Chapter 88: My Depth Is Unfathomable

“Where did this come from?” Chai Ning exclaimed in surprise, taking the cicada shell and turning it over and over in her hands. “This is the shed skin of the Nine-Lives Golden Cicada. It’s a treasure indeed. Grind it into powder, and if your body suffers a grievous injury, it can save your life on the spot.”

“You’re wasting it for nothing.” A hand shot out swiftly toward the golden cicada shell.

Qing Hu shifted aside, and the other man grasped at empty air. But the hand changed direction with equal speed and seized again at the shed skin. Qing Hu shifted once more. The other struck again, and Qing Hu moved again. In the span of a few breaths, the two had exchanged five or six moves within a cramped space.

The other was as fast as lightning, while Qing Hu was slow as a snail.

And yet she always managed to move the cicada skin beyond the reach of his claws.

It was as if she had already foreseen his speed and direction.

At last, that claw finally gave up.

Shao Kaiyun’s figure appeared before everyone once more.

“If this shed skin of the Nine-Lives Golden Cicada were handed to my master to refine into pills, one spiritual elixir could repair a damaged dantian, or even one that was born incomplete.” This thing was practically a peerless treasure; no one knew where these people had found it.

The most important thing was that every time the Nine-Lives Golden Cicada transformed, it destroyed its own shed skin, leaving almost none behind.

Qing Zhen, seeing that it was Shao Kaiyun again, immediately muttered, “Why is this annoying pest here again?”

“Probably because he has his eye on Fourth Brother’s little bird nest,” Qing Hu said, glancing at Shao Kaiyun and then at the little bird nest hanging beneath her fourth brother’s neck.

Qing Zhen immediately hugged his little bird nest and eyed Shao Kaiyun warily and guardedly.

This fellow had no class; he really did need to be careful.

Shao Kaiyun rolled his eyes at him irritably, then went to an empty chair nearby and sat down. “All those treasures in your hands are being wasted.”

“Hmph. They’d be wasted on you too,” Qing Zhen retorted at once.

Shao Kaiyun laughed when he heard that. “You brat, you’re still pretending to be stubborn when you’re clearly at the end of your rope. If you weren’t human, I’d have dealt with you already.”

“You make robbery and extortion sound so noble; it’s the first time I’ve seen such a thing.” Shen Qingjin stepped forward and pulled Qing Zhen behind him. Shao Kaiyun gave Shen Qingjin a deep, probing look.

Compared with his younger brother Qing Zhen, Shen Qingjin was the truly troublesome one.

And the key was that he had quite a powerful backer. The Lord of the Immortal Path had already gained considerable renown in the Eastern Wastes.

“Fine, let’s not talk about that for now. You’re planning to sell this cicada shell, aren’t you? I’ll give you one million crimson coins for it. How about trading me the shell in your hands?” Shao Kaiyun asked.

“If it can be refined into a spiritual pill that repairs the dantian, then five million crimson coins would not be too much, would it?” Ning Qi interjected at that moment.

“Saying that, Ning Kunlun, are you picking a fight?” Shao Kaiyun said irritably.

“I just can’t stand people like you—clearly wanting something, yet still bullying the seller with lies and tricks. Your people in the Dao Court are all cut from the same cloth. You and Zhou Xiaochen really are quite alike.” Ning Kunlun complained bluntly.

Even the cultists seemed more righteous than those from the Dao Court, and Qingjin was left staring dumbfounded.

“We’re discussing a trade. Why are you bringing up Zhou Xiaochen?” Shao Kaiyun said, exasperated. “Five million crimson coins is already generous. After all, you can’t do anything with this shed skin anyway, can you?”

“What’s the name of that pill you refine that can repair the dantian?” Qing Hu suddenly asked.

“It’s called the Golden Cicada Rebirth Pill,” Shao Kaiyun said.

“Miss Chai, how many crimson coins is one Golden Cicada Rebirth Pill worth?” Qing Hu asked again.

“At least three hundred violet coins,” Chai Ning replied. “And even then, it’s a treasure you can’t simply buy even if you have the money. Ordinary alchemists cannot refine such a spiritual pill. Only very formidable alchemists can.”

“Three hundred violet coins—that’s three million crimson coins,” Qing Zhen said, drawing in his breath.

“Then this thing is a bit expensive. How about I cut it in half and trade with you?” Qing Hu asked Chai Ning in some distress.

“Don’t. Such a treasure is extremely rare. If it’s damaged, it won’t be worth anything,” Chai Ning said quickly, waving her hand. “If you truly are willing to sell it, I’m willing to trade you eight hundred violet coins. I’ll throw in thirty jin of spiritual liquid as a bonus.” Chai Ning spoke generously.

“All right,” Qing Hu said at once. “The cicada shell is yours. Have the spiritual liquid sent over. As for the violet coins, just send them to my elder brother to keep.”

“Hey, hey, hey, I can also offer eight hundred violet coins,” Shao Kaiyun said in displeasure.

Qing Hu ignored him completely and handed the shed skin directly to Chai Ning. Chai Ning did not keep it herself either; she passed it straight to a calm and steady middle-aged man standing behind her.

The middle-aged man immediately produced a small jade box, no bigger than a palm, and placed the precious shed skin inside.

Then he stored it into the spatial ring on his hand.

Shao Kaiyun’s face twitched as he watched. Now it would be hard to steal even if one wanted to.

“Why can’t you sell it to me?” Shao Kaiyun asked Qing Hu, thoroughly puzzled.

“Because I don’t like the look of you,” Qing Hu said irritably. “You’re haunting us every day, appearing and disappearing like a ghost. Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were coveting my beauty.”

Shao Kaiyun was speechless. “If I were coveting anyone, it’d be your elder brother. What beauty do you have, exactly?”

“You’ve finally told the truth. So it really is my elder brother you’ve taken a fancy to,” Qing Hu said, looking at him as if she had finally caught him in the act.

The people around them were all stunned.

“So you like men?” Ning Qi said in shock.

“My elder brother will never like you. Give up already,” Qing Zhen said, also shocked, poking his head out from behind Qingjin and threatening him with a vicious expression.

Shen Qingjin’s gaze turned frigid.

He had seen a few men who preferred men before, but someone like Shao Kaiyun, who not only chased after people but said it so brazenly and openly, was a first for him.

Shao Kaiyun: he had only been explaining casually. Mainly, he wanted to say that Shen Qinghu was not all that beautiful. He had merely glanced once, and Shen Qingjin’s striking looks had stunned him a little as well. So he spoke without thinking. He truly meant nothing else.

“I like women,” Shao Kaiyun declared righteously.

Is it still too late to salvage this?

Clearly, it was too late.

“Mr. Shao, if you have no further business here, please disembark. We are about to set sail,” Chai Ning’s voice turned cold. I treated you as an honored guest, and you want to become my love rival?

How could that be allowed?

“Shen Qinghu, you’ve led me astray again. You really are a deeply hidden and formidable woman,” Shao Kaiyun said, ignoring Chai Ning and turning back to scold Qing Hu.

Qing Hu immediately laughed with self-satisfied pride. “Of course. I’ve always been a profoundly unfathomable great expert.”

Aside from Shao Kaiyun, everyone else could not help but smile.

“You, profound and unfathomable?” Qing Zhen said helplessly, scooping Qing Hu up and rubbing her little head hard, messing her neatly combed buns into a fluffy bird nest. “If you were profound and unfathomable, then I could command heaven and earth…”

“All right, Mr. Shao, farewell. Just seeing you makes my stomach hurt,” Ning Qi said with a cold laugh.