Buying a Life

When he woke in the early morning, food was already laid out on the table.

"Senior Brother, you're awake?"

Jin Xiaoxiao had changed into a light, thin, pale green dress and sat gracefully. Seeing Fang Huai look at her, she quickly brought the hot congee on the table over to him:

"I added some Sweet Celery leaves to the congee. Try it."

"The flavor is a bit bland."

After sniffing it, Fang Huai took a dark purple leaf from his sleeve, crumbled it into powder, and sprinkled it into the congee. Then he tipped his head back and swallowed the hot porridge.

"Poison Heart Grass?" Jin Xiaoxiao was somewhat surprised.

Fang Huai said calmly, "I have a heavy palate; I can't eat things this bland. From now on, when you go out and see poisonous herbs, pick more to bring back for seasoning."

When the two arrived at the Skinning Room, over a dozen disciples were already seated inside. Most were newly promoted disciples, moving cautiously with sweat beading on their foreheads.

No one asked what had happened between the two the night before. On Skinning Peak, men and women sharing quarters was an ordinary occurrence.

Only Zhang Yuan, the moment Fang Huai entered, abruptly paused the hand gripping his knife.

For some reason, after Fang Huai appeared, his knife hand began to waver.

Looking up, he saw Fang Huai staring straight at him, brows slightly furrowed, as if pondering something.

Fang Huai looked at the [Skinning Proficiency (Gray)] on Zhang Yuan and fell into thought.

The color of the tag had changed.

It was the same Skinning Proficiency—white yesterday, gray today.

Was it because he had become familiar with Zhang Yuan's technique, and the tag's actual boost to him had diminished, causing the change?

Fang Huai speculated that the color of a tag might change based on realm, gap, difficulty, rarity, and other factors.

"What are you looking at?"

Zhang Yuan was already simmering with anger inside. Seeing Fang Huai staring intently at him, he thought the other was waiting to mock him.

"Was I looking at you? Sorry, I was looking at Junior Sister Jin." With that, Fang Huai waved in Jin Xiaoxiao's direction.

Jin Xiaoxiao was sitting near Zhang Yuan. Seeing Fang Huai wave, she shot him a playful smile.

"Get lost. I've taken a liking to this spot."

Unable to vent his anger, Zhang Yuan provoked Fang Huai again. If Fang Huai dared say a single word, he would teach him a lesson immediately.

Including Wu Liu, everyone in the Skinning Room focused their attention on the two.

Zhang Yuan did this because he was confident that as long as he paid some contribution points, Wu Liu would definitely turn a blind eye.

Fang Huai didn't even lift his eyelids. He simply silently moved to another spot, which made Zhang Yuan feel worse than swallowing a fly.

He said viciously, "Sooner or later, I'll kill you."

With that, grinding his teeth, he hoisted a second-layer Qi Refining demon beast onto the skinning table and drove his knife into its hide.

Fang Huai's eyes flickered. He kept constant watch on Zhang Yuan, and just as the other reached a critical point, he instantly swapped away Zhang Yuan's [Skinning Expert].

"Pfft—"

Zhang Yuan suddenly lost his rhythm, and the entire demon beast hide was ruined.

"If you don't have the skill to handle a second-layer Qi Refining demon beast, then honestly handle a first-layer one. Don't waste materials here!"

Wu Liu's gaze was sharp. If a subordinate made a mistake, the supervisor was also punished. Zhang Yuan had ruined three demon beast hides in a row, and she would be docked a considerable number of contribution points.

Zhang Yuan quickly apologized: "Senior Sister Wu, please don't! It's all that Fang Huai's fault—he rattled me and made me ruin the hide."

How could he be willing to handle first-layer Qi Refining ones? The time to strip both was about the same, but the contribution points earned were a full double difference.

Wu Liu said nothing. Her gaze was drawn to Fang Huai.

At that moment, Fang Huai was skillfully stripping the poison sac from a Poison-Tail Fox, following the techniques of the skinning manual.

The Poison-Tail Fox's body was covered in poison sacs, with very few usable parts, yet Fang Huai could precisely judge where to cut, and his technique was effortless.

"Naturally gifted hands?"

Wu Liu was somewhat surprised.

This technique didn't seem like a newcomer's; it was more like that of an old hand with several years of experience.

Had she stumbled upon a treasure?

When Fang Huai had handled the Sharp-Toothed Porcupine yesterday, she had already felt he was quite skilled.

She had thought it was just a blind squirrel finding a nut. Now it seemed Fang Huai might be a naturally gifted skinning hand.

As he skinned, Fang Huai kept glancing at Zhang Yuan from time to time, revealing a hint of mockery without being obvious.

"You!"

Zhang Yuan finally couldn't hold back. The other was just a fresh newcomer, yet he dared to mock him. In a fit of rage, he grabbed his skinning knife and threw it at Fang Huai.

"Senior Brother Zhang, what are you doing! Senior Sister Wu, help!"

Fang Huai was startled into a backward step, but he still couldn't dodge in time—the Skinning Knife pierced his shoulder.

The Skinning Knife, sharp enough to cut through demonic beasts, stabbed straight through his shoulder in an instant.

"Yin Underworld Claw!"

Wu Liu's face shifted color as she chanted a spell formula. A ghastly white demonic hand materialized behind Zhang Yuan, clamping down on his throat.

"Are you alright?" Wu Liu saw Fang Huai's wounded shoulder and seethed inside. If Fang Huai truly had a deft hand, this injury might ruin it.

Fang Huai was drenched in sweat, his face twisted in pain: "The tendons and bones are damaged. I'm afraid I won't be able to skin for several days."

"Senior Sister, he provoked me first! I just lost my temper for a moment!" Zhang Yuan struggled to defend himself even as the hand choked his throat.

Wu Liu snapped, "Nonsense! Ever since Junior Brother Fang arrived yesterday, you've been making trouble at every turn. Today you went even further, daring to defy the Skinning Room's rules and attacking someone right in front of me!"

"I—"

"Zhang Yuan, according to the Skinning Room's rules, I should cripple your hands in front of everyone."

Cripple his hands?

Zhang Yuan was horrified. When cultivators said "cripple the hands," they didn't mean merely severing the tendons like in the mortal world—they meant fundamentally cutting off the meridians that channeled spiritual power.

From then on, his hands would be blocked from casting spells, no different from a cripple's.

"Senior Sister, spare me! I'll skin properly from now on. Before the end of this year, I'll offer you five hundred contribution points!"

Wu Liu pondered this, then withdrew the ghastly white hand and dropped Zhang Yuan to the ground. "In that case—"

"Senior Sister Wu," Fang Huai gritted his teeth, "the sect has its rules, the peak has its regulations. All the fellow disciples are watching—how can you let such a violent offender go!"

Wu Liu's expression soured: "Junior Brother Fang, you refuse to let this go?"

A sharp glint flashed in Fang Huai's eyes: "Senior Sister, Zhang Yuan offered five hundred contribution points. I can offer more."

"Heh, interesting." Wu Liu said, "It seems you're dead set on buying Zhang Yuan's hands. Speak, how many contribution points are you offering?"

"I'll offer one thousand points—not just for his hands, but for his life!"

"One thousand points for his life?"

"One thousand every year!"

"I'll kill you!" Zhang Yuan, enraged by Fang Huai's words, lunged at him.

Wu Liu waved her hand, and a strip of white silk flew from her sleeve, expanding abruptly before Zhang Yuan and wrapping around him.

The white cloth tightened and tightened. At first, Zhang Yuan's struggles could be seen within, but gradually the sounds faded, and the cloth turned blood-red.

Wu Liu waved the Soul Banner. Zhang Yuan's soul wailed as it flew out from the white cloth and was sucked into the banner.

"Zhang Yuan harmed a fellow disciple, deliberately ruined demonic beast pelts, refused to reform despite repeated warnings, and spoke arrogantly, attempting to murder a steward. I executed him on the spot.

Does anyone have objections?"

Wu Liu saw everyone with heads bowed, not a single person daring to speak, and nodded in satisfaction.

She walked up to Fang Huai, pulled the Skinning Knife from his shoulder, and tossed him a small bottle of medicinal powder:

"This spiritual medicine is ground from the stems and leaves of the Blood Thorn Flower. It promotes blood circulation, removes stasis, clears toxins, and soothes the meridians. Consider it my investment in you.

If you can't give me one thousand contribution points within a year, I guarantee you'll die ten thousand times more miserably than Zhang Yuan!"