"What do you mean, things are different?" Wei Zhao frowned.

"Do you have any idea that the Spirit-Sense Grass has another name—the Single-Root Grass? All the Spirit-Sense Grass in one place shares a single root. In other words, every blade of Spirit-Sense Grass in this entire River of Spirit Sense grew from that one root. And now you've gone and erased the root itself, you bastard—so where am I supposed to get you more Spirit-Sense Grass?" The Nine Infants was working itself into a fury again. Other heavenly treasures and earthly marvels it did not much care for, but this Spirit-Sense Grass was of great use to it. Who would have thought that the moment these two arrived, it would be wiped out entirely—gone without a trace, without a shadow, vanished into thin air. Even now the creature was still baffled by it.

"Uh…" Wei Zhao could not help but sweat a little at that. So all the Spirit-Sense Grass here had been collected by him along with that enormous root. That truly was beyond anything he had expected.

"The Spirit-Sense Grass is gone, so pick something else—some other heavenly treasure or earthly marvel. I'll put it plainly: anywhere in this place you can find something, it's yours to choose." The Nine Infants went on, affecting generosity once more.

"No need. I have no interest in ordinary treasures. Besides, if I really did find something good, what I wanted would never escape my grasp anyway—would I still need to beg your permission?" Wei Zhao said dismissively.

"Then… let me offer you something else. I can give you countless beauties, I guarantee every one a peerless stunner, and all of them spirit beasts in human form. Far more seductive and alluring than any human woman, far more tempting than the one at your side. How about that?" the Nine Infants said, changing tack.

As it spoke, it deliberately sized up Duanmu Yu. She was passably good-looking, but she was a woman of fortitude after all—a little more spirited, perhaps, but that much less coquettish. She could hardly be called alluring.

Wei Zhao was amused. Wealth, companion, method, ground—if wealth would not do, then try companion. The thing's mind certainly changed gears quickly.

"What are you looking at me for? Men are lecherous by nature—that's only natural and right. If you want it, take it. Nothing to be ashamed of." Seeing Wei Zhao turn to look at her as well, Duanmu Yu curled her lip. She did not care about such things in the least.

"Do I really look like such a starving ghost in the realm of lust? With so many fair confidantes already, I'd still go scheming after spirit beasts? Since when are my tastes that heavy?" Wei Zhao protested indignantly.

"Don't all you men love to sample something new? Who knows—maybe a spirit beast woman has a flavor all her own, one you won't be able to get enough of," Duanmu Yu said, her face full of mischief.

"…" Wei Zhao was left speechless and could only turn back to the Nine Infants. "Fine, fine, change it, change it. You're supposed to be the legendary Nine Infants—can't you offer a condition that's actually reliable?"

"No heavenly treasures… no spirit beast beauties… then all that's left are those formidable techniques I developed myself. If you're willing, I can pass them all on to you. How about that?" the Nine Infants said after a moment's thought.

"Oh? Now that does sound a little interesting." Wei Zhao was finally somewhat moved, but he soon shook his head. "No, no. You came looking for me to test out techniques in the first place. With enough testing, I could slowly figure those moves out on my own even if you didn't teach me. That doesn't count as a condition. Anything else?"

"Nothing! Won't take this, won't take that—what in the world do you want?" The Nine Infants was truly driven to the end of its patience this time. Never before had it lowered itself the way it had today. To recruit Wei Zhao it had racked its brains and exhausted its patience, and the wretch would not yield to soft words or hard alike—it was nothing but a stubborn, slippery piece of meat that rolled right off the chopping block!

Just as the Nine Infants looked ready to explode, Wei Zhao suddenly took a step back and spoke up of his own accord. "How about you tell me about that reshaping-the-flesh business from before?"

"Hm? Didn't you say you could return to your true body at any time and had no use for my methods?" the Nine Infants said in surprise.

"I gave it some careful thought just now. Skill never weighs a man down—one more life-preserving trick is always better than one less. If I ever fall on hard times, it might just come in handy," Wei Zhao said, half in earnest and half not.

In truth, he was not asking for his own sake but for the Ghost Thing's. The Ghost Thing had never stopped thinking about this matter, only because Wei Zhao's strength was insufficient it had never brought the subject up—but one day it would surely have to take that step.

Now that the Ghost Thing could not communicate, Wei Zhao had no way of knowing whether it had already grasped a method for reshaping the flesh. But if he could pry a few pointers out of the Nine Infants, it would be of some use at least—at the very least, something to refer to.

Wei Zhao was always utterly devoted to his own people, and at a time like this he naturally would not forget the Ghost Thing.

"Fine—but think it through carefully yourself. Since you've opened up this condition, once you've heard me out you'll have to become one of my subordinates. If you go back on your word, don't blame me for being unkind. Even if it costs me a backlash, I'll scatter your primordial spirit and cast you into eternal ruin!" the Nine Infants said gravely.

"Tell me the details first. If what you say turns out to be worthless, I won't honor the deal. Of course, if it really is useful, then serving under you isn't out of the question," Wei Zhao said with a nod.

"You said it!" The Nine Infants paused, then said, "There are two keys to reshaping the flesh: first, the method; second, the materials. And of the two, the second is especially important. If you can't find the materials to forge a body, what good is the most exquisite method in the world?"

"What materials?" Wei Zhao asked carefully.

"The Purple Mist Malevolent Lotus," the Nine Infants said slowly. "It is one of the finest materials in all the world for forging a body. Other materials are not entirely out of the question, but their success rate is far lower than the Purple Mist Malevolent Lotus—and more importantly, a body forged from the Purple Mist Malevolent Lotus is superior to those made from other materials in every aspect and quality. Think about it: you get one chance in a lifetime to reshape your flesh, you go to enormous trouble and barely scrape through by luck—and then produce a piece of garbage body. Wouldn't you weep yourself to death?"

Wei Zhao nodded. That made sense. Reshaping the flesh was not only about gaining another layer of bodily protection; more importantly, it was about better bringing out one's true power. If the body forged turned out too poor, and in the end not even a tenth of one's full strength could be displayed, that would be a sorry joke indeed.

Especially since he was asking for this in order to help the Ghost Thing—a former Azure Dragon, no less, a top-tier existence across the whole of Cloud Terrace Island. The quality of the body mattered all the more. Otherwise he might as well not have one at all.

"Then where can one find the Purple Mist Malevolent Lotus?" Wei Zhao asked on.

"Not far from this River of Spirit Sense, there is a place called the Azure Hollow Vale. Only there can the legendary Purple Mist Malevolent Lotus be found," said the Nine Infants. (To be continued.)