Chapter 923: Purple Figure

In the blink of an eye, over half a month had passed.

The people of Puppet City moved quickly, having already constructed the main frame of the Star Falcon Flying Boat. Although it would still take some time to complete the entire vessel, the restrictions on the boat needed to be laid out starting now.

"This is the blueprint for the Star Falcon Flying Boat. Take a look first; I'll explain it to you in detail later. Hmph! You're lucky—otherwise, on ordinary days, you wouldn't even get a glimpse of my blueprints," said Lady Liuhua, flipping her hand to produce four jade slips and handing them to the four. She clicked her tongue as if they were getting a great bargain.

Xuanyuan Xing and the other two wore wry smiles but dared not say anything, focusing instead on studying the contents of the blueprints.

Han Li's divine sense entered the jade slip and found a diagram of a flying boat shaped like a bird, surrounded by numerous annotations and star runes forming an exquisitely intricate star restriction chart.

Seeing this, thoughts churned in his mind.

Over these days, he had studied the way of star restrictions under Lady Liuhua and had achieved some success. Combined with his previous experience in artifact refining and formations, he could now roughly understand this set of star restrictions.

"This set of star restrictions doesn't seem to be for defense; it implies a summoning intent..." Han Li murmured to himself after observing for a while.

Xuanyuan Xing and the other two lacked sufficient cultivation in restrictions and couldn't understand the restrictions within the jade slip, so they could only slowly explore the peripheral parts.

"Alright, now I'll explain the key points of this Star Falcon Restriction," Lady Liuhua said after waiting a quarter of an hour, interrupting their thoughts and beginning to explain the restrictions in the jade slip.

Han Li quickly focused his mind and listened attentively.

He had already gained some insight into this set of restrictions, and after Lady Liuhua's explanation, many of the puzzles in his mind became clear.

However, Xuanyuan Xing and the other two had too weak a foundation and still looked bewildered.

Perhaps for some reason, Lady Liuhua was quite patient this time, explaining carefully several times until the three roughly understood the restrictions.

"Alright, let's go!" Lady Liuhua glared at the three and led them to the flying boat.

The people of Puppet City were still busy there. Seeing Han Li and the other four approach, though their eyes still held a hint of hostility, they did not stop them.

"Fellow Daoist Liuhua, and fellow Daoists, you've arrived. The main frame of the Star Falcon Flying Boat is now set up; next, we'll see your skills," said a young man who walked over. It was the handsome young man in black armor from before, Zhuo Ge, speaking with a smile.

"Indeed," Lady Liuhua replied coldly with a nod, then ignored him and began giving orders to Han Li and the other four.

"I am responsible for the main array pattern on the keel. Li Feiyu, you have the highest skill in carving array patterns among the four of us, so you handle the left stringer. Lü Gang and Liang Fa handle the right stringer, and Xuan Yuanxing handles the stern."

"Yes." The several people acknowledged and each began to busy themselves.

Zhuo Ge, treated so coldly, was not angered and still kept a smile on his face.

His gaze shifted and fell on Han Li. He smiled at Han Li and greeted him: "Brother Li, we meet again."

"I'm afraid there will be many occasions for cooperation between our two sides from now on." Han Li nodded at the handsome young man and said.

"Looking forward to working together." Zhuo Ge's smile deepened.

Although Han Li and the other had only exchanged a few words, it attracted the attention of many around them.

Among the people from Puppet City, except for the two women in black dresses whom Han Li had saved earlier, most wore cold expressions tinged with hostility. Xuan Yuanxing and his companions also frowned, and the atmosphere nearby immediately became tense.

"Li Feiyu, stop chatting idly and get to work!" Madam Liuhua's face darkened as she shouted.

Han Li smiled nonchalantly at Zhuo Ge, acknowledged with a word, and walked over to the flying boat to begin carving array patterns swiftly.

Seeing this, the nearby people withdrew their gazes, and the atmosphere gradually relaxed.

Zhuo Ge did not linger. He quietly gave some instructions to the Puppet City people beside him and soon turned and walked away.

While carving array patterns, Han Li glanced out of the corner of his eye at the young man's retreating figure.

He had originally planned to get closer to this person and try to probe for news about Zi Ling, but now was clearly not a good time.

As he pondered, he casually cast a glance toward the Puppet City camp, where tents stood in layers.

The tents were made of special materials that could block spiritual sense, making it impossible to detect what was inside.

However, he was not discouraged. His hands kept moving as he calculated inwardly.

The five of them, Han Li included, worked together almost day and night. After half a month, the prohibitions on the main frame of the flying boat were more than half completed.

But this did not mean that the Star Falcon Prohibition was half finished. The prohibitions on the main frame were only part of the overall prohibition; the main work could only begin after the flying boat was fully completed.

Han Li quickly inscribed the array patterns, and the star liquid at hand was soon used up. He was about to fetch some more.

Just then, a burst of footsteps came from within the puppet city's tent, accompanied by several loud laughs—it was E Kuai's voice.

Han Li was not surprised, for half a day earlier, E Kuai had taken Chen Yang and others to visit the puppet city. He did not know what they discussed, but judging by his cheerful laughter, things had gone smoothly.

Soon, E Kuai and his group came into Han Li's view. Sha Xin, along with Zhuo Ge and four or five others, saw them off from behind.

Han Li's body suddenly stiffened, his gaze fixed on a purple figure beside Sha Xin.

The figure appeared to be a woman, her form graceful and alluring. She wore a black bamboo hat from which a veil of black gauze hung, obscuring her face.

Though he could not see her face, for some reason he felt that her silhouette bore a certain resemblance to the former Zi Ling.

Han Li's heart stirred, and he wanted to find an excuse to go over for a look, but the purple figure whispered something to Sha Xin and turned back into the tent.

Anxious, Han Li subconsciously strode forward in pursuit.

"Sir, please stop. Ahead lies the camp of our puppet city; outsiders are not permitted to enter!" A figure flickered, and a young man in a golden robe appeared out of thin air before Han Li, blocking his path.

Han Li halted, his eyes narrowing slightly. He then let out a soft breath, and his expression immediately returned to calm.

"I have some business with City Lord Chen Yang. Seeing him come out, I wished to meet him. I was rash for a moment; I beg your pardon..." He began to apologize, but his words trailed off as his eyes fixed on the golden-robed youth before him.

This person looked no different from an ordinary man in appearance, yet he lacked the aura of a living being. He was actually a puppet, somewhat similar to the Crab Immortal.

However, though this human puppet had a gleam in its eyes, it was somewhat dull, clearly inferior to the Crab Immortal.

"Please step back, sir," the golden-robed puppet said indifferently.

Han Li nodded, turned around, and walked back to the Xuan City encampment. He took a bottle of star liquid and headed toward the star ark.

"Li Feiyu, I will say it once more: focus on inscribing the array diagram and do not be distracted by other matters. Otherwise, do not blame me for being rude!" Madam Liuhua suddenly blocked Han Li's path, speaking with displeasure.

"Rest assured, Senior. The part I am responsible for will be finished soon," Han Li replied with a nod, appearing very respectful.

Madam Liuhua shot Han Li a glare but did not linger; she turned and left.

"You think I can't see that you're trying to get close to the puppet city people? But the two sides are at odds like fire and water. If you're suspected of being a spy, you'll be in deep trouble!"

Just as Han Li bent down, Madam Liuhua's voice reached his ears.

He lifted his head slightly, glanced at Madam Liuhua's retreating back, then bent down and began to busy himself.

The five of them continued working and finally finished inscribing all the array patterns on the main frame of the flying boat before dark on the third day, earning preliminary approval from Madam Liuhua.

However, after half a month of hard work, especially since inscribing the star prohibitions consumed much divine sense, their faces were all rather pale.

"You have all worked hard. The subsequent array patterns will have to wait until the puppet city finishes building the Star Falcon Flying Boat before we can begin drawing them. Until the boat is completed, you may rest well," Madam Liuhua said, her attitude toward Xuan Yuan Xing and the other two having improved considerably, her tone much gentler.

"Yes," Xuan Yuan Xing and the other two replied and headed to their respective lodgings.

Han Li also took his leave from Madam Liuhua, but she called him back.

"Lad Li, what are you planning by contacting the puppet city people?" Madam Liuhua looked into Han Li's eyes, her expression unexpectedly serious.

"I need a certain material that is said to be only available in the puppet city. That is why I tried to make contact with them, to see if I could trade for it. Rest assured, Senior Liuhua, I will not let this delay the main task again," Han Li averted his gaze and made up a flimsy excuse instead of telling the truth.

"Hmph! Do you think I would believe such nonsense? I don't care what you want to do. Xuan City and the puppet city are mortal enemies, and this enmity can never be resolved. It is only due to the external danger that the two cities are cooperating now. Once we enter the Great Ruins, they will turn against each other immediately. If you are smart, stop纠缠 with the puppet city. Otherwise, if you incur public wrath, even though Xuan City is large, there will be no place for you to stand," Madam Liuhua snorted and said.

Han Li's eyes flickered. Though Madam Liuhua's words were cold, she was also concerned for his safety, and his heart warmed.

"Thank you for the advice, Senior Liuhua. I will remember it," Han Li nodded in gratitude.

Madam Liuhua gave another snort and turned away.

Han Li stood still for a moment, then turned his head to glance toward the puppet city's encampment before heading back to his own lodging.

As night fell, a blurry figure silently slipped out of a tent, concealed itself in the shadow of a nearby mountain, and slowly left the Xuan City encampment, making its way toward the puppet city's camp.

This blurry figure was not only extremely faint in color but also emitted no aura, like a ghost.

The blurry figure soon reached the puppet city's camp and slowly peered out from behind a large rock. It was none other than Han Li.

He looked toward the puppet city's camp, his eyes flickering.

Three days ago, after seeing that purple figure, he had pondered repeatedly and finally could not suppress his emotions. Though he knew it was dangerous, he still came to investigate.