Puppet Battle

After talking it over, Qin Fei learned that these men belonged to a hunting team.

A few days ago, before heading into the mountains, they had heard that a type of puppet soldier called the Bumblebee was being sold on the market and performed well in the mountain forests. So they had asked someone to buy two for them.

Who would have thought that, at a critical moment, the puppet soldiers had suddenly malfunctioned, leaving them with faulty information and costing them several of their brothers?

This hunting team was fairly well-known in the outer city and had never suffered such a heavy loss.

After asking around, they had learned that Qin Fei was selling the very same puppet soldiers, so they had come looking for him.

"Little brother, if you don't give us an explanation today, don't even think about leaving."

"Ask around if you like. I, Wang Hu, have always meant what I say."

Wang Hu clenched his fists, and the Rogue Cultivators behind him all looked eager to have a go.

The outer city was unlike the inner city. There was no law enforcement team here.

If one offended someone one shouldn't, one might not even know how one died.

Besides, Wang Hu was already at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer. He was not someone to offend.

Seeing that the atmosphere had turned sour, Old Zhang hurried to smooth things over.

"Fellow Daoists, let's talk this out. I, Old Zhang, stake my character on it: little Qin definitely didn't do it on purpose. I reckon something must have gone wrong with that puppet soldier at the last moment."

"You mean we didn't take proper care of it?"

"Not at all, that's not what I meant. I was..."

Old Zhang hurried to explain, but before he could finish, he saw Qin Fei wave a hand.

"I didn't make this puppet."

"You didn't make it? Kid, trying to wriggle out of this, are you?"

Wang Hu's gaze turned fierce, and the pressure of Late Qi Refining flickered around him.

Old Zhang was sweating all over with anxiety. This puppet looked exactly like the ones Qin Fei sold; he couldn't disown any connection to it with a single sentence.

The Qin boy usually seemed so shrewd. How had he become so muddleheaded today?

He wanted to say more, but Qin Fei shook his head at him.

"This puppet does look a lot like mine, but someone else made it as an imitation. I don't know what that person's intentions were, but telling the genuine article from the fake is actually quite simple."

Seeing how confidently he spoke, Wang Hu gestured for him to continue.

Though he had a volatile temper, he was not a man who couldn't tell right from wrong. Besides, he had no desire to be used as someone else's weapon.

If someone really was selling imitations that had caused his brothers' deaths, he would not let that person get away with it.

Of course, all of this depended on Qin Fei producing proof.

Qin Fei smiled lightly and pointed at the puppet soldiers on his stall.

"Facts can't lie. All the puppet soldiers I made are right here. If you don't believe me, why not pit that imitation against mine?"

"If they really were all made by me, their strength should naturally be about the same. Everyone will be able to tell at a glance."

Wang Hu thought it over briefly and decided the method was workable.

He sent a stream of Law Power into the puppet soldier he had brought. It rose mechanically, then faced Qin Fei and assumed an attacking stance.

"This puppet fight isn't about winning or losing, only verifying the result. I won't take advantage of you either. I'll suppress my Spiritual Power to the Qi Refining Third Layer."

There were generally three ways to control a puppet.

The first was to use Spirit Stones to power it and Divine Sense to control its actions.

The second was to use a cultivator's Spiritual Power in place of Spirit Stones. Wang Hu was a Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivator, so the level of his Spiritual Power would naturally affect the puppet's fighting strength.

As for the third, one could use a Secret Method to fuse a Demon Beast's spirit into a puppet, allowing it to move freely. However, this method was quite profound, and Qin Fei's skill had not yet reached the point where he could attempt it.

Qin Fei didn't underestimate his opponent. He nodded lightly.

"All right."

As he spoke, he pointed with one hand. The puppet soldier at his feet flipped backward with a whoosh, then planted both feet and assumed an opening stance.

"It does look a little different."

The Rogue Cultivators behind Wang Hu murmured among themselves. Anyone could see that there seemed to be a gap between the two puppets.

"Let's watch first."

Wang Hu remained unmoved. He waved a large hand, and the puppet soldier before him immediately charged forward.

As it drew close, the left side of its waist twisted at a bizarre angle, and it put its strength into one arm and blasted out a punch.

The wind from the punch howled, the blow heavy and powerful.

Qin Fei's puppet soldier leaned back slightly, letting the wind from the punch sweep past the tip of its nose without touching it at all.

Then it used the momentum to heave its opponent over its shoulder, sending it sprawling.

Immediately afterward, it straddled the imitation puppet soldier and worked it over with both hands, dismantling it into parts in the blink of an eye.

The sight left Wang Hu and his companions gaping.

They were both ungraded puppets. How could there be such a difference?

Wang Hu in particular had sensed Qin Fei's intention long ago, but his puppet had been limited. No matter how he tried to control it, the puppet had failed to react.

From this, it was clear that there was a huge gap between the two puppets.

"That should be enough to prove my innocence."

Qin Fei was not surprised by the result.

After half a month of simulations and improvements, he had absolute confidence in his newly made puppet soldiers.

Never mind this imitation-even against his own earlier products, they were more than capable of crushing them.

Wang Hu's face was ashen, but his status as a Late Qi Refining cultivator was plain to see, and he was not an unreasonable man.

"It seems we made a mistake."

He turned to the Rogue Cultivators behind him and ordered:

"Find out where these two puppets were bought. They caused my brothers to die miserable deaths. We can't let this go."

Only after the Rogue Cultivators agreed did his expression improve somewhat.

"Little brother, this puppet is truly formidable. Did you refine it yourself?"

Qin Fei nodded and admitted it openly.

Looking at the several puppet soldiers before him, Wang Hu became greatly interested.

Judging by the abilities these puppet soldiers had displayed, taking a few into the mountains would be like gaining several death warriors who feared neither hardship nor death. His men's survival rate would surely rise considerably.

"Don't be angry, little brother. What happened earlier was a misunderstanding. Your big brother apologizes."

"If you really did refine these puppet soldiers, perhaps we could work together. It would save you the trouble of finding buyers, wouldn't it?"

Qin Fei was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected this great Late Qi Refining cultivator not only to refrain from using his power to bully him, but instead to discuss matters amicably.

That was rare in the borderlands, where the strong preyed on the weak.

After pondering for a while, he said slowly:

"This is my latest improved puppet. It sells for fifteen spirit essences apiece."

Wang Hu and his companions exchanged glances, all finding the price somewhat high.

"May I ask your honorable name, little brother?"

"Qin Fei."

"So it's Fellow Daoist Qin. I'm genuinely interested in working together, but this price really is too high.

"How about this? I'll buy all six puppet soldiers this time at fifteen spirit essences apiece.

"If I come back to order more afterward, could you give me a lower price?"

Seeing his frankness, Qin Fei thought it over and agreed.

He also wanted a regular sales channel, which would give him more stability in the future.

More importantly, Wang Hu was, after all, a great Late Qi Refining cultivator with considerable influence.

If he could befriend him, he might prove useful someday.

Wang Hu was a straightforward man. Seeing Qin Fei agree, he immediately paid ninety spirit essences.

He then suggested they have a drink together sometime and left with his brothers.

Ninety spirit essences weren't enough to make others green with envy, but it was still the first time Qin Fei had possessed so much money.

It was nearly equivalent to a Spirit Stone!

Qin Fei was naturally quite delighted, but the events of the day had also made him understand that strength still reigned supreme in the cultivation world.

"It seems I need to hurry up and refine the Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse."

In this world, cultivation was the foundation, and making money was the true path.