Chapter 78

A princess of a state — such a person isn't someone you can just meet whenever you want. As for the question Zhou Shuo raised, Fu Bo, a lowly servant, how could he know the answer? Although he couldn't answer

Shenfeng State, thanks to its unique environment and climate, became a major tourism nation; aside from that, it remains a giant in shipping, maritime trade, and the slave trade. Peach Spirit Port, as the world's largest port, hosts many major firms stationed here, whose backers are either the state's aristocratic clans or major sect holy lands—naturally including the Yao Chi Sect and Izumo State.

Following Fu Bo's suggestion, Zhou Shuo went to the Izumo State firm in Peach Spirit Port to test it out; sure enough, he readily obtained what he wanted, and this was also due to his displaying the aura of a Martial Saint—any of Izumo State's firm heads, as long as they aren't foolish, would not refuse his reasonable demands.

The sky and moon, wind high; Zhou Shuo visited several Izumo State firms in Peach Spirit Port by day, and at night stood in the Peach Garden of Ruting Residence, gazing at the moon in the pitch-black sky, pondering his next cultivation step, when he suddenly felt, in the calm night wind, a few eerie, unfelt thoughts.

"Silver Shark Princess?" Zhou Shuo tilted his head slightly; he had just inquired at the Izumo State firm this morning and already received a reply by night—could it really be Chan Yinsha who has arrived?

"Indeed, it is I." Facing Zhou Shuo's words, the several thoughts mingling in the wind instantly coalesced; light flared and then condensed, forming a woman in yellow robes holding a jade flute, her brows and eyes bearing a touch of heroic spirit—unfortunately merely a soul manifestation, and it is unclear whether this is indeed one of the world's eight great demon immortals, the human form of the Silver Shark King, inheritor of the Divine Void Dao.

"Why did you come to the firm in the daytime looking for me?" Chan Yinsha gripped her jade flute, scanning the figure standing in the Peach Garden with a somewhat scrutinizing look.

"As it happens, the Silver Shark King just happens to be here in Peach Spirit Port—what good luck for me." Zhou Shuo looked at the scrutinizing soul manifestation, feeling fortunate; she had not confirmed his identity, which shows she happened to be in Peach Spirit Port during the day, yet he felt no sense of being spied on—she must have confirmed his appearance through other channels, but these are trivial matters.

"It just so happens I have some trivial matters to attend to here; speak if you have business."

"I wish to make a deal with the Silver Shark King." Zhou Shuo looked at the woman whose tone was as decisive as thunder, not surprised at all, for this woman was originally a sea shark that cultivated and reincarnated—any manner of conduct would not be surprising.

"What kind of deal?" Chan Yinsha was somewhat surprised; she had recently reached a critical point in her cultivation and wanted to find a spiritual object at sea to aid her breakthrough, so she had lingered in Peach Spirit Port, but she had not expected that the firm's manager downstairs would actually present a portrait and report that someone wished to see her—a Martial Saint—but upon seeing him now, he seemed to lack the martial aura of a Martial Saint, yet still wanted to make a deal with her.

"I happen to have obtained a secret manual, which I wish to exchange with the Silver Shark King for the Divine Void Dao's Lightning Flash Body Technique." Zhou Shuo looked at the woman whose eyebrows were raised, her expression and appearance no different from a stranger's, merely her body emanating a faint glow, and he spoke of the trade he wished to make.

"Do you know what the Lightning Flash Body Technique means to our Divine Void Dao?" Chan Yinsha revealed an inscrutable expression, really daring to speak like that.

"Naturally I know, but doesn't the Silver Shark King want to hear about the secret manual I happened to obtain?" Zhou Shuo looked at the woman with an inscrutable expression, raising his eyes slightly; the text says the Lightning Flash Body Technique is an untransmitted secret of the Divine Void Dao for refining apertures, a method that can in one go purge the body's impurities, and Chan Yinsha only shared it with him after deciding to become Dao partners with Hong Yi.

"Speak!" Chan Yinsha looked at the nonchalant fellow, feeling a bit curious; this fellow boasts without shame about exchanging for the Lightning Flash Body Technique, so that secret manual must surely be top-notch.

"The Present Lotus Sutra details the one hundred and eight apertures." Zhou Shuo looked at the curious woman, the corner of his mouth turning up in a smile; sure enough, upon hearing his words, the woman opposite him was momentarily lost for words.

"What… how could you have this?" Chan Yinsha stifled her exclamation, scanning up and down the fellow who in no way resembled a Martial Saint; the Great Zen Temple had been looted back then, countless martial and Daoist scriptures spread, but the Three Supreme Scriptures have never resurfaced—just what identity does this young man have?

"Silver Shark Princess, exchange or not? This way you won't lose!" Zhou Shuo looked at the woman sizing him up, responding with a counter-question rather than answering; he didn't need to go around advertising how he obtained the secret manual, but is this girl really going to refuse such a one-for-a-hundred bargain?

"Why do you want to exchange for our Divine Void Dao's Lightning Flash Body Technique?" Chan Yinsha looked at the fellow who answered with a counter-question, feeling both curious and uncertain, because the Lightning Flash Body Technique fundamentally is a cultivation method for the Valley Spirit's single aperture, and the other party is offering one hundred and eight apertures for just one of hers—this trade is unequal.

"Because I have an appointment with a friend, Silver Shark Princess, you had better give a clear answer—will you exchange or not?" Zhou Shuo looked at the uncertain yet curious woman, giving a wry smile; whether it succeeds or not, just give a definite reply.

"Exchange, why not exchange—just as you said, I won't lose, and I'll actually gain a lot; I'm merely curious." Chan Yinsha replied in one breath; if it were exchanged for something else, she would surely disdain it, but this one of the Three Supreme Scriptures of the Great Zen Temple already far exceeds estimated value.

"Good, Silver Shark Princess is straightforward." Zhou Shuo looked at the Silver Shark King who readily agreed, feeling relieved; indeed, this girl is not the type whose chuunibyou soul burns.

"Then let's exchange now!" Chan Yinsha's eyes slightly turned; this trade is profitable for her, better to do it early to avoid the other party changing their mind midway.

"All right, Silver Shark Princess, I will now tell you the measurement and cultivation method for the one hundred and eight apertures." Zhou Shuo, seeing Chan Yinsha's agreement, was also eager; half of the Present Lotus Sutra, to others a treasure they cling to tightly, he does not consider it particularly precious either, and although exchanging it this way with Chan Yinsha entails a loss, as long as he achieves his goal, this loss is bearable.

Spirit Mountain aperture one, Bright aperture two, Pure Altar Envoy, Extreme Earth aperture two—Zhou Shuo held back no tricks, fully disclosing the one hundred and eight apertures, from measurement to cultivation method; and seeing Zhou Shuo's frankness, Chan Yinsha also held nothing back, revealing the Divine Void Dao's Lightning Flash Body Technique.

The Lightning Flash Body Technique, as an untransmitted secret of the Divine Void Dao, involves not only the apertures pertaining to the human body but also the profound mysteries of the Dao's thunder arts; Chan Yinsha, as a demon immortal, though her conduct is unreasonable, is also forthright, hiding nothing, she derived the form of the Divine Void Dao's Venerable, imparted the method of controlling lightning, and finally gave a reminder.

"The marvel of the Lightning Flash Body Technique lies in channeling true thunder and lightning into the body; other mental lightning and water lightning are utterly ineffective, and practicing it is extremely dangerous—even my master, despite having endured five heavenly thunder tribulations, failed to master it. Zhou Shuo, do you regret it or not?" Chan Yinsha reminded him while giving him a playful, teasing look, hoping to see his expression of regret and pain.

"The Lightning Flash Body Technique is indeed profound and marvelous, but its training demands are too high; my goal may be hard to achieve in the short term, yet it is still far better than having no hope." Zhou Shuo shook his head; the technique indeed exceeded his expectations somewhat, but he was not that disappointed—obtaining this skill is far easier than having Hong Lian cultivate the Yin Yang Form and Marrow Wash, or snatching the Earth Origin Spirit Pill from the hands of the Dream God Machine.

"Why do you want the Lightning Flash Body Technique, exactly what are you planning to do with it?" Chan Yinsha grew increasingly curious.

"It's nothing else—just a friend's sister who carelessly fell into some place and turned herself into a poisoned person; I promised to help cure her." Zhou Shuo looked at the curious Chan Yinsha and briefly explained the whole matter.

"A lover?" Chan Yinsha wondered; given such an unequal trade with me, it must be for a lover, right?

"No, I merely made a promise to a friend, who also gave me some things in return; Chan Yinsha, don't be so gossipy." Zhou Shuo looked at the curious Chan Yinsha, feeling somewhat amused; even as one of the eight great demon immortals, formerly a shark now turned woman, she cannot help but have a gossipy nature.

"Just curiosity, really—you're not bad at all; ordinary people say a promise is worth a thousand gold, and the Marrow-Washing Secret Manual is already an enemy state's wealth, while my Divine Void Dao's Lightning Flash Body Technique, even if called a priceless treasure, is an understatement—how much is your promise worth?" Chan Yinsha, hearing Zhou Shuo's address, couldn't help but laugh and tease.

"Each takes what they need." Zhou Shuo chuckled; his exchange with Wei Zhuang is also a transaction—if he were a pauper, truly placing the Marrow-Washing Secret Manual and an enemy state's wealth before him, he might not necessarily choose the manual, for people's needs differ at different times.

"Each takes what they need—interesting. Then Zhou Shuo, could I obtain a promise from you?" Chan Yinsha, hearing Zhou Shuo's words, felt somewhat enlightened; she could be certain Zhou Shuo wasn't lying, yet this man truly pays for his promises, so perhaps she could borrow his strength.

"What promise?" Zhou Shuo glanced sideways.

"Help me kill someone." Chan Yinsha proposed the condition.

"Bixie Hua?" Zhou Shuo easily thought of the target Chan Yinsha wanted to kill—one of the Yunmeng Five Great Military Marshals, the Black Wolf King among the world's eight great demon immortals; in the book, Chan Yinsha had once agreed with Hong Yi to take him down, and Hong Yi correspondingly proposed that Chan Yinsha help him take down Hong Xuanji, and thus they exchanged Daoist arts and martial skills.

"You seem to know quite a bit." Chan Yinsha was somewhat surprised; her grudge against the Black Wolf King Bixie Hua is entirely personal, not something to be told to outsiders—how does this fellow know?

"Then what's the price?" Zhou Shuo, seeing Chan Yinsha's certainty, couldn't help but ask; his promise is not made lightly.

"This is a deal; I'm currently selling something, you as the buyer should name your price first!" Chan Yinsha raised her elegant brows.

"Then I also want a promise from you, Silver Shark Princess, to help me go to the Wastelands and obtain something from the hands of the Witch Ghost Dao." Zhou Shuo looked at the woman raising her brows, thought a moment, and said.

"What thing?" Chan Yinsha felt she was increasingly unable to see through him; the Witch Ghost Dao of the Wastelands is a group of heretical cultivators who refine corpses and nurture ghosts—what could one take from their hands?

"A Cosmos Pouch." Zhou Shuo again brought up the name Cosmos Pouch, and Chan Yinsha couldn't help but lift her eyes in surprise.