Chapter 551 - 541: It’s Really Him

Chapter 551: Chapter 541: It’s Really Him

One arm wrapped around Chu Aoqing, the other pressed tightly against his face, hiding his agony from view. This time, however, the pain lasted longer than before. His expression only eased after the hulking figure had completely appeared.

Mu Chen looked up, and his mouth fell open subconsciously when he saw the metallic figure standing behind Mu Junwu.

"Fallen Nether Puppet..." The words came out in a hollow, emotionless voice, as if they hadn’t come from him at all.

That was right. The massive figure standing behind Mu Junwu was not a living creature, but a Human-shaped Puppet reminiscent of a steel warrior. Yet, despite its resemblance to steel, a closer look revealed that the puppet with the metallic sheen was actually crafted entirely from wood. Wood that gleamed like metal could only be Tie Mu, and judging from the puppet’s luster, this was an exceptionally rare ten-thousand-year-old Tie Mu.

The components, forged from the ten-thousand-year Tie Mu, were assembled in a way no one had ever seen. There were no visible joints or connectors between the parts; they simply floated in place, held together as if by some invisible attractive force.

The Puppet had a female form with reasonably balanced proportions, but its face was beyond hideous. To call it merely ugly would be a compliment; it looked like an Evil Ghost that had crawled straight out of hell. Its dark green Tie Mu armor was covered in dense golden Runes, which pulsed with a faint light whenever the sound of whirring Mechanisms emanated from within. Its arms hung naturally at its sides. The upper arms were of normal human proportions, but from the elbow down, a massive cylindrical vambrace encased each forearm, making them look over three times thicker than the upper arms.

Its massive Iron Fists glinted with a cold light. Mu Chen had no doubt that a single blow from those fists would leave a person either dead or crippled. It was clearly a High Level, close-quarters combat Puppet. More importantly, the Puppet was currently locked onto Mu Chen with crimson eyes that gleamed with bloodlust, a flicker of intelligence visible in its gaze.

’It’s sentient!’

"Fallen Nether Puppet? What’s that?"

When Dilaka saw that the Human-shaped Puppet didn’t immediately launch a frenzied attack after appearing, his brow relaxed. If it truly intended to target Mu Chen, it wouldn’t have been so quiet. Feeling relieved, Dilaka turned to Mu Chen. The term "Fallen Nether Puppet" was completely foreign to him; he was sure he’d never heard it before.

But just because Dilaka hadn’t heard of it didn’t mean no one had. Mu Junwu, for one, froze the moment she heard the name. Her jade-green eyes stared at Mu Chen in disbelief. She opened her mouth as if to ask something, but upon seeing Chu Aoqing and Dilaka, she forced the words back down.

"Lord Dilaka, you should probably put away the Immortal Extinction Sword. Mo’er isn’t showing any signs of hostility, but if you keep a sword pointed at her, I can’t guarantee she won’t throw a fit. You know that while I may be her master, my grandfather is the one who truly controls her."

Dilaka found her reasoning sound. He nodded, retracting the Immortal Extinction Sword, and the golden Array Map vanished in an instant.

Taking a deep breath, Mu Junwu raised her arms, her gaze focused. All the Primordial Power in her body surged toward her palms. An instant later, ten translucent, crystalline threads shot out from her fingertips, embedding themselves into ten points on the Human-shaped Puppet: its glabella, arms, chest, core, legs, and back. Her fingers splayed, twitching at different rhythms. With a twist and pull of her arms, a series of sharp CLICKS erupted from the Puppet’s Mechanisms. Then, as if possessed, the Puppet raised its right arm to its chest and began to form a series of profound Seal Decisions.

Immediately, the strange Scroll that had previously materialized behind Mu Junwu appeared again. This time, however, it was accompanied by a terrifying suction! As the Scroll appeared, Mu Junwu flung her hands open, and the ten crystalline threads snapped away from the Puppet. Pulled by the immense force, the Puppet’s figure was sucked into the Scroll.

With a WHOOSH, the Scroll rolled itself up. It tumbled in the air a few times before shooting directly into Mu Junwu’s back, disappearing into her body without a trace.

In that moment, the way Mu Chen and Chu Aoqing looked at Mu Junwu changed. While it wasn’t quite awe, they could no longer maintain their composure or treat her as an equal.

"Lord Dilaka, may I borrow Mu Chen for a moment?"

After recalling Puppet Mo’er, Mu Junwu strode toward Mu Chen. She glanced at Dilaka and spoke with a calm demeanor. As she spoke, she gestured for Mu Chen to follow, then turned and walked toward the small, crystalline hut.

Mu Chen glanced at Dilaka and, after receiving a nod of approval, hurried to catch up. He knew what Mu Junwu wanted to ask him, but he had no answer to give. Even he didn’t know why he had blurted out that name, or what it even meant.

When Mu Chen stepped inside, Mu Junwu casually closed the door. Her beautiful eyes stared intently at him from behind her glasses. Her rosy lips parted and then closed, as if she wanted to say something but ultimately couldn’t find the words.

Unable to meet the gaze of such a beautiful woman, Mu Chen looked down, pondering for a moment before speaking up. "I think I know what you want to ask."

"Oh? Then tell me, what do I want to ask?" Mu Junwu removed her glasses, placing them into her Space Ring with a neutral expression. Her eyes never left his.

"The Fallen Nether Puppet, right?"

Mu Junwu’s expression finally shifted. The situation earlier had been chaotic, so she could have convinced herself she’d misheard. But now, hearing Mu Chen say those three words himself, she found it impossible to accept.

She forced herself to remain calm. Her delicate brows arched as she asked in a cold tone, "How do you know that name?"

Mu Chen shook his head, looking up to meet Mu Junwu’s gaze resolutely. His ice-blue Xue Tong held a steady light. "If I told you that I don’t know either, would you believe me?"

"What an interesting answer." Mu Junwu spread her hands, her beautiful eyes narrowing slightly. "What do you think? Do I believe you?"

Mu Chen gave a bitter smile. "I figured. But I honestly don’t know how I knew that name. The moment I saw that Puppet, a flood of strange information appeared in my mind. There was so much of it, but when I tried to process it, all I could remember were two names. One of them was Fallen Nether Puppet."

"And the other one?"

Mu Chen thought for a moment before answering cautiously, "The other one was... Judgement Saint Puppet, I think. Yes, that was it. But I have no idea what that name means, either."

"Really?" Mu Junwu asked again.

"Really." Mu Chen’s expression was firm, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

"Will you let me do something?"

Mu Junwu looked inexplicably tense. Her tension was laced with a hint of joy, yet also tinged with sorrow and disappointment—an indescribably complex emotion.

"Do something?" Mu Chen assumed she wanted to perform some kind of lie-detection test, so he agreed without a second thought. "Go ahead."

"Then... alright. Stand still and don’t move."

’It can’t be such a coincidence,’ she thought. ’That person has already vanished from this world. He can’t possibly reappear. Even Grandfather couldn’t predict whether he was alive or dead. There’s no way I could have met him.’

As these thoughts ran through her mind, her gaze slowly shifted to Mu Chen’s hand. She bit her rosy lip, her own slender, fair hand reaching out slowly, as if wanting to touch something yet simultaneously afraid to.

’What should I do? Test it or not? If I’m wrong, he’ll die! But if I’m right, how am I supposed to face... And what is this feeling in my heart, this part of me that wants to be right? Have I really been lonely for so long, filled with so much regret?’

Her thoughts were a tangled mess. Her hand rose, then lowered, then rose again. Her hesitation was so palpable that even Mu Chen, just watching from the side, felt his stomach clench with anxiety. ’Isn’t this supposed to be a lie-detection test? Why is she being so indecisive?’

"Could you please hurry up?"

Mu Chen was exasperated. At this rate, the entire day would be wasted. That was a whole day of Cultivation he’d be missing, and he had a mountain of other things to take care of.

’Fine!’ she resolved. ’If it comes to it, I’ll just use *that*. I absolutely cannot let him die!’

Spurred on by Mu Chen’s urging, Mu Junwu’s gaze suddenly hardened with resolve. She closed her eyes, reached out, and grabbed his right hand, then immediately let go. Though the contact was fleeting, the electric jolt it sent through her reverberated endlessly in her mind.

’Is this what holding hands feels like...?’

Mu Junwu desperately suppressed her shyness and her racing heart, her face flushing as she monitored the reaction of the Mo’er hidden within her. To her astonishment, Mo’er showed no sign of wanting to emerge. This could only mean one thing: the blue-haired boy standing before her... it was really him...

"How can this be? I don’t believe it... I don’t believe it..." Mu Junwu’s pupils constricted as she murmured the words under her breath.

Abruptly, Mu Junwu grabbed Mu Chen’s hand again, only this time she didn’t let go. Yet even after several dozen seconds, the Puppet Mo’er within her remained completely inert. At that moment, her denial was finally crushed by reality. She stood there, her expression lost and vacant.

"Um..."

"I’m fine." Mu Junwu exhaled a fragrant breath. Her eyes closed for a moment, and when they opened again, it was as if she had reached a new understanding. A beautiful, smiling face once again greeted Mu Chen. She smiled faintly. "I believe you now."

With that, Mu Junwu opened the door and quickly left the room. As she stepped outside, her figure seemed tinged with a hint of sorrow. ’Grandfather, he’s special, but he doesn’t belong to me alone... Twenty-three years of waiting... was it worth it?’

Mu Chen, still dazed inside the room, was completely unaware of Mu Junwu’s inner turmoil. He stared blankly at his hand. ’Lie-detection methods are so advanced these days,’ he thought in amazement. ’There’s even one that involves holding hands? What’s the principle behind that? But didn’t Lord Dilaka say not to touch her? Nothing seems to have happened.’

After mulling it over for a long while, he was still completely clueless. Suddenly realizing he was alone in the room, he gave a slight start and quickly strode outside. He didn’t realize, however, that in the instant he stepped out, a pair of jade-green eyes met his gaze. And then, an exquisitely beautiful face drew closer and closer...