Resentment Puppet

Cheng Shuili’s eyes dimmed slightly as she took two steps forward, circling directly to the front and side of Aunt Huo.

She maintained her smile and a respectful tone, repeating her question without showing any signs of impatience.

Seemingly annoyed by the disruption, Aunt Huo turned around, waved her hand, and spoke in a much heavier tone: "I have already said, old woman! I don't know any White Ghost or Black Ghost! I just want to stay here and work on my own things in peace, without being bothered by anyone!"

After saying this, she muttered several more things under her breath. Cheng Shuili leaned in to listen and heard nothing but:

"Why is this leader even more annoying than the Rat King... I came to the wrong place..."

"If it weren't for the fact that the soil here is a hundred times better than the one in the beastman town... I wouldn't have come here."

"I said I don't know... I really don't know... yet you keep asking, asking, asking... can't you understand what this old woman is saying?"

"I just want to take a good look at my seeds... who did I offend to have so much trouble every single day?"

The louder she spoke, the more her resentment seemed to overflow.

Cheng Shuili did not know what the old woman had experienced before, but this resentment was clearly not directed solely at her. Moreover, she keenly grasped a specific point.

She decisively threw the Rat King's words back at her: "You don't want to be disturbed? That's fine."

"You do remember that I am the lord, right? The Rat King said that if this White Ghost isn't dealt with, there could be a life-threatening danger."

"If something were to happen to me... where else in these territories do you think could protect you while you do your research in peace?"

Cheng Shuili’s tone rose at the end, carrying a touch of pride in her accomplishments: "You aren't exactly deaf to the world outside, either. I even heard Zhou Zhuxing say yesterday that you asked her why it’s been so lively lately."

"Of the existing safe zones, besides the Rat King's, this is the land you are currently standing on. I am the only human who can go toe-to-toe with the Rat King."

"I know better than anyone how vengeful the Rat King is. You might have moved out of his safe zone easily, but thinking you can go back... that’s just wishful thinking."

"If anything happens to me, Aunt Huo, you and everyone else in our territory will be left homeless."

Watching the shifting expressions on Aunt Huo’s face, Cheng Shuili knew the pressure was just right.

She tucked away that deliberately displayed pride and, with a sincere and calm tone, began to combine soft and hard tactics:

"Aunt Huo, I am not the Rat King. I don't force anyone, but we need mutual trust and support."

"If you tell me the truth about the White Ghost, we can work together to solve this trouble. I promise you, as long as I am here, the territory remains, and your peace will be maintained."

She paused, looking directly into Aunt Huo's eyes: "From the moment you decided to leave the beastman town and step into my territory, our fates became intertwined."

Aunt Huo was silent for a long time before nodding wordlessly.

She knew Cheng Shuili was right, and she knew she couldn't refuse to help.

However, to overcome her fear of the Rat King, she would need to summon all her courage.

Her hunched back seemed to curve even further, followed by a long, heavy sigh.

"...Come in." Aunt Huo turned and shuffled toward a cluttered but systematic corner of the room used as a workspace. "Close the door tightly."

Cheng Shuili had already entered.

Standing outside the door forever wasn't an option, anyway.

Besides, this was her territory; was there any place she couldn't go?

But Cheng Shuili didn't correct her; she simply turned to close the door and followed her in, playing along.

Aunt Huo sat in the corner, curling herself up into a tiny ball. She looked like an elderly woman with no one to provide for her, appearing completely out of place among the bottles and jars filled with strange items and materials that emitted odd odors.

Her opening remark was: "What a White Ghost is, I really don't know."

Upon hearing this, the smile on Cheng Shuili's face faded instantly.

Aunt Huo stared at her expression for a long time before adding, as if satisfied: "Since it is the Rat King's method, the lord should describe it in detail. Perhaps I have seen it before."

Cheng Shuili suppressed her annoyance at being toyed with and recounted the entire process in detail.

Aunt Huo’s cloudy eyes narrowed slightly, her gaunt fingers unconsciously twisting the dried leaves hanging at her waist.

She listened with extreme care, and when Cheng Shuili’s voice trailed off, the corners of her wrinkled eyes twitched imperceptibly. Her cloudy eyes remained half-closed, as if searching through the dust of her memories.

After a long while, she finally spoke slowly: "That old thing, the Rat King, certainly knows how to use names to bluff people. White Ghost... hmph, he sure knows how to flatter himself, making it sound like some grand omen."

Aunt Huo paused and looked at Cheng Shuili: "This thing you encountered is likely a puppet. Its full name should be Resentment Puppet. It’s not some profound trick, but it is certainly disgusting enough. As for life-threatening danger..."

"How could that thing cause any life-threatening danger?" She frowned and gave Cheng Shuili a look of disdain, as if blaming this young junior for believing everything she heard.

Cheng Shuili blinked, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

But thinking about it, Aunt Huo could be so calm only because she knew exactly what it was.

If she didn't know, and suddenly heard such an intimidating name, only to be scared by the Rat King’s alarmist words, she probably would have found it difficult to maintain absolute composure as well.

Aunt Huo understood this logic, and thinking of every word Cheng Shuili had said and everything she had done since arriving, she realized this human could build such a large safe zone; she was clearly no ordinary person.

If it were an average person encountering such a situation, they would likely be living in constant fear.

The Rat King certainly didn't have any good intentions with those words. Thinking of this, Aunt Huo asked: "You didn't agree to anything with the Rat King, did you?"

Cheng Shuili was stunned for a moment before she understood what the old woman was asking.

She shook her head, reverting to that proud demeanor. She didn't hold a grudge for Aunt Huo's disdain and asked: "Aunt Huo, please tell me in detail about this Resentment Puppet."

It was still necessary to understand it in detail.

If Aunt Huo had no solution, she would have to summon the Ring Spirit.

After all, even if this thing didn't pose a life-threatening danger, Cheng Shuili couldn't let it keep popping out time and time again.

Watching Cheng Shuili quickly adjust her state and humbly seek advice, Aunt Huo’s assessment of this young lord rose a few notches.

She was flexible, goal-oriented, and possessed a sharp spirit; she was indeed someone capable of doing great things.

"Su Rui must have been quite scared, right?" Aunt Huo nodded knowingly, considering the small awkwardness from earlier resolved. "Although anyone driving along nicely would be startled if that thing suddenly popped out by the roadside. But this matter doesn't really have anything to do with you, does it? To go to such lengths for your subordinate, you've been causing a ruckus here for quite a while."

Her voice still carried a trace of dissatisfaction, but it was filled even more with satisfaction regarding this young lord.

Good.

Truly good.

If Cheng Shuili could seek her out for Su Rui today, she could seek out others for her tomorrow.

What subordinate wouldn't like a lord like that?

Aunt Huo didn't wait for Cheng Shuili to respond, cleared her throat, and continued: "Solving this thing is not a difficult task."

She stood up, mimicking Cheng Shuili’s proud expression, and said: "Regarding this matter, you were right to come to me."

As Aunt Huo spoke, she walked with her hands behind her back to another area of the small room to rummage for materials, with Cheng Shuili following closely behind.

She explained as she searched: "A Resentment Puppet is neither a true living creature nor does it have a physical body. It is more like a mass... of negative emotions that have been gathered and molded."

Having said that, Aunt Huo suddenly pointed back. Cheng Shuili followed her fingertip and saw a glass bottle containing half a bottle of purple liquid.

"See that? This is something I researched myself. I named it Fear Vine. Of course, this is just the extract. Using this, combined with specific methods, one can create a Resentment Puppet. And this material itself is harmless; it can't even be considered a rare material."

"You can also make puppets?"

Cheng Shuili was genuinely surprised. She had always thought this old woman only cared about seeds; she never expected her to know how to craft puppets!

Mentioning puppets reminded her of the situation with the faction leader Fengyun Tianxia. She still didn't know who had sent that guy. If Aunt Huo even knew about that...

Just as her eyes were shining with curiosity, Aunt Huo suddenly turned back, curled her lips, and waved her hand. "I don't know much, and what I make isn't very good. For instance, this Resentment Puppet I make can only take effect once before it naturally dissipates."

Aunt Huo’s cloudy eyes stared at Cheng Shuili, as if recalling something, and she let out a cold snort before continuing: "That old thing, the Rat King, must be using a more refined method, which is why it appeared twice in such a short time."

She pulled her mouth into a mocking arc: "But because it is not a physical entity, it is formless and intangible. It appears abruptly and disappears just as quickly. Even if you leave it alone, it will only last a month at most. You really don't need to worry."

"A month?" Cheng Shuili’s brows locked tight. That wasn't just a day or two; it was a whole month!

"How can that work? This ghost thing keeps appearing while Su Rui is driving; it has to be solved..."

"That is why I said you came to the right person."

Aunt Huo finally rummaged out an inconspicuous wooden box from under a pile of bottles and jars and blew the dust off the top.

"I can't make long-lasting puppets, but an old fellow once taught me the method to break them."

She opened the wooden box, which contained several items neatly arranged: a small pinch of gray-white down, several pitch-black stones, several leaves with silver-blue veins, and a small copper bell covered in runes.

"Calming Down, Soul-Absorbing Stones, Illusion-Breaking Branches... these are the basic materials for dealing with such things." Aunt Huo pointed to the items. "They treat the symptoms but not the root cause, but they can provide relief."

Her finger finally landed on the copper bell. Her cloudy eyes seemed sad, and Cheng Shuili had sharp eyes and even caught a trace of tears in the corners of her eyes.

However, Aunt Huo solemnly stuffed the items into Cheng Shuili's hands: "This is the thing I really wanted to give you."

The copper bell felt slightly heavy in her hand, with a cold texture. The runes on its surface were primitive and strange, carrying a sense of antiquity.

Cheng Shuili shook it gently, but it didn't make a single sound.

Aunt Huo stared at the item for a long time before sighing lowly, her voice carrying a trace of unmistakable melancholy. "This is called a Soul-Dispersing Bell. An old friend gave it to me when I was young. It isn't anything valuable, but... she made it with her own hands. No matter what strange things you encounter, take this bell out and shake it; it will come in handy most of the time."

She paused, seemingly unwilling to talk more about that old friend, and shifted the topic: "The method to deal with this Resentment Puppet is simple. Once you feel something is wrong, take out this bell and shake it gently toward the direction you find suspicious. Remember, don't use the strength of your wrist; use your intention, or to put it simply, shake it with the thought of wanting it to shake."

Cheng Shuili followed her instructions, gathering her focus and imagining the shaking in her mind.

Her wrist did not move, but the bell trembled slightly, emitting a crisp chime.

"Ding——"

Cheng Shuili felt the Soul-Dispersing Bell in her hand grow slightly warm, and an invisible ripple quietly spread out with her at the center.

"Did you feel that?" Aunt Huo observed her expression. "This thing can even disperse dirty things within a certain range, such as the Resentment Puppet. They fear nothing more than this kind of vibration directly targeting the root of their existence. However,"

Her tone shifted, becoming serious. "Although this bell’s effect is good, it has two limitations."

"First, its effective range is not very large, roughly twenty or thirty steps. You must be relatively close to the thing."

"Second, and most importantly. Once you use this bell to disperse that thing, the Rat King will know immediately. He will understand that you have found a way to counter it, and he might even guess that I... or someone similar to me is helping you."

Aunt Huo’s eyes deepened with worry. "And that old thing, the Rat King, hates losing control the most. The more you resist, the more he will want to press you down."

Cheng Shuili held the cold, primitive copper bell, feeling the faint residual vibration from her fingertips, but her heart was clear.

She understood Aunt Huo’s worry, but since the Rat King had already made his move, she could not just sit there and take the beating.

Now that she had a solution, it was time to throw this war declaration back at the Rat King!

However...

Cheng Shuili suddenly asked a completely unrelated question: "Aunt Huo, you must know beastmen who can make puppets, right?"

Aunt Huo’s fingers, which were twisting the dried leaves, paused. Her cloudy eyes turned toward Cheng Shuili, and her gaze held clear helplessness.

"You girl, your mind really turns fast." She muttered, not denying it. "Why, do you want to find someone who can make puppets so you can return a gift to the Rat King?"

"It’s only polite to return a favor." Cheng Shuili weighed the Soul-Dispersing Bell in her hand, her smile gaining a bit of sharpness, and she did not deny it: "The Rat King sent such a big surprise; wouldn't it be rude of us not to return a gift?"

"Besides," Cheng Shuili took out the remains of the faction leader Fengyun Tianxia, "Aunt Huo, can you tell where this thing came from? I only know that someone sent this thing to assassinate me. Who this person is, or what region they are from, I don't have a single clue."

She smiled brilliantly, but her eyes were as cold as if they had been quenched in ice. "Taking a passive beating is not my style. Since someone has reached out their claws, I have to know which one to chop off, right?"