" Jin Wei, you're going to be playing a crucial role in our plan . I already asked Da Xiong to take some people to gather enough clay and straw to make a few dummies. I want you to use your skills in face painting to make the dummies life-like enough to fool our targets completely." Liu Ying explained. " Are you up for the task ? "
" Senior , it's going to be a walk in the park for me , the great master of face painting." Jin Wei started to boast.
Zhou Zilong silently rolled his eyes.
Liu Ying just shook her head and stood up , " Mr. Zhou , I'll show you to the geysers. I made the necessary preparations to unblock the geysers today . Jin Wei, join us."
Zhou Zilong stood up , " That would be wonderful Ms. Liu , I must get a good measurement of things before I can start my work."
Liu Ying exited her tent followed by Jin Wei and Zhou Zilong , Li Cheng was waiting for them outside.
" Ms. Liu , I too would like to see these geysers." He stated.
" Mr. Li, you're more than welcome to join us , but I must remind you that today we're just unlocking the sealed geysers , so there won't be much to see until we seal the other geysers over in the forest , that will probably take some time." Liu Ying explained.
" That won't be a problem Ms.Liu , I'm free today so I can lend you a hand." Li Cheng replied confidently.
" Then , please be my guest ." Liu Ying replied simply .
When they reached the river bank , Liu Ying directed them upstream and soon they arrived at their destination.
Some juniors from the Detective department were already waiting for them there, they had long bamboo poles.
" What are the bamboo poles for ? " Li Cheng asked.
" There might be a slight amount of pressure left inside the geysers , so to avoid any potential risk , we're going to be using the poles to nudge the rocks away from the geysers. I already asked them to slightly loosen the soil around the rocks to make it easier." Liu Ying explained.
Li Cheng wanted to look at the sealed geysers , but he was pulled back by Liu Ying, " Mr . Li , I can't let you close to the geysers now , as I said they're maybe some pressure left , and since we also loosened the soil around it , the boulders can be unstable . So for your safety I must ask you to wait till the geysers are completely unsealed."
Li Cheng immediately apologised, " I apologise Ms. Liu , "
Liu Ying nodded in acknowledgement and turned to the juniors , "Everyone we will unseal the geysers now , did everyone bring your masks ? "
The juniors nodded and wore their masks before getting into a stable position to push the boulders off.
One approached Liu Ying and handed over some masks. Liu Ying distributed the masks among her group , " Let's move over there , right now we're in the red zone."
" The red zone ?" Zhou Zilong asked, confused.
" The red zone refers to an area where a potential risk can affect us , in this case , it's either boulders exploding or rolling off and hitting us , or toxic gases poisoning us." Liu Ying explained. " Over there is the green zone. The green zone refers to an area where we're safe from any potential risks."
Liu Ying led them to an area behind the juniors.
Jin Wei was worried about their juniors. " Senior , what about the juniors ?"
" Don't worry , they're in the green zone too , so they're safe.." Jin Wei breathed in a sigh of relief at Liu Ying's reply.
Liu Ying walked and stood next to a junior , " Let's unblock this one first , remember one hard nudge will dislodge it. On the count of three , push . One … two….. three ! . "
The junior did as he was told and used all his strength to push the rock with the bamboo pole , while it took some effort he managed to dislodge the rock with one smooth motion . The rock rolled down revealing a pit , and a faint sour smell permeated through the air. But it was gone soon as the wind dispersed it with ease.
" Well done , move to the next geyser now." Liu Ying patted the junior on the shoulder. Then she moved on to the other junior and repeated this till there was one final geyser left.
Just as the junior dislodged it , a strong foul smell assaulted everyone's senses.
" Everyone , retreat now ! " Liu Ying commanded the others urgently.
Without even blinking an eye , everyone retreated to a safe distance.
" Senior, what was that ? " Jin Wei questioned painting. He just ran when he heard Liu Ying's orders.
" That was likely a toxic natural gas." Liu Ying replied. " Since the geysers were closed off for so long , it's only natural that there was gas trapped inside. The sour smell from the previous geysers were not harmful , but this last one is highly toxic," she explained. Liu Ying turned to the disciples ." Let's stop work for now , the gas will take some time to disperse , so you can go back and get some rest , be back here in two hours time."
" Yes Senior ! " the juniors replied while dispersing.
Liu Ying turned to Li Cheng and the rest. " We should go back too , I don't want to risk anything so we will come back later. Let's go."
When the group reached camp , they discovered Yang Changtian looking at something confused. Following his line of sight , they found Da Xiong lugging over a huge load of clay.
Yang Changtian spotted them and turned to question them , " What are you going to do with this much clay ? "
" I'll show you , " Liu Ying simply answered. " Did you bring the straw too ?" she asked Da Xiong.
" Yes Senior , I already had someone take it to the western courtyard. " Da Xiong replied perfectly while still carrying that huge clay lump.
Li Cheng , Yang Changtian and Zhou Zilong were all impressed though they don't show it , ' He has a really fitting name' they all thought to themselves.
" Great , let's go over to the Western courtyard then." Liu Ying relied and walked ahead.
The rest just glanced at each other before following behind .
The Western courtyard was located close to the Western hut , likely the remains of a once prosperous household , it was a spacious space that was isolated . And the most important of all , the people who were spying on them weren't able to see what was going on.
Da Xiong dropped the clay lump in the middle of the courtyard , nearby there was a pile of hay.
" Da Xiong , go and ask him to come , and make sure the others are doing something , so that the people spying on us don't become suspicious." Liu Ying instructed , " Jin Wei , go and bring your supplies."
" Yes Senior ! , " the both of them responded before leaving to complete their respective tasks . Soon Da Xiong came back with a young boy in tow.
" Senior , Tao Su is here ." Da Xiong informed Liu Ying.
Liu Ying turned to look at Tao Su who immediately bowed to her , " What can I do for you today Master ?" he asked.
Yang Changtian and Li Cheng were already confused about this boy's sudden appearance; they hadn't seen him around a lot .
Searching his memory , Yang Changtian vaguely remembered seeing him protecting the carriage when they were attacked by the assassins , but after that it was like he vanished.
Yang Changtian and Li Cheng initially assumed that he was a young adult , but looking closer, he was still a child.
When the boy addressed Liu Ying as Master , they were even more confused.
Da Xiong saw their confusion and moved closer to explain. " Tao Su , is one of the kids Senior rescued a few years back, he is turning 13 this year , he is a part of a highly specialized group back in our department that Senior established and directly manages , not even the head detective can order them. Tao Su is from the swamp tribe in the South , his tribe has an innate skill that allows them to easily manipulate mud and clay"
This explanation only left Li Cheng and Yang Changtian more confused. Just when they thought they finally had a good idea about Liu Ying , they learn something new that's shocking.
Li Cheng and Yang Changtian looked at Liu Ying with complicated expressions , looks like she's much more mysterious and powerful than they thought.
" Tao Su , your task today is simple , I want you to use your special skill to make me some clay dummies. The dummies should be modeled after us." Liu Ying commanded , but one could detect a much warmer tone hidden behind her words.
" Tao Su accepts Master's orders." Tao Su replied before bowing at Liu Ying again.
Liu Ying patted his head and walked over to stand next to Li Cheng and Yang Changtian who still had a conflicted expression while looking at her. Liu Ying spotted them and just raised her eyebrow before ignoring them.
Just as Tao Su was about to start , Jin Wei returned with his art supplies in store. " Tao Su , you better make me handsome." he warned Tao Su.
Tao Su and Liu Ying both turned together to stare at him with blank expressions.
" I will only make you based on your appearance , if you have any problems with that , try changing your ugly face and coming back." Tao Su replied.
Da Xiong and Zhou Zilong burst into laughter , while Yang Changtian and Li Cheng just coughed to avoid laughing.
" You brat- " Jin Wei began.
" That's enough , we don't have all day. You , Jin Wei, stop acting like a kid." Liu Ying reprimanded.
Jin Wei just pouted and dragged his feet to stand beside Da Xiong who was trying hard to stop his laughter. Jin Wei saw this and he got engaged , he elbowed Da Xiong in the stomach hard. Da Xiong winced and stopped laughing while rubbing his now sore stomach.
Tao Su closed his eyes and did some strange hand signs that were very unfamiliar to Yang Changtian , Li Cheng and the rest.
Suddenly they all saw the clay lump and hay pile began to float , the clay and the hay merged together , then the mixture broke into 10 different lumps . All 10 lumps were levitating in a line , Tao Su approached one and with lightning fast hands he began to shape the clay , within mere seconds a life-like dummy of Liu Ying was made. Tao Su moved on to the next one with ease and repeated the action till they were left with 8 life-like dummies of the group . Tao Su suddenly stopped and turned to Liu Ying , " Master , I've made all of you , but there are two left , how should I proceed ? "
Liu Ying thought for a while and answered " Proceed as you see fit Tao Su."
Tao Su nodded his head and resumed his work. Just seconds later he was done . Liu Ying approached the dummies and observed them carefully , she stopped in front of the two final dummies before turning to Tao Su , she patted him on the head and just nodded. She then pulled out a small bag from her robes and handed it over Tao Su.
Tao Su accepted the bag and his expression got visibly happier , " Thank you Master ! " he bowed.
Liu Ying just smiled at him softly , " You can go and rest now Su , Jin Wei and Da Xiong will take care of the rest."
Yang Changtian and Li Cheng stared at Liu Ying in shock , they hadnt see her smile so warmly before.
' That smile is so familiar ' Li Cheng thought to himself.
His train of thoughts were interrupted by Jin Wei screeching. " This looks nothing like me , come back you little jerk."
Da Xiong also approached the dummy and observed it for a while." I think it looks exactly like you, haven't you looked in a mirror recently ? "
" Nonsense , my skin is not that textured. " Jin Wei yelled .
Liu Ying just rolled her eyes.
" It's literally made from clay and hay , what were you expecting Jin Wei ? " Da Xiog asked helplessly.
"That's enough , get to work." Liu Ying's cold voice broke through , even Li Cheng and Yang Changtian felt shivers down their spines.
" But-" Jin Wei began to protest.
" What did I just say Jin Wei ? " Liu Ying asked , her voice seemingly calm , but everyone felt the temperature drop .
" I apologise Senior , " Jin Wei finally answered. He dragged his art supplies to the dummies and began to paint them.
In an hour's time he was done painting the dummies , according to Liu Ying's wishes he had painted some gruesome wounds and some were even mauled.
Yang Changtian and the others were impressed at his skills, stepping closer to inspect the dummies; they were even more surprised when they found out that it looked exactly like the real thing.
" Let these dry , and tomorrow after we flood the village with the fog , we'll place them around the village to make it seem like we were all mauled by Crazies. " Liu Ying explained , " We should probably go check the geysers now , the gas must've dissipated . "
The group returned to the area that houses the geysers and just as predicted the gas had dispersed already , Li Cheng took the chance to immediately go study the geysers , Zhou Zilong also approached the geysers and took some basic measurements. When he was done , he went over to Liu Ying and Yang Changtian , " Ms. Liu , Senior brother , I'm done with the measurements , might I borrow the designs you sketched ? "
Liu Ying nodded and asked junior to go fetch the sketches from her tent , once he returned she gave the plans to Zhou Zilong . " Then Senior brother , Ms.Liu , I will take my leave , we have limited time so I must get to work instantly . I will be done by morning."
" I thank Mr. Zhou in advance then , " Liu Ying replied.
After Zhou Zilong left , " Liu Ying asked Da Xiong to come over , " Da Xiong I want you to take some juniors and go seal those other geysers . Remember once the geyser finishes spraying water , it'll usually be calm for a small period , take this opportunity to seal the geysers, remember to use some sturdy rocks."
Da Xiong accepted her instructions and went away to seal the other geysers.
Li Cheng finished studying the geysers and decided to walk back to the rest of the group.
" These geysers are very interesting Ms.Liu , I must admit I'm dying to see how they usually are."
" Fret not Mr. Li tomorrow we will have the chance to see the active geysers ." Liu Ying replied . " But we better return now and get some rest. Also everyone please don't be too alarmed if you hear any loud spraying sounds at night today , from my calculations the geysers will probably become active in the middle of the night . And to anyone who comes to see this at night , please be sure to stay in the green zone , or else you will suffer serious burns." Liu Ying warned.
Yang Changtian waved a disciple over and ordered him to pass on the message.
The group decided to go back and get some rest as they have a long day ahead tomorrow.
Just as Liu Ying predicted , everyone was awakened by a loud whooshing sound echoing through the village . The geysers that've been sealed off for so long had finally become active again , they were back to their former glory.