Mastering the Emperor's Craft, Have I Become an Artisan Myself

"Young Master, you didn't go in?"

"They wouldn't let me."

Back in the car, Wang Haodong pouted in frustration, accidentally tugging at his injury and hissing in pain as he sucked in a sharp breath.

The butler quickly turned his head away, barely suppressing a laugh.

He had genuinely undergone professional training—under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t laugh.

Holding it in for two seconds, the butler swiftly changed the subject: "Young Master, tell me why they didn’t let you in. I’ll help analyze it."

As he spoke, the butler avoided looking directly at the young master, not daring to meet his gaze at all.

Wang Haodong, with a pitiful expression, recounted what had just happened.

The butler realized: "Young Master, you made a mistake."

"Me? No way?" Wang Haodong was puzzled.

The butler sighed. "Young Master, there’s nothing wrong with seeking sympathy, but you shouldn’t have attacked Cao Cheng so soon—or at least, you shouldn’t have outright accused him of sending those men. You should’ve guided them to suspect him without spelling it out."

"Besides, Third Miss Ren and Fourth Miss Ren were clearly protecting him. They might’ve felt a little sorry for you at first, but the moment you blamed Cao Cheng, they turned on you."

"..."

That made sense.

Wang Haodong recalled the details—it really did seem that way.

But still.

Why?

What’s so great about that pretty boy?

Just because he’s their ‘little brother’?

He’s not even their real brother.

Just some kid their stepmother brought along—no blood relation, and they haven’t even known each other that long!

And they still protect him like this?

Why?

Wang Haodong was hit with a wave of negativity.

"Forget it, Young Master. No luck this time. Let’s return to Zhonghai and find a professional dentist to fix your teeth first. Otherwise..." The butler glanced at him, then immediately looked away, pursing his lips. "Otherwise, even talking will be difficult!"

Wang Haodong sighed gloomily. "Ah, why can’t Ren Yushang see my worth? Doesn’t she see how much I’ve done for her? Is she blind? She should open her eyes and really look at me—see if there’s anyone in this world who treats her better than I do. But she just won’t look."

"..."

The butler quickly averted his gaze again.

Couldn’t look.

Absolutely couldn’t look, Young Master.

"Tss—"

Another twinge of pain shot through his injury. Wang Haodong clutched his mouth and spat out a bit of blood.

The butler panicked. "Quick, quick! To the hospital—Young Master is coughing up blood!"

"Blood your ass! It’s just a split lip! Get the hell away from me before you piss me off even more. I’m already about to explode!"

The butler chuckled awkwardly.

Wang Haodong asked, "Did you find the guy who hit me?"

"Yes, Young Master. He’s got a record—a street thug. But..."

"Spit it out. Don’t drag it out."

"Well... coincidentally, the guy who hit you also has a grudge with Cao Cheng."

"What?"

Wang Haodong froze. "What grudge?"

The butler hesitated. "His two front teeth... were knocked out by Cao Cheng."

"Holy shit, what are the odds?"

"??"

The butler was speechless. Young Master, your choice of words is truly something else.

Wang Haodong’s eyes gleamed. "Alright, go find him. I’ll take him under my wing."

"Huh?"

"What ‘huh’? I’ll use this thug to deal with Cao Cheng—play them against each other." Wang Haodong snorted.

The butler corrected, "Young Master, I think you mean ‘kill two birds with one stone.’"

"Shut up! You’re so damn nitpicky! You get the idea, don’t you? Focus on the spirit of the plan!"

"Right, right. I’ll focus on the spirit. What’s your plan, Young Master?"

"I’ll recruit these thugs, have them gather people, and beat Cao Cheng up—at least knock his front teeth out. He had the nerve to laugh at me."

The butler was baffled. "Wait, Young Master, didn’t we agree to reconcile? Shouldn’t you be trying to win over your future brother-in-law? Why the sudden change? You’ve flip-flopped eight times today!"

"Uh—"

Wang Haodong paused. "Right... I should be reconciling."

The butler, at least, was clear-headed. "Exactly."

Wang Haodong nodded slowly. "Then let’s hold off. Don’t touch that thug yet—keep him around in case he’s useful later."

The butler nodded, giving a thumbs-up. "Young Master, you’re truly magnanimous."

Though the butler didn’t think much of Wang Haodong’s brains, there was one thing about him that stood out—his generosity.

Any other rich young master who got his teeth knocked out would’ve demanded the culprit’s head—or at least crippled them.

But not Wang Haodong. If someone was useful, he could let go of any grudge.

And he meant it—no holding back for future revenge.

This was the trait the butler admired most in the young master.

Sigh.

If only his brain hadn’t been soaked in water as a kid.

Guess nobody’s perfect.

The butler consoled himself.

"Young Master, let’s return to Zhonghai for treatment first. Third Miss and Fourth Miss won’t stay here forever. Once they leave, we’ll come back and properly bond with your future brother-in-law."

"Fine. Tss— Let’s go, quick. My gums are killing me."

The butler ordered, "Drive. Back to Zhonghai."

......

Wang Haodong left.

The next few days were peaceful.

But the emotional tension didn’t fade much—thanks to his massage skills, positive emotions grew rapidly.

Ren Yuege wasn’t one to stand on ceremony either.

After half a day out, she’d come home, flop onto the sofa, and prop her legs on Cao Cheng’s lap. "Rub them for me."

This had become routine.

Over these days,

Cao Cheng also completed two hundred consecutive draws, spending twenty thousand emotional points.

He got four diamond treasure chests, along with a pile of unsynthesized iron and bronze.

The four diamonds yielded:

[Unrestricted Skill Upgrade Card] x2

[Basic Carpentry]

[Basic Comprehensive Wilderness Survival]

He used one skill upgrade card to elevate his Traditional Chinese Medicine to [Basic], surpassing master-level.

His massage techniques instantly reached an enlightened tier, eliciting even stronger positive feedback.

Before, a massage could give at most +3; now, it could go up to +5!

As for wilderness survival, it indirectly improved his knowledge of ingredients, danger awareness, and counter-surveillance.

In the wild, the biggest threats were sudden disasters and wild beasts.

Now,

with this skill, Cao Cheng’s perception gained an extra layer of danger avoidance. If disaster or danger approached, he could sense it.

Almost like... Spider-Sense!

That was the beauty of skills—some seemed useless but brought indirect benefits beyond measure.

Lastly, [Basic Carpentry]—this level bordered on enlightenment. Even Lu Ban reincarnated would’ve been no better.

And...

it subtly bestowed a hint of ‘imperial dignity.’

Yes,

imperial.

The Ming Dynasty’s Tianqi Emperor had adored carpentry, said to rival Lu Ban himself.

So,

every skill Cao Cheng learned was fit for an emperor!

......

The next day, Cao Cheng visited a large furniture factory, bought some rosewood,

and a set of carving knives.

After a day’s work, he carved two lifelike figurines—so vivid their eyes seemed alive.

Though just wood,

anyone who saw them would swear the statues had come to life.

The two figurines were identical, yet their carved expressions clearly distinguished them—one as gentle as water: Ren Yushang.

The other was fiery and passionate—Ren Yuege.

This was nothing short of a miracle.

Even Cao Cheng himself stood frozen in disbelief for a long moment.

Had he just become a craftsman?