CHAPTER 524: CHAPTER 523 INVENTIONS

In the dimly lit tunnel, a group of White Lotus Sect members advanced, torches in hand.

The tunnel was winding and lengthy, crawling with insects and occasionally dripping with icy mud-water, which slid down their collars and onto their spines, chilling them to the core.

The only consolation was that the tunnel was quite spacious. There was no need to stoop and crawl; four people could walk side by side, looking out for each other.

CLANG—

A loud noise echoed from deep within the tunnel. It was impossible to tell if it was far or near.

It sounded as if a group of people was approaching,

or as if some massive creature was slowly breathing.

The White Lotus Sect Members instinctively stopped in their tracks, exchanging looks, alarm flashing across their faces.

First, they had been surrounded and blocked by the Martial Virtue Guards above ground.

Now, they had been wandering in the dark tunnels below for who knew how long, exhausted and famished.

Their once arrogant and brutal demeanor, their regard for human life as worthless, had completely dissipated.

"Don’t worry,"

Song Jie whispered, "This tunnel has a peculiar structure that distorts sound and carries it a great distance.

The source of the noise is probably not near us."

To prove his point, Song Jie stepped away from the group, took a deep breath, opened his mouth wide, and shouted loudly,

while quickly patting his mouth with his palm,

producing a discontinuous "AH-AH-AH-AH" sound.

After a few moments, only a faint and indistinct "AH-AH-AH-AH" echo could be heard in the tunnel, with no clear sense of direction or distance.

"See?"

Song Jie turned around, calmly stating, "I told you there’s nothing to worry about."

Are you a child? So childish.

A wave of speechlessness swept through the White Lotus Sect Members’ hearts.

"HUFF..."

The old man with white eyebrows slowly exhaled a turbid breath and stood up from the ground,

holding a writing brush in his hand—he had been making marks along the way to avoid forgetting the path back.

"Young Master, we have been walking underground for about half an hour and still haven’t found a way out,"

the old man with white eyebrows frowned and said, "Perhaps we should send a few capable members back the way we came to see if the Martial Virtue Guards have followed us down,

while the rest of us stay here to rest and regain our strength..."

"Hmm..."

Gongyang Han glanced at Song Jie. "Leader Song, what do you think?"

Song Jie nodded and said, "The Martial Virtue Guards’ cavalry shouldn’t be able to catch up for a while. We can let the brothers rest for a bit.

I also have a chess set here. If we’re idle, we can play a few games."

After saying that, he really did take out a chess set from his bosom,

flaunting it in front of Gongyang Han and tapping the iron chessboard with his knuckles. "This chessboard is forged from fine iron.

In times of leisure, I can take it out and play a game with someone anytime, anywhere.

In times of war, I can tuck it in front of my chest as armor to fend off blades and spears.

If necessary, I can even take out four iron rods hidden beneath the board and use them as a stool.

It’s a truly multi-functional tool, essential for looting, traveling, or battling."

"..."

Gongyang Han’s eyelid twitched as he listened to Scholar Xiao adding, "Young Master, you might not be aware, but our Leader Song, despite his honest and simple appearance,

actually has a keen mind and is skillful with his hands.

His childhood dream was to become a scientist like Song Yingxing and Song ChangGeng. He wanted to summarize the agricultural and handicraft inventions from the Central Plains spanning thousands of years, covering everything from mechanics, bricks and tiles, ceramics, and iron wares, to candles, paper, disease prevention, and farm cultivation. His goal was to document their manufacturing techniques, innovate outdated ones, improve technology, and upgrade industries. He planned to compile all this knowledge into books, print them for free, and disseminate them throughout the Central Plains. This way, the common folk could master these technologies, start their own businesses, and sustain themselves.

This multifunctional iron chessboard is just a casual creation by Leader Song, the inventor, in his spare time."

Song Jie quickly waved his hand and said with a good-natured smile, "Don’t talk nonsense. I just like to tinker with little gadgets in my free time. I’m far from being an inventor."

"Why should Leader Song be so modest?"

Scholar Xiao shook his head and bowed to Gongyang Han, saying, "Young Master, in fact, Leader Song has also privately created a large number of inventions. He plans to commercialize them when the time is right,

which could help him gather funds to print his books,

and also raise funds for our White Lotus Cult."

Gongyang Han really didn’t want to continue the conversation, but with Song Jie staring at him with wide, unblinking eyes, he had no choice but to ask, "So, what inventions does Leader Song have?"

"Since the Young Master asks so earnestly, then I shall respectfully tell you,"

Song Jie said humbly, "As the ancient saying goes, ’One’s body, hair, and skin are received from one’s parents.’ People in the world wash their hair either with plain water or with soapberries and hibiscus leaves.

However, washing hair for too long can easily lead to catching a cold.

I have invented an automatic hair-washing machine. Its overall design is a bucket with a vertical iron frame. During the wash, a person can be inverted and strapped to the iron frame with only their head submerged in the water. The iron frame is connected to a watermill. When a donkey or horse pulls the watermill, the frame automatically rotates. This makes the person strapped to the frame, along with their head, spin rapidly in the bucket, quickly cleaning the hair.

Young Master, do you think this invention has the potential to be commercialized?"

"..."

Gongyang Han closed his eyes and envisioned the automatic hair-washing machine, immediately categorizing it as a torture device.

But considering he still needed to rely on Song Jie at the moment, he forced himself to say, "It’s... quite good."

"Does the Young Master have any thoughts about investing or franchising?"

Song Jie eagerly said, "With an initial investment of only 3,000 guan, we could hire blacksmiths to make the first batch of products. I am willing to share ninety percent of the profits."

Oh, as long as you’re happy.

All Gongyang Han wanted at that moment was to leave the underground, so he nodded reluctantly and agreed, "After we get out, you can collect the money from the bank."

"The Young Master is truly generous!"

Song Jie praised, then flattered, "From now on, a mountain is a mountain, a river is a river; anyone who messes with my Young Master is crossing the line!

My man, my king! My man is the king of kings!"

Where on earth did you learn to talk like this? You used to seem quite normal, didn’t you?

Not knowing how to respond, Gongyang Han managed only a stiff smile.

Song Jie seized the opportunity to continue peddling his products:

reusable toilet paper made from rusty iron sheets,

running and fitness boots with nails embedded in the soles,

and "Prosperity Coffins" made from a special wood, designed to automatically expand and push themselves out of the ground in the second year, supposedly ensuring promotion and wealth.

Listening to this gave Gongyang Han a splitting headache.