Puppet Technique

The peach blossom forest, inside a wooden house...

After being unconscious for several days, Hua Ruoying finally woke up today.

"Cough, cough, cough," Hua Ruoying coughed lightly a few times, then slowly opened her eyes, struggling to sit up.

"Qing Ping, Qing Ping." Seeing no one in the room, Hua Ruoying called out softly.

After waiting for a while without seeing any sign of Qing Ping, Hua Ruoying stumbled down from the bed, barely managing to pour herself a cup of tea.

At this moment, a black shadow drifted in from the window. Hua Ruoying extended her hand and caught it. As the shadow settled, a few lines of text slowly appeared: "In three days, bring Mi Xingzhe back to Wuming Demon Mountain."

Hua Ruoying clutched the shadow message in her palm, destroyed it, and sat down, deep in thought, just as Qing Ping returned from outside.

"Sister Ruoying, you're finally awake." Qing Ping, who had just walked in, joyfully pounced on Hua Ruoying.

"Cough, cough, Qing Ping, where have you been?" Hua Ruoying felt almost suffocated by Qing Ping's tight embrace.

"I just came back from the young master's place. Sister Ruoying, how do you feel?" Qing Ping asked as she set down the medicine she was carrying.

"I feel much better. Was it you who brought me back?" Hua Ruoying asked.

"Yes, I took the chance when that person wasn't paying attention and brought you back to the wooden house. Fortunately, the young master's master came looking for you later. He knows medicine and helped save you," Qing Ping explained.

"Has Mi Xingzhe been here these past two days?" Hua Ruoying inquired.

"The young master indeed came by every day to take care of you, but he probably can't come today," Qing Ping replied.

"Why not?"

"This morning, I went out and got into a fight with the soldiers of The Liao Yin Immortal Realm. They mistook me for a little demon who had stolen something and captured me," Qing Ping said, feeling wronged.

"A fight? Are you hurt?" Hua Ruoying asked, worried.

"Just some minor injuries, nothing serious. The young master's master already treated them. Those soldiers captured me and interrogated me, thinking I was a thief who stole some musical instrument. I couldn't explain it clearly at the moment, so I mentioned the young master's name, and then he was also captured," Qing Ping continued.

"And then?"

"Then the young master, for some reason, got angry and argued with their immortal lord. That person was furious and almost locked us in the water prison. Luckily, the young master's master showed up just in time to rescue us."

"And how does that relate to him not being able to come today?" Hua Ruoying asked curiously.

"Listen to me. Later, we returned to their residence at Mirror Cloud Residence. The young master's master is very kind and even gave me some medicine to bring back. However, he seemed angry because the young master contradicted the immortal lord, and he hasn't spoken to the young master since we returned," Qing Ping explained.

"Angry?"

"Sister Ruoying, you didn't see it. The young master defended me and argued fiercely with the immortal lord, saying I was his friend. I was quite moved at the time," Qing Ping said, getting more animated as she spoke.

"It's rumored that The Liao Yin Immortal Realm highly values hierarchy and respect for elders. That Mi Xingzhe would argue with the immortal lord for Qing Ping..." Hua Ruoying thought to herself, feeling a mix of admiration and disbelief.

"If I'm not mistaken, the young master is probably kneeling in punishment right now," Qing Ping said, casually picking up a fruit and taking a bite.

"He's being punished for defending you, and you still have the mind to eat," Hua Ruoying said, snatching the fruit from Qing Ping's hand.

"Who knew the young master, who usually seems so courteous, would become so fiery when dealing with that immortal lord? I was already overwhelmed and couldn't calm his emotions," Qing Ping said, feeling wronged.

"You, with such a timid nature, lose your head whenever you see people from the immortal realm," Hua Ruoying said, throwing the fruit back to Qing Ping.

Qing Ping caught the fruit and, putting one foot on the chair, continued to nibble thoughtfully.

"Sister Ruoying, when can we go back?" Qing Ping suddenly asked.

"Why? Tired of staying here?" Hua Ruoying asked, a hint of reproach in her tone.

"I'm scared," Qing Ping said, her voice trembling slightly, the fruit no longer tasting good.

"Scared of what?" Hua Ruoying asked, puzzled.

"Of... that person," Qing Ping stammered.

"That person?"

"The one who took my father away back then," Qing Ping said cautiously.

At night, heavy rain poured down on the bluestone road. A white figure quietly sneaked into the alchemist's room of the Medicine King.

Yue Ruling, who was patrolling at night, heard the noise as she passed by the alchemist's room and quietly went to investigate. After searching for a while, she found no one.

Just as Yue Ruling was feeling puzzled, she noticed a peculiar petal under a tree nearby. She walked over, examined it closely, sniffed it, and finally, her expression turned confused.

It was supposed to be a quiet night at Mirror Cloud Residence. Mi Xingzhe, seemingly oblivious to the rain, was walking stiffly in circles in the courtyard, his eyes glowing red.

The crunching sound of gravel underfoot soon woke Yun Qingyi. Looking through the half-open window, he saw Mi Xingzhe walking in circles in the rain.

"Xingzhe?" Seeing that it was Mi Xingzhe, Yun Qingyi didn't even have time to put on his clothes. He grabbed an umbrella by the door and ran out.

"Xingzhe, Xingzhe." Yun Qingyi patted Mi Xingzhe on the shoulder from behind, but Mi Xingzhe, just like last time, showed no reaction.

Helpless, Yun Qingyi habitually knocked Mi Xingzhe unconscious and carried him back to the room.

However, Yun Qingyi didn't notice the satisfied smile under a white oil-paper umbrella in the distance.

The next morning, Mi Xingzhe got up from the bed, shivered, and began sneezing continuously.

"Xingzhe, you're awake," Yun Qingyi said as he pushed open the door, holding a bowl of ginger soup.

"Qingyi, why do I feel...achoo...so awful after sleeping all night...achoo...?" Mi Xingzhe asked, puzzled by how he felt as if he had soaked in seawater all night in the middle of summer.

"It rained all night yesterday, and you went out sleepwalking again. By the time I found you, you had been wandering in the courtyard for who knows how many laps, soaking wet. Now you've caught a cold," Yun Qingyi explained while handing over the bowl.

"I don't remember any of that. Is it my sleepwalking again?" Mi Xingzhe asked, taking a sip of the ginger soup.

"Sleepwalkers usually don't remember what they did. It's not unusual. But with your frequent sleepwalking, I'm considering tying you to the bed at night. Who knows where you'll wander off to next?" Yun Qingyi joked.

"Where could I possibly go? Mirror Cloud Residence is only so big...achoo..." Mi Xingzhe rolled his eyes in response.

"Wrap yourself in the blanket. You're staying in your room today and going nowhere," Yun Qingyi instructed.

"Even if you let me go out, I wouldn't. My head hurts so much I don't want to move," Mi Xingzhe said, covering his forehead and lying back down.

Just after lying down, Mi Xingzhe suddenly sat up again and, barefoot, went over to Yun Qingyi.

"What's wrong now?" Yun Qingyi, who was about to leave, saw him sit up and knew he had something to say.

"Senior Brother, how is Miss Ruoying?" Mi Xingzhe asked with concern.

"She's awake. Master already checked on her this morning. She'll be fully recovered in a few days," Yun Qingyi had anticipated this question.

"Can I go see her?" Mi Xingzhe asked.

"You should wait until your cold is better. Miss Ruoying just recovered; you don't want to accidentally infect her," Yun Qingyi replied.

"You're right. Senior Brother, please tell Miss Ruoying I'll visit her in a couple of days," Mi Xingzhe thought for a moment and asked Yun Qingyi.

"Got it. Now get back to bed. You're barefoot; do you want to make your illness worse?" Yun Qingyi nodded and lightly kicked Mi Xingzhe back to bed.

Mi Xingzhe quickly got back on the bed, wrapped himself in the blanket, and cheekily asked, "Senior Brother, can I choose what to eat today?"

"No," Yun Qingyi smiled and walked out.

"Senior Brother, I want to eat meat," Mi Xingzhe shouted.

Inside the Lian Zhan Pavilion...

"Yue Ruling, go and invite the Immortal Master Kongming," Qingyuan ordered inside the Lian Zhan Pavilion.

A stick of incense later, Mu Han quickly walked into the Lian Zhan Pavilion.

"My apologies for the haste, Immortal Master Kongming," Qingyuan hurriedly greeted him.

"No need for formalities, War God Qingyuan. What is the matter?" Mu Han asked with concern.

"Not long ago, someone secretly released the demonized Earth Mole. We found this at the place where it was held," Qingyuan said, showing Mu Han the item the soldiers had just presented.

"This is...a Blue Snow petal?" Mu Han was shocked to see the item.

"Indeed," Qingyuan responded.

"Do you suspect Li Luoning's people released the Earth Mole?" Mu Han now understood why Qingyuan had called him.

"We still need to investigate this matter further, but given the character of Immortal Master Xiaoyi, I trust he wouldn't do such a thing. I called you here to inquire about his disciple, Yun Wan Nian," Qingyuan explained.

"You mean Yun Wan Nian?" Mu Han asked.

"How much do you know about him?" Qingyuan asked.

"I heard from Luoning that he found Wan Nian in the peach blossom forest. I've met the boy a few times; he seems simple-minded and kind-hearted, a bit lively but good-natured," Mu Han said earnestly.

"Do you know where he came from before the peach blossom forest?" Qingyuan continued to ask.

"He said he came from the mortal world," Mu Han recalled.

"The mortal world? Did anyone check his family background?" Qingyuan pressed.

"He said he was abandoned by his family when he was very young and grew up with an old beggar. After the beggar died, he was sold several times, eventually ending up as a servant in a wealthy family in Fanli Valley," Mu Han continued to recall.

"I have no other intentions, but in recent years, the demon lord of Wuming Demon Mountain has behaved differently than before. Not only has he been acquiring various magical treasures and weapons, but he's also been recruiting homeless people from the mortal world. Those with good qualifications are enlisted as soldiers, while those with average ones are left in Fanli Valley. This behavior is quite unusual," Qingyuan said.

"Are you worried that Mi Xingzhe is an agent of Wuming Demon Mountain?" Mu Han asked.

"In recent years, the demon army's strength has increased significantly. I've sent people to investigate Wuming Demon Mountain many times. Besides their original demon soldiers, they also have puppets brought back from the mortal world. These people, controlled by a pill called Qianmo, seem normal in daily life but lose their free will upon hearing commands from the puppet master," Qingyuan explained.

"Puppet technique?" Mu Han was worried.

"It seems so," Qingyuan was also uncertain.

"This puppet technique was sealed by our master hundreds of years ago and is forbidden in all three realms. If the demon lord is using it to build an army, his ambitions must be guarded against," Mu Han sighed deeply.

"These are just my suspicions, but I've heard that Wuming Demon Mountain has had frequent dealings with The Flatland in recent years," Qingyuan added.

"Do you want to discuss countermeasures with me?" Mu Han asked.

"To be honest, besides what we've just discussed, I have a personal favor to ask," Qingyuan said, lowering his head in embarrassment.

"A personal favor?"

"I heard your sect has a spell called Jinxi Loush." Qingyuan asked, his expression serious.

"We do. What memory do you wish to seal?" Mu Han asked.

"I want to seal..." Qingyuan looked around and whispered in Mu Han's ear.

Their conversation was overheard and relayed to O Shinan by a golden-spotted butterfly at the Lian Zhan Pavilion's window.

"Jinxi Loush? There's such an interesting thing in the world?" O Shinan smirked, gripping the butterfly tightly and throwing it into a jar containing black-rimmed toads.

Back in Mirror Cloud Residence, Mi Xingzhe, feeling bored, was reading a book in his room.

"Qingyi's medicine is really effective. I don't feel as bad as I did this morning," Mi Xingzhe muttered to himself, checking his forehead.

Feeling stifled in his room, Mi Xingzhe sneaked out.

With both Li Luoning and Yun Qingyi absent from Mirror Cloud Residence, Mi Xingzhe wandered around the courtyard, eventually finding himself in front of Li Luoning's storeroom. The fishbone lock on the door piqued his curiosity.

"Does Qingyi really think a simple lock can keep me out?" Mi Xingzhe smirked, rolling up his sleeves.

He remembered the vent window on the storeroom roof and the willow tree growing nearby. Climbing the tree, his slender frame easily slipped through the window.

"Didn't I tell Senior Brother that I used to sneak into people's woodsheds when I was begging?" Mi Xingzhe boasted, dusting off his hands in the storeroom.

"What treasures does Master have hidden here that I haven't seen? Let's take a look," Mi Xingzhe said, rummaging through the storeroom.

The shelves were filled with various boxes containing gifts received by Li Luoning over the years and some precious herbs. Finding nothing of particular interest, Mi Xingzhe's eyes were drawn to an item in the corner.