Chapter 217 - 176: The Puppet Master’s Entrustment, Three Great Bequests
Chapter 217: Chapter 176: The Puppet Master’s Entrustment, Three Great Bequests
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
Just half a month before the scheduled date to begin refining the Foundation Establishment Pill, another visitor arrived at his door.
"Brother Lin..."
The door to his cave residence opened, and a familiar female figure immediately appeared before him. Her expression was forlorn, with faint tear stains visible on her face.
"Miss Yan?"
Lin Changheng was slightly surprised; the person before him was none other than Yan Mingyi. Her condition was clearly off, as if something terrible had happened. The moment she saw Lin Changheng, her body went limp, as if she could no longer hold herself up.
With his lightning-fast reflexes, Lin Changheng caught her by the waist to keep her from falling. Then, with a flicker, he brought her inside the cave residence.
With a BOOM, the main door was pushed shut by a wave of air.
"What happened?"
Lin Changheng placed Yan Mingyi on a seat and held her delicate hand to check her pulse. He was relieved to find that she was only suffering from Magical Power depletion. He then fed her an Upper Grade Rejuvenation Pill.
Yan Mingyi soon recovered. With tears streaming down her face, she said in a hoarse, low voice, "Grandfather... passed away... last night."
"What?"
Lin Changheng was taken aback. He clearly hadn’t expected this.
’Hadn’t Puppet Master Yan’s condition improved significantly? Six months ago, Yan Mingyi even came to ask for a new Pill, saying it had been effective. How could he have passed away so suddenly?’
Finding it very strange, Lin Changheng pressed, "What was the cause?"
Wiping her tears, Yan Mingyi recalled that her grandfather hadn’t left the house at all recently. He had been focused on refining Puppets, and she had been the one to purchase all the materials for him.
Just last night, she had been cultivating in her room when she suddenly heard her grandfather let out a hearty laugh. She didn’t think much of it at the time.
She knew her grandfather often studied the Puppet Dao late into the night and would laugh like that whenever he made a breakthrough.
This morning, she had prepared Spiritual Food as usual to nourish her grandfather. However, he never rose. When she pushed open his door, she found him lying on the bed, no longer breathing.
She had immediately fallen into a panic. A mix of grief, helplessness, and fear washed over her. With her last relative gone and her own lack of worldly experience, she couldn’t determine the true cause of her grandfather’s death.
After being overcome by extreme grief, she suddenly thought of Brother Lin and came straight here to ask for help.
"Miss Yan, my condolences. I’ll go with you now to take a look."
Lin Changheng helped her up, offered a word of comfort, and then summoned his Dharma Ship, soaring into the sky.
Yan Mingyi was a Middle Grade Puppet Master, after all, and her emotions slowly began to calm. She hastily reminded him, "Brother Lin, we can’t fly here! Flying is forbidden in the Immortal City; only Foundation Establishment Cultivators can..."
"It’s fine."
Lin Changheng patted her head and shook his own. "This way is faster."
Although his status as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator hadn’t been revealed yet, it was only a matter of time. He decided not to hide it any longer. In fact, he had always flown his ship within the Immortal City in the past.
Yan Mingyi nodded, her gaze toward Lin Changheng shimmering with trust. It was clear that, in this moment, she saw Brother Lin as her only support in the world.
Soon, the two of them returned to Yunjian Que.
Together, they entered the Yan Family’s small courtyard.
As they walked, Lin Changheng glanced back and noticed that the plaque on his former residence, the Qingyuan Small Building, had been changed, signifying a new owner.
Meanwhile, the plaque on the neighboring Qingyin Cloud Residence, belonging to Sound Master Cui, remained unchanged.
’It seems she must have paid many years’ rent in advance,’
Lin Changheng mused with an inward smile. ’Is there a discount for long-term leases?’
...
Soon, the two arrived at Puppet Master Yan’s room.
Many materials were scattered about, while various Puppet components like sharp claws and feet were arranged neatly.
And on the bed ahead, an old man lay, already cold to the touch.
In fact, the moment he entered the courtyard, Lin Changheng had already swept the entire house with his Divine Sense. There were no ambushes, nor was there a Cage Array in place.
One could never be too careful.
"No signs of a struggle, and no indication of an intruder."
Lin Changheng offered his initial assessment. "It was likely a death from natural causes."
Yan Mingyi, who had been unable to stop her silent tears since returning to the courtyard, finally felt a bit better upon hearing Lin Changheng’s words.
Walking over to the bed, Lin Changheng discreetly activated his >, secretly channeling his Body Refining Cultivation. Only then did he take one of Puppet Master Yan’s aged hands and infuse it with his Magical Power.
He began to circulate it through the body, probing.
After three breaths, he discreetly deactivated the >.
A moment later, he opened his eyes. He had found the cause of death.
The hidden injuries in Puppet Master Yan’s body had indeed been stabilized by the Tier Two Elixir he had refined. While not cured, the injuries shouldn’t have worsened to the point of causing death.
The true cause of his death was intense emotional agitation.
At the same time, his Divine Sense swept through the room once more, but he found nothing out of the ordinary.
This left him puzzled. What could have caused such intense emotional agitation?
The answer might lie in the bulging Storage Bag at the man’s waist.
But Lin Changheng would not, of course, presume to take it himself.
Instead, he shared his conclusions and related speculations with Yan Mingyi.
Yan Mingyi then took the Storage Bag from her grandfather’s waist, but she was unable to open it. She instinctively looked to Lin Changheng.
When an owner has just died, their Magical Power Mark dissipates slowly rather than shattering instantly.
Lin Changheng reached out and swiped a hand across the mouth of the Storage Bag. The once-solid Magical Power Mark instantly vanished, and Yan Mingyi was able to open it with ease.
"Thank you, Brother Lin."
She murmured her thanks and began to inspect the contents. Suddenly, her expression turned to one of shock, her pupils contracting sharply. She had seen a behemoth.
"This is..."
Before the murmur could even fade, a black shape slammed onto the ground with a BANG! The floor, hardened by the [Earth Firming Skill], cracked on impact, sending stone fragments flying.