“Right! Right! That’s it!”
A surprised shout suddenly came from the attic of the Tool Building.
It was followed by another, older voice, “What are you so excited about? This is only half a success.”
Despite the words, the unconcealed joy in the speaker’s tone was no less than the former.
Xu Yi did not argue, obediently accepting Teacher Li’s reprimand, her gaze completely captivated by the puppet standing before her.
This puppet was the result of six months of research by her and Teacher Li in the attic.
It possessed flexible limbs, lifelike features, and subtle spiritual energy fluctuations.
As Teacher Li had just said, the puppet was not entirely successful, but in Xu Yi’s eyes, it was already close to perfection, as it represented the ultimate achievable under the current circumstances.
“Perhaps besides the Soul Splitting technique of the Tool Demon, there is no other method in this world to imbue a puppet with self-awareness,” Teacher Li sighed.
He had tried every possible means to give the puppet human-like consciousness during this period, but all attempts had ended in failure.
To him, this current puppet was still incomplete.
“I think this is fine. If a puppet had consciousness, would it still be called a puppet?”
Xu Yi blurted out the words, and then was stunned by her own utterance.
Teacher Li’s brow furrowed gradually, lost in thought.
Xu Yi was right; perhaps they had been thinking about it incorrectly.
Were Gongshu Yi and Gongshu Er not puppets with consciousness? Yet, their fates were lamentable.
Creating such puppets was not a feat to be proud of.
When Teacher Li figured out the crux of the matter, his furrowed brow slowly relaxed, and his gaze towards Xu Yi was filled with admiration.
“You are right. There are still areas for improvement in this puppet, but it will only be in other aspects. A puppet is, after all, just a puppet.”
Xu Yi nodded, understanding dawning upon her.
In these six months, not only Xu Yi had gained significant insights, but Teacher Li also felt he had made some progress. After chatting with Xu Yi for a few more moments, Teacher Li dismissed her and began his closed-door cultivation.
Xu Yi, carrying her puppet, was not annoyed. She immediately sent a message to Yu Xiaoyu and leaned against the entrance of the Tool Building, waiting quietly.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
“Xu Yi!”
“Xiaoyu!”
Xu Yi and Yu Xiaoyu had not seen each other for a long time, and upon meeting, they seemed to have endless stories to share.
Xu Yi shared her recent experiences and gains in the secret realm with Yu Xiaoyu. Yu Xiaoyu, in turn, told Xu Yi about her daily life at Kunlun Academy, the bottlenecks she encountered in her cultivation, and some minor troubles.
This trouble was related to Xiong Zhuangzhuang.
“Xu Yi, you must know already, so I won’t hide it from you. I, I haven’t figured out how to tell Master. I don’t think I can bring myself to say it.”
Yu Xiaoyu’s face flushed red.
Xu Yi initially wanted to say there was nothing to it, but when she put herself in Yu Xiaoyu’s shoes and then thought of Xiong Zhuangzhuang, she closed her mouth as soon as it opened.
It was indeed a bit embarrassing.
“Xiaoyu, I don’t think I can help you with this problem,” Xu Yi said, frowning with distress, finding it quite troublesome.
“Pfft.” Yu Xiaoyu laughed at Xu Yi’s expression. “Xu Yi, it’s rare to see you stumped. Suddenly, I’m not as worried anymore.
I think I just lack a little courage. When I see Master, perhaps the situation will be different.”
Yu Xiaoyu smiled openly.
No one stays in the past forever.
She was no longer the timid and weak Yu Xiaoyu of before.
Xu Yi was overjoyed and couldn’t help but step forward to gently hug Yu Xiaoyu, whispering in her ear, “Xiaoyu, you’re amazing, truly.”
“You too, Xu Yi,” Yu Xiaoyu replied with a smile.
Xu Yi and Yu Xiaoyu couldn’t chat for too long before they were interrupted by Teacher Liu, who had somehow gotten wind of the situation.
“Xu Yi, come with me.”
Liu Yinxiao’s expression was not good, though it wasn’t directed at Xu Yi.
Xu Yi, not understanding why, could only bid Yu Xiaoyu a brief farewell and followed Liu Yinxiao.
Along the way, Liu Yinxiao was exceptionally silent, preoccupied with her thoughts.
Xu Yi, afraid of saying the wrong thing and causing unnecessary trouble, also kept her head down and remained silent.
Liu Yinxiao casually glanced at Xu Yi’s expression and, thinking of something, let out a light chuckle, breaking the previous silent atmosphere.
“Xu Yi, I heard you were playing with fire at the Saintess Sect gathering and even burned the Daoist robe of Sect Leader Zhaiye. You have quite the nerve.”
“Pfft… cough cough cough!”
Xu Yi nearly choked on Liu Yinxiao’s bombshell statement.
She quickly waved her hands, “Rumors, absolute rumors! Am I that kind of person!”
She had done it to save True Person Zhaiye; how could it be described with the simple two words of “playing with fire.”
“Come on, so many eyes saw it. You can’t deny it anymore.” After a teasing remark, Liu Yinxiao suddenly turned serious and asked, “You had close contact with Wan Yanxue. Do you think there was anything strange about her?”
“Strange things?” Xu Yi recalled Wan Yanxue’s crystal-clear face. “Do you mean her appearance?”
“No,” Liu Yinxiao shook her head. “Things that can’t be seen with the naked eye, like her aura.”
Xu Yi was startled, her steps halting.
This was something she had never considered.
She thought back carefully and shook her head, “I didn’t have much contact with Wan Yanxue, so…”
A flicker of disappointment crossed Liu Yinxiao’s eyes, and she asked no further, leading Xu Yi to the room where she had previously spoken with Xiong Zhuangzhuang.
Inside the room, Yu Chun Dao was already waiting.
“Teacher Yu.”
“Xu Yi is here, please sit.”
Yu Chun Dao, being very familiar with Liu Yinxiao, guessed that he had already inquired with Xu Yi on the way, seeing his unhappy mood. His eyes were slightly dim, but he still gently invited Xu Yi to sit.
Xu Yi sat as instructed, obediently waiting to be questioned.
Perhaps it was due to Xu Yi’s exceptionally ostentatious performance at Kunlun Academy previously, but seeing her now acting so low-key made Yu Chun Dao stifle a laugh.
Yu Chun Dao calmed himself before saying gently, “Can you tell us what grievances you and Wan Yanxue have that make her hate you so much?”
Upon hearing this, Xu Yi already had a belly full of grievances to express. As soon as Yu Chun Dao started, Xu Yi took the lead in continuing the conversation.
“…Teacher Yu, that’s the situation. Please help me analyze where exactly I provoked Wan Yanxue.”
Liu Yinxiao and Yu Chun Dao exchanged glances.
From Xu Yi’s perspective, she and Wan Yanxue had only minor, insignificant squabbles; they shouldn’t have escalated into mortal enmity.
This was rather strange.
“Xu Yi, are you sure you haven’t missed anything?” Liu Yinxiao pressed repeatedly.
“Really not.”
The day Xu Yi met Wan Yanxue, she had reviewed everything that happened between them from the beginning, ensuring she hadn’t missed any detail.
“Your situation is indeed strange. Perhaps only Wan Yanxue knows the reason.”
Yu Chun Dao pondered for a long time, finally sighing in helplessness.
Ever since Wan Yanxue defected from Kunlun Academy, he had been unable to fathom her thoughts.