Chapter 103: Stabbing the Swallow Pearl

There were originally twelve cacti, but now there were thirteen. What they were waiting for had arrived.

Where was this extra cactus?

According to Li Banfeng's memory, it was located between the fifth and sixth cacti.

Li Banfeng prepared to strike with his Tang blade, but Ma Wu signaled him to wait a moment longer.

Both men simultaneously turned their backs, no longer looking at the cactus.

The cactus was currently devouring a snakehead eel. It opened a sac and impaled an eel with its thorny arm. Then, with another arm, it cut an opening in its own body and stuffed the eel inside the wound. This was how it fed, without making a sound throughout the entire process.

Ma Wu was estimating how quickly the cactus ate the fish. The more it ate, the better, but they couldn't wait for it to finish everything. Otherwise, the cactus might escape, or something even more terrifying could happen.

This time, there was a large quantity of snakehead eels, and Ma Wu wanted to wait a little longer. Li Banfeng's ear twitched, and using his Insightful Spiritual Sound Technique, he heard a sound: "There's still more here."

"Still more here?" Li Banfeng whipped his head around, only to discover a cactus nearly two meters tall standing right in front of them.

That was close.

Ma Wu had overestimated. The cactus had finished the fish and was ready for its next course.

This type of cactus was called a Thorn Swallower. It usually hid beneath the yellow sand, rarely showing itself. Thorn Swallowers had a diverse diet, consuming insects and snakes in the sand. However, in this new land, only two types of food could lure them out of the sand.

The first was snakehead eels, the very fish Li Banfeng and Ma Wu had retrieved from the lakeside. Thorn Swallowers liked them whether they were alive or dead. The second food source was humans, but only live ones.

Thorn Swallowers were formidable fighters. Once they attacked, Li Banfeng and Ma Wu's combined strength would likely be insufficient, and they could die at the hands of this cactus.

However, Thorn Swallowers had a fatal weakness: they couldn't move if someone was watching them. That was why Ma Wu and Li Banfeng had initially turned their backs to the snakehead eels on the ground; only then could they lure it out from underground.

The Thorn Swallower arrived silently and was indistinguishable from other cacti, making its shape incredibly difficult to discern. Ma Wu could only confirm its presence by counting. Thorn Swallowers also made no sound when eating. Ma Wu had to rely on his experience to estimate the time. His estimate this time was off because the cactus had an enormous appetite and quickly finished the fish. It was entirely thanks to Li Banfeng's Insightful Spiritual Sound Technique that they weren't waiting longer, or else Li Banfeng and Ma Wu might have become its next meal.

Now they had nothing to worry about. Ma Wu and Li Banfeng stared at the cactus together. As long as they didn't blink at the same time, it wouldn't move.

"To survive in this desert, you need at least two people to evade a Thorn Swallower's attack," Ma Wu said, brandishing a short sword over a foot long. He leaped and sliced the cactus open. Colorless, clear sap flowed from the split cactus. Within the sap, Ma Wu retrieved eight peanut-sized pearls.

"This cactus has eaten quite a few people recently…" Ma Wu's expression was grim. He took out his water flask and washed the mucus off the pearls. Six of them were dark red, and two were bright red.

Seeing the two bright red pearls, Ma Wu showed a hint of a smile. He had gambled correctly.

"Brother Li, look," Ma Wu said. "Thorn Swallower Pearls are the Thorn Swallower's undigested food. These six pearls formed after it ate humans, and vengeful spirits cling to them, making their quality poor. These two pearls, however, were just formed from eating fish. The fish had been dead for a long time, so there are no vengeful spirits on these pearls, and their quality is excellent. Just one of these two pearls could sell for three hundred thousand at Greenwater Bay, worth more than all six of the others combined!"

This was why Ma Wu had wanted to wait for the Thorn Swallower to finish the snakehead eels; one more bite might yield another pure pearl.

Li Banfeng looked at the six dark red pearls and asked, "Does each pearl have a vengeful spirit on it?" He used his Yin-Yang Eye but saw no ghost flames.

Ma Wu shook his head. "More than that. When they eat live humans, the pearls grow slowly. Three to five people might not even yield one pearl. Judging by the color of these pearls, I estimate there are five or six vengeful spirits clinging to each. Such pearls are low-grade; they might sell for two thousand odd coins at the Song family's place, and you'd be lucky to get thirty thousand in Greenwater City."

The more vengeful spirits, the lower the quality of the pearl. But why couldn't he see these vengeful spirits? Were they hidden too deeply?

Li Banfeng pondered for a moment. "If we remove the vengeful spirits from the pearls, wouldn't they become high-quality pearls?"

Ma Wu gave a wry smile. "That's very difficult. People eaten by Thorn Swallowers are pierced by countless thorns before death, dying in extreme agony. Their souls lose their primordial spirit, and their resentment is immense. To remove the vengeful spirits, you either need a spiritual treasure or you have to hire a Nightmare Cultivator. Such spiritual treasures are rare, and Nightmare Cultivators themselves are scarce. It would cost at least a hundred thousand to thoroughly purge the vengeful spirits. And if you fail and damage the pearl, you'd lose everything. That's why very few people attempt it."

Li Banfeng said, "Hand the pearls over to me first. I have a way."

"You have a way?" Ma Wu was skeptical, but this business was primarily an act of repayment. Without hesitation, Ma Wu handed all eight Thorn Swallower Pearls to Li Banfeng.

"Brother Li, you must guard these carefully. On the way back, absolutely don't let the Song family discover them. The Song family also frequently hunts Thorn Swallowers, but they don't use snakehead eels; they use live humans as bait."

"Use live humans as bait?" Li Banfeng was stunned.

Ma Wu nodded. "In Blue Willow Village, people who truly cannot survive will sign a document with the Song family, wagering their lives for twenty thousand coins to become the Song family's bait. The Song family binds these bait people securely and throws them into this desert. Because Thorn Swallowers are afraid of being watched, the bait people are also blindfolded. When a Thorn Swallower appears, if the Song family acts quickly enough, the bait person might survive. However, the Song family's primary goal is the Thorn Swallower; they only consider the optimal hunting moment, not the bait person's life or death. Thus, becoming bait is a near-certain death sentence."

Bait person. Li Banfeng heard another new term.

"Brother Ma, how did you know Thorn Swallowers like snakehead eels?"

"I learned it from ancestral texts. The Ma family has more books than any other prominent family in Pro Province. Some Ma family disciples enjoy studying literature, others martial arts, and they can all find relevant texts in the Ma family library. I also love reading, but I only read books about making money. It's a pity; I'll never be able to return to the Ma family in this lifetime. There are so many good books in that library, so many ways to make money that I haven't fully mastered yet."

Li Banfeng pondered for a moment. "From Earth Jade Peaches, to tiger-head lice, to snakehead eels, and then to Thorn Swallower Pearls — is this entire sequence described in a single book?"

Ma Wu shook his head. "There's no single 'sequence' written down, nor could these things appear in the same book. Earth Jade Peaches like hundreds of foods, but rotten fish are the easiest to obtain, so everyone knows about that method. Earth Jade Peaches also carry hundreds of types of insects, but tiger-head lice are just one of them, and not many people know about that. Snakehead eels are extremely cunning; without the right bait, they're impossible to catch. Going into the lake to catch them is also extremely dangerous, and even if you do catch them, they're only useful for poison cultivators to make toxins, fetching no good price. Therefore, few people are willing to hunt them. However, tiger-head lice are one of the baits for catching snakehead eels, and it's the only such bait available in the new land of Blue Willow Village. Very few people know about this. As for Thorn Swallower cacti, they have an extremely varied diet. The books list over sixty types of bait, and snakehead eels are just one of them. In the new land of Blue Willow Village, besides live humans, this is already the easiest bait to find. I took all the books I'd read before, mentally disassembled and processed them, then staked out the Song family's main warehouse for several days to understand what resources were produced in this new land, and only then did I piece together this entire chain."

Li Banfeng said, "Then from now on, we'll follow this routine every day: fishing for peaches, fishing for eels, and hunting Thorn Swallowers."

Ma Wu shook his head. "No, that won't do. If we do that continually, the Song family will certainly become suspicious. This lead is valuable, but I have more than just one."

Li Banfeng nodded repeatedly. Such a person was destined to make money.

The two returned to Blue Willow Village. To avoid drawing attention, Ma Wu still carried the bag of rotten fish.

Song Jiasen was strolling through the village early in the morning. Seeing Ma Wu, he chuckled, "Young Master Wu, you should throw away that bag of rotten fish. The smell is too strong, and it looks like it's growing maggots."

Ma Wu sneered, "If Boss Song gave me more money for food, I wouldn't have to live so meagerly."

Song Jiasen looked surprised. "Young Master Wu, why say such a thing? Are you still resentful about the peaches? I, Song, was helpless; this is a rule of Blue Willow Village for many years. I couldn't possibly break precedent just for Young Master Wu. How about this: if Young Master Wu doesn't mind, come to my humble abode for dinner tonight. As long as I, Song, have a bite to eat, Young Master Wu will certainly not go hungry."

These few words were packed with sarcasm.

Ma Wu remained silent. The two returned to their wooden hut together. Ma Wu went downstairs to catch up on sleep, while Li Banfeng returned to his Portable Dwelling.

Upon seeing Li Banfeng return, the Gramophone huffed, spewing a cloud of steam that enveloped the entire main room. "Oh, my husband," it whined, "I can't live like this anymore; your little servant is almost starving to death!"

Li Banfeng waved his hand, dispersing the steam in front of him, and pulled out a Thorn Swallower Pearl. "Wife, see if the ingredients on this can be eaten?"

"This thing… it really can be eaten!" The Gramophone's Yin-Yang Eye was clearly superior to Li Banfeng's. After examining it for a moment, it said, "This is a Thorn Swallower Pearl, isn't it? It's been years since I've seen one of these."

"What's this pearl good for?"

"It's an auxiliary material for refining spiritual treasures. Thorn Swallower Pearls can lock in spiritual essence, and they hold it very tightly. The purer the Thorn Swallower Pearl, the better it is for refining spiritual treasures, because it can lock in a single spiritual essence without interference from miscellaneous spirits. This pearl of yours has eight lingering souls inside. Pearls like this are impure; the spiritual essence they lock in will be interfered with, and they won't sell for a good price. Just let your little servant eat them."

Li Banfeng sat next to the Gramophone and gently pleaded, "My dear wife, it would be a shame to waste such good pearls. Can you eat the lingering souls and leave the pearls intact?"

A clanking sound followed. The Gramophone was very reluctant. "My husband is truly greedy for wealth! He won't even let your little servant enjoy a meal properly. Fine, your little servant will try. Thorn Swallower Pearls can lock in spiritual essence very tightly; that's not just an idle boast. Even your husband's Yin-Yang Eye can't see these lingering souls. These lingering souls have already lost their primordial spirit and have merged with the pearls. Although your little servant has a way to peel away the vengeful spirits, if the pearls are damaged, husband, you must not blame your little servant."

"No blame, no blame! Wife, go ahead and do your best. If they're ruined, it's on me!"

As long as one pearl could be saved, Li Banfeng would consider it a huge gain.

The Gramophone rubbed the pearl with steam for a moment. A lingering soul peeled away from the pearl and was sucked into the Gramophone's horn.

Despite the Gramophone's claims of difficulty, in less than five minutes, one pearl was processed. Its dark red color turned bright red, and all vengeful spirits were purged. Seeing the horn covered in water droplets, Li Banfeng tenderly wiped it. "You worked hard, wife."

"Oh, hard work isn't really the issue. It's just that these lingering souls were so full of resentment, a bit spicy."

"Spicy"…

"Wife, do you like spicy food? I have more here!" Li Banfeng took out the remaining five pearls. The Gramophone chuckled, and the steam it exhaled had a faint red tint. "Oh, my husband, I knew you cared for your little servant."

In less than half an hour, all the Thorn Swallower Pearls had been processed. The Gramophone let out a satisfied burp and fell asleep. Li Banfeng, holding the high-quality Thorn Swallower Pearls, lay down on the bed and also fell asleep.

That evening, Li Banfeng presented Ma Wu with the six high-quality Thorn Swallower Pearls.

Ma Wu was greatly astonished, utterly unable to fathom what method Li Banfeng had used. He didn't ask further, knowing that such a method would not be easily revealed to others.

"Brother Ma, I'll leave the matter of selling these to you."

Ma Wu nodded. "Brother Li, walk with me to the village entrance. I'm afraid of being ambushed."