Chapter 34 (Part 1)

Yu Zhengzheng was enveloped by a cold and oppressive darkness, with nothing before her except an endless void. A profound sense of sorrow and emptiness lingered, leaving her uneasy.

Though this was An Ning’s dream, Yu Zhengzheng could feel the bleak atmosphere resonating within her.

The deathly stillness reminded her of a mass graveyard at midnight, so quiet it made her uncomfortable.

She hadn’t expected An Ning’s dreamscape to be like this.

Though she hadn’t entered many people’s dreams before, she had never encountered such an experience.

She considered leaving An Ning’s dream, but just as the thought crossed her mind, an image of Shanshui’s despondent face flashed before her.

Yu Zhengzheng gritted her teeth and decided to endure it for Shanshui’s sake.

After all, opportunities like this were rare. If she let it slip, who knew when the next chance might come?

Thankfully, the darkness didn’t persist long. Soon, the scene began to change.

A pair of black boots appeared in her view. Everything else around them was hazy, as if covered by a veil, obscuring the details.

Yu Zhengzheng froze momentarily before realizing that this unusual perspective was transmitted through An Ning’s eyes.

This was intriguing. Previously, whenever she entered someone’s dream, she could clearly see the dreamscape they had created.

However, this dream was being relayed entirely through An Ning’s perspective. She could only see what An Ning herself was observing.

The black boots remained motionless, as if the wearer was doing something to An Ning.

Yu Zhengzheng bit her lip. Those boots belonged to a man. Why would a man appear in An Ning’s dream?

Could it be the man she had seen in the wardrobe in the bamboo house?

As she pondered this, the man bent slightly. Through An Ning’s perspective, she caught a glimpse of a pair of slender, elegant hands.

He was unfastening the belt at An Ning’s waist, his movements slow and deliberate, like someone who had done it countless times before.

“This is the last time, Xue Xi,” the man said. His voice was deep and murky, like ink bleeding into a watercolor painting or the whispers of a midnight dream. It was hard to make out clearly. “You will become the first high-level puppet successfully forged in thousands of years.”

His voice carried a mix of excitement and madness, and even his fingertips trembled slightly.

Yu Zhengzheng was stunned.

Xue Xi? High-level puppet?

Xue Xi was the name of the Palace Master of Lingbi Palace. But what did “high-level puppet” mean?

This wasn’t An Ning’s dream. Why was this man calling An Ning “Xue Xi”?

Countless questions bombarded her mind, leaving her momentarily at a loss.

Before she could think further, the man removed An Ning’s clothes and lifted her, placing her into a large pool filled with steaming liquid.

Yu Zhengzheng tried to get a clearer view of the man’s face, but An Ning’s head lolled lifelessly against his arm like a broken-necked chicken. Through the limited perspective, she could only glimpse the wooden floor and a lacquered red pillar.

Yu Zhengzheng imagined An Ning’s current state. Since she could still see, it meant An Ning’s eyes were open.

With wide, lifeless eyes, a stiff body, arms hanging limply, and a bent neck like a roasted chicken…

She clicked her tongue. It would take being a vegetative state for over a decade to end up in such a bizarre posture.

An Ning was placed into a pool filled with vivid red liquid resembling blood. She heard faint, broken cries of anguish from An Ning, indicating immense pain.

The man placed his hand on An Ning’s forehead. “Just endure a little longer. It will all be over soon.”

His voice remained faint and distorted, as if processed through a voice modulator. Yu Zhengzheng grew increasingly anxious.

Unable to see the man’s face, she could only vaguely glimpse his arm as he rolled up his sleeve, revealing a pale forearm.

On the inside of his arm, near the elbow, she noticed a bright red mole.

Time seemed to pass in a blur. The man eventually lifted An Ning out of the pool, placing her on the edge.

Yu Zhengzheng saw him grip An Ning’s arm and lightly cut her skin with a sharp dagger.

The cut was shallow, only enough to draw thin lines of blood. But An Ning howled in agony, her body trembling violently from the pain.

The man laughed, his voice maniacal and distorted, so loud it made her ears ache.

“A puppet’s birth heralds chaos in the Six Realms. An Ning, from now on, you shall be called An Ning.”

The dream sped up, like a film on fast-forward. Yu Zhengzheng saw the man teaching An Ning to speak, to read, and to walk.

He appeared like a devoted father, patiently and tirelessly teaching An Ning, who acted like a child. At first, she couldn’t even speak clearly, but over time, she was able to recite the Book of Songs fluently.

Yu Zhengzheng seemed to have realized something.

An Ning was Xue Xi. She had been made into a puppet using Xue Xi’s corpse.

Just as she figured this out, the dream suddenly tore apart. A dizzying sensation started from her temples, forcing her to break off her dream entry technique.

Before she even opened her eyes, Yu Zhengzheng felt an invisible pressure coming toward her.

She knew, unless something unexpected happened, it was An Ning’s scrutinizing gaze directed at her.

The dream entry technique had its drawbacks. When she entered a dream, she used only half of her physical form. So, if she encountered the dreamer, the dreamer would sense her presence.

It was just like the last time when she used the technique to enter Yu Jiangjiang’s dream. Unable to resist, she had wanted to witness Yu Jiangjiang and Master Xiao Yuqing in an intimate moment. She ended up being caught by Yu Jiangjiang after barging in.

Thinking about this, Yu Zhengzheng felt confused. She hadn’t even met An Ning in the dream just now, so how did An Ning detect her presence?

No matter what, before An Ning showed her true intentions, Yu Zhengzheng absolutely could not act hastily.

She held her breath and slowly opened her eyes.

In front of her was An Ning squatting down, and although she had mentally prepared herself, Yu Zhengzheng was still startled by An Ning’s face, which seemed to be magnified infinitely.

She shoved An Ning away, distancing herself. “What’s wrong with you?”

An Ning fixed her gaze on her. “You weren’t afraid of the villagers who died in Taohua Village, so what are you afraid of now, Miss Yu?”

Yu Zhengzheng furrowed her brows. “Miss An, you’re mistaken. What’s there to fear about dead people? The real fear is those two-faced, backstabbing living ones, who act one way to your face and another behind your back.”

She knew An Ning was suspicious of her, so she had to continue acting as usual.

Especially with the obvious disdain An Ning showed her, constantly sneering at her.

As expected, upon hearing these words, An Ning’s expression softened slightly.

While the two of them stared at each other, Yu Zhengzheng’s sharp ears picked up the faint sound of footsteps not far away.

The footsteps were light, as if someone was deliberately trying to avoid being heard.

She tilted her head, straining to listen, but the sound disappeared.

In its place came Xiang Feng’s shout.

“An Ning—”

Xiang Feng’s voice echoed through the rainforest. When An Ning responded softly, Yu Zhengzheng turned her back without showing any change in expression.

She had originally thought that An Ning was using a disguise, but who knew that An Ning’s body was actually Xue Xi’s.

She had only heard rumors about advanced puppets. First of all, the technique to create puppets was forbidden—it’s strictly prohibited in the cultivation world. Only the demon and妖 world had puppet masters.

Moreover, advanced puppets were very hard to create. It took a lot of time, effort, and resources, and the success rate was very low. Hardly anyone would go through the trouble of doing something so thankless.

Just like the man in the dream had said, there hadn’t been an advanced puppet in the six realms for tens of thousands of years. Not only was it difficult to create an advanced puppet, but the technique had long since been lost.

The amount of effort and cost it would take to turn Xue Xi’s corpse into an advanced puppet was unimaginable. What was that man trying to achieve by doing all this?

Yu Zhengzheng then recalled the man who had fled from the bamboo house that day. He couldn’t be Xiang Feng; he was likely the one who had created An Ning’s puppet body.

Since An Ning was used to deal with Xiang Feng, that meant Xiang Feng was not the one behind this—leaving only the Ghost King, Hengwu Immortal Lord, and Xiao Yuqing as suspects.

The Ghost King was practically off the table. He had been the one to take Xiang Feng in, and if he had really wanted to harm Xiang Feng, he wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble.

Of the remaining two, Hengwu Immortal Lord was a more likely suspect than Xiao Yuqing. After all, the puppet technique was forbidden, and Xiao Yuqing was the adopted son of the master of the Yuqing Sect, so it made no sense for him to risk using a forbidden art.

Hengwu Immortal Lord was different. The demon race controlled a large number of forbidden techniques, and he was also skilled in medicine. He likely knew how to refine pills and concoct medicines.

Creating an advanced puppet required a lot of medicinal pills. If someone didn’t know medicine, where would they get the elixirs and potions needed for the puppet?

Despite this, both of them remained suspicious.

The simplest way would be to roll up their sleeves—whoever had a red mole on their arm would be the one. However, this approach was too abrupt. She couldn’t just rush up and start pulling up people’s sleeves.

If there was an opportunity later, she would try to test them.

Along with Xiang Feng, some other people had strayed.

An Ning was walking at the end of the group. His pace was leisurely and calm, but his gaze had already crossed over everyone and settled on Yu Zhengzheng.

She seemed to be deep in thought, her back turned toward them. With her eyes lowered, it was unclear what she was thinking.

She had always disliked An Ning, and now that she had been alone with her, could it be that An Ning took the chance to bully her?

An Ning paused for a moment, then furrowed his brows.