20: Buy Life

Waking up in the early morning, a meal was already laid out on the table.

"Senior Brother, you're awake?"

Jin Xiaoxiao had changed into a light, thin green dress and sat gracefully. Seeing Fang Huai look at her, she hurriedly brought the hot porridge on the table to him.

"I added sweet celery leaves to the porridge, give it a taste."

"The flavor is a bit bland."

After sniffing it, Fang Huai pulled a dark purple grass leaf from his sleeve, crushed it into fine powder, sprinkled it into the porridge, and then tilted his head back to swallow the hot porridge.

"poison heart grass?" Jin Xiaoxiao was somewhat surprised.

Fang Huai said indifferently, "I have a heavy palate and can't stand things so bland. In the future, if you see poisonous grass when you go out, gather more of it to bring back for seasoning."

...When the two arrived at the Skinning Room, over a dozen Disciples were already sitting inside. Most of them were new Disciples, moving cautiously with sweat covering their foreheads.

No one inquired about what had happened between the two last night; on Skinning Peak, it was common for men and women to live together.

Only Zhang Yuan's hand, which was holding a knife, suddenly jerked for a moment the instant Fang Huai entered the door.

For some reason, after Fang Huai appeared, his hand wielding the knife began to grow unsteady.

Looking up, he saw Fang Huai staring straight at him with a slight frown, as if pondering something.

Fang Huai looked at the [Skinning Proficiency (Gray)] on Zhang Yuan, lost in thought.

The color of the label had changed.

It was the same Skinning Proficiency, but it was white yesterday and gray today.

Was it because he had become familiar with Zhang Yuan's techniques, so the actual improvement the label provided him had decreased, causing it to change?

Fang Huai speculated that the color of a label might change based on Realm, disparity, difficulty, rarity, and so on.

"What are you looking at?"

Zhang Yuan was already irritable and angry; seeing Fang Huai staring at him, he thought the other was trying to make a fool of him.

"Was I looking at you? My apologies, I was looking at Junior Sister Jin." After saying that, Fang Huai waved in Jin Xiaoxiao's direction.

Jin Xiaoxiao was sitting near Zhang Yuan; seeing Fang Huai wave, she returned a playful smile.

"Get lost, I've taken a liking to this spot."

Zhang Yuan couldn't vent his rage directly, so he provoked Fang Huai again. As long as Fang Huai dared to say anything, he would immediately teach him a lesson.

The gazes of everyone in the Skinning Room, including Wu Liu, converged on the two of them.

Zhang Yuan did this because he was confident that as long as he paid some contribution points, Wu Liu would definitely turn a blind eye.

Fang Huai didn't even lift an eyelid; he just silently moved to a different spot, which made Zhang Yuan feel more uncomfortable than if he had swallowed a fly.

He said fiercely, "Sooner or later, I'm going to kill you."

After saying that, he gnashed his teeth, lifted a Qi Refining Second Layer Yao Beast onto the skinning table, and thrust his knife into the hide.

Fang Huai's eyes flickered as he watched Zhang Yuan constantly. When the other reached a critical point, he instantly swapped away the opponent's [Skinning Adept].

*Puchi—*

Zhang Yuan suddenly lost his composure, and the entire Yao Beast hide was ruined.

"If you don't have the ability to handle Qi Refining Second Layer Yao Beasts, then honestly handle the First Layer ones. Don't waste Materials here!"

Wu Liu's gaze was sharp. When subordinates made mistakes, the manager was also punished. Zhang Yuan had ruined Yao Beast hides three times in a row, and she would be fined quite a few contribution points.

Zhang Yuan hurriedly admitted his mistake, "Senior Sister Wu, please don't. It's all that kid Fang Huai's fault; he disturbed my state of mind, which is why I ruined the hide."

How could he be willing to handle First Layer ones? The time it took to skin both was about the same, but the contribution points received in return were exactly double.

Wu Liu didn't speak; her gaze was drawn to Fang Huai.

At this moment, Fang Huai was skillfully removing the poison sac of a Poison-tailed Fox according to the Core Techniques of Skinning.

A Poison-tailed Fox was covered in poison sacs with very few usable parts, yet Fang Huai was able to accurately judge where to cut, and his movements were easy and proficient.

"A natural with his hands?"

Wu Liu was somewhat surprised.

This technique didn't look like a newcomer's; instead, it looked like an old hand who had been doing it for years.

Could it be that she had picked up a treasure?

When Fang Huai was handling the Sharp-toothed Porcupine yesterday, she already felt that he was quite skilled.

She had thought he just got lucky, but looking at it now, Fang Huai might be a naturally gifted skinner.

While skinning, Fang Huai would occasionally glance at Zhang Yuan, revealing a look of mockery without leaving a trace.

"You!"

Zhang Yuan finally couldn't take it anymore. A mere newcomer who had just arrived was actually mocking him. In a fit of rage, he grabbed his skinning knife and threw it at Fang Huai.

"Senior Brother Zhang, what are you doing! Senior Sister Wu, help!"

Fang Huai retreated in shock, but he still couldn't dodge in time and was struck in the shoulder by the skinning knife.

The skinning knife, capable of cutting Yao Beasts, was incredibly sharp and instantly pierced through his shoulder.

"Yin Ming Claw!"

Wu Liu's expression changed drastically. She chanted an incantation, and a deathly pale demonic hand suddenly appeared behind Zhang Yuan, clutching his throat.

"Are you alright?" Seeing Fang Huai's shoulder injured, Wu Liu felt angry in her heart. If Fang Huai really had gifted hands, they might be ruined now.

Fang Huai was drenched in sweat, his face distorted with pain. "It hit the bone and sinew. I'm afraid I won't be able to skin for several days."

"Senior Sister, he provoked me first! I just acted on impulse!" Zhang Yuan's throat was being squeezed, but he still tried to defend himself.

Wu Liu said angrily, "Nonsense! Since Junior Brother Fang arrived yesterday, you have made things difficult for him at every turn. Today is even worse; you actually dared to ignore the rules of the Skinning Room and strike someone right in front of me!"

"I..."

"Zhang Yuan, according to the rules of the Skinning Room, I should publicly cripple both your hands."

Cripple both hands?

Zhang Yuan turned pale with fright. When a Cultivator spoke of crippling hands, it wasn't just the secular world's version of severing tendons, but fundamentally severing the Meridians through which Spiritual Qi flowed.

From then on, the hands would be obstructed when casting spells, making one no different from a cripple.

"Senior Sister, please spare me. I will definitely skin well from now on. Before the end of this year, I will offer you five hundred contribution points!"

Hearing this, Wu Liu looked thoughtful. The deathly pale demonic hand retracted, dropping Zhang Yuan to the ground. "In that case..."

"Senior Sister Wu," Fang Huai said through gritted teeth, "The sect has its rules, and the peak has its rules. All the fellow brothers are watching; how can we let such a brute go!"

Wu Liu's expression was unfriendly. "Does Junior Brother Fang want to be relentless?"

A sharp glint flashed in Fang Huai's eyes. "Senior Sister, if Zhang Yuan offers five hundred contribution points, I can offer even more."

"Hehe, interesting." Wu Liu said, "It seems you are determined to buy Zhang Yuan's hands. Speak, how many contribution points will you offer?"

"I'll offer a thousand points. Not just to buy his hands, but to buy his life!"

"A thousand points to buy his life?"

"A thousand points every year!"

"I'll kill you!" Hearing Fang Huai speak like this, rage surged in Zhang Yuan's heart. He stood up and lunged at Fang Huai.

Wu Liu waved her palm, and a piece of white silk cloth flew out from her sleeve. It suddenly enlarged in front of Zhang Yuan and wrapped around him.

The white cloth tightened more and more. At first, one could see Zhang Yuan's movements as he struggled inside, but eventually, the noise ceased, and the white cloth turned blood-red.

Wu Liu waved her soul banner, and Zhang Yuan's soul flew out from the white cloth wailing, only to be sucked into the soul banner.

"Zhang Yuan harmed a fellow Disciple, intentionally destroyed Yao Beast hides, refused to mend his ways despite repeated warnings, and even spoke arrogantly, attempting to assassinate a manager. He was killed by me on the spot.

Does anyone have an objection?"

Seeing everyone's heads bowed low with no one daring to speak, Wu Liu nodded in satisfaction.

She walked up to Fang Huai, pulled the skinning knife out of his shoulder, and threw a small bottle of medicinal powder to him.

"This Spirit Medicine is made from ground Blood-thorn Flower stems and leaves. It can invigorate blood, remove stasis, clear toxins, and soothe the Meridians. Consider it my investment in you.

If you can't give me a thousand contribution points within a year, I guarantee you will die ten thousand times more miserably than Zhang Yuan!"