On the long mountain path about a kilometer away from the Wanxing Market, a long line of ragged, skeletal refugees had set up camp to rest and beg passersby for food.
With Wanxing Martial Academy disciples keeping watch on both sides, they did not dare resort to robbery.
Behind a large boulder at the edge of the queue, a man in his early twenties who looked like a loafer was feeding a skeletal ten-year-old boy.
“Oi, kid. Do you know where you're from?”
“Over there.” The boy's eyes were hollow as he slowly pointed toward the overlapping mountains behind them.
“Came from the north, did you?” Zhuang Xun glanced in that direction, then popped a piece of rice cake broken to the size of a sugar cube into the boy's mouth.
Once the boy swallowed, he asked again, “Did you come from the Ten Thousand Beasts Alliance's side?”
“…I don't know.”
“That's fine. It's normal for a kid not to know.” Zhuang Xun stuffed another piece of rice cake into the boy's mouth and asked, “Do you know the name of your village?”
“Wanghua Village.”
“Good boy.” Zhuang Xun stuffed another piece in. “What's the name of the town closest to your village?”
“I think it's called… the town.”
“Oh, is that so? Then why did you all come here… No rush, eat slowly. Answer big brother's questions well, and all of this is yours.”
Zhuang Xun picked up a bowl of water from the ground and brought it to the choking boy's lips.
“Cough, cough… Gulp, gulp… Cough, cough… Because a lot of wild beasts suddenly came into the village. Many people were eaten. My parents took me and my younger sister and kept running, and then I followed those people and ended up here.”
Zhuang Xun set down the water, stuffed another piece of rice cake into the boy's mouth, and asked, “Then where are your parents and sister?”
The boy said, “Father was eaten by a big dog that caught up to us. Mother traded my sister to someone for meat. Then Mother starved to death on the road. I think I'm about to die too.”
“Don't worry, I've renewed your subscription. You can live for another seven days.”
“Oh. Big brother, are you an immortal?”
“No, I'm a divine being.” Zhuang Xun asked, “Do you have any other relatives? Or anyone else from your village?”
The boy thought for a moment. “I don't think so. As we walked, everyone just disappeared.”
Zhuang Xun pointed at the long queue behind them. “What about those people? Anyone you know, or anyone who knows you?”
Seeing the boy didn't answer, Zhuang Xun realized he had forgotten the procedure and stuffed another piece of rice cake into his mouth.
“…No, they all just suddenly appeared as we walked. I don't know them.”
“Alright.” Zhuang Xun patted his hands and placed the remaining rice cake in the boy's lap. “Take your time eating. I'm off.”
Just as he turned around, a dirty little hand grabbed his trouser leg. “Big brother, can you wait until I finish eating before you leave? Otherwise, they'll steal it.”
Zhuang Xun looked in the direction the boy was pointing and saw several pairs of wolf-like eyes staring back.
Zhuang Xun squatted back down and said with a smile, “Sure, I'll block them for you. Eat up quickly.”
“Big brother, can I follow you?”
“No.”
After thinking for a moment, Zhuang Xun pointed out a path for him. “In a bit, go find a river and take a bath. It's September, so you probably won't freeze to death. Then, change into the new clothes I'll give you and head to the Wanfu Restaurant. Don't say a word; just grab a cloth and start wiping tables. Wipe them as hard as you can. When the manager comes to ask what's going on, just tell him the truth. Be sweet-tongued. The manager is a good person and will most likely take you in. Don't spend the money you earn; save it. Then, exercise a lot, and once you turn fifteen, take your savings and register at the Wanxing Martial Academy. Got it?”
The boy's cheeks were bulging, and he shook his head blankly.
Zhuang Xun sighed. “Ah, then such is your fate. Big brother is leaving.”
By now, the boy had finished eating. Zhuang Xun stood up and left, thinking to himself that the origin of his third clone was settled.
The age needs to be younger. That way, no matter what people ask, the clone can just say 'I don't know' like that little boy just did… Zhuang Xun entered the Wanxing Market under the intense stares of the refugees.
Seeing that his clothes were clean and his expression natural, the disciples guarding the gate did not stop him.
He walked all the way to the end, took a detour to climb a hill, and after repeatedly confirming there was no one around, he burned his clothes in stages and dissolved the clone, converting it back into points.
At the residence on the side cliff.
Zhuang Xun rocked back and forth in his armchair, formulating a plan in his mind to have his clone become Yi Xiaoxiang's disciple.
“Yi Xiaoxiang doesn't step out of her door at all. Relying on a chance encounter to be taken in as her disciple is highly unlikely. I have to deliver the clone to her myself.”
“Hmm… The clone's identity will be a recently arrived refugee. Because of his young age, he doesn't know exactly where he came from. He has had no relatives since childhood, his fellow villagers are all dead, and he followed the main group all the way to the outskirts of the Wanxing Market.”
“Then… while begging near the slums outside the market, he is accidentally spotted by Yan Pingsheng. Because of his outstanding Skeletal Structure, Yan Pingsheng brings him back to the martial academy to present him to Yi Xiaoxiang.”
“Yes. I've already established a habit for Yan Pingsheng of frequently going out to buy storybooks, wandering around, and buying snacks. Meeting a little beggar clone won't feel too abrupt or deliberate, and bringing a wild genius back to the academy won't seem out of place either.”
“But how Yan Pingsheng would know this little beggar clone has an outstanding Skeletal Structure is a difficult problem.”
“Therefore, there are three things to do for this plan.”
“First, create the little beggar clone.”
“Second, have Yan Pingsheng learn bone-reading in a reasonable and natural way.”
“Third, have Yan Pingsheng suspect the little beggar clone's talent is outstanding in a reasonable and natural way, prompting him to perform a bone-reading.”
With the plan finalized in his heart, Zhuang Xun began to create the clone.
Half a day later.
—Character Creation Panel—
[Creating Character Four]
[Name: ]
[Age: 12]
[Realm: Nine Stones of strength/Fifth Rank (+)] (Skeletal Structure at maximum value, age greater than or equal to 12, minimum realm defaults to Nine Stones of strength)
[Skeletal Structure: 100/100 (+)]
[Comprehension: 100/100 (+)]
[Charm: 99 (Stunning)]
【Current Points: 130】
“Can even I not replicate my own classic work?”
Zhuang Xun stared solemnly at the Charm column.
He had been sculpting this face for nearly the entire afternoon, but no matter how he adjusted it, the Character Creation Panel's score peaked at 99. Now, even the slightest change would cause the score to drop, to the point where he didn't dare to touch it again.
“Have I finally run out of creative genius?”
“Forget it. Even Shakespeare couldn't paint a second Mona Lisa. It's only normal that I can't sculpt another character with perfect looks.”
“Let's leave it at that. Besides, being too handsome would steal Bai Yujing's spotlight.”
“Uh—what should his name be…” Zhuang Xun suddenly had a clever little idea.
He wouldn't name his third clone for now. When Yi Xiaoxiang asked, the clone would say he didn't have a name and that everyone in his village just called him “Little Beggar,” waiting for her to give him a name.
This would not only win her sympathy but also quickly close the distance between them.
“Ah, my emotional intelligence is truly off the charts. Is there anyone in this world I can't win over…” Feeling highly pleased with himself, Zhuang Xun controlled the Debt-Lending Bladesman, who was far away in a secluded forest, to confirm the creation of the clone.
One hundred blood-red spheres flew out of the Debt-Lending Bladesman's body, slowly constructing a human form in front of him.
After a while, the human figure gradually became clear, turning into a handsome young boy with red lips, white teeth, and bright, expressive eyes.
Zhuang Xun carefully sized up the youth he had just sculpted.
The boy looked spirited, making it very easy for people to take a liking to him. He was only 1.4 meters tall; considering that the permanent Clone Three's persona was a little beggar who was bound to be malnourished, Zhuang Xun hadn't made him too tall.
After observing for a while, Zhuang Xun discovered that although the difference in Charm between the little beggar clone and Bai Yujing was only a single point, the impression they gave was vastly different.
For instance, the little beggar clone merely made people easily fond of him, evoking a sense of pity and affection.
On the other hand, Bai Yujing possessed a unique, captivating, jade-like quality. Not only was a single glance enough to leave an unforgettable impression, inspiring infatuation and adoration, but it also made people instinctively wary, feeling that he was terrifyingly powerful.
“This is probably the difference between a ninety-nine and a perfect score when the limit is a hundred.”
Zhuang Xun continued to study the little beggar clone, feeling that something was still missing.
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