"Hehe, forgive me for making you laugh, fellow Daoist!" At that moment, as light and shadow flowed across the rock wall, a short yet plump Golden Core cultivator hurried out of the cave residence and cupped his hands toward Xiao Hua. "This humble Daoist is Pang Tuojian, the owner of this shop residence. Greetings, fellow Daoist!"
Xiao Hua had not revealed his cultivation at this time, and Yuehua and Liu Qingyu behind him were not Golden Core cultivators. Pang Tuojian addressing Xiao Hua as fellow Daoist could not be considered disrespectful.
Xiao Hua returned the salute with a smile. "No matter, no matter. These puppets have been refined quite well. It is clear that Fellow Daoist Pang has unique attainments in puppet refinement."
"Not at all, not at all..." A trace of pride surfaced on Pang Tuojian's face, though his words remained modest. Raising a hand, he said, "From what Fellow Daoist says, you seem to be an expert in puppet refinement as well. Why not come inside for a talk?"
Just what I wanted to trouble you for." Xiao Hua nodded and followed Pang Tuojian into the shop residence.
Passing through the restrictions on the rock wall, they found themselves in a space several mu in size. Light shone from the four walls, illuminating the entire space, which looked no different from an ordinary shop. The space was divided into several sections. Some displayed humanoid, beast-shaped, and bird-shaped puppets, all arranged neatly, with quite a few cultivators already selecting among them. Several Qi Refining boys stood respectfully nearby in those sections. Other sections contained damaged puppets—humanoid arms, bird and beast wings, and the like—laid out somewhat messily, with only one or two cultivators wandering about casually. Deep within the space, occupying more than half of it, was an area