After landing, Li Yan looked at Bai Rou standing in the wind on the hilltop and asked, "Senior Sister Bai, please speak. But my cultivation is too shallow. If you need my help with something, I think it's best not to mention it. I don't have much ability."
Hearing this, Bai Rou did not get angry at Li Yan's bluntness. She slowly withdrew her gaze from the distance and looked at him, though her eyes still held a hint of avoidance. With a flip of her jade-like hand, an object appeared in her fair palm. It was an inch-tall object resembling an ancient ape, entirely black as if it were a wood carving. Its form was exquisitely lifelike. The ancient ape's long arms were slightly bent and hung down, nearly as long as its entire body. Its wrinkled face revealed a pair of fierce eyes, and its lips were slightly curled up, showing sharp, interlocking teeth. There were mottled, peeling spots on its body, as if from great age.
After taking out this item, Bai Rou looked at it again with some reluctance, then a look of determination flashed across her face. With a flick of her hand, the inch-tall ancient ape wood carving shot toward Li Yan as a streak of black light.
Li Yan was stunned. He didn't know what this was for, but although the object flew toward him at high speed, its spiritual energy was gentle and held no offensive intent. His heart stirred, and he faintly guessed what was happening.
Li Yan raised his hand and caught the incoming object. It was cool to the touch, still carrying the lingering warmth of the young woman's palm, and it emitted a faint, pleasant fragrance. It was the same scent he had smelled on Bai Rou before.
Opening his palm, Li Yan looked at the wood-carving-like object in his hand. It felt very heavy. He raised his head again to look at Bai Rou but didn't speak. He knew she would explain.
As expected, seeing Li Yan look up at her, Bai Rou seemed to recall something. With a blush on her face, she spoke softly, "This item is an ancient puppet, not one I crafted. It's something I brought from my sect. I'm gifting it to you today, Junior Brother. If you place a wisp of your Divine Sense in it, it can perform chores in your courtyard like cleaning and serving tea. If used for combat, it is also not weak, possessing the fighting strength of an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. It's much stronger than the puppets I make."
Li Yan was shocked to hear this. A puppet with the fighting strength of an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator was a rare sight even in the hands of a Golden Core cultivator, yet Bai Rou was giving it to him just like that. This was an extremely valuable gift.
"Senior Sister Bai, what is the meaning of this? Do you need my assistance with something? But this junior brother's cultivation is still shallow, I'm afraid..." Li Yan said, playing with the puppet in his hand as his eyes narrowed. He didn't believe such a good thing would just fall into his lap. Even if he had helped her in the market, it didn't warrant such a grand gift. A Foundation Establishment-level puppet would be an understatement to value at ten thousand Spirit Stones. Moreover, Li Yan had seen at a glance that this was the very object Bai Rou had been clutching so tightly in the free market. With her personality, if this item wasn't valuable, she probably wouldn't have argued with Sun Guoshu over it and would have just sold it.
Hearing Li Yan's words, Bai Rou's gaze focused, and she looked at him seriously, this time without a trace of shyness. "Junior Brother Li, this puppet was passed down to me by my master when I was in the Wood Flow Sect. She said this puppet was not meant for combat, but was an heirloom from the original Golden Core Great Elder of the sect. She also said that it might hide a secret related to the techniques of my Wood Flow Sect. But my master, in her entire life, along with several elders of the sect, took turns investigating it but never found anything."
"Until her lifespan was nearing its end, she still couldn't uncover its secret. It was at that time that I was noticed by my current sect. After discussing with the only two remaining elders in the sect, she passed this item to me to carry with me, and said, 'Rou'er, this item was held by the previous generation's Great Elder. There is a secret within, but unfortunately, even the Great Elder couldn't uncover it, let alone your master and two martial uncles, who are only at the Foundation Establishment stage. So you carry this with you. With your immortal fortune in the Malevolent Spirit Sect, your cultivation and opportunities will surely far exceed your master's. Perhaps one day you will be able to unlock it. If you have the heart then, you can return to the sect and pass down this technique to bring glory to our sect again. If it is not possible, then let it be. Consider it a protective amulet. At least before you reach Foundation Establishment, it will be of some use.'"
At this point, a look of sorrow appeared on Bai Rou's face, as if she was once again thinking of that distant sect and her kind master.
Li Yan just listened quietly, still not speaking. After a while, a look of determination slowly appeared in Bai Rou's eyes. "Since then, I have always carried this puppet with me. Besides cultivation and artifact refining, I study this item all the time. But after fifteen years, I still haven't found anything, even now that I'm at the Foundation Establishment stage. During this time, I even asked my current master, Elder Chigong, to look at it. After examining it, he also couldn't see anything special about this puppet other than its high grade."
At this, a strange light appeared in Bai Rou's eyes as she looked at Li Yan. "Until your Divine Sense appeared today, Junior Brother. I was holding this puppet at that moment and actually felt a fluctuation in its formation. Although it was extremely faint, I felt it. Based on my research on puppets, this is impossible without some kind of control method being used on it. This is why I asked you to come here, Junior Brother."
"But just now, when you used your Divine Sense to release your flying sword again, this puppet showed no abnormality at all. Could you please release your Divine Sense at this puppet again now and let me observe?"
After hearing this, Li Yan roughly understood the cause and effect. However, there were still a few unclear points in what Bai Rou had just said. For example, even if he could trigger a reaction from this item, why did she still want to gift it to him? At most, she could have paid some price for his help. But for now, her request was not excessive, just releasing his Divine Sense to probe it. He would help her this once and see. Besides, he also wanted to see what kind of strange movement his Divine Sense could cause in this puppet.
Thinking of this, Li Yan nodded at Bai Rou, then released his powerful Divine Sense, shooting it directly at the ancient ape puppet in his hand.
A moment later, Li Yan retracted his Divine Sense and looked at Bai Rou's disappointed face. "Senior Sister Bai, I think you may have been mistaken. Perhaps what you felt in the free market was just a misperception." Li Yan felt that such an incredible thing wouldn't happen to him so coincidentally. This was something that even the Golden Core Great Elder of the Wood Flow Sect and the Golden Core Elder Chigong of Four Symbols Peak couldn't figure out. How could his Divine Sense get a result just like that?
Looking at the ancient ape puppet in his hand, which showed no movement at all, Li Yan shrugged. "Senior Sister Bai, please forgive me for being unable to help." With that, he was about to return the puppet.
Although Bai Rou's face was filled with disappointment, when she saw Li Yan about to return the puppet, she quickly said, "Junior Brother Li, this puppet is still a gift to you."
Li Yan paused, somewhat puzzled. He had already probed it with his Divine Sense and couldn't help her. Although she had said she was gifting it to him before, this item was valuable, and he didn't want to accept it just like that.
"Junior Brother Li, you and I are both cultivators. We should have some faith in inexplicable feelings like this. Perhaps what I felt at the free market was a misperception, but I still firmly believe it wasn't. It's just that some things may require various opportunities to appear, just like a mechanism or formation that needs a specific condition to be triggered before it can operate. If it stays with me, perhaps in another fifteen years, the result will still be the same. Therefore, I still want to gift this to you. I only hope that if you can uncover the secret within this puppet in the future, you will first inform me of it; second, you may also use this technique, as long as you do not spread it to others. Of course, if you feel the second condition is inappropriate, Junior Brother, you can disregard it. You only need to tell me the secret of this puppet."
With that, a pleading look appeared in Bai Rou's eyes.
Li Yan fell silent for a moment after hearing this. To receive a puppet comparable to a Foundation Establishment cultivator for free was something many cultivators dreamed of. Yet, Li Yan hesitated. He was the type of person who would repay kindness several times over, treat those who trusted him with even greater sincerity, and for those who had ill intentions toward him, he would surely seek revenge, and do so with his utmost effort and as quickly as possible.
Although Bai Rou had the intention of using him here, there was also trust involved. Moreover, the final condition was practically a giveaway. Li Yan considered his long-planned matters and became hesitant. Once he reached Foundation Establishment, after returning to see his parents and relatives, he would go search for that Infinite Roam Tree. He didn't know when he would be able to return from that trip. And even if he returned to the sect, if a member of the Tianli Clan came to test him and he failed, he would have to flee to the Secret Realm and wouldn't dare to come out until he reached Golden Core or Nascent Soul. It could be a hundred or several hundred years. He didn't want Bai Rou to think he had taken her things and run away.
"Senior Sister Bai, once I reach Foundation Establishment, it will be impossible for me to stay in the sect for a long time. If I really discover the secret within this puppet then, I might not be able to inform you in a timely manner," Li Yan said after some thought.
"Haha, I was wondering what it was. That's no matter. As long as you uncover the secret of this ancient ape puppet, Junior Brother, just inform me when it's convenient. We are cultivators; are we afraid of the passage of time? Besides, if you encounter danger, even if this puppet is damaged in battle, it is the fate of my Wood Flow Sect." Bai Rou smiled lightly, like a lily in the wind.
Seeing this, Li Yan no longer refused. It was always better to have more life-saving items. Just as Bai Rou said, if he encountered a dangerous situation, he would throw this puppet out without hesitation, regardless of whether it hid a secret or not. In that case, although Bai Rou said so, she would probably be very reluctant in her heart. But what did that have to do with Li Yan? He just needed to state his own concerns. Since she agreed, Li Yan also nodded at Bai Rou.
"Oh, this is the control technique for this puppet. Please accept it, Junior Brother Li." Bai Rou was overjoyed when Li Yan agreed. With a flip of her wrist, a Jade Slip shot toward Li Yan.
Li Yan reached out and caught the jade slip in his palm. He swept his Divine Sense inside and saw that it was indeed a puppet control technique. With a faint smile, he put both the jade slip and the ancient ape puppet into his Storage Pouch.
Puppet control techniques differed for each puppet. After dripping blood, a simple refinement was still necessary. There was no aura on this ancient ape puppet, and Li Yan guessed that Bai Rou had planned this long ago, wiping her own aura from it when she took it out.
"In that case, I will take my leave now, Junior Brother," Li Yan said, looking at the darkening sky. He cupped his hands at Bai Rou, and with a flash of light from the flying sword under his feet, he shot backward, showing no intention of lingering.
Bai Rou stood sideways, watching the gradually disappearing light, a look of confusion slowly appearing in her eyes. She muttered to herself, "Master, was what I did right or wrong? If I've entrusted it to the wrong person, the technique of the Wood Flow Sect will be lost. But I really did my best. For fifteen years, no matter how I searched, I found nothing. But this time, I took a gamble... In the free market, was I really mistaken..." Her voice grew softer and softer, until it was finally inaudible.
After a long time, with a long, lonely sigh, a streak of white light shot across the sky from the hilltop, leaving only the lingering fragrance of a young woman, just like the scent from the puppet, drifting into the distance with the endless night wind, finally dissipating under the starry sky...