Chapter 158
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Chapter 158: Mu Kui
Outside, heavy snow was falling incessantly.
Inside, the bronze stove burned with coal, filling the room with a warmth akin to spring.
Wang Chen sat at the table, tallying the earnings from his stall over the past few days.
He had been so engrossed in sword practice that he only made his way to Yunshan City three days after the Tianyun Immortal Gathering had commenced.
There, he set up a stall to sell a batch of legal symbols he had personally refined.
Although the talismans he sold were common types like Exorcism Talismans, Protection Talismans, and Falling Fire talismans, their superior quality and affordable prices ensured that Wang Chen’s business thrived.
Every talisman he had brought to sell was completely sold out.
He managed to gather a considerable amount of spirit stones.
After counting, Wang Chen found that the total sum of spirit stones and spirit fragments amounted to seven hundred and twenty-six spirit fragments.
However, this was not all profit.
After accounting for the costs of talisman paper and ink, his actual earnings were modest.
The lion’s share of the profits was pocketed by the merchants who monopolized the talisman-making materials!
Wang Chen silently cursed those greedy merchants before stashing the spirit stones back into his storage bag.
"Ying ying."
At that moment, Yuan Yuan, who had been crouching nearby, called out to him twice.
The little guy’s eyes were sparkling brightly.
Wang Chen reached out and gently patted it.
Since receiving the Tongtong fruit from Xuan Gui, Yuan Yuan’s growth had been remarkable, and after a few months, it was no longer the tiny creature it once was.
Its fur also felt more pleasant to the touch.
Moreover, the little guy’s intelligence had noticeably increased, making it even more lively and active than before.
It never disturbed Wang Chen’s cultivation.
Except during meal times and bedtime, Wang Chen rarely saw it around.
Wang Chen suspected that Yuan Yuan had dug a maze beneath their house!
But he had no proof.
Yuan Yuan pressed its little head against Wang Chen’s palm, closing its eyes and appearing utterly content.
But the next moment, it suddenly opened its eyes, showing a cautious expression!
“Brother Wang, are you at home?”
At the same time, a familiar voice called from outside: “It’s me, Pang Zitong!”
“Brother Pang?”
Wang Chen hurriedly went out to open the door, welcoming the visitor inside: “With this heavy snow, you should have just sent a letter of crane paper if you needed something.”
Pang Zitong shook the snowflakes off his robe and chuckled, “It’s not far, so why not save a bit?”
Wang Chen couldn’t help but laugh, assuming Pang Zitong was just joking.
Though Pang Zitong was a commoner, he certainly wasn’t short on spirit stones.
After all, poor cultivators couldn’t afford to play with mechanical puppets!
He gestured for Pang Zitong to take a seat in the front hall and brewed a pot of steaming spiritual tea.
“Thank you,” Pang Zitong said, holding the teacup and taking a sip. His eyes sparkled as he glanced at the little creature perched on the table. “What an adorable spirit mouse!”
His admiration was genuine, but Yuan Yuan clearly wasn’t impressed.
The little guy leaped onto Wang Chen and swiftly disappeared into the spirit beast bag.
Pang Zitong awkwardly rubbed his nose, then set down the teacup and opened his storage bag.
In an instant, a life-sized wooden puppet appeared before Wang Chen!
“Brother Wang, I’ve kept my promise!”
Wang Chen finally understood—Pang Zitong had come to deliver a spirit plant puppet!
The wooden puppet stood about his height, with sturdy limbs and a blocky body and head, all in a deep, rich brown.
Upon closer inspection, the surface was intricately textured with wood grain.
On the front of the puppet’s head, two white crystals were embedded, resembling human eyes.
However, it lacked ears, a nose, or a mouth!
Wang Chen asked curiously, “How does this work?”
“It’s quite simple,” Pang Zitong replied.
He opened the chest armor of the wooden puppet, revealing nine square slots inside.
He inserted nine spirit stones into the slots, then closed the armor.
The puppet’s crystal eyes immediately glowed faintly.
Controlling the wooden puppet was indeed straightforward.
Once activated, it would accurately execute any direct commands given to it.
It reminded Wang Chen of the intelligent robots from his past life.
The wooden puppet also came with built-in storage compartments, stocked with various spirit plant tools.
Since it was a simplified version, its functions were limited to plowing, weeding, fertilizing, watering, and pest control.
It couldn’t perform tasks beyond that.
It operated like a fixed program, requiring specific keywords to trigger its actions.
However, for more flexible control, one could also use spiritual strength after focusing their mind to direct the puppet’s every movement.
It felt akin to an external manifestation of oneself.
It was also quite fascinating.
Although the wooden puppet lacked intelligence,
Wang Chen still believed that this item possessed significant technological value; the price of one thousand spirit stones was truly a bargain.
He promptly produced seven hundred spirit stones and an equivalent of three hundred spirit stones worth of spiritual rice
to pay Pang Zitong.
Even though Pang Zitong had mentioned the possibility of installment payments without interest,
Wang Chen would never take advantage of him.
After all, a debt of gratitude is the hardest to repay!
Regarding Wang Chen’s decision to make a one-time payment,
Pang Zitong was somewhat surprised but still gladly accepted it.
Grrr~
Just as he stood up to take his leave, his stomach suddenly let out a thunderous rumble!
Wang Chen smiled and said, “Brother Pang, if you don’t mind, why not have some lunch at my place?”
Pang Zitong felt embarrassed and said, “That would trouble you, Brother Wang.”
Wang Chen shook his head. “It’s no trouble at all.”
Since he hadn’t prepared anything in advance, he pulled out two copper pots and set them over the red clay charcoal stove.
After this winter began, Wang Chen had customized several hot pots in Yunshan City and purchased the necessary items.
Now they came in handy.
He added his custom-made broth to the pots, then plated and served slices of meat, tofu, fresh vegetables, mountain mushrooms, stream fish, and other ingredients, and together with Pang Zitong, they enjoyed hot pot!
Hot pot as a way of dining had existed in this world for a long time and was not a novel idea.
But Pang Zitong praised Wang Chen’s broth non-stop, eagerly wanting to learn the recipe.
Wang Chen didn’t keep it a secret and openly shared it with him.
It wasn’t a secret manual.
As they ate and chatted, Wang Chen also took out his homemade spiritual rice wine to share with him.
During this cold, wintry season, it was quite a rare enjoyment.
After they had their fill of food and drink, Pang Zitong left feeling satisfied.
Wang Chen cleaned up the dishes and then retrieved the wooden puppet once more.
“Ying Ying.”
Yuan Yuan poked its head out from the storage bag, curiously examining the big fellow in front of it.
Wang Chen smiled lightly, picked it up, and gently placed it on the wooden puppet’s head.
“Ying Ying!”
At first, the little guy was a bit scared, but soon it became very interested in the wooden figure.
It climbed up and down the puppet, having a splendid time.
Suddenly, the puppet turned its head, and Yuan Yuan immediately jumped three feet into the air, leaping back onto Wang Chen’s shoulder.
Then it dove back into the spirit beast bag and wouldn’t come out again.
Wang Chen chuckled and gently patted the wooden puppet’s square head, saying, “From now on, I’ll call you Mu Kui.”
He had a feeling this little guy could become a great helper for him in the future.
