by <unknown>
Two days passed. Rumor had it that they would be meeting Fengyu Zhong's fleet soon.
As time went by, Li Yao's plan gradually took shape.
However, a new situation disrupted his scheme again.
Inside the med bay, Huangpu Xiaoya was locked by a barrier and couldn't move at all. She could only glare at Li Yao with her eyes from which lightning was bursting out.
Black Stone and White Dew were standing behind her. They were emotionless, but their eyes were somewhat weird.
Huangpu Shiyi was standing nearby, smiling. He lifted Huangpu Xiaoya's hands with a metal manacle and fixed them up. Then he said to Li Yao, "Come and help me chop off this pair of hands!"
Chapter 516: Chopping Hands |
Li Yao narrowed his eyes and carefully observed Huangpu Xiaoya's hands. He remembered how the pair of hands was wreathed in dazzling lightning in the Skyhill Sword Seminar.
Huangpu Xiaoya tried to spit in his face, but she was unable to move at all. She could only gnash her teeth. "Bastard!"
Li Yao asked peacefully, "Why?"
Huangpu Shiyi replied, emotionlessly, "I paid this trip to the Skyhill Domain in the sincere hope that the best of the younger generation of the Huangpu family could set foot on the path of immortality and be an Immortal Cultivator.
"But after I spent all the time and efforts talking sense into her, she still refused to wake up. Last time, when the Furious Bears Union broke into the starship, she was even trying to run away!
"Ah. She's been on the wrong path for too long to turn back now. It is not going to help anyone if we keep her alive. So, just melt her without leaving a trace like those ants and let her be doomed for all eternity!
"However, before that, her hands could be recycled."
While talking, Huangpu Shiyi extended his hands that were as withered as dry wood. "My hands were destroyed because of crazy training. For dozens of years, I've been looking for methods to treat them, but the best thing I can do right now is recover them briefly and occasionally.
"The doctors in the Temple of Immortals told me that, since my hands have been withered for so many years, the veins, nerves, and cells in them have lost all vitality. If it were an ordinary person, they would've been beyond repair. It is because of the sturdiness of Immortal Cultivators that vitality is transferred from my other body parts to my hands. That is why my hands are still functional, however terribly.
"My hands are already dead, and no medicine is going to bring them back to life. The only possible solution is to transplant a new pair of hands.
"If I were a battle-type Immortal Cultivator, it would not be bad for me to switch to a pair of artificial hands that were embedded with all kinds of magical equipment.
"However, since I am a refiner, the perception of my hands is of paramount importance to me. I cannot use artificial hands.
"The doctor then told me that I can transplant a pair of hands whose owner shared the same blood as mine. He also taught me the secret art of the transplantation in great detail.
"If Huangpu Xiaoya had been smart enough to retreat from the wrong path and be an Immortal Cultivator, I couldn't bear to do that now. However, it's not my fault that she is so obstinate. She is going to be executed anyway. I might as well chop off her hands and replace mine with them. That way I can study the more mysterious and complicated magical equipment!
"This is a great opportunity for her, too. Although her body is going to perish, her hands are going to live with me forever and witness the birth of so much powerful magical equipment. Hahahaha!
"Li Yao, your hands are fast, and you have a deep understanding about precise magical equipment. I believe that the capillary vessels and muscle fibers are not going to trouble you. You don't have to be very precise. All you need to do is chop off the forearms roughly from the elbow at your highest speed. The medication magical equipment will take care of the rest.
"Come on!"
Huangpu Shiyi waved his hands. Black Stone, the fair fatty, immediately presented a tray on which more than ten scalpels in different sizes were shining coldly.
"So, that's the reason you summoned me," Li Yao said casually.
He extended his right hand to the tray. Four scalpels instantly disappeared, only to turn into four streaks of silver brightness and dash among his fingers like silver dragons.
Black Stone was amazed. He smiled and said, "I didn't know that Master Li Yao was good at using sabers besides your expertise at refining them. Although not as good as White Dew and I, you are quite skilled for a refiner. I believe that you will chop off the arms flawlessly."
Huangpu Xiaoya struggled and screamed hard.
She was not scared of death. But it was the natural instinct of any refiner to protect their hands. Chopping of her hands was even more miserable than killing her directly.
Moreover…
Huangpu Xiaoya felt sick when she thought that her hands would end up in Huangpu Shiyi's body and help the devil refine magical equipment that could potentially slaughter countless ordinary people. Her mouth was sour and bitter, and she was about to throw up!
"Bastards. You are all bastards," she mumbled to herself. Helpless tears dripped down her face.
Li Yao didn't move. But the scalpels were dancing in his hands faster and faster. He seemed to be hesitating.
"Huh?"
Huangpu Shiyi's gaze gradually turned sharp. "You cannot make up your mind to do that? I am her blood uncle, and I have slashed off the mortal relationship in pursuit of immortality. She is only a stranger to you, and you are hesitating to do what I told you? It does not befit your personality in the past few days, Li Yao!"
Black Stone and White Dew moved forward, one from left and one from right, and surrounded him silently; they grew somewhat suspicious about him again.
"Shua!"
The four scalpels in Li Yao's hands came to a sudden halt, as he grinned and admitted frankly, "Truth be told, I'm indeed hesitating to chop off her hands, because Huangpu Xiaoya offered me a bottle of the secret nourishment liquids of the Huangpu family without me asking after my battle against Mo Tianshui. It was more or less a favor to me. If I chop off her hands just like that, where will my conscience be?"
"Oh?"
His hands gesturing in his back, Huangpu Shiyi took a step forward, ready to launch his aggressive magical equipment. He smiled. "Then what should we do with your conscience?"
Li Yao chuckled and said, "If I chop off her hands, my conscience will be hurt. Do you think you should at least pay me some 'medical fee'?"
"Huh?"
Huangpu Shiyi was dazed. "What—what do you mean?"
Li Yao licked his lips greedily and opened his right hand. He explained, "It's simple. Compensation for the twinge of my conscience! I don't want gold or treasure. But you haven't told me the fastest ways to calculate the optimal solution to 'seven-star dilemma' yet. Consider the methods as the compensation for my injury!"
Huangpu Shiyi was stunned, and so were Black Stone and White Dew. The three of them looked at each other in bewilderment and failed to respond.
Li Yao continued quickly. "What about it? If you give me the calculation methods right now, I'll immediately heave the blades and chop off her hands. I guarantee that it will be so fast that blood will not flow out of her limbs until five seconds later. There will be enough time for your following procedures!"
Huangpu Shiyi was utterly dumbfounded, not knowing what to say or do.
Black Stone and White Dew took a step back at the same time with disgust in their eyes.
Even for Immortal Cultivators, Li Yao's shamelessness still far exceeded their expectations.
Huangpu Xiaoya shouted, "Li Yao, how sordid and brazen you are! I must've lost my mind to offer nourishment liquids to such a scumbag like you! You are definitely the most shameless person I've ever met! You will die miserably one day!"
Li Yao was not affected. The fingers on his left hand were dancing as he said, "How about it? If you are unwilling
to give them to me, you can chop them off yourself!"
Huangpu Shiyi was still unsure about whether or not Li Yao meant what he said. He rolled his eyes and said, "Alright. I'll give you two of the fastest algorithms to calculate the optimal solution to 'seven-star dilemma'. You can chop off her hands after that!"
He turned on a light beam and tapped on it for a while. Then he extended his wrist-worn crystal processor to Li Yao's and tapped on it. Two complicated formulas were immediately transmitted over.
Li Yao opened a light beam and read at ease.
Huangpu Shiyi glared at him and said in dissatisfaction, "I've given you the calculation methods. Why are you still dawdling?"
Li Yao replied, "Of course, I'm examining them for myself. What if I find out that you've given me false methods after I chop off her hands? It's not like I can connect her hands back to her arms."
While he was talking, he even closed his eyes, while he murmured something to himself. His fingers bouncing randomly, he brought his computational ability to maximum in front of everyone!
Three minutes later, when he opened his eyes again, there was a confident brilliance in his eyes.
"They are real."
"Of course they are real. Just chop off the hands already!"
"Alright, I'm doing it now. New, vigorous hands, guaranteed before tonight."
Li Yao grinned hideously. The four scalpels turned into four streaks of silver brightness again and tied his arms. He strode to Huangpu Xiaoya, before he observed her elbow with sharp eyes, as if he was pondering the best point of cutting.
Blood seemed to be spurting out of Huangpu Xiaoya's eyes. She yelled, "Li Yao, I will come back to you after I die!"
Li Yao smiled casually. "Don't blame me. I've received a decent sum of compensation for my conscience. Besides, I want Huangpu Shiyi to have a pair of new hands, too, because—"
Li Yao suddenly stopped. There was a weird expression on his face. He turned around and asked, "Did the doctor tell you how much time it will take for you to return to your original capability or get even better after you transplant a pair of new hands?"
Huangpu Shiyi replied, "Since she is of the same bloodline as me, my body will not reject her hands. In less than three days, my body and the new hands will be joined perfectly, and 70% of my capability will be restored. In ten days, I will be fully recovered. After one month, I will be able to march toward a higher level!"
Li Yao frowned and withdrew the scalpel. He asked again, "Then what about one day? How much can you recover within one day?"
Huangpu Shiyi answered, "Probably 30% to 50%. What about it?"
Li Yao said, "If so, can you transplant the new hands tomorrow? We won't meet Fengyu Zhong until two days later anyway."
Huangpu Shiyi squinted. There was killing intent in his eyes, as he asked, "Why?"
"Because—"
Flames of frenzy were burning on Li Yao's face, as he slowly continued, one word after another. "Tomorrow, I want to challenge you, Huangpu Shiyi, the Sword Master of the Skyhill Sword Seminar thirty years ago and the allegedly strongest heir of the noble families of refining!"
"What? You want to challenge me? Do you know what level you are in and where I am at? How arrogant of you!" Huangpu Shiyi was laughing in disbelief.
"Other people might think that I am too arrogant, but I believe that you must understand me, because you challenged the leader of the Mo family in the Skyhill Sword Seminar thirty years ago just like me today!
"At that time, the gap between you and the leader of the Mo family must've been greater than that between me and you, was it not?
"Besides—"
Li Yao smiled and said slowly, "I'm very curious how formidable my master is when he is doing his best!"
Huangpu Shiyi's pupils suddenly widened. "You finally agree to be my disciple now?"
Li Yao sneered, "If you utterly crush me, and I see the magnificent arts of refining in you, I am, of course, willing to be your disciple.
"However, if I defeat you tomorrow by luck, it's going to be the other way around. You can kneel down and call me your master!"
Chapter 517: Sword Seminar in Space |
Huangpu Shiyi was hooked by Li Yao's words. When he was young, he had been as arrogant and flamboyant as Li Yao. He had only learned to be more or less prudent after the suffering caused by his hands being destroyed and the vicissitudes of his life that followed.
But deep in his bones, he was definitely still a proud man!
Furious flames were surging in Huangpu Shiyi's eyes, as he remarked, "For so many days, I've never revealed my real capability to you. It was wrong of me to trigger your thought of challenging me! You want me to call you master? Good boy. I like your self-confidence. But I don't know whether or not you are capable enough for that!"
Li Yao rolled his eyes and said, "About me being your master, that's just an idea. How about this. You and I will bring out ten techniques respectively tomorrow, and we will compete with them as stakes!"
Huangpu Shiyi narrowed his eyes, "Stakes?"
Li Yao licked his lips and said, "Yes. I know you never taught me the real essence of crystal bomb crafting. Also, as the most distinguished person in the Huangpu family thirty years ago, you must have many personal understandings about the refinement of melee magical equipment! You will pick ten techniques from those two fields and save them in a jade chip.
"Of course, I will bring out ten of my techniques and save them in the jade chip, too. Tomorrow, we will hand over the two jade chips to someone else, say, Black Stone or White Dew, as the stakes for our competition!
"Don't look at me as if I am taking advantage of you.
"We are both clear that, although you seem to have been teaching me over these days, we are, in fact, exchanging our techniques. The techniques that you have gotten from me are more valuable!
"But I don't care. Do you know why? Because there are more advanced techniques in my brain than I can count!
"You should know that I was born in the remote area of the sea of stars, and I was taught by a strange master. Also, I experienced some other fortuitous incidents and received the heritage of a lot of other techniques, too.
"It's a shame that, when I was seventeen, I was engaged in a fight for a half tin of fresh air. I lost control and killed the five persons of the family. After the old fart discovered this, he immediately made up his mind to kill me without offering me a chance of explanation. Hehe. Thankfully, I'd been long prepared for that. By the martial arts that I practiced secretly, I slayed the old fart in a counterattack!
"However, without the help from the old fart, I was not able to comprehend the too sophisticated techniques with my wisdom and could only learn them by heart.
"Damn. If I had seen that coming, I wouldn't have killed the old fart so easily. I would've definitely minced him into pieces and sprayed his ashes in the air!"
Li Yao gnashed his teeth with a twisted face.
Huangpu Shiyi sniffed to himself as he listened to Li Yao. If you killed someone on the spot in a fight, it might be because you lost control. But you killed the entire family? That was totally intended murder! You are indeed cruel. No wonder the legendary strange master tried to eliminate him. He must've seen through the boy's personality!
However, the strange master must've been a pure refiner. He was no match for Li Yao, only relying on the aggressive magical equipment he had. As a result, he was the one who got killed!
As for Li Yao, without the enlightenment of a tutor, of course, he found it hard to study the more advanced techniques. He must've participated in the Skyhill Sword Seminar in order to gain fame and attract more attention so that someone else would be willing to give him a hand and help him crack the techniques.
At this moment, the question that had been baffling Huangpu Shiyi was finally solved. He realized that Li Yao had only provided so many techniques generously because there were even advanced techniques inside his brain that the guy couldn't grasp by himself and ha
d to study together with another expert.
Wasn't Huangpu Shiyi a super expert himself?
Huangpu Shiyi gulped. His face beamed with delight as he said, "What techniques do you have?"
Li Yao pondered for a moment and replied, "There are three ancient formulas to calculate the Daoist Mammoth Algorithm. They are all at least one third faster than the popular methods nowadays. But the three formulas are all broken; I cannot finish all the calculations by myself.
"There's another technique that could transform the Green Cloud Purple Glow Array into seven variations. The strength of the array will be improved by four times at best! But there are two critical points about the technique that I haven't entirely figured out yet.
"I have dozens of other techniques just like them. After studying for five years, I have made zero progress. I could only reach the conclusion that the wisdom of myself is not enough and that I'm in dire need of someone else's input.
"But, naturally, I don't want to share my knowledge with any random refiner. I have two conditions.
"Firstly, they must be both good at theories and practical work. Secondly, they must provide an equal number of techniques for me!
"Only idiots would give away the techniques in their heads for free. Even if I cannot make anything out of the techniques, if I don't get enough benefits from them, I would rather keep them rotting in my brain than let somebody else take advantage of me!
"The reason I've been hesitating to be your disciple is that your hands are completely useless. There's no way that you can train with me for a long time with them.
"However, I didn't know that you had a secret art of hand transplantation. It's no problem anymore, then. If you had told me about such a secret art sooner, I might've agreed to be your disciple long ago!
"How about it? From the techniques that I talked about just now, I'll select ten and save them in the jade chip. Black Stone and White Dew will look after the jade chip. You are free to examine it beforehand, but I guarantee that there won't be anything wrong with the techniques.
