Immortal Dao is dead, I am the mastermind behind it all.

Kongsang Academy.

Shen Moyan was in his private cave dwelling in the academy, surrounded by piles of his spoils from the past few days.

"The Secrets of Paper Cutting: A magical art, creating paper figures, which was the foundation of the Cen family in the past."

Sometimes, when the trading location is too far away and the Cen family is short-handed, the Transcendent Realm cultivators in the clan will use this technique to drive paper doll clones to conduct business.

"Success or failure both can come from magical arts."

The Cen family's paper-cutting humanoid technique is incomplete; the paper-cutting humanoid cannot see the paper figure's field of vision, and naturally has little control over the paper figure.

Historically, the Cen family has experienced several instances of paper doll rebellions, resulting in significant losses and offending many customers.

Therefore, this technique was kept strictly guarded by the patriarch and could not be used by anyone other than a genius in the clan.

Nowadays, only the head of the Cen family and some elders know how to use this technique; even Cen Gewu is not qualified to use it.

Cen Jing had Shen Moyan's heart in his grasp. As long as he used the cloud-patterned spirit paper and black iron ink ingots given by the other party, who knows what kind of paper figure he would create.

Shen Moyan didn't want to hear such nonsense as "whoever is stronger is the original body".

"The Cen family has fallen on hard times."

"Thinking back, Cen Jing's attitude towards me that day revealed a lot of problems."

Having been merchants for generations, they must have had some connections in both Kongsang County and the Holy Court.

But when Shen Moyan went to the Cen family that day, Cen Jing grabbed him as if he were a lifeline.

They looked so humble, as if they wanted to press their faces against Shen Moyan's feet.

"Also, the amount of supplies mobilized for the defense of Kongsang County recently has been significantly more than in the past few years."

"Has something happened?"

"Is it still that Biyang bastard Xu Mingxuan causing trouble?"

Shen Moyan held a piece of light blue cloud-patterned spirit paper between his fingertips, the paper shimmering with a faint light.

It was made from the pulp of three-hundred-year-old spirit bamboo mixed with morning dew, which he casually took from the Construction Department.

In his other hand, he held a dark black iron ink ingot. The ink he dipped his brush into was not ordinary ink, but spiritual ink mixed with a wisp of his own divine consciousness and low-grade spiritual liquid. Naturally, he had obtained it from the Construction Department.

The paper figures provided by Cen Jing are not irreplaceable.

Shen Moyan has the backing of the Kongsang County government, so he can get whatever materials he wants with a simple action.

With swift strokes of the brush, a human figure with distinct features was quickly sketched on the paper. With just a few strokes, the paper figure's eyes and brows were lively, and it was dressed in short, tight-fitting clothes.

"It's alright, I'll start refining it as soon as I get the materials for the Heavenly Demon Ritual."

"Even if Kongsang County is flooded, it will have nothing to do with me."

As the last stroke was completed, Shen Moyan flicked his finger, sending a wisp of magical power into the heart of the paper man.

The paper figure suddenly stood upright, arms outstretched, bowing to him in a clear, bell-like voice:

"Greetings to the Venerable One."

It was surrounded by a faint spiritual aura, its paper body moved freely, and its eyes were full of wisdom.

This is the paper-cutting of a human, with spirit paper as its body, spirit ink as its soul, and divine consciousness as its guide. It can speak, act, and think, and can also carry some of Shen Moyan's own magic.

"Very good." Although Shen Moyan did not have the paper figure's perspective, he could vaguely sense the paper figure's position.

"If enough magical power is poured in, it can even grow larger and become an avatar of mine, with a face identical to my original self."

Shen Moyan channeled 30% of his magical power into the paper doll's body.

The paper doll suddenly grew larger, and the aura of a living person wafted over it.

Then Shen Moyan pointed lightly, and his magic power rippled on the forehead of the paper doll clone.

"Be free from all appearances," he murmured.

All external appearances are illusions.

The spell of transcending all forms permeated the entire paper figure, making its mind completely subject to Shen Moyan's commands and impossible for others to control.

After doing this, Shen Moyan carefully refined the Six Senses Firefly into the head of the paper figure.

An hour later, the paper figure opened its eyes.

Shen Moyan had two perspectives at the same time, and the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

"Although the process was tedious, the results were good."

"From now on, your name will be Shen Yi."

Shen Moyan stamped the paper figure with the Nine Songs Seal, and then threw the deputy chief's token to the other party.

He gave this paper doll an absolute order: to clock in at the Construction Department every day, report the situation regularly, and closely monitor Xu Mingxuan's movements.

"I still have enough magic power, should I refine another one?" Shen Moyan now has sufficient magic power and enough materials from the Construction Department.

Two more hours passed, and Shen Moyan felt somewhat exhausted. He took out a Soul-Nourishing Pill and started taking it.

"Shen Yi, Shen Er, Shen San."

"Three paper figures, three perspectives—that's the limit of my mental power right now."

Shen Moyan issued orders to these clones. As for himself, he planned to remain hidden in the academy.

"The academy and the Cen family, each set up a paper figure."

…………

A few weeks later, it was almost time for the department head to come and audit the accounts.

"Hey, did you hear? Senior Jiang is coming back."

"Senior Jiang? That Senior Jiang?"

"Jiang family of Langya Prefecture, Jiang Zhi Qiu's elder brother, Qing Shui Zhenren! Jiang Qing Shui!"

A commotion broke out in the academy.

Shen Moyan listened to the commotion of the students through his Earth-Hearing Ear, and looked puzzled.

"Jiang Qingshui..."

"The person from the Judicial Office is also named Jiang Qingshui; this is no coincidence."

The Jiang family, the Jiang family of Langya Prefecture. They are a behemoth that occupies an entire prefecture, and their family history is even longer than the founding history of Kongsang County.

Jiang Zhi Qiu was only a member of a collateral branch of the family, yet his death attracted the personal condolences of the direct descendants of the main branch.

There's something unusual about this whole thing.

Shen Moyan sat cross-legged on the futon in his cave, his eyes closed, but his mind was divided into three parts, spreading out like a spider web, connecting three different corners of Kongsang County.

The bustling academy, the busy construction department, and the Cen family mansion rife with undercurrents.

Three completely different landscapes, three independent perspectives, all converged into his mind at this moment.

"Jiang Qingshui..." Shen Moyan muttered to himself, his knuckles unconsciously tapping his knee.

It all began with Jiang Zhi Qiu's death.

Shen Moyan only knew that Jiang Zhi Qiu was very likely killed by those two disciples of the Biyang Sword Sect, but he did not see how he died.

Although from his perspective, the events in Dongshan City were all orchestrated by Ni Gaoyuan, that rogue cultivator.

Could it be that Ni Gaoyuan isn't the real mastermind behind it all?

Shen Moyan frowned.

He thus fled Dongshan City, came to Kongsang County, met Xu Mingxuan, entered the Construction Department, and made contact with the Cen family.

Now, the deceased's brother has arrived.

Like a boulder thrown into a seemingly calm pond, can those things hidden beneath the surface still lie dormant safely?

Alarm bells rang in Shen Moyan's mind.

His original plan was to use the position of deputy director of the Construction Department given to him by Xu Mingxuan to quietly gather the materials for the Heavenly Demon Ritual and then flee far away.

But now it seems that the pool is much deeper and more murky than he imagined.

With a thought, his paper doll clone "Shen San," located far inside the academy, quietly changed position and blended into the crowd of students, its ears like radar, capturing all information about Jiang Qingshui.