The Puppet Bug, a rare insect recorded in the Insect Control Scripture, was extremely uncommon. It possessed the ability not only to control corpses in battle but also to control living people. Compared to controlling corpses, there were far more restrictions on controlling the living. Firstly, one could only control targets that were a whole Realm lower than oneself. A Puppet Bug at the Foundation Establishment Stage could control living beings at the Qi Refinement Realm. When it comes to controlling the living, a common Puppet Bug was only useful against ordinary humans. Its primary utility lay in controlling corpses. A target controlled by a Puppet Bug could exhibit approximately thirty to seventy percent of the strength the deceased possessed in life.

If that were all, the Puppet Bug would only be seen as a curiosity, not of much use. This changed when an Insect Tamer Master from Thousand Beasts Mountain, during a battle with a Demon Cultivator, accidentally used a Puppet Bug to wrest control over the Corpse Refiner's refined corpses. From then on, Corpse Refining Demon Cultivators would give Insect Tamer Masters a wide berth. The Puppet Bug thus gained the moniker 'Refined Corpse Slayer,' its status and position skyrocketing. It jumped from seventy-fourth place to seventh on the Insect Control Scripture's list of peculiar insects.

Buying a Puppet Bug for twenty Spirit Stones? That's practically giving it away!

Jia Ren struggled to control his expression, trying not to burst out laughing.

"What's the use of a corpse-controlling bug? To control the corpses of Magical Beasts in a fight? Who goes out to battle with the corpses of Magical Beasts at the ready? Aren't you afraid they'd rot after too long?"

"Not to mention, wouldn't the strength the corpses can exhibit be greatly reduced?!" Jia Ren glanced at the stall owner, his tone displeased.

Far from being angry, the stall owner's face was plastered with a smile. When he first discovered the Puppet Bug, he was incredibly shocked, thinking he had stumbled upon a treasure. He brought it to the Inner City to sell for the astronomical price of five hundred Spirit Stones. Of course, it didn't sell for a month. The asking price kept plummeting: three hundred Spirit Stones, one hundred Spirit Stones, fifty Spirit Stones…

Today, it had fallen to twenty Spirit Stones.

Few Loose Cultivators were skilled in insect manipulation. Moreover, knowing the Puppet Bug's defects, no one was willing to pay a high price for such a lackluster insect.

"It's too expensive!"

"You want to sell such a useless bug for so many Spirit Stones? Are you that desperate for money?"

Jia Ren made as if to leave, which caused the stall owner's face to go pale. Having finally come across an interested buyer, he hastily offered a sheepish smile, "The price is negotiable."

"I have a total of three corpse-controlling bugs on hand. How about selling them to you for thirty Spirit Stones?"

Three Puppet Bugs?

Jia Ren no longer haggled and promptly paid the thirty Spirit Stones. With the Puppet Bugs in hand, he was overwhelmed with excitement.

Another steal! Following my last purchase of the Green Silk Worm for one Spirit Stone, I've stumbled upon another bargain with Puppet Bugs. Why were both occasions related to bugs?

The easiest money to make is often within one's own sphere of knowledge. Exploiting an information gap is what makes such windfalls possible. Without the knowledge from the Insect Control Scripture, Jia Ren would probably think anyone spending thirty Spirit Stones on bugs was a fool.

Carefully placing the Puppet Bugs into the Spirit Beast Bag, Jia Ren turned and left. For some reason, he had the distinct feeling of being watched. The sensation came quickly and vanished just as fast, causing him to dismiss it as an illusion. Jia Ren hadn't forgotten that, bearing the label 'Remnant of Thousand Beasts Mountain' and still searching for the Diamond Orchid, he was likely attracting trouble. Had inquiring about the Diamond Orchid made me a target?

He looked around cautiously but discovered no trace. He activated his Grandmaster Level Spirit Eye Technique, searching for any clues.

Sure enough, Jia Ren made an unexpected discovery. At some point, a barely visible powder had appeared on the back hem of his Taoist Robe. Jia Ren recognized this as Lingering Fragrance Bug Powder, a widely used spirit insect powder that could be tracked by the corresponding Lingering Fragrance Bug. The Qi Family Brothers had used this substance to track Wang Qian; now, Jia Ren found himself marked with Lingering Fragrance Bug Powder too.

Who wants to harm me?

Scanning the stall owner with his Spirit Eye Technique, Jia Ren was shocked to see the same powder on the man. He initially suspected a Five Elements Sect Cultivator had found him. However, seeing the powder on the stall owner as well sparked another thought. Could this trouble be because of the Puppet Bugs?

Both successive 'owners' of the Puppet Bug had Lingering Fragrance Bug Powder on them, which inevitably made Jia Ren question the hidden man's true intentions. Why didn't he just buy the Puppet Bugs directly? Why go through such trouble when he could have just bought them with some Spirit Stones? Unless… he didn't dare to buy them, suspecting it was a trap intended for him! It was only after I bought them that the tracker shifted his target.

Using the Spirit Eye Technique, he scanned a broader area and indeed spotted a few unusual insects pulsating with special Spiritual Power fluctuations. Parasitic Spirit Mark?! An Insect Tamer Master! The identity of the hidden person was all but confirmed. A Remnant of Thousand Beasts Mountain!

Jia Ren's guesses were almost certainly correct. Not long ago, Mosquito Daoist had been killed in the Great Wilderness Market. The Remnants of Thousand Beasts Mountain, unwilling to give up on the Great Wilderness Market, had sent a newcomer. The newcomer had just arrived in the Great Wilderness Market today and, fearing the same fate as Mosquito Daoist, was acting quite cautiously. Unfortunately for him, he still slipped up in front of Jia Ren.

Jia Ren feigned ignorance, silently crushing the few insects on the road underfoot as he walked away from the troublesome area.

But this wasn't the end. He used the Insect Control Technique to take control of a passing ant and silently transferred the Lingering Fragrance Bug Powder onto it. He directed the ant to carry the powder far away. Meanwhile, upon reaching a nearby stone house, he changed his appearance and used the Turtle Breath Technique to conceal himself.

Having done all this, Jia Ren waited quietly, like the Yellow Sparrow behind the praying mantis catching the cicada, for the mastermind to reveal themselves.

A few insects crawled nearby, searching for something, and finally stopped near a few ants.

Ten zhang away, a handsome man's face was as dark as thunder. The Puppet Bugs he was sure to get were just… gone? His plan to kill the buyer at night and retrieve the Puppet Bugs had fallen through.

Who is this person? How did he precisely squash the bugs acting as my eyes? And even scatter the Lingering Fragrance Bug Powder onto the ants? He must know my identity, right?! This is a warning to me!

Yuan Tianqing dared not linger and quickly departed. He hadn't been away from the Great Wilderness Market for long. When had this place become so dangerous?! No wonder Junior Brother Mosquito Daoist died here!

Not long ago, he had received information. The 'fry' scattered in the Outer City last year had taken the bait: a Loose Cultivator named Jia Ren had obtained the Insect Control Scripture from him, essentially making Jia Ren his half-disciple. Upon entering the Great Wilderness Market, he learned that Jia Ren had been labeled a Remnant of Thousand Beasts Mountain, placing him in a precarious situation. With talent so scarce in Thousand Beasts Mountain, he considered taking Jia Ren as a disciple to bolster their ranks.

Yuan Tianqing left in a hurry, carefully concealing himself.

Jia Ren hid in the shadows, watching the handsome man leave. To prevent being discovered, he did not use his Spirit Eye Technique. He didn't connect this handsome man with the old man who had sold him the Insect Control Scripture. He was even less aware that the man harbored thoughts of taking him as a disciple.

He sprinkled Lingering Fragrance Bug Powder on me. He's definitely planning to rob me of the Puppet Bugs and kill me for my possessions. Since you harbor ill intentions, I won't be polite either.

Jia Ren tried hard to recall the handsome man's face he had just seen. In the next instant, his own face rippled like water, changing its appearance. In a short time, a face identical to that man's emerged. He changed into a Taoist Robe that was a seventy-percent match to the other man's high-quality imitation. In no time, a counterfeit version of the handsome man stood there.

Not bad! I wasn't sure which face to use to buy the Diamond Orchid, but now, I'll use this one! If there's no danger, that's good. But if trouble arises, someone else can take the blame for me.

Confirming there were no issues, Jia Ren decisively headed towards the largest Spiritual Medicine Shop in the Outer City. The Spiritual Medicine Shop, backed by the Five Elements Sect, was naturally the best-stocked medicine shop in the Great Wilderness Market. If the Diamond Orchid couldn't be found here, it was unlikely any other shop would have it. The reason for choosing the Outer City was also that, compared to the Inner City, the dangers were lower; in case of trouble, it would be easier to escape.

"I want to purchase Diamond Orchid, the more the better."

Diamond Orchid?

The shopkeeper approached, a brilliant smile on his face. "We do have plenty of Diamond Orchid. They're not expensive—three Spirit Stones each."

"One hundred plants!"

"I will prepare the Diamond Orchid for you right away!"

As the shopkeeper turned, his smile vanished, replaced by an amused smirk. Another fool walks in.

His lips moved slightly, silently relaying a message.

"Remnant of the Vajra Gate discovered!"

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