Chapter 226: Worthless Things

"Aunt, why should I make humans like me?"

Hu Meiniang said discontentedly.

Hu Meiniang gave Hu Rui a sideways look and said, "You're still young; you still don't understand the benefits of humans!"

Hu Rui was about to retort, but seeing a flash of cold light in Hu Meiniang's eyes, she swallowed the words on her tongue.

Even though Hu Meiniang is its aunt and a blood relative, their relationship is very cold.

Who let them go a whole year without seeing each other even once!

Hu Meiniang won't take its life, but beating it badly is possible.

Hu Rui could only suppress the urge to call Hu Meiniang a "demon adulterer"—that wasn't her own insult but the consensus of the Nine-headed Mountain Fox Clan.

Since Hu Meiniang came of age, having cultivated some unknown evil art, she has ruined monster after monster—virtually every monster species has fallen victim, and few of those monsters survive leaving her bed alive.

Even the husband she married died beneath her peony blossoms.

Just then.

After Hu Meiniang arrived at Fengyin City, she changed her style; although she still associated with human men, no human man has ever died in her bed.

Not only the Nine-headed Mountain Fox Clan, but even the monsters watching the spectacle nearby suspect that Hu Meiniang bears a grudge against monsters.

When it first heard the news, it wondered if there was a misunderstanding, but after hearing Hu Meiniang's words, it realized it wasn't a mistake—Hu Meiniang truly is prejudiced against monsters.

It will favor humans even more!

If not a demon adulterer, what else could it be?

"Little girl, once you grow up and taste a human man, you'll know how delicious human men are!"

Hu Meiniang gave Hu Rui a casual glance, noticing its dissatisfaction—of course she knew Hu Rui's little thoughts, but she didn't care and offhandedly said:

"You sneaky brat, although I don't know who you are, I know your abilities must be ordinary; otherwise you wouldn't dare not show your true form. I hope that when I next go to the Wang family, the formation you've laid there will astonish me!"

Having said that, Hu Meiniang turned and left.

After a long while, once Hu Rui could no longer see Hu Meiniang disappear from her sight, she let out a heavy sigh of turbid air and comforted:

"Senior Li, don't take my aunt's ill temper to heart; she's just ill‑tempered—don't say it's you, even my father can't get on well with her in her presence."

Let's continue finishing what remains unfinished!

Wang Ping'an nodded, said nothing more, while taking one bag after another that Hu Rui produced, and likewise took stack after stack of talismans from his storage bag, handing them to Hu Rui, waiting for her to produce a large amount of low‑grade spirit stones.

Continue the trade!

Seeing this, the jealous glare of Hu Jiushisan, who was hiding nearby nursing his wounds, flared like flames; afraid Hu Rui would see, he hastily turned his gaze to the prone Niuda, whose fate was unknown.

If it weren't for that bastard leaking the news, the large number of talismans Wang Ping'an produced should have been his, and half of the large amount of low‑grade spirit stones Wang Ping'an took would have been his.

Such a quantity of low‑grade spirit stones is something it could never embezzle in a whole year.

It never imagined that Wang Ping'an, upon returning, would produce even more elementary talismans.

Although.

It wondered where Wang Ping'an got the ability to produce so many elementary talismans so quickly, even though this wasn't their first trade and the trading time was so short.

It was as if they were pebbles by the roadside!

Of course. At this moment it had no spare thought to wonder about the source of Wang Ping'an's talismans; its whole being was blinded by jealousy.

It wished it could help the poor Niuda, whose life or death was unknown, and send him to report to King Yama.

"Hu brother, don't act recklessly; the Third Miss is still nearby!"

Zhu Wu stared at Hu Jiushisan's strange expression, his icy gaze fixed on Niuda, not hiding the killing intent in his eyes; fearing an accident, he hurried forward and grabbed Hu Jiushisan.

Hu Jiushisan killing Niuda would be welcome to it; otherwise it wouldn't have just tried to tempt and lure Hu Jiushisan into framing Niuda.

Just that.

Given its understanding of Hu Jiushisan, if Hu Jiushisan killed Niuda in front of Hu Rui, then when Hu Rui spoke up for Niuda, Hu Jiushisan would without hesitation drag it out to take the blame.

Although Hu Jiushisan is at least a member of the Nine-headed Mountain Fox Clan, even if Hu Rui would stand up for her subordinates, she might not necessarily harm a fellow clan monster's life.

It might even shift the blame onto it, making it the mastermind.

Hu Jiushisan will surely receive severe punishment!

As for it…

This novel you have…

Eight or nine out of ten times it's a dead end!

Zhu Wu knew Hu Jiushisan had been stimulated by the trade between Wang Ping'an and Hu Rui; not only Hu Jiushisan, but even he himself had been stimulated.

Clearly it was a lucrative money‑making route, but that beast Niuda leaked the news, causing the route to be snatched away and robbing them of any chance to profit.

Zhu Wu also wished Niuda would die, but knowing now wasn't the time to kill him, he whispered:

"Hu brother, don't forget what we agreed—there's plenty of time for revenge; don't sacrifice your life over this beast!"

"Let that beast off easy!"

Hu Jiushisan glared ferociously at Niuda, daring not to look at Wang Ping'an and Hu Rui's trade for fear of being provoked into losing reason, and muttered a curse:

"Once my scheme succeeds, I will surely chop that beast into thousands of pieces to vent my hatred!"

After a long while.

Hu Rui watched Wang Ping'an put away a bag of low‑grade spirit stones, not handing over another stack of talismans as before; she felt a little disappointed, but mostly astonished.

It hadn't forgotten that yesterday Wang Ping'an produced a large number of talismans, and today he produced over a thousand, as if talismans were easy to draw.

Even a master talisman artist who specializes in drawing a certain elementary talisman could not, even if it were just an elementary talisman, produce so many in such a short time—indeed over a thousand elementary talismans.

"Senior Li, these are the intermediate talismans I've prepared for you, plus the materials to craft them!"

Hu Rui suppressed the urge to ask how Wang Ping'an could have so many elementary talismans; with a thought, a pile of intermediate spirit wood appeared on the ground, a wooden bucket, and she took out a fine little cloth bag and handed it over, saying:

"Take a look—is there anything unsatisfactory? If not, I'll prepare more for you."

"Miss Hu, you're thoughtful!"

Wang Ping'an looked at the mid‑grade spirit wood piled up like a small mountain, felt a sudden shock, then took the cloth bag Hu Rui handed over, opened it, and saw one cloth bag after another inside, along with a rune brush brimming with energy, and said:

"Miss Hu, how many Low‑grade Spirit Stones, I'll give them to you right now!"

"Daoist Li, they're all worthless items!"

Hu Rui smiled, didn't wait for Wang Ping'an to speak, and changed the subject: "Daoist Li, I wonder if you have any other business this time?"

(End of Chapter)