Chapter 153: Transaction Failure, The Versatile Lan Ji

Gu Zhengshun shook his head.

“Brother Wang, I won’t deceive you. My master is only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage and is simply not qualified to possess a third-tier refined corpse. My grandmaster, Diyinzi, does have more than one third-tier refined corpse, but they are all intact. Even if damaged, he prefers to repair them rather than sell them as scrap.”

“I understand.”

Wang Yu, of course, understood the underlying reason: third-tier items were too valuable. Even repairing them at great cost was better than cultivating a new one.

“But you’re a disciple of Corpse Peak. Your faction specializes in zombies, so many of you must possess third-tier refined corpses, right? You don’t necessarily need to seek out your grandmaster.”

“I understand.”

As he spoke, Gu Zhengshun’s expression grew increasingly troubled. He gulped down half a pot of strong liquor before continuing.

“Don’t just look at how fiercely your Cold Blood Peak Inner Disciples fight for the title of ‘Nascent Soul Seed.’ The competition among our Corpse Peak Inner Disciples is even more intense. Have you ever heard of the Corpse Combat Assembly?”

“Corpse Combat Assembly? I’ve heard the name, but I’m not familiar with the details.”

Wang Yu was more interested in the legacy of Five Yin Peak. He still possessed a demonic art called the "Ghost Transformation Curse," which, if used with the Thousand Soul Banner, would certainly be one of the best magical artifacts for the Foundation Establishment stage. It could command all living souls for his use, making it a superior and wondrous art for raising ghosts and feeding evil. As for Corpse Peak... he genuinely didn't know much about it.

Gu Zhengshun forced a bitter smile.

“Corpse combat, naturally, is a competition of whose essence corpse is stronger. Corpse Peak has a secret ritual called the Bone Fiend Ritual! The so-called Corpse Combat Assembly involves ten Inner Disciples’ essence corpses fighting and devouring each other to complete the Bone Fiend Ritual. The sole survivor will gain the power of the Zombie King and will likely undergo mutation. Not to mention awakening corpse-path divine abilities, they will also possess strength and potential surpassing others at the same level, which will greatly benefit their future breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage. This session’s Corpse Combat Assembly for Inner Disciples has already concluded.”

“Oh~” Wang Yu asked curiously, “Who won?”

“What do you think? In any case, the Inner Disciple I pledged allegiance to lost, and lost miserably. To re-refine her essence corpse and recover from foundational injuries, we, her subordinates, have been having an absolutely miserable time recently. Old debts from many years ago have been brought up, our spirit stones are being relentlessly squeezed, and many people have died. Brother Wang... if you could help…”

At this point, Gu Zhengshun was no longer in a position to negotiate with him, and he clearly had troubles of his own. Knowing this, why would he arrange to meet Wang Yu? Help? Don't even think about it!

Sensing something amiss, Wang Yu didn't even want to hear the rest and was preparing to take his leave. Just then, a landscape screen nearby suddenly opened, and a graceful, generous, and charming acquaintance stepped out with lotus-like steps, chuckling alluringly as she bowed.

“Brother Wang, it’s been a long time~”

The woman was indeed Lan Ji, the steward after Zhao Shang of Ice & Snow Pavilion, and rumored concubine of Su Yulong. However, ever since Su Yulong, the Inner Disciple, was demoted and his affiliated forces were dissolved, she had disappeared. It was truly strange that she was meeting Gu Zhengshun today.

“So, you wanted to see me.”

“Indeed, it was I.”

Lan Ji naturally sat on an octagonal stool nearby. Without speaking to Wang Yu, she pulled out a storage bag and handed it to Gu Zhengshun, saying coldly, “Inside are thirty thousand spirit stones. Given your status, that should be enough to acquire a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill. If you successfully reach Foundation Establishment, you’ll repay sixty thousand spirit stones. If you fail... your corpse, assets, and blood relatives will all belong to me.”

“Understood, Lady Lan Ji. Please rest assured.”

With that, Gu Zhengshun took the storage bag. As he headed out the door, he subtly gave Wang Yu a meaningful look, his lips moving silently, clearly forming the words “corpse combat.”

So that was it. Wang Yu largely understood Gu Zhengshun’s intention. This Lan Ji was truly skilled at manipulating situations.

Once silence returned to the room, Lan Ji regained her smile and subtly moved closer. Her fair, supple chest seemed glistening, almost ready to burst forth.

“Heh, Fellow Daoist Lan Ji, you went to such lengths to meet me. What matter is so urgent that it requires this?”

Seeing that Wang Yu was truly unmoved, Lan Ji feigned annoyance. “You men, why are you so oblivious to charm? You’re even worse than before. Can you even perform?”

“Bang––”

Wang Yu slammed his palm down, shattering the tabletop. His eyes were filled with killing intent. This matter concerned his dignity and absolutely could not be leaked. An invisible chill began to spread. Lan Ji couldn’t help but shiver, a deep, strange look in her eyes. She truly hadn’t expected a casual remark to touch upon a taboo.

She immediately regained a serious expression, and at the same time, an aura belonging to a Foundation Establishment cultivator emanated from her. She was at the first level of Foundation Establishment!

“Don’t be angry, Fellow Daoist, it was just a joke. Besides, although the Eight Treasures Pavilion doesn’t inquire about what guests do in their rooms, if you were to make a move, I couldn’t be stopped from escaping onto the street, and then the Enforcement Hall...”

As she spoke, Lan Ji suddenly choked, because the man in front of her suddenly pulled out a Xiezhi crown, placed it on his head, and stared at her coldly.

“Enforcement what? Fellow Daoist, please continue.”

Lan Ji stiffly swallowed. If she wasn’t mistaken, that Xiezhi crown was an accessory for an Enforcement Deacon. The Enforcement Hall wielded immense power in the Ten Districts; they could declare right or wrong with a single word, and no one dared to offend them. Unable to entertain the thought of manipulating him any further, she quickly and honestly stated the reason.

“The master of Corpse Peak’s current Zombie King asked me to meet you.”

Lan Ji waved her delicate hand, and a shriveled corpse arm floated in mid-air—it was precisely a left arm. Seeing this, Wang Yu understood that all his information had been relayed by Gu Zhengshun to the victor of this Corpse Combat Assembly, whose status was equivalent to that of Cold Blood Peak’s Nascent Soul Seed.

After a moment of silence, Wang Yu sat back down. “Fellow Daoist Lan Ji, you have excellent methods. Without Su Yulong, you’ve managed to find an even more capable patron.”

“Patron?” Lan Ji gave a self-deprecating smile but offered no further explanation. Instead, she said, “Su Yulong was useless. As for me, I’m quite unscrupulous. This body can be given to anyone, right? It’s perfectly reasonable to expect some reward.”

Reasonable.

Wang Yu didn’t voice this thought, quietly waiting for her to continue. After the farcical struggle, she finally settled down and got to the point: “My presence here today is by Prince Jiang’s order. He wishes to arrange a meeting with Princess Yan Ling.”

“What use is it to seek me out if he wants to meet Inner Disciple Yan Ling? He can simply present a formal visiting card. I have no particular connection with the Inner Disciple.”

“Is that so? Then how did you join the Slave Capture Squad?”

Wang Yu frowned. For her to say this proved that their investigation was more thorough than he had imagined; they might even have uncovered his connection to Tantai Chan. But they definitely didn’t know about Yu Tangtang’s existence. If they knew, they wouldn’t consider him Yan Ling’s subordinate, as the two had never met or exchanged a single word; they truly weren’t familiar. There was no need to keep denying it. It was better to play along, use the false assumption to his advantage, and first figure out their true intentions.

“If that’s the case, why entrust me with this task? Inner Disciple Yan Ling has many talented subordinates who could convey a message. What’s special about me?”

“Secrecy. You are sufficiently discreet,” Lan Ji spoke fluently. “Your connection with Princess Yan Ling is very well hidden; only someone as perceptive as Prince Jiang could discover it. He wishes to meet privately, and naturally, the discussion will be about Nascent Soul matters. You just need to deliver this letter. Whether it succeeds or not, I can grant you one request.”

Wang Yu almost laughed. What a "perceptive" person – truly ironic. It seemed this Inner Disciple Jiang was an extremely confident, even arrogant, individual. His self-perception of his own wisdom had reached the point of blind arrogance, which, in a way, made him easier to deal with. But for a transaction, if he didn’t squeeze out some fat, he wouldn’t be Wang Yu.

“Alright, the condition is simple. I want a third-tier bamboo-type treasure material with both Yin and Soul attributes. How about that? Prince Jiang, being this session’s Zombie King, must also be a Core Formation cultivator, so he should be able to produce one spiritual material.”

“You—” Lan Ji almost jumped up. It was just delivering a letter, yet he dared to make such an outrageous demand. However, the audacious words that rose to her lips were forcibly suppressed. Recalling the instructions given before her departure, she unusually took out a voice transmission jade slip and directly contacted the person herself.

This phenomenon truly surprised Wang Yu. A transaction? No bargaining? When had demonic cultivators become so honest? It was far too strange.

After a moment of thought, he suddenly realized the issue. Contacting Yan Ling secretly through him indicated that the other party didn’t want to be discovered by others, and Lan Ji’s unusually strange attitude meant that the other party had issued an absolute command that had to be fulfilled, even at any cost. So, what in the Demonic Sect would require something to be done at all costs? —A matter of life and death!

Lan Ji’s attitude suddenly made Wang Yu think of these things. Considering recent events, could it be that something unexpected happened after the Corpse Combat Assembly, requiring Yan Ling’s help to save a life? And Yan Ling’s unique quality was her Heavenly Water Spirit Root.

Having deduced this, Wang Yu secretly shook his head again. No, no, no. Besides life itself, the Nascent Soul legacy was also a prize worth fighting desperately for. On Cold Blood Peak’s side, as Yan Ling challenged the other seven Inner Disciples, her prestige grew, and she was almost regarded as the victor of this generation of Inner Disciples. To some extent, she and the one surnamed Jiang were on the same level.

The information was insufficient; there must be some situation he was unaware of, so he couldn't make a judgment so easily. As for why he demanded a treasure and didn't care for the shriveled third-tier corpse arm in front of him, it was still a matter of trust. Wang Yu only consumed pills that he refined himself. How could he possibly put something specifically prepared by someone else onto his person? Impossible! Especially when the other party knew him deeply, yet he knew almost nothing about Inner Disciple Jiang, that corpse arm was completely undesirable. His previous transaction with Gu Zhengshun also stemmed from the latter's uncertainty about the effects after the transaction; even if they wanted to play a trick, they had no choice. A third-tier corpse arm was a trump card he intended to prepare for himself. If it became a potential risk, it would be meaningless.

After a long wait, it was unknown what Lan Ji had said to her superior, but when she spoke to Wang Yu again, she decisively agreed to the condition and took back the corpse arm.

“Within three days, the item will be delivered to the Enforcement Hall in Evil God Market. Fellow Daoist Wang, you may collect your payment first, then proceed with the task.”