Chapter 1536 - 1085: Cheng Xiaoyi and the Treasure-Seeking Talisman (2)

Chapter 1536: Chapter 1085: Cheng Xiaoyi and the Treasure-Seeking Talisman (2)

After all, from disaster relief to the end of the event, less than a month had passed, and by the time Yan Zheng received the news, her beloved disciple Ding Mao was already dead.

In such a short span of time, Wan Chong killed people, seized treasures, and refined Puppets; he shouldn’t have had much time left to continue torturing other Cultivators and sealing their souls into Puppet Beasts.

"By then I wasn’t as stupid as when I first woke up." Cheng Xiaoyi didn’t notice the change in their expressions and went on, "Though I didn’t know I had once been human, I still had a brain, could listen, could watch, could think.

I figured that since I was a Puppet, if I could obtain a Puppet’s Heart, I would no longer be bound by that guy’s shackles. Whether I chose to resist or flee, it would be beneficial either way!

So I swallowed my pride and flattered him madly, just to avoid being dismantled and thrown away, trying to buy time to figure out what exactly a Puppet’s Heart was and where I could get one.

After two days of painstaking, frantic investigation, I finally learned that there are two kinds of Puppet’s Hearts.

One is for Human-shaped Puppets; the other is for non-human Puppets. The blueprints for both can be enlarged or shrunk according to the Puppet’s size. The City Puppets of the Ten Thousand Puppet Sect use the largest known non-human Puppet’s Heart; it’s said that it consumed an enormous amount of the sect’s foundation, with many High Tier Puppet Masters cooperating before it was successfully refined.

The blueprint Wan Chong received as champion was the latter kind; many Elders and veteran Puppet Masters were able to obtain copies.

But the former, Puppet’s Hearts that Human-shaped Puppets can use, are extremely scarce.

It’s said to be a sphere, with a component inside that even imitates a Cultivator’s Spirit Root. The blueprint is tightly held in the hands of each generation’s Sect Leader and has almost never surfaced. Rumor has it that once a Human-shaped Puppet obtains a Puppet’s Heart, it becomes no different from a real person, no longer under anyone’s control, and might even rely on its Puppet Body to turn on and kill its master!"

Yan Zheng’s mind was shaken; her brows knitted as she said, "According to you, to find a Puppet’s Heart we must first find the Ten Thousand Puppet Sect, then obtain it from the Sect Leader’s hands?"

Cheng Xiaoyi chuckled, "If you want a perfect finished piece, you definitely have to start with the Ten Thousand Puppet Sect. But Lord City Lord said it herself: even a failed product is acceptable, right?

After my Puppet Beast lost to Wan Chong’s in the competition, many of my components were damaged at the core. That guy couldn’t bear to replace them for me, so he just patched me up. I never won a single fight after that, and in just seven or eight days he got sick of me and tossed me here. As time passed, the memory Seal faded, and I remembered everything."

He straightened his back, dry-coughed twice, then spoke aloud, "In fact, before I was ruined by an Evil Cultivator, I was a Seventh Grade Talisman Master. I’m nothing special otherwise, but I do have one unparalleled skill—passed down from my old mentor, the true legacy: I can draw ’Treasure-Seeking Talismans’!

The so-called Treasure-Seeking Talisman is drawn on paper refined from very precious materials, supplemented by excellent ink and brush, then combined with Spells and some small price paid in the drawing process. When you want to search for a particular Treasure, you just focus on that object while painting the talisman; once it’s completed, burn it, and it will lead you to the Treasure’s trail.

Hehehe... Right now I’m only a soul stuck in half a heavily damaged Puppet Beast. If this Dao Friend is willing to show me some favor and help me find a complete Human-shaped Puppet, I can then draw Treasure-Seeking Talismans and locate those failed products in the rubbish heaps!"

Finishing in one breath, the "plot laid bare" Cheng Xiaoyi pressed his lips together, a bit nervous.

He didn’t know whether this information about Puppet’s Hearts matched what the other party wanted. Besides, Treasure-Seeking Talismans are too obscure; the other party might not have heard of them. If they thought he was just spinning tales, the only chance he had to obtain a Human-shaped Puppet and leave the Dream Realm would be shattered!

When he was trapped in a broken, powerless Puppet Beast, Cheng Xiaoyi was plunged into utter despair, thinking he would spend the rest of his days alone and hopeless, imprisoned in a ruined body.

Not long after, City Lord Yan came. She gathered everyone together and built a city. Even though he knew in his heart that it was all fake, the bustle around him was real, and Cheng Xiaoyi felt that living out his life like that wasn’t so bad.

Now that he’d learned Cultivators could enter and leave, and that this man even owned two Puppets, Cheng Xiaoyi no longer wanted to live in a false world. He wanted to leave alive, and with a Human-shaped Puppet he could resume his old trade, support himself, and perhaps even have a chance one day to avenge his hatred!

"Sir, I’m not lying to you." Cheng Xiaoyi’s throat was dry, and his voice trembled as he spoke, "I really can draw talismans! If you don’t believe me, you can go and ask around. On the Jianghu there are definitely legends about Treasure-Seeking Talismans. It’s just that the Runes are too precious and extremely difficult to learn, so they’re rarely passed down..."

"I believe you." Jiang Yuan cut him off with a smile. "I believe you can draw talismans, and I do indeed have Puppet Masters by my side who can help replace Puppets.

It’s just that unsealing and sealing the soul will have some impact, more or less. To make it a one-and-done process and save everyone trouble, you can tell me if you have any special requirements for the Puppet. If your demands aren’t too high and there are plenty of components outside, we should be able to quickly cobble together a new body for you."

The system’s appraisal detailed the Talisman Master’s situation very clearly. He hadn’t agreed immediately because he was considering whether to tell City Lord Yan now about the matter of supplying Puppets for Cultivators who wanted to leave.

Cheng Xiaoyi was instantly overjoyed!

"I—I don’t have any special requirements." He couldn’t wait, but since this concerned the condition of his future body, he could only forcibly suppress his excitement and say, "What I mean is, the appearance of Human-shaped Puppets is always handsome men and beautiful women, and their physiques are all about the same, so there isn’t much to nitpick.

I’d like a male Puppet. If you don’t have a brand-new one, then at least seventy percent new. If it’s too old—well, you know—Puppet components have to be maintained; they wear out easily, and Spirit Stone consumption will increase too."

He was already imagining that after he located semi-finished Puppet’s Hearts and traded them for a new body, he’d have to start over in a strange place and find a way to make a living. Spirit Stones would be consumed in his daily routine, so he’d have to draw more talismans and earn more money; otherwise, once his Spirit Stones ran out he would fall into hardship again.

The anxiety of having his lifeline gripped by Spirit Stones was already carved into his bones; that feeling was truly unpleasant.

Learning that this Dao Friend was searching for Puppet’s Hearts for his two Puppet Wooden Dolls, it would be a lie to say he didn’t envy him.

Jiang Yuan nodded. "I’ve noted it down. In the next few days, I’ll have them find a way to prepare a new body for you first. There’s no need to be anxious; you’ll understand once you’re outside. I have a decent little courtyard—if you’re willing to stay and work for me and teach Yun Shu talisman-drawing, Spirit Stones will be more than enough."

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, thank you!" Cheng Xiaoyi hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly; he bowed again and again in thanks.

Now he had no mood to fish anymore. He snatched up the fish basket and rod in a hurry, waving his hand. "I’m going home to practice talisman-drawing right away. I haven’t done my old job in years; I’m a bit rusty. I’ll wait for your good news—when the time comes I guarantee I’ll be able to show my worth immediately!"

He stumbled off across the flooded fields, feet sinking and rising, and yelled for the Fisherman to give him a ride back to the city.

Only two people were left among the rice paddies. Jiang Yuan expressed his willingness to help the Cultivators obtain new bodies and return to the outside world. As for whether they wanted to leave and what should be done with the Dream City, that would be for Yan Zheng to coordinate and manage.

Back at the small courtyard, Jiang Yuan summoned Leng Yutang and Yun Ying, asking them to prioritize refining one male and one female Puppet to host the souls of Yan Zheng and Cheng Xiaoyi.

"Sir, look—will these two do?" Yun Ying listened, then rummaged through her Storage Bag and flicked out two nearly intact Puppets.

One male and one female: the man was sturdy and handsome; the woman had the face of a beauty in full bloom.

The Magical Robes they wore weren’t that tattered yet; from their garments it was clear that they’d probably been two servants.

"This Puppet was cut clean in half at the waist by a sharp blade." Yun Ying flipped over the male Puppet; the lower back was indeed sliced straight through, apparently in a single stroke that had completely robbed it of mobility.

"There are no traces of souls having been Sealed into this Puppet; it looks like an ordinary servant Puppet for menial work. When an attack happens, these mindless Puppets, similar to Magical Treasures, will instinctively protect their master. It likely took a blow for someone. Repairing it is relatively troublesome, so the owner probably felt it wasn’t worth it and simply discarded it."

The female Puppet, by contrast, was clearly in battle damage state; it was unknown whether Puppet Masters had been secretly dueling, or if it had been involved in battles against the Demon Race.

Either way, Puppets are only vessels; once they have a soul and Spirit Stones, they can do whatever they wish.

The materials used to forge the former were likely of slightly lower quality, but since Cheng Xiaoyi was a Talisman Master and not good at fighting to begin with, that one was more than adequate. Yan Zheng’s Puppet was evidently of higher quality and more suitable for combat, making it just right for her.

Everything was ready now; once the two Puppets were fully repaired, the small courtyard would gain two more capable allies!