Coach, I Want to Learn This

After a long while.

Shen Jin leaned back in his chair, lost in thought for quite some time.

Under the heated gazes of the men and women around them, Qingqiu Ningning straightened her clothes and nestled against him.

Suddenly, she pointed out the window. "Isn't that Yu Shanjun? What's he doing beneath the Weapon-Forging Platform? Is he entering the Puppet Assembly too?"

Shen Jin let out a satisfied sigh. "Naturally. His father is the Nine-Nether Underworld Tiger, and the Tiger-Thrall Technique is one of the top puppet arts. This is also a golden opportunity to trample the Gongshu Clan underfoot. Why wouldn't he enter?"

Qingqiu Ningning's flushed face was full of confusion. "But I heard Yu Shanjun hasn't even broken through to the sixth rank. Isn't he being too hasty?"

"That's not so!"

Shen Jin raised his brows with confidence. "I don't know who's behind the Puppet Assembly, but at the auction, that servant smashed Gongshu Songting's prized creation because she was too clumsy at putting in a hairpin.

"In my view, this person doesn't care about a puppet's strength. They want it to be nimble, able to do things ordinary puppets can't.

"The Tiger-Thrall Technique uses living people to make puppets, so it's perfectly suited to that requirement.

"Even if Yu Shanjun's cultivation is a little low, he might not lose.

"If he takes first place, let's see who dares look down on us then."

A hint of admiration appeared in Qingqiu Ningning's eyes. "You're so clever."

Shen Jin lifted his chin slightly. "You flatter me."

"Then the people behind him are the living folk he's going to use to make puppets?"

"Yes. I bought a few condemned commoners."

"You're so generous!"

"You're one of us now. I'll treat you the same way."

The two of them gazed into each other's eyes.

Wang Li suddenly said, "The host is announcing the rules!"

Shen Jin looked displeased. "What rules?"

"Artificers have to enter empty-handed and make their puppets using materials provided by the organizers."

"..."

"Look, Yu Shanjun withdrew!"

"..."

Qin Muye couldn't help laughing when he saw Yu Shanjun withdraw. "That funny little black gradient tiger actually thought he could use Tiger-Thralls to make up the numbers?"

Qin Yanying didn't find it funny at all. Her expression was dark. "Beasts will be beasts. The emperor must have lost his mind, letting these Demon Race creatures run rampant on Great Gan's territory. The bottom line just keeps getting lower."

Chen Sui quietly reminded her, "Actually, those great clans also buy and sell condemned prisoners."

Qin Yanying's brows shot up. "How can those things be the same? Great Gan has become this absurd because of toadies like you. I can't tell whether you can't see the situation clearly or just don't dare speak up! You're all useless!"

Chen Sui shrank his neck and meekly fell silent.

Bai Yuji hurriedly smiled and tried to smooth things over. "Auntie! Muye spent a fortune today, and that tiger demon was chased away too. Let's just enjoy the puppet contest. If you spend all that money and still get angry, won't you be losing out?"

Qin Yanying wasn't going to calm down so quickly, but after thinking it over, she had to admit her nephew's wife had a point.

If she spent all that money and still got angry—

Wouldn't that be a total loss?

She took several deep breaths, then glanced at Chen Sui. "I'll let you off for my nephew's wife's sake. Don't make me angry again, got it?"

Chen Sui hurriedly nodded.

Qin Muye smiled and simply closed his eyes to rest.

His paper puppet had already stepped onto the Weapon-Forging Platform in a cloak. The view from a competitor's perspective was far better than the audience's.

After the rules were announced, a large number of artificers withdrew.

Looking at the materials on the table, he felt much more at ease.

Most of the materials were low-grade, except for the flexible ones.

His guess had been right. Li Xingluo didn't care about a puppet's combat strength. She wanted something more nimble.

Such a puppet was difficult to make. Even an artificing grandmaster might not be able to make one truly nimble.

But a puppet like that definitely wasn't worth two thousand spirit stones. The markup was outrageous.

Qin Muye figured Li Xingluo was buying puppets on the surface, but her real aim was to recruit the artificers who made them. He needed to put on a good showing. Even if he couldn't cling to Li Xingluo's coattails, he had to pocket those two thousand spirit stones.

Of course.

It would be even better if he could earn a large pile of attribute points along the way.

He scanned the platform. There weren't many people who could threaten him. Artificing grandmasters weren't especially rare in this world, but few specialized in making puppets.

And those who did usually focused on combat strength, so plenty hadn't even come.

They wanted to step on the Gongshu Clan to rise to prominence.

But they were also afraid some unknown puppet-maker would use them as a stepping-stone.

There were really only a few worth watching.

For instance, that Fierce Dog from Nanzhao.

And Gongshu Xia, in his daoist robes, looking thoroughly bored.

Qin Muye deliberately chose a spot near Gongshu Xia and sneered. "I thought the artificing prodigy Gongshu Xia would be too proud for this. They say he's the youngest artificing grandmaster in the world, and that even as a boy he stood alone at the summit, with no equal. Yet here he is, picking up his old artificing tricks again."

Gongshu Xia yawned. "Don't try to provoke me, brother. I'm not withdrawing. My old man said I could keep all the spirit stones I earn, and he's giving me another thousand to repair my master's daoist temple."

"Tsk!"

Qin Muye curled his lip, thinking that Gongshu Songting was willing to spend big.

One spirit stone was worth thirty taels. A thousand spirit stones came to thirty thousand taels. A tael of silver had purchasing power equivalent to about three thousand yuan in his previous life, which worked out to nearly a hundred million.

A hundred million just to save face.

But it made sense. Li Xingluo was trampling on the face of the entire Gongshu Clan. The pride of an artificing clan was worth that much.

What a grudge. He'd never heard that Li Xingluo had any beef with the Gongshu Clan!

Never mind that.

Qin Muye looked up at the top floor of the Sword-Viewing Tea Pavilion.

After mastering the Thread-Crafter technique, his spiritual senses had become remarkably sharp. He could faintly feel someone up there scrutinizing every artificer.

It was probably Li Xingluo.

Boss was hiring in person!

Top floor, Sword-Viewing Tea Pavilion.

Pu Mingzhu said respectfully, "Grand Princess, everything is ready. Shall we begin?"

"We're starting already?"

Li Runyue frowned. "Where's your Imperial Princess? Isn't she coming to keep her aunt company?"

Pu Mingzhu smiled. "The Imperial Princess said that all puppets in the world belong to just a few schools. She's most interested in military puppets, which are under the emperor's direct control. She has no interest in the other schools, so she decided to cultivate in seclusion."

"Oh..."

Li Runyue waved a hand listlessly. "Then let's begin!"

Pu Mingzhu smiled and sent a message to the organizers below.

Soon.

The artificers on the Weapon-Forging Platform got to work.

Li Runyue leaned lazily against the window, letting her gaze wander over the artificers.

Suddenly, she pointed at Gongshu Xia. "Is that the Gongshu Clan's artificing prodigy?"

"Yes, Grand Princess!"

"Good! I thought he wouldn't enter. I hope he'll surprise me!"

Li Runyue was delighted. She'd heard that Gongshu Xia had mastered all of the Gongshu Clan's hereditary teachings when he was fifteen and become an artificing grandmaster. Then he had spent a year specializing in puppets. The reason was simple: making puppets let him bring all sorts of wild ideas to life.

But no one knew what he'd come up with during that year.

After leaving seclusion, he had announced that he was giving up artificing and turning to the dao.

She had sent people to approach Gongshu Xia, but they'd always received the same answer: Gongshu Xia had retired from the trade. No amount of money would bring him back. Artificing was far too boring, especially puppet-making.

It had taken her a long time to come up with a way to force Gongshu Xia out of retirement.

That was... to trample the Gongshu Clan's dignity into the dirt and make Gongshu Songting ask his son to come out.

Now it seemed she had succeeded.

Gongshu Xia still looked like he was half-dead.

But his hands moved with remarkable skill. Though his cultivation was lacking, he could still use the flames from the Li Fire Array to easily refine all sorts of materials.

Just looking at his bearing, plenty of artificing grandmasters couldn't hold a candle to him.

He truly lived up to his reputation as a prodigy!

Excellent!

Li Runyue nodded in satisfaction.

But...

She suddenly frowned. "Why did that boy stop?"

Pu Mingzhu followed her gaze.

Gongshu Xia had put down everything he was working on.

He'd even gone over to another artificer's platform, utterly absorbed in watching the craftsman in the bamboo hat make a puppet.

The drowsy look had vanished.

Instead, both his eyes were shining. "Brother! Your puppet-making technique is pretty interesting!"

The man in the bamboo hat knew how to play along too. "Want to learn? Beg me!"