Moving the Top Ten Figures of Nanzhao

Qin Muye was also infuriated by this pricing.

A standard spirit stone could be exchanged for thirty taels of silver, so one thousand spirit stones amounted to thirty thousand taels; for a quasi-grandmaster level combatant, that was naturally considered cheap.

But this thing was nothing more than a machine that devoured spirit stones.

Moreover, a quasi-grandmaster was truly just a relatively strong fourth-rank.

In this world, those who could cultivate to the third-rank grandmaster level were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns, but there were definitely no shortage of fourth-rank experts.

Thirty thousand taels of silver to hire a fourth-rank expert—wouldn't that be more cost-effective than buying this thing?

It was nothing more than a showy collector's item.

To set the plagiarism cost so high.

Wasn't this intentionally trying to piss him off?

At this moment.

An overbearing voice rang out from outside: "Two thousand spirit stones. I want this puppet; I ask that you all yield this to me."

Qin Muye curled his lips at Bai Yuji: "Look, a brain-dead person has arrived!"

Bai Yuji thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "Indeed, somewhat..."

With thirty thousand taels of silver, one could raise ten fourth-rank experts.

The wealthy people in the Capital City truly had something wrong with their heads.

Once the price of two thousand spirit stones was called out, the entire auction house fell silent.

Not a single person dared to chime in.

This puppet was indeed suitable as a collector's item; while the price of one thousand spirit stones was inflated, one could grit their teeth and accept it.

But two thousand spirit stones, and asking to "yield"? What qualifications did we have to yield?

The crowd looked toward the source of the voice and discovered a middle-aged woman with an ordinary appearance and a bloated physique.

Qin Muye sat up straight. He had never seen this woman before, but he recognized the subtitles above her head.

[Main Fate: Thousand-Faced Mute Lady]: Though possessing a thousand faces, she has a mouth but cannot speak.

[Fate Grade]: Fifth-rank (319/320)

[Annotation]: A thousand faces gathered in one body, maneuvering between major factions, she raised the Imperial Princess, only to die in silence under the Imperial Princess's blade.

[Hint]: When the fate fluctuation exceeds 500, gain the fate skill Thousand Faces.

Whoa!

She was the former Empress's personal maid, the one who raised the Imperial Princess single-handedly after the former Empress died?

Pu Mingzhu.

That seemed to be her name.

Why did it feel like this person had quite a few stories behind her?

So, was this price called by Li Xingluo?

But rumors had it that the Imperial Princess's cultivation was only one step away from being a grandmaster; why spend such a high price to buy this broken puppet?

Did she need a puppet?

His heart stirred slightly; if that were the case, he didn't know if this was an opportunity to latch onto a powerful backer.

The venue remained quiet for a while.

The auctioneer finally came to his senses and said with a chuckle: "Is there anyone who will bid higher?"

No one responded.

Only then did he say: "Two thousand spirit stones, going once; two thousand spirit stones, going twice; sold!"

Pu Mingzhu said indifferently: "I want to test the puppet right now!"

"Of course you can!"

The auctioneer nodded hurriedly, not because this person was paying a lot, but because this was a proud work of the Gongshu Clan, and they had even given him a red envelope, telling him to make this puppet look impressive.

He hadn't expected this nameless woman to bid only once and kill the auction immediately.

He had been worrying about how to demonstrate the puppet, so how could he refuse when she asked to test it on the spot?

Pu Mingzhu stood up, walked slowly to the puppet, bit her finger decisively, and pressed it onto the crystal core at the puppet's brow.

Following a series of rapid tremors, the puppet seemed to come alive.

It immediately drew its sword and performed a set of sword techniques, with countless Sword Qi slashing out, swirling into a barrier around its body, shocking the surrounding crowd into gasping aloud.

They had seen plenty of puppets, but this was the first time they had ever seen one capable of controlling Sword Qi with such precision.

Judging by this move alone, it was likely truly worthy of the reputation of a "quasi-grandmaster."

Pu Mingzhu nodded slightly, controlled the puppet to disperse the Sword Qi, and then took off her hairpin and threw it away. The puppet hurried to pick it up, walked forward, and helped her insert it back into her hair bun.

The movements were very fast.

It was clearly not as smooth as when she had wielded the sword earlier; it was even a bit clumsy, and in the end, she stuck the hairpin in crooked.

Pu Mingzhu fell silent for a moment before slapping the puppet.

"Clatter!"

The puppet fell apart instantly, its arms, legs, and head scattering across the floor.

"Hiss..."

"Hiss..."

"Hiss..."

The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned.

A puppet worth two thousand spirit stones, destroyed just like that! All because its movement in inserting the hairpin was a bit awkward?

Moreover, the puppet's durability was at least equivalent to that of a fourth-rank expert, yet it was destroyed with a single slap?

What kind of background did this woman have?

Was there anyone this powerful in the Capital City?

The auctioneer was dumbfounded, subconsciously tilting his head to look toward the private room on the second floor.

The middle-aged man in the private room suppressed his anger: "You destroyed the puppet I crafted for no reason. Do you hold a grudge against the Gongshu Clan?"

Pu Mingzhu asked coldly in return: "Since I have already won this puppet at auction, it is my property. What business is it of yours if I destroy my own belongings?"

The middle-aged man fell silent, finally letting out a cold snort before saying nothing more.

However, his snort was filled with rage; it was unlikely this matter would end so easily.

Pu Mingzhu, as if to provoke him, scanned the room and announced loudly: "Ten days from now, my master will hold a puppet convention and purchase the most satisfactory one for two thousand spirit stones. I hope those of you skilled in puppet crafting will not miss it."

With that, she jumped off the high platform, not even glancing at the scattered wreckage, as if she had simply discarded trash.

The crowd looked at one another, unable to stop their hushed whispers.

This mysterious middle-aged woman.

Could it be that she really had a grudge against the Gongshu Clan?

To smash such a powerful puppet without a second thought.

And to hold a puppet convention with a two-thousand spirit stone prize, buying another's puppet for the same price—how was this any different from slapping the Gongshu Clan in the face?

The most terrifying part was that this person had smashed a puppet made by the head of the Gongshu Clan with one slap, only to buy another one she favored for the same high price.

What did this mean?

It meant that, on some level, the winner would be trampling the Gongshu Clan underfoot.

Puppet masters across the world would likely go mad!

Perhaps this person used the destruction of a sky-high-priced puppet to leverage the name of the Gongshu Clan, attracting all the top puppet masters in the world. Such a move truly marked her as a ruthless character!

Ten days from now, the Capital City would likely be in for a lively time.

In the private room.

Li Xingluo was somewhat puzzled: "Aunt, this puppet is already the pinnacle of craftsmanship in this world, and you are still not satisfied? You are willing to spend another two thousand spirit stones—what exactly does the puppet you want look like?"

Li Runyue laughed lazily: "Since your aunt isn't spending your money, why are you asking so many questions, you little girl? In any case, help your aunt one more time, and that thing will be yours."

As she spoke, her body gradually turned into mist and finally vanished completely.

Li Xingluo stared at the spot where she had been lying, her face full of confusion.

Just then, Pu Mingzhu pushed the door open. Seeing the daybed already empty, she couldn't help but laugh: "The Princess Royal is truly lonely!"

Li Xingluo's beautiful eyes widened: "Ah?"

Returning to the Southern Pacification Mansion, the two performed another act of tender affection in front of Qin Yanying before returning to their respective rooms.

"Bang!"

Qin Muye closed the door, thinking to himself that Bai Yuji was truly single-minded; once she got the money, she ignored him.

While in the carriage, he had wanted to chat with her about the gossip he'd just heard, but she had been lost in thought the whole time, likely calculating how to spend all that money.

He figured that under the cover of darkness, she would go off to deliver the money to the survivors of Nanzhao.

Damn it!

A princess of a Fall of the Nation relying on selling her charms to support her people.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to name her the top figure among the "Ten People Who Moved Nanzhao," would it?

Qin Muye shook his head and snapped his fingers. A moment later, a comical-looking paper puppet crawled out from under the bed, clutching a bundle of materials which it placed on the desk before busily setting to work.

It was, quite clearly, crafting... another puppet.

Qin Muye sat down in his chair and took a contented sip of tea, unable to help but sigh; this Thread-Crafter class was truly perverse. Although his foundational cultivation meant he couldn't yet produce the combat-oriented puppets of the Gongshu Clan, the Thread-Crafter's control over puppets was pushed to the absolute peak. It was equivalent to directly implanting a copy of one's own consciousness; while the processing power of such a mind couldn't compare to the original, it was more than enough to crush every other known puppet, and regardless of who he sold them to or who operated them, the administrator privileges remained firmly in his hands.

Whenever he wished, he could read the puppet's five senses and memories at any time, or even use the puppet's line of sight to inspect a target's destiny.

One could say it was a human-shaped surveillance device, one capable of turning against its master at a critical moment.

Of course, turning against one's master was something best avoided.

That sort of thing was like a pager explosion—a catastrophic blow to both sales and reputation.

He needed to find a way to market his puppets.

His first target was naturally Li Xingluo, the woman who had "severed her own path to the Great Emperor," and he needed to latch onto that thigh as soon as possible.

Although the puppets he crafted lacked sufficient lethality, judging by Pu Mingzhu's attitude toward the puppet from today, he suspected that Li Xingluo wasn't looking for an offensive puppet anyway.

If he could win, wouldn't he be able to see Li Xingluo's long legs every single day?

Perfect!