Most of those who received the invitations to come here were weapon refiners. Almost everyone brought their most proud puppets with them. Puppets of all shapes and sizes with unique styles accompanied their masters, shuttling between the magnificent halls.
Qianji, with its short stature and old appearance, seemed a little insignificant in such an occasion. When it led its friends to walk under the feet of humans, occasionally some surprised discussions could be heard around it.
"Look, this is a style from 100 to 200 years ago, and yet it still exists today."
"Oh, how old is this antique? My grandfather has one like it in his warehouse."
"Who on earth is this? How dare you bring such a shabby puppet to the Jin family's banquet?"
But soon someone will remind these ignorant young people, "Be careful with your words, open your eyes and look carefully before you speak. That is the strongest combat puppet in Fuwang City. If I tell you who his master is, you will be scared to death."
The young people thought about it and thought of a legendary figure. Their faces turned pale and they quickly shut their mouths.
"Don't mind what those inexperienced guys say," Qianji puffed out his chest, not caring about what they said, and said as he walked, "Don't be fooled by the beautiful appearance of the puppets here. In fact, most of them are just empty shells. Few can compare with us."
Shan Xiaojin held up his little lotus leaf and looked around curiously. He had only been in this world for a short time, and it was the first time he saw so many of his kind.
Looking up from the edge of the lotus leaf, from time to time, fellow people in gorgeous clothes would bend down to greet him. Shan Xiaojin held his head high, watching their stiff faces and open and closed jaws as they bowed toward him, mechanically repeating words of welcome.
Shan Xiaojin waved to them quietly, and those companions who clearly saw him just smiled dully and did not respond to him at all.
Shan Xiaojin slowly stopped greeting them. He suddenly felt a little sad. He felt that he should not be classified as one of the same kind as these cold and dull wooden people. He felt that he should be one of the same kind as his master, Xiaoqian, and Xiaoya.
"Hmm? This time, the Jin family's banquet was not in vain. I found an interesting little guy." The lake blue skirt stopped in front of Shan Xiaojin. A female cultivator with gray hair and sharp eyes bent down to look at Shan Xiaojin. The woman's wrinkled palm was in front of Shan Xiaojin, "Come, let me see."
Shan Xiaojin was startled and quickly stepped back, turning into a puddle of water and sliding away from the ground, sliding all the way to Mu Xue, then turning back into a human and hiding behind Mu Xue.
"It's you? Nice to see you again. You're also a puppeteer." The woman was a little surprised to see Mu Xue. It turned out to be Mu Xue's old friend Ruan Honglian.
Mu Xue picked up Shan Xiaojin and stood up.
She and Honglian met when they were young and spent the darkest years of their lives together.
When they were young, Honglian and she had helped each other cheat in school, had been whipped by the master together, and had hugged the master's legs and cried for help together.
As a young girl, Honglian was beautiful and high-spirited, had many admirers, and lived a carefree life. She was the only guest in her almost closed courtyard.
The red lotus of childhood, the red lotus of adolescence, and the red lotus of youth slowly overlapped with the white-haired old man in front of her.
The temples are full of frost and the rosy face is gone from the mirror, these are the things that cannot be retained in this world.
"Is this the puppet you made? Can you show it to me?" While Mu Xue was stunned, Ruan Honglian in front of her pointed at Shan Xiaojin and asked.
"Ah, okay. Of course." Mu Xue reacted, comforted Shan Xiaojin, and handed it to Ruan Honglian.
Ruan Honglian held Shan Xiaojin in her hands and examined him carefully, then sighed, "It seems that I am really getting old. There are always talented people emerging in every generation, but I can't fully comprehend its material at a glance."
"The main material used is meteorite iron, and we also refined a piece of lotus root and lotus leaf obtained from the Dongyue Temple." Mu Xue said hurriedly, "It's because the material is rare, not because you are old."
Ruan Honglian laughed, "We have never met before, why are you telling me so casually? You are such a silly child, looking at you reminds me of an old friend."
She looked at Mu Xue, and her sharp eyes softened. "She is a genius like you. She is pure, kind, and has no ulterior motives."
It turns out that in Honglian's heart, I am such a person.
Ruan Honglian returned the little puppet to her and treated the girl she liked like a junior.
"Your puppet is very well made, but it seems not yet fully finished. What do you think is the most important thing for a good puppet?"
Mu Xue had not yet recovered from her past memories and said in confusion, "The most important thing is the ability to think, self-awareness, and an autonomous energy system."
Her words instantly brought back Ruan Honglian's memories of her teenage years. The scenes from those days emerged clearly in her mind.
At that time, I was still an ignorant girl, and I always felt that I had endless years to squander.
She still remembered that day when Ah Xue sat on a tall puppet and practiced repairs. She wiped her nose with black engine oil and asked,
"Honglian, what kind of puppet do you want to be in the future? What do you think is the most important thing for an excellent puppet to have?"
"What is it? Powerful attack capability? Indestructible defense capability? Easy switching between multiple modes? A keen sensor system? They are all important, but I can't think of it." Ruan Honglian sat on the ground and looked at her. "Anyway, I want to be the puppet that sells for the most money and makes the most money."
"I think the ultimate dream of an excellent puppeteer is to be able to create a puppet with self-awareness and autonomous action capabilities." The young Axue stopped what she was doing, her eyes sparkling. "Such puppets, whether they are combat types or life types, will be countless times more powerful than puppets that can only dully execute orders. They can even stay by my side and become my family and partners."
"Hehe, you really dare to think like that. If that's the case, can it still be called a puppet? It's almost the same as us humans. This is something only gods can do, right?"
"Even if I can't do it, I can always think about it." Axue, who was still very weak at the time, scratched her head embarrassedly, "If I don't even think about it, how can I achieve it? Even if I can't do it in this life, maybe I will have a chance to do it in the next life."
Later, Mu Xue devoted herself to the art of refining weapons and really made the puppet she wanted. Even today, her apprentices still inherit her will and continue to improve her wishes.
However, I was distracted by pleasure and play, and although I lived many more years longer than Axue, I ultimately achieved nothing.
Outside the door of the banquet hall, puppets dressed in gorgeous clothes and with exquisite makeup, carrying dishes, walked in one after another in uniform steps, bringing Ruan Honglian back from her memories.
The girl in front of her was looking at her, with a clear and determined gaze, just like Ah Xue's back then. The little puppet on her shoulder made a very anthropomorphic face at her.
Ruan Honglian looked at the girl with her heart beating. She was pleasantly surprised to find that her cultivation, which had been silent and stagnant for many years, seemed to have a slight fluctuation.
The head of the Jin family arrived a little late. He was a short, fat, middle-aged man with a wealthy appearance. When he smiled, his eyebrows curved, which was very funny. But this time, he seemed to have something on his mind and looked melancholy.
After three rounds of drinks, he stood up and cleared his throat.
"Everyone, I believe most of you already know the reason why we invited you all here this time."
The meeting hall was buzzed with the sound of discussions.
"Just for that? I knew it."
"Another death."
"This is the first one, can't it be covered?"
"Have you found out the reason?"
Ding Lanlan, Mu Xue and Lin Yin, who were sitting at the same table, looked at each other in bewilderment. They had just arrived here and naturally had no idea what had happened in Fuwang City today.
"They are talking about the series of incidents of puppets killing their masters during this period of time." A demon cultivator sitting next to Ding Lanlan explained to the three girls.
"The puppet killed its master? That's impossible." Ding Lanlan and Mu Xue said in unison.
As weapon refiners who are proficient in puppet making, they both know that the first element of puppet making is absolute and wholehearted obedience to the master.
The first thing to do when a puppet is delivered is to infuse it with the owner's blood in order to establish a connection between the master and servant and ensure the user's absolute control.
Over the years, I have heard of countless puppets risking their lives for their masters, and I have never heard of any puppets harming their masters.
At the head table, the head of the Jin family was speaking, "The first person to get into trouble was none other than Sun Junde, the maker of these puppets. The scary thing is that although Sun is dead, the technique he used to make these puppets is gone."
He clapped his hands, and a bright light in the center of the banquet hall lit up, and a virtual image of the crime scene appeared in the light.
It was in a dim basement. As the camera turned, the walls were covered in blood and foreign objects. Many people put down their tableware and lost their desire to eat.
"Everyone, if we don't find out the truth of this matter as soon as possible, it will affect the reputation of all puppeteers. Soon, everyone will be afraid to use puppets. The status of our puppeteers in the city will plummet." The shopkeeper Jin bowed deeply to everyone, "So I hope everyone will work together to help our Jin family find out the truth. If you can recover the person who refined the skills of the Sun family, our Jin family will definitely reward you handsomely."
Next, a row of puppets in brocade robes carried the valuable thank-you gift that the Jin family had promised and walked around the venue, causing a lot of discussion.
"The puppets that were in trouble were all purchased by the Jin family from Sun Dejun, and then sold to some prestigious people in the city at a high price." The young demon cultivator chatted enthusiastically with Mu Xue and others, "So the Jin family is responsible and is very anxious."
"What kind of person is Sun Dejun?" Mu Xue asked him.
The demon cultivator was delighted when he saw the beautiful girl in red was attracted by his words.
He couldn't help rubbing his hands and introduced himself to Mu Xue, "My surname is Liu, and my name is Liu Xiangquan. I'm in the middle stage of foundation building, and I'm a disciple of the 32nd branch of the Liu family. May I know the names of my sisters?"
Mu Xue didn't respond to his question, nor did she show any displeasure. She just continued to smile and asked, "So, what kind of person is Sun Dejun?"
Liu Xiangquan was dazzled by that smile and wanted to show off even more. "Just ask me about this matter. I know Sun Dejun's background very well."
"It was only this year that Cripple Sun was recognized as a great master. In the past, he was just a mediocre weapon refiner. He couldn't sell the puppets he refined, and his wife ran away with someone else. His family was so poor that they couldn't afford food or even the materials for refining weapons. They had to rely on borrowing to make ends meet. Even I once lent him some money. He once called me Brother Liu when he saw me."
"He was also a mean person with shabby clothes. Cats and dogs all disliked him. He was often pushed into the gutter on the street. But half a year ago, I don't know what happened. He suddenly got smart. The puppets he made were smarter and more beautiful than anyone else's. Everyone wanted them. He started shaking from then on."
"When this man starts to show off, he changes completely. I don't know where this habit comes from. Not only did he move into a bigger house, he also bought a whole yard of adopted sons and daughters. He no longer calls me when he sees me."
"Hehe, it's a pity that God didn't let him tremble for long."
"Since my sisters are interested in this matter, why don't we go to the Sun family's house after we leave here? I'm very familiar with that street, so I won't let the scoundrel bump into you sisters."
…
Liu Xiangquan continued to talk, but Mu Xue was already lost in thought.
As a puppet created by humans, it killed the master who created it. She wanted to find out the truth about this matter, so she had to go to the scene to see it.
She looked up at Cen Qianshan, who was complimented and sat at the head table, with a questioning look in her eyes.
Cen Qianshan was also looking at her, and he just smiled at her faintly, and tapped the table lightly with his slender fingers to show his agreement.
Xiaoshan has really grown up and is much calmer than before. I remember when he was a child, if I got close to other children, he would pout and secretly be upset for a long time.
Mu Xue felt very relieved.
In front of the French window of the banquet hall, Qianji, who was competing with Xiaoya and Xiaojin to see who could tie a bow faster with their arms, suddenly stopped moving.
It retracted its arms that had been twisted into several circles with a whoosh, and its cute smiling face turned over to reveal a ferocious look.
"What's wrong?" Shan Xiaojin asked him.
"Nothing, my master asked me to do something." It patted its body and stood up. "You guys play first, I'll be back soon."
Shan Xiaojin watched as Qianji, who was the size of a teacup, slipped silently under various tables and chairs in the banquet hall and quietly followed a young demon cultivator who was walking towards the toilet.
"Why do I feel it is murderous?" Shan Xiaojin said.
"It's okay. The master has been in a good mood these days. He won't kill anyone." Xiaoya raised her arms that she had tied into four bows with great difficulty. "It's your turn."