INE Chapter 106: Madam Ji

The northern market of Xuanji City was bustling, with shops lining the streets.

But as one moved southward, the crowd thinned, and the area gradually became more desolate.

Due to Madam Mo's long-time companionship with puppets and her love for quiet, she had chosen to build the Tiangong Workshop in the southern part of Xuanji City.

Taiping Palace was in the north, while the Tiangong Workshop was far to the south, separated by a long distance.

Though cultivators could fly on swords, Madam Mo was naturally lazy, not fond of the wind or of flying on a sword.

Thus, Ji Rong and her group had to accommodate Madam Mo and travel by carriage toward the south.

Although Gu Baiyi was now Madam Mo’s “disciple." the fiery-tempered horse that pulled the carriage wouldn’t necessarily listen to anyone other than her.

As a result, she still took the reins, diligently playing the role of a carriage driver.

The path through the fields was somewhat charming.

Gu Baiyi rode on horseback, squinting as the sunlight filtered through the gaps in the trees, gently falling on her face.

It was soft and delicate, like willow catkins.

Opening her eyes, she saw a line of egrets wading through the water, flying toward the overlapping mountains, disappearing into the flowing clouds.

A smile tugged at the corner of Gu Baiyi’s mouth, her mood light and carefree.

The landscape and scenery made her feel as though she were a bodyguard, escorting precious cargo.

The carriage contained the treasure she was tasked to protect, and sitting beside it was a person even more precious than any treasure.

With a flick of the reins, Gu Baiyi hadn’t felt this sense of freedom in a long time.

It felt as though she were not driving a carriage but rather traveling with a companion on a grand adventure.

Inside the carriage, Ji Rong, however, felt bored.

Her companion, Jiang Fei, after finishing the preserved plum candy, fell silent and began meditating.

Opposite her, Madam Mo was busy with the puppet, instructing Wei Zongqiu to help untangle the silver threads.

The threads, impossible to untangle, seemed like they’d never be properly arranged.

Ji Rong had been reminiscing about the dream she’d had the previous night, but at this moment, watching Wei Zongqiu’s forlorn expression, she was pulled from her deep thoughts.

As she came back to reality, she couldn’t help but sigh.

Indeed, even the heavens seemed to be setting obstacles, not wanting her to think too much.

She truly didn’t understand why she had dreamed of the original owner. Perhaps it was the Cangming Sword playing tricks, or maybe the blood jade bracelet had something to do with it.

Regardless, something felt off, but she couldn’t pinpoint the issue.

After thinking for a while, Ji Rong recalled the moment when she had fallen asleep in Gu Baiyi’s arms the previous night. In a half-dream state, she seemed to have seen an imprint of a Bao Xiang flower.

The mark was faint and familiar, but she couldn’t remember where she had seen it before.

After much thought, she couldn’t figure it out, so she shook off her thoughts and lifted the curtain of the carriage.

It was early summer. The wheat had grown tall and spread across the terraced fields, the green waves swaying in the wind.

The sound of hooves echoed.

Before long, the carriage wheels disappeared into the dense forest, and the green sea under the sunlight faded from Ji Rong’s view.

She hadn’t had a chance to fully appreciate the scenery before the carriage stopped.

As she lowered the curtain, Madam Mo had already tidied the threads and happily hopped down from the carriage, taking the puppet and heading toward the Tiangong Workshop.

Madam Mo had lived in seclusion in the deep mountains for many years, and was not particularly versed in worldly affairs.

However, everyone understood. Though Madam Mo hadn’t invited them, since they had come all this way, they followed her.

They passed through the dense forest and climbed halfway up the mountain before Ji Rong saw the fabled Tiangong Workshop.

At a glance, the building wasn’t particularly large.

Climbing vines covered the walls, but there was no sense of freshness or vitality, mainly because at the entrance of the Tiangong Workshop stood two extremely ugly puppets.

One stood to the left, the other to the right, both equally terrifying in appearance.

Not only did Ji Rong feel her eyelids twitching at their ugliness, even Gu Baiyi, who had lived two lives, was taken aback by how bizarre they looked.

Madam Mo, gazing at the two puppets, smiled and turned to them, asking, “Do you think these puppets are ugly?”

Everyone fell silent.

Anyone with eyes would think they were hideous.

“Ah, actually, I agree. These two little ones aren’t very pleasant to look at.”

Madam Mo extended her finger and caressed the unusual bones of the puppets. “But my mother used to say, they were once quite beautiful. If it wasn’t for a noble person turning them into this, they wouldn’t have ended up so ugly.”

Jiang Fei frowned slightly. “Senior, if it’s just ordinary magic, the puppets should last at most a hundred years, but Madam Mo…”

She didn’t finish her sentence, as it seemed somewhat impolite.

Madam Mo smiled and continued for her, “You’re trying to say that my mother was a puppet master who lived for over five hundred years, and I’ve lived over four hundred years myself.”

“By now, these puppets have been around for nearly a thousand years. If someone had used magic on them, they should have returned to their original form by now. Why are they still in this state?”

Jiang Fei nodded.

“My mother told me that these two puppets were actually cursed by an immortal.”

An immortal?

Ji Rong felt somewhat puzzled. In the realm of cultivation, aside from the legendary Sanhua and Minghua, there were no other immortals that she had heard of.

Madam Mo smiled softly. “My mother once told me that the immortal was accompanied by a woman.”

“I don’t know what the woman said, but the immortal made these two puppets grotesque. Later, the immortal left, forgetting to reverse the spell, and they’ve stayed this way ever since.”

“…”

It did sound quite bizarre.

Afterward, Madam Mo stopped talking about the matter, letting her hand fall from the puppets’ faces and carelessly adding, “But this was just a bedtime story my mother told me. By then, she had lived for over five hundred years and was quite senile. Who knows what she made up, claiming them to be true immortals.”

At that moment, Ji Rong unexpectedly spoke up, “Senior, I believe there are true immortals in the world.”

The others were surprised and turned to look at her.

[Ding! Madam Mo's Favorability +50]

Madam Mo, somewhat confused, smiled and said sharply, “Young City Lord, my mother was already over five hundred years old when she passed. She was crazy by then. Do you really believe the words of a madwoman?”

Ji Rong thought to herself, despite what she said, her favorability had increased quite honestly.

Though she didn’t understand why a casual comment would boost Madam Mo’s favorability, she must have had a reason to say it.

Previously, when the Demon Lord drained her blood in the Mountains and Rivers Chessboard, he had said she resembled the Immortal Sanhua.

At that time, she had used her sister’s body as a vessel.

Her sister had always been unattached and cold-hearted. If one day she ascended to immortality, Ji Rong wouldn’t find it strange.

However, after saying that, Ji Rong regretted it.

It was difficult to explain to Madam Mo how she knew about the existence of Immortal Sanhua.

While she pondered over what to say to cover up, the sound of footsteps from the Tiangong Workshop entrance caught her attention.

The sound was light, but everyone present, being cultivators, could detect the faint noise.

Ji Rong looked up, her gaze fixed on the doorway.

A slender figure stood beneath the eaves, seemingly a woman.

The woman’s face was pale, and she wore a jade pendant of blue lotus on her earlobe. Her eyes were gentle and serene.

She coughed lightly, smiled at Ji Rong, and softly said, “Changqin, I also believe.”

Madam Mo, seeing the woman, was surprised and exclaimed, “Madam Ji, you’re awake?”

The workshop was filled with various puppets and mechanical parts, looking somewhat disorganized.

Ji Rong never expected that her first meeting with the original owner's mother would happen in such an environment.

Moreover, Madam Ji was coughing, and it seemed there might be a problem with her lungs. Would staying in this workshop worsen her condition?

The next moment, Ji Rong saw Madam Ji lying on the bed, allowing Madam Mo to wrap her arm with silver thread, the green earrings gently swaying.

At the end of the thread, several puppets were connected. These puppets were beautifully crafted, with delicate features, looking as lifelike as real people.

Gu Baiyi stood beside Ji Rong, quietly observing. He then transmitted his voice to her consciousness: “Senior Sister, this should be the Puppet Life-Borrowing Technique.”

Ji Rong nodded in agreement.

The Puppet Life-Borrowing Technique was something she had heard of in the game.

In the cultivation world, puppet masters would spend many years crafting a puppet. Once the seal was lifted, the puppet would have a life of its own.

These puppets were not only weapons for the puppet master, but could also avert disasters, solve problems, and even extend others’ lives.

Ji Rong couldn’t help but wonder: since puppets could grant eternal life, why did Madam Mo’s mother still pass away?

Achieving ascension and gaining eternal life was supposed to be the ultimate goal for every cultivator.

But Madam Mo had said her mother not only died but also went mad. That was strange.

At that moment, the technique Madam Mo was using on Madam Ji was not to extend her life through puppetry.

She was simply transferring Madam Ji’s pain to the puppet, which is why it was called "borrowing life."

Madam Ji lay on the bed, her face gentle.

She watched as the black mist from the thread moved to the puppet, and softly said, “Sister Mo, why must you make her suffer? I’ve lived for so many years; it’s time...”

“Shh.”

Madam Mo glanced at Madam Ji, her tone pointed, “The Young City Lord is still here. Please don’t say nonsense.”

Ji Rong was suddenly mentioned and felt confused.

Then, she recalled that in the game’s background, Ji An’s wife seemed to be a mortal who couldn’t cultivate.

It was said that Lord Ji fell in love with Madam Ji at first sight, and despite many obstacles, he stubbornly chose to marry her.

After many years of marriage, when they were past the age of uncertainty, they finally had a daughter, named Ji Rong.

Given this, the original owner’s mother must be over sixty by now.

Yet, Madam Ji still looked young and beautiful, making it hard to believe she was in her sixties.

“Indeed, I still have Changqin.”

Madam Ji smiled, turned her head, and gently looked at Ji Rong, “Changqin, come and talk with your mother for a while.”

Hearing this, Ji Rong felt awkward.

She wasn’t the real Ji Rong. What could she possibly say to Madam Ji?

But everyone else, sensing the situation, tactfully withdrew, leaving the mother and daughter alone.

They even closed the door behind them, creating a quiet, enclosed space for them.

“…”

Ji Rong silently thanked them.

Only Gu Baiyi knew how awkward Ji Rong felt. Before leaving, he squeezed her hand and whispered comforting words: “Senior Sister, don’t be afraid.”

Ji Rong: ?

What is there to be afraid of? I’m just embarrassed.

Once Gu Baiyi left, the room fell into a chilling silence.

At this moment, Ji Rong looked at Madam Ji, feeling quite uneasy.

Although the original owner’s mother was kind and gentle, she wasn’t really her mother, and Ji Rong didn’t know what to say.

Madam Ji seemed oblivious to Ji Rong’s discomfort. She lay sideways on the bed, smiling as she waved for Ji Rong to come closer: “Changqin, sit by my side.”

Ji Rong nodded and obediently sat by the bed, her scalp tingling with embarrassment.

Up close, she could see Madam Ji’s delicate face and the clear, serene eyes like a landscape.

But it was still delicate, nothing like the original owner's face.

So Ji Rong concluded that the original owner either was adopted or had some genetic mutation, inheriting features from her ancestors instead.

Madam Ji didn’t know Ji Rong’s thoughts, only gazing at her with affection, and softly asked: “Changqin, do you remember what you said to me before you left for the Wanjian Sect?”

“…”

How would she know what the original owner said?

Ji Rong could only nervously answer, “I don’t remember.”

“You don’t remember? That’s quite like you.” Madam Ji smiled, “Sometimes, poor memory can actually be a blessing.”

Ji Rong, not quite understanding Madam Ji’s logic, asked, “Why is a bad memory a good thing?”

Madam Ji didn’t seem to mind that Ji Rong hadn’t called her "mother." She simply smiled gently and began to tell a story: “When I was born, the doctor said I was frail and wouldn’t live past twenty. Then I met your father. He didn’t believe in fate, and insisted on marrying me. With elixirs, he extended my life for all these years.”

“But later, my sisters grew old, had children and grandchildren. Eventually, my siblings were buried, but here I am, still living.”

Madam Ji looked at the silver thread winding around her arm, “Sometimes, I feel lonely, and I tell your father, it’s time for me to go. I’ve lived for so many years thanks to you, and I’m happy, but I should go now.”

Ji Rong looked at the beautiful yet fragile woman before her and quietly asked: “Mother, would you be willing to leave Father?”

“Of course I wouldn’t want to, but I... want to die naturally.”

Madam Ji’s large, beautiful eyes softened as she said, “Changqin, my sisters envy me, saying I don’t grow old and that I found such a wonderful husband. But I envy them. I want to grow wrinkles, get spots, age slowly, and eventually be buried in the ground, like a normal person, and die naturally.”

“So I’d rather your father forget me, so I can die with dignity, than become a beautiful puppet, taking medicine every day, relying on these threads to extend my life.”

Indeed, although Madam Ji wasn’t Ji Rong’s real mother, Ji Rong understood her at this moment.

Watching loved ones and friends pass away, feeling powerless, and having to rely on others, becoming a puppet, was undoubtedly a cruel fate.

After speaking so much, Madam Ji frowned and picked up a silk handkerchief, covering her mouth as she coughed.

Ji Rong, seeing this, gently placed her hand on Madam Ji’s back to soothe her.

【Ding! Madam Ji's affection for you +100】

After the coughing subsided, Madam Ji looked at Ji Rong with warmth and tenderness: “Good child, although I’m not your real mother, hearing you call me mother just now made me feel so emotional. I ended up saying all of this, but you don’t need to take it to heart.”

Ji Rong’s hand, which had been resting on Madam Ji’s back, froze in place.

What???

Madam Ji wasn’t the original owner’s real mother?

At that moment, the electronic notification sounded.

【Detected that Madam Ji’s affection for the player is ≥100. The side quest “Xuanji’s First Snow” has been unlocked.】

【The player may use Gu Baiyi’s 1000 affection points to exchange for the “Mind Reading” item ×1 in the shop.】

【Mind Reading is a one-time use item. In special circumstances, it may also include a memory recall effect. Please use it cautiously.】

【Any consequences will be at the player’s own risk.】