Chapter 918: Exchange

## Chapter 908: Exchange

He Lingchuan quickly searched his memory. It was a small island, about one *qing* (approximately 60,000 square meters), separated from Dragon Spine Island by two other islands, but only a fifteen to thirty-minute row away.

“Alright, you can act as island master.”

Dong Rui looked skeptical. “That’s it? That’s unusually straightforward for you, He Lingchuan. No other conditions? I’d be island master just by finishing this drink?”

“Of course,” He Lingchuan said, patting his shoulder. “However, when you can actually become the island master depends on when I can thoroughly purge the island of its malevolent aura.”

“Can’t you just stand on the island and clear it?” Dong Rui asked. “You're like a human black hole; the malevolent yin energy that everyone avoids just disappears when it meets you. It’s ridiculous.” Dong Rui secretly suspected this had something to do with the treasure He Lingchuan stole from the Star-Picking Pagoda in the Heavenly Palace.

“The murky yin energy wells up from the ley lines every seven days,” He Lingchuan said, shaking his head with a sigh. “But I can’t be everywhere at once. With forty-two islands, I can't go to each one to dispel the evil. With a new surge every seven days, would I be tied to the archipelago for the rest of my life?”

“You have a solution, don’t you?” Dong Rui said, not wanting to be tricked. “Otherwise, you wouldn't be spending so much to buy an island!”

“It’s not… that I have nowhere to rob, is it?” He Lingchuan mumbled. Being new here, he didn't know where to find divine bones around Hundred Rows Territory. “Shouldn’t I ask my own people for help first?”

“That’s too many.”

Are *Guishou* like dried goods? Does this guy have an endless supply?

Dong Rui cast a suspicious glance at him, but then considered that the man did indeed keep his word and never made empty promises, so he fell into thought.

“Hidden on a person? Brilliant! Otherwise, these things are unruly and difficult to transport long distances.” Dong Rui's eyes lit up. “Tell me, what kind of *Guishou* are they?”

He Lingchuan’s training hadn't been in vain; before the wine sprayed, he had already whisked his plate of stir-fried crab half a *zhang* away.

“Can you please be a bit more hygienic? I still want to eat this dish!”

“*Guishou*? I've seen them before,” Dong Rui said, a little tempted. His research into demonic puppets was based on *Guishou*, and a few more samples might inspire some new ideas.

“There is a way,” He Lingchuan said, picking up a piece of lobster meat and chewing it slowly. “I need to forge a few artifacts to suppress the island, with an effect as if I were personally there.” Alas, for his island.

Dong Rui breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it wasn't too many.

He Lingchuan had only temporarily brought this person into the Mirror World, assuming that when the person died, the *Guishou* would burst forth from their body. However, after several months of observation, he discovered that although the Heavenly Palace attendant was brain-dead, their body remained active, and he wondered if it was related to the *Guishou*.

Observing his words and actions, He Lingchuan's worries were halved. This fellow indeed still had some! His claim last time in Lingxu City that he had nothing left, that he had given it all away, was clearly false.

“Large islands will require two or three artifacts,” He Lingchuan said seriously. “And forty pieces of divine bone, I’m not asking for a single piece more than necessary.”

His eyes lit up. “Are you saying the *Guishou*'s type and appearance are unknown?”

Dong Rui froze. “Where is it? It's not still in some secret realm, forcing me to expend a great deal of effort to catch it, is it?”

He knew there were *Guishou* in the Heavenly Palace, but during He Lingchuan's operation there, Dong Rui was merely a driver, waiting outside Mount Xu for backup. Thus, he had not witnessed "Abyssal Deep," the giant *Guishou* controlled by Chief Envoy Doyun.

Dong Rui took a sip from his wine cup. “So the difficulty lies in forging the artifacts?”

“It’s alive,” He Lingchuan said, pointing at the table. “Fresh, even fresher than this lobster before it was cooked.”

“Chief Envoy He Jing of the Heavenly Palace brought out a total of four, originally attached to human bodies, only released during combat,” He Lingchuan said, picking up a piece of spicy shredded chicken. “For some reason, this one just wouldn't come out.”

“No!” Dong Rui refused adamantly.

He Lingchuan explained truthfully.

“Pfft!”

He Lingchuan held up his pinky finger and wiggled it in front of him. “It's about the size of a pinky fingernail.”

To prevent any accidents during the sea journey, he even used vitality-nourishing pills and other medicines to sustain the body's life, so the *Guishou* remained dormant until now, waiting for its true destiny—

“They can also absorb malevolent yin energy?”

“They can.”

“No way!” Dong Rui retorted angrily. “You want to trade a barren, godforsaken island for my divine bones? You must be dreaming!”

“Alright, alright, I'll divide them and give them to you in a few days.”

“Think about it, with Clover Island, you can conduct your experiments freely in broad daylight, undisturbed. No one can set foot on the island without your permission,” He Lingchuan persuaded. “As a fugitive from Lingxu City, where else could you enjoy such safety, comfort, and peace?”

Dong Rui's Adam's apple bobbed. He had indeed been on the run for too long and longed for earthly comfort. Did he think Dong Rui couldn't do the math?

He Lingchuan had anticipated this reaction. “Then let's add another chip. I'll give you a *Guishou*?”

“Everything is unknown,” He Lingchuan encouraged him. “You have no idea what kind of *Guishou* you might uncover.”

In the Coiling Dragon Secret Realm, He Jing summoned four *Guishou* for assistance, but only three appeared. Even after the battle ended, the last one remained hidden within the unconscious Heavenly Palace attendant.

“So when do I get my island?”

“That depends on when the artifacts are forged,” He Lingchuan said, shaking his head. “Before that malevolent yin energy is completely dispelled, would you dare set foot on the island?”

“Forty pieces of divine…” Dong Rui said furiously, “Why don’t you just rob someone!” He knew this meal wouldn't be easy to enjoy.

“Would I cheat a friend?” He Lingchuan patted his chest. “If you agree, I’ll give you the *Guishou* immediately.”

He knew that any pie falling from the sky would first hit him on the head.

After a long while, Dong Rui finally asked, “First, tell me clearly, where did this *Guishou* come from?”

“Good brother!” He Lingchuan immediately poured him more wine. “Come, let’s drink!”

“As expected of you, so understanding!” He Lingchuan said with a smile. “I can acquire other materials with money or effort, but divine bones are truly beyond my reach.”

To his surprise, He Lingchuan's next sentence was: “I need forty pieces.”

He Lingchuan didn't rush him, simply drinking, eating, and watching the show.

“Divine bones again?!” Dong Rui frowned. “How many do you need?”

He Lingchuan asked curiously, “Where did you get so many divine bones?” Divine bones and divine blood had always been taboo among the gods; even the high officials and nobles of Lingxu City hardly dared to touch them. How did this fellow seem to have an endless supply?

Dong Rui rinsed his mouth with wine. “I happened to find an ancient battlefield, or you could call it a divine tomb. The remains of the gods are well-preserved, many still retaining their vitality.”

Later, when He Lingchuan spoke about it with Granny Zhu, he was full of envy, repeatedly saying, “You are truly blessed.”

“Well, then…” Dong Rui grimaced, reluctantly saying, “Alright then.”

So the trap was set here. Dong Rui sighed. “What else do you need now?”

The wine in Dong Rui's mouth sprayed out completely.

“Exactly.”