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nConversation and Cooperation

nOn the surface of the sea, the Canglong was controlled by an invisible force and had stopped moving.

nThe waves continued to beat on the bow of Canglong, making loud noises.

nAt the bow of the Canglong, a muscular middle-aged merman with bronze-colored muscles and a resolute face glided across the waves and stared down at Chen Daoxuan, who was standing on the deck of the ship.

nA merman!

nHowever, the merman before him seemed to be seriously injured. There was a huge wound on his chest, and the remnant sword Qi was so strong that it was difficult for the wound to heal.

nThe merman in front of him was the one who had fought with Zhou Mubai, the favored son of the Zhou clan, at Guang’an Prefecture ten days ago.

nSeeing this scene, Chen Daoxuan’s eyes were filled with a hint of despair, and this was without mentioning the tens of thousands of merfolks that were undoubtedly lurking below the surface of the sea.

nJust like that, the two sides looked at each other quietly.

nA long while later, Chen Daoxuan resisted the tremendous psychological pressure and lowered the Flying Snow sword. He cupped his fists and said, “I am Chen Daoxuan, the young patriarch of the Chen clan from Changping County of Shuanghu Island, a recognized clan of the Qianyuan Sword sect. Greetings, senior.”

nHe did not truly want to use the name of the Qianyuan Sword sect. It was just that this merman in front of him was too powerful, and was not someone that Chen Daoxuan could contend against.

nHe speculated that this merman’s cultivation was at least equivalent to a mid-stage human Zifu realm cultivator.

nOtherwise, it was absolutely impossible for him to fight toe-to-toe against Zhou Mubai, who was on the Zifu Prodigy List.

nOn the other hand, it was obvious why he did not mention the name of the Zhou clan of Guang’an Prefecture…

nWould he not be asking to die even faster?

nAs expected.

nUpon hearing the name of the Qianyuan Sword sect, a hint of fear flashed through the eyes of the merman in front of him.

nAlthough the change in his expression was fleeting, it was still caught within Chen Daoxuan’s peripheral vision.

n“Humph! Human cultivator, you don’t have to use the Qianyuan Sword sect to scare me!”

nHis life was saved!

nSeeing that the middle-aged merman was willing to converse, Chen Daoxuan secretly heaved a sigh of relief.

nWhat he was most afraid of was that the other party was not even willing to talk and simply directly killed him.

n“Senior, you’ve misunderstood. This junior definitely has no such intentions.”

nChen Daoxuan said with fear and trepidation, “It’s only because that detestable Zhou clan has taken advantage of the disciples of our small clans too much. I really don’t wish to be associated with them.”

nChen Daoxuan drew a clear line between himself and the Zhou clan while explaining that he was definitely not threatening the other party.

nAs expected, after hearing the name of the Zhou clan, the middle-aged merman’s face was filled with rage. It was obvious that he hated this clan to the core.

nSeeing the other party lose control of his emotions, Chen Daoxuan’s heart beat rapidly.

n‘Please don’t accidentally kill me in a fit of rage, otherwise that will be the end of me,’ Chen Daoxuan thought to himself.

nLuckily, the middle-aged merman in front of him was, after all, the leader of a merfolk tribe. Although he was extremely angry, he quickly tempered his emotions.

nHe slowly lowered his gaze and stared at Chen Daoxuan. “Are you from Guang’an Prefecture?”

n“Senior, this junior sailed here from Guang’an prefecture seven days ago.”

nChen Daoxuan bowed.

nThe middle-aged merman nodded noncommittally. Then, as if he had discovered something, he waved his hand lightly.

nA red spirit ore flew out from the Canglong’s cargo hold and was caught in his palm. It was a spirit ore that Chen Daoxuan had purchased from the immortal city of Guang’an prefecture—the red copper ore.

nAlthough he did not know what the other party wanted, Chen Daoxuan did not dare to resist at all. He could only lower his head and wait for the other party to act.

n“Human cultivator, what is this?”

nThe middle-aged merman held out the red copper ore and asked.

n“Reporting to senior, this is called red copper ore. It’s a type of spirit ore.”

nChen Daoxuan answered all the questions he was asked and behaved very obediently.

n“Is the weapon in your hand refined from red copper ore?”

nThe middle-aged merman pointed at the Flying Snow sword in Chen Daoxuan’s hand and continued asking.

n“Senior, the flying sword in my hand is indeed made of spirit ore, but it was not made with red copper ore. Instead, it was made using several other types of spirit ore.”

nHearing this, the middle-aged merman and the petite mermaid looked at each other and nodded. “You are quite honest, unlike the other human cultivators who are cunning and cannot be trusted.”

nChen Daoxuan immediately bowed even lower. “Thank you for your praise, senior.”

n“Alright, stand up straight and speak.”

nThe middle-aged merman waved his hand.

nHearing this, Chen Daoxuan heaved a sigh of relief.

nHe knew that his life was safe today.

n“Let me ask you, don’t the disciples of small clans like yours usually go to Guang’an Prefecture to sell spirit ores? Why did you buy so many spirit ores?”

nHearing this, Chen Daoxuan struggled in his heart but, in the end, he chose to tell the partial truth.

n“Senior, because I have an artifact refiner in my clan, I need to buy spirit ores so that he can refine spiritual artifacts.”

n“Is the weapon in your hand the spiritual artifact you mentioned?”

nHe pointed at the Flying Snow sword in Chen Daoxuan’s hand and asked.

nChen Daoxuan decisively handed the Flying Snow sword over and said, “That’s right. Senior, please take a look.”

nThe middle-aged merman waved his hand, and the Flying Snow sword flew toward him.

nHe took the Flying Snow sword and handed it to the mermaid beside him. He instructed, “Luo’er, come over and try it.”

n“Yes, father.”

nThe mermaid named Luo’er took the Flying Snow sword and injected a stream of demonic power into it.

nInstantly, the Flying Snow sword’s spiritual light burst forth. From the tip of the sword, a nine-foot-long sword light appeared, and even the surrounding air was slightly distorted.

n“What a sharp weapon.”

nThe mermaid sighed, “If our tribe possessed such sharp weapons, the Zhou clan wouldn’t be able to capture our sisters so easily.”

nSpeaking of the mermaids who were captured by the Zhou clan’s hunting squad, the face of the mermaid named Luo’er in front of him turned cold.

nChen Daoxuan did not utter a word. He tried his best to make himself appear transparent so that he would not suffer from any unexpected disasters.

n“Father, do you think… we can…”

n“You mean…”

nChen Daoxuan could only wait quietly in front of the two of them.

nAfter the time it took to brew a cup of tea passed, the middle-aged merman spoke again, “Human cultivator, we have business to discuss with your clan. I wonder if you are interested.”

nChen Daoxuan guessed what it was, and said reluctantly, “What kind of business is senior talking about?”

nThe middle-aged merman was the leader of a tribe after all. He could see the reluctance in Chen Daoxuan’s eyes at a glance.

nHe frowned and said, “Human cultivator, our merfolk clan is not like your human race. We will not do such a thing. You can rest assured about that!”

n“Please forgive me, senior. This junior did not mean that.”

nChen Daoxuan hurriedly explained.

nHowever, the other party waved his hand and said, “Take a look at the price we are offering first.”

nAs he said that, he shot a glance at the mermaid beside him, Luo’er.

nThe mermaid named Luo’er immediately nodded in understanding and dived into the sea.

nIn the time it took for half an incense stick to burn, Luo’er reappeared from beneath the waves and rushed over to the two of them. This time, when Chen Daoxuan saw the items that were held in her hands, his eyes lit up and he almost drooled.

nSpirit shells, spirit ores, and what the Chen clan lacked the most at the moment.. spirit stones!

n“As long as you agree to this business, the merfolk can provide as many of these things as you want,” the middle-aged merman looked at Chen Daoxuan and said.

nWhen he saw these treasures, Chen Daoxuan immediately stopped being cautious and said excitedly, “Senior, what business do you want to talk about? Please say it clearly!”

nHe could not be blamed for changing his attitude faster than flipping a page. It was just that the other party had offered too much.

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