Murder of Puppet

---

Before him, Mi Xingzhe's face was expressionless, his eyes glowing a strange red, and his stiff movements were unnerving. Yun Qingyi gripped the short blade embedded in his body tightly, his pupils contracting in shock, eyes wide with disbelief as he looked at Mi Xingzhe.

Mi Xingzhe's face was cold, his crimson eyes devoid of emotion, blood from Yun Qingyi staining his cheeks. Feeling the warm blood splattering on his face, Mi Xingzhe's body froze mid-motion, his expression vacant.

"Jingle jingle~" A bell's sound floated in from outside the window.

Hearing the bell, Mi Xingzhe reacted immediately, his head snapping up, his gaze still blank, but his pupils flickered with a malevolent red light.

With a sudden, stiff motion, he struck Yun Qingyi's wounded shoulder, simultaneously yanking out the short blade embedded in his body. Warm blood gushed out again, staining Mi Xingzhe's chest red. His previously malevolent red eyes flickered oddly.

Yun Qingyi, pushed away, slammed into the wall beside the door and slid down, coughing up blood. He looked at his little junior brother in disbelief.

"Xingzhe, wake up! Look at me! Who am I?" Yun Qingyi, recognizing the strange red in Mi Xingzhe's eyes, knew he was under some control, which made him attack.

Despite this, Yun Qingyi only defended himself, hoping to wake Mi Xingzhe by calling his name repeatedly.

Every time Mi Xingzhe's red eyes flickered, the bell outside the window rang again. The red light reignited in his eyes, and he leaped, short blade raised, slashing down at Yun Qingyi.

"Yun Wan Nian, stop!" Yun Qingyi blocked the blow with his arm, hearing the clash of the blade against his bones.

Mi Xingzhe pressed down mercilessly.

If Mi Xingzhe struck again, Yun Qingyi feared he would not survive.

Yun Qingyi used one arm to hold up the short blade and the other to bear Mi Xingzhe's weight.

Summoning his inner strength, he tried to push Mi Xingzhe away, but blood gushed from his mouth, hitting Mi Xingzhe's face. Unable to support himself, Yun Qingyi collapsed, sliding down the wall and losing consciousness.

The blood striking Mi Xingzhe caused him to pause. The red light in his eyes flickered, and a golden mark on his neck glowed faintly.

In this brief respite, Li Luoning burst through the door, sending Mi Xingzhe flying to the corner with a wave of his hand. He cast a spell at Mi Xingzhe's forehead, causing him to faint.

"Qingyi! Qingyi!" Li Luoning rushed to Yun Qingyi, calling his name. Seeing no response, he quickly sealed Yun Qingyi's meridians to stop the bleeding.

He took out a pill and fed it to the unconscious Yun Qingyi, then sighed deeply and turned to look at Mi Xingzhe in the corner.

---

In the Enclosure Pavilion, Hua Ruoying, now dressed in new clothes, stepped out.

"Wow, Sister Ruoying, you look so beautiful," Qingping exclaimed admiringly.

Hua Ruoying gave Qingping a look to be quiet, feeling pleased with the clothes but conflicted because they were a gift from Nanze.

"Happy now that I've worn them?" Hua Ruoying said to Nanze, shaking her sleeves as she prepared to change back.

"Wait. The toad ointment we made earlier is ready. Why don't you come and take a look with me?" Nanze stopped Hua Ruoying, grabbing her wrist and leading her out of the Enclosure Pavilion, closing the barrier behind them to keep Qingping inside.

In a room filled with various bottles and boxes containing different toxins and herbs, Hua Ruoying wandered around, her eyes lighting up as she discovered rare plants.

"I didn't know Lord Nanze liked to study poisonous plants," Hua Ruoying remarked, picking up different herbs. Spotting a small tree in a pot, she exclaimed, "Poison Oak Tree!"

Her exclamations continued as she found more rare plants, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Golden Boarweed! Bat Vine! My goodness, these are things I've been searching for forever, and you have so many!" Hua Ruoying was stunned by the sight of the rare plants.

Nanze watched with satisfaction as Hua Ruoying explored the room, his eyes gleaming with pride. Leaning against a wall, he held something behind his back.

Realizing her behavior was improper, Hua Ruoying stopped and approached Nanze, asking, "Why did you bring me here?"

"If you like it, you can come here often. You can use anything in this room," Nanze said with an unusual tenderness in his voice.

"You keep me locked up in that Enclosure Pavilion. How am I supposed to come out?" Hua Ruoying complained, fiddling with a nearby item.

"From now on, you and that little demon don't have to stay in the Enclosure Pavilion all the time. You can go anywhere in the residence," Nanze said, handing her a box.

Hua Ruoying, curious, opened the box to find a finely crafted dagger.

"What a beautiful dagger. Is this for me?" she asked, admiring it.

"This dagger is made from the molten rock of Kunlun Hill, incredibly tough. You prefer short blades, and this one suits your style. The hilt has a hidden compartment with the best toad poison. Just a twist and it's ready," Nanze demonstrated.

Hua Ruoying, delighted with the dagger, accepted it without a word. "Thanks. But Nanze, why does the Demon Lord want me to stay here?"

"The Demon Lord wants you here to relay messages and because it's inconvenient for you to return to Wuming Demon Mountain for now. Once this matter blows over, you can go back," Nanze explained after some thought.

"Oh, so you rely on the Demon Lord to act so arrogantly in The Flatland. But I left many things at Wuming Demon Mountain. Can I go back to get some of them?" Hua Ruoying asked, sensing Nanze was in a good mood.

"Fine," Nanze agreed, knowing her intentions but still conceding.

"I'll go tell Qingping to come with me," Hua Ruoying said, standing up.

"You go alone."

"What? There's too much for me to carry. Let Qingping come with me to help."

"If I don't keep Qingping here, will you come back?" Nanze bluntly exposed her plan. "I'm letting you go back to inform your brother."

Nanze reached out and gently touched Hua Ruoying's cheek, making her instinctively flinch.

Seeing the hibiscus-colored jade bracelet on Nanze's wrist, Hua Ruoying grabbed his hand and asked, "Didn't you say this thing was worthless? Why are you still wearing it?"

"Mind your own business," Nanze snapped, pulling his hand back and brushing off his sleeve disdainfully.

Hua Ruoying's pouch suddenly shook, catching Nanze's attention. She opened it and took out a small wooden figure, which glowed briefly before turning into powder in her hand.

"What happened?" Nanze asked.

---

"Someone broke the control over Mi Xingzhe," Hua Ruoying said, her expression serious.

Although the Demon Lord knew how to use the Enchanted Control, Hua Ruoying had never told him that creating one correspondingly created a puppet. When the puppet perished, it would lose its luster, but turning into powder was a first.

[She always carried the puppet belonging to him.] Seeing the puppet in Hua Ruoying's hand, Nanze's eye twitched.

"I heard that Miss Ruoying's Enchanted Control, once consumed, allows one to control others, similar to the puppet control technique of old. How could it be so easily broken?" Hearing Hua Ruoying's words, Nanze became interested.

"The Enchanted Control is powerful but still not half as strong as the puppet control technique of old. Although it can be controlled by a magical artifact, once the controlled person comes into contact with the blood of a close relative, the Enchanted Control breaks," Hua Ruoying explained, though she was also puzzled. [Mi Xingzhe clearly said he was an orphan, so who broke his Enchanted Control?]

"No wonder the Demon Lord's Enchanted Control army is mostly taken from the human world. Only with human puppets can one avoid encountering close relatives in other realms," Nanze mused, rubbing his fingers together in amusement.

---

Inside the Flatland Inn, Mi Xingzhe was still unconscious, bound in the corner of the room.

Yun Qingyi's wounds were shocking, a gash running from his waist to his shoulder. Despite the applied medicine and bandages, the white cloth was stained with bright red blood. Li Luoning was doing his best to transfer spiritual energy into Yun Qingyi.

Yun Qingyi's face was pale, his lips devoid of color, eyes tightly shut, and forehead beaded with sweat. He murmured incoherently in his sleep.

Soon, Mi Xingzhe awoke, coughing lightly as he opened his eyes, finding himself bound and unable to move. Turning his head, he saw Li Luoning transferring spiritual energy to Yun Qingyi, then glanced at the gravely injured Yun Qingyi. Instantly, he became agitated.

"Who are you? Let go of Qingyi, if you have a grudge, come at me!" Mi Xingzhe shouted hysterically, wriggling desperately to get closer.

Hearing the commotion, Li Luoning frowned, turning with a warning look at Mi Xingzhe. Without responding, he slowly withdrew his spiritual power, stood up, and walked towards Mi Xingzhe, puzzled.

"What did you do to Qingyi?" Mi Xingzhe struggled to sit up, his tone fierce.

Li Luoning frowned deeply, staring intently at Mi Xingzhe, puzzled by how the boy seemed to remember Yun Qingyi but not himself.

"What did you call me?" Li Luoning asked slowly.

"I don't care what you're called. You failed to trick me before and now you're harming my senior brother. What grudge do we have?" Mi Xingzhe shouted, his voice hoarse.

"Xingzhe, what are you talking about?" Li Luoning was confused by Mi Xingzhe's words.

"Stop pretending. Just because you used my master's face, doesn't mean I'll trust you again," Mi Xingzhe struggled, sweat beading on his forehead.

Li Luoning raised his hand and released the bindings on Mi Xingzhe.

Hearing Li Luoning call him "Xingzhe," Mi Xingzhe hesitated. "Could this really be Master?" Seeing the bindings fall away, Mi Xingzhe sat up, moving his wrists and pondering.

"Who are you?" Mi Xingzhe asked, feeling unsure.

"You need proof?" Li Luoning found it somewhat amusing.

"Let me ask you a few questions. Answer truthfully," Mi Xingzhe decided after thinking for a moment.

"Alright."

"What does Qingyi call me?"

"Xingzhe."

"What's my favorite food?"

"Meat."

"What color is the pattern on Bingo's forehead?"

"Sky blue."

"What do I do every night before bed?"

"Burn Dragon Bone Incense."

Hearing Li Luoning's answers, Mi Xingzhe finally believed him. "Master?"

"Xingzhe, do you believe now?" Li Luoning sighed.

"I believe you, Master. But don't blame me. Someone impersonated you and tricked me for days. So I had to confirm," Mi Xingzhe pouted, feeling wronged.

Li Luoning nodded absently, not paying much attention to Mi Xingzhe, and returned to Yun Qingyi's side to continue transferring spiritual energy.

Mi Xingzhe followed and saw Yun Qingyi's grievous wounds. He rushed forward, concerned.

"Qingyi is injured? Who did this? How could anyone injure him so badly?"

Li Luoning, watching Mi Xingzhe's concern, wondered if he should tell him. Though he couldn't understand why Mi Xingzhe attacked Yun Qingyi, the current Mi Xingzhe seemed normal and had no memory of the recent events.

"Master, say something. Who hurt Qingyi? How is he?" Mi Xingzhe pleaded, shaking Li Luoning's leg.

Li Luoning considered but couldn't bear to tell Mi Xingzhe the truth. Knowing that Mi Xingzhe had inflicted the injuries would only make him feel guilty.

The most pressing issue was to return to Mirror Cloud Residence, where the necessary medicine to save Yun Qingyi was kept.

"Xingzhe, get up. Qingyi is severely injured. We need to return to Mirror Cloud Residence immediately. The Night Lotus Flower given by the Medicine King can protect his heart and save him," Li Luoning said, his expression calm but his heart heavy with worry.

Seeing a way to help Yun Qingyi, Mi Xingzhe agreed without hesitation, "Alright, let's go right away."

Li Luoning nodded, glanced at Yun Qingyi, then at the letter left by Mu Han.