A large group of people began rummaging through everything, continuing their frantic search. Some felt all over Dao Xuan Tianzun's wooden body, trying to find the strings that might be manipulating it.
Others climbed up onto the roof beams, peering into the shadows in case a puppeteer was hiding above.
Still others searched the courtyard, the flower bushes, even the walls—leaving no corner unchecked.
The entire Salt Administration Bureau compound descended into chaos. Soldiers poured in from all directions, completely surrounding the side courtyard, sealing it off so tightly that not even a fly could slip in or out.
It was practically a state of full alert.
Yet their efforts were doomed from the start.
After a long while, someone finally reported, voice trembling,
"No one is controlling this puppet. It doesn't even have any strings attached. It couldn't possibly be manipulated by a person."
"Then how did it get in?"
"I don't know. I've never seen anything like this."
"I saw it during the day—it was perched on that wall over there."
"That wall… isn't that Tie Niaofei's courtyard?"
"Could it be Tie Niaofei controlling this puppet?"
"But Tie Niaofei and his men have already left. They took our people to inspect the goods and still haven't returned."
"It can't be him. All his people are gone. Could he really manipulate something this strange from dozens of li away?"
"Then how did it get here?"
A moment of silence followed.
Then someone muttered, almost unconsciously,
"It couldn't have… walked in on its own, could it?"
The instant those words left his mouth, everyone felt their scalps go numb.
Huang Yunfa's hair practically stood on end. He stared at puppet Tianzun for a long time, his face pale, utterly unsure what to do.
"Should we… burn it?" a subordinate asked cautiously.
"Don't!"
Almost everyone shouted at once.
"Don't burn it recklessly—who knows what terrifying changes might happen?"
"You might not believe in gods and spirits, but you must not disrespect them!"
"If you leave it alone, it might simply toy with you and then go away. But if you burn it and offend it, things could turn truly disastrous."
Huang Yunfa felt the same dread in his heart.
It absolutely could not be burned.
As the ancients said:
Respect the gods and spirits, but keep them at a distance.
He swallowed hard and said quickly,
"Escort this puppet out of the city. Take it far, far away."
He didn't even dare say throw it out. He only dared to say escort.
So, under the watchful eyes of many, two subordinates carefully lifted Dao Xuan Tianzun. A group of guards surrounded them as they moved through the night, all the way to a small grove outside the city walls.
They placed the puppet among the trees, bowed repeatedly, and whispered,
"Esteemed puppet Lord, please don't trouble us anymore."
Then they turned and fled at full speed, terrified it might suddenly rise and chase them.
Only after they were long gone did Li Daoxuan pat the puppet's backside, stand up, and laugh.
"Didn't that scare the living daylights out of them? Hahahaha!"
That little prank also taught him something important.
In wuxia novels, assassins leapt over walls and rooftops like ghosts, casually sneaking into the homes of powerful figures to take their lives.
But in real history, assassinations of officials and generals were incredibly rare.
Why?
Because getting close was almost impossible.
Even if you succeeded, one shout was enough to summon countless guards and soldiers in an instant. Assassination was never as simple as fiction made it seem.
The prank had gone far enough. Now all he had to do was wait for Tie Niaofei to return.
The only problem—
He was currently standing in a small grove outside the city.
Walking back would be exhausting.
Li Daoxuan stretched Dao Xuan Tianzun's long, stick-like legs and began clack-clack-clacking back toward Hedong Circuit.
Unfortunately, the city gates were tightly guarded.
But that wasn't a problem.
He deliberately wandered around the grove for a bit. Before long, a scout from Zao Ying's unit emerged from the shadows and bowed deeply.
"Greetings, Dao Xuan Tianzun."
Li Daoxuan let out a clack-clack laugh.
"Perfect timing. Pick me up and hurl me into the city."
"…Eh?"
The scout's face went blank. He didn't understand, but a divine command was a divine command.
Grabbing the puppet's arms, he swung hard—like throwing a sack of grain.
Whoosh—
Dao Xuan Tianzun flew through the air like a wooden meteor.
Crash!
He landed inside the city.
No pain—after all, a puppet felt none.
Dao Xuan Tianzun shook his arms, shook his legs, and once again began clack-clack-clacking toward the Salt Administration Bureau.
This time, no sneaking.
He swaggered straight toward the main gate.
The compound had only just calmed down, and the night guards were still on edge, whispering about the earlier chaos.
Then—
Clack. Clack. Clack.
A soldier screamed, pointing down the street.
"Look! The puppet—we threw it away! It's walking back!"
All eyes turned.
Sure enough, Dao Xuan Tianzun advanced down the night street, wooden limbs stiff and eerie, each step echoing loudly.
"Ahhhhh!"
"It's haunted!"
"Run!"
Pandemonium erupted.
Dao Xuan Tianzun laughed—clack-clack-clack—his wooden lips knocking together as he called out in a chilling voice:
"Huang Yunfa… Huang Yunfa…"
Someone rushed inside shouting,
"Master! This is terrible! The puppet is back! It's walking toward the main gate—and it's calling your name!"
"Ahhhhh!"
Huang Yunfa was truly scared out of his wits.
In the end, Dao Xuan Tianzun stopped short of entering the compound. Pushing people too far could make them desperate enough to burn the puppet—and that would be a waste of fine craftsmanship.
After swaying ominously in the street, he turned into a side alley and vanished.
Only then did the guards—and Huang Yunfa—dare to breathe again.
Whether anyone actually slept that night… was another matter entirely.
The next morning.
Master Zhan Seng had barely woken up when frantic knocking shook his door.
Opening it, he found Huang Yunfa himself—eyes dark, face haggard.
"Master," Huang Yunfa stammered, "do you… by any chance… know how to exorcise demons and evil spirits?"
Zhan Seng nearly laughed.
"Amitābha," he said calmly.
"Patron Huang… do you wish to drive away puppet Lord?"
Huang Yunfa clasped his hands desperately.
"That thing is terrifying, Master. Please—save me!"