The beautiful mage was kidnapped by the contracted beast again

Living puppet?

Jiang Liujing heard a completely unfamiliar word.

Thinking of what Liu An had told him about Taiqi's abnormality, Jiang Liujing had a vague suspicion in his mind, but he did not show it in front of the Great Elder. He just said, "We don't know what a living puppet is."

The tone he used when speaking to the Great Elder was not respectful, and there was even a hint of coldness in his voice as if because his companion had been killed.

The Great Elder narrowed his eyes as he looked at him, but said nothing.

Arya held her breath and looked ahead nervously, fearing that he would be the target of the Great Elder's anger.

However, the old man who had previously killed without hesitation only snorted coldly, ignoring his offensive attitude and casually explained:

"A living puppet is a human puppet created through a special method. The recipient loses their mind, but their body can function normally like an ordinary person. In fact, all aspects of their function are even stronger than normal, making them extremely strong, tireless, and fearless of death."

Andway clenched the golden spear in his hand, his five fingers almost sinking into the metal, and he couldn't suppress the anger in his voice: "Taiqi is conscious, he knows who he is, and he remembers all his memories. He is not a puppet!"

After spending so many days together, he could definitely tell that the Taichi in front of him was the real person. If he was a puppet controlled by someone else, how could he possibly be able to reproduce even those small subconscious movements of the person?

The Great Elder suddenly looked at him with a look of pity and said, "Indeed, most living puppets are as you said. But there is one exception."

"Puppeteer Lingyue," the Great Elder said slowly, "is able to create the most perfect puppets on the continent. His craftsmanship is so superb that he can even preserve the souls of deceased individuals within his puppets. Aside from when he's controlling them, the puppets appear to have the same personalities as they did in life and are capable of living independently."

He pointed the machete in his hand at Taichi's headless body on the ground and said, "This man has been dead for a long time."

Andway's expression suddenly changed.

The Great Elder turned to Jiang Liujing and said, "A living puppet wouldn't follow others for no reason. He must have a target among you."

Jiang Liujing thought of the attack that night, frowned, organized his words, and briefly recounted what happened that night to the Great Elder.

The Great Elder nodded and said firmly, "Then he must be coming for you."

He took two steps, stroking his beard, and said, "Judging from his behavior, the person controlling him wants your life... No, more likely, your body. He's chosen you as his new puppet."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Liujing's expression remained unchanged, but Chi instantly clenched his fists, and his red eyes were filled with deep darkness.

If the people in the academy saw this, they would instantly understand that this was a sign of his anger.

Chi asked in a deep voice, "Is there any way to find the puppet's master?"

The Great Elder shook his head, a bit regretful. "A living puppet only connects to its puppeteer when being controlled. It's completely disconnected during autonomous action. The puppeteer can't sense what the puppet is doing, and conversely, it's difficult for us to obtain information about the puppeteer from the puppet."

Jiang Liujing seemed to understand something and said to the Great Elder, "This is why you wanted to kill him just now."

The Great Elder nodded, and his cold and solemn aura now relaxed slightly. Facing the other people, he actually had no intention of attacking.

He glanced at Alia and said, "Originally, only those with tokens were allowed into the clan, but Alia let all of you in. If this living puppet leaks the news, it will be very troublesome. We must get rid of him."

He suddenly raised his eyebrows and said to Jiang Liujing, "If I didn't do it, when did you plan to kill him?"

As soon as he said this, Mo Ya, Andway and Vita were all stunned.

Jiang Liujing didn't know how he could see the murderous intention he had towards Taiqi, even though he behaved like a caring and good friend in public.

But since he had been discovered, he no longer concealed it and said with lowered eyes, "He has a very strange aura, but I can't confirm whether he is the one who attacked me."

The Great Elder understood: "You brought him to me on purpose."

Jiang Liujing remained silent.

He did have the idea of ​​asking the elves to help him examine this person's attributes.

The elves have been able to hide for many years and have long developed a unique way of identifying good and evil. If they feel there is a problem, Jiang Liujing can attack him without worry.

But he hadn't known about the living puppets before, and had only assumed that Taiqi had practiced some kind of evil magic, like that of a necromancer, and therefore his life force was weak. He felt that Taiqi was still a living being, and that if he could kill him before he left the Hidden Dragon Mountains, all the news would remain hidden.

Looking back now, it was a bit hasty.

The Great Elder looked at him and suddenly laughed twice. Knowing that Jiang Liujing wanted to use them, the ruthless old man seemed to be much happier. All the muscles in his body relaxed, and he squinted his eyes like a lazy cat that hadn't woken up yet:

"You're smart enough to take advantage of situations, but if you run into someone else, they might get angry with you. You have to be careful."

Jiang Liujing knew that he was giving this advice out of kindness, so he restrained his expression and said solemnly, "Thank you."

The Great Elder waved his hand and said, "Don't thank me. I don't deserve it. You are the one the Mother Tree specifically requested to see. I am only following orders."

After a pause, he continued, "Also, although we're not sure if the puppeteer controlling this human is Lingyue, it's highly likely his work. Lingyue's true identity remains unknown. Since he's targeting you, he's likely someone you know, so you should be more careful."

Jiang Liujing had also thought of this. If there was anyone who knew him and could attack Taiqi, it seemed they had to be within the Imperial School of Magic.

Jiang Liujing had been there for seven years and had a good impression of most of the teachers and students he knew. He did not want to doubt them, but the current situation did not allow him not to question them.

He lowered his eyes and said "hmm", while the others beside him looked tense as they listened.

They have been with Taichi for so many days and didn't notice anything wrong with him. What about the other classmates in the school who they are not so familiar with?

If the puppeteer was really on campus, would he only attack Taichi?

A person's life and death are secretly replaced, body and soul becoming tools for others, yet those around them remain unaware. A familiar face, a familiar voice, familiar movements, but only the ownership of freedom has quietly changed hands.

It feels like a cold, poisonous snake lurking in the dark.

"We must report this matter to the principal and find the puppeteer." Andway said with a rare serious expression.

Compared to Jiang Liujing, he felt more deeply the terrifying power this ability possessed in manipulating power. "Most of the students on campus are nobles from various countries. If they were manipulated like this, who knows how much chaos would result."