Chapter 142: The Soul Gem

At this moment, the pupil had already merged with the pearl, one of the seven treasures of the external avatar. Chu Youcai held the pearl in his hand and illuminated the various jades around him.

To his surprise, however, the pupil showed no reaction whatsoever.

After trying many times, he could not help but feel disappointed.

One must know that this pupil possessed magical powers, capable of discerning human nature and seeing right through precious jades, so why was it completely useless now?

Looking at the jubilant expressions of the women around him, Chu Youcai smiled bitterly in his heart.

After walking around the stone-gambling market, everyone noticed that very few stones yielded jade, and those containing celestial medicines or the like were even rarer than phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

It seemed that stone gambling was truly as people said: nine out of ten gambles resulted in loss.

At this moment, only Hongyu remained entirely indifferent to her surroundings, walking forward slowly like a puppet, with sluggish movements and a completely expressionless face.

Chu Youcai suddenly noticed the anomaly in Hongyu. He stepped forward and gently pulled her arm, only to find that her hand was abnormally ice-cold, as if her consciousness had also been lost.

Chu Youcai hurriedly called out Hongyu's name in a loud voice, but she still maintained the appearance of having lost her soul and wits.

The women were naturally alarmed, as they had never seen Hongyu like this before.

Right now, amidst the numerous jade stones, Hongyu was in an extremely dangerous situation.

Ever since entering the stone-gambling market, her body had been growing continuously hot. She felt as though the souls within those stones were calling out to her.

Shortly after, she felt her body lose all control, unable to move even a single inch.

Yet her consciousness remained, and she could clearly sense the beating of some sort of gemstone life within.

Suddenly, she began to understand something; at this moment, she had established a certain spiritual communion with these gemstones.

The reason she had felt no such sensation on the second floor of the Zhangsun Heavenly Mansion was that those fine jades possessed no souls. Here, however, it was different—these stones had been selected from the deepest parts of the ocean, containing many unique soul gemstones, and their fragrance was simply too alluring.

She completely failed to hear Chu Youcai calling her name, and thus slowly drifted toward a stone ahead. Of all the stones, this one made her feel the most feverish; it seemed to hide a tremendous energy within, one that could grant her immense power or even awaken her own soul!

This very soul was forming an indescribably wonderful communion with these gemstones.

Then, Hongyu suddenly snapped back to sobriety. No longer able to restrain the craving within her, she said to Chu Youcai, "Brother Chu, buy it!"

Chu Youcai was startled, noticing that after regaining consciousness, a trace of blood-red hue lingered within the corners of Hongyu's eyes.

Moreover, the speed with which Hongyu had suddenly darted before that stone just a moment ago was definitely no less than his own.

Blood-red eyes, an ice-cold body, terrifying speed... it all seemed to portend something ominous!

Without a second thought, Chu Youcai said, "Alright, I'll buy it!" Without even asking the price, he directly told the shopkeeper, "I'll take it."

At this point, Hongyu's gaze swept across her surroundings. The gemstones that exuded a strong aura toward her were drawing her in with frantic pull. As she walked along, she frantically picked out gemstones one after another.

Standing right behind her, Chu Youcai did not hesitate in the least, repeatedly telling the owner of the stone market, "I want all of these."

At this moment, the onlookers were dumbfounded, never expecting that a young lord of his stature would blindly follow a young girl's instructions and buy thirty or forty stones in one breath. The value was substantial, totaling over five million taels of silver.

Even so, Chu Youcai did not show the slightest hesitation.

Finally, after Hongyu had selected everything she could perceive, she nodded to Chu Youcai and said, "Brother Chu, that's enough."

The moment she said this, she suddenly felt all the strength drain from her body. Overwhelmed by extreme fatigue, she completely lost control of herself and fell heavily backward.

At this instant, her mind was utterly blank, as if something had been drained dry, or as if some slumbering soul had just been resurrected.

Chu Youcai had already caught Hongyu from behind. Feeling her pulse while furrowing his brow, he said, "Her heart and soul have been injured. We must quickly find a secluded place; I need to treat her."

At this moment, the owner of the stone market pointed at the thirty or forty stones Chu Youcai had selected and asked with some anxiety, "Young master, you haven't paid for these stones yet!"

Instructing the women to support Hongyu, Chu Youcai quickly paid the full amount.

Many people nearby walked over out of curiosity, eager to see what kind of person this lavish young lord was—someone who actually bought thirty or forty stones in one breath simply based on a young girl's words. What a truly extravagant display.

They could not help anticipating what kind of treasures might be revealed when these stones were cut open.

To their disappointment, however, Chu Youcai instructed the market owner to transport all the stones away instead of opening them on the spot.

The owner also had the stone-cutting tools and other equipment delivered along with them.

However, what worried Chu Youcai at the moment was Hongyu. Together with the women, he entered the nearest inn, rented a tranquil courtyard, and instructed the innkeeper to let no one enter.

Afterward, Chu Youcai administered a medicinal decoction to Hongyu.

This medicinal broth possessed miraculous efficacy, causing Hongyu's complexion to gradually return to a rosy hue, though her entire body remained extremely ice-cold.

When a physician was summoned, he merely shook his head, stating that he could discern no identifiable ailment.

Without hesitation, Chu Youcai channeled his demonic arts into Hongyu's body, only to discover that her internal qi was completely normal, rendering his demonic techniques useless.

At this point, everyone was at their wit's end.

Just then, Hongyu murmured in her sleep, "Sister... Sister..." Her voice was vague and indistinct.

The women frowned; they knew very well that Hongyu had no sister.

At this moment, the people from the stone market had delivered the stones, and Chu Youcai went outside to place them all inside the room.

Simultaneously, however, Hongyu abruptly stood up. Her gaze turned a blazing, blood-red color, and her entire person even exuded an overbearing aura.

With a flash, she instantly appeared by Chu Youcai's side. Reaching out her hand straight into the pile of stones, she retrieved a Heart of Magfa from within and immediately popped it into her mouth, swallowing it whole.

Only then did the red light in Hongyu's eyes fade. She opened her eyes in a daze and looked around. "Huh? Brother Chu? Sister Yun? Aren't we at the stone-gambling market? Why are we here? Oh, look at all these stones! How pretty..."

Chu Youcai, Yun Cuixian, and the others looked at each other in dismay. None of them had expected such a turn of events, but after exchanging knowing glances without a word, they said, "Hongyu, we've already come back together from the stone market. Have you forgotten?"

Suspecting nothing further, Hongyu said, "Brother Chu, did you pick all these stones? Why don't we cut them open and take a look?"

Chu Youcai and Yun Cuixian exchanged another glance, and then, humoring Hongyu's wish, they said, "Alright."

Chu Youcai fetched the stone-cutting knife and, channeling the demonic energy within his body, slowly began to slice downward along the veins of the stone.