I Only Want to Lie Flat But Am Forced to Cultivate Immortality-Chapter 64 - 53 Den

Why say that Puppet Manipulation Skill and Silk Shadow Puppetry have commonalities? These matters are deeply connected to the Incense Master of the Celestial Heart Sect’s Linhe Sub-Temple, Qin Dengming.

Xu Qing found in Qin Dengming’s history that when he was young, he was originally a shadow puppet master, traveling far and wide with his master from a young age, perfecting his shadow puppetry skills.

Back then, Sect Leader Qin was not called Qin Dengming, but had a nickname, called Qin the Skinner, and later everyone called him the Little Tannery Craftsman. freёnovelkiss.com

At the age of seventeen or eighteen, Qin Xiaopi and his master came to Jiangning Prefecture, which was a prosperous place, located within the Jade Palace Peaceful Soil of Jiangnan. Other famous places included Dreamland Qiantang; Shui Mansion Ancient Building; and Rich White Poplar...

These were all top bustling areas.

Qin Xiaopi and his master had never seen a place this affluent!

They set up their shadow puppet stage, and before they finished a single performance, the tips and rewards from the audience could fill a cloth bag!

"Xiaopi, we’ve got to work hard these days. Once we save enough money, we’ll get you a property, and it will be our foothold."

"Got it!"

Hearing this, Qin Xiaopi felt a surge of energy, thinking the future days looked increasingly hopeful.

But life seldom sails smoothly, and some pitfalls or traps may be lurking just around the corner.

This evening, Qin Xiaopi followed his master to set up their stall as usual. They set up the shadow puppet stage on the ground, pulled the curtain, and the three-foot-square stage formed.

Today they weren’t performing the shadow play for passing guests, but specifically for a wealthy merchant from Jiangning Prefecture.

Though the merchant was well-traveled, he had never seen a shadow play before, which made him very curious. He had his household servants extinguish all the lights to watch a proper shadow play!

Without light, everyone’s gaze converged on the shadow puppet stage.

Qin Xiaopi sang in a subdued tone, pulling the silk strings in his hands, evidently fully enjoying the experience.

The surroundings were dark, the strings moved conveying sorrow and joy.

In the silence, a curtain depicted love and separation.

Both the audience and the puppeteers were completely immersed.

After the play, the courtyard lights lit up, causing the audience to exclaim repeatedly.

But it wasn’t because the shadow play was exceptionally good; it was because the merchant had a knife in his chest, and no one knew when he had been killed!

The officials came for the murder investigation, and Qin Xiaopi and his master, as outsiders, became the prime suspects.

The presiding officer said, "If it wasn’t for your shadow play, extinguishing the lights, how could no one witness the crime?"

"In my opinion, you two must have conspired with the assailant to commit this crime!"

Qin Xiaopi and his master would not confess.

Under severe torture to extract confession, Qin Xiaopi’s master couldn’t hold out, dying under the execution stick.

Qin Xiaopi refused to admit, eventually being jailed for three years.

Three years later, the real murderer of the merchant was caught in another case, confessing to the previous crime as well.

Only then did the officials realize that the shadow puppet masters from three years ago were innocent...

Qin Xiaopi was released, but he held resentment, thinking his master was wronged to death, and he was wrongfully imprisoned. This matter needed resolution!

He hired a Litigation Master to seek justice from the officials.

The presiding officer was still the same. Hearing the old case, he was furious!

In court, the officer didn’t even look at the complaint and said, "You’re asking for an explanation, but I haven’t even asked for compensation! Since this is the case, you should settle the account first, then I’ll give you an explanation."

Qin Xiaopi was stunned, thinking he was the victim, what was there to compensate for?

He then heard the officer say, "You’ve been in prison for years, everything you ate and wore costs money?"

"All that was funded by the Imperial Court, and you need to reimburse!"

Qin Xiaopi was dumbfounded, realizing that this was not an official, but a local tyrant!

He finally understood what an oppressive official was today.

Arbitrary and tyrannical, the officer ordered Qin Xiaopi be sent to the quarry to work as a laborer to pay off his prison debt!

After completing his labor, Qin Xiaopi thought, Jiangnan’s officialdom was too corrupt for him, so he might as well return to farming!

After wandering, learning skills, being imprisoned, and laboring, Qin Xiaopi returned to his hometown, renting a few acres of land from wealthy landlords, becoming a farmer.

But was farming really so easy?

Qin Xiaopi sowed in spring, reaped in autumn, with no idle month, yet only barely managed to survive!

Under heavy pressure, Qin Xiaopi suddenly became enlightened!

The old saying was, you are what you eat.

So suffering couldn’t make you successful, but eating others could.

Those corrupt officials, oppressive officials, the landlords, nobles, weren’t they all eating people?

At this time, coincidentally, the Celestial Heart Sect was recruiting followers, and Qin Xiaopi felt he had found a soulmate reading the pamphlet!

Kill corrupt officials! Overthrow this rotten dynasty and become the executioner himself!

Only with a knife in hand could the oppressed pour out their grievances, and justice be restored!

The Celestial Heart Sect’s propaganda was impactful, resonating deeply with Qin Xiaopi, making him feel hopeful again.

That hope was rebellion!

Rebelling against the Dayong Dynasty, killing the dog emperor, and spreading the light of the Celestial Heart Saint Master to all humanity!

Even in death, he promoted the rebellion.

Xu Qing continued reading, seeing that after Qin Xiaopi joined the Celestial Heart Sect, he worked hard, diligently, quickly rising from a lowly follower to a leader.

The Celestial Heart Sect revered the Saint Masters, with disciples ranked ’Sheng, Miao, Luo, Jue’ from lowest to highest, each with their own duties.

Qin Xiaopi’s outstanding performance caught the eye of a Dharma Transmission Elder from Jue Sect, who tailored practices for him, teaching him the Puppet Manipulation Technique.

With protective skills, Qin Xiaopi’s status was elevated again, becoming the new Incense Master of the Linhe Sub-Temple, close to becoming an Altar Master.

He then adopted a new name, Qin Dengming.

...

In the morgue, Xu Qing gained a lot from his rituals.

This trip not only brought him the Earth-level Piling Technique and Puppet Manipulation Technique but also some secret information.

For instance, the Book Phoenix Pavilion was a hideout of the Celestial Heart Sect.

Most of the talented women there were family members of executed officials who had fallen here. Even Zhang Jun’s beloved Shuyu was a loyal follower of the Celestial Heart Sect.

Zhang Jun thought seeking fame and fortune would win Shuyu’s heart, not realizing this went against her true pursuits of avenging her father.

As for those family members who should have been sent to the Music Bureau, it all linked back to Emperor Longping’s petty character.

Ten years ago, Emperor Longping decreed a ban on brothels in the capital, leaving the Music Bureau nominally existent, though he didn’t prohibit male servants.

Thus, the Xianggu Hall and male brothels flourished.

Rumors said the emperor banned brothels due to personal inadequacies causing resentment, so he couldn’t bear others finding pleasure.

Those family members were sent to flower parlors outside the capital, while inside, only the male establishments remained.

This explained why the Celestial Heart Sect could preemptively know the Crown Prince’s movements, plotting assassination.

Even the officials in the capital, limited to male establishments, couldn’t compare to the allure and reality of the women.

Constantly consuming lesser pleasures, even officials desired something real once in a while.

The Crown Prince’s beloved Han Meng girl was indeed an orphan from an executed official’s family drifting in the city.

Realizing this, Xu Qing knew the assassination attempt was far from over.