【Earth Fire Sword (Blue Quality): A precious sword forged with the earth fire of the Underworld. It cuts through iron like mud and is incomparably sharp. (Combat Power +50, Agility +15)】
Seeing how sharp the longsword was, Nan Zhi plucked a strand of hair and blew it gently against the blade. Sure enough, the hair split in two. Her interest was piqued.
"Shopkeeper, I am used to weapons with a wide, sweeping reach. Although this sword is fine, it does not suit me. Do you have anything else I might see?"
"Of course."
The female Rakshasa picked up a horse-slaying saber that was over half the height of a person. She swung it with effortless ease.
"This Gale Horse-Slaying Saber weighs one hundred and thirty-seven pounds. It is infused with wind-sand and metal, with a core made of high-quality Yellow Light Essence, polished daily by Yellow Springs gales. Only through such a process could such a fine weapon be made."
"If you practice earth-attribute techniques, guest, this weapon will surely be like adding wings to a tiger!"
【Gale Horse-Slaying Saber (Blue Quality): A masterpiece of Rakshasa craftsmanship. Dual earth and fire attributes, domineering and fierce. (Combat Power +50, Constitution +25)】
Nan Zhi took the horse-slaying saber, which was nearly as long as she was tall, and balanced it in her hand. She still shook her head.
"This saber has enough weight, but it lacks agility. If I were to pursue an enemy or make an escape, this blade would be quite cumbersome. Do you have any weapons that are easier to use alongside Five Elements Escape techniques?"
"We do, however..."
The female Rakshasa pondered for a moment before turning back to search. After a while, she brought out a strange-looking weapon and presented it.
"Look at this, guest. What do you think of this dragon-head guillotine? This weapon weighs one hundred and fifty-six pounds. It was forged using earth, stone, and iron essence stone from beside the Naihe Bridge as a base, then tempered in a furnace for eighty-one days to create this treasure."
"In ancient times, there was the Great Chun Divine Tree, which saw spring and autumn every eight thousand years and stood ten thousand yards tall. The handle of this blade is also made from a Chun tree, though it is only a Small Chun tree that sees spring and autumn every sixty days."
"That Small Chun tree grew beside the Yellow Springs, watered day and night by its waters. Once it matured, its heartwood was taken for the handle. Thus, this blade naturally possesses some Yin water attributes!"
Nan Zhi saw that this guillotine had a unique appearance, with the head of a dragon and the tail of a fish. Half of it was a wooden handle, and the other half was a thin blade, making it look like a bow that was even taller than a person.
—Except the part that would have been the bowstring was actually a sharp blade.
It was etched with dark patterns that looked like a waterspout. The body of the blade was ice-cold to the touch, emitting a natural chill.
【Fish-Dragon Guillotine (Blue Quality): A dual Yin Wood and Yin Water attribute weapon. A masterpiece of Rakshasa craftsmanship, domineering and fierce. (Combat Power +65, Agility +20)】
This blade could actually increase her Agility by twenty points?
Nan Zhi immediately put the Nan Village Slaughtering Knife out of her mind and took the half-person-tall blade for a spin.
"The weight is just right, and it feels very comfortable to use. Turning, hacking, and slashing are all quite fluid. In offense, it allows for sweeping, unexpected strikes; in defense, its form creates an impenetrable guard."
"Shopkeeper, I will take this blade. What is the price?"
"The blades at my stall are only for trade, not for sale. If you have high-quality ores or spiritual flesh and blood, you may trade them with me."
Knowing that a true buyer is one who picks apart the goods, the tall male Rakshasa looked down at Nan Zhi, his red eyes darting as he spoke in a booming, muffled voice.
"I wish to sire a Rakshasa cub with my wife. Unfortunately, for some reason, the Underworld has grown increasingly cold and bitter over the years, often locked in ice for ten thousand miles and blanketed in snow for a thousand. It has become harder and harder to quarry stone."
"Then there is the blood food. Often for ten or twenty years, we don't see a single living creature. Even when we can draw blood, we only get a small bowl's worth."
"...What do stone and blood food have to do with having children?" Nan Zhi couldn't help but ask.
On the other side, the female Rakshasa gave a light hop and sat on her husband's shoulder, saying with a smile:
"You may not know, guest, but we Rakshasa are born of heaven and earth. We are not like beasts, fish, or insects; our origins lie in the egg-born and moisture-born categories."
"There is a Blood Pool in the Rakshasa Kingdom, the filthiest place in all of existence. If a couple wants a child, they must cast enough blood food and stone into it."
"The best stones are fecal stones that have been soaked for many years in the filthy places of the mortal realm. The best blood food is the flesh and blood of those who are filthy and burdened with heavy resentful energy."
"The filthier the materials and the heavier the resentful energy, the stronger and more valiant the child that grows from the Blood Pool will be."
At this point, the female Rakshasa scanned Nan Zhi twice and clapped her hands happily.
"You have the scent of a human, guest; you must have come from the mortal realm. We are not greedy. If you can find eighteen extremely filthy objects from the mortal realm, what would it matter if we gave you this dragon-head guillotine for free?"
???
Fecal stones soaked in the filthy places of the mortal realm?
Wasn't that just stones from a latrine?
Just what kind of miraculous creatures were the Rakshasa?
Nan Zhi's eyes were full of wonder.
Rumor had it they lived in the filthiest places between heaven and earth, enjoyed eating the flesh of humans, oxen, and horses, and sometimes even devoured small ghosts. They were known to be violent by nature.
But the books never mentioned that the Rakshasa race had a hobby of collecting latrine stones!
Just hearing about it made her feel like she could smell it.
The world truly was a wondrous place, that such beautiful creatures could be born from such filth.
The female Rakshasa wiggled her toes, sensing Nan Zhi's thoughts, and said with a smile:
"What is so strange about that? Humans have the cycle of the five grains in their bellies, so those fecal stones are the ultimate filth."
"We Rakshasa are demons born from the filth of heaven and earth to begin with. Do not look at us through the lens of human logic."
"My apologies, I was being presumptuous."
"However, I have urgent matters to attend to and cannot leave the Ghost Buddha Temple for the time being. Would it be possible to trade with paper ingots?"
Nan Zhi truly liked that guillotine and was unwilling to give up.
"I am very fond of this blade. I ask that you part with it, shopkeeper. If that is truly not possible, then I only ask that you hold it for me until I can gather enough filthy objects to buy it!"
The red-eyed Rakshasa man shifted his shoulders, and the female Rakshasa spoke up readily:
"The Gates of Hell only open once a year. My husband and I can only take this opportunity to try our luck here."
"If you are intent on buying this blade, guest, you may take it now. Once you have gathered enough filthy stones next year, come back to this Yin Yang Road and return them to us."
"It can be done like that?"
Nan Zhi was moved by the straightforward nature of this artisan couple and asked with a smile:
"Aren't you afraid I'll take the blade and run?"
"Hmph! Run where? Even if you were an immortal descended to earth, there will come a day when your soul returns to the Underworld. Few are bold enough to dare swindle a Rakshasa on the Yin Yang Road."
The male Rakshasa exhaled heavily, the light glinting off his two sharp fangs. The female Rakshasa licked her lips greedily with her blood-red tongue.
"I actually hope you do swindle us! We haven't tasted human flesh in a very long time. Te-he-he-he."
Even though a cub was important, if they could eat human flesh, that would also be quite worth it.
Nan Zhi: "..."
The guillotine in her hand suddenly felt a bit hot.
How could she have almost forgotten that on the Rakshasa menu, humans were actually one of the ingredients?
...
After making the agreement to meet the Rakshasa couple again next year, Nan Zhi scouted the paths around the Ghost Buddha Temple and gathered some clues regarding Ruyi Pavilion before returning to her lodging with her new weapon.
There was no distinction between day and night on the Yin Yang Road. By the time she returned, the bell of the Ghost Buddha Temple had tolled several more times.
By her calculation of time, it should be late at night, yet the area around the temple remained a shroud of gray.
She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but along the way, she felt as if something was stirring within that layer of mist surrounding her.
...
Rate on N.U.
