Chapter 1830: Prosperity

Red Dust Prison.

In a certain cold courtyard.

Branches with a few remaining fiery red maple leaves reached into the courtyard from above the white wall, swaying silently in the gentle breeze. Melodious zither music echoed in the courtyard.

Suddenly, with a light pluck from a fair hand, the zither music became even clearer, and a fiery red maple leaf drifted down from the branch, finally landing on the courtyard floor.

A breeze swept through the courtyard,

As the fallen leaves danced, a young girl in red was playing the zither with both hands, her sleeves and hair dancing with the music.

At the same time, the courtyard gate was pushed open directly by a pair of heavy and powerful hands.

Creak—

Wang Jian, clad in heavy armor, walked with a brisk pace, seemingly completely oblivious to the charm of the zither music, and walked up to the girl in red with a sharp aura.

His burly figure was like a small mountain, casting the girl's figure into his shadow, his eyes coldly looking down at her.

"How much longer until that Blue God-Dao painting is finished?"

The girl didn't look up, still focused on playing the zither.

As another crisp zither note sounded, the maple leaf on the branch fell again... Only six maple leaves remained, hanging lonely on it.

Seeing the girl not responding, Wang Jian's expression grew even gloomier, and the temperature in the courtyard dropped rapidly:

"I am speaking, can you... not hear me?"

"Duke Yu's voice is like a booming bell, and your aura is compelling, so naturally, I can hear you," the girl said, her vermilion lips parting slightly, her voice soft and light, but her head, lowered and focused on playing the zither, still did not lift.

"It's just that the Duke's momentum is so strong, I imagine that neither inside nor outside the palace, nor the other lords in the court, are very willing to follow your wishes, which is why you have to be so overbearing everywhere?"

Wang Jian's fists clenched suddenly.

The aura of a Soldier God-Dao demigod swept through the courtyard, blowing the fallen leaves everywhere. He looked coldly at the girl playing the zither, murderous intent rising from the depths of his eyes:

"A prostitute... dares to speak to me like this??"

"Duke Yu's understanding of the Prostitute-Dao is truly shallow." The girl's voice was unhurried, each sentence like a drop on the water's surface, rippling with tenderness.

"The Prostitute-Dao is connected to 'Prosperity' (Chang). Whether it is men or women in this world, whether it is male prostitutes or female prostitutes... the vast majority of people, in the final analysis, are merely trapped by the desires and greed in their hearts, seeking a 'Prosperity'."

"The eighteen God-Daos of the world are all gathered from the pure and magnificent will of all living beings. The so-called Prostitute God-Dao is not the will of self-debased people seeking desires and greed. The world seeks 'Prosperity' like a torrential flood, and all living beings are the same. Men bow and scrape, willing to give up their dignity, morality, and even their wives and daughters for it; women seek glory and are jealous, willing to flatter and offer their beauty for it... And the Prostitute God-Dao is the exact opposite; it is the will of people going against the current, going against 'Prosperity'."

"How to go against 'Prosperity'?"

"To have something in your heart, to have faith in your heart, and to be willing to give everything for what you hold and believe in—that is the way to go against 'Prosperity'... Therefore, the extremes of the Prosperity-Dao throughout history are mostly monks pursuing the Great Dao in their hearts, assassins who go against heaven and kill monarchs for the people, heroes of the greenwood who rob the rich to help the poor, and ordinary people hidden in the hustle and bustle of the marketplace..."

"Duke Yu has achieved great success in the Soldier-Dao, but if placed in the Prosperity-Dao, you are merely a mediocre person burdened by military power, fame, and the crowd."

"Why would I compare myself to your Prosperity-Dao?" Wang Jian snorted coldly. "I only care when that Blue God-Dao painting will be finished and when it will be suppressed. If you continue to play tricks, I will cut your broken zither with one slash."

Ding—

The zither music sounded again,

On the branch, another maple leaf fell.

Only five maple leaves remained, swaying and on the verge of falling, seemingly unable to last much longer.

"After five cups of tea, the Blue-Dao will be complete," the girl replied lightly. "If Duke Yu wants to use my zither to test your blade, you'd better hurry... If you can't even cut a single string after five cups of tea, I'm afraid you'll be a laughingstock."

Wang Jian's hand was already on the hilt of his sword. Looking at this prostitute who was so disrespectful to him, his murderous intent almost solidified... But thinking of the Emperor's decree, he forcibly suppressed his anger.

He glared fiercely at the girl and turned to walk out of the courtyard.

The zither music remained melodious.

The girl looked up at the branch with only four maple leaves left, a faint light swirling in her beautiful eyes, regretful and on the verge of tears:

"A talented scholar and a beautiful lady... what a pity..."

……

In the village of the Red Dust Domain.

Dense threads trembled in the courtyard.

A woman in a white practice suit was lying quietly in the center of the spiderweb-like embroidery threads. One by one, the threads quietly drilled into her skin, sinking into her flesh, outlining a complex picture within her body...

And now, that embroidery, complex to the extreme, was nearing completion.

Deep in the courtyard.

A pair of aged eyes were intently staring at the last stroke of the embroidery... Then he raised his hand gently, and an embroidery thread floated out from his body, connecting the last missing corner of the embroidery on Su Zhiwei's body.

Hum—

The aura of the Blue God-Dao flowed in the void.

This human-body embroidery, which had been embroidered for over three hundred years, was finally, completely finished.

"Hoo..."

Yao Qing watched the embroidery sink bit by bit into Su Zhiwei's body and disappear completely. A smile appeared in his eyes, which were full of exhaustion.

He supported himself on the ground with both hands, his withered body preparing to stand up slowly...

The next second,

A blade carrying the ultimate murderous intent of the Soldier-Dao, like a startled swan, instantly shattered the courtyard gate!!

Boom—!!!

Yao Qing's pupils contracted suddenly.

Icy murderous intent surged in the air. Amidst the splashing fragments of the gate, the aged figure was hit directly by this sword, crashing through the old hut behind him, and flying backward like a meteor.

This heaven-shaking roar immediately caught the attention of Jing Si on the other side of the village.

He looked up sharply in the direction of the sound, astonished:

"What happened??"

"It's that idiot, Duke Yu." Duke Xing also looked coldly in that direction, a flash of displeasure in his eyes. "The Emperor's decree was for us to wait for Yao Qing to finish the human-body embroidery, then suppress him and keep Su Zhiwei in a deep sleep... But he, on the other hand, wants to kill someone the moment he makes a move."

"If he wants to steal the credit, this isn't how you do it."

"Then... should we intervene?" Jing Si couldn't help but ask, looking at a certain part of the village where dust was flying.

"...Forget it." Duke Xing hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "We don't need to worry about other people's business; just do what we are supposed to do... Besides, he is indeed carrying out the Emperor's decree. If we intervene, it will be counterproductive."

"...Okay."

Although Jing Si nodded, he still kept his eyes on the direction where the dust was flying, his fingertips pinching slightly, as if he were calculating something using the Divination God-Dao.

"No..." Jing Si was stunned, astonishment appearing in his eyes. "Could that Blue God-Dao be planning to..."

Boom—!!!

A loud noise erupted from that direction, sweeping across the entire Red Dust Domain.

A path of embroidery threads leading to the firmament extended from the earth...