"Come, let me introduce your new junior disciple, hmm... how about calling it Qingzhi Number One?"
Chen Ye’s face carried a touch of pride, trying to show off a bit in front of his apprentices.
With a thought, the puppet that had been kneeling on one knee slowly stood up.
Its tall stature made it appear especially imposing, almost reaching the beams.
Its pupils, glowing with a faint blue light, swept across the dim alchemy room, causing even the usually bold Qing Jun to instinctively hide behind Zhiwei.
"M-Master, it... it won’t suddenly start hitting us, right?"
Qing Jun tugged at Zhiwei’s sleeve and asked softly, her phoenix eyes filled with curiosity and a hint of trepidation.
"How could it?" Chen Ye laughed, "It’s a puppet, only obeys my commands. Come, say hello to the junior sisters."
With a thought from Chen Ye, the puppet lightly waved at the two little girls.
"Wow!"
Qing Jun’s eyes lit up instantly. She peeked out her little head from behind Zhiwei, circled around Qingzhi, and curiously poked its cold, hard little leg with her small hand,
"Amazing! Master, can Qingzhi cook? Can it tell stories?"
Zhiwei also reached out her hand, brought over a small stool, stood on tiptoe, and touched Qingzhi’s chest cavity:
"Hmm... such a strong wave of spiritual power, seems to have a hint of Bai Susu’s aura."
Chen Ye nodded approvingly, indeed it was his prized disciple who could spot the key at a glance:
"Though this core is damaged, it is, after all, a second-tier core, with a trace of Foundation Establishment aura... probably the Bai Susu aura you felt."
The two little ones both opened their small mouths in astonishment.
This is Foundation Establishment!
No matter which market, the Foundation Establishment is considered the pinnacle among cultivators!
One was touching the chest core, the other was touching the small leg, both filled with curiosity.
Inside, Chen Ye felt even prouder, cleared his throat, deciding to display his masterpiece well in front of his apprentices.
"Watch closely!"
With a thought from Chen Ye, he commanded Qingzhi to pace slowly around the alchemy room.
"Boom... Boom... Boom..."
Every step Qingzhi took caused the entire ground to tremble slightly, the heavy pressure making the two little girls instinctively hold their breath.
Of course, this was deliberate on Chen Ye’s part.
The intention was simply to amuse the two apprentices.
Actually, Qingzhi could walk just like an ordinary person.
"And that’s not all!"
Seeing the two apprentices thoroughly taken aback, Chen Ye got even more playful.
He took out half a bag of spirit grain flour and a basin of clean water from his storage bag, strode to face Qingzhi, and declared grandly, "Today, let me show you what is called... a fully automatic combat puppet for assisting alchemy!"
Saying that, he poured the flour and water into a giant stone basin, giving Qingzhi an order, "Qingzhi, knead the dough!"
Qing Jun and Zhiwei both curiously crowded in, eager to see how this big guy would knead the dough.
They saw Qingzhi’s blue eyes gleam for a moment, its metallic palm slowly lift up and aim at the soft dough in the stone basin.
The next moment, under the eager gazes of the two little girls, Qingzhi’s arm suddenly descended!
Gone was the gentle kneading they expected, nor was there any dough-kneading skill involved.
"Bang——!!!!"
With a loud crash!
The giant metallic fist, carried by the terrifying force from the divine power core, slammed solidly into the stone basin!
Instantly, the entire alchemy room seemed like it had detonated a flour bomb!
White powder shot into the sky, engulfing everything inside in an instant.
Chen Ye, Qing Jun, Zhiwei, including that tall puppet, were all covered in snow-white amidst the sudden flour storm.
The air became thick with the choking powder and the smell of raw dough.
The alchemy room was in dead silence.
Chen Ye stood frozen, his face, hair, and clothes covered in white flour, only his eyes still blinking in shock.
He looked at himself, disheveled, then at the metallic fist still deeply embedded in the stone basin, and the dough smashed beyond recognition underneath it, feeling a mix of laughter and tears.
"Pfft... hahaha!"
The first to break the silence was Qing Jun.
The little girl, staring at her master’s comical appearance, like he’d just been fished out of a flour vat, initially froze, but then couldn’t hold it in any longer. She clutched her belly, bursting into a laughter like silver bells.
"Master... haha... you... you look like a snowman! No... even whiter than a snowman! Hahaha!"
Even the usually cool Zhiwei had a slight upward curve on her lips, her clear black and white eyes filled with a hint of faint mirth.
Chen Ye looked at his two apprentices laughing and tumbling around, sighed helplessly.
He wiped a hand over his flour-covered face, only to spread it more, looking like a big tabby cat.
"It seems... Qingzhi’s strength still needs proper training." He coughed lightly, trying to salvage some of his master’s dignity.
The puppet, after all, was newly forged and still needed some basic training.
If trained well, surely tasks like cooking would be a breeze.
Qing Jun finally managed to stop her laughter, running to Chen Ye’s side, tiptoeing, using her tiny flour-covered hand to pat off the "snow" from his body, her little face brimming with teasing amusement:
"Master, it seems cooking is still up to Qing Jun. Junior Qingzhi... it seems it only knows how to fight!"
The little girl let out a sigh of relief.
This junior almost stole her job!
Clearly, cooking for the master was Qing Jun’s responsibility!
...
Unbeknownst to them, a month’s assignment at the Herb Pavilion in the Moon Rhinoceros Lake District flew by in a flash.