Chapter 34 Chapter 34 You guys still separated after you finished what...

In a hurry, he attacked the paper man that was not made according to the steps, causing him to vomit blood. Xu Zhaoyi felt that Qin Sheng looked at him as if he was looking at a fool who had suddenly lost his intelligence.

What was frustrating was that he couldn't explain why he had to do such a stupid thing as hitting himself.

Xu Zhaoyi was pressed down on the sofa by Qin Sheng, feeling depressed. He closed his eyes peacefully, not wanting to face reality for the time being.

He really couldn't believe it. It turned out that he actually cared so much about the fact that Lijiaya ignored him for a while that day and was only concerned with chatting with Qin Sheng.

What kind of petty behavior is this?

He was even sure that he didn't like Ligaya at all, so the emotion that was intercepted by the little paper man was just due to ridiculous male self-esteem and desire to win!

It's so scary.

Facing the dark side of your heart or something.

How could he be that kind of person?

The self-perception of two lifetimes was overturned and reshaped, and Xu Zhaoyi fell into self-doubt in his life.

"[What's going on with you?" Qin Sheng called Raphael and asked him to come over before sitting down next to Xu Zhaoyi, asking sincerely with a confused mind.

[Don't ask anymore. I'm reflecting on myself.] Even with his eyes closed, Xu Zhaoyi could imagine Qin Sheng's expression when he asked this question.

"I don't mean to lecture you." Qin Sheng pulled a napkin into his hand, letting him wipe the blood from his mouth. "If you don't want to talk about it, then don't talk about it. I hope you really know your limits and don't just act so stubbornly."

He thought that when Xu Zhaoyi was at his weakest, most pitiful and helpless, Noodles picked him up and put him on his bed. Logically speaking, Xu Zhaoyi should not have any image baggage in front of him.

He had originally believed in the protagonist's personality, but after what happened just now, he was no longer so sure.

Perhaps it was because his previous practice went too smoothly that he could not accept the repeated Waterloo in the spell of Paper Man Descending. Although using Waterloo to describe this progress was already so Versailles that it made Ligaya scream and roll her eyes.

It is said that he has lived an extra life, but in fact, the memories of Xu Zhaoyi's two lives combined are still a few years younger than him. When Qin Sheng thought of this, he suddenly realized that he might have unconsciously regarded the male protagonist as a magical creature with an indestructible mind, which was too natural.

This is not good. Whether dealing with subordinates or partners, you should be flexible and demanding in moderation, otherwise the gains will definitely outweigh the losses.

So he added sincerely, "Perhaps I've unintentionally put a lot of pressure on you. I'll reflect on this. Don't push yourself too hard. No one's life is always smooth sailing. Failing a dozen or twenty times is perfectly normal. I can totally accept that. Besides, I've seen you in all sorts of troubles. I can't blindly pursue perfectionism in you, can I?"

Xu Zhaoyi was so understanding that he couldn't pretend to be autistic anymore. He accepted his fate, opened his eyes and said, "I understand."

However, although he agreed verbally, what he actually thought in his heart was: You have never seen me so narrow-minded and self-indulgent. Even I saw it for the first time and was scared to death.

Raphael arrived half an hour later. He checked Xu Zhaoyi and breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's not serious. The connection between the paper figurine and the main body isn't as close as it is with the Gu worm. It's just that we completed the last step too hastily, and we weren't able to smoothly switch the connection between the two to a one-way one. The damage the paper figurine sustained was fed back to the main body in the form of consciousness, causing a sudden surge of Qi and blood in the main body."

Strictly speaking, this cannot be considered a backlash, but rather a stress response in which the body mistakenly thinks it has been seriously injured.

This injury didn't even heal until the next day.

After this blunder, Xu Zhaoyi learned his lesson, steeled himself, and finally managed to control his emotions and cut out the first completely successful version of the paper figurine.

In order to practice his micro-manipulation ability, he built a simple maze with building blocks, and let the noodles switch to the glutinous rice ball vest and chase the little paper man in it. Xu Zhaoyi was blindfolded and ran in the maze purely from the perspective of the little paper man. He had to adapt to this strange vision and ensure that he would not knock down the building blocks and would not be caught by the noodles.

But he would be caught soon after each start, and it must be said that from the perspective of the little paper man, the glutinous rice ball version of noodles was as strong as Fat Tiger, with ridiculously thin arms and legs. Xu Zhaoyi felt that this guy could lose his balance at any time and accidentally sit on him to death, and the visual effect was very explosive.

Qin Sheng passed by and took a look, then reminded him, "Noodles can scan the maze and turn it into a map. It has positioning turned on, so it won't help even if your little paper man runs his legs off."

"Okay, I can't outrun you AIs!" Xu Zhaoyi pulled down the black cloth covering his eyes, raised his fingers with a lack of interest to burn the paper man, lest he run away somewhere and do something socially disastrous if someone wasn't paying attention.

Noodles turned back into a skunk, held his head high and flicked his tail.

Qin Sheng couldn't bear to see it get too complacent, so he gave Xu Zhaoyi a suggestion with a slight smile on his face: "Look in that formation book to see if there are any mazes that can be simplified. Make a few ghost walls and see if you can use magic to defeat science."

Noodles stopped laughing. It wouldn't be fooled by tricks like ghost walls. Its eyes are like X-rays!

Xu Zhaoyi's eyes lit up when he heard this. This suggestion gave him a new idea: "I was a little worried that the paper figurine's attack power was really insufficient. It was okay against ordinary people, but against cultivators of equal strength, it could only catch them by surprise or serve as a distraction. No wonder Raphael thought it was useless, but what if there was a formation that could enhance it?"

"Put the paper figurine into the formation?" Qin Sheng thought about it and felt that it should be feasible, but: "We need to choose a suitable formation first."

Xu Zhaoyi went upstairs to take down the collection of formations and started flipping through it with Qin Sheng.

Most of the formations here are quite sophisticated, and sophistication also means that they are difficult to replicate successfully. It not only tests his ability to understand, but also concerns Qin Sheng's financial resources. After all, formations are not something that can be created out of nothing with just one pair of hands.

If he wanted this formation to not be limited to a certain corner, but to be able to carry it with him and use it at any time, then the core of the formation could not be too bulky and complicated.

"I'm not quite sure what the principle behind the paper man's descent is, but can the material of the paper be changed?" Qin Sheng asked.

"Okay." Xu Zhaoyi shrugged. He had already considered this. "But Raphael said that using hard paper would affect the flexibility of the paper mannequin. It would become dull."

"What if it's not real paper?"

"What do you mean?" Xu Zhaoyi didn't understand. Any cardboard that was slightly harder would have an impact, so wouldn't it be even more unusable if it wasn't real paper?

"What I mean is, is it possible to compensate for the lack of flexibility with other advantages? Your spiritual roots are naturally close to metal. Have you ever thought of using metal sheets instead of ordinary white paper?"

When it comes to paper-cut figures, the focus should be on the cutter and the figure, right? Who says a sheet of metal can't be used as paper? Just ask if you can write on it? For a long time in ancient times, there was no paper, only bamboo slips and cloth. I suppose paper isn't particularly irreplaceable, just like talismans can be drawn on jade or cloth.

Paper figures are indeed very fragile, and if they are to be used for combat effectiveness, they must be manufactured on a large scale. If it weren't for the fact that this spell requires chanting spells while manually cutting paper and then enchanting the paper figures with spirits, Qin Sheng would have considered buying a paper mill for Xu Zhaoyi.

But it would be nice if the paper figurine could be made of metal to improve its combat effectiveness. He speculated, "If that's feasible, the 'Little Iron Man' might be more flexible than an ordinary paper figurine. Most importantly, it's more resistant to burning than paper."

It is equivalent to enhancing combat power while reducing a fatal weakness. Of course, there is no difference under Xu Zhaoyi's spark, it can only slightly resist ordinary fire.

It was still uncertain whether this was feasible, but it was obviously a new idea that Xu Zhaoyi had never imagined before, and he decided to give it a try almost immediately.

"Then I'll have someone send over a roll of stainless steel sheet and a pair of metal scissors."

"good!"

While waiting for the materials, Xu Zhaoyi finally found the maze that met his expectations. It was called the Nine-Turn Corridor. As the name suggests, it was a formation that would make people lose their way. It was a combination of illusion and maze. The beauty of it was that the entire formation could be fluid and could not be dismantled in one direction or cracked by brute force.

However, it is not really unsolvable. If one's cultivation level is higher than that of the array master, one can forcibly lock onto the array master's position and kill him to break the array.

Originally, in order to make the formation flow, it required full control, which would inevitably consume a lot of mana. Xu Zhaoyi was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining, so this was a bit too difficult for him. But with the addition of the paper man, it instantly became much simpler.

However, this formation requires a material called Mingguang Liuzui. No one would be able to guess what it is just by looking at the crappy name. Fortunately, the book given by Qin Sheng actually thoughtfully noted the source of this material.

There is a rumor that the powder is made from the tears of mermaids that turn into pearls. In fact, this powder comes from the skull of a not-so-rare fish in the seabed - the dream-making fish. It is concocted using the special method recorded above. It has a strong hallucinogenic effect. Practitioners are not immune to it, and the higher the level of cultivation, the more likely they are to be affected.

It just so happened that they were in the coastal area right now. To put it in an unpleasant way, finding this kind of fish was just a matter of words for his fiancé who was so poor that he only had money left.

After Qin Sheng gave Noodles a blow on the head, he went upstairs to send an email. Xu Zhaoyi rubbed the place where the Noodles was hit. He really didn't understand the point of AI being so rude.

In the evening, the stainless steel sheet rolls and metal shears they ordered arrived, and Xu Zhaoyi couldn't wait to try them out.

I thought it would take some time to get used to the change of materials, but I found in actual operation that each step was much smoother than when using paper. The metal was indeed more obedient in my hands.

When the cut reached the tenth little iron man, Noodles turned into an alarm clock and beeped: "Anel is going out with the medicine!"

"Take Raphael and Ligaya with you. I'll go get Feng Lili and bring him to the villa."

Qin Sheng didn't suggest going together, but directly divided the work. Xu Zhaoyi would definitely not agree to let a weak and sickly person like him who couldn't protect himself go with them to fight, so he didn't waste his breath.

Anel's strength can be considered excellent, but compared to Xu Zhaoyi's talent, his is not very outstanding. He is just more ruthless in his attacks, usually aiming to seriously injure or kill his opponents, which instinctively makes people feel that the threat he poses is greater.

In fact, Xu Zhaoyi and Raphael's two-on-one fight was a sure win, not to mention that Ligaya was there to finish off the opponent.

At worst, if these three people fail to cooperate with each other and hold each other back, causing Anel to win without a fight, there is still Noodles to back him up, at least these three people can be brought back safely.

Well, or maybe it would rather use its fart to knock everyone out, but the place where Feng Lili chose to deliver the medicine in his letter for help was outdoors, so the latter might not be very effective, so it is not recommended for Noodles to do so.

It's a very thoughtful plan.

Fortunately, this situation did not happen in the end. When he met Feng Lili at the hotel five kilometers away, Noodles reported remotely that the battle was over and they were on their way back.

To sum up the battle situation in one sentence, Anel fell down before they even put in much effort.

Raphael and Ligaya were arranged by Xu Zhaoyi in advance to lurk in the dark and watch him, waiting for him to fail to solve the problem before taking action. As a result, they didn't get a chance to appear in the end.

Raphael was indeed experienced. After they exchanged a few moves, he easily realized that Anel's fifth-level Qi Refining strength was achieved by piling up resources in a short period of time. His foundation was unstable to begin with. Facing Xu Zhaoyi, a fourth-level Qi Refining warrior who could challenge higher-level opponents, was like wearing ill-fitting high heels and fighting with someone of similar strength. It would be strange if he didn't lose.

The only thing that could be filtered out was that Raphael was worried that Karuna had a backup plan on Anel, so he never let his guard down. Fortunately, nothing happened in the end. It seemed that Karuna did not value this apprentice as much as they thought.

When the two parties met in the villa, Xu Zhaoyi couldn't help but look at Feng Lili a few more times. She really looked exactly like Feng Lili, even more alike than when looking through the screen. Even their temperaments were so similar that it was hard to tell the real from the fake.

In fact, Feng Lili has been deliberately imitating her sister these days and has never relaxed at any time. Her personality is much more easy-going than Feng Lili's. If there is any similarity, the only one is probably the ruthlessness of her desperate gamble that day.

However, she is only cruel to herself and those who hurt her and her daughter, while Feng Lili is extremely selfish and harms others for her own benefit. The two are fundamentally different.

Ligaya carried Anel to the middle of the living room, where a group of people sat around a strong man lying flat on the ground.

"For one night at most, I need an obedient Anel who won't be noticed to be unusual." Qin Sheng said and looked at the time. It was not yet half past eight in the evening, and there were still nearly twelve hours before Anel's usual wake-up schedule.

Raphael nodded: "But I'm not sure I can deceive his master. Master Karuna's skills are very powerful."

To support this fact, he briefly explained the power distribution of the two organizations. "In our organization, I'm only ranked at the top of the second tier. In the first tier, there are several people at the sixth and seventh levels of Qi Refining, and even one at the eighth level. But in the Southern Sect, besides Master Karuna, Anel is already a top-notch young talent. After a recent breakthrough in his cultivation, he has firmly established his position as the successor in their organization."

This difference is caused by the fact that most of the powerful local practitioners in Southeast Asia are xenophobic. To them, Southern Buddhism is an invasion of alien species. Raphael, who has high emotional intelligence, did not say this explicitly because everyone present, except him and Ligaya, is an outsider.

In short, the two sides were afraid of each other and were forced to sign a peaceful coexistence agreement. Their strength must be equal. So, given that the construction of the Southern Buddhism team is so poor, one can imagine the strength of Master Karuna, who has single-handedly raised the average level of the entire organization.

It should be higher than Qin Sheng had expected before, at least the ninth level of Qi Refining, or more pessimistically, half a step to Foundation Establishment.

It is unlikely that they have already established a foundation. The strength at this level will not allow them to be so low-key and make concessions and coexist with Raphael and his local organization.

The only thing to be thankful for is that this person, like the old man of the Qin family, is obsessed with seclusion in order to break through. After all, once you break through the foundation, you will have hundreds of years more of life. This temptation is hard to resist for anyone, especially for those who are closest to it and only one step away.

Qin Sheng pondered for a moment and said, "Let's not consider the problem of Master Karuna for now. He has been in seclusion for many years. If you don't take the initiative to approach him, it will be fine. If there is a problem, it won't be a big problem. As long as he hasn't established his foundation, it won't be difficult to kill him."

Raphael thought so too, and he believed Qin Sheng's last words without a doubt. Ever since Qin Sheng told him frankly that his real identity was the eldest young master of the Qin family whom Feng Lili had offended, his courage had grown visibly, and he even dared to do something that would offend Karuna to death.

He was even prepared to pack up and take Lijiaya with him after Qin Sheng and the others finished their work here. It was said that the Qin family had several ancestors in the foundation-building stage, and there was also an elder in the family who was half a step away from foundation-building. Qin Sheng was the grandson of this elder.

Raphael also had his own little calculations in mind. The Qin family was so wealthy and powerful, and how much they valued Qin Sheng, a child who could not practice cultivation. It could be seen from Feng Lili's current situation and Qin Sheng's lavish spending on spiritual energy. They were definitely a family with a good family tradition and a large number of practitioners.

As long as he takes a little risk during this period to protect and assist the young master of the Qin family, I believe that the Qin family will definitely be willing to provide him with shelter and will not treat him unfairly.

The spiritual energy given by the Qin family must be no less than what Young Master Qin leaked out, right?

Everyone stayed in the villa that night. Raphael asked for a room on the first floor and asked Feng Lili for a small bottle of blood, saying it would be useful. Feng Lili hesitated for a moment but still gave it to him. She didn't trust this man, but she believed Qin Sheng.

Then Raphael took Anel into the room and told them that no one could disturb them until he opened the door, not even Ligaya.

Qin Sheng and Xu Zhaoyi took Feng Lili and Li Jiaya to the second floor to choose a room to rest. Li Jiaya was more familiar with the villa than the two of them. She walked towards the second bedroom, which was the largest, most comfortable and best-equipped one besides the master bedroom, as if it was her own home.

"Hey, that room is occupied." Xu Zhaoyi saw it from afar and reminded her to prevent the beautiful woman from breaking into his room directly.

"Ah?" Lijia turned around and looked at the master bedroom again. The door of the master bedroom was not closed. From this angle, she could see an open laptop inside. It was obvious that someone was living there.

She glanced back and forth at the two handsome men, and as a foreign woman, she showed her unsubtle side. She winked at them flirtatiously and said casually, "You two slept separately after you were done? I have to say that's really uncommon here."

She had heard that in some places, couples did not sleep together in order to ensure the quality of sleep, but this was the first time she saw lovers really willing to separate right after going to bed.

Don’t you want to cuddle up and share the bed together tenderly afterwards? She doesn’t understand.

Feng Lili let out a short "ah" and his face turned red because of these blunt and explicit words.

She knew a little more than Li Jiaya, knowing that Qin Sheng and Xu Zhaoyi had just been engaged. If she was conservative, could it be that they were simply getting separate rooms, without any of that… Oh my god, why was she thinking about this! Her brain was being polluted!

[Host, is this something I can listen to?] Noodles trembled with fear, fearing that if this woman spoke outrageously again, or said anything below the neck, it might be dragged into the small dark room.

Qin Sheng was the only one present who could still keep smiling. He just looked at Lijiaya without saying a word. Lijiaya soon discovered that her words made the faces of the people opposite her look embarrassed to varying degrees, and she slapped her mouth in frustration.

Xu Zhaoyi let out a light breath, his head buzzing. What, that, what, after it's done, these words invaded his mind like mental pollution.

Can you speak? His brain seems dirty.

Having too much imagination is also a sin.