Section 133: The Sect's Operation
"Oh, you want to learn this craft from me?" The old man looked at Ye Zhong, feeling rather tempted. Ye Zhong's demonstrated expertise in mecha had earned the old man's considerable appreciation. Heizi, standing to the side, looked at Ye Zhong with surprise and delight. If Ye Zhong could stay, he would have someone else to consult! Until now, he had been figuring things out on his own, as his master couldn't offer him any help in this area.
"Yes!" Ye Zhong replied steadily. He had just consulted Mu; now was indeed not the time to go to the Sect for the fifth-level assessment. The situation outside was certainly very tense! Acting recklessly would be an extremely foolish move.
Ye Zhong was right. The situation outside was just as tense as he imagined. The report Feng Su had submitted to the Sect contained detailed descriptions of the Guardian's performance and some of her own speculations, which immediately drew the Sect's high-level attention. Confirmation was also obtained from the captured pilots of the Masters' Association. Consequently, the Sect's upper echelons issued an order: spare no effort to acquire this mecha, which had the potential to completely change the power dynamics of the Orbital Ring.
All residents of the Orbital Ring were alarmed to discover that something major seemed to be happening. The immense power of the Psionic Masters' Sect was fully displayed for the first time before everyone. Even in the chaotic Orbital Ring, they were able to conduct a carpet search. No one dared to defy them. Several unruly individuals who had refused to cooperate earlier met gruesome fates, sending a chill down the spines of everyone else! Such ruthless methods, employed by the traditionally mild-mannered Sect, made everyone realize the Sect's determination this time! With the examples of those few, no one dared to challenge the Sect's authority anymore!
In fact, for a considerable period after this incident, the order in the Orbital Ring was so good it felt like living in heaven.
Ye Zhong knew nothing of this. On one hand, the Sect's search hadn't reached this district yet; on the other, Ye Zhong rarely went out, so he had no way of finding out.
The master's agreement made the simple and honest Heizi overjoyed; he grinned foolishly, as if he himself had been accepted as a disciple. In contrast, Ye Zhong's face showed neither joy nor disappointment, remaining as calm as ever, which made the old man nod inwardly. This disciple of his was destined for great things.
Ye Zhong first learned basic carving skills. The old man was pleasantly surprised to find that Ye Zhong's progress was extremely rapid! The most fundamental aspect of basic carving is control over strength, which had always been one of the training modules Mu provided for Ye Zhong. In this area, Ye Zhong was absolutely formidable, second to none. This was the fundamental reason for his rapid progress.
A piece of dragon bone was held firmly in Ye Zhong's left hand, his expression focused. His right hand held a carving knife, making straight cuts or horizontal slices, each movement clear and distinct. His left hand holding the bone remained perfectly still. The old man behind him couldn't help but show a trace of admiration, while Heizi beside Ye Zhong watched the knife in Ye Zhong's hand without blinking, not even daring to breathe heavily. Little Nannan covered her mouth tightly, curiously watching as the dragon bone in Ye Zhong's hand slowly took shape. Since Ye Zhong had become the old man's apprentice, he spent every day in the underground workshop. And Little Nannan, like a constant shadow, always followed behind Ye Zhong.
The hard texture of the dragon bone posed no obstacle to Ye Zhong's carving knife. With each cut he made, bone dust fell like snow. Ye Zhong gently set down the carving knife, his expression calm and composed, without any fluctuation. In his left hand, he held a vividly carved Hundred-Gnawer Rat, one of the creatures he was most familiar with. Heizi let out a long sigh of relief and exclaimed excitedly, "Ha, Junior Brother is truly a genius! It's only been a few days, and you're already this skilled!"
Shang, who had just taken over, spoke in a tone full of disdain within Ye Zhong's mind: "Making a fuss over nothing! Can this level even be considered genius? Really, haven't seen the world!" Of course, Ye Zhong naturally ignored Shang's remarks.
Little Nannan climbed onto the table, snatched the Hundred-Gnawer Rat from Ye Zhong's hand, and couldn't put it down, utterly delighted!
The old man was extremely satisfied inwardly, but his expression remained calm. "Hmm, barely passable. You still need more practice. Starting today, you can begin learning mechanical carving!"
He paused, waiting until Ye Zhong's attention shifted to him, then continued, "Manual carving is mostly used for processing small components or specific parts of larger assemblies. Most of the time, mechanical carving is used. Mechanical carving isn't difficult; in fact, it's quite simple. The challenge lies in understanding the bone materials. This requires accumulated experience. Your daily task now is to familiarize yourself with every type of bone material here. You must know them thoroughly. I will also teach you to recognize the differences between them. This is the essence of being a Bone Artisan..."
Suddenly, the home intercom on the wall rang, interrupting the old man. Heizi hurried over, answered it, and turned back to loudly inform the old man, "Master, it's Uncle Yan!"
The old man slightly frowned and said to Heizi, "Alright, go and bring him in."
Heizi acknowledged and ran out.
The old man muttered to himself, "Strange, why is he coming at this time?"
Soon, Heizi returned leading a burly man.
This man was quite tall, with a sturdy build, sharp facial features, and piercing eyes. His every movement exuded a sense of power. Ye Zhong's heart stirred – this was a master! With his current experience, Ye Zhong could tell from the man's physique and movements that he was not to be trifled with. Ye Zhong guessed correctly; this man, surnamed Yan, was named Yan Bingxuan, and he was the Patrol Officer for this district.
As soon as the big man entered, his eyes swept across the room. When he saw Ye Zhong, he showed a slight hint of surprise.
Heizi seemed rather displeased with this Yan fellow and took Little Nannan to play elsewhere.
The old man spoke, "Xiao Yan, you must have a reason for coming this time!" He then turned to Ye Zhong and said, "Ye Zi, this is the Patrol Officer from the local Sect branch. He's a master! You can call him Uncle Yan! There will be many times in the future when you'll need to rely on him." He then turned back to Yan Bingxuan, "This is my newly accepted apprentice. He's quite proficient in mecha. I'll need you to look after him, Xiao Yan!"
Yan Bingxuan quickly responded modestly, "Master Ge, you're too kind! You are someone the Sect has explicitly instructed to protect well! Protecting you is my duty. Of course, as long as it's within my capabilities, there's no problem!" Yan Bingxuan's tone was respectful and sounded pleasant, but the words weren't as straightforward as they seemed. If he were unwilling, he could easily refuse by claiming it was beyond his capabilities.
Only then did Ye Zhong learn that his master's surname was Ge.
The old man, wise with age, understood the underlying meaning perfectly, but he had only said it casually.
Yan Bingxuan said with apparent admiration, "To think this young brother is so highly praised by Elder Ge at such a young age! His future prospects are limitless!"
Ye Zhong replied indifferently, "Not at all! I still have much to learn."
"Xiao Yan, what exactly is the matter this time?" The old man was somewhat impatient with Yan Bingxuan's formalities.
"You don't know? The outside world is in an uproar!" Yan Bingxuan said mysteriously.
The old man frowned, "What happened?"
"I heard that two people stole something from the Sect. Now the upper echelons of the Sect are furious. The unfortunate part is that it happened to be on our planet. All starships to other planets have been suspended. The higher-ups are ordering us to search house by house. Those at the top just vent their anger, but it's us at the bottom who have to do the work!" Yan Bingxuan pretended to complain while secretly observing both of them.
Ye Zhong's heart skipped a beat. Just as he had expected, they were definitely talking about him and Mu, but they had pinned a theft charge on them – how shameless. However, on the surface, Ye Zhong remained extremely calm. Shang suddenly popped up, urgently saying, "Ye Zi, don't appear too calm. Showing a slightly surprised expression would be best!" Hearing this, Ye Zhong revealed a trace of surprise, which was quite appropriate.
The old man was visibly shocked, "There are actually people who dare to steal from the Sect?"
Seeing that both their expressions were normal, Yan Bingxuan relaxed and said with a bitter smile, "Exactly! Those two are utterly audacious. They were spotted escaping in mechas by the Sect's people. One of the mechas, a four-armed, two-faced one, was severely damaged. Elder Ge, have you seen a mecha like that?"
Ye Zhong's heart jumped, but he竭力 maintained his composure.
"Four arms and two faces? Such a strange mecha? No! If I had seen such a peculiar mecha, I should remember it!" The old man shook his head. Ye Zhong felt secretly庆幸; fortunately, Heizi and Little Nannan weren't here. They had seen Yu. If they were here, they would probably have given it away on the spot.
"Ah, yes! Finding two people in such a vast area is like looking for a needle in a haystack!" Yan Bingxuan couldn't help but complain to the old man.
The old man nodded, "It is indeed not easy."
Yan Bingxuan took out a metal sphere with a blinking green light from his pocket and apologized to the old man, "Elder, my apologies. I'm just going through the motions."
The old man waved his hand dismissively, "It's fine, it's necessary!" Noticing Ye Zhong curiously staring at the metal sphere, he explained to him, "This is standard equipment for Patrol Officers like them. It's called a Life Scanner. Any living thing can't escape its scan! This way, they can check if anyone or any animals are hidden. Understand?"
Ye Zhong suddenly understood, "I see!"
A beam of light projected from a small aperture on the Life Scanner, forming a screen with five green dots. Yan Bingxuan counted – including himself, there were exactly five people. He put the Life Scanner back into his pocket and said with a smile, "Everything's fine! Sorry to disturb you, Elder Ge!"
"It's nothing," the old man said indifferently.
Yan Bingxuan said, "Since everything is alright, I should take my leave."
"Heizi!" the old man called out loudly. Heizi quickly ran over. The old man said, "See Uncle Yan out! Xiao Yan, I won't see you off."
Yan Bingxuan quickly said, "No need, no need! Elder Ge, please continue with your work!" After saying that, he followed Heizi towards the entrance steps.
Suddenly, Yan Bingxuan stopped in his tracks and let out a surprised exclamation, "Huh?"
Could there be a change? Ye Zhong's heart, which had just settled, suddenly leaped into his throat again!