I Outworked the Entire Cultivation World

Chapter 603: Chapter 551: Armored Master, Yin Yang Family

Meihua Village, being the largest and most prosperous city in the Eight Immortals River Basin, was not the kind of luxury that Jiang Yuebai had imagined. Instead, it was filled with the simplistic charm and calm of a riverside town.

Jiang Yuebai walked within it, her pace and mood both slowing, gently inhaling the fragrance of plum blossoms and appreciating the beautiful scenery.

Meihua Village had a vast area, with river channels spread throughout the city. Merchants steered their boats and set up stalls on either side of the river. For low-level cultivators, a small boat was sufficient for traveling.

Walking onto the arched bridge, flags fluttered on the street ahead, bustling with pedestrians, and the noise of vendors never ceased, chaotic yet lively. Jiang Yuebai saw many sights not seen elsewhere.

So many puppets!

Almost every cultivator on the road was accompanied by wooden or iron puppets, some human-shaped and some beast-shaped, following like spiritual pets.

A few wooden birds, clutching scrolls in their beaks, flew by. Jiang Yuebai sidestepped to avoid them, watching as they flew away. Her gaze landed on small boats filled with goods under the bridge, where vendors with conical hats covered their faces, sleeping with arms as pillows, and a wooden puppet toad sat beside them.

Facing inquiries from customers, the puppet toad spewed green smoke from its mouth, turning into numbers.

The merchants took the goods, threw Spirit Stones into the puppet toad’s wide-open mouth, and the entire transaction required no effort from the vendor.

Jiang Yuebai’s eyes brightened slightly, thinking that the puppet toad must also possess combat ability; if someone attempted theft or caused trouble, the puppet toad would surely retaliate.

Descending from the arched bridge, Jiang Yuebai found everything new and interesting, thinking that it was indeed the Zhuge Family’s base, with practical puppets everywhere.

The ones attracting customers at the doorway, those greeting inside the shops, those transporting goods in the side alley, and those delivering messages were all puppets.

Moreover, on both sides of the main street, there stood tall black armored puppets every few lengths, holding long-handled weapons, as if statues, exuding an imposing presence.

Jiang Yuebai saw the word ’Zhuge’ on the chest of the black armored puppet and guessed these might be guards placed in the city by the Zhuge Family, ready to activate if trouble or an enemy attack arose.

"Be careful, little bunnies!"

A group of children laughed and played, riding simple puppet wooden horses, whizzing past Jiang Yuebai, leaving behind a string of laughter like silver bells.

Jiang Yuebai sidestepped and smiled as well.

"Urgent report, urgent report, make way!"

In the crowd behind, someone raised a large banner high, his legs entirely composed of complex and precise puppetry, sprinting swiftly, leaping three yards high, continually jumping and accelerating through the crowd.

"My stall!"

People cursed under their breath while dodging, items flying scattered, chickens and dogs in a mess.

A person carrying a peculiar wooden box on his back failed to react quickly; the box behind him emitted mechanical sounds and transformed into wooden wings, instantly lifting him into the air.

"You’re trying to kill me!"

The man cursed angrily, retracting his wooden wings and slowly descending.

"This place is truly interesting," Jiang Yuebai praised, turning to see a book shed filled with books and Jade Scrolls, guarded by a Golden Toad Puppet standing beside it.

Jiang Yuebai immediately walked over, scanning the stall, finding them mainly puppet-related books, as well as insightful writings from renowned masters, travel notes, and more.

"Armored Master? Yin Yang Family? What is this?"

Jiang Yuebai casually picked up a plain-looking blue pamphlet, seemingly introducing basic knowledge, and began to flip through it quickly.

As she read with fascination, suddenly a gust of gloomy wind rolled up from the ground, and then a ghostly shadow emerged.

"Give me Mr. Nangong’s third volume of Armored Master’s insights."

Ribbit!

The Golden Toad Puppet spewed green smoke, the ghost left a Spirit Stone and took the Jade Scroll, disappearing underground.

Jiang Yuebai watched from beside, although it was a ghost, its Yin Qi was not intimidating, and there was a talismanic seal on its forehead, resembling a rightful Soul Taming method, likely absorbing underground Yin Qi normally instead of human blood.

Jiang Yuebai’s gaze returned to the book in hand, just as she read that the Zhuge Family divides the Puppetry Path into two branches.

One branch involves the Armored Masters proficient in various mechanisms and puppet-making, and the other is the Yin Yang Family, specializing in harnessing Yin Yang Paths puppets.

Armored Master is easy to understand; it’s what Jiang Yuebai previously thought of as Puppet Masters or Mechanism Masters.

Whereas, the Yin Yang Family is somewhat akin to a blend of Beast Tamers and Ghost Controllers.

In the Yin Yang Family, Yin refers to ghostly soul types, irrespective of humans or beasts, all could be driven.

Yang refers to living beings, as the book states; skilled Yin Yang Family members could directly harness living cultivators in battles.

The thought alone was frightening, and the most exciting aspect for Jiang Yuebai was that the Yin Yang Family focused on Divine Soul Cultivation, demanding high standards regarding Divine Souls.

Becoming an Armored Master is easy; diligent study and practice suffices, but becoming an Onmyoji depends on talent.

Among ten thousand Armored Masters, there might not be one Yin Yang Family member.

Being so, the Zhuge Family’s Yin Yang Family definitely possesses potent Divine Soul cultivation techniques, perhaps addressing her current Divine Soul Power mismatch with her Chaos Body issue.

"How much Spirit Stone for this book?"

Ribbit!

The Golden Toad Puppet spewed a single numeral.

"Then, how much Spirit Stone for buying all these books?"

Jiang Yuebai waved her hand, intending to purchase all the books on the stall. The brand-new knowledge made her blood boil; she had to buy them all, and read them through the night once home.

The Golden Toad Puppet hesitated momentarily, and after roughly ten breaths, it spat out a number.

Fortunately, it was within Jiang Yuebai’s affordable range; books themselves on the stall weren’t worth much, whereas the sealed cultivation technique books and Jade Scrolls inside the book shed were precious items.

After purchasing, Jiang Yuebai had no desire to continue browsing. She immediately sought a place to stay, impatient to start reading.

At this moment, a woman with a blue complexion, disheveled hair, and dressed in red appeared under a riverside tree opposite.

Though dressed differently in red, if Jiang Yuebai noticed, she would certainly recognize her as the ’Mountain God’ Yann Hongyu she encountered upon initially entering the Upper Realm and accidentally falling into the Iron Palm Realm.

Though Jiang Yuebai did not see her, she caught sight of Jiang Yuebai’s fleeting shadow, and excitement widened her eyes. Just as she intended to chase, a figure emerged from her side underground, unexpectedly it was Guangling, who was subdued by Jiang Yuebai alongside her back then.

"What are you looking at?" Guangling frowned, glancing toward where Yann Hongyu was looking.

Yann Hongyu shrank back timidly, her eyes flickering, "Nothing... nothing."

Guangling’s expression turned displeased, exuding Golden Core Stage pressure, intimidating Yann Hongyu, whose cultivation was only at the peak of Qi Cultivation. Both bore mountain-like runic marks on their foreheads.

"Remember your current status. Everything you have is granted by the master. It’s best not to harbor inappropriate thoughts; otherwise, without the master needing to act, I can obliterate you instantly."

Yann Hongyu twisted her clothes, her eyes covered by messy hair, inwardly cursing Guangling, who was even more subservient than her to Jiang Yuebai back then, now flaunting before her, bastard!

"What are you standing there for? Hurry and buy the items the master wants."

Yann Hongyu squeezed out a sycophantic smile, "Please don’t be angry, esteemed one, I’m going now, heading right away."

Yann Hongyu sneakily glanced in the direction Jiang Yuebai left, immediately went in the opposite direction, soon disappearing within the crowd.

Guangling stood in place, thoughtfully gazing towards the other side of the river, his eyes gradually squinting.

"Who did she see?"