Chapter 40 Beast Pet 1: The Mysterious Woman
The little dumpling was only at the first rank and had no power to resist the fifth-rank spirit beast, the Wind Spirit Deer. Worried that it would be hurt, Xu Xing quickly pulled it behind him and looked at the Wind Spirit Deer with a puzzled expression.
"Wasn't it taken away by the Punishment Hall? How did it end up here?"
"The remaining beast contract on its body has been broken, and it seems to want to acknowledge you as its master."
Chen Du suddenly looked up at the sky. There was no sign of anyone else amidst the churning sea of clouds. The Wind Spirit Deer could not have appeared at Xuanjian Peak on its own; it must have been brought here by someone else.
Thinking back to the day of the graduation assessment, when the elusive head of the Punishment Hall appeared and dealt with Zhai Yuzhi's matter, Shen Du had a vague guess in his heart. It was his disciple who brought the Wind Spirit Deer over that day. Could it be that they brought it here?
"Due to the contract, this Wind Spirit Deer's strength has dropped to the fourth rank, but it's still equivalent to a Golden Core stage cultivator. With it around, it can protect you. Are you willing to form a contract with it?"
Xu Xing also understood that the Wind Spirit Deer was not aggressive at all; otherwise, Tuanzi would not have been able to knock it away earlier.
She tentatively reached out her hand, and the white spirit deer lowered its head more docilely, gently nuzzling her hand. The wind spirit deer was naturally gentle and was a spirit beast that was relatively close to human cultivators, but its numbers were few. In the entire Jade Cloud Sect, only Zhai Yuzhi had one.
Xu Xing patted the Wind Spirit Deer's head and looked intently into its pale blue eyes. "Are you truly willing to form a bond with me? If anyone else is forcing you, I will not force you."
"My former master is dead and his soul has vanished. I am willing to form a pact with you. Please accept me, my master."
Xu Xing's eyes lit up slightly, she was very happy. She and this Wind Spirit Deer were destined to be together. She couldn't save it in the forest that day, but she never expected that she would have the opportunity to form a bond with it now.
She could communicate with spirit beasts, so she wasn't worried about it being a trap. Besides, she was just a Qi Refining stage disciple, so if someone wanted to scheme against her, they wouldn't need to offer up a fourth-tier spirit beast.
The Iron-Eating Beast growled as if it was dissatisfied. Shen Du originally intended to take it away to avoid affecting Xu Xing's contract formation, but as soon as he reached out, the Iron-Eating Beast warily circled behind Xu Xing.
Xu Xing hugged the little dumpling's fluffy head and comforted it, "Okay~ Isn't it good to have another little friend? Don't worry, I won't neglect you~"
She smiled and fed the little dumpling two Beast Spirit Pills, then stroked its fur gently, finally making it obedient and stop whining.
"That's right! There will be other friends in the future, so Tuanzi should get along well with them~"
Xu Xing gave Tuanzi a heads-up that they would be able to buy the Azure Flame Beast soon.
Because the Wind Spirit Deer offered no resistance, Xu Xing was able to form a pact with it very smoothly. After the pact was formed, she could naturally sense the Wind Spirit Deer's aura in her mind and know its cultivation level and condition.
"So your name is Yin Xue, that sounds nice."
Remembering how badly injured the other party looked in the forest, Xu Xing carefully examined it and saw that the Wind Spirit Deer's injuries had fully healed and there were no hidden injuries, which put his mind at ease.
After nuzzling and bonding with her newly acquired spirit beast, she stood up and realized that Shen Du had been quietly watching from the side the whole time.
Thinking about how his voice softens whenever he encounters a pet, Xu Xing blushed slightly and smiled, "Thank you, Senior Brother, for letting me stay here. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have anywhere to keep these pets."
"You're welcome."
The two returned to the stone table, and Xu Xing took out Wen Lu's congratulatory gift.
Her gift contained some first- and second-tier spiritual herbs. Although they were generally not of high quality, there were dozens of relatively rare varieties. In addition, there were several fire spirit beads suitable for alchemy, which were perfect for Xu Xing.
Xu Xing smiled and asked, "Senior brother, what's yours?"
When Shen Du opened it, he found two hundred mid-grade spirit stones, which was already a month's allowance for a Golden Core cultivator.
"Wow! Senior Wen is so kind! But, did you two know each other before?"
Shen Du was also puzzled. He had no dealings with Wen Lu, but he had encountered her a few times when accepting missions on the Myriad Manifestations Ranking.
The Myriad Manifestations Ranking is where the Jade Cloud Sect issues or accepts missions. It is connected to all sects, large and small, in the human realm. Not only can you find missions from your own sect, but you can also find missions from other regions of the human realm. In the past, when Chen Du was short of spirit stones, he would go to the Myriad Manifestations Ranking to farm missions. He met Xu Xing because he, Zuo Qiu Xu, and Xiang Yu Quan accepted the same mission and went down the mountain together, passing through Xiaohe Village.
At that time, Wen Lu was running around trying to cure her daughter's illness. She not only sold Lingfeng and many magical artifacts, but also often waited in front of the Wanxiang Ranking to grab high-paying tasks. After hearing about this, Shen Du avoided her several times and did not compete for the task.
Chen Du only briefly mentioned these past events, but Xu Xing could guess Wen Lu's thoughts after hearing them.
I'm afraid Senior Wen has always felt guilty that he, as a Golden Core cultivator, had no choice but to compete with Foundation Establishment cultivators for a mission. Moreover, Wen Yao was also saved by Shen Du when she was harmed by the Azure Flame Beast.
While he was pondering, he saw Shen Du very naturally hand the storage bag to him. Xu Xing waved his hand repeatedly, "Senior brother, you should keep some for yourself."
"Please keep them safe," Chen Du chuckled. "Otherwise, before I even begin my seclusion, I'm afraid they'll all disappear."
...
After the matter of opening the shop was settled, Xu Xing went to Liujin Street several more times to observe carefully, and finally chose a location next to Tianyi Pavilion.
Shen Du went to Qianji Academy to rent the place, and the monthly rent was only twenty mid-grade spirit stones. As if worried that it wouldn't be rented out, the first month's rent was waived.
Compared to other locations, it was more than half the price. If Xu Xing didn't know Chen Du, he would have thought he had some connections at the Thousand Machine Academy.
The shop has been rented, but there are still many things to adjust, such as finding someone to rebuild the layout and renovate the shop.
To advertise, Xu Xing learned from the shops in her previous life. During the renovation, she put up a cloth around the shop, completely blocking it out, and wrote an advertisement on it: "A shop that sells everything will open on April 20th. Customers who make a purchase on the opening day will receive a bottle of Tier 1 Spirit Gathering Pill."
That's right! The shop is called "Selling Everything".
Although he currently mainly sells elixirs and magical artifacts, once he accumulates enough spirit stones, Xu Xing will be able to develop other products, and becoming rich will be just around the corner!
Tong Yuanbai and Wang Lianhua helped with the shop's renovation. Before the opening, Xu Xing devoted himself to alchemy and weapon crafting in order to prepare enough goods.
She plans to sell five types of pills: Spirit Gathering Pill, Mind Concentration Pill, Azure Sun Pill, Mighty Pill, and Light Body Pill, both Tier 1 and Tier 2; for the time being, she will only sell Tier 1 Spirit Shield Beads, Protective Armor Plates, and Spirit Attachment Magical Items.
She had already made some pills and still had some in stock. Moreover, she now had two pill furnaces. She could refine two batches of Spirit Gathering Pills at the same time, even if she could refine them with her eyes closed. Not only was the success rate 100%, but the quality of the pills was also top-grade.
However, the stock of magical artifacts was not large. Fortunately, as his life skills level improved, Xu Xing became more and more adept at crafting magical artifacts, which did not take too much time. However, he spent a lot of spirit stones on buying materials during this period, which was quite painful.
The days of constantly refining pills and forging weapons gradually came to an end. On this day, Xu Xing received good news: Kang Cheng from the Beast Taming Arena finally contacted her, indicating that she could go and buy the second-tier Azure Flame Beast.
Under Kang Cheng's "care," the Azure Flame Beast fell ill, unable to eat for several days, gradually weakening, and the azure flames on its body faded considerably. Even the veterinarian couldn't find anything wrong with it.
The Beast Taming Farm was unwilling to spend a lot of money to treat it, nor would it keep raising it. Seeing that it could no longer make money by selling Qingyan, it finally decided to sell it.
Xu Xing appeared at this time and expressed his desire to buy, so everything went very smoothly.
The manager in charge of the Azure Flame Beasts at the Beast Taming Arena was surnamed Liu. Since Xu Xing often came to buy fire, they knew each other. Not wanting to cheat him, Liu said, "Fellow Daoist Xu, to be honest, this Azure Flame Beast is sick. It will probably cost a lot of spirit stones to treat it. You should reconsider."
“I have a connection with it and can’t bear to see it slaughtered. Besides, I have some medical knowledge and may be able to cure it.”
"In that case..." Steward Liu pondered for a moment, "How about forty mid-grade spirit stones?"
Selling it as food would only fetch around thirty spirit stones, but selling it to Xu Xing would only earn him forty. Although he didn't make much more, it would be plausible if the higher-ups investigated, since selling it as a monster and selling it as food are completely different things.
"Thank you, Manager Liu!" Knowing that the other party had given him a significant discount, Xu Xing tactfully handed over a bottle of second-tier Spirit Gathering Pills.
The second-tier Spirit Gathering Pill from the Pill Pavilion sells for over a hundred low-grade spirit stones. Manager Liu's smile grew even more sincere. "Today, I will send someone to deliver it to the Immortal Dao Academy."
Xu Xing smiled and said, "I am currently staying at Xuanjian Peak. It would be convenient to send it there. Why don't you let this martial artist Kang deliver it?"
Manager Liu was startled, "Xuanjian Peak? Is that the spiritual peak of Shen Du and True Person Shen?"
Normally, it wouldn't attract much attention if a cultivator in the sect advanced to the Golden Core stage. However, Shen Du's Nine Heavens Thunder was a rare sight, occurring only once every few hundred years. After he moved into Xuanjian Peak, many people inquired about this news.
Xu Xing was unaware that countless people had already sent invitations to Xuanjian Peak, both openly and secretly, but all of them had been rejected by Shen Du. After the barbecue dinner that day, Xuanjian Peak did not receive any more guests.
"Indeed, Manager Liu knows Senior Brother Shen?"
Xu Xing guessed that Shen Du had worked at the Beast Taming Arena before, so it wasn't surprising that someone knew him.
"So, Fellow Daoist Xu lives on the peak of True Master Shen's mountain..."
In most cultivators' spiritual peaks, disciples or fellow disciples reside there. Since Chen Du has never formally taken on a master or disciple, could this young fellow cultivator be his Daoist partner? But she's only at the Qi Refining stage; it doesn't seem likely…
"Manager Liu?"
Seeing that the other person was deep in thought and remained silent for a long time, Xu Xing found it strange.
Manager Liu came to his senses, coughed lightly, and explained, "Back when Master Shen was on duty here, a monster caused chaos. If it weren't for Master Shen's help, my arm would probably be in the monster's belly."
"Since Fellow Daoist Xu lives on Xuanjian Peak, then let's accept thirty mid-grade spirit stones for this Azure Flame Beast, to complete this predestined relationship."
Manager Liu had always kept his distance from Shen Du, as had most people in the Beast Taming Arena. But on the day the demonic beasts escaped, only this man, whom everyone else had shunned, saved him. After recovering, Manager Liu remained deeply grateful, but soon Shen Du left the Beast Taming Arena and never returned, leaving him no opportunity to repay him…
Xu Xing hadn't expected there to be such a story behind it. Ten mid-grade spirit stones equaled a thousand low-grade spirit stones, which was quite a lot.
"Thank you, Steward Liu."
Having successfully purchased the Azure Flame Beast, Xu Xing was in a good mood, knowing she could save some spirit fire for refining weapons. Remembering how delicious the Crescent Moon Rabbit meat was when she had barbecued last time, she went to the Beast Taming Farm where Crescent Moon Rabbits were raised, intending to buy a few.
The Crescent Moon Rabbit has low attack power but a high reproductive rate, making it a very popular food among cultivators.
The Beast Taming Arena was very large. Xu Xing followed the directions and walked for a while when he suddenly sensed a familiar aura.
She subconsciously followed the scent and changed direction, only to find a strange woman in white beside the Snowheart Fox's cave. Her eyes were covered by a white veil, and she was holding a white Snowheart Fox in her arms. The fox seemed to be injured, and it cried out twice before gradually calming down under the woman's comforting words.
The woman seemed to be shrouded in a light mist, making her face indistinct, yet her temperament was aloof and otherworldly, like that of an immortal.
Xu Xing smelled a light fragrance. Although she had a protective magic artifact that day, the lightning brought by the fourth-order Thunderburst Bead was too strong. If it weren't for an aura protecting her, she would probably have suffered more than just injuries.
Who is this woman? I've never seen her before. Could it be that she saved me that day?
Xu Xing stepped forward two steps and asked in confusion, "Excuse me..."
Are you here to buy a spirit beast?
Xu Xing turned around and saw that it was a manager in charge of the area who had noticed her lingering and had come over to inquire.
"I want to buy some rabbit meat from the new moon rabbit, and I saw..."
Xu Xing turned around, only to find that the woman in white had disappeared, and only a Snowheart Fox, whose wounds had healed, quickly darted into the cave.
"The New Moon Rabbit isn't here; you've come to the wrong place."
The manager thought she was lost and said, "I'll take you there."
Xu Xing kept turning back to ask, "Who was the woman in white who treated Xue Xinhu just now?"
"I didn't see anyone when I came here?" the steward said, puzzled. "But yesterday a Snowheart Fox was bitten by something, so we called a veterinarian. Maybe it was a veterinarian."
"Her eyes were covered with a white veil, as if she were blind, and her name was unknown."
"You must be mistaken. While there are female veterinarians, there is no such person as you described. How can a blind person be a veterinarian!"
The steward waved his hand repeatedly, "Snow Fox knows illusion magic. Although her abilities are suppressed here, they still occasionally affect people. You may have been accidentally affected and developed an illusion."
This junior disciple is only a Qi Refining stage cultivator, so it's normal for him to be influenced by Xue Xinhu.
Hallucination? Can hallucinations be this realistic?
Xu Xing was puzzled. Moreover, the woman's aura was pure yet unfathomable, suggesting she was probably a high-level cultivator. Why would she be working as a veterinarian here?
Who exactly is she?
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Author's Note: Thank you so much, Xixi, for the nutrient solution! [heart emoji]
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