Chapter 203: Chapter 185: Immortal City’s Puppetry, 1000 Water Assembly

The interior of the tower was a world apart from the clamor outside. The light was gently absorbed by some sort of material, creating an exceptional tranquility. The air was fresh and temperate, clearly maintained by a High-Tier Array.

The space inside was far vaster than it appeared from the outside, like a miniature city-state. He was led by a young female attendant in a cyan gauze dress to a secluded private room. The scent of sandalwood wafted through the air, and the cushions were soft and comfortable.

A moment later, a Steward at the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer strode in. He was beautifully dressed and wore a shrewd smile. The gray-robed figure Lu Zhao was impersonating remained silent, simply taking a few of the most common Zheng Family goods from his Storage Bag: a dozen or so Tier One Middle-Grade ores, a dozen or so Tier One Spirit Grasses, two Jade Scrolls on Tier One Basic Alchemy, and a few Non-Tiered Cultivation Technique Jade Scrolls.

The Steward accepted the items with a professional smile. His narrow eyes swept over them sharply, a faint Spirit Light flickering at his fingertips as he quickly appraised them.

"The goods you’ve brought... hmm, the quality is passable." The Steward’s tone was mild but left no room for argument. "This ore has quite a few impurities, and the Spirit Grass is just common Water Jade Grass... How about two Middle-Grade Spirit Stones plus seven hundred Lower Grade ones?"

The gray-robed man Lu Zhao was playing mumbled, as if struggling with the offer, and finally said in a hoarse voice, "...That’s a little low. The ore is from the Chen Family Mine..." He was deliberately planting a false lead.

The Steward’s smile didn’t waver, though a glint flashed in his eyes. "You jest, sir. I’ve handled countless ores in my time. For this quality, my price is the most appropriate. We at the Hundred Treasures Tower value our reputation above all else; we deal fairly with everyone, young and old. We also know what not to ask, and what not to meddle in. I guarantee you won’t find a better price in all of Xuan Yang City!" The last sentence was heavy with implication.

The gray-robed man appeared ’conflicted’ for a moment before finally nodding to accept the deal.

Fifteen minutes later, Lu Zhao strolled out of the Hundred Treasures Tower, the Storage Bag in his sleeve feeling a bit lighter. A few insignificant Zheng Family items had been successfully offloaded in exchange for two Middle-Grade Spirit Stones and seven hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones.

This was just a small test for Lu Zhao, merely to gauge the depths of Xuan Yang City’s "no questions asked" policy.

Now, he was like a drop of water merging into the river of people on the street, seemingly wandering casually between the various shops.

He even deliberately loitered near a few shops known for accepting "stolen goods," sometimes intentionally slowing his pace to leave subtle openings. But as night deepened and the moon hung high in the sky, the overt or covert gazes of pursuit he had anticipated never appeared.

’So it’s true. Once the goods are out the door, it’s a clean break...’ The tension in Lu Zhao’s heart finally eased a little. The iron law of Xuan Yang Immortal City—"only Spirit Stones matter, not their origins"—had passed its initial test.

For the next half a month, Lu Zhao made a series of appearances behind the scenes at various shops throughout the Immortal City, some large, some small, some famous, some not. Each time he stepped into the shadows of a store, his face, aura, gait, and even the nondescript Storage Bag at his waist had been flawlessly altered.

After half a month, of all the wealth the Zheng Family had accumulated over several centuries, only the derivative Secret Techniques and accompanying Magic of the "Sharp Gold True Skill", the Zheng Family Ancestor’s extremely fast Tier Two Flying Shuttle, and a few High-Grade Spiritual Materials useful for his Puppetry remained in the Storage Bag.

Everything else—the low-tier ores, ordinary Magical Artifacts, and even the mountain of Tier One Pills and Talismans—had been cast off like a kite with a snapped string, exchanged for pure Spirit Stones.

When the last Magical Artifact tainted with the Zheng Family’s aura fell into the withered hands of a pawnshop’s Shopkeeper, Lu Zhao’s Storage Bag was richer by sixty Middle-Grade Spirit Stones and nearly twenty thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones.

The sudden explosion of his Spirit Stone wealth brought a brief moment of satisfaction, which was quickly replaced by a hint of helplessness welling up from the bottom of his heart.

’The Zheng Family’s foundation was too shallow, after all...’ He unconsciously traced the cool Spirit Stones in his bag with a fingertip. The number of Middle-Grade Spirit Stones was less than he had expected.

Those old Shopkeepers had venomously sharp eyes. In their view, the Zheng Family’s "legacy" was nothing more than a large quantity of mediocre, run-of-the-mill goods.

If he hadn’t been patient, selling things off in batches and comparing offers from different buyers, he probably wouldn’t have even scraped together these sixty Middle-Grade stones. Every last one of those Shopkeepers had wanted to pay entirely in Lower Grade Spirit Stones, and if he hadn’t argued his case forcefully, he might not have even gotten the sixty.

But this sum of Spirit Stones solved his most pressing problem. The Spirit Stones needed to study Puppetry, search for Tier Two Heaven and Earth Spirit Water, and purchase Pills for Foundation Establishment Cultivator cultivation were... finally secured. At least for the short term, he wouldn’t face the awkward predicament of seeing something he needed but being unable to afford it.

However, over the past half-month, he hadn’t just been focused on fencing the goods; he had also been paying close attention to the Puppet market within the Immortal City.

As he walked the streets and alleys of the Immortal City, especially around the districts with Puppet-related shops, he kept his ears open, catching snippets of conversation about Puppets.

But the results of his reconnaissance were a mixed bag of good and bad news.

The good news was that the Puppet Dao was far more widespread and applied in Yue Country, especially here in Xuan Yang Immortal City, than it ever was in Chen Country.

Here in Xuan Yang Immortal City, there were even Puppet Guards patrolling the streets, and the signboards of shops specializing in Puppets were everywhere.

In taverns and tea houses, people talked about a large merchant caravan that had hired several "Mountain-Carrying Giant Turtle" Puppets, each comparable to a Qi Cultivation Peak expert, to transport a great Treasure.

The market in Xuan Yang Immortal City was so vast, its potential so enormous, that Bixia Marketplace was like a firefly next to the bright moon in comparison! This meant that Puppetry, which he considered the foundation of his path, had a bright future here!

The good news was the vast market, but the bad news stemmed from the very same source. A huge market inevitably meant a brutal, chaotic scene.

In just half a month, he had already identified no fewer than five well-established shops that regularly stocked a wide variety of Tier One High-Grade puppets: the sharp-attacking "Red Flame Tiger," the staunchly defensive "Profound Turtle Armor Soldier," the small and agile "Cloud-Piercing Falcon"... the list went on.

What chilled his heart even more was the rumor circulating in the city: the "Celestial Craft Hundred Refinements Workshop," secretly controlled by the City Lord’s Mansion, supposedly had a Tier Two Puppet as its showpiece treasure!

Although Lu Zhao hadn’t seen it himself, he recalled the two giant stone statue Puppets standing near the city gate when he first entered—the ones that emanated the cold, formidable pressure of Foundation Establishment Cultivators. He knew then that this rumor was by no means baseless.

In terms of Puppetry, Xuan Yang Immortal City was far stronger than he had imagined.

’The competition... is brutal.’ Lu Zhao sat cross-legged in the Quiet Chamber of his newly rented cave mansion, his fingertips unconsciously tracing patterns on the bone-chillingly cold stone surface.

He had originally planned to establish a foothold in Xuan Yang and then release a batch of his personally crafted Puppets to test the market and make a name for himself.

But upon further thought, there were still risks. Even if he could alter the Puppets’ appearance, the core construction of his proudest works—his unique method of linking Spirit Patterns, his distinctive joint articulation techniques, and even some of his peculiar habits in handling materials—were all indelible personal signatures. These things couldn’t be changed.

If these Puppets were to enter the market and fall into the hands of an interested party, it would only be a matter of time before they were traced back to him through comparison and investigation.

If the Bixia Sect was still investigating the annihilation of the Zheng Family and happened to discover that a large amount of "Zheng Family" items had flowed into Xuan Yang Immortal City at the same time his, Lu Zhao’s, "unique" style of Puppets quietly appeared... it would be the equivalent of personally carving the four bloody words, "The killer is here," on his own forehead!

He forcefully suppressed this tempting thought.

’A little impatience can ruin a great plan!’ Lu Zhao took a sharp breath of Spiritual Qi, forcefully calming the turmoil in his heart. His gaze became as sharp as a blade once more.

Now that he had a huge sum of money and his Spirit Stone troubles were temporarily solved, he absolutely could not expose himself for a paltry profit before the time was right.

The safest plan was to continue to lie low. A few years might be enough to erase all traces. Once the Zheng Family’s affairs were thoroughly buried by the sands of time and the Bixia Sect’s attention had turned elsewhere, he could then assume a new identity and knock on the door of this market openly and honorably!

「Three days later.」 Lu Zhao was already preparing to leave when a piece of news, like a stone dropped into a still lake, sent ripples through the city—the decennial "Thousand Waters Assembly" was to be held in Xuan Yang Immortal City in half a year!

On a street in Xuan Yang Immortal City, as Lu Zhao passed a Spirit Medicine stall, two Qi Cultivators wreathed in water vapor were excitedly discussing the Thousand Waters Assembly. "Fellow Daoist, have you heard? In half a year, the Thousand Waters Assembly will be right here in our Xuan Yang Immortal City!"

"Of course! It’s a huge event! I heard it’s hosted on a rotating basis by Xuan Yang Immortal City, the Seven Waters Sect, and the Waterside Pavilion, organized especially for us Water Cultivators!" The other person was just as excited. "When the time comes, I bet it won’t just be Cultivators from Yue Country. The great clans and expert Wanderers from Chen Country, Wu Country... they’ll all flock here! Water Element Treasures of Heaven and Earth, Pills and Spirit Water, rare Cultivation Techniques... heheh, it’s a rare opportunity!"

The passersby’s conversation drifted into his ears. Lu Zhao’s expression remained unchanged, but inside, a great wave was already crashing through his heart.

’Thousand Waters Assembly...’ The three words echoed repeatedly in his Sea of Consciousness.

The Tier Two Heaven and Earth Spirit Water he had been desperately searching for was exponentially more likely to appear at a grand event for Water Cultivators of this scale! The richness of variety and diversity of choice would be far beyond what any ordinary shop could offer!

This would save him the trouble of running around aimlessly like a headless fly and making futile inquiries. More importantly, it would drastically reduce the risk of attracting unwanted attention by frequently and deliberately asking about High-Tier Spirit Water!

"Looks like Xuan Yang Immortal City is fated to ’keep’ me for another half a year. I guess I can’t save the Spirit Stones for a Tier Two Cave Mansion after all." Lu Zhao’s lips twitched into a wry smile, a mixture of anticipation and pained reluctance.

Two hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones a month! That was twelve hundred for half a year! The rent made his heart clench painfully again. ’A rip-off! A damn rip-off!’ Even with a fortune on hand, this constant "bleeding" of funds was excruciating. But for the Thousand Waters Assembly, for that indispensable Tier Two Spirit Water, he had to pay the Spirit Stones, no matter how much it hurt!

「Seven days later.」 Lu Zhao calmly completed the paperwork to vacate his Tier One High-Grade cave mansion.

Half a day later, a burly, dark-skinned, middle-aged cultivator at Early-stage Foundation Establishment, holding a brand-new Jade Talisman key, stepped through the gate of a different, more secluded, and quiet Tier Two Cave Mansion with even richer Spiritual Qi in the city’s West District.

His rugged features concealed all his sharp edges. He surveyed the faintly glowing Array Base of the Spirit Gathering Array in the Quiet Chamber and the heavy stone door, feeling the fluctuations of Spiritual Qi around him that were so dense they were almost tangible. He gave an imperceptible nod, his dark face devoid of any extra expression.

A new identity, a new cave mansion. For the next six months, he would hide in this Immortal City of crisis and opportunity under this guise, cultivating in seclusion to build his strength, waiting quietly for the Thousand Waters Assembly, and secretly sharpening his blades.

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