A blue, narrow blade forged from crystal flew from a distance, striking the wooden puppet's head.
The blade was not large; in fact, compared to the wooden puppet's immense body, it seemed quite small.
However, the moment it struck, the wooden puppet was pushed back a step, its body tilting backward, almost falling to the ground.
And at that very moment...
A blue figure appeared on the ancient road, running swiftly. After charging through the crowd, they caught the rebounding narrow blade and then delivered a powerful kick to the wooden puppet's chest.
*Bang!*
The wooden puppet's colossal body was sent flying back about two to three meters, its feet dragging two deep mud tracks on the ground.
Bai Ye watched the falling figure and said with a smile, "Brother Kai is so cool!"
The figure that suddenly appeared was none other than Kai!
Kai pouted, "What's the use of being cool? I still have to listen to girls!"
The instant Kai spoke, Mulan swiftly moved through the crowd, wielding her greatsword. She leaped directly onto the wooden puppet's head, raising her sword and bringing it down forcefully.
The spot Mulan chose to strike with her sword was the stone block within the groove on the wooden puppet's head.
*Crack!*
With a single blow, the stone block shattered.
The radiance entwined around the stone block dimmed and then vanished.
The light in the wooden puppet's eyes disappeared again, and it finally collapsed to the ground. This time, the wooden puppet was completely silent.
With the appearance of Mulan and Kai, a large number of the Great Wall Guards arrived, quickly subduing the horse bandits.
Mulan jumped down from the wooden puppet and looked at Bai Ye, "Why are there mechanical puppets here?"
Bai Ye spread his hands, "You're asking me?"
Mulan replied, "Then who should I ask?"
Bai Ye pointed at the horse bandits, "That wooden puppet, or as you call it, the mechanical puppet, was originally on that cart. Then those horse bandits activated it. As for where the mechanical puppet came from, I'm not sure."
Mulan said, "I'll go ask."
As Mulan spoke, she sheathed her sword. Just then...
From the corner of her eye, Mulan suddenly spotted a masked man in the crowd.
The moment their gazes met, the man smiled, then quickly turned and left.
"It's you!"
Mulan shouted loudly and then ran forward frantically, pushing aside everyone in her path.
Kai was slightly stunned and also chased after Mulan.
What's going on?
Bai Ye glanced at the light screen. The mission hadn't ended. He quickly followed the two of them.
Soon, they broke through the crowd. The three of them, one after another, rushed out of the ancient road and into the wilderness beside it. However, after only a few dozen meters, a hurricane suddenly whipped up in the wilderness, kicking up sand and dust, quickly obscuring their vision.
Within the dust, the masked man's figure flickered in and out of sight.
Mulan angrily shouted, "Stop! I know it's you."
The masked man did not respond but continued forward, soon disappearing completely into the dust, becoming impossible to see.
Mulan roared, "I will catch you, I swear!"
Kai stepped forward and asked, "Is it the person you mentioned before?"
Mulan gritted her teeth, "It must be him. I won't mistake him."
Bai Ye stepped forward curiously, "What's happening?"
Kai was silent for a moment, then said faintly, "A long time ago, Mulan requested to come from Chang'an to the Great Wall to protect this land. She was very capable, everyone knew that. At that time, the commander of the Great Wall, against all objections, entrusted her with a heavy responsibility. However, not long after, the Great Wall's defenses were breached one after another. Everyone suspected her, because everyone knew that beyond the Great Wall was a harsh and cold land, and guarding this territory was not an easy task, especially for those who lived a life of luxury in Chang'an and were unwilling to come here, unless..."
Bai Ye chimed in, "They had ulterior motives!"
Kai nodded and continued, "The commander at the time still believed in Mulan, but the commander's body was found the next day, and Mulan had fled. However, she never went far, always lingering outside Chang'an. Whenever the bugle sounded and the smoke signals rose, she would appear, helping the Great Wall Guard repel the enemy. Afterward, she returned to the Great Wall and formed the Great Wall Guard elite team. However, even after returning to the Great Wall, she never forgot the phantom who had framed her and always wanted to find him."
Bai Ye asked, "So, the guy just now was the phantom?"
Kai glanced at Mulan and said, "It should be!"
At this moment, Mulan turned around, took a deep breath, and said, "As long as he still intends to plot against the Great Wall, there will definitely be a chance to meet again. Next time, I won't let him escape."
"You assisted the Great Wall Guard in repelling the horse bandits and reclaiming the provisions. Mission Reward: Mechanical Puppet Component x1"
Mechanical Puppet Component (Item) (Gold): A component for mechanical puppets manufactured according to the records of Myriad Manifestations Grand Design, usable for mechanical puppet manufacturing. Current parts collected: 1/12
At this moment, a light screen appeared before Bai Ye, indicating that Bai Ye's mission was complete.
Then came the reward...
It was actually of Gold quality. However, despite being Gold quality, it was practically useless, just a mechanical puppet component.
But even if it was useless, it was still Gold quality...
"So..." Bai Ye couldn't help but say, "If you collect all of these, it's an Eastern version of a mecha?"
Bai Ye was speechless. What a huge promise. Twelve components! Don't think that the first one was obtained so easily. There are still eleven more, and these eleven are a set. They need to be matched; you can't just find eleven Gold quality mechanical puppet component items and assemble them.
In fact, in his previous life, Bai Ye wasn't without his pursuits of mechas. After all, that was a man's romance.
But...
The process of collecting them was truly tear-inducing. At that time, Bai Ye had a total of six and a half incomplete mechas.
Yes, six, but not a single one had all its components!
Of course, there were indeed people who managed to build mechas. Bai Ye had even seen more than one. However, this matter was highly dependent on luck. It wasn't something you could achieve just by trying your best. If you obtained one component and eagerly wanted to collect the rest at all costs, the most likely outcome was being scammed down to your last penny.
"Let's just treat this thing as a decoration,"
Bai Ye sighed. However, it wasn't all bad news.
There was another mission!
"You have obtained a hidden mission."
"Assist Mulan in investigating the appearance of the phantom. Mission Reward: Shadow Battle Axe x1"
Just like in the Demon Realm, this hidden mission turned out to be a chain mission!