Chapter 43: Tossing the Gourd

The delicate-featured cultivator stared as the two-headed cultivator who had come with him exploded into countless chunks of flesh and blood. Grief surged through his heart.

The two-headed, four-armed cultivator had been a close friend of his family elders. This time, at his invitation, they had entered the secret realm together. Originally, he had thought that even when the two of them split apart, they were already at the high level of Qi Refining, and after combining, they were even comparable to an early Foundation Establishment cultivator.

But he had never expected them to encounter two equally extraordinary high-level Qi Refining cultivators. One of them had even undergone Aberration. The bizarre eyes on his body had gone out of control, causing the two-headed cultivator to be contaminated when he had not properly guarded against it. In the end, it had led to both sides perishing together.

The delicate-featured cultivator suppressed the fear in his heart and approached the battlefield where the three had fought. He did his best not to look at those shattered, incomplete crimson eyes, and slowly gathered the body of the two-headed cultivator that had been blasted everywhere.

“Uncle Chen…”

Although the cultivation method Uncle Chen practiced was evil and strange, he had treated him very well. Ever since he could remember, Uncle Chen had taught him spells and given him protective ritual implements.

Remembering how Uncle Chen had cared for him in the past, the delicate-featured cultivator could not help letting out a wail of grief.

“Boohoohoohoo… uh…”

As he was gathering the mutilated corpse, an ancient, dark-green gourd suddenly came into view.

There were still spots of blood left on the gourd from the explosion.

A Sword-Nurturing Gourd! Third-rank! The blood on it might even be Uncle Chen’s…

The moment he thought of this, sorrow welled up in the delicate-featured cultivator’s heart again.

“Boohoohoohoo… hehehehehe…”

He swiftly put the gourd into his storage bag.

There should still be another Sword-Nurturing Gourd. Uncle Chen’s flesh and blood might be left on it. I have to find it!

An odd sound came from the delicate-featured cultivator’s mouth, impossible to tell whether he was crying or laughing. He passed over the chunks of flesh and blood covering the ground and carefully searched for traces of the second Sword-Nurturing Gourd.

“Found it!” Before long, he saw the other Sword-Nurturing Gourd lying in the grass nearby. Sword intent seeped out of it, slicing the grass into segment after segment.

Just as the delicate-featured cultivator was about to grab the Sword-Nurturing Gourd, a strip of paper stretched out from beside him and easily rolled the Sword-Nurturing Gourd away.

The delicate-featured cultivator looked along the strip of paper and saw a masked Paper Figure just over two feet tall drawing back its small hand. The Sword-Nurturing Gourd was constantly being tossed into the air by him, the sword intent inside the gourd shaking endlessly.

“That mysterious Paper Figure from last time!”

The delicate-featured cultivator halted. A hint of struggle appeared in his eyes, but once he recalled how the masked Paper Figure had easily finished off the red-eyed cultivator in the stone cave last time, his eyes quickly regained clarity.

If the two high-level Qi Refining Uncle Chens were still here, perhaps they would have had a chance by joining hands. But with only me alone, it could be said that I have no chance of winning at all. Getting one Sword-Nurturing Gourd is already enough!

Lu Yuan controlled the Little Paper Man as it drifted around the outskirts of the cave abode, tossing the Sword-Nurturing Gourd all the while.

He was preparing to use these two mature Sword-Nurturing Gourds to spread the cave abode’s reputation.

The delicate-featured cultivator’s fortune itself was quite good. With a mid-level Qi Refining cultivation, he had been able to withstand a high-level Qi Refining cultivator head-on. Lu Yuan had been deeply impressed by that ancient mirror in his hands.

Moreover, since he had been able to invite two high-level Qi Refining cultivators to come to the cave abode with him, his forces in Cangxing City were probably quite decent as well. He could shoulder the heavy responsibility of advertising the cave abode.

As for the other Sword-Nurturing Gourd, Lu Yuan would give it away in a different way.

Very soon, the third-rank Sword-Nurturing Gourd attracted the attention of more than ten cultivators. The bold ones followed the Paper Figure directly, while the cautious ones trailed far behind, maintaining a relatively safe distance.

The temptation of a third-rank Sword-Nurturing Gourd was simply too great. In the end, a slightly plump mid-level Qi Refining cultivator could not control the greed in his heart and flung over a dozen talismans at the Little Paper Man.

The Little Paper Man giggled and lightly dodged every talisman. Its small hand kept stretching out, brushing gently across the arm the slightly plump cultivator had used to throw the talismans.

The skin, flesh, and even bones of the entire arm instantly turned into something like white paper. The Little Paper Man’s mouth moved slightly, and it gently blew out a breath. In that gust of air, the arm shattered into countless paper scraps.

The slightly plump cultivator howled in agony.

The Little Paper Man’s strange ability immediately restored the sanity of many cultivators whose hearts had filled with greed. They scattered to different places and observed the Little Paper Man’s movements.

“This time was only a minor punishment. If you attack me again next time, the price will not be your arm, but your entire body.”

The Little Paper Man held the Sword-Nurturing Gourd in one hand while rapidly writing on its own body with the other.

It had not practiced writing for some time, so its technique had grown much more rusty, and the handwriting was crooked and twisted.

“As long as you do not take the initiative to attack me or the cave abode, I might not harm you. As for how high that possibility is, it depends on my mood.”

Having resumed its great undertaking of practicing calligraphy, the Little Paper Man wrote faster and faster, and its handwriting grew neater and neater.

“Do you want this third-rank Sword-Nurturing Gourd?”

After wiping away a large stretch of words on its body, it quickly wrote another line full of temptation.

The Sword-Nurturing Gourd that fell from the air dropped straight into its hand, as if it had fallen into the hearts of all the cultivators present.

“I want it. May I ask, Senior, how should I get this Sword-Nurturing Gourd?”

At last, seeing that the Little Paper Man bore no ill intent, someone worked up the courage to ask.

“Only one person wants it?”

The Little Paper Man added a mischievous tongue-out expression after the words.

“Me!”

“I want it too!”

“Senior, look at me!”

“Paper Figure Senior, I don’t want the Sword-Nurturing Gourd. I only want to ask Senior to enlighten me into a Paper Figure body!”

…What kind of two-dimensional thinking is that…

Lu Yuan silently grumbled, ignored that clearly discordant voice, and continued controlling the Little Paper Man to write on its body.

“So many people want it… But there is only one Sword-Nurturing Gourd.

“How about everyone present fights and kills each other, and whoever remains at the end gets the Sword-Nurturing Gourd?”

Under everyone’s startled and suspicious gazes, the Little Paper Man quickly wiped away this line of words.

“No, that’s too dark. It doesn’t match my cute route.

“How about this? Stand together and none of you move. Anyone who acts on their own is out.

“I’ll throw it directly at you. Whoever the Sword-Nurturing Gourd hits gets it. Anyone who refuses to accept that can come find me.”

Everyone quickly accepted this suggestion. They gathered together and stood motionless, their gazes shifting along with the gourd as they looked at the Little Paper Man nervously.

The Sword-Nurturing Gourd was gently tossed out by the Little Paper Man.

Under everyone’s longing, expectant gazes, there was a smack as it dropped directly onto Ma Mingyuan’s head.

Ma Mingyuan did not bother with the pain. Overjoyed, he hurriedly put the Sword-Nurturing Gourd into his storage bag.

At the instant he put it away, his eyes seemed to glimpse a paper slip left on the gourd, but it happened too quickly, and he did not have time to examine it carefully.

“All right, the Sword-Nurturing Gourd has already been gifted to the luckiest cultivator.

“Next, everyone, please leave this secret realm. The time limit is half a quarter of an hour. If you exceed the time limit, the consequences will be hard to predict.

“By the way, a little reminder. Once you leave the secret realm, whatever you do has nothing to do with me.”

Ma Mingyuan’s heart immediately tightened. He looked around at the gazes drawn over by those words, some obvious, some concealed, and gave a helpless bitter smile.

Looks like after I go back, I’ll have to replenish a large amount of blood essence again…

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