Chapter 177 — Business

Gongsun Heng shook his head, clicking his tongue. "What a waste of a green-spiked crocodile. The only usable parts now are the fangs, the hide, the eyes, and the green spikes on its back. The innards of a green-spiked crocodile are worth quite a lot, you know…"

Chunyu Cheng did not catch what Gongsun Heng said; his mind had wandered.

He suddenly felt that Shi Heng—usually so low-key within the sect—was full of mystery, impossible to see through. He did not know much about Fu Yi; he had heard of Shi Heng's Heaven-Ring Moon-Song Formation, and even Shi Heng's killing of Nanming Zi had not struck him as all that surprising—after all, Shi Heng had once taken third place at the Sword Trial Assembly. But when Shi Heng had conjured up the beast pool, Chunyu Cheng had lost every ounce of resistance; the temptation was simply too deadly.

The beast pool had come from a fragmentary manual on husbandry—but where had this terrifying divine strength come from?

There was no such technique in the sect!

Unconsciously, he felt a new measure of awe toward Zuo Zhuo.

Zuo Yan returned to his dwelling. He had barely sat down when the calabash demon appeared.

"What was that just now?" Zuo Yan asked at once.

"I don't know. Body refinement is not my field," the calabash demon said, shaking its head.

Zuo Yan rolled his eyes. He did not believe it, but if Pu Ji did not want to speak, there was nothing he could do about it.

"Let's do a bit of business—well, interested or not?" the calabash demon said suddenly, all mystery.

"Not interested!" Zuo Yan shook his head flatly. Past experience had taught him that doing business with the calabash demon meant only loss, never profit.

"Don't refuse so quickly," the calabash demon said with a smile, its blood-red pupils narrowing into two crimson crescents. "Haven't you always wanted to refine a sword formation? I'll teach you a technique for employing spiritual sense—you'll be able to wield a sword formation with perfect ease."

"Oh." Zuo Yi was unmoved.

"This is a secret art. It is called the Great Thousand-Leaf Hand. Your spiritual sense may already be considerable, but your technique is too poor—you cannot draw out its power at all. The Great Thousand-Leaf Hand is exactly what will make up your deficiency."

"Oh." Zuo Yi was unmoved.

"Spiritual sense is like a vine; its leaves are like hands, effortlessly generating countless transformations. With one hand you can produce many changes—so when you have a thousand hands, how could anyone withstand you? Brute force is of little use. Even among you sword cultivators, if the enemy duels your flying sword, who will let you close in? That sort of thing has no future! Spiritual sense is the true path! The heavenly Dao is like a wheel—you cannot control it, but you can set it spinning!"

"You said it yourself—demons, devils, and cultivators each have their strengths," Zuo Zheng said bluntly, puncturing Pu Yi's boast.

The calabash demon stalled, but then acted as though it had not heard Zuo Jin's words at all.

"Hmm, I can also teach you the Lesser Thousand-Leaf Hand. The Great Thousand-Leaf Hand is all about formless transformation, following your every whim—paired with your talisman art, it is wondrous beyond words. The Lesser Thousand-Leaf Hand has thirty-six hand forms; of them, you can learn three. With these three forms to protect yourself, even at the Foundation Establishment stage, you need not fear ordinary Condensed Meridian cultivators."

"Oh." Zuo Yan was still unmoved. Pu Yi's behavior was simply too abnormal!

When things are abnormal, there is a demon behind them!

This fellow is the demon of demons!

"Hmm, if you agree, then from today on, apart from the material costs for the Nether Pool, I will not take a single crystal from you."

Just as Zuo Yan understood the calabash demon well, the calabash demon knew Zuo Jing's weak spot just as clearly. It casually tossed out a condition Zuo Yan could not possibly refuse!

Sure enough, Zuo Yan could not sit still a moment longer. "Truly?"

"Truly."

"Then what do you want?"

"Your blood." Pu Yi's smile was monstrously evil.

Zuo Yan's expression changed abruptly, and he shook his head flatly. "No deal!"

What a joke—lose crystals and you can earn more, but lose this little life and everything is gone. He had no intention of gambling with his own life.

The calabash demon saw through Zuo Jin's thoughts at a glance. "Don't worry, it will have no effect on your body whatsoever. You are a body refiner—your vital essence is full and vigorous, so what is the loss of a little blood? And I do not want much: one drop a day. One drop of blood is a single hair from nine oxen to you!"

"No deal!" Zuo Yan shook his head firmly once again.