Chapter 168: Are You Selling It or Not?

Although it was unclear what scheme the Venerable Qingxu was plotting, they would inevitably have to stay and search for the Patching Stone.

As they emerged from the great hall, the man called Lu Qian followed right behind them.

Their faces grew cold. Xuanwu Tunhan exchanged a look with Yi Tianling, who in turn exchanged a look with Xiahou Fang, leaving Xiahou Fang with no choice but to take action.

He walked over and threw an arm around Lu Qian's shoulders. "What cultivation technique does this fellow Daoist practice?"

Lu Qian tried to shake him off with extreme annoyance, but his attempt failed completely.

Xiahou Fang smiled. "Brother, can you tell that those people over there hold me in utter contempt?"

Lu Qian could indeed tell.

Among the five of them, the other four were paired up, while Xiahou Fang drifted on the outside, alienated by the rest.

"What has that to do with me?"

These people were going to die here anyway; what did it matter to him whether the five of them got along?

Xiahou Fang chuckled. "The reason they despise me so is entirely because I am a demonic cultivator. I specialize in stripping and stealing human skin. They are all afraid of me."

He even grabbed Lu Qian's hand and pressed it against his own face. "How is it? I just changed my skin."

Lu Qian felt as though he had touched the face of a corpse, a sensation so repulsive that he shoved the man away with a violent push.

"What are you trying to do?"

Why was this outsider staring fixedly at his face?

Xiahou Fang grinned slyly. "Nothing much. I just think your skin is quite fine. Brother, are you willing to sell it?"

"Sell your grandmother's ghost!"

Lu Qian slashed out with his sword, and the two began to exchange blows.

The outcome was naturally obvious from the start: Lu Qian was no match for Xiahou Fang at all.

Xiahou Fang usually kept his true abilities concealed, but his years were not lived in vain, and his cultivation level was absurdly high.

Realizing he could not win, Lu Qian turned and fled, not daring to entangle himself any further.

Even after he had run far away, he could still hear Xiahou Fang calling out to ask if he wanted to sell.

Sell my foot!

Terrified, Lu Qian ran back, yet he did not dare to return openly, so he could only trail behind them in secret.

Yi Tianling and the others did not expect him to vanish completely; as long as he kept his distance, it was good enough.

Su Yun'er asked, "Where should we go to look for the Patching Stone?"

Yi Tianling actually already knew where they ought to head, but he still replied, "Let's look around first. I always feel that this Mount Qingxu is full of strange anomalies."

Su Yun'er agreed. "Indeed. There are many cultivators here, yet they all seem so indifferent, showing no particular curiosity toward outsiders."

Xuan辕 Tunhan looked at Ning Xianyu and told her to use her spiritual sense.

"You have three Patching Stone fragments on you. Sense them."

Ning Xianyu took out the Flame-Devouring Stone and the Flowing-Water Stone, letting the two of them try to sense their kin.

"See if there are any companions of yours around here."

The Flowing-Water Stone sensed for a long time before replying, "I can't feel anything. It's as if they're here, yet as if they aren't."

The Flame-Devouring Stone could not speak and simply remained quietly in her hand, offering no reaction whatsoever.

Ning Xianyu had no choice but to ask the Flowing-Water Stone, "What did your brother say?"

The Flowing-Water Stone retorted ungraciously, "He is no brother of mine. Besides, he didn't say anything; he's mute most of the time."

Fine then, asking was no different from asking nothing. Ning Xianyu put them away and reported what she had sensed to the others.

Since the Flowing-Water Stone could provide no useful information, and Yi Tianling was deliberately hiding his capabilities, they might as well wander around the mountain first.

Xuanwu Tunhan motioned for Ning Xianyu to walk in front. "We are walking without a fixed destination anyway. You choose the path."

Ning Xianyu had not expected to be given the decision-making power and asked excitedly, "Are you really leaving it to me? Can we go anywhere?"

Xuanwu Tunhan replied that they could.

Ning Xianyu always felt there was a catch hidden within this gesture.

[System, system, has the Great Demon's brain been squeezed by a door? Why is he letting me lead the way?]

The system answered: [Who knows? It's probably giving you a sweet after a beating. He gives you the sweet first, and then he'll beat you later.]

Ning Xianyu thought that made sense. [Well, I... I can't exactly refuse either.]

She figured that regardless of whether she accepted this sweet or not, the Great Demon would surely strike when the time came, so she might as well obediently comply.

She looked around and pointed randomly at a spot. "There. I want to go have a look over there."

She was pointing at a small hilltop covered entirely in fruit trees, from which a sweet fragrance drifted even from a distance.

She wanted to taste what the fruit here tasted like.

Xuanwu Tunhan said very well, and Yi Tianling and the others had no objections, so everyone followed her lead.

They quickly arrived at the small hill, which was indeed planted with all kinds of fruit trees that were thriving wonderfully.

Ning Xianyu looked around for someone to ask if they could purchase some.

Xiahou Fang found this troublesome. "Just pluck them at will. Why bother buying?"

How uninteresting; was there any need to buy?

Su Yun'er shook her head. "We cannot do that. Mount Qingxu is only so large, yet it houses many cultivators. It is impossible for anything here to be ownerless."

Moreover, these fruit trees were flourishing so well that someone was clearly tending to them with care.

Since they had just arrived, it was best not to provoke trouble casually.

Xiahou Fang uttered a disdainful scoff, but he did not press the matter.

He didn't care about fruit anyway, so it was all the same to him.

Just as they were discussing this, a dainty and charming young girl suddenly appeared among the tree branches.

She looked to be about the same age as Ning Xianyu, wearing her hair in double buns adorned with two beads, making her look exceptionally cute.

She tilted her head and smiled. "Are you the outsiders?"

Yi Tianling stepped forward and politely replied that they were.

The young girl giggled. "I heard what you were saying. You still have some manners, knowing that you shouldn't steal things casually. Since that is the case, let's see what fine items you can offer in trade."

"If your treasures satisfy me, I will sell some fruits to you. If I am not satisfied, you can also help me with some chores in exchange for fruit."

The young girl spoke very endearingly, showing mostly curiosity toward them rather than hostility.

Thinking that these people had never been out into the wider world, Ning Xianyu imagined they would surely love items from the outside.

Therefore, she gathered all the fabrics, jewelry, and various strange and amusing trinkets she had accumulated from the outside world, dumped them onto the ground, and let the young girl choose for herself.

The moment the young girl saw so many unfamiliar objects, her eyes widened.

"Are these all things from the outside? They look so much fun!"

While she was busy rummaging and picking through the items, Ning Xianyu and the others struck up a friendly conversation with her.

Girls found it easier to trust one another, and soon they learned each other's names as well as basic backgrounds regarding their sects.

The young girl was named Liuli, and she mentioned that she had an elder sister named Yingluo, with whom she cultivated on this mountain peak.

Although she looked young, she had already attained the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm.

"Go on and pick some fruit to eat. I'll just take my time selecting these."

Su Yun'er's goal was not fruit, so naturally she did not go, but Ning Xianyu was eager to taste them and wandered about plucking fruits.

Xuanwu Tunhan did not follow her; the hill was small enough that everything was visible at a glance.

Yi Tianling also mentioned picking some fruit and set off to inspect the surrounding area.

There were plenty of fruits here, and every single one looked exceptionally delicious.

Ning Xianyu picked a portion of each kind, stuffing her pouch as she ate.

Just as she was in the middle of gathering them, a flash of sword light sliced through the air, startling her so much that she hurriedly hugged her head and squatted down.

"What kind of person are you, daring to steal our fruit?"