Chapter 1239: Soft Rice Tastes Really Good

Seeing his intentions thwarted, a malicious glint flashed in Chiwen's eyes.

Suddenly, he noticed Zu An standing nearby, and his voice changed drastically out of fright: "He... how is he here? He's a devil, Auntie, you must be careful!" After saying this, he tried to grab his trident to fight again, but he was too weak, his entire body trembling.

"After all the dirty deeds you've done, how dare you call someone else a devil?" A hint of annoyance flashed in Shang Liuyu's eyes. With a flick of her sleeve, she swept the trident to the ground.

Zu An was secretly surprised. Although Shang Liuyu was also a member of the Aquatic Race and likely knew how to control the trident, simply disarming Chiwen with a light sweep indicated a formidable cultivation level. However, she likely had something on her to conceal her aura, making it difficult to discern her true cultivation. He couldn't help but recall how, back in Brightmoon City, many people privately discussed that Teacher Shang excelled in music but was not skilled in cultivation. Many even spread rumors that she was only around the third rank. "They were all so mistaken," he mused.

Chiwen was quite frustrated, but now he relied on Shang Liuyu's protection, so he naturally dared not argue with her.

At this moment, Shang Liuyu spoke: "I've pleaded on your behalf, and he's willing to give you a reprieve. So, according to the rules of the Demon Race, you'll pay money to buy your life."

Zu An was stunned. He had promised Shang Liuyu to spare his life, and given their relationship, there was no need for him to demand any ransom. Just as he was about to say something, Shang Liuyu secretly transmitted a message to him: "Don't decline. It'll be good for this prodigal son to learn a lesson, lest he become even more lawless in the future."

Zu An smiled slightly. Since that was the case, there was no need to refuse; Chiwen really deserved a beating.

Chiwen opened his mouth, but as his life was at stake, he ultimately did not object. He obediently took out a large conch shell with runes flowing across its surface, clearly indicating it was a storage artifact. He fumbled inside it for a long time, then pulled out a gleaming, cold-bladed saber: "This is the Ocean-Slicing Saber. Legend says it can cut even the sea in half with one stroke, its power is boundless. If my aunt hadn't vouched for you, I wouldn't bear to give it to you." He handed it over, his face showing clear signs of pain.

Zu An took a look. Its quality was indeed not low; it was considered a high-grade Earth-tier weapon. In the martial world, it would be enough to serve as the foundational treasure of some sects.

At this moment, Shang Liuyu, standing beside them, snorted: "Who are you trying to fool with this junk? Is your life only worth a broken saber like this?"

Chiwen's heart skipped a beat. He thought, 'Auntie is helping me here. This ominous star across from me is unfathomable and clearly hard to deceive. If I annoy him by trying to be clever, my life might be forfeit.' So he obediently took out a golden brick. Fearing the other party would misunderstand, he hastily explained: "Don't just look at it as a golden brick; uh, although it is indeed a golden brick, it's not an ordinary golden brick..." Realizing his incoherence, he quickly added: "This is a Heaven-tier weapon. It can be summoned to strike people, like a mountain pressing down!"

He suddenly felt a bit eager to try it out. If he suddenly activated the golden brick, could he crush this guy into a paste? But recalling the opponent's strange movement technique and his fist the size of a grinding bowl, he decided his life was more important and there was no need to take risks. It was just a Heaven-tier weapon, an external possession.

Zu An took the golden brick. He felt its heavy weight, and noticed runes faintly flowing across its surface, imbued with the aura of the Great Dao. He recalled how, back in Cloud City, when he stumbled upon Jian Taiding and others from the Zhenyuan Merchant Guild plotting, one of the experts had wielded a golden brick weapon. However, in terms of aura, this golden brick was far more powerful than that one.

He marveled at the Aquatic Race's immense wealth. Just as he was about to say something polite to conclude, Shang Liuyu spoke again: "Is your life only worth one brick?"

Zu An was speechless.Chiwen was speechless.

He gritted his teeth. It was indeed a bit little, so he pulled out another sword from the large conch shell. The sword was crystal clear and flowing with light, and as soon as it was taken out, a chilling aura emanated from it.

Zu An was startled—another Heaven-tier weapon! Before he could say anything, Shang Liuyu spoke: "The Yin-Yang Twin Swords are a pair; there's no point in keeping just one."

Chiwen's breath hitched, but he still obediently took out the other sword. In stark contrast to the previous one, this sword emanated an aura of extreme rigidity and yang. When the two swords were held together, the chilling and blazing sensations completely vanished. In their place was an inexplicable sense of harmony, and one could faintly see the auras of the two swords forming a Tai Chi symbol.

Three Heaven-tier weapons! Zu An was overjoyed. His Tai'a Sword had developed cracks, making him hesitant to risk using it again, and he was currently lacking a suitable weapon. Furthermore, although the Tai'a Sword was of a very high grade, according to Mi Li, its true form was sealed. Coupled with its degradation over long ages, its actual combat power was now roughly comparable to a Heaven-tier weapon, apart from its unique material. As for the Poisoned Dagger, Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger, Sun-Shooting Arrow, and so on, while they surpassed Heaven-tier, each had its drawbacks and was not suitable for everyday combat. Now with these three Heaven-tier weapons, his combat power would be significantly enhanced.

Just as Zu An was feeling content, he heard Shang Liuyu speak again: "Are you really trying to buy your life with some scrap metal you don't even use?"

Zu An was speechless.Chiwen was almost in tears: "Auntie, whose side are you on?!"

Shang Liuyu's cheeks felt slightly warm. "Think carefully," she said. "He could simply kill you and take your trident directly. Can these weapons of yours compare to the trident?" At the same time, she secretly transmitted a message to Zu An: "The trident is a weapon of a previous Dragon King and holds extraordinary significance to the Dragon Race. I cannot let you have it, as it would only bring you trouble. I'm having him compensate with other items."

Zu An chuckled awkwardly: "Actually, there's no need to be so formal..."

Chiwen also grumbled: "He can't even use the trident if he takes it." The Dragon King had helped him establish a pact with the trident. If the other party were to truly kill him and seize the treasure, it would invite pursuit from the entire Aquatic Race. However, he then thought that he would already be dead by then, and even if the Aquatic Race hunted his killer countless times, it wouldn't bring him back to life.

This thought brought him a sense of relief, and he then continued rummaging through the conch shell.

At this point, Shang Liuyu, finding it troublesome, directly snatched the conch shell from him and shook its contents onto the ground. One by one, dazzling and colorful weapons tumbled out. Four weapons among them were particularly striking. One was an eighteen-foot-long spear with a flame-shaped spearhead, a purple fiery tassel, and the other end fashioned as a snake-like spearhead. There was also a pair of constantly spinning wheels, blazing with flames and ceaselessly emitting sounds of wind and fire. A golden ring, like a golden bangle. And a seven-foot-long red silk ribbon. Every single item emanated the aura of a Heaven-tier weapon.

Zu An let out a soft sound of surprise. "Why do these items look somewhat familiar?" he wondered.

Chiwen, standing nearby, was so heartbroken his eyes turned green: "Auntie!"

Shang Liuyu snorted: "Your aunt is doing this for your own good. The trident is no less powerful than any divine artifact in this era, and focusing solely on cultivating with it is the true path. Your father dotes on you too much; giving you so many weapons will only distract your energy."

Chiwen was momentarily stunned. What she said did make some sense, but why did he still feel that something was off?

By this time, Shang Liuyu had already picked up all four Heaven-tier weapons and handed them to Zu An: "This is the Purple Flame Snake-Spear Fire-Tipped Spear; it's incredibly sharp and can cut through demons and monsters like a hot knife through butter. These two are the Wind-Fire Wheels; stepping on them allows anyone below the Grandmaster realm to fly in the sky, traveling thousands of miles in a day. However, since the Dragon Race can naturally fly through the sky and dive into the sea, they are not very useful to them. This is the Universe Ring; it can expand or shrink and be thrown to attack enemies. This is the Sky-Mixing Ribbon; its length can automatically extend or retract to bind enemies, and it can even repair itself if cut. These weapons, along with the previous golden brick and Yin-Yang Twin Swords, have been in the Dragon Palace's treasury since ancient times. Legend has it they were the weapons of an extremely formidable ancient being. I can't believe the Dragon King doted on the Ninth Prince so much that he gave them all to him."

Chiwen was utterly dejected, thinking, "Now you've taken them all and given them to an outsider!"

Zu An's expression was incredibly vibrant at this moment. No wonder fortune tellers always said he had a bad stomach in this life and was destined to only "eat soft food" (live off others). I now have to say: What's wrong with living off others?

"Soft food" tastes so good!