Beautiful and Filthy Aunt

On the Weapon-Forging Platform, the crowd of refiners was filled with complaints.

Many began to curse out loud.

They had traveled from all corners of the land, enduring countless hardships, only to have their painstakingly crafted puppets dismissed without a single glance from the bounty poster, who had declared them eliminated on the spot.

Isn't this just playing us for fools?

"You haven't even looked at our puppets yet! Isn't this a bit too arrogant?"

"Exactly! This is bullying!"

"With such arbitrary behavior, how can there be any fairness in this Puppet Assembly?"

The insults rained down like a storm.

Pu Mingzhu merely said indifferently, "Everyone, please do not be angry. This Puppet Assembly is simply my master looking to purchase a puppet; it is not a refining competition, so where does the talk of fairness and justice come from?"

The crowd was instantly silenced.

That was true.

This was just a private bounty, not a formal tournament, so naturally, the buyer would choose whichever one they pleased.

But to be eliminated like this—how could they be satisfied?

Though they couldn't speak, they still glared with fury.

Pu Mingzhu smiled slightly. "You all came here chasing the fame of stepping on the Gongshu Clan and the reward of two thousand spirit stones. In normal times, would such a price be something you could easily touch? Since you took the risk to gamble, you must have been prepared to return empty-handed, right?"

If she had been reasonable before, this was a direct slap to the face.

Yet, she had exposed the very thoughts they were too ashamed to voice.

Frustrated and furious, yet helpless, they had no choice but to pack up their puppets and jump off the Weapon-Forging Platform in a rage.

With Gongshu Xia present, their hopes had been slim to begin with.

However, after jumping down, they did not leave immediately, but stood below the platform to watch. They wanted to see what the other two had that made them worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Gongshu Xia.

Gongshu Songting stroked his beard and laughed. "I originally thought this person was just spending money to trample on the reputation of my Gongshu Clan. I didn't expect them to offer two thousand spirit stones, then another two thousand, and even force my son to step out. This woman seems like a decent person!"

The other Gongshu clansmen watching nearby also wore smiles.

Although they could see that the remaining two had some skill and were even a bit inscrutable, they had absolute confidence in Gongshu Xia's fundamentals. The puppet he created was perfect!

On the platform.

Gongshu Xia was dozing off.

The man in the bamboo hat stood as straight as a rod.

Luo Qing rubbed his hands together, waiting to step on Gongshu Xia and become the new top-tier puppet master.

All three were waiting for Pu Mingzhu to inspect their work.

Pu Mingzhu was in no hurry. Instead, she walked a circle around the three of them, finally stopping in front of the man in the bamboo hat.

The man in the bamboo hat slightly lifted the veil of his hat and met her gaze.

Pu Mingzhu was startled and immediately took a step back.

The crowd's hearts skipped a beat.

This middle-aged woman had a powerful backer and was surely well-traveled; what kind of person could frighten her like this?

Before they could recover, Pu Mingzhu turned to look at Luo Qing and Gongshu Xia. "The two of you, you are also eliminated!"

"What the hell?"

The smile on Luo Qing's face vanished at light speed, and a look of uncontrollable rage surged onto his face.

Even Gongshu Xia, who had been dozing, let out an "Hm?" and frowned slightly as he scrutinized Pu Mingzhu. Previously, he could assume the bounty poster was simply dissatisfied with his father's work.

But at least that time, the puppet had been tested.

This time, she hadn't even looked at them.

How could one not suspect that this woman was trying to use the Gongshu Clan as a stepping stone to promote a new puppet master?

Below the platform.

Gongshu Songting, being a straightforward man, rolled up his sleeves and jumped onto the Weapon-Forging Platform, glaring at Pu Mingzhu. "Your methods for trampling on our Gongshu Clan are a bit too low, aren't they? Four thousand spirit stones to step on us twice—don't you think this approach treats every refiner in the world like a fool?"

As he spoke, he swept his gaze across the crowd below.

With the head of the Gongshu Clan disregarding his status to take a stand, the refiners who had been dismissed without cause finally found an outlet for their anger.

In an instant, the complaints boiled over, and the insults became even harsher than before.

Luo Qing joined in the cursing, but after a few words, he realized that his agitation was causing his Nanzhao accent to slip out, so he quickly shut his mouth.

However, his eyes were wide as copper bells, filled with extreme anger and contempt.

Gongshu Songting just stood there. If the other party could not provide a reasonable explanation, he would certainly not let them leave unscathed.

The Gongshu Clan never forms cliques, and they strictly restrain their clansmen from being arrogant or domineering, choosing to avoid trouble whenever possible. However, this absolutely does not mean they will swallow their pride when faced with a grievance.

Do they think a mere four thousand spirit stones is enough to trample upon the reputation of the Gongshu Clan?

What a pipe dream!

Pu Mingzhu, however, did not feel the slightest bit guilty. She simply walked up to the man in the bamboo hat and said, "Sir, would you mind removing your hat?"

The man in the bamboo hat nodded faintly and took it off.

It revealed a head made entirely of wood.

If not for the two eyeballs carved from Sense-Shadow Jade embedded in the sockets, it would look like nothing more than a toy made by a child at play.

It's a puppet!

The one who had been competing against everyone on the Weapon-Forging Platform was actually a puppet?

Who in their right mind uses a puppet to forge another puppet?

Can something that moves with such fluid precision, nearly indistinguishable from a True Person, even be called a puppet anymore?

In an instant, silence fell around the Weapon-Forging Platform.

The anger that had previously filled the expressions of the weapon refiners vanished, replaced by confusion and defeat.

Looking at the Wooden Head before them, every material on its body was inanimate—how could it be forged to act like a living person?

Their convictions had collapsed!

Even Gongshu Songting was no exception. He felt a roar in his mind, feeling as though the first half of his life, which he had taken such pride in, had turned into a pile of trash.

Gongshu Xia's eyes, however, were shining. He grew incredibly excited and, ignoring the gazes of the crowd, rushed up to hug the Wooden Head: "Brother! Brother! We had a deal—if I knelt to you, you would teach me! You can't go back on your word now!"

The crowd: "..."

Inside the private tea room.

Through another perspective, Qin Muye watched the annotations for the father and son change at the speed of light.

After seeing the specific details, he was stunned.

Gongshu Xia's destiny rank instantly shifted from Subordinate Ninth Rank (19/20) to Fourth Rank (619/640). The annotation read that after self-realizing a puppet-forging technique comparable to the Thread-Crafter, he lost interest in weapon-forging once more and returned to monastic life. Later, attempting to save his nation from ruin, he took up the banner of the Gongshu Clan again, only to be assassinated, following in his father's footsteps.

Gongshu Songting's change was even more absurd. The destiny of the "Last Great Craftsman" at Subordinate Second Rank (771/2560) became the "Last Loyal Craftsman" at Third Rank (1/1280). The annotation stated that after witnessing the Thread-Crafter, his Dao heart was shattered, as he realized he could never compare to such a figure, ending his hopes of becoming a Divine Craftsman.

As for his fate, it remained the same: assassinated during the great war due to the enemy's wariness of him.

Qin Muye: "..."

Wait, no?

Is your Dao heart really that fragile?

This wave of destiny changes brought Qin Muye 327 free attribute points.

He had obtained both the destiny skills Divergent Path and Craftsman Heart.

[Divergent Path]: An old horse knows the way; provides a hidden sense of direction toward a confirmed target. If the wrong path is taken, an instinctive correction will occur.

[Craftsman Heart]: All weapon-forging talents are elevated to genius level.

What a super passive skill!

Qin Muye's mouth curled into a wide grin. He hadn't expected such a massive difference in the mentalities of this father and son.

One was a monstrous talent who ignored the easy questions to focus only on the Olympiad-level ones.

The other was a titan of the field who, upon encountering a problem he couldn't understand, had his Dao heart collapse on the spot.

Truly absurd.

With so many extra attribute points, add them immediately!

[Name]: Qin Muye

[Physique]: Eighth Rank (-57/40)

[Soul]: Fifth Rank (0/320)

[Destiny Skills]: Thread-Crafter, Divergent Path, Craftsman Heart

[Available Attribute Points]: 133.33

Add everything to Spirit to reach Fifth Rank Soul first, and keep some points in reserve to hedge the progress of his relationship with Bai Yuji.

After all, a man!

Can be tactically impotent.

But he cannot be truly impotent.

At Fifth Rank Soul, if one only considers spells, he is already equivalent to a Fifth Rank expert, which counts as a genius among the peers of the great clans.

Of course, he couldn't compare to a freak like Li Xingluo, and Bai Yuji seemed to be at the Fourth Rank as well.

Moreover, their physiques didn't hold them back. To truly reach their level, he would have to shatter the destinies of several more high-level individuals, which was no easy task.

After all, this time he had relied entirely on the right time, the right place, and the unique attributes of the Thread-Crafter to bluff everyone.

On the Weapon-Forging Platform.

Pu Mingzhu swept her gaze over the crowd: "Is everyone satisfied with this result?"

The crowd looked at each other in dismay, no one daring to utter another word.

Only then did she smile and look toward Wooden Head: "Sir, I must take the puppet to my master for inspection, so please wait a moment."

Wooden Head made a gesture of invitation.

Pu Mingzhu smiled, then formed a seal with her fingers, casting a spell to send the puppet she had refined toward the top floor of the Sword-Viewing Tea Pavilion.

Qin Muye finally revealed a faint smile.

Today, this act of posturing had been pulled off perfectly.

If this Puppet Assembly had been a contest of combat power, he probably wouldn't have even made it into the top one hundred; the mere task of inscribing combat techniques would have left him completely lost.

As it turned out, because they weren't comparing combat strength, he had successfully established the image of an ultimate reclusive expert.

This had to have Li Xingluo completely infatuated, right?

Next, she would surely come to recruit him with great respect.

Qin Muye quickly switched to the new puppet's perspective.

He flew in through the window.

Sure enough, he saw a beautiful woman in palace attire, her eyes filled with longing.

But...

Qin Muye was stunned.

This damn woman wasn't Li Xingluo either!

Who the hell are you, lady?