Half-Pair

He strolled out of the thatched hut with Nuonuo, beginning to survey this secret realm.

In the distance, a clear spring cascaded down the mountain wall, merging into a babbling brook that wound its way through the verdant meadow.

The banks were lined with countless exotic flowers, their names unknown, exuding a fragrance that calmed the mind and settled the spirit.

Sunlight filtered softly through natural fissures in the dome, casting shimmering golden ripples upon the water. Occasionally, spirit birds with vibrant plumage would dart past, their crisp cries echoing through the air. Everything appeared serene and peaceful, a world apart from the hidden dangers of the outside.

Chen Jin found a smooth boulder by the stream to sit on, took out some oil, salt, vinegar, and soy sauce he carried with him, and reached out to patiently feed Nuonuo. The little girl ate with great relish.

Under the shade of a tree not far away, the half-puppet known as Eleven was clumsily attempting to craft small training mechanisms, following the previous teachings of his foster father.

As wood shavings flew, his fingers always failed to keep pace with his thoughts.

He truly lacked talent for this trade; being clumsy and often scolded by his foster father made him exceptionally cautious with every stroke of the blade.

Inadvertently, his gaze drifted across the stream and landed on Chen Jin and Nuonuo.

That one glance made it impossible for him to look away.

That little girl was clearly a man-eating monster...

The half-puppet's fingers loosened unconsciously, letting his carving knife drop into the grass.

He watched as Chen Jin gently wiped the residue from the corner of Nuonuo's mouth, and a sudden, bitter ache welled up in his heart.

So, as long as one is born with a fair appearance, even a harmful monster can be held in the palm of someone's hand and treated with tenderness?

Chen Jin keenly caught the half-puppet's gaze.

Seeing the half-human, half-mechanical youth huddled in the corner, trying his best to minimize his own presence, something in his heart was gently touched.

A dust-covered memory quietly surfaced—the time when he had just been brought back by Old Master Chen, and the surrounding gazes that were filled with curiosity, pity, or disgust.

Though their circumstances differed, the sense of alienation from being viewed as an "outsider" felt somewhat familiar.

He remained silent for a moment, then beckoned to the figure in the corner who was trying so hard to hide: "You, come here."

The half-puppet's body stiffened visibly. He hesitated for several seconds before shuffling over step by step, never daring to lift his head.

Chen Jin extended his left hand, and with his right hand shaped like a blade, he sliced off a large portion of his own palm.

The severed half-palm moved like fingers in flight, rapidly crawling onto the half-puppet's body.

The half-puppet stumbled back in horror, falling to the ground.

As soon as the flesh touched the surface of the mechanism, it seemed to possess a life of its own, rapidly extending, deforming, and wrapping around the structure.

It skillfully covered the cold metal and wooden frame, its color and texture shifting in a flash. Within a few breaths, it had perfectly mimicked the texture of human skin, muscle, and even pores.

Not only that, the living tissue slightly adjusted the internal mechanisms, making its movements smoother and silent.

In the blink of an eye, that hideous mechanical arm looked no different from a normal youth's arm, and even its temperature had been simulated to match a normal body.

The half-puppet was completely stunned.

He stared blankly at his suddenly "normal" arm, subconsciously lifting it, bending it, and flexing his fingers... the movements were fluid, without a hint of resistance.

Watching him, Chen Jin felt a wave of emotion; he, too, had experienced the desire to fit into a group and not be treated as an outsider...

Hm?

Experienced it?

Strange, have I ever suffered such indignity?

Chen Jin paused, shaking his head, but he couldn't recall where this inexplicable feeling had come from.

Chen Jin tried to recall his childhood, only to be struck by the realization that he couldn't even remember the name of a single classmate.

Even his own university graduation ceremony... did he even attend a graduation ceremony?

This question was somewhat serious.

Although Chen Jin didn't possess the ability to read ten lines at a glance or never forget what he saw, his memory wasn't so poor that he couldn't recall events from two or three years ago. If there wasn't something fishy going on, even a ghost wouldn't believe it.

Yet, as to where the problem lay, Chen Jin couldn't figure it out.

Forget it.

If he couldn't think it through, he wouldn't dwell on it. "The boat will straighten itself when it reaches the bridge" was Chen Jin's usual philosophy.

Returning to his senses, the half-puppet was still there, weeping with gratitude. The half-puppet could not speak, and Chen Jin didn't know what kind of praise the other was offering him.

However, helping others made him happy. Chen Jin felt he had run into some trouble and was in a bad mood, so he decided to help the half-puppet a bit more to cheer himself up.

His right hand swept across his left arm like a blade again, and several pieces of flesh peeled away.

Those pieces of flesh covered the remaining mechanical parts—his right leg, half of his cheek, and even the bronze joints exposed at his neck.

Where the flesh spread, the cold material was replaced by warm, supple tissue. The texture was natural, and the skin tone blended perfectly with his original complexion.

Chen Jin pointed his fingers in the air, and the metal mask covering half his face was enveloped by the flowing flesh.

The contours of the bones were finely adjusted: the bridge of the nose was straight but not sharp, the lip line was thin and soft, and the curve of the jaw was exquisite yet retained a youthful air. It was a face meticulously constructed by blending the most captivating facial features of several young stars from Heaven-Jiazi-Nine.

In just a moment, the person standing there was no longer a broken, cowering half-puppet.

Under the moonlight, there stood a slender, handsome youth, his dark hair half-tied, his robes fluttering lightly in the breeze.

Only that left eye remained a deep blue spirit stone crystal, yet on such a face, it appeared not eerie, but rather like the finishing touch, adding a sense of mysterious, otherworldly grace.

Chen Jin produced a bronze mirror from somewhere and held it out before him. "See for yourself."

Eleven took the mirror with trembling hands.

Reflected in the glass was a flawless face he had never dared to imagine.

He instinctively raised a hand to stroke his cheek, the sensation warm and soft.

He turned his hands over repeatedly, seeing a pair of human palms with distinct knuckles, showing no signs of abnormality.

The immense shock left him momentarily speechless.

He dropped abruptly to his knees, his shoulders shaking violently.

Though that deep blue prosthetic eye could shed no tears, his entire body expressed gratitude and stifled sobs.

Having lived in this corner of the academy for so many years, he had long grown accustomed to the shadows, the silence, and the glances of pity or fear from others.

He had never dared to dream that one day, he might possess such a normal, or even beautiful, vessel.

Chen Jin leaned down and gently helped the kneeling Eleven to his feet.

"Your internal organs and throat are largely composed of intricate mechanical structures."

His fingertips hovered over Eleven's throat. "This transcends the scope of flesh and blood evolution; even I cannot easily reshape it, so... I cannot grant you the ability to speak for now."

The blue light in Eleven's eye dimmed for a fleeting moment, but he kept his gaze fixed on Chen Jin, shaking his head vigorously to show he was already more than content.

"However," Chen Jin continued, "I will take you to see the Libationer later. If he agrees to let me study the Mohist School's Art of Puppetry, perhaps I will find a way to let you speak once more."