Chapter 709: Seven hundred and nine no infant fruit
Since there were no other impacts, the plump shop owner naturally did not care much, but he did not expect that today, he just wanted to coax a hen out, and unexpectedly obtained such information—how could this not amaze him?
"Young man, you wouldn’t be deliberately making these alarmist remarks, hoping that I would sell this Ancient Heavenly Phoenix to you, would you?"
His thoughts spinning, the shop owner’s gaze abruptly shifted to the hen, conceiving a possibility, he spoke out with a grim voice, feeling this possibility was very likely.
He just stated that he did not have any Earth Rank Low Level Elixirs, and the next moment claimed that his life was not far from ending—clearly, it was all about bargaining. The shop owner, being shrewd by nature, realized that the likelihood of the young man’s alarmist possibility might be very high.
Even in his anger, the plump boss did not slip up and still affirmed that the hen was indeed the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix. Realizing that the young man in front of him was trying to deceive him, he let go of much of his concern.
"Hehe, if you don’t believe it, why don’t you press the Heavenly Burst, Danzhong, and Shenque acupoints and see how these three areas are different from the other acupoints?"
Yun Xiao again shook his head; in his past life, he was a Peak High-level Meridian Refining Master, although his Power of Soul was not very high after his rebirth, his insight was probably unmatched in Tenglong Continent—such simple matters could not escape his discerning eye.
"Heavenly Burst, Danzhong, Shenque?"
Although the plump shop owner did not believe Yun Xiao’s alarming words, he subconsciously raised his hand and pressed below his throat, in the middle of his chest, and at the bottom of his abdomen.
"Ah!"
Who would have expected, the originally unaffected shop owner trembled all over when he pressed the Shenque acupoint; an indescribable severe pain spread out from these three key points, and soon his entire body felt as though it was being torn apart, making him scream out loud.
Large beads of sweat slid down from the shop owner’s forehead, and bystanders could clearly see that his clothes were soaked through with sweat, indicating that not only his head but also his entire body was sweating profusely.
"It’s actually true?!"
At this moment, many onlookers looked at the ragged-attired young man with faces filled with astonishment; after all, many of them, just like the shop owner, thought that Yun Xiao was merely bluffing, but they did not expect the situation to turn out like this.
"How about it? Feel like all the flesh and blood in your body is about to be torn into shreds? Now do you believe me?"
Yun Xiao’s face still sported that faint smile, as if he had already known this would be the outcome; at this moment, Lin Xuanhao beside him was completely astounded.
Lin Xuanhao always understood Yun Xiao in terms of combat capability and intelligence involving Meridian Qi, but he had never thought that his brother Yun Xiao, only a year his senior, would also have such keen insight.
"Could it be that brother Yun Xiao is also a High-level Pulse Refining Master?"
A thought suddenly rose in Lin Xuanhao’s mind; he had his judgment, capable of discerning what others couldn’t see. Besides insight, it probably required strong Power of Soul and extraordinary experience.
"I can cure your disease under one condition—this... Ancient Heavenly Phoenix, how about it?"
Before the agonized-faced shop owner could reply, Yun Xiao’s amiable voice suddenly rang out, carrying endless temptation to the ears of the shop owner.
"Alright, as long as you can fully restore me to my original state, it’s yours!"
After pondering for a moment, the plump shop owner felt that his life was more important. He gritted his teeth and pointed at the hen, thus sealing the deal.
The onlookers were dumbfounded. Initially, they thought the plump shop owner would make steep demands, causing the young man to back off; however, in an unexpected turn of events, the raggedly-dressed young man quickly regained the initiative—it was truly a stunning move.
"Did you eat something previously, perhaps a special type of fruit that looks like a palm-sized baby with an overwhelming aroma?"
Yun Xiao did not act immediately, but spoke out instead. Although confident in his senses, as a Meridian Refining Master, without absolute certainty, he would not readily make a move.
"Indeed, that thing did have an enticing aroma. I came across it by chance and couldn’t help but take a bite, and before I knew it, it went down my throat into my stomach!"
Hearing Yun Xiao’s description, the plump shop owner no longer had any doubts, and he recounted the situation at that time, causing looks of confusion to appear on the faces of the onlookers.
They had never seen such fruit before and did not know what it was. Seeing the shop owner’s condition, they would certainly not dare to try such things themselves in the future.
"That is the ’Infantless Fruit’, which is in fact not an ordinary Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures or fruit, but rather something special, existing between Vein Demon and Strange Spirit!"
Having received his desired answer, Yun Xiao did not keep it a secret. Information about the Infantless Fruit flooded his mind like a tidal wave, giving him some confidence in finding a resolution.
The so-called babyless fruit is actually formed under a special condition. This thing is born with its own vague spiritual wisdom, yet it looks like a human-shaped fruit the size of a palm.
The babyless fruit itself has no practical use for human cultivators, but it emits a scent that irresistibly tempts one to consume it. Once ingested by a person, it devours their essence blood and Meridian Qi to make itself stronger.
According to Yun Xiao’s guess, a fat shop owner like this one at the peak of the Spirit Vein Realm could only last a month at most. The essence within his entire body would be completely devoured by the babyless fruit, ultimately ending his life.
If this fat shop owner hadn’t encountered Yun Xiao, he probably would have remained completely unaware, or if Yun Xiao hadn’t taken a liking to that old hen, his life would have ended obscurely in a month, with the cause unknown to anyone.
"Babyless fruit?"
Upon suddenly hearing this name, both the fat shop owner and the other onlookers looked perplexed, evidently unfamiliar with the name of this item, yet they couldn’t help sensing a hint of horror.
"Since it’s the babyless fruit, then it’s an easy matter!"
Yun Xiao didn’t ponder too much, and he reached out to touch the three acupoints on the fat shop owner that he had previously pressed himself, but the next moment, a trace of golden light emerged from his finger.
"Devour it, I know this will be of great use to you!"
A thought formed in Yun Xiao’s mind, seemingly speaking to some entity. Following his words, an invisible devouring power burst forth from his index finger, entering the fat shop owner’s body.
"Humph, you think you can escape?"
As Yun Xiao’s finger touched the Shenque acupoint on the fat shop owner, a cold smile appeared on his face because, following the eruption of the devouring power of the Golden Snake Worm, the babyless fruit hiding within the fat shop owner’s body sensed danger and tried to flee.
Pfft!
A soft sound emanated from the fat shop owner’s body, followed by the sight of a bloody hole bursting open on his back. An odd-shaped object drilled out from inside his body, even trailing a streak of blood.
"Is that the babyless fruit?"
Remembering what Yun Xiao had just mentioned, the crowd speculated, for they could see through the bloodstain that it was indeed a palm-sized creature resembling a human fruit. Such a thing being capable of moving autonomously seemed utterly bizarre.
A surge of alarm rose in their hearts, and everyone instinctively backed away a few steps. They didn’t want to end up like the fat shop owner; should the babyless fruit target them, they feared they might also turn into a dead fat man.
"Where do you think you’re going?"
Seeing the babyless fruit reveal itself, Yun Xiao shouted loudly, and then abruptly raised his right hand. A flash of golden light shot out, catching the blood-soaked babyless fruit in a flash.
Under the cover of golden light, a suction force erupted from the Golden Snake Worm, directly swallowing the babyless fruit into its belly, then flew back into Yun Xiao’s body. All this happened in the blink of an eye, and the onlookers couldn’t even discern what that golden light was.
"Hehe, it really is a good item!"
A satisfied voice emerged within Yun Xiao’s mind. It seemed the Golden Snake Worm was quite pleased with the energy of the babyless fruit, or perhaps, only an ancient creature like it dares to easily consume the babyless fruit’s energy without harm.
The poor babyless fruit had cultivated for many years, devouring the essence blood and blood Qi of numerous cultivators to reach its current level, yet it never expected to be exposed by Yun Xiao and end up being consumed by the Golden Snake Worm.
Sigh...
At this moment, everyone’s gaze shifted from Yun Xiao back to the fat shop owner, but now he could no longer be called fat, as his body was forcibly reduced by half in an instant.
From being a hefty two-hundred-pound fat man a moment ago, he had become a thin man of around ninety pounds in the blink of an eye. Without seeing it with their own eyes, probably no one would believe it.
This also confirmed what Yun Xiao had said before. The shop owner had indeed transformed into a fat man as a result of consuming the babyless fruit inadvertently, and now that the babyless fruit had left his body, he naturally reverted to his original appearance instantly.
"Wu Lin thanks this brother for his life-saving grace!"
Bearing the pain of his wounded back, shop owner Wu Lin felt relieved and bowed deeply to Yun Xiao, his words filled with genuine gratitude.
"So, does this ancient heavenly phoenix now belong to me?"
Yun Xiao didn’t care at all about the methods he had just employed, his gaze eagerly shifting to the old hen, unaware that several figures had already appeared at this gathering place.