyi raised this question, and Yan Chou smiled, replying, "Ordinary zombies have no consciousness. Heavenly Fiend Corpse Puppets are different from ordinary zombies. You can cultivate it with confidence; you won't encounter any problems."
The doubts in his heart could only be addressed later if problems arose. Yan Shouyi put away the ancient book, very satisfied with this exchange.
Yan Chou added, "I'm already old and can't learn new things, so I haven't practiced the 'Wooden Puppet Dharma Body.' You, my son, are the sole possessor of this."
This came as quite a surprise to Yan Shouyi. He couldn't help but glance at Wei Changqing again.
Wei Changqing said faintly, "I don't need it."
Does he not need it, or is he too embarrassed to ask for it? Yan Shouyi mused.
However, Wei Changqing's focus of cultivation was on Qimen Dunjia and Mu Kui Fatian. He likely disdained practicing other techniques and only wished to perfect what he already knew.
After putting away the ancient book, Yan Shouyi suddenly thought of a question.
He tried asking, "The original owner of this 'Wooden Puppet Dharma Body'..."
"I killed him," Yan Chou admitted without hesitation.
"Oh..."
Yan Shouyi sighed inwardly. After all, that was an inheritor from a civilian sect of the same origin. If it were him, he might not have resorted to killing.
But he was not Yan Chou; he hadn't directly experienced the situation at the time, so he had no right to criticize Yan Chou's decision. He just felt a slight regret.
The dog Taoist helped explain, "That guy had gone mad. To create lifelike Wooden Puppet Dharma Bodies, he didn't hesitate to use human skin to sew them together, killing many people in the process. Your father killed him, acting on behalf of heaven."
Yan Chou was too lazy to explain these matters to Yan Shouyi. The dog Taoist, knowing this and worried that Yan Shouyi might misunderstand Yan Chou, stepped in to clarify.
Yan Shouyi nodded and said nothing further, his gaze falling on the other item of exchange.
That entwined knot adorned with white jade.