Shen Yuqing charged up furiously, kicking Zhao Youwei and Qin Shao, aiming for their groins, ribs, and other vulnerable spots.
Both men screamed in agony, their eyes rolling back in their heads, before she finally stopped.
"Xiao Fan, what do we do with these two?" Liu Muci asked.
Lin Fan grinned. "Keep them. We don't know if Lingshan is dangerous yet. We'll use them as lab rats to scout ahead for us."
He added, "Sister Muci, please take Shen Yuqing and Xiao Yue upstairs to wash up. I have something to discuss with this puppeteer."
Liu Muci gave him a deep look and nodded before leaving.
Soon, the sounds of running water could be heard from upstairs.
Lin Fan squatted in front of Zhao Youwei and said, "Show me your String Manipulation Sect's secret manuals, and I'll spare your life."
"You're dreaming!"
Zhao Youwei showed some backbone. Despite being battered and bruised, he refused to divulge his sect's profound techniques.
Lin Fan, too lazy to waste more words, placed his right hand over Zhao Youwei's head.
A stream of purple light surged in!
Soon, Lin Fan had extracted all the puppetry techniques from Zhao Youwei's memory.
"Lin Fan, what are you doing here?"
Suddenly, a woman's voice came from behind them.
Ye Qingcheng and Ling'er stood at the doorway, both looking utterly incredulous.
Lin Fan turned his head and smiled slightly.
He was also somewhat surprised to encounter Ye Qingcheng here.
"Long time no see."
"Long time no see."
Ye Qingcheng wore a white tracksuit, her hair styled in a bun, making her appear a bit cuter and less aloof.
However, her gaze remained cold, as if to keep people a thousand miles away.
Ling'er stood beside her, feeling uneasy upon seeing Lin Fan.
Lin Fan smiled. "Miss Ling'er, I look forward to boating on the lake with you again, watching the sunrise and sunset."
"Bastard!"
Ling'er exclaimed, "Lin Fan, who let you come here?"
Lin Fan spread his hands. "Lingshan isn't owned by your family. If so many others can come, why can't I?"
"I think you deliberately followed Miss and me here!"
"Ling'er!"
Ye Qingcheng signaled her to stop, then looked at the two men on the ground with bruised faces, a hint of confusion in her eyes. "Who are these two...?"
Lin Fan quipped, "These two are my friends. They were born this way."
"Right, what are you here for?"
He stood up and asked.
"Just passing by. We wanted to use the restroom, but it seems inconvenient here, so we'll forget it."
Ye Qingcheng said, then turned to leave.
"It's convenient. Go ahead."
Lin Fan gestured towards the restroom.
There were bathrooms and showers on both the first and second floors.
Liu Muci and the other two women were upstairs for privacy.
The first-floor restroom was empty.
Ye Qingcheng nodded in thanks and quickly entered the restroom.
Splash, splash...
The sound of a faucet running could be heard from inside, masking other noises.
A moment later, Ye Qingcheng emerged.
After they left, Lin Fan's face darkened.
Ye Qingcheng was no ordinary woman. She knew about Mirror Flower Water Moon and shared the same dreams as him.
Furthermore, this woman had spiritual energy within her, and her strength was unknown.
Her and Ling'er's appearance at Lingshan was definitely not a coincidence.
It was likely that there was something in the mountains that she needed.
"Yuqing, I'm done washing. It's your turn," Liu Muci's voice came from upstairs.
She was drying her wet hair with a towel and asked from the top of the stairs, "Who was just here?"
"Someone passing by who needed to use the toilet," Lin Fan replied.
"Once Yuqing and Xiao Yue are done, we can set off," Liu Muci reminded them.
She then returned to her room to change and organize her gear.
Lin Fan, with nothing else to do, began to study the puppetry techniques.
The secret manual in Zhao Youwei's memory was only a fragment, not the complete String Manipulation Sect's techniques.
It only recorded the methods for controlling humans, beasts, and corpses.
There were two types of puppetry techniques in the String Manipulation Sect: one was to control the opponent by connecting their central nervous system with silk threads, which was the entry-level.
The advanced puppetry technique involved solidifying the internal true qi into invisible silk threads for remote control.
Lin Fan had no interest in the low-level puppetry techniques.
He closed his eyes and perfected the method of circulating the puppetry techniques.
A thin purple thread slowly emerged from the tip of his right index finger.
Zhao Youwei's eyes widened. "You, you actually learned... learned our String Manipulation Sect's advanced puppetry technique instantly?!"
This was simply monstrous!
He had been studying under his master since childhood and only learned the low-level puppetry technique in his thirties.
According to his master, it would take at least another twenty years to learn the advanced puppetry technique!
Yet, Lin Fan had learned it instantly!
This dealt him a heavy blow.
"Is it difficult?"
Lin Fan was puzzled. Learning this puppetry technique was easier than studying, with all the skills concentrated in the hands.
"Longer, even longer!"
He felt a playful urge and muttered to himself.
The purple thread from his fingertip began to grow.
From the initial dozen centimeters, it extended to one meter, two meters, three meters...
Finally, it reached over ten meters long, extending all the way to the second floor.
"Is this the limit?"
After reaching ten meters, Lin Fan felt a strain.
The thread seemed to become uncontrollable, swaying erratically on the second floor.
However, he wasn't in a hurry.
The String Manipulation Sect's puppetry technique was something that improved with practice.
Reaching a distance of ten meters on the first try was already the work of a prodigy.
He would just need to practice diligently in the future.
"Ah! Why can't I move again?!"
Suddenly, Shen Yuqing's surprised cry came from the bathroom.
The purple thread, without anyone noticing, had slipped in through the crack in the door.
One end was in Lin Fan's hand, and the other was attached to Shen Yuqing.
"..."
Lin Fan was speechless. With a slight movement of his fingertip, he tried to retract the thread.
"Ah! I'm not wearing any clothes! Don't control me out!"
Shen Yuqing cried out in panic, her voice rising.
She slowly walked out of the bathroom, like a puppet.
"Don't peek!"
Lin Fan quickly knocked out the two pig-faced men and turned away himself, not looking.
Shen Yuqing's fair skin was adorned with water droplets, reflecting a beautiful sheen under the lights.
In fact, there was no risk of exposure, as she was covered in white foam from the body wash, obscuring even her navel.
"Lin Fan, it's you!"
Shen Yuqing trembled with rage, "You scoundrel, you bastard! Let me go quickly!"
The angrier she became, the more flustered Lin Fan got.
The purple thread moved erratically in the air. Lin Fan only made a slight movement of his finger, yet Shen Yuqing's body made a large, uncontrolled movement.
"Ah!!!"
Shen Yuqing screamed loudly.
Lin Fan saw a flash of white plummeting from above.
Thump!
His vision was filled with white!
A slight breeze blew, carrying the body wash into the air, transforming into colorful bubbles.
Shen Yuqing had actually jumped from the second floor, crashing directly onto him!