Chapter 190 – Soul Iron Gains Flesh, Blood Gold Crystals Bring Life, The Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell and Returns - Part 1

The clink and clang of metal rang out incessantly in a small room. A short-haired girl in white seemed swept up by a newfound sense of purpose. Even though she was exhausted, she tirelessly began sorting through the puppet materials.

She was completely absorbed, almost reverent in her focus. It was already late into the night. By all rights, she should have been too tired to keep her eyes open after rushing back from the Martial Lodge. Yet, some force deep within pushed her beyond her limits and into a state of utter concentration, as if she were alone in the world with nothing but the materials before her and the puppets behind her.

She had longed for ages to find a better body for the Daemonheart. She had tried every avenue for years, but the only solution she found required paying blood gold. Nothing else worked. She had just about lost hope and turned to drinking when her godfather unexpectedly brought her these precious supplies.

Watching her lost in her own world, Li Yuan suddenly noticed the loneliness in her expression. Only then did he realize. This girl had always been alone. He stepped forward and squatted down beside Tang Nian, but rather than scolding her or telling her to rest, he smiled gently. “Nian Nian, let me help you with something.”

Tang Nian looked up, as though just then noticing there was someone nearby. A young man, practically still a boy. What was he doing in her room at this hour? And why was he calling her

Nian Nian

? Did he have a death wish? Her mind swirled with questions.

Slowly, her vision refocused, and she freed herself from her trance. At last, she recognized that this boy was her godfather. It struck her how youthful he appeared, almost as if he never aged, looking scarcely older than herself.

For a moment, she was at a loss for words. She thought of telling him to go to bed, but it felt too distant. She considered asking him to lend a hand, but the world of her puppets had always been hers alone. Anyone else felt like an intruder. Besides, he knew next to nothing about puppet crafting, so there was little he could contribute.

After some hesitation, she finally said, “Alright then...could you move that stack of materials onto the table?”

“Sure.” Li Yuan bent over to start clearing away the clutter. As he did, he asked, “Is it difficult making a sixth rank puppet?”

Tang Nian, busy with her own task, replied softly, “Yes. Extremely.”

“Tell me more.” Li Yuan’s tone was casual, more like idle conversation than genuine interrogation.

“A seventh rank puppet is basically just a metal figure, right?” Tang Nian explained. “Moving up to sixth rank is a huge leap. It’s what we call the blood-and-flesh transformation.”

She picked up a chunk of

metal

as she spoke. In the shadowed corners it looked like dull black iron, but under the moonlight, it took on a faint crystalline sheen.

Tang Nian asked, “Godfather, do you know what this is?”

Li Yuan shook his head honestly.

She seemed mildly surprised. “This is called soul iron crystal. There’s a saying in puppet-making... from blood and flesh, pour into soul iron, and flesh is born.’”

Somehow, the mention of soul iron crystal and blood gold made Li Yuan think of Yin and Yang—one soul, one blood, like ghost domains and meat fields and ghosts and martial artists. He recalled Yan Mu talking about the Yin-Yang Doomsday theory. But he snapped out of his thoughts before he got lost in them.

“So once you’ve finished a sixth rank puppet, is it practically human?”

Tang Nian shook her head. “Not quite. It doesn’t have a real soul. But giving it flesh requires an enormous amount of work. These soul iron crystals have hidden veins that must be carved with total precision. My father once told me it was the Tang Family’s most closely guarded secret; he made sure I memorized every detail.

“A single slip doesn’t necessarily mean utter failure, but it weakens the puppet’s strength. Once the veins are fully etched, though, most of the work for a sixth rank puppet is done. After that, blood flows from the Daemonheart through those veins, nourishing the soul iron. I have to watch it constantly to ensure nothing goes wrong. Usually, after about three months, the puppet grows a layer of actual flesh.” She hid nothing from Li Yuan, because to her, he was family.

Li Yuan mulled this over. “So does that mean you’ll be tied up with this for half a year?”

Tang Nian nodded.

Li Yuan asked another question. “If I bring back even more puppet materials along with the hearts of sixth rank demonic beasts, do you think you could manage?”

Tang Nian answered confidently, “As long as I succeed this time, I’ll be able to do it again. Still, if you plan on buying more, please bring me along next time.”

“You don’t trust my judgment?” he teased.

She shook her head. “I’d never doubt your judgment. But since you don’t really know puppetry, you can’t judge what to buy in the first place, right?”

At that, Li Yuan raised his hand in mock exasperation. “You cheeky girl.”

Tang Nian stuck out her tongue, but neither dodged nor was hit. Li Yuan simply lowered his hand and said, “Just make sure you don’t exhaust yourself. It’d be a shame if you collapsed before you finished your puppet. I’ll make sure to bring you along next time.”

Tang Nian nodded, watching him leave. Beyond the doorway, stars gleamed in the night sky. She leaned back, letting the gentle spring breeze flow in through the window and open door.

She lifted her hand, lightly touching the faceless puppet behind her.

“Father...” she murmured. Then, as though making a vow, she said softly, “I won’t let the tragedy that befell the Tang family happen here.”

No one answered. No one listened. No one saw the tears sliding down her cheeks.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Li Yuan returned to his room. Letting the day’s maids attend to him, he lay back with his hands behind his head, thinking about everything going on in Northriver Prefecture, and about the new information he had gleaned from his goddaughter.

Martial artists refined their blood, using special diagrams and visualization aids to circulate and temper it. Wasn’t it much the same for puppets?

The only difference was that a puppet’s

blood

came from its

heart

, and it was guided by the puppet master’s carefully carved network of veins. This world was truly deep and full of wonders.

“Have I spent too long in Northriver Prefecture?” he wondered.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

There was an old saying.

A tree dies when it’s uprooted, but people can still find new life by moving on.

A thoughtful look crossed his face.

The night was long.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Early the next morning, Li Yuan was back at the Peakside Pavilion when he noticed some commotion on the path below.

Leading the way was a violet-robed young man with an almost unearthly beauty. It was Yuan Zongzi of the Sacred Fire Palace, someone slightly stronger than Yan Mu but not by much. Following him was a married couple.

The woman was clearly ill, coughing with every few steps, while the man wore an anxious expression. Li Yuan sensed both were sixth rank experts. He saw the numbers 622~654 hovering near the man and 510~526 (600~620) around the woman.

Yuan Zongzi brought the couple up the mountain and said, “Please make yourselves at home here. If you’re needed for a mission, someone will come for you.”

“Sir Yuan,” the man asked, “do we settle our pay in blood gold daily?”

Yuan Zongzi nodded. “Correct, Enforcer Han. After each outing, your blood gold is disbursed immediately.”

“Perfect,” the man said.

Just then, the three of them noticed Li Yuan strolling around outside the pavilion. Yuan Zongzi’s expression shifted as he bowed from a distance. “Mister Woodson, you look quite well.”

Surprised, the couple also bowed from afar, wondering who this Woodson was to deserve such courtesy from a Sacred Fire Palace envoy. A casual greeting would have been enough, wouldn’t it?

But Li Yuan, seeing Yuan Zongzi bow so respectfully, only felt a jolt of unease rather than any sense of satisfaction.

So it’s come to this...

In 13 missions, he hadn’t suffered a single scratch. Even if his methods seemed crude, clueless, and brutish, he always came back unscathed. Perhaps he was too softhearted. If he hadn’t taken care of those undying husks, more innocent people would have died. Since he could do something, he did.

And that track record alone earned respect. Li Yuan sighed inwardly.

Why don’t they just chalk it up to luck and call me unqualified? Why aren’t they suspicious I’m hiding some secret treasure? Why doesn’t anyone say they don’t accept me?

He had no choice but to bow in return, coughing weakly for good measure. Yuan Zongzi didn’t linger; he merely showed the couple where to stay, bowed once more, and departed.

Li Yuan turned to the pair, greeting them first. “Woodson.”

“Han Feng,” the man responded.

“Leng Rou,” the woman added.

“You make a fine couple,” Li Yuan said with genuine warmth. “Even your names go well together.”

[1]

That put Han Feng at ease; Woodson seemed easy to talk to. Wishing to understand more about Northriver Prefecture’s situation, they soon started chatting. Although Li Yuan kept a natural wariness, he was affable by nature, and thankfully, Han Feng was the same. Over the next three or four days, they became quite friendly.

Han Feng learned from Li Yuan about the missions and the dangers posed by the local undying husks. Of course, Li Yuan never revealed his own methods too blatantly. He spoke mostly of other disciples who had gotten into trouble...how they were caught off-guard, and of incidents involving tiny sugar figurines, mysterious doors of death, hexes using locks of hair, and the like.

After one particular outing, Han Feng managed to avoid a deadly ambush thanks to Li Yuan’s earlier warning. The couple's gratitude toward their neighbor grew even stronger.

1. Literal translation of Han Feng and Leng names would be Freezing Peak and Gentle Cold, just similarly themed names. ☜