The little girl trembled, tears swimming in her eyes as she looked pitifully at Xie Zhaolin. Her small lips quivered, and it seemed like she was about to burst into tears again.
"Wuu… who… who are you? Why did you catch me?" Her voice was soft and childlike, trembling with fear, completely different from the old and solemn tone she'd spoken with before.
Xie Zhaolin's face was cold and expressionless. Her eyes were sharp as blades while her fingers tightened slightly, and the power of the soul contract constricted around the little girl's soul.
"Ah! It hurts! It hurts so much!" The girl cried out, her small face scrunched up in pain.
"Still pretending?" Xie Zhaolin's tone was flat and merciless. "You Ji Shàngrén, haven't you acted long enough?"
"Y–Youji Shàngrén?" The little girl's pupils shrank violently, panic flashing across her face before she quickly hid it under louder sobs. "Wuu… I don't know what you're talking about… I'm just the book spirit… I'm not some Shàngrén…"
"Really?" Xie Zhaolin's lips curved into a mocking smile. "In the fifth trial, those three Nascent Soul puppet generals—at the last moment, their eyes weren't only filled with killing intent, but also a faint trace of… respect and familiarity. That's not how puppets look.
To so perfectly simulate a Nascent Soul cultivator's battle instincts and aura, even showing emotion… other than their creator, who else could do that?
And most importantly…" Her gaze was sharp as lightning, locking onto the little girl's eyes that tried to dodge hers. "Your voice may sound old, but your Dao resonance, your soul fluctuation—they're identical to this entire inheritance space, to the intent of destruction and puppet control that fills all five trials.
To imprint your Law so deeply into every trial, every puppet, and even the space itself… who could do that except the one who left the inheritance?
You're no book spirit. You're You Ji Shàngrén—or rather, the remnant of her main soul, the unwilling piece of her that refused to die and seeks rebirth."
Each word hit like a hammer, pounding straight into the little girl's soul.
Her expression froze, the fear and innocence draining away, replaced by sheer shock and disbelief at being completely exposed. She stared blankly at Xie Zhaolin, her lips trembling but no sound came out.
The disguise was torn apart completely.
After several long breaths of silence, the little girl—no, You Ji Shàngrén—let all traces of childish panic fade away like waves retreating from the shore.
Though she still looked like a child, her eyes suddenly turned deep and ancient, filled with weariness and an indescribable sense of authority.
She sighed softly.
"Ah… to think, after all the effort I put into this plan, I'd be seen through by a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator."
Her eyes lifted, calm and complex as she looked at Xie Zhaolin. "How did you confirm it? Just from those small hints?"
Xie Zhaolin's expression didn't change. "Intuition," she said coldly, "and the fact that you were too impatient.
If you were truly an impartial book spirit, when I hesitated, you'd have guided and waited. You wouldn't have used the excuse of 'time running out' to threaten and pressure me.
Only someone whose remnant soul's fading fast, desperate to find a new vessel, would be that anxious.
From the very beginning, those so-called five trials weren't to choose a successor—they were to pick the perfect body and soul for your remnant to seize."
You Ji Shàngrén was silent for a long while before she gave a wry smile. That expression on her childlike face looked unnervingly eerie.
"Smart… terrifyingly smart," she said, shaking her head. "You're right. I am indeed You Ji.
When I failed my breakthrough, my body shattered and my Primordial Spirit was gravely wounded. Only this fragment of my soul survived, clinging to my life-bound artifact, the Heart of Ten Thousand Puppets.
I set up this entire trial to find a vessel with a flawless foundation, temperament, and talent… so I could live again."
She admitted it calmly, meeting Xie Zhaolin's eyes. "And you, you passed every test. You're the perfect candidate for me."
"So when you urged me to accept the inheritance earlier, you planned to seize me the moment my divine sense touched the jade slip?" Xie Zhaolin's voice was cold as frost.
"Yes," You Ji Shàngrén said without hesitation. "But it failed. You're sharper and… more decisive than I expected."
Xie Zhaolin didn't reply. She just tightened her grip on the jade slip, letting the power of the contract surge. You Ji Shàngrén's remnant soul trembled faintly.
"Now tell me," Xie Zhaolin said slowly, each word carrying weight, "where's the real Ten Thousand Puppets Codex?"
You Ji Shàngrén felt the tightening bind of the contract and showed a helpless, resigned look. Still, she lifted her head slightly, voice soft and almost pitiful.
"Sister… don't be mad…"
Xie Zhaolin's face twitched violently.
This ancient monster calling her 'sister' in that sweet childish tone made her scalp go numb.
"The inheritance," she repeated icily, ignoring that ridiculous 'sister'. The power of the contract pulsed again, tightening its grip.
"Ah! Wait! I'll talk! I'll tell the truth!" You Ji Shàngrén shrank back in fear, waving her hands quickly. Her face twisted into a mix of grievance and pride.
"Actually…" she began cautiously, watching Xie Zhaolin's face as her voice grew smaller, "there's no such thing as a Ten Thousand Puppets Codex written on that jade slip…"
Xie Zhaolin's eyes turned cold instantly, her killing intent rising like a storm.
"Wait! Let me finish!" You Ji Shàngrén screamed in panic. "I mean—the inheritance is me! I'm the inheritance!"
She pointed to her own nose, speaking faster, pride creeping into her voice.
"Do you know how vast and profound my lifetime of study is? How could all that fit into a tiny jade slip?
My deepest insights, my original techniques, my centuries of experience, even my understanding of the essence of the Puppet Dao—they're all fused into my very soul!
In short, my mind is the living Ten Thousand Puppets Codex! The most complete, most flexible, most creative version there could ever be!"
Her little hands waved enthusiastically as she spoke faster and faster.
"You want to refine a puppet? You run into a problem? Just ask me! I can analyze your condition and give you the best solution! That's way better than some static manual!
Tell me, isn't having a living master who holds the entire inheritance of puppet arts far more precious than any ordinary codex?"