The abandoned cannon fodder girl's path to immortality

Chapter 277 The Mermaid Xiyue
Tingbao Pavilion is located in the heart of the most bustling "Sea Market" street in the inner city of Nutao City. It is a seven-story octagonal tower.

Tonight, the area outside the pavilion is bustling with traffic.

Various colored lights and vehicles came in an endless stream, crowding the wide streets to the point of being impassable.

Chen Jinshu, dressed in a simple blue robe, with her hair tied up in a simple bun with a jade hairpin, entered the pavilion with the flow of people.

A mountain sparrow perched on her shoulder, its breath restrained.

Upon entering, one is greeted by an extremely spacious circular hall, over ten zhang high, with its dome inlaid with hundreds of luminous pearls of varying sizes, arranged in the shape of a star map.

The soft, clear moonlight shone down, illuminating the hall as bright as day.

In the center of the hall was a white jade auction platform about ten feet high. At this moment, there was no one on the platform, only a sandalwood table.

Below the stage, hundreds of chairs made of deep-sea cold iron and warm jade were arranged in a fan shape, and most of them were already occupied.

Above that are three layers of corridors, divided into dozens of private rooms, each with a semi-transparent gauze curtain, revealing shadowy figures inside.

Chen Jinshu presented the jade token given to him by Sun Mao, and a maid dressed in a pale yellow dress, whose cultivation was at the Foundation Establishment stage, immediately stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"Please follow me, senior. Your private room is number seven in the Xuan section."

The maid led her up to the east corridor and pushed open a door carved with wave patterns.

The private room was small, but elegantly decorated.

The window overlooks the entire auction hall, and a low table and cushions are placed by the window, with fragrant fruits and tea already prepared on them.

"The auction will begin in a quarter of an hour. If you have any requests, please press the jade bell on the table, and I will be at your service at any time."

After the maid finished speaking softly, she bowed and withdrew, gently closing the door behind her.

Chen Jinshu sat down on the prayer mat, his gaze sweeping over the bustling crowd below.

'There are no fewer than thirty Golden Core cultivators, over a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators, but Qi Refining cultivators are relatively rare. The purchasing power of Raging Waves City is indeed not to be underestimated.'

The rooms on the third floor, designated as "Heavenly" level, were particularly heavily guarded. Her divine sense barely touched them before returning, unable to penetrate them deeply, but she could still faintly sense the pressure of a Nascent Soul cultivator emanating from within.

'It seems there's a real treasure tonight.'

"Jinshu, there are so many people down there!"

A thought from Qingheng came through, her voice filled with curiosity: "Those sparkling beads are so beautiful!"

"Well, let's wait and see."

She picked up the spirit tea, took a sip, and found the tea to be warm, refreshing, and sweet.

Before long, the hall was packed, and even the corridors were filled with people.

The clamor of discussion began to rise sharply.

"clang--!"

A clear, melodious bell suddenly rang out, drowning out all the noise.

Everyone's spirits lifted, and their eyes all turned to the auction stage.

The side door behind the stage opened, and a middle-aged cultivator with a fair complexion and no beard, dressed in a dark gold brocade robe, slowly walked out.

His cultivation was at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm. He walked with a steady gait, a perfectly measured smile on his face, and cupped his hands in greeting to the four directions.
"Fellow Daoists, distinguished guests, I am Jin Buhuan, steward of Treasure Pavilion. I am honored by your presence at tonight's auction."

As always, the highest bidder wins; payment is made immediately, and the origin of the goods is not a question.

Enough with the small talk, let's look at the first item!

He clapped his hands, and two Foundation Establishment female cultivators walked onto the stage carrying a jade box about a foot long.

The moment the box lid was opened, a scorching and violent aura instantly spread out, causing several cultivators in the front row to exclaim in surprise.

Inside the jade box lay a crimson horn with faint flame patterns, its base still bearing traces of dark gold flesh, indicating it had been removed recently.

The unicorn horn of the peak third-tier demonic beast, the Crimson Flame Dragon!

Complete and flawless, brimming with fire spirit, it is a top-tier main material for refining fire-type magic weapons and drawing high-level fire talismans!

The starting price is 5,000 mid-grade spirit stones, and each bid must be at least 500!

"Five thousand and five!"

"Six thousand!"

"Seven thousand!"

Bidding calls rose and fell, instantly igniting the atmosphere.

Chen Jinshu glanced at it once and then looked away.

Although this item is good, it is of little use to her.

As more items were put up for auction, Chen Jinshu made two bids, acquiring a small jar of "star sand" and several ancient jade slips containing information about remote areas in southern Xinjiang for relatively low prices.

As the auction progressed past its halfway point, the atmosphere grew increasingly lively.

Jin Buhuan's smile widened, and he waved to signal the next item to be brought up for auction.

This time, four strong men worked together to carry up a huge iron cage, which was covered with a thick black cloth to prevent any divine sense from probing it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the next item up for auction is somewhat special."

Jin Buhuan raised his voice a few decibels: "It is a living creature!"

He suddenly ripped off the black cloth.

"Wow——!"

There was an uproar.

Inside the iron cage, a young girl was curled up.

She looked to be no more than fifteen or sixteen years old among humans, with rare pearly white skin that shimmered with a soft glow under the light of pearls.

Her long hair, like seaweed, was a deep, dark blue, with a faint silver sheen at the ends.

Her lower body was not legs, but a long fish tail covered with fine, pale blue scales, which was now limply resting on the bottom of the cage.

The girl hugged her knees with both hands, burying her face deeply in her arms, only revealing her pointed, pale pink ears.

She was only wrapped in a simple, tattered cloth whose original color was no longer discernible. On her bare shoulders, back, and arms were several hideous whip marks and strangulation marks, some of which had already scabbed over.

"A merman! It's a merman!"

"Judging from the color of its scales, it's still an immature juvenile!"

Mermaid tears are the main ingredient for refining the "Youth-Preserving Pill" and the "Mind-Enhancing Pill"!

"More than that! The silk woven by mermaids is impervious to water and fire, making it a top-grade material for crafting magical robes! Powdered mermaid throat bones can cure all poisons!"

"Tsk tsk, this one must have taken a lot of effort to catch, right?"

The mermaid girl in the cage seemed to be agitated by the sounds, curling up even tighter, her fish tail twitching uneasily and hitting the iron bars with a dull thud.

Jin Buhuan was very satisfied with the reaction from the audience. He cleared his throat and said loudly:
"As you can see, this is an immature female merman, captured in the 'Misty Coral Reef' southeast of the 'Guixu Sea Eye'."

After examination, it was determined that its bloodline was pure, it had never cultivated itself, its intelligence had been awakened, and it could understand human speech.

Its tears contain the essence of moonlight and water, possessing miraculous effects in alchemy, weapon crafting, and even nourishing the soul!

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room, lingering for a moment, especially in the direction of the private rooms.

Merfolk are rare, and living ones are even rarer.

This is the grand finale of the night! Starting price: 30,000 mid-grade spirit stones! Each bid must increase by at least 5,000!

As soon as the words were spoken, the bidding erupted instantly.

Thirty-five thousand!

"forty thousand!"

"fifty thousand!"

The price climbed at an astonishing rate, quickly breaking the 100,000 mark.

Most of the bidders were in the private rooms on the second and third floors, while only a few wealthy Golden Core cultivators were still gritting their teeth and following up in the main hall.

Chen Jinshu's gaze lingered on the mermaid girl for a moment.

'Mermaids are said to possess precious tears, but their lives are even more worthless. This young girl is covered in wounds, her eyes lifeless; she must have suffered greatly.'

She was not a soft-hearted person; she had seen too much of the survival of the fittest in the cultivation world.

But the deep despair and numbness hidden in the girl's eyes inexplicably reminded her of some unpleasant memories.

Just as I was about to look away, Qingheng sent me a hurried and excited message:
"Jinshu! Jinshu! Her tears! I can feel her tears!" "Hmm?"

Chen Jinshu's heart stirred slightly, and he asked telepathically, "What's so special about it?"

"Special! Very special!"

"Her tears contained a trace of extremely pure, almost primordial 'Lunar Essence' and 'Innate Water Spirit' fusion power!"

That power seemed to be slowly replenishing the part of my origin that I was missing!

Upon hearing this, Chen Jinshu's gaze immediately sharpened.

"Are you sure?" she asked in a deep voice.

"Absolutely certain! Absolutely certain!"

Qingheng said urgently, "Although it's very faint, that feeling of 'shared origin' is definitely true!"
"Maybe I can briefly unleash the 'Green Vine Domain'!"

"The Vine Domain?"

She had seen fragments of memories passed down from Qingheng, which were the prototype of the innate divine power of the ancient immortal vine.

Within its domain, all trees obey its commands, spiritual plants grow wildly, and vitality abounds. It can trap and kill enemies, and is an excellent place for self-cultivation and recovery.

"Yes! Although it may only last a few breaths and consume a huge amount of energy, it might save a life in a critical moment!"

Qingheng's voice was full of hope: "Jinshu, can we...can we save her? Her tears are really important to me!"

At this moment, the price below had soared to 150,000 mid-grade spirit stones. The bidder was from the No. 3 private room in the Heavenly Rank, whose voice was old but determined to win.

"Sixteen thousand." A soft, effeminate male voice followed from the second private room.

"170,000." Number Three of the Heavenly Rankings refused to back down.

"One hundred and eighty thousand."

"Two hundred thousand!"

The entire room fell silent for a moment.

Two hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones are enough to buy a decent Golden Core stage magic weapon, or to support the expenses of a small to medium-sized sect for several years.

Just to buy a mermaid girl.

Jin Buhuan beamed with joy, his gaze fixed on VIP number three: "Two hundred thousand! VIP number three has bid two hundred thousand! Is there anyone bidding higher?"

Number Two of Earth was silent for a moment, then snorted coldly and fell silent again.

"Two hundred thousand once! Two hundred thousand twice..."

"Two hundred and fifty thousand."

A calm female voice came from the private room number seven in the Xuan section, and echoed clearly in the hall through the amplification array.

"Wow——!"

All eyes immediately focused on the private room where Chen Jinshu was.

Despite the gauze curtain obscuring the view, the divine senses still swept over as if they were real, attempting to probe.

Inside the private room number three of the "Heavenly" section, the aged voice rang out again, tinged with displeasure:
"Three hundred thousand."

"Three hundred and fifty thousand," Chen Jinshu said again.

"Four hundred thousand!" The old voice held a hint of anger.

"Half a million."

Chen Jinshu immediately added 100,000.

A collective gasp filled the hall.

Five hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones!
This exceeds the entire fortune of the vast majority of Golden Core cultivators!
A long silence fell over the private room number three.

Jin Buhuan waited for several breaths, and seeing no further response, his smile almost overflowed as he brought his jade mallet down heavily.
"Five hundred thousand! Sold! Congratulations to VIP number seven of the Xuan class for winning the bid for the mermaid!"

Soon, the iron cage was carried by four burly men to the outside of the private room number seven in the Xuan section.

Chen Jinshu paid with spirit stones, most of which were from her recent sales of pills, plus some of her previous savings.

The iron cage was carried into the private room, and the maid lowered the curtain and bowed as she withdrew.

Chen Jinshu waved his hand, setting up a soundproof barrier, and his gaze fell on the cage.

The mermaid girl seemed to realize she had been moved and slowly raised her head.

It was a face so exquisite it was almost unreal, with delicate features and skin so white it was almost translucent.

She looked at Chen Jinshu, then at Qingheng, who was floating in the air with bright blue eyes. Her lips moved slightly, but no sound came out.

She simply lowered her head again and buried her face in her arms.

The next moment, a tear slid down her cheek.

The teardrops were not transparent, but rather glowed with a faint, moon-white fluorescence.

It rolled down the girl's pearly white cheek, condensing into a round, translucent bead the size of a grain of rice at her chin, and then made a soft "snap".

Qingheng said excitedly, "I can sense extremely pure Taiyin Moon Essence and Innate Water Spirit!"

Chen Jinshu carefully examined the pearl in his hand and felt the same way, knowing that what Qingheng said was true.

She walked to the iron cage, and with a flash of green light at her fingertips, the cage lock, made of deep-sea cold iron and engraved with binding runes, snapped open with a "crack".

The merman girl trembled violently and looked up in a panic.

"Complete my request, and you can leave," Chen Jinshu said calmly.

The girl was stunned.

"Why... why?"

"I spent 500,000 spirit stones, not to buy you as a slave. I only bought you for your tears!"

Suddenly, she used all her strength to move her entire body out of the iron cage. Her fishtail clumsily patted twice on the clean floor, and then she bowed deeply towards Chen Jinshu's back, her forehead touching the cold ground.

"My benefactor... please don't send me away."

Her voice was filled with desperate sobs.

Chen Jinshu turned around and looked down at her, his brows slightly furrowed.

"I...I have nowhere else to go."

The girl looked up, her eyes brimming with tears: "My people... they don't want me anymore. It was because I was ostracized and driven out by my people that I swam alone to the shallows, and that's when I got caught in those cultivators' traps..."

If I go back, they...they will kill me.

The Merfolk tribe considers being captured a disgrace, believing it to be a stain on their bloodline.

Those like me who were captured and then escaped... will only be torn to pieces and thrown into the trench to feed the fish.

“I…I don’t want to die. Please, let me stay…I can weave silk for you, my tears…my tears might be of some use to you…I’ll do anything, just don’t let me go back…”

Chen Jinshu listened quietly, his face expressionless.

Qingheng floated to her side, gently tugging at her sleeve with her small hand. Her emerald eyes were full of sympathy as she transmitted her voice, "Jinshu, she's so pitiful... and her tears really are very useful to me..."

Chen Jinshu looked at the merman girl lying on the ground, unable to get up, and at the old and new scars on her tail fin.

There is no such thing as unearned kindness in the cultivation world.

Every gift comes with a hidden price tag.

She is not a kind person, and she never does business at a loss.

"You can stay."

“But around me, there are no ‘guests,’ only ‘one of us’ and ‘outsiders.’”

“To become ‘one of us,’ you must be under my control.”

At Chen Jinshu's fingertips, a wisp of bluish-white contract rune slowly appeared: "This is the 'Spirit Control Contract.' Sign it, and your life, death, honor, and disgrace will be linked to mine."

My thought may bring you to life; my will may bring you to death.

From this day forward, you are no longer a free person, but my tamed beast.

"Sign up and follow me from now on. The road ahead may be treacherous, but at least there is a glimmer of hope."

"Don't sign. Leave now and leave your fate to chance."