Chapter 1722: Chapter 991: Dragon Tiger Mountain Beiyu Night_2
Back then it was nighttime, the two were far apart, Yang Xiao couldn’t see clearly. Now he looked up and down at this Taoist and listened to the voice, more convinced that the other party wasn’t Japanese, but one of his own.
The Taoist seemed to see through Yang Xiao’s thoughts, smiled, and gave him a very trustworthy look. "I, the humble Taoist from Dragon Tiger Mountain, have come here by the order of my master, and have arrived not long before you."
"Dragon Tiger Mountain huh..." Yang Xiao remembered Ku Daoist mentioning that among sects skilled in corpse refining, two were the most prominent. One was one of the Ten Great Sects—Bone Painting Tower, and the other was Dragon Tiger Mountain, the acknowledged orthodox branch of the Taoist Sect.
Unexpectedly today, he saw a Taoist from Dragon Tiger Mountain, and Yang Xiao had to marvel at his extraordinary luck, never believing his good fortune, akin to something out of a novel.
After returning a Taoist salute, Yang Xiao pondered briefly before speaking, "This Taoist, I presume the puppet that Miss Shayue has..."
"Indeed, that was refined with my assistance to Miss Shayue," said the young Taoist who called himself Beiyu Ye, revealing it openly and honestly.
I must say, this guy’s smile combined with his handsome looks gave him a very agreeable appearance, being of the kind that easily earns people’s affection. It especially had a strong appeal to girls, and Yang Xiao secretly thought his romantic prospects seemed quite promising, though he wondered how strict Dragon Tiger Mountain’s rules were.
"You’re overthinking it. Our Dragon Tiger Mountain, as the ancestral court of Zhengyi Dao, with Heavenly Master Zhang establishing the art of alchemy and teaching, cultivates the mind with freedom, practices talismanic paper, and engages in Fire Residence practice, allowing marriage." Beiyu Ye spoke thus.
"You... you can read minds?" Yang Xiao was shocked, never guessing this Taoist had such divine powers.
"No, no, you misunderstood. I, the humble Taoist, have some understanding of Daoist skills and the Eight Characters of Destiny. Before coming, I performed a divination, and the hexagrams indicated I’d meet a destined person on this journey, which surely refers to you." Beiyu Ye seemed in good spirits, "The humble Taoist usually doesn’t like this excellent appearance, but alas, it’s natural, and there’s nothing I can do."
"I have a friend who resembles the Taoist, maybe I can introduce you two." Yang Xiao envisioned the Life Demanding Monk, for these two shared the same vanity.
"Oh? Is it a lady?" Beiyu Ye’s eyes brightened with interest instantly.
Yang Xiao didn’t know what to say; this guy seemed proud like a Major Sect disciple, but at the mention of a lady, his charming eyes sparkled with eagerness.
Noticing Yang Xiao’s rather peculiar gaze, Beiyu Ye got serious again, reverting to his otherworldly aura, cleared his throat, and said, "Mr. Yang Xiao, perhaps it’s best to summon the puppet now, let the humble Taoist examine it."
Yang Xiao, unwilling to waste words, activated the Soul-Capturing Mirror, and the Bone Burning Taoist appeared before them. Beiyu Ye stepped forward, patted the Bone Burning Taoist’s head, and touched its skin; after a moment, he stepped back and assessed, "This body is decent, probably from Withered Bone Pavilion, has passable strength. Refining techniques hint at my Taoist Sect but aren’t orthodox, unlike our true Taoist ways, as if done by those rough Quanzhen Sect folks, neglecting crucial details, squandering this fine material."
An expert reveals much with little, leaving even Yang Xiao to admire the Taoist who could discern the puppet’s background so clearly without a word, even uncovering Ku Daoist’s details, earning instant respect for the young Taoist.
Despite his vanity, he indeed possessed true skill, which explained why the Ju Mountain Family invited him to craft the puppet for Jiu Shan Sha Yue, the half-step Nether Realm puppet had certainly troubled Yang Xiao.
"Why, did I speak wrongly?" Beiyu Ye looked at Yang Xiao with some surprise, his lovely eyes widening slightly.
"No, the Taoist is absolutely right, I’m impressed," Yang Xiao praised, appreciating those with real talent, offering a respectful salute to Beiyu Ye.
"Taoist, is there any way to save this puppet?" Yang Xiao inquired.
In response, Beiyu Ye squinted with pride, "If it were someone else, it might be beyond saving, but since I’m here, I won’t let you make a fruitless trip."
"What those Quanzhen folks can do, my Dragon Tiger Mountain can do; what they can’t, we can still accomplish. In summary, we Dragon Tiger Mountain just outrank Quanzhen Sect! It’s inhumane they restrict disciple marriage, though their looks indeed are pitiful, unlike our Dragon Tiger Mountain, even with appearances like mine, just barely ranking in the top three." Beiyu Ye boasted self-importantly.
Yang Xiao took a deep breath, "Alright, Taoist, I get it, Dragon Tiger Mountain surpasses Quanzhen Sect, your appearance unmatched. Now could you teach me how to refine corpses?"
"Sure, first show me your magic artifact." Beiyu Ye reached out.
Yang Xiao took out the Human Bone Staff, and after Beiyu Ye carefully examined it, he nodded appreciatively, "A good treasure, indeed a good treasure. No wonder even with crude methods, the corpse was refined like this, thanks to the prowess of your magic artifact."
Next, under Beiyu Ye’s guidance, Yang Xiao started working, opening up the sewn abdominal cavity and taking out the internal organs. Beiyu Ye produced a paper packet, inside were some black herbs, rather than stinking, their fragrance invigorated the mind.
"Discard those waste herbs, replace with these, then invert the corpse to drain the accumulated corpse oil; such crude methods, yet you manage them." Beiyu Ye instructed while mocking, demonstrating his expertise.
For nearly two hours, they toiled, finally completing the preliminary transformation of the puppet. Under Beiyu Ye’s guidance, it was indeed different; the puppet hadn’t displayed extraordinary abilities yet, but was resonating with Yang Xiao’s Human Bone Staff, more smoothly controlled and flexibly moving.
Moreover, the puppet no longer exuded the stench of death. At the time when Jiu Shan Sha Yue unleashed her puppet, Yang Xiao had similar doubts; hers had a dense aura of death without a corpse odor, but instead, a mysterious medicinal fragrance.
With Jiushan Cangxuan’s guidance, Yang Xiao’s proficiency with the Human Bone Staff greatly improved, reflecting in puppet control, feeling the puppet had undergone a remarkable transformation, soon able to utilize the magic artifact.
"Mr. Yang Xiao, don’t be too pleased, this is merely the first step." Beiyu Ye interrupted, saying, "Refining puppets is a long process, if aiming for combat-ready standards, at least two more weeks, or even more than a month is required."
"Thank you, Taoist, for your instruction." Yang Xiao sincerely thanked him, having initially grasped what Beiyu Ye taught, especially how to leverage the Human Bone Staff’s influence on this puppet, a truly nuanced skill.
Beiyu Ye observed Yang Xiao’s progress, secretly amazed. Despite Jiushan Cangxuan mentioning his exceptional insight, reaching this level really exceeded Beiyu Ye’s expectations.
His insight into corpse refining was now on par with Beiyu’s own, who, aside from his face being emblematic, was considered outstanding among Dragon Tiger Mountain’s younger generation, even his master observed his extraordinary talent, suggesting an ancestral potential.
"Thankfully, in appearance at least, I have a slight edge over others..." Beiyu Ye comforted himself.
