Zhang Tiancheng’s eyes were lifeless, his complexion deathly pale, and the voice that issued from his mouth was utterly devoid of emotion. His head, which had just been reattached, promptly fell off again.
"My head..." Zhang Tiancheng reached out to catch it but was a step too slow.
Bending down to search again, his movements were exceedingly stiff and slow. It took quite some fumbling with his hands before he managed to secure his head in place once more.
Still not recovered? Mu Yunqing frowned slightly upon seeing this. Normally, after so many days, Zhang Tiancheng should have almost fully recovered. However, it was the first time he had used his puppet-refining method. A few imperfections were somewhat expected.
"Lord, I can’t fix my head back on," Zhang Tiancheng said woodenly, his hands supporting his head, afraid to let go.
It seemed he really hadn’t refined it properly.
"Don’t move. Let me try."
A notion crossed Mu Yunqing’s mind. His hands swiftly traced incantations, and a stream of pure Spiritual Qi surged into Zhang Tiancheng’s body. This secret skill was a Devil Inheritance he had stumbled upon in a cave during an experiential trip. Its principles bore some resemblance to the Beast Creation Skill; both were forbidden arts of the devil path. The Beast Creation Skill involved skinning another person or a living creature and sealing their soul within the skin, thereby creating a convincing facsimile. This secret skill, however, involved directly stripping away the soul and merging it with one’s own Divine Soul Mark, refining it into something akin to a split soul. After the divine soul was fully refined, the entire body was turned into a puppet body. Merging the two would create an uncanny existence teetering between life and death. However, once this was done, the ability to further enhance one’s cultivation would be gone. Only the cultivation of the physical body would remain possible. Mu Yunqing had only practiced this sort of secret skill in secret and had never used it before. Without proper practice, it was inevitable that some mistakes would occur. Just like now, Zhang Tiancheng’s head wouldn’t stay on.
He was trying to figure out how to fix it.
After a while, Mu Yunqing withdrew his Spiritual Qi and took a deep breath.
This puppet body indeed had some issues; its power hadn’t been fully activated. Fortunately, he had managed to repair it somewhat with Spiritual Qi.
"It’s fixed. Thank you, Lord." Zhang Tiancheng shook his head left and right; this time, it seemed securely attached. It didn’t fall off again.
The once vacant eyes now flickered with an eerie light, which gradually gave way to spiritedness. The dull, deathly pale skin also slowly gained some color and luster. He looked almost indistinguishable from a normal person.
Done, Mu Yunqing thought, pleased. This is more like it. Zhang Tiancheng was now akin to his human-shaped Spiritual Instrument, entirely subordinate to his control.
"Zhang Tiancheng, is there a furnace named Wang Shouzhen in the Wonderous Palace?" Mu Yunqing went straight to the point. With a wave of his hand, he conjured an image of a person in the air. It was the likeness of "Wang Shouzhen."
"Lord, please allow me a moment to think." Zhang Tiancheng frowned. His soul had become muddled after the refining process.
Mu Yunqing nodded, in no rush. It was his lack of skill that had caused this issue, after all.
After a while, Zhang Tiancheng managed to organize his memories somewhat and nodded. "Lord, there is indeed such a person, but this likeness seems a bit different."
A different appearance? Mu Yunqing’s brows raised upon hearing this. He then inquired, "What about this person’s aptitude?"
"Lord, please allow me a moment to think." Zhang Tiancheng frowned again, falling deep into thought.
"Go on," Mu Yunqing consented again, but with a touch of irritation.
"Yes." Zhang Tiancheng continued to sort through his memories and eventually opened his eyes to say, "This individual possesses uncommon aptitude and must have encountered some special fortuitous opportunity."
"Oh?" Mu Yunqing’s eyes narrowed at this. He then asked, "How does he compare to Wen Zhixing?"
"Lord, please allow me a moment to think..."
"...You... never mind. Just be quick." This time, Mu Yunqing was genuinely impatient. Defective products really were problematic.
However, after some thought, Zhang Tiancheng could only shake his head and say, "I don’t know, my Lord."
"..." Mu Yunqing’s expression darkened upon hearing this. If Zhang Tiancheng hadn’t already been refined into a puppet, he might have thought he was being played.
"Fine, I understand." In the end, he exhaled deeply and calmed his mind. This time, Zhang Tiancheng hadn’t actually provided any useful information. This was all largely in line with what he had suspected.
But there was one point: if the appearance was slightly different... That needed to be investigated.
A thought stirred in Mu Yunqing’s mind as he recalled the cave dwelling next to his own.
It just so happens that there is a cave dwelling next to mine; it wouldn’t be a bad idea to become neighbors with this junior brother.
Meanwhile, Wen Zhixing and Bai Luqiu had returned to the airspace above their original residence.
Along the way, there was no exchange between them, mainly because Wen Zhixing was engrossed in studying the Nine-turns Sun Sutra. Even with a beauty at his side, he felt nothing.
Too busy. Women aside.
Bai Luqiu, on the other hand, occasionally glanced at Wen Zhixing, curiosity in her eyes. She was surprised at her misjudgment. For the Master to accept him as a disciple, he must possess exceptional qualities. The man before her suddenly seemed different. Before, he might have seemed somewhat noteworthy, but now he appeared to be wrapped in an aura of mystery.
"We’re here," Bai Luqiu said, her red lips parting gently.
"Thank you, Senior Sister Luqiu." Wen Zhixing rose to express his gratitude, though most of his attention was still immersed in his own world.
Without even glancing at Bai Luqiu, he headed straight into his house.