Chapter 252: Puppet

Lu Shaotong felt a mix of frustration and bewilderment. He couldn’t shake the feeling that this master and disciple duo were acting strangely.

If they had truly seen through his intentions, their reaction shouldn’t be like this.

Clearly, they were bullying him, and it was all because he had just captured an internal troublemaker for their sect. Their reason was something as infuriating as “our sect members should handle it themselves”…

What should he do in this situation? If he fought, he had no chance against Qiu Wuji. Should he just lie down, let her disciple beat him up a bit, and leave? Then let’s talk about it later?

Lu Shaotong observed that Chu Ge was most likely in the late Foundation Building stage, which piqued his interest.

A Foundation Building disciple couldn’t be his match. Perhaps Chu Ge stepping forward to “discipline” him was merely a formality?

For the Cloud Horizon Sect, having an external affairs deacon captured by an outsider was indeed a matter of face, and Qiu Wuji needed to provide an explanation. But she clearly appreciated his actions, so perhaps she had her disciple spar with him just for show?

The more he thought about it, the more he believed this was the case. Lu Shaotong’s thought of leaving politely faded away, and he thought, should he allow Chu Ge to give him a symbolic wound, or maybe he could use some tricks to have Chu Ge play the role of matchmaker for him?

Yes, they could do it together.

With this in mind, Lu Shaotong smiled slightly and said, “Since Uncle Grandmaster wants to give me some guidance, I am honored… Uncle Grandmaster , please make your move. How could I use weapons in the Cloud Horizon Mountains?”

Chu Ge grinned, “Good nephew, here comes your uncle.”

He pointed his sword, the ‘Cang Song Welcomes Guests’ move.

Seeing this ceremonial sword move, Lu Shaotong’s judgment became even clearer. He breathed a sigh of relief, extended his finger, and lightly tapped the blade.

Chu Ge suddenly felt a strange force coming through the sword, uncontrollably pushing his sword away, leaving him wide open.

Lu Shaotong hadn’t used abilities beyond his level, just controlling a Foundation Building-level force. It was a gentleman’s duel, and it was all about gaining favor. Chu Ge understood what was happening.

This is what I wanted… more interaction would help me figure out your tactics.

Lu Shaotong deflected the longsword and moved closer, lightly tapping his finger towards Chu Ge’s chest.

Chu Ge swiftly used the Plum Blossom hand technique to deflect the attack while simultaneously redirecting the pushed-away sword to thrust towards Lu Shaotong’s left side.

The two engaged in a rapid exchange of moves for a dozen exchanges or more, all well-controlled. They didn’t resort to immortal techniques or other supernatural skills. So far, it was purely a display of swordsmanship, like a martial arts demonstration.

Lu Shaotong had intended to showcase his elegance to win favor, and Qiu Wuji indeed nodded slightly while watching. Unfortunately for him, her nod was directed at Chu Ge.

Although Lu Shaotong hadn’t used abilities at the Nascent Soul level, his understanding of combat was far beyond what an ordinary Foundation Building disciple could compare to. Even with just Foundation Building-level power, he could easily defeat opponents of the same level. Yet Chu Ge was not only holding his own but also responding with finesse.

Among Chu Ge’s moves, there were some brilliant strokes, incredibly subtle and exquisite.

The ‘Plum Blossom’ technique… it wasn’t in vain that they had spent months cultivating together. Now, it had reached a level of mastery that could be considered the pinnacle of martial arts.

As for his swordsmanship, there was no trace that he had only practiced for a few days. His understanding and application of the essence of swordsmanship were already deeply rooted, having fully absorbed Qiu Wuji’s teachings in the Sword Trial Cave, on the sword platform, and through contemplation of inscriptions in secret chambers. Every bit of practice and guidance she had “forced” upon him had finally borne fruit, and the ice flowers in the snowstorm were starting to bear splendid results.

Lu Shaotong, too, became increasingly surprised. When he had heard about Qiu Wuji taking in a talented disciple, he doubted how talented that disciple could truly be. Now, seeing Chu Ge in action, he was genuinely impressed.

At the Foundation Building level, besides refraining from using flying swords or lethal immortal techniques, their battle had become purely conventional combat. Lu Shaotong was putting his all into it, not holding back, and it was also a way to showcase his solid foundation and exquisite combat understanding in front of a beautiful woman.

But surprisingly, he found himself unable to overcome Chu Ge, and the battle had reached a standstill.

Then what was the point of this show!

But it didn’t matter; he had planned to lose from the beginning. After fighting for so long, the most significant meaning of the battle was to subtly implant a suggestion into Chu Ge’s soul.

Chu Ge gradually realized that during the course of the battle, a strange force was spreading into his spiritual consciousness. Unbeknownst to him during the fight, it had already seeped into his soul by the time he realized it.

It wasn’t harmful, but rather… how should he put it? It made him feel that this person in front of him was very friendly. It made him think that the guy was someone he could be friends with – handsome, cultured, chivalrous, and kind.

And even though this person could have easily defeated him with a single blow, he still chose to spar with him for so long. Making Chu Ge completely ignore the fact that his opponent was clearly holding back, fearing Qiu Wuji might kill him.

Highlighting the good points and ignoring the rest.

Was this a psychological suggestion?

No, it wasn’t your typical soul control or hypnosis… From Chu Ge’s perspective as the Heavenly Dao, this was more like “virus invasion,” “altering game data,” “increasing friendliness,” or “modifying affinity.”

Chu Ge felt extremely strange about it.

Damn, wasn’t this cheating?

Using a cheat code against the game developer!

This was beyond absurd!

But then he heard a faint message in his soul sea, “Brother Chu, the intentions of your master should be clear. We’ve sparred long enough; I’m ready to admit defeat. You can beat me up now…”

Chu Ge blinked. “How hard?”

Lu Shaotong replied, “Not too lightly; we don’t want your master to see through the act. Feel free to go a bit rougher. I’m at the Nascent Soul cultivation level; I can handle anything you throw at me, Brother Chu.”

Chu Ge flashed a brilliant smile.

Soon, he sensed a fatal flaw in Lu Shaotong’s stance. Chu Ge’s sword energy burst forth, piercing straight into Lu Shaotong’s lower abdomen.

Lu Shaotong screamed, blood gushing out.

He had planned it well; this kind of injury looked gruesome but was actually quite harmless. It would win him sympathy points from the beautiful woman – the perfect scenario.

Rolling on the ground, drenched in his own blood, he coughed painfully, “I’ve learned my lesson, Uncle Grandmaster is indeed-.”

Chu Ge followed suit like a shadow and punched him in the face, interrupting his sentence.

Lu Shaotong: “???”

“You said to hit you however I wanted,” Chu Ge’s message sounded in his mind, “And you know, Master wants me to give you a good beating.”

Lu Shaotong gritted his teeth, he was already stabbed with a sword, and now he was getting a face full of punches?

Well, fine, let him punch. It wouldn’t hurt much anyway.

He forced a smile and said, “I realize now that my previous actions were indeed presumptuous. I didn’t consider your sect’s reputation, and I deserve some punishment. Even though Uncle Grandmaster has scolded me, I have no complaints.”

Chu Ge’s fists of jealousy rained down on his face and nose. “So you know you were presumptuous! You know you deserve punishment!”

Lu Shaotong endured the beating silently, stealing a glance at Qiu Wuji from the corner of his eye.

Qiu Wuji was also staring at him absentmindedly, and in Lu Shaotong’s eyes, there was a clear sense of sympathy.

The plan was working.

However, as time went on, Lu Shaotong felt that something was amiss.

Chu Ge was just a Foundation Building cultivator; his punches and kicks shouldn’t have caused any real harm. But as the beating continued, Lu Shaotong began to feel an inexplicable increase in pain. Initially, it was just a slight discomfort, but it gradually escalated, and he realized that something was wrong…

How could he break through my defense?!

Why is my cultivation decreasing…

Chu Ge had indeed used his Game Master privileges to make corrections. It was clear that the opponent had deviated from the established rules, and the Heavenly Dao wanted to rectify the situation! He began to reverse the changes.

As the “corrections” were applied to Lu Shaotong, his cultivation level rapidly declined. He soon reached a point where he couldn’t even maintain his Golden Core cultivation. It was as if someone had shaved off the top three petals from a blooming flower.

“Damn, this cheater became trash after the cheat was disabled!”

“Wait, wait…”

“Why wait?!”

Chu Ge delivered a punch to Lu Shaotong’s side. Initially, Lu Shaotong’s face had remained unscathed from the punches, but now, his cheek swelled visibly, and even his eye became swollen.

After three punches, the handsome young man had transformed into a battered mess, barely breathing on the ground. He managed to wheeze out, “Why… why could you break my Illusion Art…”

“You had no art, were you deluding yourself?”

“No, he wasn’t deluding himself,” Qiu Wuji, who had been watching silently nearby, suddenly spoke up, “He’s just a puppet, his consciousness was implanted, and the cultivation technique was experimental in nature, likely with infinite side effects that haven’t manifested yet.”

Chu Ge frowned and examined the pig-headed puppet on the ground.

This guy was just a puppet? His consciousness was implanted?

Strangely, as Qiu Wuji spoke, the puppet on the ground began to look lifeless, its eyes becoming vacant. It muttered, “So… your sympathy was because you pitied that I’m a puppet?”

Qiu Wuji indeed had a profound sense of pity in her eyes as she softly sighed, “Yes.”

“I… I didn’t know… I really admired you, that part was genuine. I…”

“It’s just… when my thoughts combined with this evil sorcery… even I couldn’t discern.”

Lu Shaotong’s voice grew fainter and his mouth could no longer open. His entire eye turned completely gray-white, devoid of any signs of life.

A true puppet… or perhaps a half-puppet?

Chu Ge was able to recognize and fix bugs, but he couldn’t unravel the intricacies of this particular aspect of cultivation. In contrast, Qiu Wuji watched from the sidelines and gained insights as she observed.

It was a husband-and-wife collaboration, unstoppable in their teamwork.

Qiu Wuji extended her hand, and a golden insect that broke through Lu Shaotong’s heart and wriggled its way to her hand.

She gazed at the insect and calmly remarked, “Gu? I wonder which expert knows how to use such an evil technique to go against the heavens.”

The insect gradually dissipated into mist, and from the void, a hoarse laughter echoed, “Is this an evil technique? No, it’s a loophole under the heavens. Qiu Wuji, we exist in a world of illusions, but you refuse to explore, to break free. Instead, you view this as something contrary to the heavens. You’re nothing more than a falsely renowned figure in the world, a mere pretender. Hehe… Hahaha…”