Chapter 625: The Painting Inside The Hairpin

This did not explain how those eighty plus Stranger Hunters died though. There were still more truths they had yet to hear.

As expected, someone shared the exact same doubts as Ye Qing and voiced it, “If the gravestone’s activation conditions are really that stringent, then how did the Stranger Hunters lose so many of their numbers?”

Xi Duoduo explained, “That’s because the gravestone was surrounded by a kind of plant called the Daydream. When you daydream, you’re not usually aware of the passage of time, are you? The Daydream is a very special kind of plant that sleeps during the night and blooms during the day. If someone encounters the Daydream during the day, they would sink into a dreamlike state without knowing. In this state, their eyes remain wide open like they were sleepwalking, and they wouldn’t notice the passage of time at all. When they awake, they would think that only a few breaths had passed.”

“Normally, the Daydream is completely harmless. But because it grew next to the gravestone, it resulted in most of the Stranger Hunters staring at the gravestone for over thirty breaths without knowing. That was why they lost so many of their numbers.”

“I see!”

That explained a lot. It also opened Ye Qing’s mind to new possibilities. On its own, it was nigh impossible for the gravestone to activate successfully. However, its chances of success would be much higher if it was used together with sense-warping Strange Artifacts, secret arts, Magia and more.

Even so, its usability in a practical situation could only be described as average. Anyone who could be paralyzed for thirty breaths using a Strange Artifact, secret art or Magia could probably be killed via normal means, and those who were strong would not be affected by such tactics for long. In the end, the gravestone remained an incredibly situational Strange Artifact.

In conclusion, the gravestone was okay versus weaklings, but no better than a particularly large brick against a true elite.

To borrow a saying, it was akin to a chicken rib—bland and uninteresting, but a shame to just throw away.

Ye Qing wasn’t the only person with a brain in this room. Most people arrived at the same conclusion after their excitement cooled down and lost interest. In the end, the gravestone went to a random dude for one thousand pearls.

Despite the poor sale, Xi Duoduo didn’t look too disappointed. He had probably expected this outcome. It wasn’t long before he brought out the second item.

The second item was a strand of hair. That’s right, a strand of hair. Pitch black in color, it looked no different from a normal person’s hair. It also smelled quite fragrant.

But unlike a normal person’s hair, this strand of hair was insanely long, over twenty meters to be exact. It looked like a bundle of black aquatic grass.

“As you can see, this is a strand of hair.” Xi Duoduo pointed at the hair as he said, “As for who it belongs to, I have no idea.”

“In fact, the only thing I can tell you is that the hair is insanely long, and it seems to be alive and growing every day. When we received this hair, it was only ten meters long. Just a little over a year later, it was over twenty meters long. It’s quite unusual, don’t you think? Is there anyone who’s interested in this hair?”

It’s unusual, sure, but why the fuck would we bid for a strand of hair?!

Everyone rolled their eyes, hard. Who in their right mind would spend fifty thousand silver on a strand of hair?!

“As a reminder, we can give away the hair for free if anyone knows about its origin!”

“Is it really a painting, good celestial?” Xi Duoduo ignored their argument and prodded.

“Go bring a pot of hot oil and put the peachwood hairpin inside. You will know then if I’m telling the truth or not,” Red Calabash Celestial said. “And before I forget, the oil must be boiling hot.”

“Got it.” Xi Duoduo did not hesitate. He immediately ordered someone to carry a pot of boiling oil onto the stage and set the wooden hairpin inside.

Unfortunately, nothing happened after awhile.

“This is the painting you’re talking about, Red Calabash?” Weak Old Man coughed.

“Patience. Let it cook a while longer!” Red Calabash Celestial remained calm.

The crowd waited a little longer when suddenly, the wooden hairpin began swelling little by little. The longer the oil boiled, the bigger it grew until it unfurled into an exquisite-looking painting.

“A painting! It’s actually a painting!”

“How is this possible?”

“But why is it blank?”

Everyone’s eyes widened like saucers when they saw this. They couldn’t believe their eyes.

The canvas was over one meter long, but only about as wide as a human palm. Its sides were adorned with elegant golden flowers.

Strangely, the canvas was completely empty.

“Celestial...?” Xi Duoduo subconsciously looked to Red Calabash Celestial for instructions.

Red Calabash Celestial shrugged. “You gotta lift it out of the oil to see its contents.”

Hearing this, Xi Duoduo immediately reached into the pot of boiling oil and scooped the canvas out with his bare hands.

Incredibly, things went exactly as Red Calabash Celestial said. As soon as Xi Duoduo scooped the canvas out of the pot, a painting slowly appeared on its blank surface.