Chapter 116: The Paper Man and the Mind

A new perspective suddenly appeared before Shang Lu’s eyes.

This perspective manifested as a miniature window—a viewpoint belonging to the paper figurine.

It turned out that controlling the paper figurines not only allowed him to issue orders for them to follow but also to see through their eyes?

This was incredible!

These paper figurines were only palm-sized, thin as a sheet, moving silently and easily concealed.

Using them as eyes to gather intelligence was simply perfect.

Even if discovered and destroyed, it wouldn’t harm him—truly the cultivation world’s version of drones or robotic dogs.

Shang Lu clicked his tongue in admiration, suppressing his excitement as he attempted to use the shamanic method to manipulate the paper figurine with divine power, making it move.

At first, he wasn’t very skilled. Though under divine power, the figurine wobbled to its feet and took a step, it soon collapsed.

After several attempts, he still couldn’t make it perform the actions he wanted. The rocking view from the small window caused a dizzying sensation, one Shang Lu hadn’t felt in a long time.

Gradually, Shang Lu adapted to the tiny window view and discovered some tricks for controlling the paper figurines.

Finally, the figurine could correctly respond to a series of commands he issued.

Sometimes, however, the figurine’s reactions lagged slightly or deviated a bit.

These were simply due to his lack of practice.

Shang Lu believed that with continued training, he would master controlling and using the paper figurines, eventually achieving effortless and precise command.

Not only did he practice himself, but he also enlisted Uncle Huai’s help to spar with the figurines, simulating real combat to better control them and identify problems.

During this process, Shang Lu discovered that the paper figurines’ strength was indeed limited.

Their advantages lay in silence, stealth, and their thin, razor-sharp bodies.

But their power was at best at the beginner’s level—barely on par with bone-cutting techniques.

Used in direct confrontation, they would hardly shine.

However, for reconnaissance and surprise attacks, they were an excellent choice.

Moreover, these paper figurines could explode!

This was an accidental discovery during training.

At one point, while controlling a figurine, Uncle Huai’s fierce assault caused Shang Lu to lose control and accidentally destroyed the figurine’s vascular core with divine power.

This “self-destruct” method was entirely different from an external destruction.

The figurine exploded instantly, shattering into countless tiny shards that scattered in all directions.

These shards were already incredibly sharp, and with the added divine power, their destructive force was terrifying—they could pierce iron and stone!

Shang Lu assessed the aftermath and realized that even someone at the Meridian Passage stage could be wounded by the shrapnel.

With misfortune, they might suffer grievous injuries.

A direct hit to a vital spot could be fatal.

Though he lost a figurine in the process, this discovery was extremely valuable.

Putting aside how many paper figurines Shang Lu still had, there were certainly others confiscated from various cases at the county office.

Once he officially became a county captain, he could requisition them.

If used sparingly, they would suffice.

After examining the explosion’s effects, Shang Lu took out another paper figurine to continue practicing.

However, Uncle Huai, who had lost several branches in the explosion, refused to spar with him as a second-rate partner.

Left with no choice, Shang Lu practiced alone, planning to resume sparring with Uncle Huai once fully proficient.

Deep in his practice, a knock on the door interrupted him, forcing him to pause and put away the paper figurine.

Opening the door, he found Du Feng standing there.

Du Feng had come to deliver books.

Feng Boyuan had entrusted someone to obtain ancient script books, which arrived at Luoshui County today and were immediately sent to Shang Lu by Du Feng.

Seeing the thick stack of books, Shang Lu was taken aback.

No wonder Feng Boyuan had looked so troubled when mentioning ancient scripts.

Just the sheer volume of books was overwhelming, and studying ancient scripts was inherently tedious—no wonder it was so painful.

Du Feng didn’t stay long once inside Shang Lu’s residence and soon took his leave.

Thanks to the shamans’ help, Du Feng’s hand injuries had nearly healed.

After the shame of being possessed by a rat demon that night, Du Feng resolved to study hard under Shang Lu to improve himself.

Shang Lu was pleased by Du Feng’s determination and encouraged him to cultivate diligently, telling him to come to him with any questions.

After seeing Du Feng off, Shang Lu untied the thin strings binding the books and opened the first volume, an overview, to skim through.

From the introduction, he finally understood why the ancient script books were so numerous and thick.

In ancient times, there were many countries much like now, each with its own script.

Some scripts resembled each other, while others were completely different.

The most frustrating part was that many ancient characters looked identical but had different or even opposite meanings depending on the script system.

Because of the numerous ancient script systems, the related books were naturally divided into various categories.

“This world lacks an Emperor Qin who unifies script and standardizes the cart tracks…” Shang Lu sighed inwardly.

“If only someone could unify all this.”

Studying the ancient scripts methodically was clearly unrealistic—at least for now.

Shang Lu considered cross-referencing the scripts from Chu Yun’s book to identify which ancient script system it belonged to, then finding the corresponding book to translate.

Just as he was about to do so, he felt someone gently tug at his sleeve.

Turning, he saw Third Lady.

She pointed at the thick books and then at herself, volunteering, “Burn these books for me. I’ll help you translate.”

“Wouldn’t that be too tiring for you? It’s a tedious and arduous task,” Shang Lu hesitated.

Third Lady shook her head: “I’m different from you—I don’t get tired or bored. Besides, I read faster than you.”

After a pause, she added, “As long as it helps you, it’s not tiring.”

Hearing this, Shang Lu felt an overwhelming sweetness in his heart, deeply moved.

With Third Lady’s firm resolve, Shang Lu no longer resisted and burned the books before her.

As soon as he finished, Third Lady received the books and immediately immersed herself in them, searching for characters matching those in Chu Yun’s book.

She truly buried her head in the books.

This eerie sight startled Shang Lu greatly—only when he realized she was a spirit did he relax.

With Third Lady’s help in consulting the ancient script books and translating Chu Yun’s secret manuals, Shang Lu could save time to focus more on practicing the paper figurines, cultivating the Five Spirit Technique, and unblocking meridians.

Moreover, with the books in Third Lady’s care, Shang Lu could ask her to open the books anytime he wished, which was very convenient.

The only problem was that later, when Feng Boyuan taught him ancient scripts, he couldn’t bring out the books.

He would need to figure out a way to obtain another full set.

After practicing paper figurine control for a while longer, Shang Lu put them away and began cultivating the Five Spirit Technique and the Internal Meridian Organ Refining Diagram.

To his surprise, whether practicing the Five Spirit Technique or the Meridian Organ Refining Diagram, the circulation of his blood qi became even smoother, giving him a sensation of effortless control.

Though after breaking through to the Meridian Passage stage, his blood qi circulation had already been obedient, today’s improvement was another step forward.

His command over blood qi grew clearer and more precise.

“Is this the effect of my heart spirit being activated?” Shang Lu mused.

The heart governs the blood vessels, and blood qi circulation is the heart’s responsibility.

After his heart spirit awakened, Shang Lu’s control over blood qi reached a level of perfect freedom.

This development delighted him greatly.

Precise control over blood qi not only made cultivation more efficient but also enhanced combat power in actual battles.

Yet, the most astonishing surprises were still to come...