Gu Mo was certain that the Monk Dabie before him was fake. But he could not understand it. If a fake Dabie possessed such cultivation, why would he willingly serve as someone else's substitute?
"Your cultivation is truly impressive," Gu Mo said with a smile. "You spent a full twenty years imprisoned in this lightless dungeon in another person's stead, yet you can still maintain such a state of mind. That is genuinely admirable!"
"Fake Dabie" slowly rose to his feet. At once, the thick iron chains binding his arms and legs to prevent him from killing himself clattered loudly. He looked Gu Mo over and slowly said, "Has twenty years already passed?"
Gu Mo said, "Chu Kingdom has changed emperors, and Great Bright Light Temple has changed abbots twice. With your cultivation, you would have been qualified to enter the Under Heaven Martial Ranking List back then. Yet you wasted your best years in prison for someone else. It was not worth it."
"Amitabha." A faint smile appeared on Fake Dabie's pallid face. "Little Benefactor, how can you so firmly insist that this poor monk is fake? Those who have left the secular world Do Not Lie. This poor monk truly is Dabie. Back then, your country verified it through many channels—even Celestial Master Zhang personally came to confirm my identity. Little Benefactor, do not overthink it."
Gu Mo chuckled. "I do not believe that line about monks not lying. I know a monk called Liansheng, the current abbot of Great Bright Light Temple. He loves bragging!"
A trace of reminiscence flashed through Fake Dabie's eyes, and he smiled lightly. "So Great Bright Light Temple was ultimately entrusted to Liansheng." Then he looked at Gu Mo and said with great sincerity, "Little Benefactor, since you were able to come here to see me, you must be a highly promising noble of Gan Country. You should leave quickly. This poor monk's identity is special. For all these years, none of the guards have spoken to me, because they feared I might learn too much and cause trouble.
"You have spoken to me so much today. Inevitably, I may obtain information I wish to know. For example, I now know that Liansheng is the abbot of Great Bright Light Temple. This sort of outside news should not be known to me. After all, your country's higher-ups are trying to grind away this poor monk's will. The more you speak to me and let me know what is happening outside, the more it will reinforce my will.
"This matter can be either grave or trivial in court. You are still young. If someone with ulterior motives takes advantage of it, I fear it may ruin your future."
Gu Mo said softly, "You are a kind-hearted monk indeed, and you speak of Buddhist compassion. But if you truly had compassion, you should have stopped Demon Monk Dabie from bewitching several thousand people into suicide back then, rather than taking the blame for him here!"
Fake Dabie sighed softly. "Little Benefactor, this poor monk truly is Dabie. I do not know why you insist that I am fake, but this poor monk really is Dabie. As for what happened back then, it was indeed a momentary lapse of judgment, and I committed an unforgivable crime. Whether I am trapped in this lightless place or hacked into a thousand pieces, it is all the retribution this poor monk deserves. Even if I die, I should descend into hell and receive punishment."
Gu Mo chuckled. "Looks like I will get nothing by asking."
As soon as his words fell,
Gu Mo took a step forward.
In that instant, Fake Dabie's consciousness was pulled into a dark world. This was the Demon Immortal Domain Gu Mo had created with the Dao Heart Seed Demon Great Technique.
When he sensed that unique domain power, Fake Dabie was filled with astonishment. "A domain? Little Benefactor, you are so young, yet your cultivation has already reached such heights? Or has the martial world developed to such a degree that young people are all this formidable now?"
Gu Mo's Nascent Soul said softly, "There is no need for such surprise. Although the Jianghu Martial World has improved considerably compared to twenty years ago, it has not reached the point where everyone can wield a domain. Beyond those on the Martial Arts Ranking, there are only a handful in each country."
"I see," Fake Dabie said. "Back then, this poor monk also reached this realm. But after being suppressed for twenty years, that cultivation is no longer mine."
Gu Mo said, "That is why I understand even less. What drove you to abandon such a bright future and be imprisoned for someone else for all these years?"
"This poor monk truly is Dabie..."
Before Dabie could finish speaking, Gu Mo's Nascent Soul pointed a finger. Demon Immortal power instantly invaded Fake Dabie's Divine Sense, seizing control in an instant. Then he issued a command and asked, "Who exactly are you?"
"This poor monk is Dabie!"
Gu Mo froze. His first reaction was to wonder whether the control technique of his Dao Heart Seed Demon Great Technique had failed. Yet the feedback from the Demon Immortal power clearly showed that Dabie's consciousness had been completely controlled.
However, it was also possible that this Fake Dabie had been brainwashed in his subconscious to believe that he truly was Dabie.
Gu Mo immediately thought of a way to verify it and asked, "What is Great Bright Light Temple's most important inherited treasure?"
Fake Dabie's consciousness struggled for an instant, but Gu Mo suppressed it immediately. He quickly calmed down and answered, "The Cycle of Reincarnation Mirror."
Gu Mo was somewhat surprised. Logically speaking, Great Bright Light Temple was unlikely to reveal such matters to outsiders. If this Dabie was fake, he should not have known that the temple possessed the Cycle of Reincarnation Mirror.
Of course, perhaps they had deliberately let Fake Dabie know certain secrets in order to make him more convincing.
"Where is the Cycle of Reincarnation Mirror kept?" Gu Mo asked.
"In Thousand Buddha Cave on the Back Mountain of Great Bright Light Temple," Fake Dabie answered.
"How is the Cycle of Reincarnation Mirror used?" Gu Mo asked.
Fake Dabie immediately answered, "The Cycle of Reincarnation Mirror possesses a spirit and automatically chooses its users. The duration of each generation's user differs. Once the time comes, the Cycle of Reincarnation Mirror automatically returns to Thousand Buddha Cave. Then, at certain times, it reminds people in the temple to seek out the next generation's Buddha Child, who then becomes the next user.
"This is why Great Bright Light Temple's inheritance has never been severed. The Cycle of Reincarnation Mirror actively selects the Buddha Child with the greatest Buddha Nature in the world, so every generation of Great Bright Light Temple produces a master among the Top Ten Under Heaven. The previous Buddha Child was this poor monk. After me came Liansheng."
Gu Mo asked, "As the abbot of Great Bright Light Temple, why did you come to Gan Country? Why did you bewitch several thousand people into suicide?"
Fake Dabie said, "For Chu Kingdom. But something went wrong afterward. This poor monk does not remember what it was. Over these twenty years, I have never recalled it. I remember bringing the Cycle of Reincarnation Mirror to Chang'an City, but ever since arriving in Chang'an City, there has been no Cycle of Reincarnation Mirror in my memories.
"This poor monk must have suffered a Cultivation Deviation then. I know I did that deed, but at the time, it was truly a momentary lapse beyond my control. Afterward, this poor monk deeply regretted it. That was why I did not resist when I was captured."
Gu Mo continued asking, "A villain who consumes brain marrow has recently appeared in Chang'an City. Was that you?"
"No," Fake Dabie said. "This poor monk's cultivation is currently sealed, and I am confined in this dungeon without even freedom. Naturally, I have no ability to go outside and do such things."
Gu Mo fell silent for a while, then asked, "What is the truth behind the Chu imperial family being descendants of Immortals?"
Fake Dabie said, "Chu Kingdom has a story about the Founding Emperor and a Goddess. It says that when the Founding Emperor was still merely a scholar, he happened to help a female cultivator who was undergoing tribulation and ascending on Mount Taihang.
"Ten years later, the Founding Emperor fell into hardship, and the Goddess descended to repay his kindness. She then helped the Founding Emperor establish Chu Kingdom step by step, before leaving the mortal world and returning to the heavens.
"But that is merely folk legend. In truth, the Founding Emperor did witness a female cultivator ascend on Mount Taihang. Her bearing was like that of an Immortal, and after catching only a fleeting glimpse of her, the Founding Emperor was haunted by dreams of her. But there was no matter of him helping that female cultivator ascend, and the Goddess who later descended was not that Mount Taihang cultivator.
"Ten years later, when the Founding Emperor fell into hardship, a Goddess did indeed descend to aid him. However, that Goddess actually came from Beyond the Heavens, one of the Thirteen Taboos. She did assist the Founding Emperor in founding the nation, but not to repay a debt of gratitude. She did so to follow destiny and save all living beings.
"After Great Chu was successfully founded, the Goddess departed, leaving behind a prophecy: two hundred years later, all under heaven would return to Chu. Beyond the Heavens sent her to assist the Founding Emperor in founding Chu Kingdom precisely in order to follow destiny!"
Gu Mo frowned slightly and asked, "As far as I know, Chu Kingdom's Founding Emperor spent the latter half of his life searching for Beyond the Heavens?"
"That is indeed true," Fake Dabie said. "Because the Founding Emperor could never forget the female cultivator who ascended on Mount Taihang, and was haunted by dreams of her, he wished to find Beyond the Heavens. According to the Goddess of Beyond the Heavens, all those who attained the Dao and ascended would enter Beyond the Heavens after Knocking on the Heavenly Gate, becoming Immortals and attaining Eternal Life!
"Later, as falsehood spread from mouth to mouth among the people, it became the tale of the Goddess repaying a favor by founding a nation. After that, there were even stories claiming that the Founding Emperor and the Goddess fell in love, and that she bore a divine child before leaving. Thus arose the rumor that the Chu imperial family were descendants of Immortals."
"I see."
Gu Mo was somewhat astonished inwardly. He had not expected that what Xiao Ziyin told him at the Jiang Kingdom border about Chu Kingdom's legends and Beyond the Heavens had been mostly true.
It was merely that Xiao Ziyin had not bluntly said that the heavenly realm beyond Knocking on the Heavenly Gate was Beyond the Heavens. Instead, she had said that she speculated Beyond the Heavens was the heavenly realm of legend.
Gu Mo had not believed her much before. After all, it was difficult for even a little truth to come from the mouth of a woman as calculating as Xiao Ziyin.
But thinking about it now, he had wronged Xiao Ziyin.
As for why Xiao Ziyin had said it was her speculation rather than a recorded fact, Gu Mo could guess the reason. It was simple: if Xiao Ziyin had told Gu Mo then that the Goddess of Beyond the Heavens left behind a prophecy saying, "Two hundred years later, all under heaven would return to Chu,"
Gu Mo would only have thought Xiao Ziyin had fabricated talk of destiny to build momentum for Chu Kingdom.
"Beyond the Heavens is the heavenly realm!"
Gu Mo muttered, then looked at Fake Dabie and asked, "Why do you know all this so clearly?"
Fake Dabie said, "Because when the Goddess of Beyond the Heavens descended back then, the first place she went was Great Bright Light Temple. It was with Great Bright Light Temple's aid that she found the Founding Emperor. Chu Kingdom's founding was due not only to the Goddess, but also in large part to Great Bright Light Temple's support and assistance. Thus, Great Bright Light Temple knows the truth about Chu Kingdom's Immortal descendants."
Afterward,
Gu Mo asked several more questions about Great Bright Light Temple's secrets that he had learned from Dharma Master Liansheng. Without exception, this Fake Dabie answered them all with remarkable clarity. He even knew some things more clearly than Dharma Master Liansheng.
After Gu Mo withdrew the Demon Immortal Domain, Fake Dabie stood silently inside the iron cage for a long while before slowly coming back to his senses. A helpless smile appeared on his face as he said, "Little Benefactor, although this poor monk does not know what you did to me, I imagine that during the brief spell when I lost myself, you learned what you wished to know."
Fake Dabie was still somewhat dazed at this moment.
He only remembered being pulled into a domain filled with Spiritual Power and exchanging a few words with Gu Mo. He had no memory of what happened afterward.
Gu Mo looked at the Fake Dabie before him and sighed inwardly.
If not for his system, which could confirm that this man was fake, then even with his current cultivation, he would have believed, just like the Gan Country court and Zhang Daoyi, that this man was Demon Monk Dabie.
In fact,
at the very beginning, Gu Mo had briefly wondered whether someone had committed crimes under Monk Dabie's name back then, while the Gan Country court captured the real Monk Dabie.
But he dismissed that thought in an instant, because the system's wanted information clearly identified Dabie, rather than any other codename.
By the system's standards, if someone were impersonating another, it would not judge the real person as a wanted criminal. Just as Zhuo Qingfeng had once been framed as a wanted criminal, but when the system detected that the crime information did not match the wanted target, it did not record him at all.
In other words, if Monk Dabie had not committed the crimes back then, the system would not have assigned the wanted information for Demon Monk Dabie's case of bewitching several thousand people into suicide to Dabie.
And if the "Dabie" before him were the real Dabie, the system would also show that the wanted mission had become invalid.
Yet the wanted mission still existed, and the recently active "Evil Ghost" overlapped with Dabie.
Therefore, no matter how real the Dabie before him seemed, he could only be fake.
However,
after carefully considering the information he had obtained while controlling Fake Dabie's consciousness, Gu Mo could determine that the reason such a Dabie, one capable of passing for the real thing, had appeared was because of the Cycle of Reincarnation Mirror.
This Fake Dabie had said that he remembered bringing the Cycle of Reincarnation Mirror to Chang'an City. Yet after entering Chang'an City, he had lost all memories concerning the Cycle of Reincarnation Mirror, and even now had not recalled them.
In other words, he had lost the memories of the Cycle of Reincarnation Mirror in Chang'an City.
The Cycle of Reincarnation Mirror really does have a problem!
Gu Mo pondered silently.
Back on Penglai Island, when he learned that Dharma Master Liansheng had relied on the Cycle of Reincarnation Mirror to directly crush the Nascent Soul wills White Jade Capital had gathered over so many years, he had wondered whether the Cycle of Reincarnation Mirror might lose control. Or perhaps, like White Jade Capital, it might have developed independent consciousness from being an inanimate object.
Now it seemed that
even if it had not developed independent consciousness, the Cycle of Reincarnation Mirror had a major problem.
And something related to the Cycle of Reincarnation Mirror could reasonably explain how such a powerful master had appeared without leaving any trace, replacing another person's identity.
After all, though this Fake Dabie was powerful, he was only among the first echelon of Mortal Warriors. He had not surpassed mortality to become an Ascension Realm cultivator.
There were no specific realm divisions for martial artists in this world,
but broadly speaking, there were several grades. Ordinary martial artists were ranked third-rate, second-rate, first-rate, and Peak First-Rate Martial Artist according to their reputations in the Jianghu. Those renowned enough to enter the Heavenly Rankings were Grandmasters. As for Grandmasters, however, the disparity in actual ability was difficult to judge.
For example, when Gu Mo was in Thousand Autumns Town of Southern Jin, he had encountered several dozen Grandmasters besieging him and had been rather shocked. In the end, those so-called Grandmasters would only have counted as ordinary Peak First-Rate Martial Artists in Gan Country, perhaps even inferior to them.
However,
after one walked far enough down the Martial Path, there were indeed certain specific realms. Whether one pursued internal or external techniques, Martial Dao True Intent, or the path of a Qi Refiner, all eventually sought Oneness of Heaven and Man, then formed a domain through cultivation and will.
This was the ceiling of mortal martial force. Su Qianqiu guarding the nation's gate with a single sword, Zhang Daoyi's Great Formless Tribulation Skill, Dharma Master Liansheng's Lotus Heavenly Scripture—all of their ultimate Trump Cards were their respective domains.
When Gu Mo fought to become Number One Under Heaven, he had won only after using Limitless Return to Origin Qi to blast apart Su Qianqiu's domain.
A domain could, in truth, also be considered a realm.
Across the whole world, only a dozen or so people had visibly reached this realm.
Beyond that came the pursuit of ascension.
At present, among those Gu Mo had encountered, only the Plague God was a complete Ascension Realm cultivator. The Previous Generation Number One Under Heaven, Red Clothes, and the qin player were all merely in the Half-step Ascension Realm.
Because they did not dare face their Inner Demons.
And even in the Half-step Ascension Realm, Ling Xiao had been the Number One Person Under Heaven at the time, while Red Clothes and the qin player had only achieved it after living for several hundred years.
Thus, the domain realm was already exceedingly rare.
This Fake Dabie before him had belonged to the first echelon of combat power under heaven twenty years ago, at the level of the Top Ten Under Heaven.
Yet such a person had become a substitute so thoroughly brainwashed that he possessed no self-awareness at all.
No matter how Gu Mo considered it, he felt that only something connected to a taboo existence like the Cycle of Reincarnation Mirror could provide a relatively reasonable explanation.
"Master!"
Gu Mo cupped his hands toward Fake Dabie and said, "I will ask once more. Who are you?"
Fake Dabie remained gentle as ever and said, "This poor monk has already answered Little Benefactor many times. This poor monk is Dabie."
Gu Mo asked, "Then who is Dabie? You believe yourself to be Dabie. But if the Dabie the world believes in is actually another person, yet you believe yourself to be the Dabie the world believes in, then who exactly are you?"
Fake Dabie was stunned. Only after quite some time did he slowly say, "Amitabha. This poor monk cannot answer Little Benefactor's question. Perhaps this poor monk is simply this poor monk!"
"I imagine Master will soon be freed from this place. Farewell!"
Gu Mo cupped his hands, then turned to leave.
At that moment, Fake Dabie asked again, "Please forgive this poor monk's boldness, but may I ask—among the martial world under heaven today, has Benefactor's cultivation entered the Martial Arts Ranking?"
"It has," Gu Mo answered.
Su Ziyou, standing to one side, added, "Number One Under Heaven."
"Amitabha!" Fake Dabie exclaimed in shock. "Are Su Qianqiu, Zhang Daoyi, Liansheng, Ye Nantian, and the others still alive?"
"Ye Nantian was killed by me. The others are still alive," Gu Mo said.
"Amitabha." Fake Dabie smiled lightly. "What a Martial World Prosperity. With all these people still alive, Little Benefactor has become Number One Under Heaven at such a young age. Human Martial Fortune will surely rise to another level. Little Benefactor is a blessing to the martial world."
Gu Mo smiled slightly and said nothing more.
Very soon,
Su Ziyou followed Gu Mo out of Star Plucking Tower and hurriedly asked, "Brother Gu, is this Demon Monk Dabie real or fake after all?"
Gu Mo shook his head. "It is no longer important. This Dabie's dantian has been sealed for twenty years. His body has nearly reached the point where the oil is exhausted and the lamp is dry, and his realm has already fallen. Even if he is released now, he will pose little threat. Besides, he probably does not have long to live.
"Did Xiao Ziyin not bring the Chu Country Delegation to negotiate an exchange of captives for this Dabie? There is no need to negotiate for long. Once it is about right, hand him over directly. I worry that if Xiao Ziyin and the others discover where Dabie is imprisoned and use some method, they may be able to make Dabie die immediately. Then we will be left holding the bag."
Su Ziyou said in surprise, "Surely not? At this stage, Star Plucking Tower is guarded very strictly. Even if Chu Kingdom learns Dabie's exact location, they cannot get in. How could they make Dabie die?"
"I can make him die from far away," Gu Mo said.
After learning the truth about Chu Kingdom's imperial family being descendants of Immortals from this Dabie, Gu Mo had reason to suspect that present-day Chu Kingdom had already received help from Beyond the Heavens.
And as Beyond the Heavens was the heavenly realm, theoretically speaking, its lowest standard should be the Ascension Realm—that was, a complete Nascent Soul. Though Star Plucking Tower was heavily guarded now, it had no restrictive effect whatsoever on Nascent Soul Power.
Then,
Gu Mo added, "Go tell the Emperor. Say that I said it. He only needs to listen to me."
"Alright, I will see the Emperor tomorrow morning!" Su Ziyou nodded.
Then, chatting as they went, the two left the imperial city and headed toward Ye Jinglan's home. Su Ziyou suddenly asked, "By the way, why have I not seen Sister Chundong?"
"She was taken away by Li Li before she even entered the city!"
Su Ziyou smiled. "Speaking of which, it is strange, Brother Gu. Logically speaking, you are handsome and dashing, your martial arts are Number One Under Heaven, and you siblings travel the Jianghu together. How is it that every girl likes Sister Chundong instead... That is not right, is it?"
Gu Mo: "??"
At this time, at Princess Chengyang's Mansion, a carriage slowly came to a stop before the manor gates.
Li Li, Gu Chundong, and Red Clothes stepped down from the carriage.
Several servants waiting at the entrance immediately began cautiously moving things out of the carriage. There were mountains of large and small bags.
Li Li was extremely happy and in high spirits. Linking arms with Gu Chundong, she said, "Chundong, let us go stroll around Tingyu Town tomorrow. I am telling you, there are so many people from the Western Regions there. They brought all kinds of strange and curious things—mice that can dance, snakes that change color... so many fun things!"
"Alright, we will go first thing tomorrow morning." As she spoke, Gu Chundong looked toward Red Clothes and asked, "Red Clothes, what do you think?"
Red Clothes said, "Wherever Miss goes, I will follow."
Gu Chundong said, "If you see something you like, you can buy it. You spent most of today shopping, yet you did not buy anything at all!"
Red Clothes paused slightly. "There is nothing I like."
"What do you like, then? I will take you to buy it tomorrow," Gu Chundong said.
Red Clothes said again, "There is nothing I like."
"How could that be..."
Gu Chundong stopped halfway through her words. She suddenly remembered that Red Clothes and the qin player had no emotions. They could imitate human joy, anger, sorrow, and delight, but they could not possess instinctive emotions of their own.
At once,
Gu Chundong said no more and instead asked Li Li, "Did you not say there was an extremely, extremely lifelike clay figurine?"
Li Li hurriedly said, "It is in the back courtyard. I will take you to see it right now. I am telling you, I am not bragging—you will definitely be shocked when you see it!"
Gu Chundong curled her lips. "I would like to see what sort of clay figurine could be more lifelike than my brother's wood carvings!"
Before long,
Li Li pulled Gu Chundong into a courtyard.
The moment they entered, they saw an object covered by white cloth inside the main room. It was completely covered, and they could only vaguely make out that it was human-shaped.
Li Li happily ran over and grabbed the white cloth. "Now comes the moment to witness a miracle..."
As soon as she finished speaking,
Li Li yanked the white cloth away with force. In that instant, a sculpture appeared.
It had no pedestal, standing solely on its own two feet. Dressed in a moon-white gown, it stood there quietly. The folds of its skirt fell naturally as though brushed by the wind, and even the texture of interwoven threads gleamed faintly beneath the play of light and shadow.
Gu Chundong instinctively clenched her fingertips, and her heartbeat seemed to miss half a beat within her chest cavity.
It was not the craftsmanship, as uncanny as the work of ghosts and gods, that shocked her. Rather, an inexplicable thread of fear rose within her.
The sculpture's face was simply too lifelike. The curve of its brow bone, the fine lines at the outer corners of its eyes, even the faintly visible dimple at the corner of its lips—every detail was identical to Li Li's.
Most hair-raising of all was the expression on that face. A half-smile lingered on its lips. Though its pupils were a dark brown fired from clay, they seemed to hold a watery gleam, as if its eyelids would blink the very next second.
Candlelight swept across the sculpture's cheeks, and beneath the glaze shone a warm luster almost like real human skin. The neckline of that long dress seemed to tremble faintly with the rise and fall of "breathing," carrying the vitality that only a living thing possessed.
For a moment,
Gu Chundong was dazed. She felt that what stood before her was not a sculpture, but Li Li's twin sister—a mirror image frozen by time in a certain instant.
That smile hid some of Li Li's usual slyness. Even the curve of her hair strands resting against her neck was no different from usual, as though she would open her mouth to speak in the next moment and gently brush the stray hair from her forehead with her fingers.
The air was filled with the aged scent of earth and glaze, yet it could not conceal the vivid sense of life rushing toward her, identical to Li Li's. A fine chill crept up Gu Chundong's spine.
Li Li, however, ran over carelessly and bragged, "How about it? I didn't lie to you, did I? Isn't this way better than your brother's wood carving? Let me tell you, when I saw it for the first time, I couldn't believe it was actually a clay figurine. Heh heh, tomorrow I'll take you to find that Clay Figurine Master and have him make one for you too!"
Gu Chundong stared at the clay figurine and swallowed. She stepped forward, stretched out a finger, and lightly poked its face. At once, she relaxed slightly. Though it looked astonishingly realistic, she could still tell by touch that it was merely a clay figurine coated in glaze.
Yet looking at this absurdly lifelike clay figurine, Gu Chundong still felt inexplicably tense. She took the white cloth from Li Li and covered the clay figurine with it. "Forget it, Chengyang. I think this thing is creepy to look at. I'm not getting one!"
"What are you afraid of?" Li Li said with a grin. "Chudong, you're Heroine Gu! You're not even afraid when you roam the martial world chopping people up, but you're afraid of a clay figurine?"
"It's different." Gu Chundong directly grabbed Li Li and pulled her away. "Chengyang, I think you'd better not keep this thing in your house. It's really creepy!"
"Hee hee, I thought you feared neither heaven nor earth, that there was nothing you were afraid of. Turns out you have things you're scared of too..."
The two chatted as they walked out the door.
Just then, a gust of wind blew in and lifted the white cloth away.
The candlelight in the room flickered.
The clay figurine suddenly blinked and broke into a wide grin!
Before you continue