Parasitic Puppet
The formation was activated and then quickly deactivated. Ruan Qingyu followed behind Zhang Zitao and soon entered a small room.
Inside, there was only a table and an old man with his eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to the presence of people.
Zhang Zitao handed over the token with practiced ease.
The old man raised his head slightly, glanced at Zhang Zitao, and said calmly, "The young lady behind you is not a regular customer."
Not far away, Ruan Qingyu remained expressionless. This cloak could block a lot of detection, but it would be useless if the other party's cultivation level was much higher than hers.
Just now, Wutong told her immediately that this person was a cultivator in the mid-Nascent Soul stage.
She didn't speak first, since it was Zhang Zitao who brought her in, and he had guaranteed she could get in. So it was up to him to decide how to handle it.
"Brother Lin, this is my younger sister. I was just really curious, so I brought her along. Would you mind making her an extra token?" Zhang Zitao's attitude towards this person remained consistently mild, even somewhat obsequious.
After all, in someone else's territory, if you rely on your money or other connections, even if the King of Heaven himself came, he wouldn't have a second chance to enter.
Boss Lin's eyes didn't even waver: "Same as always, one thousand spirit stones for each top-grade item."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zitao turned his head and looked at Ruan Qingyu behind him.
This person wants to harm others, but can't even afford to pay with spirit stones? Ruan Qingyu's lips twitched, and she quickly stepped forward to hand over a storage bag.
In the blink of an eye, the storage bag disappeared from the table. Then, Boss Lin raised a finger, and a small door opened to the left of the two of them.
"You are only allowed to take one path. If you take any other side paths and get lost, don't blame me," Boss Lin said lazily as the two were about to enter the small door.
"Yes, yes, I'll definitely remember." Zhang Zitao nodded with a smile, glanced at Ruan Qingyu, and then walked through the small door.
Ruan Qingyu kept her head down, but her divine sense was extended outward to observe. After entering through the small door, there was still a long, dark passage.
If it weren't for the bright, ever-burning lamps on both sides, one might mistakenly think they had stumbled into some secret realm.
Perhaps due to some taboo, Zhang Zitao, who had been talking, fell completely silent after entering the passage.
Wutong said in her mind, "This passage is also made of an array. What you see as a passage is actually a network of countless passages. If you are not careful, you may collide with other people."
No wonder Boss Lin gave special instructions; he was probably afraid that someone trying to conceal their identity would be discovered by others.
"Wutong, what else do you see?" Ruan Qingyu scanned the area with her divine sense and found that she could only see the boundless darkness and could not see any additional passages.
Clearly, this can only be attributed to the fact that Wutong's soul strength remains at the level it was when it perished.
Seeing her cautious expression, Wutong quickly replied, "At the end of this road, there is still a room. It seems that only the two of you are missing."
At the end was another small door, inside which were ten seats, only two of which were empty, clearly waiting for Ruan Qingyu and Zhang Zitao.
Everyone was dressed identically, all wearing black cloaks. Clearly, everyone present was extremely secretive about their true identities, as there was no one whispering or exchanging pleasantries.
Ruan Qingyu quietly took her seat after following Zhang Zitao in.
Suddenly, a person in a black cloak appeared directly in front of the small room. Ruan Qingyu's eyes widened slightly, because the person in front of her was clearly Boss Lin who had been outside just now.
But the other party is both a doorman and involved in the transaction? Ruan Qingyu watched the other party's actions without showing any emotion. She saw the other party clap his hands and a table suddenly appeared in front of everyone.
"Today's trading will be conducted in groups of ten. After three rounds of trading, you will automatically proceed to the next room. All items to be exchanged should be placed on the table. If you wish to exchange for something, place the corresponding resource spirit stones on the table."
As Ruan Qingyu was carefully observing the table in front of her, someone suddenly approached her. Ruan Qingyu frowned slightly and looked over.
Then Zhang Zitao said in a low voice, "Little brother, everything here is good. If you want anything, just tell me."
Zhang Zitao's voice was rough and coarse, like gravel, and it wasn't transmitted through sound. Immediately, many cultivators who had been quietly participating in the transaction looked over.
The feeling of unease lasted for a quarter of an hour before Ruan Qingyu turned her head away, seemingly trusting her 'elder brother' very much, and said, "Brother is right, I will take a good look at it then."
Soon, Boss Lin tapped the table and pointed to the first cultivator in the first row: "Please."
The cultivator who was called upon did not speak, but simply slapped his hand on the table. Instantly, an image appeared on the tables of the other nine people—a set of magical artifacts with nine thin swords.
"The Nine Revolutions Hundred Meridians Sword, its path is winding and graceful, used at the lowest level for Foundation Establishment and at the highest level for Nascent Soul." The man's voice was indistinct, but everyone present understood it.
Even what the other person needs is displayed on their respective desktops.
Ruan Qingyu looked at the table with some curiosity, and Wutong was also curious: "The cultivation world is so interesting now, that it has such an interesting way of trading."
Wutong immediately recognized that these tables were parts of a high-level magical artifact, which allowed everyone to see the information about the items being traded simultaneously.
No one spoke. Ruan Qingyu had no need for the magical artifact, and in the blink of an eye, the information about the Nine Revolutions Hundred Meridians Sword disappeared.
Immediately afterwards, the second cultivator did the same thing, and a spiritual herb with tattered leaves but intact stamens appeared on the table.
"The Wanying Baina Flower is a rare plant, only one in nine thousand years. Although its leaves are damaged, its main medicinal properties are in its pistils."
"Golden Thread Robe, a high-grade defensive robe. It can withstand an attack from a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, or at most a Mahayana stage cultivator."
"The 'Banlan Water' can be used in medicine; there are ten bottles in total."
The cultivators involved in the transaction spoke very quickly, without explaining the benefits as in a typical auction, but they acted swiftly during the auction.
Clearly, everyone had something they wanted, but even after Zhang Zitao quietly finished telling her what he wanted, Ruan Qingyu still hadn't seen what she wanted.
Sensing the probing gaze of Boss Lin at the front, Ruan Qingyu thought for a moment and simply took something out.
"One portion of the Different Flame Sub-Flame, which can be used for refining medicine and crafting artifacts." What Ruan Qingyu took out was her own Phoenix Divine Flame Sub-Flame. Ever since she discovered the value of the Sub-Flame at the Xishan Market, she had kept it in mind.
As the words fell, the other nine people in the previously quiet room paused in their breathing.
Immediately afterwards, Ruan Qingyu noticed that different items and varying amounts of spirit stones were frequently appearing on her desktop, clearly indicating that the cultivators present were all interested in her unique fire.
After a closer look, Ruan Qingyu set her sights on the Azure Phoenix Flame and ten thousand high-grade spirit stones.
After a quick confirmation, the rest of the people in the room disappeared, except for Zhang Zitao, who had come with them from the beginning, who remained in his original position.
As if worried that Ruan Qingyu wouldn't understand, Zhang Zitao transmitted his voice, "If Fellow Daoist Ruan hasn't found what she's looking for yet, we can go and look in the other rooms."
The strange flame that just appeared on the desktop was immediately recognized by Zhang Zitao as belonging to Ruan Qingyu, since he had just seen that flame in the Liaohai Secret Realm not long ago.
Thinking about the parasites she needed to buy for Wutong today, Ruan Qingyu nodded: "Okay, thank you, Fellow Daoist Zhang."
Seeing that Ruan Qingyu's attitude towards him had softened, Zhang Zitao was secretly delighted. This woman had finally taken the bait; the more she trusted him, the easier it would be for him to make his move.
Then, the two walked toward the small door that had been open for a long time and entered a new room.
The same ten people, with Boss Lin sitting at the very front.
At this moment, Wutong, who had been observing for a while, said again: "This person should be a Mahayana cultivator, and this Boss Lin is an avatar."
Upon hearing this, Ruan Qingyu instantly understood, and felt it was only natural. Although this underground transaction might not have a huge following, there should have been quite a few cultivators participating at the same time.
If ten people come alone, it's obviously not right. But if they are in multiple rooms at the same time, dozens or even hundreds of rooms are trading, then that's normal.
On second thought, Ruan Qingyu became somewhat worried: "Wutong, your soul is attached to the Wutong Qin. If you leave it outside, will others be able to see it?"
Seeing the worry in her voice, Wutong smiled gently: "There are no cultivators here who can see me yet."
Immediately, Ruan Qingyu felt relieved.
And in this new ten-person room, they actually found something that allowed the sycamore tree to grow on it.
A piece of glassy coral, shimmering with iridescent light, can automatically gather spiritual energy. If placed in the core of a formation, it will automatically gather spiritual energy.
"Although this item is of low grade and can only be considered a decoration, it is a good thing for people who cannot actively absorb spiritual energy." Wutong explained gently to Ruan Qingyu, but she could not hide the hint of excitement in her tone.
Seeing that he was willing to choose this option, the cultivator who had released it stopped after saying only a few words, allowing the others to consider whether to exchange it.
The cultivator wasn't greedy at all; he was willing to exchange it all for spirit stones.
Seeing this, Ruan Qingyu readily traded three thousand mid-grade spirit stones.
After accepting the glass coral stone, Ruan Qingyu suddenly remembered the puppet inheritance hidden in the secret realm. Because Yun Yin had disappeared in that secret realm a few days ago, she didn't want to recall it.
However, considering that puppets could be used by the possessed soul, they should also be usable by Wutong. She immediately told Wutong about her puppet.
While Ruan Qingyu wouldn't reveal her rebirth to this close friend from Yunyin, she could certainly discuss what the Puppet Sect had obtained from the secret treasure.
"Miss Ruan actually possesses such a thing, but it would be a waste for me to take possession of Miss Ruan's puppet." Wutong politely declined with a smile.
“I’ve also learned the puppetry techniques. If I gather enough materials later, I might be able to make a puppet body for you, Wutong.” Seeing that he didn’t want it, Ruan Qingyu simply suggested that she make one herself.
"Then I will wait for Miss Ruan's puppet."
Inside the room, all the monks disappeared again.
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