Cultivating with Symbiosis Panel-Chapter 229 - 163: The Shackles Are Gone, Hell Path Stronghold
Li Ye could sense that the divine power within Cyan Bird, originally vast as the ocean, had been completely exhausted within just a two-hour period. However, there was no longer the constraint of the Nascent Soul True Man within its body.
That constraint, even if well-hidden, was still a shackle for Cyan Bird.
Now the shackle was gone, and only after instructing Li Ye to be cautious did Red Bean rest easy, closing its eyes and transforming into a small bean in Li Ye’s palm.
Li Ye gently rubbed Red Bean with his fingertip and carefully stored it away.
At this moment, the Red Bean’s true form in the Cave Mansion joyfully bloomed into small flowers. However, these small flowers bore the appearance of the Immortalless Lotus.
...
"News from the Hell Path?"
True Man Zhou found herself at a loss for words.
She looked at Li Ye and sighed deeply, "Actually, you could have directly informed the sect about this, without needing to go through me."
Li Ye, however, shook his head, "Even though you knew we came here under the secret instructions of the Sect Leader and my master, there was no proof that could truly verify it.
You not only opened the door for us but also helped in many ways, and that did involve some risks.
I hope that by submitting this intelligence through your hands, it might reduce some of your liability."
——This was, in fact, him repaying a favor: intelligence regarding Hell Path not yet discovered by the Four Seasons Sect. Even if submitted through her, it could still bring substantial benefits.
Li Ye acknowledged that she had indeed helped him a lot, but he didn’t like owing favors, so if he could repay it now, he would.
This was not about drawing a line, but about reciprocal actions.
True Man Zhou understood and directly picked up the jade scroll that was sealed by Li Ye with the Emotion Song, smiling, "Then leave it to me."
"I will personally rush to the sect to hand this item over to Senior Uncle Su Xing."
After speaking, she decisively stood up and left.
Lingering here for even a moment could impact the sect’s plans regarding the Hell Path.
It should be known that the sect had already woven a great net, just waiting to catch the entire Hell Path.
Such important intelligence could potentially affect the execution of the plan, so it must be reported promptly.
Li Ye watched True Man Zhou leave but did not return to Huiya Grotto Heaven. Instead, he descended the stairs and found Senior Brother Qian, who had already refined the puppet.
"You’re here."
"Look at this puppet."
Senior Brother Qian gestured with his mouth, indicating Li Ye to look to the side.
Actually, Li Ye had already noticed the puppet placed in the center. However, he needed to give Senior Brother Qian a reason to show off.
But this puppet...
It completely lacked the might of the previous Golden Armor Divine General. It appeared overly simplistic, wearing only plain clothes, holding a rake, and with a tall stature.
Yet, for some reason, this attire, paired with a cloth covering the eyes, gave off a very strange impression.
"This..."
He closely examined the puppet and, thinking of the previous Golden Armor Divine General, suddenly felt like it was the difference between expectation and reality.
"Ahem." Senior Brother Qian, of course, knew what Li Ye was thinking and replied directly, "This is actually the most complex puppet. The array and puppet patterns within are not yet finalized.
You can make it appear however you want, but it must have the blindfold.
That’s the rule."
Li Ye asked in confusion, "Why is there such a rule?"
"It’s because of the Central Domain." Senior Brother Qian mentioned the issue with helplessness, "Over there, a Treasure Pavilion offers various puppet services, with puppets and True Men being almost indistinguishable. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
This led to quite a few ridiculous incidents, hence the requirement for the eyes to be covered — this blindfold has core puppet patterns within and cannot be removed."
"..."
Upon learning that this was the reason, even Li Ye was speechless. But upon reflection, it seemed many senior brothers passionate about puppet research found puppets more lovable than others.
A "servant" that would never betray and could be perfectly tailored to personal taste indeed seemed appealing.
"Hey, Senior Brother, you aren’t also..."
Li Ye examined the puppet’s finesse, from height to muscular symmetry, even muscle contours and expressions were extremely realistic.
There was none of the stiffness or creepiness typical of "fake humans".
While making puppets requires knowledge of human anatomy, its realism was excessive.
If he hadn’t focused intently on research, such perfect human-like puppets couldn’t be made.
Could it be Senior Brother Qian also has a fondness for puppets?
As soon as these words left his mouth, Senior Brother Qian’s expression turned strange, and he awkwardly changed the subject, "I heard the Potato Flood Dragon has been delivered, haven’t you thought about where to plant it?"
"Hurry, hurry, go take care of your important affairs."
Senior Brother Qian directly stuffed the puppet into the storage pouch, and then pushed Li Ye out. Before leaving, he didn’t forget to slip him a copy of the "Puppet Compendium."
Li Ye curled his lips, glanced down at this book, and decided to study it thoroughly later. Right now, he indeed needed to deal with the Potato Flood Dragon issue.
In fact, he didn’t need to worry much. By the time he met the disciple responsible for transporting the Potato Flood Dragon, the clan leaders from several major families, who had hurried over upon hearing the news, were already surrounded around that cultivator with smiles plastered on their faces.
"Daoist friend! Why not come to my Jiang Family first!"
"Consider my Jiang Family!"
"Our Liu Family has already made preparations!"
It was unclear whether the patriarchs had already discussed this, but they deliberately blocked the old matriarch of the Zhou Family, not giving her a chance to make contact with the Four Seasons Sect disciple.
Though they were all Golden Core True Men, they seemed like ordinary people rushing to a morning market just to grab some fresh produce.
The disciple remained calm. Items from the Four Seasons Sect were never poor, and nearly every time they took something out, it attracted such attention.
He patiently waited until Li Ye arrived, then squeezed through the crowd and respectfully called out to him, "Senior Brother Li, you’re here!"
The crowd of Golden Core patriarchs was taken aback at this, only then noticing Li Ye’s arrival. Just a moment ago, their divine sense and perception hadn’t detected anyone approaching!
Moreover, this person...
He looked somewhat familiar; wasn’t this the disciple in charge of handling the Earth Demon Ginseng issue earlier? At that time, wasn’t he just in Qi Refining stage? How come now they couldn’t even sense his cultivation level?
Could it be that he had already reached Golden Core level, or even surpassed their cultivation?
Could the cultivators of the Four Seasons Sect be this terrifying?
Even though their minds were filled with countless thoughts, they remained very respectful outwardly:
"Taoist Friend Li!"
"We met before with Senior Spiritual Mechanism Vine."
"Taoist friend, you are truly accomplished at a young age, to cultivate such a treasure plant."
To be a patriarch surely means not being a fool; they all rose from low-tier cultivators, and when it comes to sweet-talking, they were adept and skilled.
Li Ye accepted all these words, his expression remaining calm, giving others a sense of warmth like a breeze in spring.
"Fellow Daoists."
"This place is not suitable for chatting, why not move to the Four Seasons Tower for a detailed discussion?"
He gestured with his hand.
"Excellent."
"What the Taoist friend said is right."
"We can’t talk business here!"
The patriarchs naturally followed Li Ye and the cultivator responsible for transporting the Potato Flood Dragon to the Four Seasons Tower with ease.
Coincidentally, they went to the same room where matters concerning the Earth Demon Ginseng were arranged by the Spiritual Mechanism Vine originally.
This time, Li Ye sat at the most prominent position.
He naturally felt a bit emotional in his heart, but the emotions were only within, not showing on his face as he spoke:
"Back then, I came to Huiya Marketplace to make a living, and this place left me with many memories, so I want to help the people here."
"Regarding the Potato Flood Dragon, each of your clans will receive one plant, along with the care instructions, but I will also take out some to plant in the mortal towns under your command."
"A separate mountain or lake will be needed for cultivation; let’s call it Potato Mountain."
"As for whose family it should go to, let’s make it... the Zhou Family."
His tone was casual, deciding to return the favor this time.
Not only to return it, but also to make them owe him another favor.
Upon hearing this, several patriarchs looked at the Zhou Family’s old matriarch with envy, jealousy, and hatred.
Why is it their family again!
The Zhou Family’s old matriarch was certainly surprised; she truly hadn’t expected Li Ye to be willing to hand such an opportunity to their family.
But she wasn’t stupid; an opportunity delivered to her hand wouldn’t be swayed by any sour words from those old folks.
Immediately, she replied:
"The younger generation in the family has no significant matters; Taoist friend, how about letting Qiumai take you for a visit?"
Since it was already decided, she might as well go all the way, inviting Li Ye to their house first!
As for others, she couldn’t care less about their thoughts now, nor worry about them causing trouble.
Li Ye also saw no problem with this, as he indeed wanted to meet Zhou Qiumai.
