"You too?" Li Chen caught on. This young noble also possessed the Shape-Stealing Skin-Painting inheritance.
But that was hardly surprising. The Creation Sect would not pass its secret art inheritances to Li Chen alone. Such things were merely seeds; what fine trees they could grow into depended entirely on each person's fortune.
Zuo Hao raised his chin slightly. "Of course. I, Zuo Hao, am the son of Grand Artisan Zuo Shitang, and already a true disciple of the Creation Sect! Since childhood, I have chosen the secret art of Shape-Stealing Skin-Painting and devoted myself to refining and studying it. In the future, I will surely inherit my father's legacy and make something of myself!"
Li Chen said, "Young Master Zuo, who you are and what you want to do have nothing to do with us."
Zuo Hao said, "No. As fellow Puppet Masters, we can improve our methods and skills through exchange. An evenly matched opponent is all the more worth a contest!"
"I have seen your accomplishments. You do indeed qualify to challenge me, and I acknowledge you as a formidable opponent. So let us have a proper contest."
"Wait... wait, wait, wait! What are you talking about? I never said I wanted to challenge you! Weren't you the one who wanted to see my work?" Li Chen felt his head beginning to ache. What kind of person was this? Was he sick in the head?
But just as Li Chen decided this was merely some ridiculous boy with delusions of grandeur, Zuo Hao continued, "As for those models, regrettable though it is, I truly cannot do any better for now. From this day onward, they belong exclusively to you. Zuo Shan, bring those sisters here."
"Yes, young master," the guard replied. He went out, and before long brought in Xiao Die and Xiao Ying, the sisters from the Hundred Flowers House.
Zuo Hao really had not been making empty claims. He had actually paid to buy them.
"What are these?" Seeing the Puppet Dolls in the hall, whose appearances were almost identical to their own but whose bearing and grace surpassed theirs, the sisters could not help being startled.
Once her surprise passed, Xiao Ying gave an innocent smile. "Wow, they look just like us! Were they made in our likeness?"
As she spoke, Zuo Shan suddenly drew a dagger behind them and stabbed Xiao Die to death.
"What are you doing!" Li Chen and the others were all horrified.
Zuo Shan paid them no heed. He immediately clamped a hand over Xiao Ying's mouth before she could scream and killed her with another thrust.
His movements were utterly practiced, as though he were slaughtering chickens or sheep. In the blink of an eye, two vibrant lives vanished from the world. The three men did not even have time to stop him.
Zuo Hao looked at the three of them. "I already bought them, so they were mine. Now that the models are useless, was I supposed to take them home and burden myself with them?"
Li Chen was both shocked and furious. "In your eyes, are human lives nothing more than useful or useless?"
Zuo Hao said, "Of course."
His expression was calm, without the slightest flicker of emotion.
Old Hou patted Li Chen's shoulder, leaned close to his ear, and said in an extremely low voice, "Brother, this fellow probably really does have powerful backing. Don't act on impulse. Follow his lead and ask what exactly he wants."
A chill ran down Li Chen's spine, snapping him to his senses.
This... was a world of turmoil and strife!
Was he really going to question an unblinking murderer about his reasons and try to understand his motives and intentions?
"What exactly do you want?" Li Chen asked, suppressing his anger.
"Didn't you hear me just now?" Zuo Hao instead gave him a puzzled look, as though he thought something was wrong with his ears. "We are both Skin-Painters, and accomplished experts who possess the Shape-Stealing Skin-Painting inheritance at that. Since fate brought us together, wouldn't it be a pity not to have a proper contest and exchange our skills?"
Li Chen said, "I'm not interested."
Zuo Hao said, "There's no hurry. First, hear my terms."
He held up one finger, an utterly confident smile appearing on his face. "Ten thousand Talisman Coins! The stake is ten thousand Talisman Coins!"
"If you win, you take the money. If you lose, these two Puppet Dolls belong to me, but I'll still give you the money."
Damn, this fellow really was rich. He wasn't just putting on a show of generosity. Despite their extremely poor opinion of him, the three could not help being startled again at his offer.
Ten thousand Talisman Coins was not a fortune, but neither was it a small sum.
It could buy a rogue cultivator a Storage Ring, or a mechanical beast mount or a Combat Puppet such as a Wooden Soldier. Even Li Chen and the others now needed a full month of hard traveling, along with the luck to find high-tier Demon Beasts, to earn that much.
They had hunted tigers and bears in succession over the past few days, completing several big jobs that earned each of them a share exceeding ten thousand Talisman Coins. But those were exceptional circumstances brought about by the rising demon tide. Under ordinary conditions, the rewards would not necessarily be so generous.
A less experienced, weaker team could only set its sights on low-tier Demon Beasts or even ordinary wild animals, making it even less likely to amass wealth so quickly.
Life was hard for rogue cultivators. Never mind ten thousand-even a thousand offered on a wager that paid out whether they won or lost was practically money picked up off the ground.
Besides, the skins of these two Puppet Dolls were really nothing more than outward appearances.
Limited by their materials, they currently possessed neither supernatural defenses nor special properties. Selling them for a thousand would be no loss.
Had Zuo Hao not killed Xiao Die and Xiao Ying right before his eyes, Li Chen might almost have agreed.
Now, however, he merely gave the other man a cold look, finding his face utterly loathsome.
"No contest. Goodbye."
Afraid he might lose control and attack the other man, Li Chen put away his Puppet Dolls as soon as he finished speaking, then turned and left.
Surprise appeared on Zuo Hao's face, and he stood rooted to the spot in disbelief.
He seemed unable to comprehend Li Chen's choice. He could not understand why someone who clearly looked like a penniless rogue cultivator would refuse so decisively.
With Li Chen gone, Old Hou and You An naturally followed. Before long, only Zuo Hao, his servant, and the dead sisters remained in the small hall.
"Why wouldn't he agree? The terms clearly favored them. Was ten thousand too little? Zuo Shan, catch up to them and tell them I can raise it to thirty thousand... no, fifty thousand!"
At this point, he seemed to hesitate as well. "If he earns money through his skills, perhaps he has some savings. Could fifty thousand still be too little?"
"If he won't agree even for fifty thousand, tell them one hundred thousand. It's merely a contest. They shouldn't push their luck."
Zuo Shan, however, had noticed something. He said quietly, "Young master, they seemed displeased that you ordered those sisters killed."
Zuo Hao remained puzzled. "What does he have to be displeased about? He already captured their forms and gathered his material. Those sisters were no longer of any use to him. Could he have wanted to make human puppets out of them?"
At that, he could not help giving a cold laugh. "Is the domain of life something craftsmen like us are qualified to meddle in? Utter nonsense. Besides, if he really wanted them, why didn't he speak up just now?"
Zuo Shan opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing more.