"You've kept contact with Qian Yun till now?" Yuen Zhou sounded a bit appalled.
"That guy was possessed by the Prime Disciple of That sect. Surely, you haven't forgotten that he was about to kill us or possess us as well?"
"Not that I had a choice, but yes, I have been exchanging pleasantries with him every few days. But don't worry. The Prime Disciple Jin Tuyi has long taken his leave from Qian Yun's body. Someone apparently visited the world fragment after we escaped and dragged that evil schmuck away, leaving behind our friend mostly intact."
Han Xuhan explained to her the brief story Qian Yun had told him. He didn't care whether it was true or not. Qian Yun, for now, was his business partner. His true identity, or motives weren't as important as the treasures he was giving away in exchange for food and resources.
"But when there's an extremely smart zombie hunting you, it becomes difficult to stay pleasant as always, which is why Qian Yun has requested for a cleanup by none other than the sole culprit behind the threat, YOU!"
"...No."
Han Xuhan felt his face twitch uncontrollably at Yuen Zhou's deadpan reply.
"Your answer seems a bit too fast, martial sister. Do you perhaps know what's happening inside the Holy Land right now?"
Yuen Zhou gave him a measured look.
"I don't need to know. The zombies I left behind in that world fragment are quite special. They'll eventually mutate further and hunt down every living creature inside without my control over their minds. Your request was enough for me to understand that it has already begun."
"Sister Zhou, may I know why are you unwilling to help them ?"
"When I took control of those zombies, I knew this was the path they'd need to tread in order to become stronger. And so I assisted them into adapting to the changes, helped them grow for as long as they were under my control. Back when we were tied up together in the hands of Qian Yun and his possessed friends, I imprinted their image in the minds of those zombies using our mental connection in order to facilitate a last-second rescue. You managed to take us out of the world fragment by your planning, but that didn't give me an opportunity to take the zombies out with me from there.
"I knew those zombies would grow there in strength and wisdom. And I fully support their growth."
"....."
That was a revelation Han Xuhan had not seen coming. But it made sense, now that he thought about it.
No wonder that last zombie was smart enough to evade the claws of Qian Yun and his associates! No wonder it came out on top even after going through so many rounds of battles and mutations!
"Is there any specific purpose for which you planted those zombies there?" Han Xuhan said.
"I'll reclaim my control over them and use them as bodyguards, just like before."
"But for that, you need access to that Holy Land, which I'm assuming you do not. Do you?"
Yuen Zhou exhaled. "In world fragments like that, there wouldn't be any methods to sneak in from outside. But someone from inside can probably find a way out with enough information in hand. The zombies might eventually grow smart enough to rival regular humans and figure out how to leave that world fragment. I'll sense their presence the moment they appear in our world."
"I see," Han Xuhan muttered. "So there's no chance that you'd cooperate with Qian Yun to hunt down the last zombie in the Holy Land?"
"The last zombie?" Yuen Zhou's expression turned sour. "So there's only one left..absolutely not. That zombie would be a precious treasure of mine. Why would I do such a thing?"
"What if they manage to kill it, though?" Han Xuhan said. "That way, you'd be the biggest loser."
"I doubt they'd be asking for my help if they could just manage to kill it by themselves."
Yuen Zhou laughed in scorn.
Han Xuhan's eyes gleamed.
"You know, martial sister, all these talks of killing and mutating seems a bit pointless when there's a better solution."
Yuen Zhou's eyebrows creased. "Better solution? Do tell, martial brother."
"Why not cooperate into making that zombie an ally of Qian Yun and his associates?"
* * * * *
Han Xuhan left Yuen Zhou's hut with a sneaky smirk on his face. On his shoulder, the skeletal snake coiled itself around its new toy, the teeth set.
"Making people entrenched in debts feels so empowering! No wonder loan sharks always get so carried away!" he muttered to himself.
Yuen Zhou would owe him two favors now. He couldn't wait to see what kind of profit he'd end up making at the end of the whole business.
But this also meant he needed to hand over the Weight Allotment map sooner than planned. But that wasn't much of a problem. He had gotten a good look at the map already. What Yuen Zhou did with it was not his business. Xuan Zi had agreed to the deal, and that was enough.
"Little Zhe, I'm very dissatisfied with your behavior in Aunt Zhou's house. I am never sending you to have fun without supervision, NEVER!"
This was a necessary admonishment. He sincerely hoped that the snake would understand the gravity of its 'crime'.
"But Auntie Zhou told me I could have it!" Hai Yin Zhe insistently replied, not appearing bothered by his severe tone.
"That's because you were crying for it! How could you make a scene in someone else's house? You've embarrassed me!"
"...But she said I could have it if I cried for it in front of you!"
"...When did she say that?"
"Last night!" Hai Yin Zhe answered grumpily.
Han Xuhan was stunned.
So Yuen Zhou had manipulated him through his minion! She had practically forced him to buy the teeth set and thus paid off a share of the debt she was in for the Weight Allotment Map!
"Damn! This world of cultivation is truly perilous! Even my close friends are trying to cheat me!" Han Xuhan exclaimed sorrowfully, not quite acknowledging that he himself was thinking about extorting Yuen Zhou in exchange for the favors she owed him...
Today, he had woken up early to get his gears going. The sun was still stuck on the horizon, trying to climb up lazily. Han Xuhan couldn't afford to be as lazy as the sun, though, for he had to attend his second business venture of the day: collecting the items other disciples had ended up acquiring from the void inside the spatial cracks leading to other sects.
He reached his destination, the center of the island uninterrupted, uneventfully, which was a rare event itself these days. Shit always seemed to go down whenever he was out heading somewhere.
The temporary tent that had been set up there for convenience was not empty, unsurprisingly. Today was a big day. Today was going to be eventful, challenging, a dangerous day they'd all remember. It was expected that most of the ordinary disciples would be up and running early.
Entering the Central Pavilion, Han Xuhan looked around for a few minutes, watching his fellow disciples trade, barter, and have tense exchanges. Adapting his mind to the atmosphere, he beelined towards an empty corner and began to shout loudly on the way, attracting many bleary eyes.
"The void-begotten objects! Whoever has a void-begotten object, please follow me! Willing to pay, willing to trade, willing to sell, willing to rent, willing to accept bartering, willing to give away with IOUs! And if you're sincere enough, willing to even share for free!"
The prime rule in a market like this was to maintain the external image of a peaceful, honest exchange. The last sentence of his would help in ensuring that nobody acted too problematically, and the wide array of options he had offered them would ensure that nobody could choose too fast for him to keep track of.
Sitting in the corner, Han Xuhan watched with a calculating gaze as some disciples hesitantly walked over.
"What are you offering for sale?" the first one to reach him opened the conversation without wasting time.
Han Xuhan took out the Poleyn he had separated from his leg with the help of Kong Ye. And then he placed it beside the teeth set Hai Yin Zhe was still playing with.
"What are YOU bringing to the table, brother?" Han Xuhan asked with an honest smile, his tone charged.
The disciple looked uncomfortable for some reason. Instead of answering, he squatted down and said, "How did you manage to get rid of the objects? I've tried many methods but it's still glued to my body."
Han Xuhan leaned in and answered, "It's a trade secret. But I can facilitate your desire for the small price of 50 spirit stones."
"Fifty?!" The disciple sounded outraged.
"I'm open to bartering, like I've announced a minute ago."
The disciple said with a dark expression, "Ten."
"Forty."
"Fifteen."
"Alright, let's skip the next four lines and agree to the price of twenty-five," Han Xuhan said in annoyance.
"Twenty-five..." the disciple sounded unsure.
"Look, brother, twenty-five spirit stones is a very small amount of money to free your priceless rod from its unwanted sheath." Han Xuhan slammed a fist down on the ground, raising his voice with each word.
The disciple looked scandalized. "Who said it's on my-"
"Trade secret, trade secret," Han Xuhan shouted over his indignant cry.
"It's really not! It's stuck around my butt. I haven't been able to go to the latrine since then! And my master won't help me!"
"...Oh no! That sounds like an emergency! We need to treat you fast! So where's the money?!"