155: Forging Workshop

"Alright, I'll go take a look. Keep an eye on her."

Yao Delong gestured toward Xin Yuelan, who was currently idling by, tidying her white hair in a bronze mirror.

Xin Yuelan rolled her eyes: "Hmph, this Young Miss is practically a Mortal now; do you really think I could run away?"

Yao Delong ignored her, gave Lin Qingxue a few instructions, and then left the Lin residence, heading straight for the west side of the city.

Before he even approached the Melting and Forging Workshop, a wave of scorching heat rushed toward him, and the air was filled with the scent of metal smelting and flames.

Thick white smoke billowed from a massive chimney, and the clanging sounds of iron forging were incessant.

Yao Delong stepped into the spacious workshop hall, and immediately, a burly man with knotted muscles, bare-chested and drenched in sweat, came up to greet him.

The burly man's eyes were sharp like torches; he could tell at a glance that Yao Delong possessed an extraordinary air, his clothing was luxurious and of top-tier Materials, and the Storage Pouch at his waist emitted an inner spiritual glow—he was definitely a major customer!

"Welcome to the Melting and Forging Workshop, Young Master! Are you looking to commission a Magic Treasure, or would you like to purchase finished goods directly?"

The burly man's voice was loud and filled with enthusiasm.

Yao Delong shook his head slightly, wasting no words. With a thought, he released the scarred, three-headed and six-armed Asura Puppet from his storage ring.

Boom!

The heavy Puppet landed in the center of the hall with a dull thud, and a fierce, malevolent aura instantly permeated the area, causing the other craftsmen forging metal in the workshop to look over, their expressions filled with shock.

The burly man's pupils constricted. He circled the menacingly shaped, fiercely aura-exuding Puppet several times, his eyes filled with shock and curiosity:

"Hiss... What a strange Puppet! This material... it's neither metal nor wood, I've never seen it before! And this refining technique... it's even more profound and unfathomable! Young Master, this item... its grade is extremely high!"

He carefully reached out to touch the Puppet's cold arm, feeling its indestructible texture, then closely examined the shocking cracks, especially the massive piercing wound on its chest, his brows knitting tightly together.

"Does the Young Master wish to repair these cracks?" the burly man asked.

"Precisely," Yao Delong nodded.

The burly man looked troubled and shook his head repeatedly: "Young Master, if I may be blunt, it's difficult! Extremely difficult!"

"First, the material of this Puppet is extremely special. Our workshop's current Materials inventory does not contain anything that can perfectly match it for Fusion and repair. Forcefully patching it with other Materials would yield poor results and might even affect its overall structure."

"Secondly, the grade of this Puppet... is far beyond my capabilities. I'm afraid... only if my Master takes action would there be a glimmer of possibility."

"Where is your Master?" Yao Delong pressed.

"Sigh," the burly man sighed, "Unfortunately, my Master took on a big job a few days ago and went deep into the 'Black Stone Mountain Range' in the north to search for a rare Artifact Refining material. His return date is uncertain; it will take at least a month or two."

Yao Delong's heart sank. A month or two? He couldn't wait that long.

He pointed to the most fatal crack on the Puppet's chest: "If... I don't require a perfect material restoration, but only ask that you use sturdy Materials to temporarily seal this largest crack and reinforce its structure so that it won't easily shatter during battle, can you do that?"

The burly man, upon hearing this, leaned in closer to examine the crack again, even tapping the edge with his finger. After a moment of contemplation, he said: "If it's just about sealing and reinforcing this main crack without involving material Fusion, that can be done."

"We can use 'Essence of Black Iron' mixed with 'Earth Vein Fire Copper', smelt it, and pour it to fill the crack, then supplement it with reinforcement runes. While this won't restore its original defensive capabilities, it will be enough to significantly increase its load-bearing capacity, and it should be fine for handling high-intensity combat in the short term. However..."

He paused and looked at Yao Delong: "The cost will not be low. Essence of Black Iron and Earth Vein Fire Copper are both top-tier Materials, plus the labor cost for the rune reinforcement..."

"Money is not an issue," Yao Delong interrupted directly, his tone flat but carrying unquestionable confidence. "Just proceed with the best Materials and methods. Tell me exactly how many Spirit Stones it will cost."

The burly man's eyes lit up; this Young Master was truly generous! He immediately patted his chest in assurance: "You're straightforward, Young Master! In that case, leave it to me! The deposit is fifty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones; come pick it up in five days! I guarantee it will be sealed tight and solid as a rock!"

Yao Delong readily paid the deposit of fifty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

He was not worried that the burly man or the Melting and Forging Workshop would dare to swallow his Puppet.

When handing over the Puppet, he had already quietly left his powerful Soul imprint within the Puppet's core drive Formation.

Unless a great expert at a Realm higher than the Puppet took action, it would be nearly impossible to erase his imprint and forcibly seize or control this Puppet.

And a Soul Transformation Stage expert was clearly not someone that a forging workshop in this Canglan City could afford to hire.

Watching the burly man direct a few apprentices to carefully move the heavy Puppet toward the Advanced forging room in the back, Yao Delong felt a bit more at ease.

Five days passed quietly in Canglan City.

The Asura Puppet needed time for the crack-sealing at the Melting and Forging Workshop, so Yao Delong simply took Lin Qingxue and Xin Yuelan to tour the scenic spots in and around Canglan City.

During the day, the three would either boat on the rippling Canglan Lake, watching the glistening water and flying gulls and egrets; or climb the cloud-shrouded Cuiwei Peak on the outskirts of the city, looking down at the city like a chessboard and gazing at the landscape as if it were a painting; or stroll through the bustling markets, tasting local specialty spiritual foods, living quite carefree and leisurely.

Xin Yuelan was initially a bit awkward about being "held hostage," but Yao Delong was generous with his spending, providing good food and drink. With beautiful scenery before her, her natural, devilish spontaneity took over, and she gradually loosened up.

However, whenever she saw Yao Delong walking side-by-side with Lin Qingxue, occasionally whispering affectionately, she always felt an inexplicable irritation in her heart and could only turn her face away to admire the scenery.

And at night, it was time for Yao Delong and Lin Qingxue's "Dao discussion."

At first, Xin Yuelan was kept awake all night by the irrepressible Qi fluctuations from next door. The next morning, she would be visibly haggard and would seize any opportunity to speak to Yao Delong with barbs.

Yao Delong didn't care at all; instead, he teased her with great interest, often provoking her to the point of extreme annoyance.

However, perhaps it was a case of "habit becoming nature," or perhaps the pure spiritual essence that naturally dissipated during their Qi resonance had a slight benefit for her, separated by only a wall. By the last two days, Xin Yuelan actually realized that she... had gotten a little used to it?

Although the sounds were still clear, they no longer made her as agitated or caused her blood to surge as they had initially.

Getting up in the morning, her dark circles had faded, and her spirit was better. Facing Yao Delong's teasing gaze, she just gave a cold snort, too lazy to even bicker, as if she had become completely numb.

This, however, was hard for Yao Delong. Lin Qingxue's cultivation had Advanced, and she was only a step away from the Nascent Soul, the extreme cold energy within her becoming increasingly pure and vast.

To help her stabilize her Foundation, and also for that precious yin-yang value, Yao Delong had been "giving his all until his heart stopped beating" over these five days, "toiling" diligently every single night.