Chapter 57 We're Also Heading to the County Town
The two sculptors were now feeling a mix of apprehension and awe.
Their master craftsman had encountered a new challenge!
This material from the celestial realm felt incredibly strange. It was hard to the touch, yet a chisel could easily carve a hole in it with a single strike. They genuinely feared that their clumsy hands might accidentally ruin it.
Deeply awed! Utterly humbled!
The two men gazed at the enormous "picture" – the person they were tasked with sculpting was truly hideous: triangular eyes, a flat nose, looking like a thoroughly unpleasant character from every angle. They couldn't fathom why the Heavenly Lord would want such a figure.
"Do you know which celestial being this is from heaven?"
"Can't tell. I've never seen a god dressed like that."
"If not a god, then it must be a demon."
"Ah, that reminds me! This could be a demon. The Heavenly Lord is having its statue carved so he can attach a talisman to its back and set it on fire. As the statue burns, the demon's true form will scream, turn to ash, and its soul will be utterly annihilated."
"Then the faster we help the Heavenly Lord carve this, the faster we can eliminate this demon, and perhaps a few more innocent lives will be spared."
"Exactly! Let's get to it."
The two sculptors glanced at the photo, turned back to carefully carve a line on the miniature figure's face, then looked again, another cut...
Having made up their minds to assist the Heavenly Lord in "eliminating evil and upholding justice," they worked with reckless abandon. They carved from morning until night, lighting rapeseed oil lamps to continue their labor, fearing that if the carving wasn't accurate, the Heavenly Lord might accidentally burn the wrong person when casting the spell on the demon. So they scrutinized the "demon-man's portrait" again and again, striving for an exact likeness.
Even the slightest wrinkle at the corner of an eye had to be sculpted with lifelike precision.
The following evening...
Li Daoxuan was at his computer, munching on "Splatoon" fried chicken legs, when a series of melodious chimes, "Dong, dong, dong," rang out from the box.
That sound meant the little folk were summoning him.
He leaned in to look. Gao Yiye, along with the two sculptors, was kneeling before the great bell, bowing towards the sky.
As the Heavenly Lord's face appeared in the clouds, Gao Yiye immediately reported: "Reporting to the Heavenly Lord, the two sculptors have, fortunately, lived up to your trust and completed the task you gave them."
Li Daoxuan uttered, "Oh? That fast?"
The two sculptors, sporting dark circles under their eyes and looking haggard, yet with spirits incredibly high, declared loudly: "If we can assist the Heavenly Lord in eliminating evil and upholding justice, we would die without regrets!"
Eliminate evil and uphold justice?
Several large question marks hovered over Li Daoxuan's head. However, he couldn't be bothered to ask. The thought processes of these little folk belonged to a different era than his; there was no need to delve into their exact thoughts.
If they believed they had eliminated evil and upheld justice, then let them enjoy it.
Each time these two created something for Li Daoxuan, he would reward them with food. He had already given them rice, flour, and oil. What would be a good reward this time?
Li Daoxuan pondered, then went into the kitchen and brought over his sugar jar.
He pinched a tiny bit of white sugar between his fingers and placed it before the two sculptors.
"Wow, sugar! Such a huge piece!"
"Fantastic! We have sugar to eat!"
"This sugar is so white and bright, like ice."
"All my life, I've only seen dark brown and reddish-yellow sugar blocks. This is the first time I've seen sugar like ice."
"This must be celestial sugar from heaven!"
The two sculptors were overjoyed and incredibly excited.
Sugar was quite valuable in the Ming Dynasty, almost a luxury. If they were to sell this small pile of sugar the Heavenly Lord gave them, it would easily fetch a fortune.
"My, the valuable items in our home are piling up," one sculptor said. "If not for the war and chaos outside, I'd really like to take some things to the county town to sell and exchange for silver to pay the artisan tax."
The other sculptor laughed, "What a coincidence, I also want to pay the artisan tax. Master San Shier is going to the county town in a few days. Why don't we both go along? The more people who go, the safer it will be."
"Oh? That's an excellent idea! It's settled then."
Li Daoxuan picked up the plastic figurine and held it extremely close to his eyes, examining it carefully. "Hmm," he mused, "the face is indeed well-sculpted, almost identical to the face in the photo. If there's any difference, it's that the sculpted face is slightly 'fiercer' than the original."
"Oh well, there's a slight difference in demeanor. I wonder if the client will be satisfied. In any case, I should deliver it."
Li Daoxuan left, hailed a taxi, and headed toward Cai Xinzhi's model shop, making a call as he went: "Cai, I'm bringing your figurine over. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."
Cai Xinzhi replied, "Oh? Already? Excellent! The client doesn't live far, so I'll give him a call too and tell him to come pick it up."
Fifteen minutes later, Li Daoxuan arrived at the shop.
He saw Cai Xinzhi chatting with a young man who had triangular eyes and a flat nose, quite unattractive—the very man from the photo. He was currently fiddling with a magnificent robot.
The robot's craftsmanship was impeccable; every armor plate could be installed and removed, and its eyes lit up when powered. Breathing lights flickered across its body, and all its finger joints were movable. A custom piece costing twenty thousand yuan was indeed extraordinary.
Seeing Li Daoxuan arrive, Cai Xinzhi immediately stood up: "Sir, your custom pilot has arrived. We can complete the final assembly now."
The unattractive man was overjoyed and excitedly stood up.
Li Daoxuan walked over and handed him the plastic figurine.
The man took the figurine, scrutinizing its face from left to right, then burst with delight: "This is amazing! This... this face... it exceeds my expectations! So intricate, so much like me. Heh, and they even made the expression on my face a bit fiercer, which is perfect! A combat robot pilot about to enter battle should have a fierce expression, conveying the 'kill all enemies' aura, hahaha, I love it!"
Cai Xinzhi chuckled and introduced, "My friend Li Daoxuan made this. His micro-sculpting skills are unparalleled."
Li Daoxuan laughed, "Unparalleled? Nonsense, I'm just making a living."
The man had completely tuned out their awkward banter. He carefully lifted the pilot's cockpit cover on the robot's chest, placed the figurine inside, and closed the cover. The cover was transparent, allowing him to clearly see the figurine's face through it.
The man roared with laughter: "Hahaha, this is awesome! Look at this, doesn't it feel like I'm an ace pilot? Hahaha! Take this... feel my... high-speed mega particle cannon!"
Li Daoxuan and Cai Xinzhi exchanged a look, thinking simultaneously: *He's this old and still such a middle-schooler at heart.*
Comments