Visiting Gongshu Ban
During the Warring States Period, in the sixth year of King Weilie's reign, in Daliang City, the capital of Wei State…
"Senior Brother, it's getting late. If we don't go back now, Eldest Senior Brother will scold us."”
"Go back?" Fu Ziche asked. That's true. I should move my chess piece too, or it'll be dangerous.”
The old man playing chess with Fu Ziche said,"Hey! The young man next to him could look at other people's chess games, but it was best not to interrupt.”
"No…No!" Tian Yan said.”
Suddenly, the sky turned gloomy. Fu Ziche said,""It looks like it's going to rain. Tian Yan, give me that." Tian Yan handed the umbrella to Fu Ziche, who opened it and said,""This is called an umbrella. It's the latest invention. It can be used to block the rain.”Hence, they continued to play chess.
However, not long after, he saw commoners running all over the streets. When Tian Yan saw them, he was stunned and said,"What happened?"
The passersby shouted,"Run! The Yellow River is flooding!" Thus, everyone scrambled to escape. Fu Ziche said in shock,""So it's not raining. Then the umbrella won't be needed." However, he did not run away like the others."If the Yellow River really wants to change its course, who can escape faster than it?”
Who knew that the reason for the Yellow River's lack of dikes was because someone was blowing up the dikes. Those people were discussing a scheme. They were not just going to blow up the dike, but the entire city.
Fu Ziche noticed that there was someone on the riverbank and was puzzled when Tian Yan rushed over and said,""Senior Brother! Why aren't you running?"
Fu Ziche said," The water isn't too big…There seems to be someone at the riverbank. It's a little strange. I'm going to take a look."”When Tian Yan heard what he said, he quickly stopped him.""Wait! It was too dangerous! Senior Brother!"
The people on the riverbank were dismantling a golem when Fu Zi Che and Tian Yan suddenly rushed over. Those people immediately shouted,""Who is it?"
"What are you doing?" Tian Yan asked.”
"We're repairing the river embankment, don't disturb us!"”
"Then can we help?" Tian Yan asked. This person was so strange. Why was he wearing a mask?”
"Tian Yan!" Fu Ziche suddenly exclaimed.”Those people suddenly attacked, knocking Tian Yan down and surrounding Fu Zi Che. Fu Zi Che came to his senses and said,"" It seems like they are the ones who plotted to destroy the Yellow River embankment…" Those people drew their sabers and wanted to kill them together, but Fu Ziche's figure moved quickly, and his sword qi shot through the air, killing all of them. Only one person remained standing. "There's one more, the guy with the mask!" Fu Ziche immediately said. Come on, why aren't you saying anything?" The person didn't seem to react. Fu Ziche immediately attacked, but when he knocked the person down, he realized that it was a wooden dummy.
Fu Zi Che quickly went forward to check on Tian Yan's injuries. Fortunately, they were not fatal. Fu Ziche woke Tian Yan up. Tian Yan said,""It hurts! Shixiong…"
"Don't worry, he won't die. Let's go! I'll carry you back." He carried Tian Yan on his back and dragged the wooden dummy back to the mountain.
When they returned to the mountain gate, a disciple rushed over to receive them."Senior Brother, what happened?"
"Why are you the only one here?" Fu Ziche asked. Where are the others?"
"The students have all gone to Daliang City to provide disaster relief, but Teacher is still in his residence.”
"I have something urgent to see teacher. Junior Tian Yan is injured, please help him to rest.”As he spoke, he handed Tian Yan over to the disciple. The disciple said,"What happened? How could he be injured like this? Are you alright?"
"Don't worry, Senior Brother. Go quickly!" Tian Yan said.”Fu Ziche dragged the wooden dummy to see his master.
When they reached their master's room, Fu Ziche said,""Teacher! Not good!"
So his master was Mo Zi. Mo Zi said,""What is it? Eh? That blockhead…"
"Someone is destroying the embankment of Daliang, and they are carrying this strange thing," Fu Ziche said.”
" Destroying the riverbank..." Mozi said." What a cruel method." Ever since he heard that there was a conspiracy to destroy the Wei capital, Daliang, he had specially rushed over from the State of Lu to guard it. He did not expect that it would still succeed. Let me see that thing." Mo Zi stepped forward to examine the wooden figure and said,""That's right. This is an automatic soldier that I designed with Gongshu more than ten years ago. It's called a mechanical man.”
"Mechanical puppet?"
"At that time, it was originally made to replace the soldiers who were about to be sacrificed, but it was discovered that it was more dangerous to misuse it. Ambitious people might use it to kill more people. Gongshu Ban and I decided to hide this technology in the end. Now, he actually saw golems appear in the world.”
"Could it be that a classmate leaked the secret?”
"No, among my students, other than your eldest senior, no one knows about the golem. Fu Ziche, you're learning mechanisms. In terms of skill, no one in the same sect can match your potential. Now, I want to teach you how to make mechanical puppets. You're the most suitable candidate. I'm too old to live for more than a few years. When the time comes, it'll be troublesome if no one can stop this unknown ambitious person.”He picked up the wooden figure and asked Fu Ziche to learn the art of traps with him.
As Mo Zi examined the wooden figure, he said,""As expected, the parts are all designed by us to the same specifications, but there are some details that are different. Only the mask is made of bronze. I remember seeing it before. It seems to be a work of art from the southwest. I'm sure this was man-made by someone other than Gongshu Ban and me. I'm going to put it back together again and put on some decorative clothing to prevent people from knowing his identity.”While he was assembling, he asked Fu Ziche to memorize every step, but he could only learn more detailed techniques later. The key to driving the wooden man was a little mouse. Fu Ziche asked,""A rat?"
"The golem's power comes from its 'heart'. Usually, we use rats.‘Heart was similar to a cage. When the mouse moved, the heart would transform into the vitality of the golem.”
"Amazing…"
"I'll still put on his original mask. The inside of the golem's head was called 'Shu'. It was woven from silk threads and controlled all the actions of the mechanical puppet. In terms of production, the 'pivot' was the most complicated part of the golem.”
Finally, Mo Zi finished assembling the golem. The golem could indeed move, but it was still not very coordinated. Mo Zi continued," As for the control method, you need to use your accent to vibrate the 'pivot.' You need to practice this well. I'll leave the rest to you. After two days of learning, I want you to bring this golem to Gongshu Ban and investigate its background.”
"Yes, this disciple will do as you say."
Just like that, after two days, Fu Zi Che was able to control the golem very well. Mo Zi wanted him to set off and lead the crowd to send him off. Mo Zi said to him,""I heard that Gongshu Ban lives in Luoyang, the capital of the Zhou Dynasty. Take a boat along the Yellow River and enter the Luo River.”
"Teacher, disciple will leave now."
"Take care."
Eldest Martial Brother Qin Huali said," Junior Martial Brother Tian Yan said that he wanted to send him off, but I saw that he was temporarily unable to walk due to his injuries. I'll pass on his regards."”
"Thank you, Eldest Senior Brother."
"But your personality is unstable and you're too young. I'm really worried that something will happen to you.”
"Hahaha, don't worry. This trip was only to find Gongshu Ban. There would not be any danger.”
"Of course I know that. I only hope that you won't disgrace our Mo Sect.”
Mozi said," Don't say that, Qin Huali.'Name' is not more important than 'Righteousness'. Fu Ziche, remember to bring along' Righteousness.'”
"Yes, teacher. Disciple will remember this."
After bidding farewell to everyone, Fu Ziche brought the golem onto the boat and set off. They followed the Yellow River and entered the Luo River. In the blink of an eye, they arrived at Luoyang. As soon as he entered the city, Fu Ziche asked a group of children playing in front of the city,""Little girl, do you know that there's a Mr. Gongshu living here?”
One of the girls looked at Fu Ziche and the golem and asked curiously,""Who are you? Why was this person so tall? But it doesn't matter, we're just worried that we can't find someone to be a ghost. If you're willing to be a ghost and come to us, we might know who you're talking about, and we'll even give you a prize!”
"Alright, it's a deal!" Fu Ziche said.”
"Yes, a promise is a promise," the little girl said. You think you're ghosts? You have to find us! Close your eyes and don't peek. I'll know if you're peeking!”Therefore, under the little girl's command, the group of children scattered and hid separately. Fu Ziche helplessly played hide-and-seek with them. He had finally found all of them, but the little girl wanted to play again. Fu Ziche quickly said,"Wait, I'm not here to play. Do you know where Mr. Gongshu's home is?”
The children looked confused. After thinking for a long time, the little girl said,"I know! He was the old man with a long beard who lived on the boat! How could everyone forget? Last time, the old man rode a wooden horse to the grocery store to buy things!”Everyone suddenly remembered that the little girl said,""I heard the boss of the grocery store keep calling him Mr. Gongshu. He even told him to visit him more often when he was free!”He even said that there were chickens running around on the boat that the old man lived in. There were also flowers and trees. The children said that he was a good person. Everyone started to talk about Fu Ziche and the golem, making Fu Ziche feel annoyed.
"Big brother!" the little girl said. The old man's house was on the big ship. If one wanted to go to the big ship, they had to take the bamboo bridge in front of the pharmacy to reach it.”"Thank you!" Fu Ziche said. You guys continue playing. I'm going to find Mr. Gongshu!”The children also gave Fu Ziche a large earthworm as a gift. Fu Ziche didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he could only accept it.
Following the children's instructions, they crossed the bamboo bridge and finally arrived at the big ship. When the two of them stepped onto the big ship, an old man came forward and said,"Hey, young man! You must be Old Master Mo's disciple!"
"Eh?" Fu Ziche said in surprise. How did you know?"
The old man laughed." Hahaha…Look at the big guy behind you. He's wearing a strange mask and walking in a strange way. He looks like the mechanical man we made!" Other than me, the only person in the world who can make mechanical puppets is Old Master Mo.”
"Yes, you're Mr. Gongshu, right?"”
"Hahaha…Who else could it be?" The old man laughed. Old Master Mo must have something interesting to tell you. Let's talk inside!”He brought Fuzi Che and the golem into the cabin. He didn't expect that the cabin was so unique. The design was very strange. The bottom of the ship could be seen from the building, and there was even a basement. It was really a divine work.
Gongshu Ban invited him to sit down and then called for the servants to serve tea. "Mr. Gongshu, I came here this time to…" Fu Ziche said.
"Wait! Don't say it yet! Don't say it yet! Let me guess again!" After a while, a boy came over with tea and said,""Zi Zhuo, there are still things to discuss here, you can leave first.”The child retreated.
Gongshu Ban continued,"Hehe, that big guy of yours must be a new mechanical puppet that Mozi created out of boredom. He wants to compete with me, right?"”
"No, he is…" Fu Ziche said.
Gongshu Ban interrupted him again." I didn't expect Mo Zi to be so interested. Hahaha... I've built many secret mechanisms on this ship. You can try them out. Follow me!"”He stood up and left.
"Please wait, Mr. Gongshu!" Fu Ziche hurriedly said.”
"I know, I know. I'll show mercy.”
Fuzi Che had no choice but to bring the golem into the secret passage with Gongshu. This old Gongshu was really an old child. Only he could speak, but there was no room for Fuzi Che to speak. Fuzi Che could only brace himself and bring the golem into the secret passage. After passing through the secret passage, they came to visit the rooms under the ship. This ship was really designed strangely, making Fuzi Che exclaim in his heart.
They came to a wooden bridge and looked at the scenery along the way. They could not help but sigh," The scenery here is simply extraordinary. Mr. Gongshu is indeed a master craftsman. He can create such a scenery in the ship..." As they walked, some golems suddenly appeared in front of them and attacked them. It turned out that Gongshu Ban wanted to use his golems to compete with them. Fuzi Che and the golems did not show any weakness and dealt with them with all their might. They overcame countless obstacles along the way. When they entered the second secret passage, they happened to meet a disciple who looked like a Gongshu. He anxiously said to the two of them,"Hello, I'm Mr. Gongshu's disciple. My name is Chi Mu. You should be Mo Zi's disciple, right? Our Mr. Gongshu's guest. "Mr. Gongshu asked me to arrange for a rather capable wooden soldier to be at the exit of this room, but I accidentally let his parts escape. The wooden soldier can't move now. I'm really sorry.”
"It's alright, I won't mind." Really…"
" But he's blocking the road ahead," said Chi Mu." Unless we fix him, we won't be able to get through."”
Fu Ziche was stunned and said,""Can I trouble you to help me find Wang Fu? He is a big rat."
"Big rat?"
"That's right. Mr. Gongshu said that the stronger the rat, the stronger the 'heart' power used on the golem. However, I accidentally let it escape. Now, I have to capture Wang Fu first. Wangfu should still be in this room. I have to guard this exit so that he doesn't escape. Can you help me with this?"
"I think it's probably okay."”
Chi Mu thanked him profusely, Fu Zi Che thought,""I hope that Mr. Gongshu's golems are also so 'kind-hearted'.”He began to look for the big rat in the secret passage. Sure enough, he found the big rat at the end of the tunnel. Fu Ziche caught it and saw that it was really strong, so he put it in his golem's heart. Then, he returned his mouse to Chi Mu.
Seeing that the mouse seemed to have become much thinner, Fu Ziche was afraid that he would be suspicious, so he said,""Ah, is it sick?" Indeed, Chi Mu was a little dazed. He said,"Perhaps. He still looks weak." I have to take it to see a doctor."
"Wait, what about the mechanism blocking the way?" Fu Ziche asked.”
"It's alright, just push him into the water," said Chi Mu.”
"It's that simple?" Fu Ziche asked.!”Only then did he know that he had wasted a lot of time on the silly wood, so he could only continue moving forward. When they reached the wooden bridge at the exit, there was indeed a golem blocking the way. Fu Zi Che pushed him into the water and passed through smoothly.
After passing through the second secret passage, they finally arrived at the Gongshu-like room. Gongshu Ban watched as Fu Ziche and the golem entered and smiled."Haha, amazing! As expected of Mo Zi's student. To be able to pass through my secret passage in such a short time, he's really amazing! However... this doesn't mean that Mo Zi's mechanical puppets are better than mine. Hehe... I'll show you my masterpiece!”The mechanism was activated, and a huge golem appeared in front of them.
"This is the strongest golem I've developed. Come on!" Letting the two golems fight alone was the only way to show whose golem was stronger!”
"But…" Fu Ziche said.
"Don't talk too much!" Gongshu Ban said. Let's fight."
Helplessly, he could only accept the challenge. That huge golem was indeed very powerful. Fortunately, Fuzi Che had equipped the golem with a strong 'heart' that increased its strength. In the end, it still defeated the Gongshu golem.
Gongshu Ban couldn't help but cheer. Wonderful! It was too exciting! How interesting! Don't you think so?"
"Mr. Gongshu, the reason why Teacher asked me to come here this time is not to compete with you in golems.”
Gongshu Ban was stunned.”
Fu Ziche said," I found this golem near Daliang City not long ago. After I showed it to my teacher, he asked me to look for you. He said that he had studied the technology of making golems with you, and the structure of this golem is quite similar to the one he studied at that time. Therefore, he wanted to ask Mr. Gongshu if this golem is yours…"
"That's strange?" This golem had a strange face. I thought Mo Zi had specially created it. At that time, we also agreed not to spread the technology of the golem. Even my disciple did not know how to make the golem.”
"If that's the case, it'll be even more difficult to track down the person who made this mechanism…Teacher is worried that someone will use the mechanical puppet to do something outrageous. If Mr. Gongshu receives any news, please inform us.”
Gongshu Ban suddenly said," Wait... wait, I thought of someone. Back then, when Mozi and I were studying the golem, Guigu 'zi was also involved in the design of the golem theory.”
"You're right. Mr. Phantom Valley and Teacher Mo Zi are fellow disciples who cultivate together, so it's indeed possible... but Teacher Mo Zi didn't mention Mr. Phantom Valley to me.”
"That's it. It's just that you don't know. You can ask him. This old man is very clear-headed. It's as if there's nothing in the world that he doesn't know. Although he has never personally created a golem, other than Mo Zi and I, he is the only one who knows how to make golems. Guigu 'zi lived in the Ghost Valley of Taishi Mountain, and the path to the Ghost Valley was hidden behind the waterfall of Taishi Mountain. There are strange phenomena along the way. Don't be scared, young man. Hahaha…"
"Thank you for your guidance, sir. I'll go see Guigu 'zi now.”
Fuzi Che bade farewell to Gongshu Ban and left the ship with the golem, heading for Taishi Mountain.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]