The two sculptors were terrified.
For the first time in their careers, these old craftsmen had encountered a material that made them question everything they knew about their profession.
This celestial material was downright bizarre. It felt hard to the touch, yet the moment a chisel touched it, the surface gave way with ridiculous ease. One careless slip could ruin the entire piece. And considering this was an object personally commissioned by Tianzun, ruining it was not a mistake they could afford.
Their hands were trembling. Their hearts were pounding. They were practically scared out of their wits.
The two men studied the enormous portrait Tianzun had provided. The fellow in the picture was certainly not blessed with a pleasant appearance. He had triangular eyes, a sunken nose, and the general look of a man who would cheat you out of your last copper coin and then blame you for being too poor to begin with.
Neither sculptor could understand why Tianzun would want a statue of such an unsightly fellow.
"Do you recognize this heavenly deity?"
"No. I've never seen a god dressed like that."
"If he isn't a god, then he must be a demon!"
"Ah! You've just opened my eyes! Of course, he's a demon! Tianzun must be having us carve his likeness so he can attach a talisman to the statue and burn it! Once the flames consume the statue, the demon's true body will writhe in agony, turn to ashes, and have its soul utterly destroyed!"
"Exactly! I once heard a storyteller describe a spell just like that! I was practically bouncing with excitement when I heard it!"
"Then we must finish this as quickly as possible. The sooner Tianzun gets the statue, the sooner he can exterminate this demon. Who knows how many innocent people might be saved!"
"Well said! Let's get started!"
The two sculptors took a glance at the photo, turned back to carefully slice a single cut into the plastic face, then looked back at the portrait to check their work. Another glance, another tiny cut. They repeated the process over and over, as though a single misplaced stroke might unleash disaster.
Now that they believed they were helping Tianzun destroy an evil demon and uphold the righteous Way, the two craftsmen worked with the dedication of men possessed.
They carved from morning until night. When darkness fell, they lit rapeseed oil lamps and continued working beneath their faint, flickering light. Neither dared to relax. What if they made the demon look slightly different? What if Tianzun's spell accidentally targeted some innocent person because they had carved the wrong face?
No, absolutely not. That would be a disaster.
So they studied the portrait again and again, determined to reproduce every detail with absolute precision. Even the tiniest wrinkle at the corner of the demon's eye was painstakingly carved until it looked almost alive.
By the evening of the second day...
Li Daoxuan was sitting in front of his computer, happily munching on a Splatoon-branded fried chicken drumstick, when a series of clear, resonant chimes suddenly rang out from inside the box.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
That bell could only mean one thing. The little people were calling for him.
He leaned forward and peered into the box. Sure enough, Gao Yiye and the two sculptors were kneeling before the enormous bell, bowing reverently toward the heavens.
The moment Gao Yiye saw Tianzun's face appear among the clouds, she immediately reported, "Reporting to Tianzun! The two sculptors have completed the task you entrusted to them!"
Li Daoxuan blinked.
"Huh? Already? That was quick."
The two sculptors had dark circles beneath their eyes. They looked as though they had spent the past two days wrestling with death itself, but their spirits were soaring. Both men raised their voices and shouted loudly.
"To help Tianzun exterminate demons and uphold the righteous Way, we would gladly die without the slightest regret!"
Exterminate demons and uphold the righteous Way?
A massive question mark practically materialized above Li Daoxuan's head.
He stared at them for a moment but decided not to ask. The way these tiny people interpreted the world belonged to an entirely different era. Trying to understand the logic behind their conclusions would probably give him a headache.
Well, whatever. If they wanted to believe they had helped him slay a demon, who was he to ruin their fun?
Besides, they had done a good job.
Whenever someone completed a task for him, Li Daoxuan usually rewarded them with food. He had already given out rice, flour, and cooking oil. What should he hand over this time?
After thinking for a moment, he got up, went to the kitchen, and returned with his jar of sugar.
He dipped his fingers into it, carefully pinched up a tiny amount of white granulated sugar, and placed the offering in front of the two sculptors.
The moment they saw it, their eyes practically lit up.
"Whoa! Sugar! That's an enormous pile of sugar!"
"We have sugar! Actual sugar!"
"Look how white and bright it is! It looks just like chunks of ice!"
"All my life, I've only ever seen dark brown or reddish-yellow sugar. This is the first time I've seen sugar as white as ice!"
"This must be heavenly sugar from the Celestial Realm!"
The two sculptors were so excited that they could barely contain themselves.
Sugar was expensive in the Ming Dynasty, practically a luxury reserved for the wealthy. Even the tiny quantity Tianzun had bestowed upon them could fetch a considerable sum if sold at the market.
"Ah, the valuable goods in my household just keep piling up," one sculptor remarked with a sigh. "If the world outside weren't so chaotic, I'd love to take some of these things to the county town and sell them for silver. Then I could finally pay off my artisan registry silver."
The other sculptor chuckled. "What a coincidence! I have the same problem. I need to pay mine as well. Master Shan is going to the county town in a few days, isn't he? Why don't we go with him? Traveling in a larger group should make the road much safer."
"Oh? That's an excellent idea! Then it's settled!"
Li Daoxuan picked up the plastic miniature and brought it close to his eyes for a proper inspection.
"Tsk, not bad at all."
The face had been carved remarkably well. It was almost identical to the photograph he had provided. There was only one noticeable difference: the sculpted version looked a little more vicious than the original.
"Hmm. The overall aura is a bit off. I wonder whether the client will be satisfied." He examined it for another moment before shrugging. "Ah, whatever. I'll let him judge it himself."
With that, Li Daoxuan headed outside, hailed a taxi, and set off for Cai Xinzhi's model shop. Along the way, he called Cai Xinzhi.
"Old Cai, I've finished the pilot figure. I'm bringing it over now. Should be there in fifteen minutes."
"Huh? Already? That's fantastic! The client lives nearby. I'll call him over right now so he can inspect it as soon as you arrive."
Fifteen minutes later, Li Daoxuan reached the shop.
Inside, Cai Xinzhi was chatting with a young man. The fellow had triangular eyes, a sunken nose, and a rather unpleasant face. In other words, he was exactly the man from the photograph.
At that moment, the young man was busy playing with an exquisitely crafted robot model.
The robot's workmanship was genuinely impressive. Every piece of armor was modular and could be detached individually. Its eyes were fitted with built-in LED lights that illuminated when the model was powered on, while rows of breathing lights flickered across its body. Even the fingers had fully articulated joints, allowing them to bend and move naturally.
A custom-built model worth twenty thousand yuan was certainly not something you could pick up from a bargain bin.
The moment Cai Xinzhi saw Li Daoxuan enter, he got to his feet. "You're here! Your custom pilot figure has arrived. We can put everything together right away."
The ugly young man immediately perked up. He stood so quickly that his excitement was practically written all over his face.
Li Daoxuan walked over and handed him the tiny plastic figure.
The young man took it carefully and scrutinized the face from every possible angle. He looked at it from the left, then the right, then brought it closer for an even more thorough inspection.
A moment later, his face broke into a huge grin.
"This is incredible! The carving is amazing! This face... it's way beyond what I expected! Look at all those details. It looks exactly like me!"
He turned the figure around, examining it with growing delight.
"Hey, you even made my expression look fiercer than in the photo! That's perfect! A pilot about to enter the battlefield should look like he's ready to slaughter every last enemy in sight. He needs that aura of absolute bloodlust! Hahaha! I love it!"
Cai Xinzhi smiled and introduced them. "My friend Li Daoxuan made this. His miniature carving skills are second to none."
"Second to none? Come on, don't exaggerate," Li Daoxuan said with a chuckle. "I'm just a humble man trying to make a living."
Unfortunately, the client was no longer paying attention to their modest exchange. He was far too busy admiring his miniature self.
He carefully opened the cockpit canopy built into the robot's chest, placed the tiny pilot inside, and closed the transparent cover. Through the glass, the little figure's face could be seen perfectly.
The ugly young man immediately burst into delighted laughter. "Hahahaha! This is fantastic! Look at me! Don't I look like an ace pilot now?!"
He grabbed the robot and struck a dramatic pose, apparently imagining himself in the middle of some grand interstellar battlefield.
"Take this! Eat my High-Speed Mega Particle Cannon!"
Li Daoxuan and Cai Xinzhi exchanged a glance.
They arrived at the same conclusion.
The guy was already grown up, yet he was still a hopeless chūnibyō.