Stranger Danger

It was a human hand that was cut off from the wrist.

Logically speaking, a human hand that was cut off from the human body would rot and shrivel up over time. However, the hand looked perfectly alive. It had a healthy complexion that resembled frozen fat, it looked so smooth and unblemished it was as if it had been carved out of jade. Even the cross section of the hand looked as smooth as a mirror.

Its fingers were as slender as spring onion, and the finger nails were painted with red nail polish. Despite being submerged inside some sort of transparent liquid, the hand looked both gorgeous and stunning.

It was clear at first glance that it was a woman’s hand. The woman must have been extraordinarily beautiful during her lifetime too. Just looking at the hand was enough to stir feelings of admiration, love, infatuation and such in everyone’s heart. It was almost as if they were looking at a beauty of the ages, not a simple hand.

What a terrifying hand.

Ye Qing narrowed his eyes as the Heavenly Demon of Freedom inside his Paranirmita Vasavartin Heaven waved its hand. The unnatural emotions immediately disappeared, and he regained full clarity of his mind once more. He looked at the hand again with renewed wariness and alertness.

His spirit was stronger than most, but even he had experienced a moment of confusion as feelings of love, infatuation and adulation sprouted inside his heart. It was as if he had fallen in love with the hand at first sight and was willing to do anything for it. Anything.

If even he had temporarily lost himself to the hand, then everyone else could only fare worse. All around him, people were staring blankly at the hand like it was the center of their world.

It was worth noting that Defeated snapped out of it not long after him though. As expected of the seventh named warrior on the Human Champions Ranking.

Ring!

The bell ringing sounded crisp and melodious, but for some reason, it elicited feelings of deep sorrow in all listeners. Everyone still stuck in the hand’s mind-bending influence slowly but surely began to pull themselves out of the mental quagmire.

“What on earth is that hand, Xi Duoduo?”

Red Calabash Celestial licked his lips and stared at the hand with trepidation after snapping out of it.

“As you can see, it is a severed hand.” Xi Duoduo began his explanation, “However, I don’t know who it belonged to or why it was severed. It was put up as a collateral by a tomb raider five years ago. The tomb raider promised to redeem it a year later, but in the end, he did not return. According to our rules, we have the right to claim any item that wasn’t redeemed within the promised time and deal with it as we like, so here we are.”

“According to the tomb raider, he and his acquaintances had found the hand while they were washing sand at the Death Sea. They were a group of over a hundred people, and they fell hopelessly in love with the hand upon finding it. As if possessed, they had cut off their own hands as an offering to the strange hand. As a result, nearly everyone perished because of blood loss.”

“The tomb raider was the only person who survived that annihilation because he happened to possess a unique Strange Artifact. Even so, the tomb raider was mentally disturbed by the time he showed up at my Hill of Services. His babbles were barely coherent at the best of times, and he looked like he was moments away from succumbing to madness completely. It was impossible to say if it was due to trauma or the hand’s mind-bending influence.”

The Death Sea? Could it be related to the Dark Overlord’s inheritance again?

Ye Qing couldn’t help but feel a little suspicious. Earlier, Xi Duoduo had auctioned the Wenliang Pearl, an item that might share karma with the Dark Overlord. Now, he was promoting a severed hand that came from the Death Sea, the supposed location of the Dark Overlord’s inheritance. Was it a coincidence, or…?

A tomb raider was, in essence, a fancier grave robber. Both dug graves and profited off grave goods, but a tomb raider was far more skillful and strong. They were well-versed in fengshui, the Five Phases, the Eight Trigrams, and all sorts of unique knowledge. They were a rather mysterious bunch.

“Washing the sand” was a jianghu argot. It meant tomb exploration.

Ye Qing was still thinking when Xi Duoduo continued, “After various inspections and experimentation attempts, we discovered that the hand is quite special. First, we confirmed that it was a woman’s hand. Second, it doesn’t decompose even though it is devoid of life force. And third, it is extremely powerful and contagious. Anyone within a certain range would fall madly in love with the hand whether they are male, female, old or young.”

“The longer the victim is exposed to its power, the more obsessed with the hand they would become. You’ve already sensed its insidious influence earlier, but would you believe me that that was but one percent of its true power?”

“What?! One percent?” Someone exclaimed in shock.

“It is the truth,” Xi Duoduo confirmed. “The liquid it is currently submerged in is a special Strange Artifact we had specifically created to counteract its power and influence. Otherwise… Please don’t take this the wrong way, but if the hand is allowed to unleash its full potential, then everyone within ten kilometers of the Hill of Services would be exposed to its power, and only a handful of us would be able to survive it.”

Everyone including Ye Qing gasped when they heard this. The severed hand was practically as strong as a Disaster-class Stranger. If it was unleashed in a highly populated area like this one, the consequences could only be described as unimaginable.

“So, is anyone interested in this hand?” Xi Duoduo asked.

No one said a thing for a time. They would be lying if they said they weren’t interested, but the value of the hand was… fluid to say the least.

In the right circumstances, the hand could mean the difference between life and death considering how powerful and contagious it was. But in all other situations, its value was drastically lower. It was because its oppressive, contagious power did not discriminate between friend and foe. To call it a double-edged sword would be an understatement. Without the proper preparation, it was entirely possible for the wielder to perish alongside their enemies.

What this meant was that this hand was unusable in most situations. It could only be used as a trump card and only when it was do or die.

If the wielder could find a way to suppress or even manipulate the hand’s corruptive power to their advantage, then it was like they had gained a Disaster-class Strange Artifact. Unfortunately, reality was a cruel mistress. If such a method existed, Xi Duoduo most likely would’ve kept the hand for himself. Even if he didn’t want it, he would not have sold it like this.

If even the Hill Carriers with all their wealth and power could not find a proper way to neutralize the hand, then what were the chances that they could do the unthinkable? Not likely at all.

Did they want the hand? Of course!

But how much were they willing to spend to obtain it? That was a very delicate question.

“Hahaha… besides its inherent power, the hand could potentially hide other secrets.”

Xi Duoduo was well aware of his customers’ doubts, of course, so he continued, “Just think about it. If this hand alone contains so much power, then how strong was its owner?”

“If someone could somehow find its owner’s grave through this hand, then they might obtain the opportunity of a lifetime and leap to the heavens, no?”

Xi Duoduo’s words immediately aroused the greed and lust in everyone’s heart. But before they could act on it, a slightly maddened, enraged voice suddenly broke out, “You speak nonsense! She’s not dead. She’s alive and well!”