Volume One: Another World Chapter Thirty-Seven: Five-Star Reward—Prototype Marionette

Li Yu joined the conversation as well. Compared to Qing Anqi, he had spent far more time in the Reward Space.
“What did you say? The person guiding inside looks exactly like our ancestor?” Qing Heng’s brows furrowed. Was there a space underground? How had he been the county lord for so many years without knowing about this?
“Don’t be hasty, wait a moment,” Qing Heng said softly, then turned and ordered, “Qing Yi, go call a few elders from the clan.”
“County Lord, I’ll take my leave now!” Li Yu said. The rest would likely involve family matters, which he wasn’t suited to hear. Besides, he had already shared everything he knew.
Qing Heng didn’t ask him to stay, smiling, “Yes, you should go rest. Take care of your injuries. Don’t forget to change the dressing tomorrow.”
Li Yu thought for a moment, deciding not to pick up the robe on the floor; it belonged to the Qing clan, after all, and all his needs were provided by them anyway. “County Lord, look through these things and keep what you need. Whatever’s left, let Anqi bring to me.”
Qing Heng nodded. “All right.”
As Li Yu and Xiao Cui left, they saw a crowd bustling toward the main hall. The two took a small path to the side, and Xiao Cui found a closed carriage drawn by a strange beast. They boarded and headed toward the lakeside residence.
“Master, if you feel anything unusual, please tell me immediately,” Xiao Cui said as she tied the last knot.
Li Yu glanced down. Aside from his neck, the rest of his body was thoroughly bandaged.
“Okay, I’ll definitely tell you if anything comes up!” Li Yu said, a bit melancholy. Only his neck was left untouched; everything else had been treated.
This time, he really had suffered some serious injuries.
…
…
The next day, Li Yu was propped up against the headboard.
Though yesterday’s injuries were mostly scrapes and bruises, he woke early this morning from the pain. Even the slightest movement made it worse.
Xiao Cui brought him a bowl of pitch-black medicinal soup. “Master, just take medicine today. By tomorrow, you’ll be much better.”
The strong bitterness wafted over; Li Yu’s nose twitched as he drank it down, grimacing.
“Sigh, Xiao Cui, could you get me some books from the Library? Preferably ones about the Empire,” Li Yu said as he gazed out at the lakeshore, feeling bored. His phone was off-limits.
“From the Library?” Xiao Cui hesitated, reminding him, “Master, before, I always got the books from Pingsi Academy.”
Pingsi Academy? So there was a school within the clan grounds?
“Then just—”
[Ding, check-in location updated: Pingsi Academy.]
The system’s electronic voice sounded in his mind. Li Yu was intrigued; these days, check-in locations had been updating frequently, and lately, there were more conversations and places being mentioned.
He felt he had grasped the system’s pattern for issuing check-in locations.
“Never mind,” Li Yu changed his mind, “I’ll just go to Pingsi Academy myself.”
“Master, I can fetch the books for you,” Xiao Cui offered.
“No need. Moving around helps recovery.” This was a new check-in location, and Li Yu couldn’t possibly pass it up. No matter how far, he’d go—what if he checked in and got something useful for healing? Waiting until he recovered would be too late.
Xiao Cui’s lips twitched. “…” Didn’t you just wake up in agony, refusing to move? Is this really you?
Besides, isn’t there a saying about needing a hundred days to recover from tendon and bone injuries? Shouldn’t you be resting and not worrying about anything?
In the end, they set out together.
“This is Pingsi Academy? The scholarly atmosphere here is so rich! Studying here must be wonderful!” Li Yu said contentedly.
Before them were a few shabby wooden huts, overgrown with weeds in the corners. Through the open doors, only a handful of people could be seen busy inside.
Xiao Cui observed carefully but found nothing of the scholarly aura Li Yu described.
This place was actually where the Qing clan revised ancient texts. Little was produced here, but it bore the name of an academy to secure clan funding, ensuring that the enthusiasts of history didn’t go hungry in pursuit of their passion.
If not for the fact that the books Li Yu wanted were most numerous and comprehensive here, Xiao Cui wouldn’t even have known this place existed in the clan! (When Li Yu first arrived in the Qing clan, he wanted history books.)
Xiao Cui sighed; perhaps this was the difference between genius and ordinary folk? Talented people always see what others overlook.
She put these thoughts aside and carefully helped Li Yu inside.
“Ouch, ouch, ouch…” Every movement tugged at his injuries.
Li Yu immediately regretted coming—what possessed him to insist on coming to Pingsi Academy right now?
When Xiao Cui finally dragged him into the courtyard, Li Yu said, “Suddenly, I want to read lying down. Xiao Cui, let’s go back…”
“….”
Master, is there something wrong above your neck?
Xiao Cui said nothing, dutifully helping Li Yu back onto the carriage. As long as his requests didn’t violate clan rules, she would fulfill them without question.
“System, what’s the check-in reward?” Li Yu’s forehead was slick with sweat; the pain had made him miss the system’s announcement earlier.
[Five-star reward: Mimic Puppet.]
As the system finished speaking, a description of the puppet appeared.
Li Yu’s consciousness entered the system space, where he saw a floating puppet shaped like an infant, curled up as if still in the womb, its gender indiscernible.
After reading the description beside it, Li Yu realized that this “Mimic Puppet” was more a doppelganger than a puppet. By infusing it with his soul and true blood, the puppet would take on his appearance, and in times of need, could even make independent decisions. Of course, it would never act against its master’s interests—the puppet’s primary directive was to safeguard its owner.
“It’s not a stiff puppet; its aura and soul are almost indistinguishable from mine,” Li Yu said, delighted. This puppet, paired with the Sun-Moon Lotus Core Stone, was practically custom-made for him to shuttle between two worlds!
If not for the fact that the puppet’s cultivation would always remain lower than his own, Li Yu felt its rating should be even higher.
“Huang Xiu’s college entrance exam is coming soon, and she’ll need tutoring. If this Mimic Puppet works, it can represent me here for a few days.”
…
“Master, we’ve arrived.”
The strange beast moved swiftly, and soon they returned to the lakeside residence.
Once Xiao Cui had helped Li Yu back to his room, he dismissed the two maids and, with a thought, released the Mimic Puppet.
[Soul and true blood injected for host.]
The system fell silent. Li Yu looked himself over, feeling no change, so he focused on the Mimic Puppet. After the system’s announcement, it underwent a strange transformation.
Under a faint glow, the puppet’s infant form matured rapidly, as if aging over a decade in moments, finally settling into a teenage boy’s shape. When the light faded,
Li Yu blinked in surprise at the puppet standing before him, naked and identical to himself.
“I remember there’s a mole…” Li Yu walked behind the puppet and glanced down at its prominent hip. “It really is exactly the same.”
Now he could freely move between worlds, no longer worried about “disappearing” all the time.
“Hello,” Li Yu said.
“Hello, Master,” the Mimic Puppet replied.
Even the voice was identical!
“Excellent,” Li Yu thought, then withdrew the puppet into the system. There was no rushing things; once night fell and everyone was asleep, he could return to Blue Star.