225: Toenails

"One thousand four hundred of me?" Zuoqiu Hui gave a bitter smile. "That's about how many there are if you add up all the direct descendants of our Zuoqiu Clan."

The young woman ignored her and continued pulling Xu Sanyan along to introduce other items.

Xu Sanyan looked at the child's corpse before him, listening to the young woman's introduction, "This is a good item. It's the posthumous child of the Qianliu Saint. Eating it can improve your own constitution and eliminate any Bottleneck before Soul Refining. You can take it home for just one thousand two hundred jin of Soul Spirit. Cheap, right?"

"Cheap..."

Xu Sanyan pursed his lips, his previous playfulness gone. He felt this woman was even more perverted than he was.

A so-called posthumous child is when a pregnant woman dies unexpectedly, leaving the child in her womb. The mother dies, the child has yet to be born, and naturally, it cannot survive; this is what is called a posthumous child.

But this was... a Saint's posthumous child.

Xu Sanyan looked dazed. He gazed at the strange items on the table and asked indifferently, "Are these things all relics left behind by Saints?"

"Correct." The young woman nodded. "Which one do you like?"

Xu Sanyan gave a bitter smile. *'Which one do I like?' I can't afford any of them...*

"Which one is the cheapest?"

The young woman saw his embarrassment and covered her mouth, chuckling, "The cheapest... well, the toenail I just clipped off is the cheapest. How about I sell it to you for one jin of Soul Spirit?"

Zuoqiu Hui was stunned. A toenail for one jin of Soul Spirit?

She herself was only worth seven liang. In other words, she wasn't even worth as much as a toenail?

Xu Sanyan was slightly embarrassed. He couldn't even afford one jin of Soul Spirit...

The young woman pulled his hand, "Didn't big sister say she would give you a discount? After a twenty percent discount, it's exactly eight liang."

Xu Sanyan seemed to recall something and reached into his Storage Pouch to take out the remaining Soul Crystal. After buying buns during the day, he had exactly eight liang left...

The young woman smiled and beckoned. A flash of red flew out from under the counter; by its shape, it was indeed her toenail.

"Here, money in one hand, goods in the other."

The young woman gently took the Soul Crystal from Xu Sanyan's hand and placed the nail in his palm, instructing, "Keep it safe, okay?"

"Giggle, giggle~~" The young woman was delighted. She waved her hand gently, and the main door swung open. She turned and walked toward the counter, "Looking forward to our next meeting."

Xu Sanyan looked at the toenail in his hand and said softly, "Many thanks."

With that, he left with the three women. When he had one foot across the threshold, he turned his head slightly.

"Grand Elder, could you tell me where that sixth person is?"

"Ten jin of Soul Spirit..."

The young woman heard his address and did not deny it; instead, the smile on her face became even brighter, and her eyes were filled with appreciation.

"Until we meet again."

Xu Sanyan walked out of the pavilion.

"Bang!" The door closed.

"Whew... What's that woman's background? Why did Saint call her Grand Elder?" Junior Sister Zhao asked in a hushed voice.

Xu Sanyan did not answer, only shaking his head slightly. He casually placed the nail into his Storage Pouch. This thing was actually useless, but it wouldn't be appropriate to throw it away, so he might as well keep it for now.

As for Junior Sister Zhao's question...

Xu Sanyan sighed inwardly. His last sentence was actually a test; the young woman's failure to deny it meant she had admitted it. She was the Grand Elder who had forged the Hundred Saints Secret Realm back then, which perhaps could also be called the Peach Garden Secret Realm.

No one had ever said that the Grand Elder was a man...

As the old man inside the measuring ruler had previously said, this Secret Realm was a safe house built by the Grand Elder of the Yaotian Holy Sect under the guise of a trial, with the purpose of avoiding the Heavenly Tribulation.

Later, for some unknown reason, the Grand Elder did not enter the Secret Realm and instead dissipated under the Heavenly Tribulation.

Perhaps... the Grand Elder had not died back then but had used some means to deceive the Heavenly Tribulation, hiding in the Secret Realm and clinging to life.

As the saying goes, it is better to live in disgrace than to die in dignity; as long as one doesn't die, other problems are no longer problems.

"Sigh..."

Xu Sanyan sighed softly and looked up at the sky. A glimmer of light had already appeared on the horizon; the dark night had passed.

He had been busy all night, lost eight liang of Soul Spirit, and gained a 'Divine Artifact'—the... toenail of the Grand Elder of the Yaotian Holy Sect, an Immortal realm expert!

Turning his head again, the three-story pavilion behind him was gone.

"Eh? Where's the building?"

Zuoqiu Zhen exclaimed in surprise. The original three-story pavilion had vanished, leaving only an empty space behind.

"Let's go."

Xu Sanyan walked toward the old ghost's agency.

Junior Sister Zhao was only at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment and could not resist the erosion of the demonic seed; she was now completely obedient to him. Letting her sign and press her thumbprint would be enough to exchange for some Soul Spirit.

As for Zuoqiu Zhen and Zuoqiu Hui, their strength was relatively high, and their resistance to the demonic seed was also very strong. Perhaps Zuoqiu Zhen could be tried, but Zuoqiu Hui definitely wouldn't work. Both were at the Mi Dao Realm, and it would take at least several months of fermentation to have any effect; there was no time for that.

Take Fang Xiang, for example; so much time had passed, and he only felt fear toward him, far from being completely obedient.

The long street slowly became lively. Peddlers carrying shoulder poles began to sell their wares along the street one after another, while Xu Sanyan was still pondering where the "sixth person" the Grand Elder mentioned was.

He had suspected the previous occupant inside the measuring ruler—that is, the old man—had he not died completely? Or perhaps the other three women were carrying something?

The possibility of the old man not being completely dead was very small. If he were still hiding inside the measuring ruler, even if he could deceive his own perception, the little girl would definitely be able to discover him. Where could he be hiding?

Xu Sanyan's gaze swept over the three of them.

While deep in thought, they arrived at the agency.

"You two wait for me outside." Xu Sanyan said to Zuoqiu Hui.

"Okay." Zuoqiu Hui sensibly did not ask any more questions.

Xu Sanyan walked in with Junior Sister Zhao, and before long, he walked out alone, Junior Sister Zhao's shadow nowhere to be seen.

Zuoqiu Hui's eyes flickered. She did not say a word, only silently raising her guard.

Zuoqiu Zhen asked foolishly, "Eh, where is Junior Sister Zhao?"

Zuoqiu Hui pulled her hard, "Mind your own business."

"Oh..." Zuoqiu Zhen wasn't actually stupid; once reminded by her sister, she immediately realized what was going on and stopped asking.

Xu Sanyan walked toward the west of the city and bought three steamed buns, one for each of them, spending three liang of Soul Spirit.

"What's the use... of this thing?" Zuoqiu Hui looked at the bun, puzzled.

She was a dignified Mi Dao Realm Cultivator who had long since achieved inedia; why would she still eat steamed buns?

Xu Sanyan explained the situation roughly without hiding anything. The two women finally understood. Zuoqiu Zhen's eyes were filled with gratitude as she held the bun and took small bites. *Brother-in-law is so kind!*

Zuoqiu Hui, however, thought more deeply. Looking at the bun in her hand and then at the crystal stone Xu Sanyan had used for payment, she couldn't help but associate it with the Junior Sister Zhao who had just disappeared...

This bun was very likely a human blood bun. Food exchanged for Junior Sister Zhao!

A look of struggle appeared in Zuoqiu Hui's eyes. The education she had received since childhood did not allow her to do something like 'eating a human blood bun'!

But... she was simply too hungry. That intense feeling of hunger constantly eroded her consciousness, making her almost go crazy. If there were no food, she could endure it, but once there was food, the hunger surged a few degrees more.

Finally, she sighed silently in her heart, tore the bun into small pieces, shoved them into her mouth, and chewed with a heavy heart. ...It was delicious.