Chapter 98: Chapter 82: A Magnificent Reversal
Shen Xuan kept his eyes open, staring at the ceiling, afraid that if he fell asleep, he would wake up to find it was all a dream—back in the dim, stuffy, and crowded room of the Greenfield Tavern.
Lan Po had wanted to wait for Shen Xuan to fall asleep and enter his dreams.
It wanted to sample Shen Xuan’s dreams and, in the process, learn about his past.
But Shen Xuan didn’t fall asleep for the longest time, let alone start dreaming.
This made Lan Po feel rather aggrieved, and it buried its head in Zhong Yi’s arms.
When Zhong Yi woke up the next morning, Shen Xuan had already neatly folded his blanket and gone downstairs to clean the shop.
Downstairs, Zhong Yi saw Shen Xuan wiping down the flower stand that held the Curled Leaf Vines, just as Zhong Chenghuai used to do.
The Iron-Armed Ape furtively plucked off a vine from the Curled Leaf Vine, wove it into a wreath, and placed it on Shen Xuan’s head.
In no time, there were four wreaths on Shen Xuan’s head.
Thinking no one was watching, the Iron-Armed Ape picked up one of the wreaths and popped it into its mouth.
Juice from the tender Curled Leaf Vine splattered everywhere, splashing onto the flower rack Shen Xuan had just cleaned.
Shen Xuan first wiped the Curled Leaf Vine juice from the Iron-Armed Ape’s fur before deftly wiping down the just-cleaned flower rack all over again.
Zhong Yi walked over, took the remaining three wreaths from Shen Xuan’s head, and placed them on the Iron-Armed Ape’s thick arms.
"Iron Arm, if you want to eat the Curled Leaf Vine, you can just eat it."
"From now on, these pots of Curled Leaf Vine are your rations. You don’t have to sneak around to eat at home."
Seeing Zhong Yi, Shen Xuan hurried to his feet. His shoulder-length hair rested against his neck, making it look exceptionally fair and slender.
Zhong Yi walked over to the merchandise section, picked up a Substitute Puppet, and handed it to Shen Xuan.
"Ah Xuan, form a Contract with this Substitute Puppet. You can have it do whatever you need done."
"From now on, you should focus on your studies. Read more books when you have free time."
When Shen Xuan saw Zhong Ling’s Substitute Puppet, Big Bell, the day before, he had been incredibly envious.
Shen Xuan had heard of Substitute Puppets before.
Substitute Puppets, which were quite common as Household Beasts in the Upper City District, were considered very expensive items in the Lower City District.
For a slave like Shen Xuan, a Substitute Puppet was an unattainable luxury.
The chance to form a Contract with a Substitute Puppet made Shen Xuan extremely excited.
Following Zhong Yi’s guidance, Shen Xuan pressed his bloody fingertip to the Substitute Puppet’s forehead.
Soon, the puppet in the box, which was only half an arm’s length long, expanded into a humanoid girl who bore a strong, seventy-percent resemblance to Shen Xuan.
Unlike Shen Xuan, who had feminine features despite being male, this humanoid girl had masculine features despite being female.
Her features were sharp and resolute. In terms of attractiveness, she was on par with Shen Xuan; only their auras were completely different.
Before Zhong Yi transmigrated to the Guardian Beast World, he had been a fan of an anime series.
Shen Xuan’s Substitute Puppet looked very much like a class president named Mai Duo from that anime, only its features were even more refined.
The night before, Zhong Yi had let the Soul-Controlling Flower absorb the Demon Remains from his Storage Pouch while he slept.
However, after a full night of absorption, the Soul-Controlling Flower had failed to condense a new Soul Taming Seed.
At the Soul-Controlling Flower’s current rate of condensation, a new Soul Taming Seed probably wouldn’t be ready until the afternoon.
Zhong Yi was already very satisfied with this speed!
After breakfast, Zhao Kai prepared to head back to the Craftsmen Union to recruit more Craftsman Apprentices.
Because Zhao Kai required using the Soul-Sealed Jasmine to control the apprentices, many first and second-rank Creators were just like he had been initially.
They were unwilling to give up their freedom, and Zhao Kai didn’t force the issue.
Zhao Kai planned to recruit twenty Craftsman Apprentices for now; any more would be too many for him to mentor on his own.
"Young Master, I’ll be going to Brother Huai’s place later. Is there anything you need me to take him?"
Hearing this, Zhong Yi handed Zhao Kai the fifty Blood-Beauty Peony seedlings that Zheng Yufeng had given him the day before.
"Brother Zhao, when you get there, have someone plant these Blood-Beauty Peonies for me."
"Water them daily with spring water mixed with a Growth Potion. We want them to bloom as soon as possible."
"And when you return, please pick out four Dragon-Speaking Minks to bring back for me."
Taking the Storage Pouch from Zhong Yi, Zhao Kai said with a smile.
"You can count on me, Young Master. I should be able to recruit all twenty apprentices after today’s session."
"With twenty first and second-rank Craftsman Apprentices, raising Guardian Beasts will be much faster and more convenient. Plus, they can provide excellent care for the Production-type Guardian Beasts."
Zhong Yi had originally planned to raise a few Wind Object Palms and Absolute Mystery Cloves. He was going to use the palm oil and clove pollen to concoct a special concealing solution.
He would then mix Flowing Soul Soil into this solution and sell it as a Creation Master Potion.
But now that he had the Blood Enchanting Bee Queen, there was no need to sell potions containing Flowing Soul Soil anymore. Once Zhong Yi formed a Soul Taming Seed Contract with the queen, she could produce a steady supply of Insect Honey.
After Zhao Kai left, Zhong Yi paused in thought for a moment before dialing Lin Zhuo’s number.
The call connected after only a few rings.
Lin Zhuo’s voice, clearly filled with joy, came from the other end.
"Xiaoyi, thank you so much for that Fire Attribute Heart of the Secret Realm you gave me yesterday."
"I fused it into my Soul Base, and it solved a problem that had been plaguing me for a long time."
"I’m pretty sure Wen Tao can’t beat me now. When I get the chance, I’m definitely going to have a proper spar with him!"
