Under One Person: The Puppet Immortal in the Tang Sect

Whenever they encountered any matter, big or small, whether it was choosing a side road, estimating the journey, or even dealing with the occasional small group of petty thieves, they would come to him for his respectful instructions.

They were terrified that the slightest negligence would bring about this deadly disaster.

Cui Ming was extremely annoyed, but Wan Qian always gave him an expression that said, "How dare a lowly person make decisions on his own?"

"Trust those you employ, and don't employ those you don't trust. What right do I, an outsider, have to interfere or give orders?"

Only after Cui Ming reprimanded him did Wan Qian feel at ease taking control of the command.

What's even more troublesome is Zhang Zhiwei himself.

This future master seemed to have developed a strong interest in Cui Ming's puppetry and mechanical arts.

Every now and then, they would come over and examine Cui Ming and the wooden box behind him, clicking their tongues in amazement.

Sensing Zhang Zhiwei's increasingly high fighting spirit, Cui Ming suddenly understood the goosebump-like feeling Zhang Zhiwei had described earlier when he said he was being watched.

Fortunately, the next supply town is not far away.

Perhaps the lingering influence of the group of ruthless bandits that Zhang Zhiwei had previously dealt with was still present along the way.

Or perhaps, it was the sight of caravans escorting those notorious villains that was too shocking.

The tax-collecting NPCs that would normally randomly spawn along the roadside were now behaving as obediently as little white rabbits.

Upon catching a glimpse of the caravan's flag in the distance, they hastily retreated into the mountains and forests.

They wouldn't even dare to show their faces, let alone block the road.

In this way, the journey was much faster.

In just two days, the outline of a sizable town emerged.

It appeared at the edge of their field of vision.

Chapter 46 Testing

After entering the town, the caravan needs to make routine resupply.

Once the vehicles and goods were parked in the backyard of the inn, the staff began to get busy.

Cui Ming knew that he needed to break things off with Zhang Zhiwei as soon as possible.

We can't really let this person go with the caravan to the vicinity of the mine; that place is involved in too many secrets.

Cui Ming summoned Wan Qian, the leader of the caravan, to the side and whispered his instructions.

"Chief Wan, after you have finished resupplying here, you can proceed ahead without waiting and continue along the original route."

"I have some personal matters to attend to with Senior Brother Zhang, and I will catch up with him shortly."

Wan Qian opened his mouth, looking at Zhang Zhiwei, who was excited after hearing Cui Ming's words.

He then glanced at Cui Ming, whose expression was calm yet carried an unquestionable air.

In the end, he swallowed his words of dissuasion and respectfully replied.

"Yes, Young Master Cui. We will proceed ahead and wait for you two."

After arranging the caravan, Cui Ming walked towards Zhang Zhiwei.

When Zhang Zhiwei saw Cui Ming approaching, he stuffed the sesame seed cake he had just bought into his mouth in a few bites and swallowed it whole.

He clapped his hands and laughed.

"What's wrong, Junior Brother Cui? Is everything done? Can you stretch your muscles now?"

"Exactly."

Cui Ming nodded.

"There are too many people and too many eyes here, so it's not convenient to carry out my plan."

"Junior brother, I have found a secluded place outside the city. I wonder if Senior Brother Zhang would be willing to go there?"

"Let's go!"

Zhang Zhiwei's eyes lit up, showing that he was even more eager than Cui Ming.

"Ever since I witnessed Senior Brother Li Ding's Black-Tailed Armor, I have long admired the methods of your Tang Clan."

"Especially Junior Brother Cui, your puppetry skills are superb. I must experience your abilities firsthand."

The two walked one after the other and soon left the town, arriving at a desolate valley that Cui Ming had secretly scouted.

This place is surrounded by hills, scattered with rocks, overgrown with weeds, and rarely visited by people, making it an excellent place to get started.

The setting sun cast long shadows of the two of them.

In the center of the valley, Cui Ming and Zhang Zhiwei stood facing each other, about ten feet apart.

"Senior Brother Zhang, please!"

Cui Ming took a deep breath, and a series of mechanical sounds came from the wooden box behind him.

Six intricate mechanical arms extended from the wooden box, gleaming with a cold metallic luster in the setting sun.

The radiation energy within his body began to circulate faster, and his whole body began to emit a pale blue light.

The surrounding air also began to distort slightly under the circulation of the radiating true qi.

Even standing at the other end, Zhang Zhiwei could feel a scorching and eerie sense of erosion.

He still maintained his lazy demeanor, simply standing there casually, as if he wasn't there to compete but rather for a picnic.

But when Cui Ming got into position and started channeling his true energy...

This really surprised Zhang Zhiwei.

He raised an eyebrow slightly, not that he hadn't heard of the Tang Clan's technique of creating a protective poison barrier.

An ordinary person would be poisoned by the Qi of the Tang Clan disciples with just a slight touch.

Can...

This Junior Brother Cui seems to be more than just skilled in puppetry and mechanical arts!

Zhang Zhiwei's hunting instincts kicked in, and his previously seemingly sleepy eyes became clear and sharp.

"Junior Brother Cui, please go ahead and do it."

He waved casually.

"Let me see what makes your Tang Clan's puppetry and mechanical arts so extraordinary."

As soon as Zhang Zhiwei finished speaking, Cui Ming took action!

Instead of charging forward, he suddenly swung both hands forward.

The huge wooden box behind him, resembling a honeycomb, emitted a dense, clicking sound.

The next moment, dozens of dark and ferocious Shadow Spider puppets surged out like a tidal wave!

However, these puppets did not rush straight at Zhang Zhiwei.

Instead, they used the rubble and weeds on the ground as cover and scattered in an instant.

It disappeared silently into the shadows surrounding the valley, as if it had never existed.

Almost at the same moment the Shadow Spider went into hiding.

Six mechanical arms extended from the wooden box behind Cui Ming, and a Shadow Spider was attached to each of the mechanical arms.

The shape of the mechanical arm has also changed, and it has been combined with the shadow spider based on the wooden box.

In the blink of an eye, six crossbows shimmering with eerie blue runes were assembled from the six mechanical arms.

shhhhhh!

The sound of something cutting through the air followed immediately!

The six crossbow bolts were fired in three waves, one after the other, with a sharp whistling sound, forming a triangular shape that blocked Zhang Zhiwei's space to dodge left and right, aiming to target his vital organs in the chest and abdomen!

Zhang Zhiwei raised an eyebrow slightly, maintaining his casual stance, without even moving a step.

Just as the arrow struck his body, a layer of solid, dazzling golden light appeared out of thin air from his body.

Jingle bells!

A crisp metallic clang rang out as six powerful crossbow bolts struck the golden light.

But it was as if they had hit a wall of bronze and iron; they were not even able to create a ripple before being bounced off and falling to the ground.

However, the attacks did not stop!

The moment the first volley of crossbow bolts was fired, even more bolts rained down from all around the valley floor!

From different angles and directions, arrows wove together to form a net with almost no blind spots, completely enveloping Zhang Zhiwei.

Zhang Zhiwei was surrounded by golden light, yet he remained firmly standing in place.

The dense rain of arrows struck the Golden Light Mantra, producing a series of crisp clanging sounds, but they were unable to penetrate the seemingly thin layer of golden light.

Zhang Zhiwei's clothes remained completely unmoved by the strong wind.

"Could it be... that's all there is to it?"

A fleeting thought crossed Zhang Zhiwei's mind: "Have I overestimated the other party?"

A sudden change has occurred!

A crossbow bolt mixed in with ordinary arrows silently struck the Golden Light Mantra behind Zhang Zhiwei.

Noisy!

A strange sound, unlike any before, rang out!

One arrow was not unfolded, but its arrowhead, like a red-hot branding iron, left a tiny blue mark on the Golden Light Mantra!

What surprised Zhang Zhiwei even more was a dark blue energy with a strong corrosive quality.

It spread slowly across the golden light spell, like a maggot clinging to a bone!

Zhang Zhiwei's expression changed slightly. He could clearly feel that the moment his own Qi came into contact with that dark blue energy, it was rapidly decomposed, like ice and snow meeting the blazing sun!

He subconsciously urged his purer Qi to try to dispel it, but found that the dark blue energy was extremely stubborn and difficult to completely eliminate in a short time!