Immortality begins with meditation puppets

Chapter 338 The Scammer Old Taoist Tong, and the Gossip-Provoking Duan Tian'ai
The fellow practitioners in Wanghai City are suffering; they've never played with any good puppets before.

This master puppet is only inscribed with second-tier bionic runes, and the bionic template is unknown. It is made from some nameless female cultivator from some obscure corner who no one recognizes. She puts on a cheap, standard robe and dares to sell it for more than ten spirit stones just by taking advantage of the dark thoughts of lower-level cultivators who want to rebel against their superiors and have a small horse pulling a big cart!

If they sell so well, his Fire Phoenix Princess co-branded princess series puppets must be worth seventy or eighty spirit stones each.
It turns out that this shopkeeper wasn't entirely without a heart; the profits that the Three Pure Ones puppets missed out on were all made from these exorbitantly profitable pleasure puppets!
With no intention of disparaging his peers, Su Qing, with a learning attitude, took another thorough stroll through the Duan family's shop, hoping to absorb their valuable experience of harvesting韭菜 (a metaphor for exploiting others) accumulated over thousands of years.

Just as he was looking around furtively, a middle-aged man with sunken eyes and a thin build emerged from inside the Duan family shop, looking as if he were on the verge of sudden death.

Amidst the flattery and praise from the surrounding customers, Su Qing learned that this person was the owner of the Duan family shop, the former second-generation infant, the current second-generation shop owner, a third-level puppeteer, a Golden Core cultivator, Duan Yang, Fellow Daoist Duan!
To Su Qing's slight surprise, as soon as this person appeared, the old shopkeeper, who had been sitting calmly on the first floor, immediately became arrogant and then obsequious as he led him to him.

"Master, this is Su Qing, the fellow Daoist who came from the Desire Demon Immortal Kingdom, became a distinguished guest of the Red Chamber, and intends to set up a gold-standard puppet shop in this city!"

Upon hearing this, the shop assistants who were temporarily free from work in the Duan family shop all gathered around Duan Yang and whispered to him about their observations of Su Qing.

"As soon as this kid arrived, he started asking all sorts of questions. I could tell he was in the same line of work as me, so I didn't reveal a single detail to him!"

"He wants to know what the corresponding runes are for each puppet. Do you think I'd tell him such trade secrets? If you're so capable, why don't you spend spirit stones to buy one, take it home, and study it at your leisure!"

“A little rascal from out of town wants to open a shop in Dawanghai and steal our business. The owner shouldn’t be polite to him. Use your veto power in the competition to reject his application and send him back to where he came from!”

"Ah, the boss agreed to let him open a shop. The boss is ruthless. Is he going to make him lose everything and then kick him out of Wanghai?"

From the moment Su Qing entered the shop, all the shopkeepers and staff watched this out-of-town puppeteer like sheepdogs guarding their flock, eager to open a shop across the street and directly compete with them.

At this moment, when Duan Yang talked about Su Qing, not a single good word came out. Su Qing's teeth itched with anger. He only regretted not bringing Shao Delong, Xiong Er, and Huo Dan along, so that these unbridled shopkeepers and employees could taste the verbal barrage of his Su Ji Xiao Dian gang of bears and dogs!
With his keen hearing and sharp eyesight, Su Qing overheard the whispers of the shopkeepers and staff.

The second-generation shopkeeper, Duan Yang, who was somewhat frail, treated Su Qing with utmost respect. He glared at the shopkeepers and staff, dismissing them to attend to their business, before leading Su Qing into the inner courtyard and bowing respectfully.
"I have long admired Fellow Daoist Su's name. Although Fellow Daoist Su has not yet come to Wanghai City, I have purchased the Lizard series, Hammer series, and Witch series puppets from the Treasure Pavilion and studied them. So when I saw Fellow Daoist Su today, I felt familiar and close to him, as if I had been communicating with him for a long time."

With your own abilities, you have created three series of puppets. Fellow Daoist Su's abilities are far beyond what I, Duan, can achieve. I admire you greatly. When I heard that you wanted to open a shop in Wanghai, I clapped my hands in celebration.

Fellow Daoist, rest assured. Yesterday, the Red Sleeve Pavilion held a conference for immortal merchants. Your application to open a shop was successfully approved with seven votes in favor and two abstentions. It is estimated that the gold medal license will be issued to you within the next three to five days.

"In the future, our two families will live across from each other, supporting one another, spreading the name of the Sea-Gazing Puppet throughout the universe, and reaching the stars and the sea will not be a pipe dream!"

Duan Yang spoke in a calm and steady tone, trying his best to appear more enthusiastic, but Su Qing felt something was off, as if these words came from someone else, and this fellow Daoist was just a tool reading from a script.

"Fellow Daoist Duan flatters me. I have been lingering at the bottom of society for a long time, and the few puppets I have made are all unworthy of being presented to the public. Today, seeing the Duan family's puppets, I feel like I am looking at the sky from the bottom of a well."

"I never intended to compete with the Duan family by opening a shop in Wanghai City; I would be content just to make a living here!"

While others greeted him with smiles, Su Qing, not being the combative, argumentative type, replied humbly.

silence······.

Awkward, Su Qing looked at Duan Yang, who seemed to have frozen in his mind, and couldn't figure out what was wrong with what he had just said that made this fellow Daoist remain silent for more than a quarter of an hour.

Just as the two were speechless and Su Qing was about to get up and take her leave.

Then, a petite and delicate female cultivator burst in from outside.

This woman was dressed in a light blue Buddhist robe. She was slightly taller than Guo Qiaolian, but her figure was not as voluptuous as Guo Qiaolian's. She had large eyes, a small mouth, blonde hair, and fair skin. She seemed to have some Western blood and had a slightly noble air about her.

Upon entering the house, Duan Yang, who had been blushing with embarrassment, stood up awkwardly, his lips moving for a moment, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Seeing his reaction, the woman glared at him with exasperation before bowing and apologizing to Su Qing:
"Duan Tian'ai of the Duan family greets Fellow Daoist Su. Just now, I used my divine sense to transmit a message, intending to have my brother speak with you in detail, but I was unexpectedly blocked by your dissipated energy. If I have been impolite or disrespectful, please forgive me, Fellow Daoist Su."

"I have met Fellow Daoist Tian'ai. I have long heard that the Duan family has a daughter as beautiful as a phoenix. She is favored by the heavens and has condensed a top-grade golden core in just two or three hundred years of cultivation. Today I have the pleasure of seeing her. She is indeed as beautiful as a dragon and as graceful as a phoenix, and is not comparable to ordinary people."

But what is this, Fellow Daoist Duan Yang?

Su Qing looked at Duan Yang, the thought of "Is he a fool?" stuck in her throat, but she didn't say it out of politeness.

Duan Tianai tugged at Duan Yang's robe, pulling him back to his seat, and sighed softly at Su Qing:
"Fellow Daoist Su, you may not know this, but my elder brother is quick to act but slow to speak. All his thoughts and ideas are focused on the art of puppetry. He is not good at interacting with people, and in the past hundred years, he has not even stepped out of the puppet-making room."

"Since Fellow Daoist Su has come to visit today, my Duan family cannot be disrespectful. That is why I had my patriarch, my elder brother, appear in person, while Tian'ai spoke on his behalf. This is a last resort, intended only to let you know that my Duan family has no intention of suppressing or targeting you, and to prevent you from being deceived by treacherous people and becoming a henchman of Rao Tingshan!"

After Duan Tianai finished speaking, still fearing that Su Qing would think her brother was a fool, she steered the conversation to the puppets, asking Duan Yang to talk to Su Qing about the puppets to prove that what she said was true.

As she said, Duan Yang, who was completely clueless about interpersonal relationships and social etiquette, spoke eloquently about puppets, and became quite excited as he talked.

“Fellow Daoist Su is right. If this Master Puppet is only used for lust, it is truly a name without substance. It should be given intelligent runes and immortal runes so that it can truly teach people to enter the Dao. Only then will it be worthy of its name. I will go and study it now. Please entertain Fellow Daoist Su well. Fellow Daoist Su is an honored guest of my Duan family and cannot be neglected!”

Once Duan Yang got excited, Duan Tian'ai couldn't control him. After saying that, he rushed out of the house and plunged into the puppet-making room.

This scene made Duan Tian'ai grit her teeth. If Su Qing hadn't been there, she probably would have started cursing loudly with her hands on her hips.

Su Qing, however, was not surprised at all. He was just a socially awkward tech geek. In his previous life, when he ran an adult store, he had delivered goods to countless customers like this. Some used them themselves, and some were bought for others to use. Just like this fellow Daoist Duan Yang, who made puppets for others to use.

Such a person is good at making puppets, but to let him compete for the position of the Lord of Wanghai Tower and fight against an old hand like Rao Tingshan is like a dragon fighting a Nascent Soul. His courage is commendable, but his chances of winning are absolutely nonexistent.

“Brother wasn’t like this before. Just three years ago, a Taoist named Tong passed through Wanghai City and stayed at my home. He offered me great benefits and asked my brother to brand the Three Pure Ones Rune, a secret technique of my Duan family, on his body.”

No one knows what methods the old Taoist priest used, but after his elder brother finished drawing the runes for him, his already somewhat withdrawn personality became even more so. He claimed that he had seen the secrets of heaven and comprehended the runes. From then on, although he was more advanced in rune cultivation than before, he completely lost the ability to interact with people, becoming like a puppet created for the purpose of making puppets.

They even regarded that Taoist priest surnamed Tong as their sovereign and father, forbidding us from saying a single bad word about him, let alone allowing us to cause trouble for that old Taoist!

At this point, Duan Tianai suddenly paused, placed her hands on the table, puffed out her chest, and stared directly at Su Qing, asking:

"That old Taoist surnamed Tong appeared during the Yunshan Jade Wall incident. It is rumored that Fellow Daoist Su also experienced this event. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Su has met this fellow Daoist?"

"To be honest, fellow Daoist, I have indeed met that Fellow Daoist Tong, but he is elusive and possesses extraordinary strength. He is far beyond the reach of someone with my meager cultivation!"

Is Master Tong really that wicked?

It turns out that they can manipulate people's hearts with the Heavenly Dao Patterns and turn the cultivators who have talismans drawn on their bodies into their own use.
Bah!
If I had known he wasn't a good puppet, I fear he might have had ulterior motives in asking me to draw talismans for him!
Su Qing felt a chill run down her spine, secretly sighing that the cultivation world was not only treacherous in people's hearts, but also that Dao puppets like Old Dao Tong were no good either!

Leaning back slightly, he calmly accepted Duan Tianai's intense gaze.

Seeing that he had distanced himself from Master Tong, Duan Tianai wrinkled her nose and sniffed hard.

"What are you doing, fellow Daoist?" Su Qing felt genuinely offended when he saw the other person sniffing around like a kitten.

"Tian'ai has condensed the Xie Zhi Golden Elixir, and condensed the Dao Patterns of Right and Wrong. Right and wrong can be known at a glance!" Duan Tian'ai, who looks and behaves like a Persian cat, said bluntly.

"Oh, as far as I know, Hei Qingtian also condensed the Xiezhi Golden Core. So, you and Hei Qingtian are rivals in the struggle for the Dao?"

Upon hearing that this young girl could smell out a liar, Su Qing immediately tried to steer the conversation away from the topic.

"Hmph, the righteous energy pattern on that black charcoal isn't true energy, but Tian'ai's right and wrong pattern can distinguish truth from falsehood. Just like how Tian'ai, with a light sniff, could smell your presence..."

"Is everything the gossip about true?"

"I suppose you're telling the truth!"

Duan Tianai sat back down, holding her breath. She could tell that what Su Qing had said earlier was untrue, but so what? Her Duan family couldn't do anything to that old Taoist Tong, nor could they do anything to this Taoist Su in front of her!
Seeing that she was so angry that her upper body was heaving, yet she still managed to be friendly with her despite her insincere words, Su Qing immediately forgave her for her earlier offense.

No wonder this girl is so generous; she is truly a tolerant person.

However, no matter how attractive she is, her ability to detect fraudsters will deter many male cultivators, making it difficult for her to find a Daoist partner in the future.

Considering his relationship with Master Tong, which wasn't some secret that couldn't be discussed with others, he simply spoke frankly:

"What I just said was indeed untrue. I do have a past relationship with that old Taoist Tong, but I only knew that he was an unfathomable talisman maker. I did not know that he had such the ability to manipulate people's hearts."

However, I can assure you, if I have the opportunity to see Fellow Daoist Tong again, I will not hesitate to speak on his behalf to ensure that Fellow Daoist Duan Yang returns to normal!

What he said was true. Although he didn't know where Master Tong had wandered off to, the wandering talisman masters of the Heavenly Talisman Palace were still frequently online. If he really wanted to contact them, he could do so right now.

It's just unknown what price the Duan family will have to pay to get Master Tong to undo the spells he's cast on Duan Yang.

No matter the cost, Su Qing will take 30%!
"If you can truly help my brother find peace, the Duan family will certainly be grateful. However, this is no longer the most pressing matter for our Duan family. The most pressing matter for our Duan family is the relentless pressure from the Twilight Society!"

Duan Tianai wrinkled her nose and sniffed, realizing that what Su Qing had just said was true, and her face darkened again.

Su Qing felt that this woman said her brother was clueless about human relationships, but in reality, she herself was not much of a socially adept person either.

They had only known each other for a short time, and it was clear that the sheep had been tricked by Master Tong, or that the Duan family was in dire straits.

What does this have to do with Su Qing?

There's actually some connection whatsoever!
“Yuanlai Tower refused the Duan family’s offer. Even if the Duan family offered up most of their family business, just to seek the position of the tower owner for a thousand years, Yuanlai Tower would still refuse.

Is it that my Duan family doesn't have enough bargaining chips? No, it's that Yuanlai Tower no longer has the strength to take over my Duan family!
One month from now, the Duan family puppet shop will be renamed the Twilight Puppet Shop, becoming an asset of the Earthly Treasury Evil Kingdom. From now on, it will be the Twilight Society, not my Duan family, that will compete with you across the street!

Duan Tian'ai's voice was trembling with tears. Although she was a hundred years old, she had a Nascent Soul father who sheltered her from the wind and rain, and a family fortune that lasted for ten thousand years that she could squander. She probably had never seen the coldness of human relationships and had no idea that the world was so treacherous.

She's still a child, even a 100-year-old is still a child.

My elder brother is an idiot, and the family business is about to be taken away. In the future, I will have to go to another place with my brother and three or five Golden Core family generals, more than a hundred family puppeteers, and tens of thousands of spirit stones to start a new business.

I feel wronged, very wronged.

But no matter how wronged she felt, she couldn't feel as wronged as Su Qing.

He dared to go toe-to-toe with the Duan family, let's compare the puppets, the master puppet versus the princess puppet, you have your unique features, I'm a monster, let's compete fairly, I'm not afraid.

Who would have thought that before he even started fighting the Duan family shop, the Duan family shop had already joined the Twilight Society!

Although the Duan family possessed superb puppet-making skills, it was still normal competition among peers.

Could the Twilight Society be good people? Would they compete fairly with him?
(End of this chapter)