"This world's upper echelons completely monopolized knowledge. Books were even harder for the common folk to access; only a handful of powerful and privileged people had the chance to read them."
He Ping had also realized something: this suppression of education and the circulation of knowledge was aimed only at people from the lower classes. Wealthy households like his, whose riches rivaled those of a whole region, and aristocratic clans of officials were not greatly restricted.
After all, the imperial court needed talent to govern the realm. Keeping the commoners from studying was one thing, but the officials it selected couldn't be completely illiterate...
The He Family's residence had a hidden library where clan members could borrow books.
In the past, He Ping had read a story in a collection of strange tales compiled by a scholar of the previous dynasty.
In the story, a man had served as an official far from home for many years. One day, he returned to visit his family and found that his parents, wife, and children had become strangely unfamiliar to him.
It was an indescribable eeriness. His family seemed unchanged, yet he felt something inexplicably uncanny about every one of them.
He went inside to rest. Half asleep, he heard his parents, wife, and children discussing when to kill him. They even debated whether to poison him, beat him to death, or stab him.
The man awoke in terror, drew a sharp knife, and rushed outside, killing every last member of his family, young and old.
Yet when the blade struck them, they did not bleed. They fell stiffly to the ground, dead. Horrified, the man examined them closely and discovered that every member of his household was a wooden puppet.
Shocked and terrified, he hurried out to report the matter to the authorities. But when the constables returned to the house with him, they saw only the corpses of his family strewn across the floor, surrounded by pools of blood...
He Ping knitted his brows.
"Replacing living people and turning them into puppets really does sound like a 'forbidden art.' Could it be that Wu Yousheng passed this secret art to me just to turn me into a puppet, then use the puppet-control techniques in the Formless Secret Treasury to control me—the He Family's young master?!"
If the other party's scheme succeeded, he would likely be replaced by a puppet in Wu Yousheng's hands, one bearing the identity of "He Ping," never to see the light of day again for all eternity.
But why would the other party do this? To seize the He Family's wealth?
No, that made no sense at all.
The puppet arts recorded in the Formless Secret Treasury were so formidable. What were a few worldly riches worth by comparison? Why would Wu Yousheng of the Immortal Puppet Sect go to such lengths, setting up such a troublesome trap to lure him in?
Unless Wu Yousheng wanted to accomplish his goal in secret, without causing even the slightest stir.
Since obtaining the Formless Secret Treasury, He Ping had been cultivating in secret, without attracting anyone's attention. That was exactly what the other party wanted.
Having figured this out, He Ping felt a chill seep through his heart.
Wu Yousheng of the Immortal Puppet Sect had such abilities. He was probably not even afraid of He Ping discovering the truth about the "skeleton." Even if He Ping knew what was going on, he wouldn't dare speak out. With little time left to live, he could only be forced to cultivate the forbidden art and refine himself into a living puppet.
"...What a clever scheme!"
He Ping let out a long breath. His thoughts circled for a while, then settled into calm.
"True, I'm already no longer in control of my own fate. The forbidden chapter recorded in the Formless Secret Treasury might be my last chance to prolong my life. If I want to survive, I have to refine myself into a living puppet."
Of course, replacing his entire body would take time. According to the Formless Secret Treasury, replacing all his flesh and blood would take at least ten or twenty years. The process would consume a great deal of time, and he might not live long enough to finish it.
"So the first thing I need to do is replace my heart. My vital essence and blood are severely depleted, and my heart is weakening. I need a new one... That's right, the heart of a demon."
The first step in refining a "living puppet," according to the Formless Secret Treasury, was the Heart-Swapping Technique. He had to kill a demon, use its heart, and refine it with a secret method.
At the end, he would cut open his chest, remove his own heart, and replace it with a demon's heart.
"Demons are powerful creatures. Their lifespans are longer than humans', and their vitality is a hundred times stronger than an ordinary person's. There seems to be a mountain demon in Four Peaks Mountain outside Suian City. It often comes down the mountain to prey on the people below. I can kill it, refine its demonic heart, and use it for myself."
He Ping had been preparing for this for over a year. Even after learning of the Immortal Puppet Sect's plot, he had no intention of changing course. He had few options to begin with.
Of course, there was a risk: the heart-swap might be the very condition needed to activate Wu Yousheng's hidden contingency.
"If I don't swap hearts and refine myself into a living puppet, I can't prolong my life. But if the heart-swap succeeds, Wu Yousheng might refine me into a puppet..."
He Ping gave a bitter smile.
This was what it truly meant to be trapped between a rock and a hard place.
Whether he moved forward or turned back, he risked plunging into an abyss ten thousand fathoms deep.
"Let's go."
He Ping put his severed arm back into the coffin.
"Young master, what should we do about the coffin?"
He Fusheng came over, asking in confusion.
"Burn the coffin. Wrap the corpse in cloth and bring it back to the residence. Also, give some silver to the Mountain God Temple's keeper and the nearby villagers. Make sure they keep their mouths shut and don't tell outsiders anything..."
He Ping waved a hand and gave the order to his steward, He Fusheng, then rose and left the pit.
Several days later, the He Family held a grand celebration, decorating the residence with lanterns and colorful streamers for a banquet.
The young master of the He Family was celebrating his birthday. They laid out a feast and invited many guests. The residence was bustling, with drums and gongs beating without pause.
The He Family was one of the wealthiest households in Suian City. Its generations had lived in the north. Alongside its rice-trading business, it also dealt in pawnshops, medicinal herbs, timber, and tea. The family was immensely wealthy, a fortune to be reckoned with in the region.
Naturally, the He Family spared no expense on its banquet. Even after nightfall, Changle Street, where their residence stood, remained brightly lit. Carriages and people streamed past the gates, and guests arrived in droves.
He Ping's father had been dead for many years. While alive, however, he had been a consummate socializer, cultivating good relations with the authorities and the city's aristocratic clans. In private, he also kept ties with gangs and people from the martial world. This had allowed He Ping to inherit the He Family's business in peace.
He was the He Family's only son and its head. The guests he had summoned today were no ordinary people. Half were famous northern heroes from North Prefecture, Mobei saber-wielders, gang leaders, or notorious figures from the underworld.
He Ping was also somewhat renowned in the martial world. He liked to keep guests and retainers at his residence. Anyone willing to enter the He Family's service was welcome, even if they were no more than a commoner, so long as they had some talent.
Now and then, swindlers or local wastrels would pose as men of learning and seek an audience. He Ping never turned them away. His loyal servants often urged him to be more discerning, but he would only say that he wouldn't let a few scoundrels tarnish the family's reputation for welcoming guests with sincerity.
As time passed, He Ping's reputation outside the family grew ever greater. Many people in North Prefecture knew him as "generous with his wealth," "fond of welcoming and supporting men of talent," and "benevolent and charitable"...