Mass-Produced Lu Ling

Faced with such generous pay, Lu Li's heart wavered somewhat. He had seen over two hundred spirit stones before, but he had earned those by rising early and working late on the Treasure Flow River, all while worrying every day that water bandits might rob him of them.

If he had not comprehended the killing move of the Stamping Art in advance and used it to defeat his enemy, he would likely have long since become a ghost beneath the Monkey King's hand.

Maple Fragrance City was different. The workshop's work was stable, the income was not low, and it commanded considerable respect. Logically, it was not as exhausting as being an apprentice either, and there was no need to work alternating shifts.

If there was anything imperfect about it, it was that sudden orders might require overtime.

The toil of two lifetimes had worn down his edges, leaving him numb yet cautious. The so-called Sword Qi Great Wall had become an insignificant fantasy before the daily necessities of life.

Seeing that Lu Li was still hesitating, Workshop Master Xu added:

"Not only that—if Miss Deer does not mind, we will also provide a residence within the city. You could even bring your family here to live with you."

"Family..."

Lu Li murmured the word to himself.

When his parents died, Lu Li had not shed a single tear. To be honest, he still harbored some resentment toward that spendthrift mother of his.

But Lu Ling had done nothing wrong.

Lately, his nights had been filled with dreams. He could never forget Lu Ling's hopeful expression, nor could he forget her words: "Big Brother has always been the big brother I admire most." That silly girl was still waiting for him to become a Heaven-grade clamp master.

By now, he truly was close to earning the seal of a Heaven-grade clamp master, yet that girl's whereabouts were unknown. How could he stop here?

He had seen the suffering of mortals on the streets of Southern Sun Town, where immortals ran rampant. He had also gazed upon spirit mines along the Treasure Flow River, glittering like the River of Stars, where vile waters bred unruly people.

Now, standing in the middle of Maple Fragrance City's plaza, he had witnessed with his own eyes the vast chasm between people.

The children of the middle reaches were born into every luxury and honor. What ordinary mortals pursued their entire lives was within easy reach for them. To say Lu Li felt no envy at all would certainly be a lie.

In the past, he had been helpless, struggling to survive like every other mortal.

But things were different now. He could mortgage his five viscera and six bowels to take out a loan for a puppet device. With a puppet device, he would possess a lever capable of moving wealth—and the possibility of continuing to climb upward.

Since he had this opportunity, he had to give it a try, even if the price was being smashed to pieces.

He wanted to go farther.

He had to climb higher.

At that moment, Workshop Master Xu leaned closer, his face wreathed in smiles.

"As long as Miss Deer gives the word, I'll immediately send someone to draw up the contract. If you fear that I might go back on my word, I can invite Master Craftsman Zhong to preside over an oath of the Dao. We need only a strand of essence blood or a trace of divine soul from each of us to complete the contract."

Yet Lu Li tugged at the corners of his mouth and gave a dull smile.

"Workshop Master Xu, I appreciate your kindness, but regrettably, my ambitions do not lie here."

Hearing this, the man clasped his hands behind his back and walked several steps away before speaking earnestly.

"Miss, I know your ambitions are lofty, so let me speak plainly. Here with me, you would be an honored guest. But if you enter White Moon Palace, you can only be an outer disciple. Without a background, even entering the inner sect would be difficult for you."

Deer Pear still shook her head. Workshop Master Xu slowly turned back, his expression gradually darkening, his tone no longer as ingratiating as before.

"Your ambitions do not lie here—then what do you intend to do? Without the aid of an earthfire cauldron, how do you plan to contend with those people from the middle reaches?"

"Thank you for your concern, Shopkeeper Xu. I'll find a way."

Just as Lu Li was about to leave, he suddenly felt someone poke him in the kidney.

Who was it?!

Lu Li turned around alertly, only to see a lovely face before him. Her brows were like distant mountains, her eyes like autumn waters, and a smile lingered at the corners of her lips. The woman was about the same height as Lu Li. She wore a water-blue ruqun, her dark hair loosely gathered into a bun with a silver hairpin slanting through it.

It was that young lady named Mo Shuhan from a few days ago!

"Miss Deer, may I have a word with you in private?"

As she spoke, without waiting for Lu Li to refuse, the young lady directly took hold of the hem of his outer robe and led him away. Under everyone's envious yet strange gazes, they vanished at the far end of the plaza.

Before leaving, Workshop Master Xu gave Lu Li a deep look. His gaze plainly said—if you had told me you had this kind of backing, why would I have come over to make a fool of myself?

After moving away from the crowd, Lu Li tentatively spoke.

"Miss, I believe there may be some misunderstanding between us."

Lu Li could vaguely sense several hidden gazes fixed on him. The instant he showed the slightest ill intent, those people would immediately strike and kill him on the spot. There was no doubt that a young lady like Mo Shuhan would have attendants accompanying her whenever she went out.

"Withdraw, all of you. You're scaring her."

"Gulp..."

Lu Li swallowed. At Mo Shuhan's command, the several auras that had locked onto him instantly receded. Yet before Lu Li could breathe a sigh of relief, Mo Shuhan's next words sent his heart leaping into his throat once more.

"Don't leave. You aren't Senior Heartless at all, are you?"

"Hiss—"

Oh no! She recognized me.

The auras surrounding Lu Li had already withdrawn. Guilt gnawing at him like a thief's, Lu Li turned to run, but Mo Shuhan's next sentence nailed him back in place.

"You must be Senior Heartless's younger sister!"

"Huh?"

The world had truly turned upside down! It had really turned upside down!

Taking a step back, supposing the Heartless Senior she spoke of was Lu Ling, not only was he older than Heartless Senior, he was also male—so he should have been Heartless Senior's older brother.

Unable to tell male from female, unable to distinguish the big joker from the little joker—two negatives made a positive, so turning an older brother into a younger sister didn't seem like much of a problem... my ass!

"Heartless Senior didn't imprint any memories about me into you? Hmm—if it's Heartless Senior, she really does forget things all the time. Hey, answer me: how many others like you are there?"

A bewildered look appeared on Lu Li's face, while inwardly he was roaring like mad.

What do you mean, how many? How many younger sisters could I possibly have?

What the hell had that person who might be his little sister been doing out there?!

Why was this girl talking to herself like this? He couldn't understand a single word. Just as Lu Li was puzzled, Elder Duan's laughter suddenly rang out in his mind:

"Hahaha, your master understands now. So that's how it is. So that's what happened."

"You old hag, quit keeping me in suspense. Hurry up and tell me—what is this girl talking about?"

"Your sister was most likely refined into the artifact spirit of a puppet, and at minimum a second-turn one. Puppets with artificial artifact spirits can cultivate on their own. If their testing performance is good, the sect will even mass-produce them... This girl has mistaken you for a copy of your sister."

"Are you saying my sister got mass-produced?"

Lu Li couldn't help imagining it again. One Lu Ling was called a younger sister; three Lu Lings standing in a row and spinning in circles was already somewhat eerie. But if Lu Lings were spinning in circles all over the mountains and plains, that would be a tale of the strange and uncanny.

"No, didn't you hear what I said? That's what this Mo Family girl thinks. This is a common practice—using copied puppets to test things out for the original and ward off disasters. As for whether your sister was actually mass-produced, I wouldn't dare guarantee it."