Hey! I am my sister's sister [Added Chapter Requesting Follow-up]

"But what's the point of copying so many automaton puppets?"

"They have plenty of uses. They can be used for trial and error, to simulate mechanisms and cultivation arts, as stand-ins to ward off calamities, or to confuse opponents in battle."

"So they're basically nothing but tools?"

"What else would they be? Replicating automaton puppets of the third rank or above is no easy task. Setting aside the most crucial part—the soul—even copying the physical form alone costs a fortune. Besides, if they're meant to ward off disaster, test mistakes, or serve as substitutes, they don't need to be perfect replicas of the original. A slightly downgraded version will do."

Lu Li fell into thought. Once the examination rankings were publicly announced, there was no way his participation in the assessment could remain hidden.

Judging from Mo Shuhan's attitude alone, it was not hard to guess how powerful Senior Heartless was. She likely would not have fallen so low as to participate in a Dual Seal examination. So it was only natural that Mo Shuhan had mistaken him for a lower-grade copy of Senior Heartless—a so-called "younger sister."

Sigh, as for being a stand-in...

No matter what, being mistaken for an old acquaintance's younger sister was better than being treated as some lecherous intruder who had broken into a residence.

And since Mo Shuhan did not have a bad impression of him, perhaps he could use this opening to disguise himself as an automaton puppet who knew nothing at all, and use that to draw out information related to Lu Ling.

Though he was a dignified eight-foot man, disguising himself as a woman was rather shameful. Still, he had been pretending these past few days anyway, so a little longer would make no difference.

With that thought, Lu Li spoke mechanically, one word at a time:

"Hello. As you can see, I should be my younger sister's younger sister... Pah, I should be Senior Heartless's younger sister. No, that's not right either. I'm my older sister's younger sister. Ah, what exactly am I saying?!"

The more Lu Li spoke, the stranger it sounded. Mo Shuhan stared straight at his incoherent rambling with those eyes of hers, tilting her head in puzzlement.

Perhaps Lu Li's words had perfectly conveyed the feeling of a human-shaped machine, like a little Wood Crow fitted with a shoddy artifact spirit and thus limited intelligence. Mo Shuhan was merely confused, not suspicious of his identity.

"Searching—sorry, I have not found any information relating to you for the time being. Could you tell me what exactly happened between you and Sister?"

"Mm, can I say that? All right, I'll only tell you this alone. Actually, I only met Senior Heartless by a stroke of fate. Most people in your White Moon Palace may not even know about this."

"Mm. Speak, I'm listening."

Lu Li nodded obediently on the surface, while secretly making calculations.

If Lu Li's face was known to everyone, that Steward Zhong from White Moon Palace would have recognized him during the day. Yet from the looks of things, the other party had merely treated him as an extraordinarily gifted mortal.

"Senior Heartless is the automaton guardian crafted by Ying Wange, the White Moon Stock Immortal. Her dharma name is Heartless—you should know that automaton puppets emphasize the dual cultivation of life and nature when advancing."

"Mm-hm."

Lu Li nodded repeatedly, looking as though he had known this long ago and deeply agreed with it.

I'm not even an automaton puppet. How would I know whether automaton puppets need to cultivate life and nature together?

"Automaton puppets must not only modify their bodies and strengthen their frames, but also temper themselves amid the mortal world and comprehend the Great Dao of heaven and earth. So you must have come out this time to experience the mortal world too, right?"

"That's right, that's right."

Lu Li nodded like a chick pecking at rice while privately conversing with Elder Duan, cramming knowledge about automaton puppets.

It turned out that cultivators seeking to comprehend heaven and earth could not simply shut themselves indoors and build carriages behind closed doors. The same was true for automaton puppets. Quite a few automaton puppets were mixed among the disciples of the two sects, and some of them had been sent out by high-level cultivators to gain experience.

However, the artificial artifact spirits used to craft automaton puppets often possessed considerable intelligence, and their conduct was virtually indistinguishable from that of humans.

If one was lucky, after releasing a first-rank automaton puppet into the wild, it might return a few years later having cultivated itself to the second rank. Whether used as a new body for possession or made into a loyal subordinate, either outcome would be excellent.

Of course, most automaton puppets ultimately met their end outside, dying with their Dao scattered. Even if they were truly retrieved, they would only learn they had been automaton puppets after someone possessed them, turning all their cultivation into another person's wedding gown.

For instance, that test-blade man they had encountered during the day might have been an automaton puppet raised by some White Moon Palace elder.

At this point, Mo Shuhan continued, "At the time, Senior Heartless was already a third-rank automaton puppet, out in the mortal world to gain experience. Father was usually tied up with family affairs and had no time to teach me, so he wanted to hire a teacher to impart knowledge of the automaton path to me. It was also thanks to her that I was able to pass the Heavenly Grade Welder assessment back then."

"Mm, I see."

Lu Li had never known that Lu Ling had become so formidable—she had actually become a third-rank automaton puppet.

At the same time, he silently committed the name Ying Wange to memory. Lu Li did not know the extent of the man's cultivation, but as the current sect master of White Moon Palace, the sheer terror of his wealth was something Lu Li had heard of even in Southern Sun Town.

To be called the White Moon Stock Immortal by people of the present age, while controlling the stock markets across the territory of two sects, was enough to demonstrate his extraordinary status and methods. If Lu Li wanted to rescue Lu Ling, he was destined to fight that man.

Now he absolutely had to go to White Moon Palace. Once he finished refining the Azure Underworld Painted Skin, he could try infiltrating it—but first, he had to find a way to conceal his identity.

Someone at Steward Zhong's level had failed to recognize him, but that did not mean other elders would not connect his appearance to Heartless.

How could Mo Shuhan know that Deer Pear was nursing a grudge and secretly plotting how to kill Ying Wange?

"Never mind all that. What should I call you? Little Heartless, or Little Martial Uncle...?"

This hierarchy was truly a mess...

And why did she have to add "little" to it?

Lu Li rubbed his forehead.

"Just call me Deer Pear."

"All right, Little Deer Pear. Are you also taking the Heavenly Grade assessment tomorrow? Do you have any automaton artifacts? I can lend you a few."

"Ah, there's actually such a good thing?"

Lu Li frowned, suspecting that things were not so simple. Whenever pies fell from the sky, he remained on guard, lest he be deceived.

"I don't need to sign a contract selling myself, do I?"

Mo Shuhan took Lu Li's arm in one swift motion, her gaze sincere and her smile radiant as a flower. In both word and deed, she possessed the poise of a wealthy young lady without losing the warmth of a girl next door.

"Of course. Senior Heartless helped me before. About four months ago, an immortal from White Moon Palace suddenly came and took Senior Heartless away. I never got the chance to thank her. But let me make this clear first—I'm taking the Heavenly-grade Clamp Master exam tomorrow too, and I won't go easy on you."

"I couldn't ask for more."

Afterward, Mo Shuhan warmly led Lu Li to a stamping and welding workshop under the Mo Family and exchanged a few words with its owner.

Without another word, the man did not mention any rules about Heavenly grade or otherwise. He simply lent Lu Li a set of stamping puppet tools and promised to have them delivered to the square on time for the assessment the day after tomorrow.

Sure enough, having money and influence made everything work. The process went so smoothly that Lu Li could scarcely believe it. He could not help wondering what exactly he had been rushing around for these past five days. Had he known, why would he have bothered taking the Double Seal exam?

But on second thought, he still had to take the Double Seal exam. Without Double Seals, he could not become a puppet master, could not enter White Moon Palace, and there would be no point even speaking of the path of cultivation ahead.

But what was this feeling of secretly living off some girl's support? It was all about that sneaky vibe—so weird.

At the end, Lu Li made a token attempt to refuse.

"Th-this, this really isn't appropriate, is it?"

"If you truly feel bad about it, you can come stay at my house for a night. My home is quite big, and while you're there, tell me about Senior Heartless's affairs in the sect."