| PN | Photo | 132
Qi Chao was negotiating prices with the puppets, and not far away, inside the warehouse, his three young disciples took a short break after completing a phase of their tasks.
“Master has gone out again.”
The warehouse was quiet as You Zhao took off his gloves, stood up, and washed his hands while chatting with his companions. Every time Qi Chao left the warehouse, he would give them a heads-up; the three knew that he would be out for three to four hours every afternoon.
“Master has his own life. If you had any sense, you wouldn’t ask such things in front of him,” Li Lang said, pushing up his glasses with the back of his hand, a hint of displeasure in his voice.
“Of course I know that,” You Zhao pouted, mumbling quietly, “It’s just like how we can’t call Qi Chao ‘Master’ in front of him; how could I ask him directly? That would just annoy him, right?”
Having spent years in the workshop, the three had a simple appearance. Even the only girl, Guo Li, didn’t care about her looks and dressed plainly like the two men, wearing simple white lab coats from morning till night.
They were typical tech nerds, lacking in emotional intelligence and social skills, which was the main reason they were not well-liked in the Puppet Master community. However, even the most clueless of them, You Zhao, knew to be reserved around their teacher.
They couldn't cause trouble for their teacher.
The three had etched this phrase into their hearts since the first day. They knew that besides Xiu Mei and their puppet guardian, only Qi Chao treated them with such care in this world.
“I saw a bunch of mindless trolls bashing our teacher on the holographic network,” You Zhao spat, “They’re definitely just jealous of him.”
Their teacher was handsome, came from a good family, had extraordinary talent, and even had an unbelievably good temperament. In such circumstances, whenever someone criticized their teacher, You Zhao felt it was purely out of jealousy.
Qi Chao's last post on social media was him admitting that he was a master-level puppet master, and since then, he hadn’t posted anything else. However, the comments on his social media account never ceased.
Fans lamented daily about wanting to see the five puppets made by Qi Chao. This was partly because Qi Chao was relatively gentle; if it were any other master-level puppet master, this group of fans might not even dare to voice their opinions.
As for the trolls, their criticisms were varied and bizarre, with some even attempting to stir up a controversial discussion in the comments about the status of the puppets.
This topic had been debated since the first puppet was born. Every day, You Zhao would check in on his teacher's social media platform. Whenever he saw related comments popping up, he would immediately jump in and bury them in their cradles.
If such topics appeared in his teacher's comment section, it was his negligence.
Who didn't know that Qi Chao adored his puppet’s? He had even openly stated that he would never sell any of his puppets.
You Zhao and the other two wholeheartedly agreed with their teacher's viewpoint. Having been raised by a puppet since childhood, they also couldn’t bring themselves to casually sell them.
The trolls who attacked their teacher were having a blast.
However, the only issue was that every time You Zhao defended his teacher, he did so using his puppet master account. This led to those cornered trolls quickly uncovering his identity and ridiculing him online.
[Hilarious, you really are too worried! Why not take a moment to look at yourself? In five or six years, you haven’t even made a single puppet! Do you still call yourself a a puppet maker? And you have time to manage comments for Qi Chao? Hahaha.]
[Does Qi Chao need to thank you? Great energy stone dealer.]
[Oh, so you still haven’t made a single one? You can’t even succeed at making a puppet’s shell; you’re truly useless. You might as well take your two siblings and scram.]
Seeing these comments, it was impossible not to feel upset.
The three of them were all in their early twenties, but rather than sadness, they felt more anxious.
“If—I'm saying if—our teacher puts in so much effort to teach us, and in the end, we still don’t succeed, with the puppet’s skin still full of cracks, what should we do?”
Li Lang took off his glasses, lowering his head to hide his emotions. However, from his trembling voice, it was clear that he was not at peace.
If even a remarkably skilled puppet master like Qi Chao couldn’t help them succeed, was there still a need for them to keep struggling?
Of course, what left Li Lang feeling most helpless was the thought that if they ultimately failed in their creations, their teacher Qi Chao—who had helped them the most—would undoubtedly be very disappointed.
Li Lang’s concerns were shared by Guo Li and You Zhao. When he directly pointed out the issue, both of them fell silent, and the atmosphere in the warehouse gradually grew somber.
Qi Chao entered the warehouse with the two children, he quickly sensed something was off as he walked a few steps in.
His keen gaze swept over the three faces. Although Guo Li and the others quickly put on smiling faces, pretending that nothing was wrong when they noticed their teacher had arrived, Qi Chao still felt that something was amiss.
The expressions on Guo Li’s face were indeed a bit forced. Even Agu, who was not very familiar with the three, could tell they were hiding something.
Not to mention Xiang Yue, who was inherently sensitive to changes in people’s emotions.
Agu squinted slightly, while the tail behind Xiang Yue swayed gently. His red eyes scanned the faces of the three, assessing whether they posed any threat to their father.
“Have you completed your work for today?”
Qi Chao kindly refrained from mentioning the odd atmosphere and instead walked over to their desk, looking at the humanoid figure that had already taken shape on the table.
The skills of the three puppet masters were commendable; the puppets they had carved were exquisite and lifelike. It was easy to imagine that once the mother stone was placed inside the puppet’s bodies, the fully awakened puppets would undoubtedly be very appealing.
Moreover, the mother stones they were about to awaken had a hue close to red—not too vibrant. As long as Guo Li and the others could successfully create puppets, the quality of the dolls would surely be high.
“We’ve finished,” Guo Li murmured.
Upon hearing this, Qi Chao glanced over the puppets on the table. He paused for a moment, then smiled as he spoke, “With this amount of work, I originally planned you guys to have it done within a week, but you finished it in three days. Truly diligent!”
“The level of detail is also very high.” As Qi Chao spoke, he turned to look at the three of them, his voice filled with warmth. It was clear to anyone that his words were sincere. “I truly did not misjudge you; you are all exceptional craftsmen.”
This was the first time Guo Li, You Zhao, and Li Lang had been described as "exceptional craftsmen." Even Guo Li’s childhood friend, Xiu Mei, would never have said such a thing insincerely.
If it had been anyone else praising them, Guo Li would have thought the person was mocking them. But since it was Qi Chao, who taught them day in and day out, she knew he would never belittle them.
For a moment, the three of them were frozen in place, unsure of what to say. Yet, the worries and anxieties about the future seemed to dissipate significantly with those words.
A master-level craftsman had praised them as exceptional; perhaps, just maybe, they really could succeed this time.
Qi Chao observed the dazed expressions on their faces and chose not to say anything. Perhaps because they were still young, it was easy to guess what Guo Li and the others were thinking.
Qi Chao understood that the three young craftsmen were under considerable pressure, and in times like this, words often held little weight.
He decided that they would have to wait for the results to be finalized before they could truly relax.
With that thought, Qi Chao resolved to be stricter with the three craftsmen starting tomorrow.
Since they could not yet identify the cause of the cracks on the surface of the puppets, he would meticulously oversee every step of the process. Qi Chao didn’t believe that with such diligence, they would not succeed.
After returning home that evening, Qi Chao followed his usual routine of reporting to Brother Shen about the day's events.
Upon hearing that Qi Chao had conducted transactions with the puppets using gold coins, Shen Yuxi raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised, but then a smile spread across his face. “I thought you would come looking for the Ganfen District soon, but it seems you still need some time.”
This was true. Setting aside the business he had agreed upon with the puppets, Qi Chao couldn’t be away for long in the morning either. He realized that he wouldn’t be able to see Brother Shen for at least two months.
With that in mind, Qi Chao sighed.
As he looked at Shen Yuxi projected in the air, Qi Chao felt that if they continued to live apart it would be detrimental to their relationship.
“Once I finish things here, I’ll immediately bring the children to visit you,” Qi Chao said. Remembering his father, he rubbed the tip of his nose. “If you’re coming to the Linjing District next time, would you be able to join me for a trip back to the old house?”
Back to the old house?
Noticing Qi Chao's awkward expression, Shen Yuxi gently nodded, his peach blossom eyes warm and affectionate. “Of course.”
Shen Yuxi had no interest in anyone other than Qi Chao, which included Qi Chao's father.
However, since Qi Chenming was Qi Chao's father, he was still interested in meeting him under the guise of visiting a family.
He understood that once they met each other’s parents, it would signify that their relationship had settled down completely, which was very appealing to Shen Yuxi.
After this simple exchange, once the holographic call ended, the smile in Shen Yuxi's eyes lingered for a long time.
After a few minutes, he finally turned to Moss and said, “Bring me the information on the puppet masters and puppets that Qi Chao has met.”
Shen Yuxi wanted to confirm how long it would take for them to finish their work; the sooner they resolved their issues, the sooner Qi Chao could come to see him.
Ayu had been monitoring Guo Li and the others. After receiving his father's order, Moss went straight to the training ground to find Ayu and obtained the surveillance data from her.
The monitoring data included the backgrounds of the puppet masters, their various habits when creating puppets, and information about the number of puppets and their injuries.
As Shen Yuxi looked over the records on the paper, his eyelashes fluttered slightly, as if he had guessed something.
Given Qi Chao's abilities, he should be able to resolve everything quickly. Shen Yuxi pondered for a moment, a hint of a smile slowly appearing on his lips. He turned to Moss and quietly said, “Starting tomorrow, let the people at the training ground settle down.”
“Understood.”
Moss tightened his grip on the stuffed doll in his arms, a hint of a smile flickering in his dark eyes. He understood that his father's statement was quite clear: that meant his dad would be coming here soon.
Meanwhile, Qi Chao was unaware that his partner was already preparing to welcome him. After finishing the video call with Brother Shen, Qi Chao went straight to sleep.
The next morning, he got up as usual and took Xiang Yue and Agu to the warehouse.
By this time, the three puppet masters had already arrived at the warehouse, ready to begin their work.
“Today, we will begin connecting the puppet to the spiritual energy meridians. This process must be done in one continuous motion,” Qi Chao emphasized to the three people. “It will take approximately four hours, and you are not allowed to do anything else during this time. Be mentally prepared.”
“Understood,” Guo Li and the others replied, nodding. They sensed that their teacher seemed a bit different today.
Previously, Qi Chao would only offer suggestions and never specifically emphasize key points before starting work. This change made the three of them feel a bit tense and more serious in their demeanor.
Seeing their expressions, Qi Chao chose not to comment. He had already decided yesterday to be stricter with them, and it was a good thing that Guo Li and the others were mentally prepared.
In a corner of the warehouse, Xiang Yue and Agu watched their father converse with the three people. Agu yawned and propped his head on his hand. “Did you go to see those puppets last night?”
“Yeah,” Xiang Yue nodded. “The puppets agreed.”
“Is that so?” Agu replied, intrigued.
Agu was not surprised; the abandoned puppets harbored resentment, and when Xiang Yue proposed an alliance, the puppets would certainly not refuse.
He watched his father standing behind the puppet masters, patiently guiding them, and with a smile, he said, “Dad is really gentle.”
Xiang Yue nodded in agreement.
Whether it was towards the discarded puppets or the three people, their father always showed great kindness.
If Guo Li and the others knew what the puppets were thinking now, they would undoubtedly protest immediately.
In the past, if anyone praised their teacher's gentleness, they would wholeheartedly agree. But since the morning, Qi Chao had been especially strict.
“During meditation, you need to focus. Imagine the energy meridians of the human body extending from the chest cavity outward,” Qi Chao instructed.
Once Guo Li completed the exercise first, he put on his mental energy gloves and began checking their progress.
The spiritual energy could not be seen with the naked eye, and the only way to detect the puppet’s meridians was through the indicator lights on the gloves—a method Qi Chao had developed on his own, as there was no information on this in the data banks.
“Redo,” Qi Chao said, looking at the flickering green lights. “The meridians cannot be interrupted.”
Guo Li was momentarily taken aback when she heard they had to redo the work, then quickly nodded, “Okay.”
“Redo; the spiritual energy at the knee of the puppet is too chaotic.”
“Redo; while the chest cavity is crucial, that doesn’t mean it should contain this much spiritual energy.”
By the end of the morning, Guo Li, You Zhao, and Li Lang were left dizzy with the constant repetition of the word "redo" echoing in their minds. However, this was just the beginning. From this day onward, the phrase “redo” would replay in their heads for many days to come.
Their once-gentle teacher was becoming stricter by the day. Any minor mistake would lead to a correction. Just the work of establishing the spiritual energy meridians for the puppets had already consumed an entire week.
In their six years of practice, it was the first time they truly experienced what exhaustion felt like.
“Alright, this one is qualified. You did well this time,” Qi Chao finally said.
When the three heard those words, they were nearly moved to tears. However, their joy was premature. As soon as they entered the next phase, they found themselves repeating the previous steps, constantly reworking and redoing.
This seemingly endless cycle continued until they finally completed the dolls. When they looked at the smooth, flawless puppet bodies, their first reaction wasn't relief that there were no cracks; it was, Thank goodness I don’t have to redo everything anymore!
In a burst of excitement, You Zhao quickly took a photo of his puppet and uploaded it to his social media account.
[Finally succeeded!!!】【image.jpg】
His social platform had only a few haters and not many followers; he usually just used it as a diary to document his thoughts.
After sending out the message, You Zhao tossed the device aside and began preparing the potions needed to awaken the dolls the next day. However, the previously quiet device suddenly erupted with notifications an hour later.
Irritated, You Zhao picked up the device, and the next second, he saw his social media flooded with over ten thousand comments and private messages.
[Ahhhh, dude, tell me how you managed to get the puppet body done! Did you really get lucky because of Qi Chao?!]
[Wuwu, is this for real? How did you get someone like Qi Chao to teach you?]
[The person above is overthinking. How could someone like Qi Chao associate with a nobody like the blogger? It's probably just that the blogger often helps him manage comments, and out of gratitude, he decided to post.]
A post from a "big shot"?
You Zhao quickly navigated to Qi Chao's social media account and saw that his teacher had retweeted his earlier message with a congratulatory comment.
In an instant, he understood the sequence of events: because his teacher had commented on his post, the netizens had connected him with Qi Chao.
He couldn't help but think how sharp the current internet community was.
As You Zhao pondered this, he noticed a new comment in the thread:
[Makes sense. There’s no way a big shot like him would help a broke person like the blogger make puppets. Getting guidance from a master-level puppet master would cost at least tens of millions, right?]
Tens of millions?!
Reflecting on the days when his teacher had painstakingly taught them, You Zhao suddenly felt an immense weight on his shoulders.
Surely, tens of millions wouldn’t be enough to get a master-level puppet master to invest this much effort into teaching them, right?
0 Comments
Post a Comment