Chapter 190 – Soul Iron Gains Flesh, Blood Gold Crystals Bring Life, The Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell and Returns - Part 1
The clink and clang of metal rang out incessantly in a small room. A short-haired girl in white seemed swept up by a newfound sense of purpose. Even though she was exhausted, she tirelessly began sorting through the puppet materials.
She was completely absorbed, almost reverent in her focus. It was already late into the night. By all rights, she should have been too tired to keep her eyes open after rushing back from the Martial Lodge. Yet, some force deep within pushed her beyond her limits and into a state of utter concentration, as if she were alone in the world with nothing but the materials before her and the puppets behind her.
She had longed for ages to find a better body for the Daemonheart. She had tried every avenue for years, but the only solution she found required paying blood gold. Nothing else worked. She had just about lost hope and turned to drinking when her godfather unexpectedly brought her these precious supplies.
Watching her lost in her own world, Li Yuan suddenly noticed the loneliness in her expression. Only then did he realize. This girl had always been alone. He stepped forward and squatted down beside Tang Nian, but rather than scolding her or telling her to rest, he smiled gently. “Nian Nian, let me help you with something.”
Tang Nian looked up, as though just then noticing there was someone nearby. A young man, practically still a boy. What was he doing in her room at this hour? And why was he calling her Nian Nian? Did he have a death wish? Her mind swirled with questions.
Slowly, her vision refocused, and she freed herself from her trance. At last, she recognized that this boy was her godfather. It struck her how youthful he appeared, almost as if he never aged, looking scarcely older than herself.
For a moment, she was at a loss for words. She thought of telling him to go to bed, but it felt too distant. She considered asking him to lend a hand, but the world of her puppets had always been hers alone. Anyone else felt like an intruder. Besides, he knew next to nothing about puppet crafting, so there was little he could contribute.
After some hesitation, she finally said, “Alright then...could you move that stack of materials onto the table?”
“Sure.” Li Yuan bent over to start clearing away the clutter. As he did, he asked, “Is it difficult making a sixth rank puppet?”
Tang Nian, busy with her own task, replied softly, “Yes. Extremely.”
“Tell me more.” Li Yuan’s tone was casual, more like idle conversation than genuine interrogation.
“A seventh rank puppet is basically just a metal figure, right?” Tang Nian explained. “Moving up to sixth rank is a huge leap. It’s what we call the blood-and-flesh transformation.”