Yuan Zhong, a bit nervous, cleared his throat and asked in a deliberately casual tone, “So… what do you think? Can you stay here?”
Tan Yin couldn’t help but smile. “It’s beautiful.”
His face lit up with joy, though he tried hard to conceal it. Gently tugging her sleeve, he said, “Come with me.”
He led her through the flowers and willows to the edge of the lake, where a completely green wooden boat was tied beneath the willow trees. They boarded the boat and had just untied the rope when they saw a massive old turtle slowly swimming toward them from the lake. Its shell was as white as jade, and its eyes sparkled with intelligence. It was likely on the verge of becoming a spirit.
The old turtle nodded three times to Yuan Zhong as a form of greeting, then dived under the boat, gently carrying the delicate wooden boat on its back as it swam steadily and swiftly toward the center of the lake.
Tan Yin sat at the bow, gazing far into the distance. She noticed a few medicinal fields on the far side. Perhaps because no one had lived here for a long time, nor had anyone tended to the fields, the herbs, despite the abundant spiritual energy in this immortal cave dwelling, were growing somewhat wilted. As she observed the positions of the lake and the fields, she couldn’t help but start planning how to create a tool to channel lake water to irrigate the fields.
In the center of the lake was a small, delicate island covered in reeds. Upon seeing the reeds, Tan Yin immediately asked, “Can we go over there?”
The old turtle instantly changed direction and soon docked beside the little island. Tan Yin gracefully jumped ashore and looked around. The island was no bigger than a pavilion, covered entirely in reeds except for a small clearing in the center, where there was a half-worn meditation mat and a tiny wine table. It seemed that Yuan Zhong had once enjoyed pouring himself a drink here, gazing at the stars in peaceful solitude.
“Can I gather some reeds?” she asked politely, mindful that he was the master of this cave dwelling.
Yuan Zhong didn’t seem to appreciate her politeness. Without saying a word, he shrugged and tore out a large handful of reeds, tossing them onto the ground.
“Not the young ones. Let me do it,” she said as she pulled out a small sickle from her qiankun pouch. She specifically chose the thicker, taller, and even slightly dried reeds, cutting them swiftly. In no time, she had gathered plenty, and then she sat on the meditation mat, weaving quickly. Soon, she had crafted four somewhat rough-looking reed brooms.
Next, she pulled out several ordinary wooden materials from her qiankun pouch, along with bronze pipes and rods, spilling them onto the ground with a clatter. Judging by her appearance, it seemed she was about to make something again. Yuan Zhong, intrigued, sat beside her, watching with interest as she skillfully cut the wood and hollowed it out.
To an outsider unfamiliar with such work, her crafting process might seem boring—just cutting, carving, hollowing, and fastening pieces together with rivets. It was far from entertaining or elegant. In the past, Tai He had shown some interest in watching her make things, but after a short while, he yawned and left.
Tan Yin was carefully carving the inner parts of the wood when she glanced back at Yuan Zhong. He was focused intently on her movements, not blinking once. It seemed he didn’t find it boring at all. No one had ever been willing to sit with her while she crafted. This was the first time.
A warmth blossomed in Tan Yin’s heart, and she couldn’t help but ask, “Is it fun?”
Yuan Zhong nodded, then shook his head. “It’s interesting, but I don’t understand. Why are you carving out internal organs?”
“Because to make a mechanical man move, its body needs to be made just like a real person. If even one part is missing, it won’t work.”
Once she started talking about craftsmanship, she became unstoppable. “But after all, it’s just a mechanical man, not a real person. So, if you want it to do specific tasks, you need to carve its internal organs differently. The ones I made last time could only sing and dance, but they couldn’t do any manual labor. And those that can carry water and fertilize the fields can’t sing or dance. Of course, you could make a mechanical man that’s indistinguishable from a real person, able to sing, cook, and clean, but making one like that would take at least half a month, and the materials are extremely rare and valuable.”
Yuan Zhong was completely engrossed. “Can you make one?”
Tan Yin smiled. “I can. What kind do you want?”
He stared at her fair face and replied, “One like you.”
Tan Yin was taken aback, and the smile on her face faded slightly. After a moment, she quietly said, “Alright, I’ll make one, but it can’t look like me.”
“Then who will it look like?”
“…I’m not telling you.”
“Keeping secrets, are we?”
“Yes.”
No more words were exchanged as Tan Yin quickly finished making a wooden figure the size of an average person. Since she was rushing, its appearance was quite crude and simple. She opened its back, inserted a bronze rod, and twisted it a few times. The wooden figure creaked as its limbs moved, then immediately grabbed a broom and ran toward the boat, standing motionless at the bow.
She proceeded to make four wooden figures in total, each holding a broom, standing imposingly at the boat’s bow. They looked rather comical.
“Let’s head back,” Tan Yin said, gathering the scattered materials and putting them back into her qiankun pouch. She and Yuan Zhong boarded the boat, and the old turtle carried them back to the shore. The four wooden figures, brooms in hand, rushed toward the little building with incredible speed, busily cleaning the place. They were even more efficient than the human maids on Fangwai Mountain. Moreover, the wooden figures never knew fatigue, tirelessly sweeping the floor, wiping walls and furniture, and using dozens of buckets of water to scrub the place spotless inside and out.
Tan Yin’s eyes sparkled as she watched Yuan Zhong, whose jaw was practically on the floor. Filled with a sense of accomplishment, she asked, “What do you think? Pretty fast, right?”
He picked up a bronze rod and examined it curiously. It was just an ordinary rod, with various grooves carved into it. Opening the back of one wooden figure, he saw a hole into which the bronze rod fit. Twisting it a few times, the wooden figure, which had stopped moving, sprang to life, flailing its arms and legs. But this time, instead of sweeping or fetching water, it danced wildly, jumping and spinning around the lake, unable to stop.
“Uh…” Yuan Zhong awkwardly held the bronze rod, confused. How come when she twisted it, the wooden figure followed commands, but when he did, it started jumping and dancing?
“Since I was rushing, they can only perform specific tasks,” Tan Yin kindly explained. “You twisted it five times, so it will run for five hours before stopping.”
Yuan Zhong was reluctant to part with the bronze rod and played with it for a while before finally saying, “Can I have these four wooden figures?”
Maintaining an immortal cave dwelling required a lot of spiritual energy. That's why large cave dwellings like Fangwai Mountain or Xiangqu Mountain employed human labor for cleaning and upkeep. Since he had created this cave dwelling himself and didn’t want to be disturbed by humans, nor did he feel like cleaning himself, these mechanical figures would ensure it never turned into a pigsty even if he didn’t return for decades.
“Sure,” Tan Yin generously agreed.
Yuan Zhong’s eyes lit up, and suddenly, he spun around, grabbing her in a bear hug. He even lifted her up, grinning at her shocked expression. “Thank you, my little craftsman.”
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