Doted By The Regent King
Chapter 164: Completion of the Work

Chapter 164: Chapter 164: Completion of the Work

In July, Wufu entered the final stages of carving the Chicken Blood Stone. In order to complete the final polishing in one go, she needed to stay and work in seclusion at the Hundred Treasures Silver Building.

Madam Zhou did not approve, thinking it improper for a young girl to stay outside, and that it would look bad if others found out. If any trouble were to arise, it would be even worse.

But Wufu insisted, and seeing her little face that had thinned and darkened from daily toil, Madam Zhou reluctantly agreed.

Wufu turned down Hongyu’s offer to accompany her, arguing that Madam Zhou needed Hongyu’s company more, and besides, the Hundred Treasures Silver Building was well-known in town, unlikely to give rise to any serious trouble.

Taking only a set of clothes, Wufu plunged into her temporary craftsmen room at the Hundred Treasures Silver Building, polishing the stone day and night.

Two days later, Wufu laid down the polishing cloth wheel she had made herself and stared blankly at the glowing red Pixiu Chicken Blood Seal, unable to smile for quite some time.

"Finally done!" she stretched and yawned, rubbing her sore eyes, which were red with threadlike vessels.

After covering the seal with red silk and opening the door, Wufu saw a person with their head in their hands right outside.

At the sound of the door, the person sprang up—it was undoubtedly Zhu Zijun.

"What are you doing here?" Wufu asked in a hoarse voice.

Zhu Zijun, hair slightly disheveled and eyes reddened, seemed very excited at the sight of Wufu.

"Have you finished?" he looked inside the room, his eyes full of an undisguised yearning.

Wufu knew immediately what he wanted. His obsession was so strong that he had been waiting here, knowing she was at the final stage.

She could understand such obsession; she herself had felt it, waiting day and night for a glimpse of the jade stone she yearned for.

With thoughts of the past softening her heart, Wufu said, "Come in."

Zhu Zijun’s face lit up with joy as he followed her in, his eyes not blinking as he watched her every move.

As she lifted the red silk in her hand, a blood-red stone seal appeared before them.

Zhu Zijun lunged towards it, nearly pressing his eyes to the Chicken Blood Stone.

The seal was square, and at the top, there was a carving of a crouching Pixiu, its eyes half-closed in a lazy yet commanding presence, finely carved with beautiful lines, so lifelike.

"The broken part was..." Zhu Zijun began to look for the broken corner but stopped mid-sentence.

The spot where he had carved a lotus pedestal, which had a broken corner, had been transformed by Wufu into the claw of the Pixiu. The toe was split and ingeniously turned the broken corner into a Jade Coin, giving the impression that the Pixiu’s claw was playing with it, carrying the symbolic meaning of attracting wealth and fortune.

Zhu Zijun reached trembling hands to pick it up, but Wufu stopped him.

"I... I just want to take a closer look," Zhu Zijun pleaded with his eyes.

Wufu handed him a pair of cloth gloves: "Put these on so you don’t get it sweaty. Otherwise, I’ll have to wipe it again, and that’s tiring."

Zhu Zijun hesitated, a bit embarrassed, but obediently put on the gloves as she had instructed before carefully lifting the Pixiu seal.

The alluringly red seal was striking, ingeniously cut, its colors reflecting off each other, while the decorative Pixiu was exquisitely carved, full of lifelike detail and rich in meaning, truly captivating.

Looking at the bottom of the seal, the dignitary’s name was engraved in seal script, quite intricately.

Zhu Zijun turned it over and over, and suddenly tears fell.

Wufu was taken aback.

Why was this grown man crying?