Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 24

 

| PN | 24

The two mineral veins were enough to tempt Qi Chao.

Not to mention how much these two veins could be worth, just having the energy stone vein would mean that the little puppets at home could have as many energy stones as they wanted.

Qi Chao slowly exhaled, temporarily setting aside thoughts of the competition.

For now, the mother stone hadn't been activated, and he didn't even have the qualification to participate. Considering these things was a bit too early. Moreover, whether to participate in the competition would have to wait until he had researched more information.

In the afternoon, Lan Luo went into the "operating room" again, and Qi Chao and Moss continued to wait outside.

Moss sat silently outside the door. Qi Chao tried to start a few conversations, but Moss's responses were either "mm" or "oh," extremely indifferent.

No matter how sociable Qi Chao was, he found it hard to continue.

The atmosphere gradually became awkward. Fortunately, this time it only took two hours for the doctor to come out of the "operating room," breaking the awkwardness.

Qi Chao scratched his head and went directly into the "operating room." Lan Luo was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, just like yesterday afternoon. The white ointment on his hands and ankles had been replaced with green ointment.

Qi Chao didn't recognize the white ointment from yesterday, but he knew the green ointment in front of him. It was a special spiritual thread healing agent for puppets, it was very expensive. Just one milligram cost tens of thousands of star coins, and to fill all the cracks would require at least twenty milligrams.

Qi Chao had never asked the doctor about the cost of repairing the puppet. His original idea was that no matter the cost, he would treat Lan Luo, and asking about the price could wait. But judging by the looks of it, the nearly million star coins he had might not be enough.

Qi Chao went to the doctor's bedroom, intending to clarify the cost. If it really wasn't enough, he would have to find a way to make more money.

"Why would you give me money?" Shen Yuxi's eyes showed confusion, as if he didn't understand what Qi Chao was talking about. He took off his glasses, revealing a pair of beautiful peach blossom eyes. The next second, as if he had figured something out, he chuckled softly, "If it were anyone else, I would charge them a price that would make them wince."

"Only by making them 'bleed,' will they think twice before trying to harm the puppets again. But you don't need that."

Shen Yuxi's lips curved slightly, "I can see that you like puppets and deeply regret your previous actions. Since you won't do those things anymore, there's no need for me to charge you."

Can it really be like this? Qi Chao frowned, about to say something, but Shen Yuxi interrupted him first.

The doctor, with his golden hair braided into a scorpion tail hanging over his right shoulder, had a strong smile in his peach blossom eyes, "Aren't we friends? Since we are friends, there's no need to worry so much."

Qi Chao was momentarily stunned, swallowing the words he wanted to say. He no longer mentioned the money, instead, he smiled and said, "If you consider me a friend, then stop addressing me so formally. You haven't even called me by my name that much. It sounds too distant."

This left the doctor speechless. He paused, as if defeated, and said helplessly, "Qi Chao."

Qi Chao nodded in satisfaction, a trace of a smile in his deep brown eyes.

At that moment, their relationship seemed to take a giant leap forward, becoming mutually acknowledged as friends.

"At what stage have you reached with your puppet?"

Shen Yuxi's eyes curved, seeming very curious.

Qi Chao thought for a moment, then invited him to the basement. He said nonchalantly, "If Brother Shen wants to know, you can come to the basement with me and have a look."

Shen Yuxi's lips curved slightly, and he followed him.

There were Blue night lights lined against both sides of the basement stairs. Although it wasn't completely dark, one had to be very careful when going down the stairs, otherwise it would be easy to miss a step.

"Put your hand on my shoulder."

Qi Chao, standing a step lower on the stairs, looked back slightly.

The complexity of human nature was vividly reflected in Qi Chao. He was usually careless and didn’t pay much attention to many things, but he tended to notice trivial details.

The smile in Shen Yuxi's eyes remained unchanged, as if nothing could change his expression. He placed his left hand on Qi Chao's shoulder and softly thanked him.

However, if Qi Chao had turned around, he would have noticed that although the doctor placed his hand on his shoulder, the distance between their bodies did not make contact. The "gentle" doctor seemed very uncomfortable with physical contact.

As they reached the last step, Qi Chao had just said they had arrived when Shen Yuxi retracted his hand. His movements were neither hurried nor slow, and Qi Chao didn't notice anything unusual.

"The basement is a bit messy. I haven't had much time to clean these past few days." Qi Chao rarely felt a bit embarrassed. He had been quite busy lately, and the workshop hadn't been cleaned for three days.

Under the warm yellow light, Shen Yuxi walked to the desk and looked down at the messy sketches. His gentle smile was so perfect it almost seemed unreal. He said softly, "It's already very clean."

The basement wasn't as messy as Qi Chao had claimed. It was evident that the basement's owner was quite diligent; both the glass cabinets and the floor were very clean. It only seemed messy because there were too many items on the desk, with pens, knives, and drawings scattered about.

Qi Chao smiled, thinking that the doctor was just being polite. He walked over to a glass cabinet and raised his hand to take out a half-made puppet.

Shen Yuxi stood quietly by, his gaze sweeping across the desk area. When he saw the gray stone in the fish tank, his eyelashes fluttered, as if surprised, and he took a few extra glances.

Qi Chao placed the box on the desk, and Shen Yuxi walked over, glancing at the fish tank to confirm what he saw. A slight smile tugged at his lips, as if he had stumbled upon an unexpected delight.

"Currently, my main work is refining it. If there are no issues, I can soon proceed to the next step."

Qi Chao took out the clay model he had been working on from the box. Although it was still a bit rough, the puppet's outline was clearly visible.

The clay model in front of them was clearly not something a novice could produce. Judging by both the time and the result, creating a clay model like this required a lot of effort and time from the puppet maker.

If not an experienced puppet maker, then he could only be an extraordinary genius.

The doctor himself was a genius; his first puppet was the S-class Moss. Although he was surprised that Qi Chao could make such a clay model, he wasn't overly astonished.

In fact, Qi Chao being a genius would only make his plans smoother.

Shen Yuxi smiled, "The body proportions and appearance of your clay model are excellent."

"Thank you." Qi Chao, thick-skinned, accepted the compliment.

He is not an arrogant person, but he is very confident in his children. If even he thinks that his children are bad, how can his children become better in the future?

Shen Yuxi smiled gently, then slightly furrowed his brows, seeming a bit hesitant, before continuing, "Actually, I suggest that when you're making the clay model, you should focus on handling the joint areas carefully. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to construct the mental power threads later."

Qi Chao was taken aback. He quickly grabbed the notebook on the table and took a pen from his pocket, looking at him earnestly. "Can you explain it in more detail?"

"This is just based on my experience. I hope it can be helpful to you," Shen Yuxi said warmly, breaking down the knowledge bit by bit for Qi Chao. If Shen Yuxi were teaching at a school, he would undoubtedly be a very respectful teacher.

The teachers who had taught Qi Chao before had never been so patient with him. As Qi Chao jotted down the key points, he felt increasingly complex emotions. These insights, which weren't found in textbooks, were the result of a master puppet maker's painstaking practice and experience.

The experience of a god-level puppet maker, if posted online, would be revered by all puppet makers.

Qi Chao paused and looked up at Shen Yuxi, solemnly saying, "Brother Shen, thank you."

The man across from him tilted his head slightly, as if puzzled by the thanks. His long golden hair swung with the movement, and he smiled, softly saying it was no problem.

Time passed in a series of questions and answers. When Qi Chao noticed the doctor gradually showing signs of fatigue, he suddenly remembered that Shen Yuxi had just performed a "surgery" on Lan Luo earlier and hadn't rested much before teaching him.

Qi Chao immediately stopped and hurriedly said, "Brother Shen, if you're feeling tired, let's go back upstairs. We can talk about this later."

Shen Yuxi smiled apologetically and nodded. As he stood up and walked past the fish tank, he suddenly remarked, "This mother stone is very beautiful."

The heart-shaped mother stone was still dull grey, but after Qi Chao's daily infusion of mental power, it no longer looked shriveled. The previously unremarkable grey had turned into a high-end, rich grey—subtle and understated, yet with hidden sharpness, faintly glowing under the light.

"I think it's beautiful too. Not to mention, I've rarely seen heart-shaped stones before," Qi Chao said, pausing for a moment. Hearing the doctor praise the mother stone he had chosen, he chuckled and pointed to the fish tank, "When I first found this little beauty, the puppet masters from the association laughed at me. They all thought my little beauty here was a defective product."

"But now that you've praised it, I feel reassured," Qi Chao said, believing that Brother Shen was much more competent than those other puppet masters.

Shen Yuxi heard Qi Chao's words and laughed softly. In the angle where Qi Chao couldn't see, that gentle smile gradually took on a deeper meaning.

After leaving the basement, Qi Chao stood at the intersection on the second floor, watching the doctor return to his room. He then smiled slightly, turned around, and went into the "surgery room" to check on Lan Luo.

With the door closed, the smile on Shen Yuxi's face gradually disappeared, his eyes becoming calm. He took long strides to a chair and sat down, speaking in a bland tone.

"You didn't tell me his mental power was abnormal."

The room was empty except for him, yet it seemed as if he was conversing with someone. This scene looked particularly eerie in the empty room. The next moment, the space at the door twisted, and the "teenager" wrapped in bandages walked out.

Although Moss had just entered, his reaction was as if he had been there all along. His eerie black eyes seemed somewhat panicked as he explained in his hoarse, broken voice, "Sorry, Father. I thought it wasn't important."

"It indeed isn't important," Shen Yuxi nodded, not denying it.

Moss's back tightened, clearly aware that it wouldn't be so simple. As expected, the next second, he heard his father say lightly, "If this happens again, I will grind the energy stone into rice grains and soak them in water, then have your brother feed it to you."

Soaking energy stones in water wasn't actually unpleasant. Or rather, puppets' taste perception was almost nonexistent, making it impossible to distinguish between good and bad flavors. 

However, even if it wasn't unpleasant, once it was labeled as a punishment by his father, no puppet would want to try it, let alone have someone feed them.

Moss stiffened, his lips moving slightly under the bandages as he responded in a hoarse voice, "Yes, Father."

He paused, recalling something, and added, "His mental power is very strong. As long as his attention is on the mother stone, he will unconsciously channel a portion of his mental power to feed it without any anomalies."

Shen Yuxi's peach blossom eyes widened slightly before he chuckled, half-closing his eyes. "Is he that powerful?"

The state of the mother stone already indicated that Qi Chao's mental power was very high, but Shen Yuxi hadn't expected it to be to such an extent.

The higher Qi Chao's mental power, the more advantageous it was for them. Shen Yuxi's peach blossom eyes curved in a smile. This smile seemed both different and not different from the facade he wore in front of others. Perhaps, after wearing the mask for so long, all his smiles had merely become a habit.

Moss stood quietly behind his father, saying nothing. After a while, he heard his father's gentle yet calm voice in his ear.

"Build a good relationship with him."

Moss was taken aback, then heard his father's voice tinged with amusement, "After all, we need him to win the championship."

"Okay."

Moss didn't understand the connection between winning the championship and building a good relationship, but he wouldn't disobey his father's orders.

Meanwhile, Qi Chao spent some time on his optical computer by the bedside. About half an hour later, he saw Lan Luo waking up from his slumber.

Before Lan Luo could speak, Qi Chao gently patted his head, comforting him, "Lan Luo, it doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt."

Ever since Lan Luo mentioned yesterday that repairing the cracks was painful, Qi Chao had been worried about it. He made sure to be in the room before Lan Luo woke up so he could comfort him immediately.

Feeling the warmth on his head, Lan Luo didn't show a bright smile as he usually did. Instead, he seemed a bit awkward, as if he didn't know how to react. After a few minutes, he managed to raise a slightly stiff smile.

In reality, Lan Luo wasn't in pain.

He had lied to his master yesterday.

He didn't know why he lied.

Was it just to receive his master's comfort?

Lan Luo's fingers fidgeted with the bed sheet, unable to figure things out. 

The kid had just woken up and his reaction was slow. Qi Chao expressed his understanding. Seeing the familiar smile on Lan Luo's face again, he felt relieved and smiled too.

In the evening, Qi Chao went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Lan Luo didn't go find his father or watch cartoons in the living room. 

Instead, he followed Qi Chao around.

No matter what Qi Chao did, Lan Luo trailed behind him like a little tail, seemingly troubled by something. Qi Chao asked a few questions, but Lan Luo just shook his head, unwilling to say more, so Qi Chao let him be. Having a little tail was quite amusing.

Soon, the other puppet in the house entered the kitchen.

Father had instructed Moss to build a good relationship with Lan Luo's master.

Moss was there to carry out his father's orders.

Qi Chao was initially unsure of what Moss wanted to do in the kitchen, so he asked curiously.

The bandaged, one-eyed "boy" remained silent for a moment, then seemed to remember something and rasped, "Nothing."

Qi Chao wasn't naïve enough to believe it was truly nothing, but since Moss didn't want to say, Qi Chao considerately didn't press the matter.

Luckily, the villa's kitchen was spacious enough. Otherwise, Qi Chao would surely have had some bumps and bruises dragging around two "tails."

"Big brother, why are you here?"

Lan Luo's voice was very soft, so much so that Qi Chao, who was busy cooking, didn't hear it.

Moss glanced down at him and didn't respond.

Lan Luo felt a little aggrieved for being ignored.

He disliked his big brother.

Even if his big brother didn't say anything, Lan Luo knew for sure that Father had given him some task. Otherwise, given his big brother's nature, he would stick close to Father and wouldn't come running to his master.

Father rarely gave Lan Luo tasks.

Because most of the time, Lan Luo messed them up.

Both Father and big brother thought he was a bad kid.

Lan Luo pursed his lips, walked up to Qi Chao's side, and tugged on his clothes.

Feeling the pull from below, Qi Chao smiled and spoke in a low voice, "Lan Luo, what's wrong?"

"He bullied me."

Lan Luo tightened his grip on Qi Chao's clothes, as if subconsciously believing that Qi Chao would surely stand on his side. He tilted his face up and repeated, "Big brother bullied me."

At this moment, Lan Luo felt like a fox cub bullied in the forest had finally found a tiger to rely on, believing without reason that this tiger would surely help him.

"Tiger" Qi Chao remained silent for a moment, then crouched down and lifted Lan Luo up into his arms, calling for Moss to join them in the living room.

Sitting on his master’s arm, Lan Luo felt happy. He knew his big brother must be in trouble now. If he guessed right, Father must have given Moss a task concerning his master.

Moss followed behind Qi Chao, his dark eyes betraying a shadow.

It wasn't the first time he had been played by Lan Luo, but it was the first time he felt the urge to personally teach Lan Luo a lesson. His plans had been interrupted by Lan Luo..

Lan Luo sensed his big brother's mood, and with a smile in his deep blue eyes, he squinted playfully. 

Lan Luo wasn't afraid of his big brother; in terms of strength, the brothers were evenly matched.

"Brother Shen, come down quickly!" Qi Chao called from the living room to the second floor.

Lan Luo was momentarily perplexed. Why call Father down? He only needed to sort out his big brother. If Father came down, he'd surely think Lan Luo was being immature.

Feeling flustered, Lan Luo was about to protest when he heard Qi Chao cheerfully shout, "Lan Luo and Moss are having a little disagreement! If you don't come and watch the fun, it will be boring when they make up later!"

Lan Luo: …

Moss: ...

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