Chapter 242 - 236: Human Pill, Exposing the Corpse for 3 Days, Grinding the Bones and Scattering the Ashes

Chapter 242: Chapter 236: Human Pill, Exposing the Corpse for 3 Days, Grinding the Bones and Scattering the Ashes

"Turtle Treasure?"

Fu Juemin had a good idea of what Shen Yijun was describing.

"It’s not there?"

He strode toward the site where the Old Turtle Spirit was being butchered.

Shen Yijun was far more professional at this than he was. There were even men specifically assigned to collect the foul-smelling Demon Blood in buckets as it poured out.

"No, we’ve searched its entire stomach. Nothing."

Shen Yijun followed beside him, shaking his head.

"Then I have no idea."

Fu Juemin replied coolly.

An answer, however, was already surfacing in his mind. The new Talent he’d just tested, [Gui Cang], must be the very method the Old Turtle Spirit and the water monkey had used to evade his Demon Soul Perception.

’Is the effect something like feigning death? A complete concealment of one’s aura.’

’Oh no, it’s not that simple!’

Fu Juemin’s spirits suddenly lifted. He examined himself and was stunned to discover that after activating [Gui Cang] for just a short while, the Qi Blood in his body hadn’t been depleted at all. On the contrary, it had been significantly replenished.

’Perhaps the core of this Talent isn’t "evasion," but "internal nourishment"!’

’A turtle for a thousand years, a tortoise for ten thousand. This might even extend one’s lifespan...’

Fu Juemin thought to himself that with his Qi Blood currently depleted, this Talent had arrived at the perfect time.

With [Gui Cang], his body should recover quickly. In the future, the cultivation of his Innate Primordial Liquid would also be much faster.

This Talent didn’t seem like much at first glance, but in the long run, it was incredibly practical.

"You didn’t see it? What a pity!"

Seeing that Fu Juemin’s expression wasn’t faked, Shen Yijun couldn’t help but sigh. He pointed at the Old Turtle being hacked to pieces and said, "The most valuable part of this Turtle Spirit is the Turtle Treasure in its belly."

"Next is the shell on its back, and last is its flesh and bones."

"Now the most precious thing is missing. Such a shame, such a shame..."

Fu Juemin didn’t respond, merely listening in silence.

After lamenting for a moment, Shen Yijun suddenly changed the subject to business.

"I provided men and effort this time, after all. Brother Lingjun, giving me one of the turtle’s legs wouldn’t be too much to ask, would it?"

Fu Juemin thought for a moment. Not wanting to argue, he simply nodded. "Fine."

Seeing Fu Juemin agree so readily, Shen Yijun’s mood brightened considerably. "So, how do you want to be compensated for the rest of it? Silver coins? Firearms?"

"Or... this?"

Shen Yijun said with a mysterious smile, clapping his hands. A servant in his retinue came forward and presented a palm-sized, purple sandalwood box.

He opened the box, revealing a scarlet elixir pill the size of a pigeon’s egg. It was exquisite, both in color and form, with faint traces of light seeming to flow across its surface. It emitted a bizarre aroma—sickeningly sweet and tinged with a coppery smell, yet mixed with a strange, clear fragrance.

Fu Juemin narrowed his eyes, staring at the elixir pill for a moment. "This is..."

"A Human Pill."

Shen Yijun’s expression was secretive. In a low voice tinged with a strange mix of excitement and horror, he said, "I only found out recently myself. It turns out that in the inner circles of Yingjing, they don’t accept Gold, nor do they accept silver coins."

"They only recognize the Human Pill."

"As the name implies... a Human Pill is an Elixir refined from living people."

Shen Yijun had been up all night. He looked haggard and his face was pale, yet his spirit was frenetic, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

With his ghastly tone in the broad daylight, he truly resembled a "living ghost."

"Back when Emperor Qianming was obsessed with the Alchemy Dao, it wasn’t a complete waste of the nation’s resources. He actually managed to cook up some good things."

"The formula for the Human Pill was developed by Emperor Qianming himself. Only the great clans, the relics of the former dynasty, still possess it..."

Fu Juemin looked at the scarlet Elixir before him, his tone unreadable. "Brother Shen, you think this is a good thing?"

Shen Yijun, high on opium, completely missed the chill in Fu Juemin’s voice. "Of course it’s a good thing," he laughed.

"If the weak and frail take this Human Pill, they’ll become vigorous as a Dragon and fierce as a Tiger."

"If a Martial Artist takes it, their Cultivation will soar."

"Women who take it can preserve their youth. Children who take it become sharp and quick-witted. The elderly who take it can extend their lifespan..."

"Humans can eat it, and so can Demons."

Fu Juemin said calmly, "Wouldn’t that make it an Immortal Pill?"

"Haha, calling it an Immortal Pill is a bit of an exaggeration, but the benefits are undeniable."

Shen Yijun chuckled. "Of course, to get the effects I mentioned, you’d need to take them consistently and in large quantities."

"Besides, Human Pills also vary in quality."

"This one I have, for instance, is just the most common Ten-Person Pill. If you wanted to preserve your youth or extend your life, you’d need a Hundred People Pill for it to be effective."

"And above that, there’s the Thousand People Pill, and even the Ten Thousand People Pill..."

"Tsk, tsk!"

Shen Yijun said in an awestruck tone, "A Human Pill of that caliber... you could probably trade it for an entire city."

"Brother Lingjun, you don’t look so well. Besides, you’re a martial practitioner, aren’t you? This Human Pill is just the thing to restore your vitality and replenish your energy..."

Shen Yijun shoved the box into Fu Juemin’s hands and yawned. Perhaps his opium craving was setting in, as his energy suddenly drained away, leaving him listless.

"I can’t take it anymore. I need to go back, get some rest, and sleep it off."

"I’ll leave things here to you. Brother Lingjun, think it over. Just take one, and you’ll understand the benefits of the Human Pill."

"Oh, right..."

Shen Yijun seemed to remember something and added, "If you find that second Demon, remember to let me know."

With that, he gave Fu Juemin a wave and hurried away impatiently.

Fu Juemin watched Shen Yijun’s retreating figure, then glanced down at the blood-red elixir pill in the wooden box. He couldn’t help but sigh. ’This Shen Yijun... he deserves to die too.’

He had previously heard that the remnants of the old dynasty in Yingjing City were raising Demons and consorting with devils, which he’d already found to be utterly preposterous and horrifying.

Only now did he realize he had only seen the tip of the iceberg.

That a method as horrifying and vicious as using living people for Alchemy could be so widespread... a Ten-Person Pill, a Hundred People Pill, a Thousand People Pill, a Ten Thousand People Pill!

Just hearing the names sent a chill down his spine.

Demon Capital, Demon Capital... what a fine Demon Capital indeed!

His heart was a block of ice. Fu Juemin put away the Pill Box, then summoned Xu Hengjiang and the others to give his orders.

"Starting from this Old Turtle’s corpse, search a five-li radius. I want you to dig three feet deep!"

’The water monkey took a direct hit from me. Its entire skeleton was shattered. It’s on the verge of death. Even for a Demon with an Extraordinary constitution, it couldn’t have escaped far in such a short time.’

’It’s probably carrying the Turtle Treasure from the Old Turtle Spirit’s body, using its aura-concealing ability to hide somewhere nearby.’

"Yes."

Xu Hengjiang and the others replied, and were about to leave, but were stopped by Fu Juemin.

Fu Juemin’s eyes swept over a particular body in the nearby pile of corpses. After a moment of thought, he said calmly, "Fish out that bloated corpse tangled in weeds. Find a long pole and hang it up."

"Display the corpse for three days!"

"After three days, if it still hasn’t shown itself..."

Fu Juemin’s tone was even. "Then burn the body... and scatter the ashes in the river!"

’The water monkey values its "bride" so much that it’s kept the body with it this entire time.’

’In that case, Fu Juemin would see for himself if it could bear to watch its "bride"... be publicly desecrated, her bones ground to dust and ashes scattered to the winds!’

...

"GASP... WHEEZE..."

In a damp, dark space underground, the water monkey lay stiff as a board. It seemed to be holding something in its mouth, which emitted a faint blue glow.

Every bone in its body, along with its internal organs, had been shattered. It felt as if countless insects were crawling and gnawing between its flesh and bones, a continuous, heart-ripping agony.

But this physical pain and torment was less than a ten-thousandth of the searing agony in its heart.

It could barely move, but its bloodshot eyes were stretched wide, the corners nearly splitting.

Through a tiny crack in the soil and gravel, it had watched helplessly as the Old Turtle Spirit—the one who had taken the fatal blow for it and given it the Turtle Treasure—was hacked to pieces. Now, it saw something else. Its "bride," whom it had cherished like a pearl from the riverbed, was being hoisted into the air, bit by bit, a hemp rope noosed around her neck!

"GHK... GHK..."

Its eyes wept tears of blood as it let out a silent, agonized, and frenzied howl in its heart.

It wanted nothing more than to burst out of its cramped hiding place this very second!

But it couldn’t, and it didn’t dare.

It was afraid.

It knew with absolute certainty that the moment it dared to show itself...

...that *thing* pretending to be human...

...would tear it to shreds on the spot!