"Beidou, Tianquan, Tianji, Tianquan, Yuheng, Kaiyang, Yaoguang, these are the names of stars, collectively known as the Big Dipper," Qi Ze explained. "We also refer to them as the Seven Patriarchs of Deliverance, that is: the Greed Wolf Star Master of the Tianzhu Palace, the Great Gate Star Master of the Tianxuan Palace, the Lu Cun Star Master of the Tianji Palace, the Wenchu Star Master of the Tianquan Palace, the Lianzhen Star Master of the Yuheng Palace, the Wuchu Star Master of the Kaiyang Palace, the Pojun Star Master of the Yaoguang Palace, each with its responsibilities and duties."
"The Big Dipper? I've never heard of it." Li Ziqian shook his head. "After the End of the Century Era, human civilization suffered catastrophic damage, and we later left the Milky Way to seek survival in the Black Eye Galaxy. Forget the names of the stars, we might not even remember our ancestors' names. The reason Master Mu Feixing knew about this is probably because he read it in that ancient dictionary."
"It should be," Qi Ze confirmed. "I think he originally intended to create seven super-powered mechas, each named after the stars of the Big Dipper, but in the end, he didn't have time to finish."
"Yes, these six mechas alone have consumed his entire life's efforts." Li Ziqian shook his head, sighing.
"Can you tell me in detail about the other mechas?" Qi Ze suddenly became interested in this deceased master.
"As you said earlier, the other mechas are called Tianxuan, Tianji, Tianquan, Yuheng, and Kaiyang. Tianzhu is of metal-element, in the First Army; Tianxuan is of wood-element, in the Second Army; Tianji is of water-element, in the Third Army; Tianquan is of earth-element, in the Fourth Army; Yuheng is of wind-element, in the Fifth Army; Kaiyang is of fire-element, in the Sixth Army. They are each controlled by the six major families, that is the Li Family, the Song Family, the Fang Family, the Zhao Family, the Du Family, and the Yan Family. The royal family also controls an army, but they don't have super-powered mechas, so their power was quickly hollowed out, and thus the Huaxia Empire transitioned from a dictatorship to a parliamentary system."
Speaking of this, Li Ziqian spoke in admiration, "The people say that Master Mu Feixing was not only the pioneer of the mecha era but also a leading warrior for human rights. Without him, there would be no free, democratic, prosperous Huaxia Empire, so no praise is too great for him. Unfortunately, his descendants aren't worth much, and they've worn out his legacy."
Qi Ze suddenly understood, "No wonder the royal family hates the Mu Family so much."
"Exactly, the royal family hates the Mu Family to the bone," Li Ziqian said with a sarcastic smile.
"Now, the Mu Family is left with only one heir, Mu Ran, and he has the best chance of following in Mu Feixing's footsteps. In other words, in the near future, he might be able to create the seventh super-powered mecha, Yaoguang. I think this is not only Mu Feixing's unfulfilled wish but also an unresolved issue for the royal family. Now, Mu Ran is like a seed of hope for the royal family, and his value is incomparable. After all, he is the Young Master of the Sect, and his political acumen is not low. He deduced, "The royal family will certainly compete for control over Mu Ran. As long as they have Mu Ran, they have the possibility of gaining the power to rival the six major families. This is a relatively low-risk investment."
"Yes, so the princes are now all courting Mu Ran. It's rumored that whoever can win Mu Ran's favor and become his partner can secure the position of Crown Prince," Li Ziqian hinted meaningfully. "And someone has become a thorn in their eyes."
Qi Ze helplessly waved his hand, "This Mu Ran is a hot potato, taking him is not good, not taking him is not good, it's really troublesome." After a pause, he pondered, "The Big Dipper corresponds to the seven major elements: metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, and thunder. Now, counting, we're missing the thunder element. Are there any princes with thunder-type abilities? If Mu Ran truly wants to fulfill Mu Feixing's wish, he should create a thunder-type super-powered mecha, and the partner he chooses must be compatible in elements."
Although there are many types of abilities, these sevenâmetal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, and thunderâare the most common, and are recognized by the empire's public as the primary elements. There are also mutant elements and auxiliary elements.
"There is, the Fifth Prince is a thunder-type ability user," Li Ziqian said with a raised eyebrow. "Yan Junyu is too, and he's slightly more powerful."
Qi Ze nodded without speaking. After getting the information he was interested in, he climbed up the hoist to inspect the internal parts of Tianzhu.
"The cockpit was destroyed, without a reference, I can't restore it exactly as it was," he stated beforehand. "So I'll remodel it in my own way. You may have to spend some time getting familiar with the new operating system. Of course, I can guarantee that its performance will not be inferior to the old operating system."
"Do it Master's way, I have no objections," Li Ziqian added gently. "I'm only responsible for paying the bill, I don't care about the rest."
"You're my favorite kind of customer," Qi Ze said happily with a smile.
"It's my honor," Li Ziqian crossed his arms over his chest and performed a graceful, aristocratic gesture.
"This is a big project, and I currently don't know when it will be finished. It might take half a year, it might take three to five years. Can you wait?"
"Regardless of how long it takes."
Li Ziqian's answer pleased Qi Ze very much, so he came down from the hoist, ready to find suitable materials and then list them so that the Li Family could seek them out themselves. Just as he reached the repair bay entrance, he paused, stating matter-of-factly, "Almost forgot one thing, do you have any nudes? Send me a few, front, side, close-up, full body, all."
Li Ziqian's expression was indescribable. A'kui looked at the Master with a strange gaze, wondering if the Master had fallen in love with their BOSS. How would Young Master Ouyang feel about this?
"Why do you want my nudes?" Li Ziqian's pale cheeks flushed red. Without a doubt, this was the first time he had such a healthy complexion since his serious injury.
"I need a reference," Qi Ze didn't find this request at all excessive. "Although the material is different, I can guarantee that I'll make your limbs exactly the same as they were."
Li Ziqian suddenly understood and sent over a few nudes he found in his private photo album, embarrassed. "These were taken when I first joined the military, it was also when I was at my peak. If Master can help me fully recover, I'd be eternally grateful."
"No need to thank me," Qi Ze carefully looked at them for a few moments, praising, "Your muscles have a powerful sense of strength; broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs, golden ratio; eight-pack abs are neatly aligned, and the V-line is also beautiful. You were indeed a handsome man back then, no wonder they put you at the top of the list of eligible bachelors."
A'kui silently covered his face, Li Ziqian couldn't listen anymore. Being evaluated by a half-grown teenager for his nudity was an embarrassment that was almost unbearable. He let out a weak moan, begging, "Master, can you go back and look at them?"
"Alright, I'll take another careful look when I go back," Qi Ze regretfully put away the photos, consoling him, "Don't worry, I will definitely create a perfect body for you."
Imagining the Master going back and forth to admire his nudes, Li Ziqian's entire body heated up. He really couldn't handle this kind of Master. Although the words were flirtatious, he could say them with complete seriousness. Was it deliberate or did he just not have any awareness in this area? But regardless, he didn't feel any disgust.
"As long as Master is happy," he weakly said, "Let's go out, I'll introduce you to my parents."
"Let's go." Qi Ze snapped his fingers, his movements extremely suave.
In the study, the head of the Li Family was having a serious talk with his wife.
"You're saying our son didn't just break his body but also his brain? I checked on that Qi Ze, he's a carbon-based being, although he took nine Level certificates at once, barely qualifying to be called a Master, but he's still far from being a divine level! Do you know how old he is this year? Eighteen, not even an adult! Yet our son believes in him so much, even bringing him home to visit Tianzhu, it's like he's bewitched!" The head of the Li Family lamented continuously.
"Didn't you say that as long as our son is happy, you wouldn't care about anything?" Lady Li was quite calm. "Qi Ze is an orphan and has a good relationship with Li Yu, it's easy to control him. If he wants to deceive our son, let him deceive him, we can control the direction, and we don't have to worry about not being able to handle the situation in the end. If he goes too far, we can find a reason to make him disappear in a reasonable way."
"But don't you feel that this is very strange? When did our son become so gullible? I'm starting to doubt his intelligence! No, I have to take our son to the hospital for a check-up, to see if his mental health is in trouble."
"Then let's do a brain scan first." Lady Li was also swayed. Putting a faith in an eighteen-year-old boy as a divine-level master was too absurd.
Just as the two of them decided, the robot butler knocked on the door and reported, "Head of the Family, Lady, Young Master and the guest are waiting in the hall, the food is also prepared."
"Alright, we'll go down right away." The couple walked hand in hand into the living room, greeting Qi Ze with kind smiles. Qi Ze was never patient with such social engagements, and he was afraid of seeing smelly barbecued meat on the dinner table, so he immediately proposed to leave.
"Don't you want to stay for a meal?" Although the head of the Li Family said this, his attitude was extremely perfunctory. He wanted to get rid of the young man as soon as possible and then have a good talk with his son. His son hadn't returned home for so many years, who knew what changes his heart had undergone. Maybe the radiation contamination had invaded his brain cells and made him mentally deranged. If that was the case, the "divine-level master" Qi Ze would be useless, he might as well send his son to a sanatorium.
"No, I have to prepare materials for Young Master Li's body repair," Qi Ze didn't care about the head of the Li Family's attitude, as long as they didn't default on their debt.
"Sorry to trouble you, please take your time leaving." Lady Li forced a smile and led him to the door, almost unable to wait to summon their own driver, quickly saying goodbye, "We won't send you far, be careful on your way."
Qi Ze had just put one foot into the car when he felt his back being patted by Lady Li, and he immediately fell into the seat, almost rolling over. The driver was very perceptive and immediately operated the safety belt, tying him securely to the back seat, and then sped off. This didn't look like sending someone off, but more like kidnapping.
Not only was Qi Ze stunned, even Li Ziqian was stunned for a long time.
Lady Li saw her son's reproachful gaze and said resentfully, "I forgot he was a carbon-based being, that slap was a bit too hard. But looking at him, he doesn't seem to be injured. Shall I let the driver send him to the hospital for a check-up?" She really didn't mean to, she just wanted to pat the youth to express the friendly atmosphere of farewell, who would have thought he was so weak.
"No need, the Master should not be injured. I'll call him later and apologize on your behalf," Li Ziqian helplessly put his hand on his forehead.
"Shall we go in then?" Lady Li sighed in relief, tentatively saying, "You haven't been home for a long time, we don't know how your body is doing, why don't your father and I take you to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow, so we can be at ease."
"Are you trying to see if my brain is broken?" Li Ziqian said sarcastically, "Go to the study, let me show you Master's abilities, so you don't offend him again in the future."
The three of them came to the study and activated the shield system. Li Ziqian took off his jacket and shirt, exposing his upper body, then took off his white gloves, saying solemnly, "These are the arms the Master made for me, take a good look."
"My God! What is this?" Lady Li was so shocked she was incoherent.
The head of the Li Family stepped forward and stroked the stump with trembling hands, his voice filled with horror. "Is this crystal? Why is it growing with your body? It's a stone, why is it able to move freely like a human joint? What kind of technology is this?"
He felt his understanding was being severely challenged. The wound that could never be healed before, now not only healed but also sprouted a pair of stone arms. That stone could bend, stretch, and move, no different from soft flesh! How could this be? This absolutely couldn't be!
"It can move." Li Ziqian made a fist-clenching motion and then looked at his mother helplessly, "Mom, stop touching it, it's itchy."
"Huh? You have a sensation?" Lady Li quickly raised her hand, her eyes filled with fear at being scared. Stones could have a sensation, this was completely unscientific!
"Of course there's a sensation, after all, this is part of my body, not a mechanical part," Li Ziqian said calmly. "This sensation isn't very sharp, it's like through a layer of fabric, or like anesthetic just half off, it takes a few seconds to reach the brain. But this is just a prototype, the finished product is no different from my previous body, and I can regain my abilities and return to my peak state. Dad, Mom, my brain isn't broken, the Master isn't a fraud, be a little more courteous to him."
"Okay, okay, Mom was wrong! Mom will apologize to the Master now." Lady Li's face was extremely pale, very afraid that the previous rudeness would make the Master have a repulsion to her son, so she immediately called the driver and repeatedly apologized to the Master through the loudspeaker, then ran to the warehouse to prepare to send the most precious collection as a gift.
When Lady Li was running around the house like a headless fly, the head of the Li Family was staring at his son's arm, repeatedly checking and studying it, repeatedly praising, "How is this done? It's incredible! Stones can actually grow with flesh, this completely violates the principle of science! This is creation, the Divine Realm!"
"So I say Qi Ze is a divine-level master." Li Ziqian reminded. "Dad, even if you can't board the master's giant ship, you mustn't offend him."
"We will board it." The head of the Li Family quickly recovered his composure, sighing, "Our Li Family's luck has come. Son, you must meet all of Master's requirements, I have to call Li Yu and ask him about Master's preferences. We were blind earlier, one day I'll go to the school in person to apologize to Master."
"No need, Master doesn't want to attract attention right now." Li Ziqian waved his hand. "Master will come again, he promised to help me repair Tianzhu. By then, we can have a banquet to apologize, that would be more sincere."
"He can even repair Tianzhu?" The head of the Li Family's heart raced.
"If he can't repair Tianzhu, who can?" Li Ziqian retorted.
The head of the Li Family took a few deep breaths and made a decision, "This ship our Li Family must board! Son, your mother and I originally planned to bring you home to live, but it turns out that it wouldn't be appropriate. Leaving the dormitory, your relationship with Master might become distant, it's best to stay by his side. What kind of luck do you have? In the empire, with billions of people, you just happened to meet Master. This is turning misfortune into blessing!"
As for the origins of the Master, he didn't say, but he could guess more or less.
Li Ziqian smiled but didn't say anything. If encountering the Master was a compensation from the God of Fate, then now, he could gladly accept the hardships he had suffered before. He told his father the whole story of meeting the Master, causing the other to laugh heartily. How many years has it been? Since his serious injury, this family had been shrouded in a thick black shadow, unable to see the light of the sun again.
Lady Li heard the laughter and immediately came out of the collection room, leaning against the door and staring at her cheerful husband and son with teary eyes. She sincerely thanked the heavens and was even more grateful to Master Qi, who brought rebirth and hope to her son. When she wanted to go in and hug her husband and son tightly, a commotion came from downstairs.
"I heard that Ziqian came back, we came to see him. Where is he?" asked the head of the Li Family's younger brother, Li Ziqian's second uncle.
"Young Master is upstairs, I'll inform him for you," the robot butler said politely.
"What Young Master? Just a waste!" Li Ziqian's cousin, Li Zichen, sneered.
"Zichen, what are you talking about?" Lady Li the Second scolded in her words, but her voice conveyed schadenfreude.
Lady Li was very upset and wanted to drive these people away, but was stopped by her husband and son. The family of three sat in the living room and exchanged a few words with the second family, then Li Zichen couldn't hold back, walked up and extended his hand, "Dear cousin, I haven't seen you for a long time, how is your body?"
"I'm fine, thank you for your concern," Li Ziqian shook his hand, moving it up and down.
"Hey, this mechanical hand is quite sturdy, just installed not long ago?" Li Zichen mocked. "I heard that your mechanical device is getting less and less durable, you have to replace it every three to five days? Why are you still the Young Master? You'd better go to a sanatorium outside."
"It was indeed just replaced, it should not break down for a short time," Li Ziqian applied a little force, and Li Zichen's fingers broke, the sound of bones cracking made people's teeth grind.
Although Li Zichen was not as good as his cousin, he was still an S-level special person, and the strength of his body was comparable to U-type alloy. To hurt him, to snap his bones, would require an astonishing amount of force. And this was not something the current Li Ziqian could do.
But he really did it.
The living room was deathly silent, then the sound of Li Zichen's painful moans rang out. He held his deformed palm, incredulous, and asked, "How could you hurt me? This is impossible!" He stared at the other party's white-gloved palm, wishing he could see through the fabric and see through the mechanical device inside.
The palm that used to break with a twist now left him helpless. Did Deng Feng improve the technology? Why didn't he know? If Li Ziqian installed a device with both hardness and strength, did that mean he could be a normal person again?
Thinking about it, Li Zichen's already pale face became extremely ugly.
"Sorry cousin, you know, the mechanical hand doesn't have a tactile system, so it's hard to control the force," Li Ziqian apologized without sincerity. "Second Uncle, Second Aunt, I'm really sorry, you should send him to the hospital for a check-up as soon as possible."
"Ah, right away!" Lady Li the Second looked at his hands in doubt.
Second Uncle directly asked, "Did you improve the prostheses?"
"Yes, it won't be long before Ziqian can recover," the head of the Li Family said indifferently. "I know what you're thinking, you just think Ziqian is a waste and want your son to take his place. Let me tell you clearly, Zichen can't support the First Army at all, instead, it will decline faster. You may leave, the position of Young Master belongs to Ziqian, no matter how you operate, it will be in vain."
"It's not you who has the final say!" The second uncle looked coldly at his nephew and walked out first, Lady Li the Second hurriedly supported her son and followed.
"They will ask the patriarch to step in and remove my position as Young Master. Dad, my serious injury has not healed, the clan probably can't wait any longer."
"We'll see then, hopefully, the Master can help you fix your body before the clan meeting." The head of the Li Family sighed, feeling utterly helpless. "The super-powered mecha is already destroyed, the Li Family should be lying low, but they're making such a big fuss about changing the heir, they're not afraid of drawing the attention of the entire empire."
"Who asked you to hide the fact that Tianzhu was destroyed and put all the pressure on yourself and your son? Now it's good, the clan still thinks the Li Family is the Li Family of the past, and they're busy dying!" Lady Li was angry and heartbroken, tears instantly welling up in her eyesâ
The Li Family was in a gloomy mood, but Qi Ze was in a good mood, now lying half on the sofa, pulling out Li Ziqian's nudes to enjoy.
"No wonder those people online want to lick the screen all the time," he murmured.
"What are you looking at?" Yan Junyu's voice suddenly appeared behind the sofa, scaring Qi Ze so much that he almost rolled to the floor. He fumbled to turn off his smartbrain, but accidentally clicked on the holographic button, and Li Ziqian's lean body appeared in the middle of the living room, rotating 360 degrees, with every pore clearly visible.
Qi Ze silently covered his face, his ears and neck flushed red. Although he had been pretending to be a wastrel for over a decade, he was very innocent himself and had only seen Yan Junyu's and Li Ziqian's nudes, and didn't have any lewd thoughts, just pure appreciation.
"Why do you have Li Ziqian's nudes?" Yan Junyu clenched his teeth, asking word by word.
"He sent them to me." Feeling the Young Master Yan's suddenly bursting murderous aura, Qi Ze tried his best to defend himself, "No, it's not what you think! I have a purely business relationship with him!" Ah, when explained like this, the situation seemed more serious! Who bought who was a big problem.