Li Chen found it both amusing and exasperating. After all that, had his covert observations these past days amounted to matching wits with thin air?
Still, he had also come to understand why people in the martial world came and went in such haste. In this rough-and-tumble world, few would stop and linger for his sake.
Old Hou suddenly said, "Brother Li, Brother You, I'm no man of great ability. I shouldn't hold back your futures. We'd best go our separate ways."
He claimed he lacked ability, but in truth, he probably just thought little of Li Chen and You An.
An experienced Demon Hunter could do well enough alone. Why let a team tie him down and saddle himself with dead weight?
Huang Yuan'an tried to persuade him. "Old Hou, there's no need for that. We're parting on good terms, after all. Even without us, teaming up with Brother Li and the others would be a fine choice. Don't be fooled by how young Brother Li and Brother You are. I can tell neither of them is a creature destined to stay in a little pond."
Old Hou glanced at him but said nothing more.
Somewhat helpless, Huang Yuan'an turned to Li Chen and You An. "You two should make your positions clear as well. Do you truly want to join? If so, consider this my helping bring you together before I retire."
Li Chen hurriedly said, "Of course I do."
You An added, "Yes."
Huang Yuan'an told the three of them, "I think you'd make a good team. Old Hou has traveled north and south all these years. He's a seasoned veteran who can handle most Nature Spirits at the Qi Refining stage. Brother You is in his prime, and I'm sure he had plenty of abilities he didn't use during the tiger hunt. Had he unleashed them, they would surely have been extraordinary. As for Brother Li, that goes without saying. He's already a Craftsman certified by the Creation Sect at such a young age. His future is boundless."
With things put that way, what else could Old Hou say? He could only give a grudging assent.
And so, after Huang Yuan'an and Old Lou left, a new demon-hunting team was born.
By then, Li Chen had finally accepted reality. He no longer dwelled on Huang Yuan'an's departure, but looked at Old Hou and You An and said politely, "Brother Hou, Brother You, I'll be counting on your guidance from now on."
You An smiled and declared heartily, "You can count on it."
Old Hou sighed instead. "Brothers, let's get the unpleasant words out of the way first. We're joining forces on Old Huang's advice, but nothing in this world is certain. If we don't get along later, don't turn around and complain that I held you back."
Li Chen hurriedly said, "Brother Hou, that's far too harsh."
You An hastily assured him that he would not, either. He was not a man who disregarded loyalty.
Old Hou nodded. "Good. We're a team from now on, then. Let's look out for one another."
After talking for a while, the three went their separate ways.
Old Hou needed to buy some supplies at the Market Fair. With nothing else to do, You An planned to browse with him and spend some of yesterday's windfall along the way.
Li Chen, however, felt a genuine sense of urgency. He excused himself, saying he had matters to attend to back at the inn.
Once he returned to the inn, he went straight to his rented room and summoned his Mechanism Beast, the Fang Tiger.
Although Old Hou's attitude was somewhat lukewarm, Li Chen could understand him.
Ultimately, making one's way in the martial world came down to strength.
That strength was also the foundation of profit. If Li Chen could not bring Old Hou enough profit, why should Old Hou take him along?
Putting himself in Old Hou's shoes, Li Chen also felt that their current demon-hunting team was rather unreliable.
Old Hou was experienced, but he was old, after all, and his arm had been crippled. He had replaced it with a Mechanism Right Arm, which he might not even be accustomed to yet.
While preparing to kill that Tiger Demon, he had not considered the long term. Now, looking back, he found himself caught between advancing and retreating. Even withdrawing bravely from the rushing current would be difficult.
After all, modifying one's own body was a path considered only by high-level Puppet Masters or people with disabilities. It touched on the mysteries of life, and not everyone could walk it successfully. Old Hou had only taken it because he had been driven into a corner.
In his future demon hunts, he would have to secure sufficient profits. Things could not possibly remain easy and straightforward.
You An was a man in his thirties. Though he was in his prime and seemed to have a few abilities hidden away, he was rather careless, and his decisions showed little sign of long-term planning. He would probably struggle to shoulder responsibilities alone.
As for Li Chen himself, he was currently getting by on nothing more than his status as a Craftsman granted by the Creation Sect. He had shown no exceptional abilities during the earlier tiger hunt.
Old Hou's final words had carried a deeper meaning. He had been subtly making it clear that he had only accepted them because he could not refuse Huang Yuan'an's efforts to bring them together. He intended to take these younger fellows under his wing for a while and help them gain some experience.
Once he had done enough, he would leave to make his way alone.
Li Chen pretended not to understand, but he knew that no amount of pretty words could change Old Hou's opinion now.
Only when he and You An demonstrated truly exceptional abilities would Old Hou be able to set his mind at ease.
So it's time to improve my strength. My current attainments as a Puppet Master are just sufficient to turn the wealth I have on hand into strength and make a considerable leap forward.
With that thought, Li Chen took another item from his Storage Bag. It was something he had obtained from Huang Yuan'an in exchange for the eight thousand Talisman Coins he would otherwise have received-the hide of the Tiger Demon leader!
The item was actually worth close to ten thousand coins. It had been sold to him as cheaply as possible without making the others lose out too much.
Li Chen resolved to play to his strengths and use the Shape-Stealing Skin-Painting Secret Art to turn it into a genuine demonic beast skin.
Shape-Stealing Skin-Painting is a divine power of creation that uses form to replenish form. It might allow the target I designate to inherit that Tiger Demon leader's innate gift and gain the defenses of copper skin and iron bones!
And if I successfully refine it, I'll surely be able to experience and understand the protective effects of Gang Essence energy, integrating the Puppet Master fundamentals I've learned with the Art of a Hundred Crafts and reaching a higher realm.
Once I can independently make a Three-Star Puppet, I'll have attained the proficiency of a Master Artisan!
Puppet Masters in this world had two main ways to grow stronger. The first was to improve their attainments in the Dao of Creation and increase their underlying cultivation through continually refining and making Mechanism Puppets. The second was to improve the puppets they created, or those they could control and command.
Li Chen chose to refine one with his own hands rather than buy a powerful ready-made puppet on the market, partly because he lacked sufficient funds. It was also because Puppet Masters often needed to make powerful puppets themselves, or modify their own puppets, to advance along both paths at once and achieve the best cultivation results.
With that in mind, he gathered an azure glow in his palm and began his work.