The Youthful Guest stood behind the mechanical cart, merely glancing at Ning Ze briefly without speaking.
The Youthful Guest always had this attitude. Though Ning Ze felt helpless, he harbored growing anger within.
He was a cultivator of the Ning Family, but the Youthful Guest showed him no respect!
However, since the young clan leader of the Ning Family had been trying to win over the Youthful Guest, Ning Ze repressed his indignation and forced a smile: "Lord Youthful Guest, I've brought a great deal this time."
"Eighty Top and Bottom Wishing Ropes in total!"
"Look, with such a huge transaction, can't you offer a better price?"
"I've been your regular customer for so long. With my continued patronage, there will be more such transactions in the future. It's always two hundred Spirit Stones per Wishing Rope. This price is a bit unreasonable, don't you think?"
The Youthful Guest nodded slightly, his voice hoarse and aged: "You're right."
"Then it's two hundred and fifty Spirit Stones per piece."
Ning Ze was taken aback for a moment, then laughed: "Lord Youthful Guest, please don't jest with me. That's not how you negotiate a discount."
The Youthful Guest snorted coldly: "Every extra word you utter raises the price by fifty Spirit Stones."
Ning Ze stared wide-eyed, momentarily frozen in place.
The anger within him rose like a flame, and he almost wanted to slap the old man to the ground. But in the end, he suppressed his fury and said begrudgingly: "Fine, I'll go with your price!"
"However, our clan would like to add some additional functionalities to better align with our cultivation techniques. The specific modifications..."
The Youthful Guest interrupted sternly: "No modifications, take it or leave it, if you don't want it, then get lost."
Ning Ze was left speechless.
After taking a deep breath, he finally nodded with a wry smile, agreeing to the transaction.
The Youthful Guest made no movements, but several mechanical puppets lowered from the top of the cart in front of him.
These mechanical puppets, driven by strings, moved like real people, laughing and chattering.
They rolled, leaped, and even tussled with each other, eventually opening the round cover on the cart.
One by one, they descended into the hole beneath the cover, dragging the Wishing Ropes out like pulling out large snakes.
Every time Ning Ze saw this scene, he was amazed.
Such mastery of mechanical string control was exceptional, and the puppets seemed alive.
If the young cultivators in the Ning Family's upcoming grand exam had even one percent of this control, the mechanical techniques section would undoubtedly achieve top grades!
"Mechanical techniques are considered the lowest among the hundred cultivation arts, as they have many weaknesses. The most obvious one is the method of control!"
"Take these puppets, for example. Sever the strings, and they are paralyzed in an instant."
Ning Ze handed over the Spirit Stones and left the black market with the Wishing Ropes, revealing a hint of malice and anger on his face.
"Youthful Guest! I've always been polite to you, yet you never reciprocate!"
"This time, I've specifically hired the Huang Family's Three Ghosts for you! I've even prepared a 'gift' for you!"
"Since you refuse to drink a toast, you'll have to drink a forfeit."
Ning Ze had reached the end of his patience, resorting to danger as a last measure.
His plan was simple: First, have the Huang Family's Three Ghosts deal with the Youthful Guest, then he would step in to save the day and gain favor. If the Youthful Guest was severely injured, Ning Ze wouldn't rule out coercing him into submission.
In any case, the primary goal was to open the situation and complete his mission. Any other problems would be the Ning Family's to worry about!
After the black market closed, the Youthful Guest, laden with goods, walked through the dim alleyways.
Suddenly.
Suppression Charm!
A talisman was triggered instantly, sealing the surrounding space.
The Youthful Guest stopped in place, unmoving.
"Hehehe..."
A light, eerie laughter echoed as three little ghosts emerged from the sides, attacking the Youthful Guest.
The Youthful Guest remained still as a stone, only shaking his body when the ghosts were close.
Several mechanical birds fell from him, shooting out like arrows.
Mechanisms——Silent Thunderbirds!
In the darkness, sudden flashes of lightning appeared, erupting soundlessly.
In an instant, the Silent Thunderbirds killed the three ghosts.
"How is this possible?"
"With the Suppression Charm in place, you shouldn't be able to use Divine Sense to control the mechanisms!"
"Something's odd. Clearly, these are mechanical puppets, but he didn't seem to use any strings."
"No matter, let's attack together!"
The Huang Family's Three Ghosts leaped out simultaneously, unleashing their abilities as they surrounded and attacked the Youthful Guest.
In a split second, a dozen ghosts burst forth, filling the surroundings with ferocious, sinister apparitions.
The Youthful Guest stood as immovable as a mountain, his long, messy black hair suddenly intertwining to form long whips.
The pitch-black whips danced like wild dragons and snakes, silent but brimming with deadly intent.
Mechanisms——Youthful Hanging Death Whip!
The whips' ferocity was unmatched, appearing capable of devouring everything, leaving nothing but scattered souls in their path.
The Three Ghosts of the Huang Family's eyes glowed with fierce light as they prepared to strike.
In the Youthful Guest's sea of consciousness, a Treasure Seal, immense like a mountain, combining both Buddha and demon aspects, suddenly emitted a strange light.
Magical Treasure——Buddha Heart Demon Seal!
The three ghosts simultaneously froze, revealing fatal flaws. In their sheer horror, they retreated hastily, but it was too late.
Two cries echoed as two ghosts fell dead.
The eldest of the three, his eyes blazing with rage, attempted a desperate counterattack, forcing his Foundation Establishment Dantian to its limits against the Youthful Guest.
He pinned all his hopes of revenge on his magic artifact dagger, which streaked like lightning, piercing the center of the Youthful Guest's forehead.
Clang.
A crisp metallic sound echoed.
The eldest of the three ghosts froze in disbelief.
Thud, thud, thud.
In the next moment, ten Youthful Hanging Death Whips converged, piercing through him from all directions.
The eldest ghost's eyes widened as his body was impaled by the hanging death whips, suspended in mid-air. Blood sprayed out from his wounds like rain, splattering on the ground and walls, concealed by the thick darkness of the night.
When nearby cultivators heard the unusual sounds and came to investigate the alley.
"What happened?" a cultivator wondered.
In the alley, not a single corpse or drop of blood was to be found.
As Ning Ze waited, his heart grew cold: "Why is there no news yet? It's been so long. They should have succeeded by now."
"The Youthful Guest is at the Foundation Establishment Stage, and the Huang Family's Three Ghosts are also at the Foundation Establishment Stage. Even if their battle power was suppressed in Fire Persimmon Immortal City, there's no reason three against one would fail." He tried to reassure himself.
"I even gave them the Suppression Charm and the Green Knife Mantis, which can cut the strings. With such preparations, the Mechanism Master should be heavily restrained!"
"I'll wait a little longer."
This wait was destined to yield no results.
The Youthful Guest walked through the underground tunnel.
Three Youthful Hanging Death Whips trailed behind him, each suspending a cultivator's corpse. As he moved, their shadows cast terrifying, monster-like silhouettes on the tunnel walls.
Ahead, a faint red glow began to emerge, and the temperature rose.
Turning a corner, a large pill furnace appeared before the Youthful Guest.
Opening the furnace door, the Youthful Guest tossed the three corpses inside with practiced ease.
Sealing the furnace door, he moved towards an adjacent storage room.
He placed several pounds of Fire Essence procured from the black market into the storage room.
Years of accumulation had built a small mountain of Fire Essence inside the storage room.
"Only the last ten pounds of Fire Essence are needed."
The Youthful Guest proceeded to the teleportation room, activating the teleportation array.
The next moment, he returned to his underground workshop.
The Youthful Guest's body started to change.
The bizarre long black hair retracted rapidly, his hunched figure straightened, and under the shifting light and shadows beneath the black robe, the elderly form gradually revealed its true appearance—
It was a silver-grey armored suit.
A faint treasure light flowed across the surface of the armor. It was adorned with talismans and array patterns. On its helmet, a fresh scar appeared, left by the Huang Family's eldest ghost in his final counterattack.
The chest plate, abdomen plate, and leg plates of the armor spread open symmetrically to the sides.
A young boy emerged from within.
The boy had a fair complexion, clear eyes, and exuded a calm and serene aura.
The armored suit was named: Iron Han Armor.
The boy's name was: Ning Zhuo.