Selling Meat

Green Bamboo Mountain Market.

Fang Xi deliberately activated the Primordial Chaos True Skill, transforming into a masked, burly man carrying dozens of pounds of Taisui Meat into the market.

This Taisui Meat was naturally something he had obtained in the Great Liang World.

As for the Taisui itself?

It had been left behind in the Great Liang World.

After all, this Demon was like a plant-based Demon, not very aggressive, and too lazy to move, making it very easy to care for!

As for bringing the Taisui to the cultivation world?

Fang Xi had once considered this idea, but quickly dismissed it.

The Taisui was a Demon Mo, and he couldn't be completely certain it lacked intelligence.

If information were to leak, it would be too dangerous.

Fang Xi walked past numerous market buildings and stopped in front of a shop.

A golden plaque bore the characters "Hundred Skills Tower" written in a flamboyant calligraphy.

In the Green Bamboo Mountain Market, the Pill Cauldron Pavilion specialized in selling Pill Medicine, the Heaven Talisman Hall sold Talismans, the Thousand Mechanisms Hall was mainly related to cultivation methods and puppets, the Drunken Immortal Tower was where female cultivators conducted business, and the Ming Qing Pavilion was an elegant place for tea and music.

The Hundred Skills Tower, on the other hand, sold general merchandise, offering all sorts of items, and also consistently purchased various spiritual items.

Fang Xi's target was this very building!

Selling it myself would be too slow, and too conspicuous...

Selling to a street vendor might fetch a higher price, but I could be swindled, or I could attract unwanted attention...

Compared to that, larger businesses have better credibility. At least they wouldn't try to harm me over a few or a dozen Spirit Stones...

Of course, if my Spirit Stones accumulated to hundreds or thousands in the future, then no amount of business credibility would be safe. In fact, they might be the first to make a move!

After all, it all came down to whether it was worth it or not.

A few Spirit Stones weren't worth risking the Hundred Skills Tower's reputation, but thousands or tens of thousands of Spirit Stones? Even if the person behind the scenes had to smash the plaque themselves, they probably wouldn't hesitate much.

It was precisely because he understood this that Fang Xi was determined to wait until he reached the second level of Body Refining before engaging in this business.

Anyone willing to make a move on him for a few or a dozen Spirit Stones would be, at most, a cultivator in the middle stage of Qi Refining... At least he would have some means of self-defense!

Upon entering the Hundred Skills Tower, a shop assistant immediately greeted him, "Fellow Daoist..."

"I've come to sell some Demon Beast meat!"

Fang Xi slammed the Taisui Meat heavily onto the counter, his voice hoarse, his demeanor rough, and he exuded a palpable Sha Qi!

This was not an act. Although he was still a mere "white rabbit" in the cultivation world, he had already taken many lives in the Great Liang World, so his aura was naturally different.

"Very well, please wait a moment!"

The shop assistant quickly scurried to the back to find the shopkeeper.

Cultivators who could hunt Demon Beasts were formidable individuals! Even if their cultivation seemed low, they might be in disguise!

Before long, a male cultivator dressed in sky-blue brocade embroidered with gold coins walked out. He appeared to be around forty years old, with a prosperous face and a kind smile. "This Fellow Daoist wishes to sell Demon Beast meat? I am Qi Liu, one of the shopkeepers of the Hundred Skills Tower. May I see it first?"

"Please!"

Sensing the unfathomable spiritual power fluctuations of the late Qi Refining stage emanating from the other party, Fang Xi inwardly tensed and gestured with his hand.

Qi Liu's expression also turned serious. He opened the package and saw the pale white Taisui Meat.

He first chanted an incantation, casting a spell to test for poison.

Then, with a hint of uncertainty, he took out a bronze mirror and shone it on the Taisui Meat.

Buzz!

A faint white light appeared on the bronze mirror.

Qi Liu nodded and said, "Please look, Fellow Daoist... This is a Magic Tool our tower uses to appraise Demon Beast meat. The color represents the rank; white is for first-tier Qi Refining level, and blue is for Foundation Establishment Demon Beasts... The number of rings represents strength; one ring is comparable to early Qi Refining, two rings to middle stage, and three rings to late stage... The Demon Beast you hunted can barely be considered low-grade first-tier... And according to my spell calculation, this meat is of a wood attribute, capable of greatly replenishing Qi and Blood. Is that correct?"

"Indeed, Shopkeeper, your discerning eye is remarkable." Fang Xi nodded in agreement.

Taisui was a type of fungus, barely classifiable as having a wood attribute.

As for its strength? That was even more laughable; being barely classified as low-grade first-tier was certainly not an exaggeration.

"Heh heh..." Qi Liu smiled somewhat proudly, then looked puzzled. "Please forgive my poor eyesight, but I cannot identify this Demon Beast. What species is it?"

Saying this, he looked at Fang Xi, his eyes filled with inquiry.

"This... I also couldn't identify it. Perhaps it's some kind of hybrid or mutated species..."

Fang Xi's heart skipped a beat, but he answered calmly.

"Hmm, the cultivation world is so vast, even I may not be able to identify all species of Demon Beasts. A pity..."

There were many strange and peculiar Demon Beasts in the cultivation world, so Shopkeeper Qi Liu did not press the matter further. After a moment's thought, he named a price. "This Demon Beast meat... how much does honored guest wish to sell it for?"

Seeing the meat, Fang Xi simply smiled. "According to market prices, low-grade first-tier Demon Beast meat sells for one Spirit Stone per jin!"

"Haha... Our tower purchases at a lower rate, naturally." Qi Liu smiled slightly. "However... seeing as this is honored guest's first transaction at our tower, I will give you face. Ying Song!"

The waiter hurried forward, weighed the Demon Beast meat, and announced the total, "Sixty-seven jin in total, worth six Spirit Stones and seven Spirit Crystals."

He immediately took out six colorful Spirit Stones and a few crushed Spirit Crystals, stuffing them into Fang Xi's hand.

Fang Xi looked at the scene, almost needing to use his Primal Chaos Force to stop himself from trembling.

Heaven have mercy!

When had he ever had so many Spirit Stones?

The original owner's farming for a year, plus various other small incomes, only brought in two or three Spirit Stones annually!

If he hadn't lacked Spirit Stones, how could his cultivation have stagnated? How could he have abandoned the Body Refining cultivation techniques of the cultivation world to learn Blood Qi Martial Arts?

It was all because of one word – poverty!

Now, he finally saw so many Spirit Stones!

Fortunately, Fang Xi knew he was in a tiger's den. He casually stuffed the Spirit Stones into his robes and laughed heartily, "The shopkeeper is straightforward!"

He was about to take his leave when Qi Liu's voice reached his ears, "Wait!"

"What? Shopkeeper Qi, do you have any further instructions?"

Fang Xi's eyes narrowed slightly, his Primal Chaos Force already circulating in his palm.

At such close range, even if the other party was a late Qi Refining expert, they would still be at a disadvantage against a Body Refining cultivator!

"Heh heh... It's nothing, I just wanted to ask, Fellow Daoist, this Demon Beast has more than just this much meat, right? If there's more to come, don't forget to patronize our humble shop."

Qi Liu smiled and saw Fang Xi out of the Hundred Skills Tower, bowing as he watched him leave.

After Fang Xi's figure disappeared into the crowd, Ying Song sidled up, "Sixth Uncle... Did I misjudge earlier? This cultivator doesn't even have a Storage Bag. He might have just gotten lucky and found a Demon Beast corpse... Also, ten jin of meat for one Spirit Stone is too expensive..."

"Heh heh, you're my nephew, so I'm looking out for you. You still have a lot to learn."

Qi Liu smiled and returned to the counter, examining the Taisui Meat. "Although this Demon Beast meat is only low-grade first-tier, it's very pure and greatly replenishes Qi and Blood. Sold to Body Cultivators, it should fetch at least one Spirit Stone for every five jin! As for whether that person got lucky or is a truly formidable character, what does it have to do with me? A Demon Beast has at most a few hundred jin of meat. Are we going to risk the reputation of the Hundred Skills Tower for a few dozen Spirit Stones? If we dared to do that, the clan wouldn't let us off!"

"Sixth Uncle is right!" Ying Song looked genuinely enlightened.

Qi Liu gazed in the direction Fang Xi had left, but there was one more thing he didn't say.

When the other party had approached, even he had felt a sense of unease. This customer's apparent cultivation was low, but he might be practicing some advanced aura-concealing technique. He was definitely a tough opponent!

To provoke such a person over a low-grade first-tier Demon Beast? He wasn't that foolish!

"Am I being too cautious?"

After changing locations several times and altering his appearance, Fang Xi walked out of the marketplace, still feeling a bit shaken.

It was unavoidable. In Da Liang, he could be reckless because he knew no one could defeat him.

But in the Southern Barrens Cultivation World, he had to be timid because he knew too many people could defeat him!

Fortunately, after leaving the marketplace, Fang Xi pretended to walk a bit further. No rogue cultivators suddenly jumped out to rob and kill him.

Seeing this, he immediately discarded his outer robe, changed into the attire of a spirit farmer, and returned to the shantytown.

Then, Fang Xi prepared to find Chen Ping to repay his debt and inquire about where to buy Forbidden Breaking Talismans.

'Speaking of which, when I first befriended Chen Ping, I intended to broaden my channels and sell Da Liang's goods...'

'But now, his channels are still weak. That old fogey Jiu Xuan is practically poorer than I am!'

'Only Di Qi shows some promise... Next time I hunt another Demon Beast, I can consider selling to him.'

As for the Taisui Meat?

After selling a few hundred jin, Fang Xi planned to stop.

Otherwise, if people knew he had a Demon Beast that could continuously produce Demon Beast meat, they would probably tear him apart alive!

'Speaking of which, this Taisui's characteristic is indeed quite good.'

'Holding it in hand, it can continuously produce Spirit Stones...'

'Uh, no, I forgot to consider that Body Cultivators are a niche market, and the market will eventually become saturated... And long before the market saturates and prices plummet, I might be discovered...'

Fang Xi arrived at Chen Ping's room and knocked on the door.

The one-month deadline was approaching. He was a man of his word; debts had to be repaid.

He had borrowed four Spirit Stones to buy Qi and Blood Pills, promising to repay five in a month. So, it would be five!

Although the interest was terrifying, 25% a month, which amounted to 300% annually!

'This fellow Chen Ping has quite a talent for usury.'

While he was thinking, Chen Ping opened the door, his face filled with irrepressible joy, which then turned into a sob, "Fellow Daoist Fang..."

"What's wrong?" Fang Xi was completely bewildered.

"I just received the news... My master, Zong Wu, has undergone Liberation by Violence!"

Chen Ping replied with a look of grief.