The Puppet Doll

The more Su Qing thought about it, the more she found it amusing…

However, she didn’t laugh out loud. She simply shook her head to clear her mind and decided against leaving the long spear on the weapon rack in the backyard. Instead, she tucked it back into her Sleeve Universe, planning to ask Immortal Lin Jiu about it in a little while.

After circling her sleeping quarters and confirming there was nothing else she needed to attend to, Su Qing set off to find Immortal Lin Jiu.

Having stayed in this place for so long, Su Qing was already quite familiar with most areas and had established good relationships with many people. Immortal Lin Jiu was one of those with whom she got along quite well…

Perhaps it was because they shared similar interests? Regardless, Su Qing and Immortal Lin Jiu found each other easy to talk to. Moreover, Immortal Lin Jiu was the type of person who acted like an old friend from the moment you met her.

Arriving at Immortal Lin Jiu’s residence, the door opened on its own before Su Qing could even knock.

Su Qing arched an eyebrow and muttered to herself, "Does this girl already know I’m here?"

She was a bit surprised but didn't dwell on it. Given Lin Jiu’s strength, it was no trouble at all for her perception to cover the entire courtyard. It wasn't strange for her to know Su Qing was at the door. In fact, Su Qing could easily do the same—and likely better—but she was usually too lazy to bother.

Su Qing stepped into the courtyard and made her way to the living room. She found a seat and sat down, waiting for Lin Jiu to appear. However, instead of Lin Jiu, she was greeted by a puppet doll…

This doll was extremely delicate and had a very adorable appearance. Holding a teapot in its hands, its short legs pitter-pattered as it ran toward Su Qing. It then hopped onto the armrest of her chair and offered the tea…

"Guest, please have some tea," the puppet doll said in a wooden voice.

Su Qing was a bit taken aback. She wasn't surprised that the puppet could move, but rather that it had already been completed. She knew of its existence and that Immortal Lin Jiu had been researching these puppet dolls recently. Seeing it now, she was impressed by how well it had turned out.

Su Qing looked at the puppet doll and asked with a smile, "Where is your master?"

The puppet doll bowed to Su Qing and replied in a flat, emotionless tone, "Mother is currently forging a weapon. Please wait a moment, guest. I shall go inform Mother of your arrival."

Although the puppet doll called Lin Jiu 'Mother,' Su Qing didn't sense any emotion in its voice. It was clearly just a programmed form of address. Su Qing felt it was a bit of a pity; the puppet doll appeared intelligent, but it lacked a true spirit. Then again, it was only natural—how could a newly created object possess a complete artifact spirit?

Su Qing nodded and said, "Alright, thank you! Please go and call her."

The puppet doll didn't speak further. It simply nodded, hopped off the armrest, and pitter-pattered away.

Watching the way the puppet doll ran, a smile tugged at the corners of Su Qing’s mouth. 'Lin Jiu certainly has good taste; this puppet doll really is cute,' she thought. 'But who would guess that such a small, adorable thing contains the power of a Divine Immortal?'

Lin Jiu hadn't told Su Qing how strong the doll was. Su Qing knew it possessed the cultivation of the Divine Immortal Realm purely because her own strength was high enough to see through it at a glance.

Indeed. Despite its small and cute appearance, it was a genuine Divine Immortal-level combatant. While the Divine Immortal Realm meant little to Su Qing, in the grand scheme of the cultivation world, it was a formidable level of power. Furthermore, this was only the first version. If Lin Jiu made further improvements in the future, it would surely achieve even greater results.

'Speaking of which, although this thing lacks sufficient intelligence and is a bit stiff, it seems like it would make an excellent attendant or bodyguard.'

As Su Qing contemplated the puppet doll, she thought of a specific use for it: 'I don't need a bodyguard, but Bai Yuhe certainly does. As the Mountain God of the Changbai Mountains and the guardian of the Northern Continent, I’m destined to be away from the Women's Kingdom for long periods. Although she’s unlikely to face much danger in the palace, she still needs a protector while I’m gone. Giving her one of these would be perfect.'

'And this thing has the strength of a Divine Immortal… With that power, it could hold its own even against demons. If it encounters a truly powerful demon it can't defeat, it could at least take Bai Yuhe and flee while waiting for my rescue.'

The more Su Qing thought about it, the more she felt she had to get one for Bai Yuhe. 'I'll buy one from Immortal Lin Jiu later,' she decided, taking a sip of the fragrant tea the puppet had brought.

Even though Su Qing and Immortal Lin Jiu were good friends, business was business. She couldn't just freeload. It was one thing if the other person offered it as a gift, but quite another to go and demand it. Presuming upon a friendship to ask for expensive items was a quick way to become annoying—no normal person would do such a thing.

As she pondered, Su Qing suddenly heard hurried footsteps in the courtyard. It was undoubtedly Immortal Lin Jiu returning.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, a very familiar figure rushed in and charged toward Su Qing. Although Su Qing had anticipated what she would do, she was still startled and quickly stood up to dodge the flying bear hug. After Su Qing dodged, Immortal Lin Jiu didn't fall to the ground. Instead, she performed a flip and sat directly in the chair.

Then, as if to ease the awkwardness, she said with a laugh, "See? I knew you’d let me have this chair!"

Su Qing rolled her eyes and said, "Can you act normal for once… Who would dare let you hug them like that? I’m honestly afraid you’d crush me to death."

"I’m so light, how could I possibly crush you? Though, speaking of which, if I really did crush a Heavenly Immortal to death, I’d probably become quite famous, wouldn't I?" Lin Jiu replied with a grin.

She knew Su Qing was only joking, so she played along.

Su Qing sighed helplessly. "If that really happened, you’d be famous, but I’d be notorious."

"Hahaha!" Lin Jiu laughed heartily. "But you’re already quite notorious now…"

Su Qing knew exactly what she was referring to. She said speechlessly, "You’re not wrong about that… in a sense, I am notorious. But that’s all just nonsense spread by people with agendas!"

"Heh heh, just admit it, aren't you notorious?"

"…" Su Qing pursed her lips. "Fine, you’re right."

Lin Jiu wore a look of victory, but she didn't gloat for long. She soon calmed down and got to the point.

"Anyway, knowing your personality, you didn't come here just to chat, did you? So, why are you really here?"

Having known Su Qing for a while, she understood her temperament perfectly. Unless she was truly bored, Su Qing was the type who never visited unless she needed something.

Su Qing smiled and spread her hands. "I didn't come today just for small talk. I have something I want to ask you about…"

Immortal Lin Jiu immediately wore an 'I knew it' expression. Su Qing was quite predictable. She pouted and said, "Sovereign, if you have a question, just ask. As long as I can answer it, I will. But you know, while I know a bit about everything, I’m not omniscient. Aside from artifact forging, I’m clueless about most other things! I just hope your question isn't something outside my field of expertise!"

Lin Jiu didn't mind answering Su Qing's questions; she would tell her anything she knew—except for her little secrets, of course.

Su Qing nodded. "Don't worry, it definitely won't be something outside your field. If it were something I thought you couldn't answer, I wouldn't have come to you!"

"And how would you know which questions I can't answer?" Lin Jiu asked half-jokingly. "But is it really within my field? Something to do with artifact forging? Don't tell me the Sovereign wants to learn the craft? If you want to learn the Dao of Forging, I can teach you for free!"

Su Qing looked at the enthusiastically rambling Lin Jiu with a touch of exasperation. She shook her head and said, "I don't want to learn forging; I just have a question regarding a weapon!"

Lin Jiu wasn't too surprised. After all, if Su Qing wanted to learn forging, she would have gone to Taishang Laojun long ago. Why would she come to her?

"A question about a weapon? What is it? Is something wrong with your weapon?" Lin Jiu tilted her head, looking puzzled. She finally adopted a serious expression. Playtime was over; when it was time to be serious, she was serious.

Su Qing nodded, took out the long spear, and handed it to Immortal Lin Jiu. "Yes, there’s a slight issue with this spear. Here, take a look and tell me what’s happened to it and why it’s turned into this. Also, is this change good or bad for it?"

Besides her curiosity about the change, Su Qing was genuinely worried the spear might be broken.

Lin Jiu took the spear and examined it. She recognized it instantly as the one she had given Su Qing. Although its appearance had changed, it was a weapon she had forged with her own hands. She had poured so much effort into it that it was like one of her own children; she could recognize it anywhere, no matter how much time had passed or how it had changed.

"How did this spear end up like this? It has much more spiritual rhythm now, and it’s even lighter." Lin Jiu weighed the spear, her brow furrowing slightly. "Sovereign, what did you do with this spear? What exactly has it been through?"

Su Qing blinked and then told Lin Jiu the story of how she had killed the Golden-Winged Great Peng. Since she was seeking answers, she naturally couldn't hide the truth.

After hearing the story, Lin Jiu gasped. She stared at Su Qing and asked, "The Sovereign really killed the Golden-Winged Great Peng? With this spear?"

Immortal Lin Jiu seemed a bit over-excited, her words coming out slightly jumbled. Su Qing spread her hands and said somewhat helplessly, "To be precise, I used this spear to pin the Golden-Winged Great Peng to a mountain, and then I personally cut off his head. But your way of putting it isn't wrong. So, did the spear change because of the Great Peng?"

"Yes… it’s definitely connected to that."

Lin Jiu’s mouth twitched, and her eyelid jumped. "Let’s set the spear aside for a moment. More than the spear, I’m concerned about the fact that you killed the Golden-Winged Great Peng. You know the Great Peng and the Peacock are relatives, and the Peacock is the birth mother of the Buddha… By that logic, the Great Peng is essentially the Buddha’s uncle. Now that you’ve killed him, aren't you worried that Mahamayuri and the Buddha will come looking for trouble?"

Lin Jiu had lived for many years and worked under Great Emperor Zhenwu for a long time; she knew quite a bit about the world’s strange tales and legends. She was familiar with the stories of the Great Peng and the Buddha, which was why she was so shocked. But after the shock came worry—worry that Su Qing had invited disaster.

Su Qing spread her hands and smiled. "The Buddha said my killing of the Great Peng was excusable, so he won't punish me. He just said to let it not happen again."

"…"

Lin Jiu was speechless, but she also understood what Su Qing meant. It meant the Buddha had tacitly approved of the killing. Even if Mahamayuri came to demand justice later, the Buddha would be there to shield her. Realizing this, Lin Jiu didn't know what to say for a long time. The only thought echoing in her mind was: 'Su Qing is truly impressive.'

She let out a long sigh. "The Sovereign is truly worthy of the title…"

Su Qing looked at her, feeling a bit helpless. What was she rambling about? She decided not to overthink it and continued, "Alright, let’s not talk about that. Killing the Great Peng won't have much of an impact on me. More importantly, tell me what’s going on with this spear. Is it better or worse? And why did it change like this?"

Lin Jiu’s mouth twitched as she took a deep breath to calm her excitement. She looked at the spear in her hands and said, "There’s nothing wrong with the spear… The reason it changed is likely because when you pierced the Great Peng, the spear took the opportunity to drink some of his blood and gained some benefits from it."

"It drank blood?"

"In all likelihood, yes…"

"This spear can drink blood?"

"No, at least I didn't include that function when I forged it." Lin Jiu shook her head. "This time was likely just a coincidence… Perhaps because the spear’s artifact spirit felt the Great Peng’s blood would be beneficial, it took the chance to absorb some. Actually, 'drinking blood' isn't quite right; 'fusing' would be more accurate."

Su Qing nodded. That explanation made sense to her.

"So, it’s not a bad thing?" Su Qing asked.

Lin Jiu nodded. "Of course not. The blood of the Golden-Winged Great Peng is no ordinary substance. If nothing goes wrong, this spear will be able to birth a complete artifact spirit before long. And if you’re lucky, it might even inherit some of the Great Peng’s traits…"

"The Great Peng’s traits?" Su Qing nodded thoughtfully. "For example?"

"That, I don't know." Lin Jiu shook her head. "I’m not that familiar with the Golden-Winged Great Peng…"

She was telling the truth. She knew some things about him, but that was the extent of her knowledge.

"I see!" Su Qing nodded, not wanting to press her. There was no point in asking someone who didn't know. She said, "Forget it, as long as I haven't broken the spear, it’s fine. I thought the artifact spirit had lost its mind when it told me it felt great!"

"A nascent artifact spirit is indeed a bit simple-minded, but because it’s simple, it’s harder to break." Lin Jiu’s mouth twitched as she sighed. "Furthermore, the Sovereign must nurture it well so that the spirit that is born will be closer to you."

Despite her lingering speechlessness, Lin Jiu didn't forget to offer necessary advice. It was her professional duty.

"Is that so? I understand."

Su Qing nodded, though she was still a bit hesitant about whether to put effort into nurturing this spear. Even though it had become more powerful, it was still just a temporary weapon. Eventually, she would have to go back to using the Cold Fragrance Sword. If Leng Xiang found out she had a regular weapon or had gained another artifact spirit… she would probably get jealous again. Su Qing hadn't forgotten that the girl had been a jealous type for a long time. Although she had changed, she was still a bit of a jealous soul, just less obvious about it than before.

As Su Qing mused, Lin Jiu asked, "Aside from that, is there anything else the Sovereign wants to ask?"

Lin Jiu hoped Su Qing would ask all her questions at once. After all, only after the business was concluded could they relax and chat about other things. Otherwise, with things on their minds, they wouldn't be able to fully enjoy themselves.

Su Qing thought for a moment and nodded. "Yes! I wanted to talk to you about that puppet doll…"

Now that the spear's situation was clear, Su Qing didn't plan to leave just yet. Since she was here, she might as well discuss the puppet doll and see if she could pre-order one, saving her the trouble of coming back later.

Immortal Lin Jiu looked puzzled. "The Sovereign is interested in the puppet doll?"

Su Qing nodded and explained what she wanted it for. Lin Jiu was stunned. She had assumed Su Qing was interested because it was cute, but she hadn't expected such a reason.

"The Sovereign is quite good to her wife…"

Su Qing shook her head. "It’s just compensation… since I can't always be by her side."

"Regardless, it’s very thoughtful of you!" Lin Jiu sighed. "It’s a pity the Sovereign has no plans to take another wife, otherwise I might have wanted to marry you myself~".

Lin Jiu’s words were half-joking, half-serious. After all, she and Su Qing shared the same interests—they both liked women. Su Qing didn't know whether to take her seriously or not. She simply smiled and asked, "So, can you sell me one?"

"No…" Lin Jiu shook her head with a smile.

"…"

"But I can give you one."

Before Su Qing could speak, Lin Jiu continued, "A puppet doll isn't some priceless treasure; it’s just a self-regulating puppet. If the Sovereign wants one, I’ll just give it to you. However, I only have that one right now, so I can't give it to you immediately. I’ll have to make another one in a few days and send it over."

To Lin Jiu, the puppet doll really wasn't anything rare. Although she had spent a lot of time researching it, the actual construction only took about half a month. Compared to weapons that took years or even decades to forge, a puppet doll made in a dozen days was more like a toy she’d made while slacking off. It was likely only because Su Qing knew little about forging that she thought it was valuable.

Even if Su Qing didn't understand, Lin Jiu wouldn't cheat her friend. She carefully explained the nature of the puppet doll.

After hearing the explanation, Su Qing was quite surprised. She hadn't expected that such a delicate puppet doll was just a toy Lin Jiu had made in her spare time. It made her wonder just how high Lin Jiu’s forging skills truly were.

Seeing Su Qing’s surprised expression, Lin Jiu felt a surge of satisfaction. Su Qing’s news about killing the Great Peng had shocked her earlier; now, seeing Su Qing surprised like this felt like she’d won a round.

Lin Jiu said with a smile, "That’s why I said I’ll make one and send it to you. And if you’re not in a hurry, I can optimize the internal inscriptions over the next few days and make you one with the strength of a peak Divine Immortal. Unfortunately, the limit for these puppet dolls is the peak of the Divine Immortal Realm… If I tried to make it any stronger, like reaching the Earthly Immortal level, the internal inscriptions wouldn't be able to support the energy consumption, and the materials themselves wouldn't be able to withstand the power."

Of course, that was the limit for this design. It wasn't that it was impossible to make something stronger. In fact, it would be quite simple—just use better materials and make a larger doll. But doing so would be highly inefficient. Using a pile of top-tier materials just to create an Earthly Immortal-level puppet was a losing proposition no matter how you looked at it.

Su Qing came back to her senses and nodded. "That’s fine. There’s no need to reach the Earthly Immortal level; peak Divine Immortal strength is more than enough."

While better was always preferred, peak Divine Immortal strength was indeed sufficient. Lin Jiu wasn't surprised by her answer. She nodded with a smile and said, "In that case, I’ll make a peak Divine Immortal puppet doll for you!"

"Alright, thank you for the trouble."

Su Qing nodded and said, "However, even if the puppet doll isn't precious to you, it’s very useful to me, so I can't take it for nothing…"

Su Qing was a woman of principle. Since she’d decided not to freeload, she wouldn't. She thought for a moment and decided what to use as payment. She took out one of the three golden feathers.

"I really don't know what would be best to give you, so why don't you take this?" Su Qing said with a smile. "This is something left behind after I cremated the Golden-Winged Great Peng’s body…"

Lin Jiu had intended to take the feather and ask what it was, but upon hearing the explanation, she immediately pulled her hand back.

"You’re saying… this is what was left after burning the Great Peng?" Immortal Lin Jiu asked, her heart skipping a beat. Honestly, she was startled. She wondered just how much Su Qing had managed to scavenge from the Great Peng’s body. Was there no end to it?

Su Qing nodded. "Yes! I don't know what it’s for, but since it survived the Samadhi True Fire, it’s clearly very durable. It might be useful for forging."

Lin Jiu’s mouth twitched. "It would certainly be suitable for making armor. But using something like this for forging seems like a waste… surely it has a better use?"

Su Qing rolled her eyes. "I don't know what it’s for! I was planning to ask the Buddha later…"

"In that case, I definitely can't take it," Lin Jiu said, shaking her head. "This thing is far more precious than my puppet doll… Even if I 'sold' it to you, the trade would be completely lopsided, so I can't accept it."

Even if she didn't know its exact use, anything left behind by the Golden-Winged Great Peng was bound to be extraordinary. It was far too valuable for her to take lightly.

"…" Su Qing was momentarily speechless, wondering what else to say. Before she could speak, Lin Jiu continued, "How about this? I’ll 'sell' you the puppet doll, but I want a favor from you instead. After all, while the golden feather is precious, it’s useless to me. But a favor from you is very useful indeed… Heh heh, what do you think?"

Lin Jiu was being honest. The golden feather was of no use to her. Even for forging, it was far too small to make anything substantial. So, no matter how precious it was, it was useless to her.

Su Qing looked at Lin Jiu and finally sighed. "Really useless?"

"Really!" Lin Jiu gave a brief explanation and added, "So your favor is much more valuable!"

"You won't use that favor to make me do something weird, will you?"

Lin Jiu pouted. "Am I that kind of person?"

"Emmm, no, but you look like one!" Su Qing said after a moment's thought.

Lin Jiu was speechless. What did she mean by 'no, but you look like one'? She laughed helplessly and said, "If it’s an unreasonable request, you can just refuse, right? So don't overthink it."

Su Qing nodded. "Fine, since you put it that way, we’ll do it your way. I’ll owe you a favor."

Lin Jiu immediately stood up and clapped Su Qing on the shoulder, leaning in close. "Heh heh, we’re friends, why so formal? I’ll have the thing ready and sent to you soon! Just wait for it."

Su Qing nodded. "Alright, alright, I’ll wait!"

With that, Su Qing put the golden feather away, planning to ask the Buddha what it was and what it could do. Having discussed the spear and settled the matter of the puppet doll, their business was concluded. Now that the serious talk was over, the two of them could relax and enjoy themselves.

Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, the sky had darkened. Su Qing bid farewell to Lin Jiu and returned to her own quarters.

Upon her return, Zi Qiu saw her and immediately came over. "Master, you’re back! Dinner is ready, and Sister is still heating the bathwater… you might have to wait a little longer. Would you like to eat now? I’ll go get the utensils."

The dragon girl attendants had been looking after Su Qing for a long time and knew her habits well. They took excellent care of her; Su Qing sometimes felt she was being pampered into uselessness.

Su Qing nodded. "Let’s eat first. Also, where are those spider spirits?"

Not seeing the spider spirits around, Su Qing was curious where they had gone. She wasn't worried about them escaping; with four dragon girls watching them, they’d have to get past them first. And the dragon girls were quite strong—at least as strong as the spider spirits. Capturing them wouldn't take much effort.

Zi Qiu immediately replied, "Those spider spirits are weaving!"

"Weaving?" Su Qing was stunned. "What are they weaving?"

Zi Qiu explained, "Aren't they spider spirits? They’re using their own silk to weave cloth. It seems they plan to make an outfit for Master?"

Su Qing blinked, her brain momentarily failing to process the information. What? They were using their own silk to weave cloth and sew clothes for her? They certainly were creative!

"Should I tell them to stop, Master?" Zi Qiu asked, seeing Su Qing’s odd expression.

Su Qing shook her head. "Stop them? No need. Let them weave… I’m curious to see what kind of silk raiment those spiders can come up with."

While Su Qing was surprised and a bit puzzled by their actions, she wasn't against it. As long as they behaved and didn't cause trouble, it was fine. She was even a little curious—after all, she’d never worn clothes made of spider silk before!

Zi Qiu nodded and said no more. Su Qing said, "Anyway, enough about that. Let’s go eat!"

Having learned what the spider spirits were up to, Su Qing couldn't be bothered with them further. Eating dinner was far more important.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Nothing particularly special happened during that time. Lin Jiu’s puppet doll wasn't finished yet, and Liu Xixi was as busy as ever. Su Qing was now ready to set off to find the Buddha. She believed that after a few days, the Buddha would have finished whatever he needed to attend to, and she could get clear answers to her questions.

In the early morning, just as Su Qing was about to depart, she heard a knock at the courtyard gate. It was Liu Xixi.

"What is it?" Su Qing asked, curious. She had told Liu Xixi she was going to see the Buddha today, so normally she wouldn't have come to find her. Her arrival suggested something important had happened.

"Sovereign, another natural disaster has occurred in Qingzi Kingdom."

Liu Xixi walked up to Su Qing and handed her a scroll. "I knew the Sovereign was leaving, so I organized the situation and recorded it on this scroll for your review."

Because Su Qing had once said that any disasters in the Northern Continent should be reported to her as soon as possible, Liu Xixi had immediately compiled the information upon learning of the disaster in Qingzi Kingdom this morning and brought it to Su Qing before she left. In Liu Xixi’s eyes, since Su Qing cared so much about the world, she would surely be pleased to receive the news as early as possible.

Su Qing blinked, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. While the matter was indeed important and she had asked to be informed quickly, she hadn't expected the girl to interpret it quite so literally, rushing to deliver the news at the very last second. How should she put it? The girl was a bit over-eager.

"Actually, I’ll be back today, so it wouldn't have been a problem even if you’d given it to me a bit later," Su Qing said with a helpless smile. "But thank you for the hard work in organizing this… Once I return from the Buddha’s place, I’ll head over there directly. I can't let your efforts go to waste."

Su Qing was a bit speechless, but she still expressed her gratitude. After all, it was her own instruction, and the girl was only doing her best to carry it out.

Liu Xixi nodded. "Now that I’ve delivered the news, I won't disturb the Sovereign further. I wish the Sovereign a safe journey!"

Su Qing smiled and said, "Don't worry, I always have a safe journey! You go back to your work too. Once you’re done, make sure to get some rest; don't overwork yourself. Also, if those little fat sparrows bother you again, remember to give them a few flicks to the head… a little discipline will stop them from interrupting your work."

Liu Xixi thought of the little fat sparrows that often came to pester her while she worked. She nodded and said, "I understand."

Of course, while she nodded, she didn't actually want to discipline the little birds. After all, being able to play with those silly, round sparrows was a good way to relax during work. In fact, she was more worried they wouldn't come to play with her!

Unaware of Liu Xixi’s thoughts, Su Qing saw her nod and said, "Then I’m off!"

With a hand seal, Su Qing mounted her Somersault Cloud and sped toward Spirit Mountain. Liu Xixi watched her go, only turning to leave once Su Qing was out of sight.

Su Qing rode her Somersault Cloud, and in no time at all, she had left the Northern Continent and entered the territory of Aparagodaniya. Continuing westward, she soon saw Spirit Mountain and the Great Thunder Monastery.

The Great Thunder Monastery was as it always was, glowing with Buddhist light, and the faint sound of chanting could be heard from afar. Seeing this, Su Qing lowered her cloud and landed within the Great Thunder Monastery.