"What could possibly cost that much?" He Lingchuan truly could not fathom it. "Eighty thousand taels is enough to buy me the entire Yangshan Archipelago!"
"If you want to compare it like that..." Dong Rui pointed in the direction where Fang Canran had just disappeared. "...a broken sword tip sold for eight hundred thousand over there, worth ten of your archipelagos, right?"
The broken tip of True Immortal Shou'an's sword had indeed been successfully auctioned at Dun Garden under Fang Canran's management.
"Because I was short on money and materials, my research has been stalled for a long time." Dong Rui rubbed his hands together. "Once these eighty thousand taels' worth of materials arrive, they'll last me quite a while."
"..." He Lingchuan kept a stony face. "What on earth are you researching anyway?!"
"Remember that child-devouring ji beast you gave me? The one that wouldn't hatch?"
"I regret giving it to you." He should have tossed that damn thing away back in the Panlong Desert!
"It's good stuff! Really good stuff!" Dong Rui's face was full of pained dismay. "This is the very first time I've ever gotten my hands on a living juvenile ji beast. Judging by its insatiable demands, it's very likely an ancient demon species."
"What species?"
"The famous giant demons of ancient times have mostly vanished by now, creatures like flood dragons and phoenixes. The spiritual energy of today's world can no longer sustain their appetites," Dong Rui explained casually. "Yet this child-devouring ji beast you gave me managed to survive, modified by who-knows-who. But to cram it into a human body, the Heavenly Palace tormented it until it was extremely feeble, making it prone to dying prematurely."
He Lingchuan frowned. "Is that ji beast a flood dragon or a phoenix?" How else would it be worthy of devouring eighty thousand taels of his silver?
Dong Rui scoffed. "Is your imagination of giant demons limited to just flood dragons and phoenixes? How barren! Positively impoverished!"
"Then what is it?"
"Right now, it has entered a juvenile reversion phase, so its features aren't pronounced. I can only confirm that it's an earth-scaled demon."
He Lingchuan frowned. "Back then, no matter how Heavenly Palace Duyun Emissary He Jing urged it, it refused to leave its host and join the fight. Are you sure this thing will obey you in the future?"
"Was He Jing its keeper?"
"I don't know." Would a Duyun Emissary personally rear a ji beast? That was outside He Lingchuan's realm of knowledge.
"Then he probably didn't realize that this ji beast suffers from acquired frailty and has extraordinarily high demands for food and spiritual energy. Being summoned out back then would have resulted in certain death, so it refused."
"I heard ji beasts are very difficult to control."
"Very difficult? They're practically impossible to control! *Practically!*" Dong Rui glared at him. "Only my demon puppets can be commanded as smoothly as moving your own limbs."
He Lingchuan clicked his tongue dismissively. "Then how do you explain Chenyuan?"
The giant beast Chenyuan, which had clashed violently with Juju on Mount Xu, fought with distinct tactics and discipline in the later stages of battle, clearly under someone's control.
Dong Rui choked on his words. "Practically means there are rare exceptions! The Heavenly Palace possesses immense capabilities; what's so strange about them conditioning a few that are obedient? Besides, the little ji beast you gave me is far too weak. And through the Heavenly Palace's reckless, botched modifications, it was made to instantly mature into a full adult the moment it emerges, all to assist the lamp wardens in combat. But that's just pulling up seedlings to help them grow—it drains all its life force in a short span! Once it emerges, whether it fights or not, it dies shortly after!"
He Lingchuan gave an "Oh." So the child-devouring ji beasts were disposable combat consumables.
When the Heavenly Palace team brought them out, they never intended to bring them back.
"This little creature possesses great spiritual intelligence, so it instinctively refused He Jing's summons," Dong Rui explained. "However, the nurturing regimen I'm implementing can replenish its vitality, rectify its acquired deficiencies, and allow it to emerge naturally when the time is right. Heh heh, running into me is the luckiest thing that could have happened to the little guy!"
*Lucky?* He Lingchuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Despite Dong Rui's righteous demeanor, had the process of researching and crafting demon puppets involved any less torment?
"Of course, I also need to make a few modifications to make it even more powerful!"
*That's more like it.* This was the Dong Rui He Lingchuan knew—incapable of uttering three sentences without returning to his trade.
"But due to a lack of funds and materials, my demon puppet research has been stalled for ages!" Dong Rui declared with righteous indignation. "And you won't let me go out to get money on my own!"
Naturally, all he could do was reach out his hand and ask for it.
"..."
Helpless, He Lingchuan sighed. "If these eighty thousand taels are spent, what purpose will it serve? What results will I see?"
He was the boss. If he put up the money, of course he expected to see results!
"Let me put it this way," Dong Rui said solemnly, knowing that his future research funding hinged on this. "A ji beast brought along by Duyun Emissary He Jing for a trump-card battle isn't going to be some run-of-the-mill contender. It was only turned into a child-devouring ji beast because the little fellow had natural flaws to begin with. If this ji beast can be successfully developed and conditioned, its initial combat strength will be at least five to six times that of the violent ape—and mind you, I'm talking about the *initial* stage! In the future, as long as it's properly nurtured, its potential for growth will be boundless!"
He was very rigorous, even adding "initial."
Even so, He Lingchuan glared at him balefully. "Are you blowing smoke?"
"I'm not!" Dong Rui said sternly. "Is this something I'd joke about? A demon puppet's growth isn't necessarily bound by spiritual energy."
"Seems to me you're just angling for research funds. You don't even know what species this ji beast is."
"Ji beasts and demon puppets are monstrous creations fabricated out of nothing to begin with! Every single one is different, so how can you talk about species?" Dong Rui shot back, refusing to back down. "Each one is a species unto itself, impossible to classify!"
While the two were engaged in a war of words, Fang Canran returned and coughed lightly to the side.
Dong Rui immediately shifted his focus. "Well? Any luck?"
Fang Canran hesitated uncharacteristically before asking, "Do you urgently need these three materials in the near future?"
"Not urgently, but I'll definitely need them in a few months."
He Lingchuan chimed in, "Aren't they for the ji beast?"
Dong Rui glanced at him. "Yes, they are. They're for research into stabilizing demon puppet mutations. Whether it's a ji beast or a demon puppet, they are products of mutation. They're inherently unstable, prone to breaking down or going berserk—even the Heavenly Palace hasn't managed to solve that yet. Though as for ours, there are no signs of it emerging just yet."
"Procuring these three materials is extremely difficult, and not entirely above board," Fang Canran said slowly. "I can find someone to look into it. There's an eighty percent chance I can secure them, but you have to pay a fifty percent deposit upfront. Which means..."
"...one hundred thousand taels!"
Purchasing these three materials would cost two hundred thousand taels in total? And that was on top of the other materials listed on the sheet devouring eighty thousand taels! Darkness flashed before He Lingchuan's eyes.
Seeing this, Dong Rui immediately tried to persuade him: "Crafting a gold-armored bronze general cost you a fortune too, and it's not even as handy as my demon puppets, right?"
Upgrading He Lingchuan's gold-armored bronze general to a divine general would also require an astronomical sum, not to mention the strict time limit on its summons. Demon puppets were different; as long as Dong Rui commanded them properly, they could operate for extended periods—much like the snail-toad that had carried them tens of thousands of li.
Dong Rui pressed on, "If spending a few hundred thousand taels can get you a formidable, combat-ready great demon that might even keep growing stronger in the future, wouldn't you take that deal?"
Chapter 956