Building a sect from scratch.

Chapter 146 Two Hairy Legs
"Male...male merman?"

Bai Chenxue looked at Shen Yun blankly, then turned her head to look at Shanhu blankly.

With delicate features, waist-length hair, and an androgynous voice, plus the name "Coral," he doesn't look like a man at all!
"Coral, you, you're a man?"

“Now it is,” Coral smiled and explained before Bai Chenxue could ask further, “Our Quanxian tribe is hermaphroditic. If needed, we can slowly change our gender over several years. Just like me, I only became male two years ago.”

Bai Chenxue's pupils almost dilated in shock as she muttered to herself, "Hermaphroditism...what a niche concept..."

Shen Yun whispered to Bai Chenxue, "It seems that many sea creatures can indeed freely switch genders!"

Bai Chenxue asked again, "So when you get married... uh, I mean, when you find a partner, you don't need to consider gender?"

Although Coral couldn't understand some of the strange words Bai Chenxue and Shen Yun were using, he could still understand the general meaning. He was very confused by the reasoning behind their conversation: "Why do you need to have children if you're looking for a partner?"

Coral's tone was so natural that it surprised Bai Chenxue and Shen Yun.

"Uh...that seems to make sense...oh well! Who cares!" Bai Chenxue said, "I think what you said makes a lot of sense! There really is no need to consider gender!"

Shen Yun couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "How come it feels like the Quanxian clan is far ahead in terms of mental state..."

"Hmm... I think you humans have a saying, something like 'It is impolite not to reciprocate,' so I'll give you something in return!"

Unaware of Bai Chenxue and Shen Yun's ulterior motives, Coral, taking advantage of their shock, produced a handful of multicolored pearls from somewhere. After roughly mixing them, he placed them into two giant clam shells and presented them to the two, saying, "These are sea spirit pearls raised by our Quanxian clan. They have the effect of repelling water and dust. It seems that you humans quite like them and call them 'pearls,' so I'll give them to you in return!"

"Thank you, um..." Bai Chenxue held the pearls, a little embarrassed, and asked, "Actually, we're quite interested in the silk fabric of your Quanxian tribe. We wonder if we could buy some..."

"Jiaoxiao? You mean...Moonlight Satin? Or Three Yang Brocade?"

Bai Chenxue was stunned: "Huh?"

Shen Yun also asked, "Are these two types of fabrics also those with any special effects?"

"You can tell just by their names! They are all woven from the essence of the sun and moon. Moonlight Satin is the moon, and Three Yang Brocade is the sun."

Shen Yun then asked, "What's the difference between them?"

Coral said, "I feel... there isn't much difference, except that the Moonlight Satin is more plain, while the Three Yang Brocade is more brightly colored."

Shen Yun said, "Then can we buy some from you? If you want to sell, we'll buy as much as you want!"

"Huh? What do you need so much fabric for?"

"Make clothes! Our Taiyin Sect is desperately short of fabric! That's why we said we'd buy as much as we could!"

Coral thought for a moment and said, "I do have some moon-scented satin that I wove myself, but not much, just a few feet long. My sister has saved up a lot, and I can ask her if she'll sell it, but she lives a bit far from here... By the way! What are you planning to use to buy it?"

"Food? Hmm? It seems like the food we eat on land tastes off when it's put into the sea, right? What else is there? Spiritual herbs and plants? Spiritual talismans? Pills?"

Bai Chenxue counted on her fingers.

Shen Yun asked bluntly, "What do you want? We'll try to get anything we can!"

"Knives! Or gold and silver jewelry!" Coral excitedly flicked its huge tail and said, "It's very difficult to smelt gold, silver, and various ores in the sea, so these are all in short supply! Especially knives! It's just too inconvenient to use your hands to remove bones!"

Then, he stretched out his hand, his knuckles so prominent that you could almost see the veins, but the tips of his fingers were long, thin claws that gleamed coldly in the moonlight, like some kind of divine weapon, looking terrifying.

Upon seeing such a "hand," Bai Chenxue turned pale with fright. Fortunately, it was too dark to see it clearly, and Shen Yun and Shanhu did not notice it.

Shen Yun's eyes lit up when he heard Shanhu's request: "What kind of knife do you want? I happen to be a weapon refiner, so I can make one to your specifications!"

"A large knife, a medium knife, a small knife," Coral pondered for a moment, then said, "The kind that's very sharp, preferably very hard, so it can cut coral and also remove fish bones!"

Shen Yun patted his chest and said, "No problem! I can bring the blueprints later! You can choose whichever you like!"

"That would be perfect! You can blow this when you come, and I'll come running as soon as I hear it!"

As she spoke, Coral handed Shen Yun a huge conch shell.

The conch shell was as long as a forearm, and its larger end was wider than a palm. The milky-white conch shell was decorated with brown patterns, evenly distributed in concentric circles, which was very beautiful.

With something new to look at, Bai Chenxue forgot all about the terrifying "hand" she had just experienced. Instead, she carefully touched the large conch shell and exclaimed, "What a huge conch shell!"

Shen Yun touched the rough conch shell, finding it incredibly fascinating, and asked, "Can I try blowing it up?"

Although Coral didn't quite understand why the two of them acted as if they had seen some rare treasure, she still nodded in agreement, very easygoing: "Of course!"

"Woo--Woo--"

The melodious and lingering sound of the conch shell echoed along the coast, accompanied by waves crashing against the rocks. A primitive, wild, free, and natural atmosphere burst forth from the sound of the conch shell, and the world seemed exceptionally vast at that moment.

"What a beautiful voice!"

Bai Chenxue exclaimed in admiration, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, Coral, do you live around here?"

Coral nodded: "Yes, it's nearby, so I come here to cultivate every night when the tide is high."

Hearing what Coral said, the two realized that the tide, which was originally far away, had approached the reef where Coral was located, and the most recent wave even crashed several meters away from Bai Chenxue.

Bai Chenxue asked in confusion, "Then, how did you get here? The tide hasn't come up here yet!"

Coral replied matter-of-factly, "I walked over!"

"Walk!?"

Not only Bai Chenxue, but Shen Yun was also taken aback.

Seeing the two looking confused, Coral smiled, flicked his beautiful fishtail, and then, a cloud of multicolored smoke swirled around his tail. In a flash, the tail transformed into two... hairy legs...

"?"

A question mark appeared on Bai Chenxue's forehead, and her voice suddenly rose: "You mermaids... no, you Quanxian tribe, why do you grow leg hair at the same time as you grow legs?!"

(End of this chapter)