bookbashuk Chapter 155 Repairing the Puppet, A Friend's Promise
Chapter 155 Repairing the Puppet, A Friend's Promise
【Lingku Hall】.
After finishing her conversation with Gu Dahai, Zhang Lingyu didn't linger and headed straight here.
Stepping into the shop, the layout was as usual, cold and deserted, except for a musty smell in the air, indicating that the owner had just returned not long ago.
"Fellow Daoist, what kind of puppet are you looking to buy? All the puppets here are at the peak of Qi Refining level, guaranteed to satisfy you!"
Suddenly, a young man carrying a jade slip emerged from the back room and greeted the boy in the center of the shop warmly.
"Fellow Daoist Lin, it's been several years. Don't you recognize me?"
Lin Qing was slightly taken aback. In his memory, he had never seen this person before. But when the other party changed his appearance, he immediately widened his eyes in surprise and exclaimed:
"Oh, so it's you!"
"Haha, Fellow Daoist Lin, you recognized me now, didn't you?"
"Well, Fellow Daoist Zhang, I didn't expect you to always use a fake appearance when you came before. You fooled us so well. So, the name Zhang Chulan is fake too?"
"Zhang Chulan is indeed a fake name, but my surname is indeed Zhang and my given name is Lingyu."
"Zhang Lingyu...Zhang Lingyu..."
Lin Qing frowned slightly, feeling as if she had heard the name somewhere before, but without thinking much of it, she immediately beckoned the young man to the private room and shouted towards the backyard:
"My lady, Fellow Daoist Zhang has arrived!"
Before long, a woman entered the private room. She was startled when she saw the unfamiliar young man in front of her, but calmed down after Lin Qing explained.
Chen Xiaomeng's actions mirrored those of her husband, and she said with a wry smile, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, you've kept this from us for quite a while."
"Fellow Daoists, please forgive me. Concealing one's identity while traveling is a last resort."
If he had caused any trouble while traveling and people had found out his name and appearance, it would have been bad if the Zhang family had been implicated.
Unless you come from a family with a Golden Core or Nascent Soul cultivation level, it's best to be cautious.
"Let's not talk about that. When we were fighting the beast tide, I came to see two of you fellow Daoists. I wanted to discuss some things with you, but I didn't expect you to go on a trip and have been gone for several years. I've been waiting for you for so long. As soon as I got the news, I came to find you without stopping."
"It seems you have urgent business, fellow Daoist. Are you perhaps looking for us to repair the puppet again?"
Chen Xiaomeng said with a smile:
"My husband and I have low cultivation levels and prefer to be alone. If either of us were to suffer any harm during the beast tide, wouldn't we be left alone in our room?"
"At that time, I felt something in my heart, so I simply went out to travel, partly to avoid the beast tide, and partly to temper my mind."
"That's true."
Zhang Lingyu nodded. He had witnessed the terror of the beast tide. If this couple had participated in resisting it like Wang Lin and his wife, they would probably have met a tragic end.
"It seems there really is an opportunity."
The Lin couple are now at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, but their auras are still somewhat unstable, indicating that they have only recently broken through.
Although he was curious about what opportunity the two had, he didn't ask and instead brought up serious business:
"Fellow Daoists, I have indeed come here on business. I would like to ask you to help me repair the puppet."
With a gentle swipe of his hand across the storage area, two Foundation Establishment puppets appeared in the room, though one of them was already beyond repair.
"This is... a Foundation Establishment puppet!?"
The couple initially thought it was the same few puppets as before, but they were surprised to find that the two in front of them were actually Foundation Establishment puppets. They immediately flew forward and examined them closely with wide eyes.
Lin Qing stroked the tattered puppet, her heart aching, and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, what did you do to become so wicked?"
"I... used it as a shield once."
"A shield?"
The young man glared angrily, as if to say that this was a complete waste of resources.
Just as he was about to ask where the puppet came from, Chen Xiaomeng spoke up:
"Fellow Daoist Zhang, these two puppets appear to have a similar structure to the ones you lent us last time, suggesting they were made by the same person?"
"Fellow Daoist Chen has keen insight; indeed."
Zhang Lingyu nodded and said:
"I obtained these puppets from an ancient cultivation cave. Previously, my strength was insufficient, so I could only acquire those at the Qi Refining level."
"I continued to explore further after I reached the Foundation Establishment stage, which is how I obtained these two Foundation Establishment puppets."
"Can we go any deeper into that cave?" Lin Qing pressed, seeing this. Since a Qi Refining Foundation Establishment puppet had appeared, there might be Golden Core level puppets deeper in, which would be the real treasures.
"No, that's already the deepest part... I got some pills and magical artifacts there, as well as these two puppets."
"real?"
"real."
Seeing the distrust on the other party's face, Zhang Lingyu felt helpless. Although she had concealed many details, she had not hidden anything about the puppet.
Fortunately, the other party did not ask any further questions. After waiting a while, he saw Lin Qing say:
"Fellow Daoist Zhang, if you don't mind, just like last time, lend us this intact puppet for reference. We will definitely repair it for you."
"We will not charge you for the spirit stones required for the repairs, just the cost of the materials..."
"We will not charge you for the spirit stones required for the repairs, just the cost of the materials..."
Having just broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, the couple naturally yearned to further improve their skills.
I thought it would take me several years to figure it out on my own, but unexpectedly, the opportunity came knocking on my door.
They owed the other party such a huge favor, and originally planned to waive all kinds of fees like last time, but unfortunately, the couple had almost spent all their spirit stones in order to build their foundation.
"No problem, fellow Daoists, please go ahead and make your purchases. I'll take care of the spirit stones myself."
Zhang Lingyu nodded. Repairing the Foundation Establishment puppet would definitely cost a lot, and they hadn't yet repaid the favors they owed each other, so they couldn't afford to owe any more.
Furthermore, I'll need to ask someone for a favor later...
"Fellow Daoist, would these Myriad Spirit Stones be enough to cover the material costs? If not, I have more here."
Seeing the young man pull out 20,000 spirit stones, Lin Qing quickly said, "That's enough, that's definitely enough."
In his opinion, 15,000 spirit stones would be enough to completely repair the puppet. He also exclaimed in surprise, "I didn't expect you to be so rich, fellow Daoist."
"Fellow Daoist Lin, you're joking. If I had the money, I would have bought a new one long ago. Why would I come here to repair it?"
The three exchanged a smile, and Zhang Lingyu seized the opportunity to inquire, "Fellow Daoists, are you short-handed here?"
"My wife and I are used to being alone. Sometimes we just leave on a whim, and we have no intention of taking on apprentices."
"Is that so..."
Zhang Lingyu felt a pang of disappointment and said with a wry smile:
"My family has only just begun to learn puppetry, and there are not many people in my family who know how to do it. I thought that you, fellow Daoist, are quite accomplished in puppetry, so I thought I would send a few of my clansmen to learn the craft."
"Oh, we thought Fellow Daoist Zhang was a lone cultivator who was used to going his own way with us, but it turns out he is from a noble family."
Curious, Chen Xiaomeng couldn't help but inquire, "May I ask which family you come from?"
"Just a Foundation Establishment family, I come from the Zhang family of Yingchuan."
"The Zhang family of Yingchuan...the Zhang family...Zhang Lingyu."
Lin Qing frowned slightly after hearing this, then suddenly realized why she felt so familiar with the situation and exclaimed in surprise, "Is it the Zhang family that unified Yingchuan County two years ago?"
"I remember the Zhang family of Yingchuan wiped out two Foundation Establishment families in just half a month, and the leading cultivator was named Zhang Lingyu. Could he be you, fellow Daoist?"
Although they traveled around, they heard many rumors.
The news about the Zhang family in Yingchuan caused a sensation.
For a Foundation Establishment family to rule over a prefecture is something that hasn't happened in many years; at least a Golden Core family would be able to accomplish such a feat.
Even though Yingchuan County is the smallest county in the Zhao state, it should not be underestimated.
"That's right, Mr. Zhang has now taken over as the head of the Zhang family clan."
Zhang Lingyu did not hide anything, but the two were far from over in shock. There were still many rumors about the Zhang family. It was said that Black Tiger Mountain, which had been running rampant in Yanxing County for many years, disappeared overnight.
It is said that they colluded with the Yunming and Yunming families of Yingchuan County to jointly oppose the Zhang family, but somehow their scheme was exposed and they were annihilated by the Zhang family in one fell swoop.
Afterwards, both of them were overjoyed to hear the news and praised each other for the success of the elimination.
"Not worth mentioning...not worth mentioning."
The couple did not take Zhang Lingyu's modesty lightly. Since he dared to reveal his family background, it seemed that everything was true.
"Fellow Daoist Zhang's strength seems to far surpass those of others of the same level; otherwise, he wouldn't have achieved such a brilliant record. Perhaps we can ask him for help with that matter."
After a moment's hesitation, Lin Qing seemed to have made up his mind and transmitted his voice to the woman, "My lady, I think Fellow Daoist Zhang might be able to help with that matter."
"Will he agree to this?"
Chen Xiaomeng hesitated. She trusted the other party's strength, but unfortunately, that place was fraught with danger, and there were other cultivators involved. She was afraid that the other party would value their life and be unwilling to do it.
After all, Zhang Lingyu is the head of the family and bears the fate of the entire clan on his shoulders. He probably wouldn't dare to risk his life to get involved in this mess.
"Let's ask first, just in case they agree?"
Lin Qing seemed unwilling to give up. He gritted his teeth and whispered, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, I have an opportunity, but... it's somewhat dangerous. Would you be willing to listen?"
"Oh?"
Zhang Lingyu was somewhat surprised, not expecting the couple to suddenly bring this up, but out of curiosity, she nodded in response, "Please, both of you, speak freely."
"That's how it is..."
Lin Qing paused for a moment, then continued:
"Fellow Daoist, as you know, we are both solitary cultivators. The reason we have achieved this is all due to a fortuitous opportunity."
The two met in their early years while hunting monsters together in Tianshui County. At that time, they only considered their own interests and hardly cared about the lives of their teammates.
Their demon-hunting team consisted of more than twenty people. During a group hunt for demons, they accidentally stumbled upon the ruins of a sect. Everyone was overjoyed, thinking that their opportunity had arrived.
And just as they said, this long-ruined sect was called the Spirit Puppet Sect, a major sect that once boasted five Golden Core cultivators.
Unfortunately, it was breached by the combined forces of the Demon King during the last millennium beast tide. The last Golden Core cultivator, who was also the sect master of the Spirit Puppet Sect, the Wooden Puppet Master, used his supernatural powers to send the sect ruins into spatial turbulence at the last moment before the sect was destroyed, in order to ensure that the sect's heritage was not destroyed by the demon beasts.
Normally, a Golden Core cultivator wouldn't be able to do this, but True Person Lingkui's cultivation had reached the peak of the Golden Core stage, and he had already touched the threshold of the Nascent Soul stage. At the same time, he was able to barely do it with the help of the sect's treasure, the Lingkui Myriad Transformations Box.
Like the Jade Spirit Valley Secret Realm, the Spirit Puppet Sect will occasionally appear in the mortal world for those with the right destiny to obtain its inheritance. Lin Qing and his companions are among the lucky ones.
Upon entering, the group was overjoyed and continued to explore the ruins. However, despite their best efforts, they could only explore the outer area, and could not enter the inner area or the core area at all.
At that time, everyone was only practicing Qi cultivation; their actual strength was far too low.
At this moment, the Spirit Puppet Myriad Transformations Box suddenly appeared, saying that the secret realm would be closed soon and that it would be reopened after thirty years, allowing them to re-enter the old site of the Spirit Puppet Sect.
Of course, cultivation level is limited to Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Everyone was startled, but then they thought that treasures have spirits, let alone a magical artifact that has existed for thousands of years.
At that time, everyone in the secret realm was killing each other in order to seize the opportunity and inheritance. More than 20 people entered, but only 15 people came out.
Although Lin Qing and his wife had low cultivation levels, they managed to break through the encirclement through tacit cooperation and eventually managed to obtain a portion of the inheritance in the outer sect area.
The Spirit Puppet Sect originally started out by relying on puppets, and the two of them achieved their current level of expertise precisely because of these inheritances.
Of course, it was precisely because they shared life and death that they were able to develop feelings for each other and become husband and wife.
"So that's how it is..."
Zhang Lingyu understood the cause and effect, but still had questions in his mind, so he continued:
"Gentlemen, since that magic weapon says you can go in again in thirty years, but I can't go in, the most urgent thing is to improve your own strength."
"It's like this, Fellow Daoist Zhang..."
Lin Qing continued:
"The magic artifact said that there is no limit to the number of people who can enter the secret realm after it is opened. There were only a few of us present at the time, so they probably felt that there weren't enough people, which is why they closed the secret realm early. I guess they did this in order to select a more outstanding successor."
"The second point is that we are not strong enough to pass the tests of the inner sect and even the core area."
"Is that so..."
Zhang Lingyu nodded and continued, "How many more years until the Spirit Puppet Sect's secret realm reopens?"
"There are still twenty years..."
"Twenty years?"
Twenty years is neither a long nor a short time; by then, with my own abilities, I can certainly give it a try.
After all, the magic weapon stated that only Foundation Establishment cultivators could enter, and the reason for doing so was probably for the sect's benefit.
However, he still had a question: how many people actually knew about this secret realm?
Lin Qing assured:
"Fellow Daoist, rest assured, how could such a matter be easily spread? I suspect that if those people were still alive, they would definitely recruit others to try and seize the inheritance together."
"That's true."
Zhang Lingyu nodded. Now that he knew, he naturally wanted to try his luck.
"Alright, since that's the case, then I'll agree to your request."
"Very good!"
A look of joy appeared on Lin Qing's face, and he smiled:
"With Fellow Daoist Zhang's help, we feel much more at ease. Although we may not be able to obtain the final inheritance, even a small amount will be enough for our cultivation."
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