Yinshan Record

Chapter 41 Human Ear

Su Che ultimately didn't finish the bowl of noodles, but chatted with the green ox for a while, gaining a general understanding of the monsters near Xuan Mountain.

The most well-known and powerful monster around Xuanshan should be the Black Mountain Monster, whose cultivation has reached the fifth rank. He is secretive and rarely seen.

Besides this one, there are several other great demons, including Dushan Jun, Yutu Jun, Qing Fuzi, and Feng Jiunan.

Both Dushan Jun and Yutu Jun are tiger demons. Dushan Jun may be a spy left by Buddhism in Xuanshan.

Qing Fuzi is a snake demon, and Feng Jiunan is a pig demon. Their cultivation levels should both be at the sixth rank of demon cultivators, the Spirit Realm.

Together, they could absolutely suppress the humanitarian forces around Shanyin, making them unable to raise their heads.

Indeed, there are many handsome men within this Xuan Mountain.

"When you come again, you don't need to bring these gold and silver items." Old Niu gestured with his lip and said, "Just pick a few books, and I'll arrange goods to settle the debt for you. Don't worry, I definitely won't let you suffer any loss."

"Of course, of course. Thank you for your hospitality, boss. I'll take my wife for a stroll around the city right away."

"Please go ahead, sir."

Since he occupied the city alone without using gold or silver, Su Che could roughly guess the scheme behind Dushan Jun's actions.

Doing business with monsters is about as dangerous as seeking medical help from the Black and White Impermanence (the god of death).

If we want this city to no longer be a game played by monsters behind closed doors, but to truly become a "city" where people from all directions gather and all kinds of resources converge, then we must offer up a portion of the profits.

Money moves people's hearts.

Regardless of the welcoming attitude of the sheep demon gatekeepers at the entrance towards human merchants, or the fact that taxes are collected at the city gates in other places, they give out money at the city gates here.

The prices at Niujia Old Shop are still practically free.

A bowl of plain noodles costs only one penny.

Su Che didn't think these monsters were fools, or that gold and silver were meaningless to them.

Those who abandon small gains must have long-term plans.

Lord Dushan intends to use these substantial profits to attract a steady stream of human merchants, transforming Duju City from a stagnant pool of monsters into a kind of Shangri-La.

The shadow of Buddhism could be faintly seen behind him, and he had built such a city in the heart of Xuan Mountain. This Lord Dushan was indeed quite interesting.

As soon as Su Che stepped out of the courtyard gate, the two men behind him surrounded Qing Niu.

"Master Dong... I smelled blood on that person, and it was quite fresh..."

The dog-headed monster spoke in a trembling voice.

The ox curled its tongue and licked the bowl of vegetarian noodles clean.

"Sigh, it would be strange not to smell blood while traveling in these mountains." The green ox put the large bowl aside and comfortably closed its eyes. "The man's cultivation is average, but the female ghost's strength is unfathomable. The one in charge is the woman..."

After a moment of comfort, Old Niu directed the two waiters: "Alright, stop standing around, hurry up and tidy up. We'll see if any customers come in later. Old Niu wants to make many good connections."

After leaving the small restaurant where the owner personally sold meat, Qingqiu chuckled and looked at Su Che.

It's quite interesting to get to know this human.

I remember when I first left the East Sea, my aunt told me that all cultivators in the world ultimately seek an elixir of immortality that allows them to change at will.

But this elixir of immortality is sought by some in benevolence and righteousness, by some in the edge of a sword, and by some in the countless pleas of the masses for refuge.

Within our own lineage, love is found in people's hearts.

Joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hate, and desire—using the human heart as a furnace and the seven emotions as a catalyst, a longevity elixir is brewed from within. According to my aunt, many powerful female demons, when cultivating, like to find useless burdens to engage in romantic relationships, using them as whetstones for self-cultivation and catalysts for harmonizing yin and yang.

Qingqiu found Su Che quite pleasing to the eye, and some other thoughts began to form in her mind.

This guy seems quite interesting. I might as well tease him and make him my dregs.

Just as I was thinking this, I saw the person I had been tricked stop in his tracks.

Ahead was a square located in the heart of this wooden city, which was also the most bustling place. In the center of the square were all kinds of stalls. Whether they were monsters or humans, they would spread a tattered cloth on the ground, put down a couple of items, and that was it.

Monsters and humans interacted quite well, buying and selling what the other needed.

Qingqiu believed that such a scene was not enough to make Su Che stop.

Such scenes are nowhere else to be seen; they are unique to this city.

Following Su Che's gaze, Qingqiu was also somewhat surprised.

Why is he here?
On the day Su Che went to Qingqiu to have his fortune told, a man whose wife was ill sought guidance from a fox. Now he is in this isolated city, guarding a stall where vendors are trading.

The owner of the stall was a short, thin old man wearing a gray shirt. His beard was cut in half and curled down from his lips. He had a pair of triangular eyes on a crooked nose and was quite ugly.

The cloth under his stall looked like it had been found somewhere, and it was covered with white skulls of all sizes. Some of them looked only the size of a fist, suggesting they were infants less than a year old when they died.

"Uncle Grey, Manager Song asked me to come and pick up some things..."

"Old Song changes his people quickly. Since he's the one who came to me, just pick three of these for him."

The man in gray snorted.

The middle-aged man stared blankly at the white bones, unable to make a decision for a moment.

The old man in gray looked at him and grinned maliciously.

"The method Old Song used required the child to die at an old age, and also to be one that had been buried for a long time. These children who were under three years old were not suitable."

He stretched out a withered, yellow finger and tapped it on the stall.

"This one, this one, and that one, all of them should be fine."

The middle-aged man took out a blue floral cloth and wrapped the three skulls around it with trembling hands.

"Raising the coffin to distribute the firewood, opening the coffin to find joy, in this line of work, you can't stand the word 'fear'. Since Old Song is hiring you, you have plenty of days to make a fortune. When you see gold and silver, what is there to be afraid of?"

He made a few sarcastic remarks to the man and then said, "Alright, here's what Old Song asked me to give you."

The man swallowed hard, took out a small bag, and gave it to the old man in gray.

Inside were human ears of different sizes, pale and wrapped in a black cloth.

The old man in gray chuckled when he saw this.

"Old Song knew I liked this kind of thing."

Unable to contain himself, he took out a human ear from inside and put it in his mouth, crunching away.

“This is good. This old woman loves to gossip all the time. Her ears are always full of gossip and rumors. It’s very interesting.”

"Tsk," the gray-clad man turned to look at Su Che, his eyes filled with malice, and said, "After watching the show for so long, what, does Your Excellency also want to do business with me?"

(End of this chapter)