Chapter 173: Chapter 137: Water Summoning Village

The Puppet entered the village and received a warm welcome. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The reception was held in the ancestral hall, where tables, chairs, bowls, and chopsticks had long been set out.

Mellow, farm-brewed rice wine and platters of fresh delicacies from the mountains and rivers were carried in on wooden trays by the village women and placed before Lü Zhong.

During the feast, Xu Changfu raised a large bowl, stood up, and announced loudly, "Come, everyone! Let’s toast Immortal Master Lü!"

"To Immortal Master Lü!"

The villagers’ gazes, fixed upon the Puppet, were filled with immense envy.

In Shidong Country, Cultivators often revealed themselves to the world. Thus, any older mortal had likely witnessed an Immortal Master once or twice. They also knew that if one was blessed with an immortal’s destiny, they could embark on the path of cultivation to seek Longevity and live the carefree, blissful life of an Immortal—unlike their current existence as ignorant mortals.

Now that Immortal Master Lü had appeared, many villagers felt their own chance at immortality had arrived. One by one, they began plotting in their hearts, wondering how to secure this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for themselves or their children.

Taking in everyone’s expressions, Lü Zhong couldn’t help but recall how his body’s previous owner had entered the Cultivation Realm.

’Come to think of it, the process was quite similar.’

With delicious food before him, Lü Zhong, being in the body of a Puppet, could taste nothing as he ate and drank. Watching the villagers feast with gusto, he couldn’t help but wonder if he should improve the Spirit-Hosted Puppet, at least enough to transmit the sense of taste.

But he quickly laughed at himself internally. ’I’m just a layman in the Puppet Dao. Where would I get the ability to make improvements?’

After several rounds of wine and numerous dishes...

At that moment, Xu Changfu bowed and stepped forward, clapping his hands once.

Immediately, a line of young women of varying quality entered from outside, holding trays covered with red cloth.

When the red cloths were unveiled, besides some medicinal herbs, there were surprisingly quite a few valuable items, such as Spirit Stone Raw Ore and aged Spirit Medicines.

Lü Zhong made a quick estimate and found that it all added up to be worth about a dozen Spirit Stones.

An ordinary Loose Cultivator might have been overjoyed by now.

He chuckled inwardly but feigned ignorance. "Village Chief Xu, what is the meaning of this?"

"We beg Immortal Master Lü to bestow upon us a chance at immortality!" Xu Changfu said, kneeling on the ground.

Behind him, the rest of the villagers also stepped forward and prostrated themselves on the ground.

...

「Meanwhile, in a hidden spot outside the village.」

Two figures in black robes appeared, their clothes bulging in various places.

The two of them gazed toward the ancestral hall in Water Summoning Village, watching the villagers line up to have their Spirit Roots tested. One of them suddenly let out a cold laugh and said disdainfully, "So this is all a Heling Sect disciple amounts to. So easily bought with a few trinkets."

The speaker’s voice had a strange quality, as if two mouths were speaking at once, making it impossible to tell if they were male or female.

Hearing this, the person next to them showed a look of contempt and suggested in a hoarse, aged voice, "Since this one’s a good-for-nothing, why don’t we just get rid of him? That way, he won’t interfere with the Holy Sect’s plan. What do you think?"

"Inadvisable!" said the one with the androgynous voice, disagreeing.

Then, the person shook their head and explained, "A useless glutton has his uses. We’re better off keeping him around for now. If a Heling Sect disciple meets with an accident, they might send a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator from the sect to investigate. If that disrupts the Holy Sect’s plan, you and I wouldn’t be able to escape the blame even with ten thousand deaths!"

"Left Dharma Protector, this subordinate was inconsiderate!" the person beside them quickly said, cupping their hands in a salute.

But unlike a normal person, the arms that extended from beneath his black robes were not a single pair, but three whole pairs.

"Alright. As I arranged previously, order our mole in the village to make no unusual moves. It’s best they continue living normally as before, to avoid any complications," the black-robed figure addressed as Left Dharma Protector instructed their subordinate.

"For the Holy Sect!" the black-robed man hissed in a low, fanatical voice.

"Yes, for the Holy Sect!"

However, neither of them knew that this entire scene was being watched by a pair of eyes nearby.

Lü Zhong, being cautious, had decided to scout the area around Water Summoning Village. Moving in a circle with his breath and traces concealed, he had unexpectedly run into these two. After hearing their conversation, he couldn’t help but find it amusing.

’Both sides had the same idea!’

...

Back with the Spirit-Hosted Puppet, it had just finished checking the villagers’ Spirit Root aptitude.

Since it was just a matter of determining the presence or absence of a Spirit Root, there was no need for a Spirit Testing Talisman or a Spirit Testing Disc. He simply needed to adapt the Blood Sacrifice Mixed Spirit Skill, observing the reaction speed between Essence Blood and a Spirit Stone to make a preliminary judgment of their aptitude.

The result was no surprise: not a single villager possessed a Spirit Root.

Xu Changfu seemed to have known this outcome all along. He kept repeating words of regret, his expression a mask of pity, and his acting was quite convincing.

After accepting the gifts and exchanging some pleasantries, Lü Zhong stated that he wished to rest.

In broad daylight, if an ordinary person had said this, they would surely have been thought to be ill.

But when it came from Immortal Master Lü, it was interpreted in another way.

’Heh, a lecher in a hurry, just as I thought!’ Xu Changfu smiled on the surface, but inwardly he was full of contempt.

Just now, he had seen Lü Zhong’s gaze repeatedly wander over the village’s young women, so he had verbally hinted at sending a few of them over to attend to him in bed. Immortal Master Lü, for his part, had agreed at once.

Now, it seemed he was too impatient to wait and was ready to engage in debauchery in broad daylight.

...

Meanwhile, Lü Zhong’s real body was trailing the two black-robed figures.

Regardless of whether he decided to intervene later, it was essential to know the location of the Limb-severing Sect’s stronghold. It would allow him to advance or retreat as he saw fit, rather than flying around blindly like a headless chicken.

Suddenly, a strange expression appeared on his face.

It was because, over with the Spirit-Hosted Puppet, the pretense was becoming reality.

’Tsk tsk, since it’s a Puppet’s body, does that count as them being with Mr. Horn...?’