"Want to learn? Beg me!"
Hearing that, Gongshu Xia couldn't help pouting. He hadn't expected this guy to be so cocky.
But he wasn't angry at all. He even wanted to agree on the spot.
He just sneaked a glance below the Weapon-Forging Platform and saw Gongshu Songting staring at him with a sour look.
After thinking it over, he lowered his voice and said, "There are too many people here. How about I beg you after we get off the stage?"
Bamboo Hat Man: "..."
Good grief, this guy had none of a genius's pride!
Just look at that burning gaze. There wasn't a trace of competitiveness in it, only damnable curiosity.
He nodded. "We'll talk after we get down."
Gongshu Xia immediately broke into a grin. "Deal! I'll beg you, but I'm still going to beat you up. I've got work to do!"
With that, he returned to his forging station.
He just thought Bamboo Hat Man's technique was novel, and unlike any puppet-making method he knew. He couldn't say which was better or worse, but he found it interesting and wanted to learn.
But to say he thought he couldn't beat Bamboo Hat Man? That was pure bullshit.
After all, it had taken him a whole year to grasp the Great Way of Puppetry.
He knew all too well that puppetry was a complicated discipline, and not one that could be mastered easily.
Forging a body for a puppet, giving it the mobility and strength it needed, was only the simplest part.
The crucial parts came later: imbuing it with a spirit and connecting its spiritual-energy circuits.
The Gongshu Clan's puppets were so powerful because generations of work had produced the ideal system of combat puppet bodies. On top of that, the clan knew many expert fighters and had developed spiritual-energy circuits compatible with all kinds of martial arts.
A few days ago, his father had dared to price a puppet at a thousand spirit stones because it had a perfect combat body and an exceptionally comprehensive set of spiritual-energy circuits.
And he himself had superb martial arts skills, which he had imbued into the spirit core as combat instincts.
With all three parts united, they could create the most efficient killing machine.
Of course, the person who had commissioned a puppet this time was a little strange. They didn't seem to need one for combat.
But that didn't matter.
During the year Gongshu Xia had spent in seclusion, he had thoroughly studied the structure of the human body. He was certain the puppet he forged could move just like a human, without becoming clumsy at everything outside of combat.
He had also invented a formation that optimized the spirit core, allowing a puppet to better understand its master's wishes.
Every part was already close to perfect. How could he possibly lose to someone else?
He continued forging his puppet with practiced ease.
Whenever he had a free moment, he kept studying Bamboo Hat Man's forging techniques.
"Bastard! Are you looking down on me?"
Luo Qing couldn't help cursing. Over the years, he had visited countless puppet-making experts. He had become exceptionally proficient in every aspect, and each had taken on a distinctive style of his own.
Using the bond between parent and child Gu worms, he had also specially concocted a liquid containing child Gu that could dissolve into a spirit core. As long as a puppet's master pressed a jade tablet infused with the mother Gu's spiritual liquid to their brow, their control over the puppet would improve dramatically.
The Puppet Assembly was practically made for him.
The only person who posed a threat was that prodigious genius from the Gongshu Clan.
But he was confident that even Gongshu Xia would be so astonished by his work that he'd be left speechless.
That was why he had deliberately chosen a spot across from Gongshu Xia, hoping to unsettle him with his taunts.
But...
Gongshu Xia hadn't looked his way once from start to finish.
Instead, he kept watching that strange Bamboo Hat Man!
Look at me, damn it!
This was going too far!
Luo Qing gave a cold snort. To avoid losing focus, he simply stopped looking at the two people across from him and concentrated on forging his puppet.
If they ignored him,
then he'd ignore them too.
Once he won first place, he could savor their devastated expressions. Wouldn't that be glorious?
By then, his fame would soar, and he'd take home two thousand spirit stones as well. The princess would surely see him in a new light.
Sword-Viewing Tea Pavilion.
Top floor.
The smile on Li Runyue's face grew brighter and brighter. "I never expected the Puppet Assembly to draw out so many experts. Mingzhu, who do you think will win?"
Pu Mingzhu's eye twitched.
Mingzhu?
Aside from the Grand Princess, who would call a palace matron in her forties "Mingzhu"?
She shook her head. "Whoever wins this Puppet Assembly depends entirely on the Grand Princess's decision. I'd rather not guess."
Li Runyue looked displeased. "I told you to guess, so guess. Xingluo asked you to keep me company, her old aunt. Is this how you do it?"
Pu Mingzhu had no choice but to comply. She analyzed the situation onstage seriously. "Puppet makers throughout the world generally want their puppets to have the greatest possible combat strength. But I don't think that's what the Grand Princess is looking for.
"That alone is enough to render most of those puppet makers' years of work useless.
"Unless they come up with something new, even if they surpass all the other puppet makers, they still won't win the Grand Princess's favor.
"So... if there's a winner, it should be one of those three."
Li Runyue looked quite pleased. "No wonder Xingluo values you so highly and even treats you like an elder. She certainly has a sharp eye."
Pu Mingzhu said calmly, "The Imperial Princess treats this servant with courtesy because I have served her attentively. It has nothing to do with my judgment."
Li Runyue made no comment.
She simply watched the stage in silence.
She had thought only Gongshu Xia was worth keeping an eye on, but it turned out there were two other geniuses.
They all had rock-solid fundamentals, and each had a unique way of imbuing a puppet with a spirit.
She felt that the puppet she had sought for so many years was finally within reach.
Gongshu Xia's astonishing talent was understandable. The Gu puppet maker from Nanzhao had also brought a pleasant surprise. But where had that Bamboo Hat Man come from?
She spread her spiritual sense again, locking onto Bamboo Hat Man.
Then,
her brows drew tightly together.
There was something a little off about this person.
After a while,
Pu Mingzhu reminded her, "Grand Princess, it's over."
Li Runyue raised a hand. "Tell the other puppet makers to take their travel expenses and leave. Bring up the puppets made by those three you mentioned."
"Yes!"
Pu Mingzhu nodded and started to leave, but Li Runyue suddenly called her back.
"Wait!"
"Yes, Grand Princess?"
"Take off that man's bamboo hat. If you think it necessary, you can bring up just one puppet."
"!"
Nearly a hundred puppet makers at the scene had finished and were waiting anxiously.
Fame and fortune.
Today was the day.
Even if "crushing the Gongshu Clan" was merely an empty boast,
those two thousand spirit stones were real. Six million taels of silver were enough to establish a mid-sized clan.
Gongshu Xia, meanwhile, seemed quite at ease. He sidled up to Bamboo Hat Man again and lowered his voice. "Brother Bamboo Hat, remember your promise. Once there are fewer people around, I'll get on my knees and beg you. No matter who wins or loses, don't let it affect our friendship. You absolutely have to share your puppet-making insights with me."
Bamboo Hat Man: "..."
Onstage,
Luo Qing was so angry his teeth ground together.
They were still ignoring him!
Those two were still ignoring him!
What arrogance.
Below the stage,
Gongshu Songting was so angry his teeth ground together.
You little brat!
Did you think your father couldn't hear you just because you were whispering?
The most gifted craftsman of the Gongshu Clan's younger generation was going to get on his knees for someone over a mere forging technique?
Was that any way to act?
But then again, Bamboo Hat Man seemed to have stirred up his son's curiosity. If he made good use of this opportunity, perhaps he could reignite the boy's passion for forging.
Of course,
he didn't think his son would lose to Bamboo Hat Man. He had seen Gongshu Xia's original method of imbuing a puppet with a spirit. It was truly astonishing. Though its practical use was limited, it perfectly suited the requirements of this Puppet Assembly.
Bamboo Hat Man's method was something he'd never seen before either, but with the Gongshu Clan's teachings as his son's foundation, there was no way he could lose.
At the auction that day, the Gongshu Clan's dignity had been trampled into the dirt.
Today, his son would win back their pride and show the world that the Gongshu Clan was invincible.
At last,
the middle-aged woman who had appeared at the auction that day came out again.
Amid the crowd's expectant gazes, she pointed to three people. "Everyone else has been eliminated!"
In an instant, the Weapon-Forging Platform erupted.
Crowd: On what grounds?! (╯°Д°)╯︵┻━┻
Luo Qing: ヽ(￣▽￣)ノ
Gongshu Songting: ヽ(￣▽￣)
You've got a good eye.