Spirit Dog

The next morning.

"Holy shit, that big guy was taller than the courtyard wall even sitting down. Fellow Daoist Su really struck it rich—he even got himself an Armored War Bear!"

"Tell me about it. When the demon beasts came down the mountain, we only got to sip the broth. Fellow Daoist Su is the one eating meat!"

"If Fellow Daoist Su wanted to buy an Armored War Bear, then fine, but did he have to make such a huge commotion last night? It shook the heavens. I thought something had happened. When I got up, I saw the Armored War Bear going mad, like it was hammering something!"

"Could it have run into something evil too? I heard another cultivator met with trouble by the lake this morning!"

"More than that. Someone said they saw Li Erhe last night, wandering around by the lake!"

"His head is gone. How could they recognize him?"

"That hideworker's fingers were practically soaked black from talisman water. The Headless Evil Spirit that person saw last night had black hands and was wearing Li Erhe's clothes. Who else could it be but Li Erhe?"

"Is it really that scary? Fellow Daoist Su didn't fall prey to the Evil Entity last night too, did he? Should we go check on him?"

"You're thinking about Fellow Daoist Su's property, aren't you?"

"Rather than let the Enforcement Team have it cheap, why not let us have it?"

Early that morning, the whispered gossip relayed by the Wood Spirit Servant made Su Qing's face darken.

Breaking through, getting rich, and fellow cultivators dying—these were collectively known as the three great joys of Rogue Cultivators.

For a lone Rogue Cultivator like him, if he died suddenly at home, then the possessions in his house would truly be there for anyone who saw them—first come, first served.

He knew what these Rogue Cultivators were thinking and understood their desire to make a windfall.

But being cursed to death first thing in the morning meant he had no intention of showing them a pleasant face.

Leading four Lizard Warriors, he pushed open the courtyard gate with a cold expression, frightening Pang Feifan at the front so badly that his spirit trembled and his soul shook.

"Is there something you need, fellow Daoists?"

A green-skinned lizard head nearly pressed against Pang Feifan's face as Su Qing spoke icily from behind it.

Pang Feifan staggered back several steps before clutching his chest and saying, "Nothing. Fellow Daoist made quite a commotion last night, and we fellow cultivators were worried about you, so we came to see how things were. If something had happened to you, we could have lent a hand!"

"Thank you all for your concern. A Headless Evil Spirit did indeed pay me a visit last night," Su Qing said without concealing anything.

"Y-you really encountered an Evil Entity? Where is it?"

At those words, Pang Feifan and the others retreated another several yards from Su Qing as though avoiding snakes and scorpions.

Su Qing secretly found it amusing. This lot knew Evil Entities had been causing trouble around here lately, yet they still coveted dead men's wealth. Were they really so certain an Evil Entity would not come for them?

"It's in that pit. Do you want to go in and have a look?"

Through the courtyard gate, he pointed to the deep pit where the Headless Evil Spirit had been hammered to death the night before.

Pang Feifan edged forward and glanced inside. Seeing a pit so large that it could bury all of them together with room to spare, then looking at the completed Armored War Bear and another nearly completed one in Su Qing's courtyard, his spine went cold. He waved his hands repeatedly. "It's good that Fellow Daoist is unharmed. We won't go in. If you ask me, it has to be Fellow Daoist Su. With these things protecting you, one Headless Evil Spirit gets hammered for every one that comes. Truly formidable!"

Su Qing stared at Pang Feifan for several moments, until Pang Feifan's eyes darted away and his heart grew uneasy. Only then did he say, "That Headless Evil Spirit was nothing remarkable. If you Fellow Daoists are uneasy, buy a Lizard Puppet and prepare a few Exorcism Talismans. You should be fine.

"However, after this Evil Entity dies, it leaves behind ancient Evil Script that beguiles the heart and is truly difficult to guard against. I advise you all that if you have somewhere else to stay recently, it would be best to move as soon as possible."

These fellow cultivators were all craftsmen. Whether they worked hides, refined medicine, or tamed beasts, they had more or less dealt with runes and were the easiest to be led astray by Evil Script. In Su Qing's view, this reminder of his was worth a thousand gold.

As for whether they listened, that was no longer his concern.

Sure enough, upon hearing that the Evil Entity would leave behind Evil Script after death, these people were frightened, but only Pang Feifan, whose courage was somewhat lacking, decided to move.

The other Rogue Cultivators either could not bear to lose their rent or were shy about lack of money. With over tens of thousands of cultivators in the Living Area, they thought they could not possibly be so unlucky as to run into an Evil Entity.

Only Pang Feifan sincerely gave Su Qing a Daoist salute and said, "My spirit dog has indeed been barking fiercely lately, enough to unsettle people's minds. In another couple of days, if the Enforcement Team still does nothing, I may well move to the Central District."

He was a Beast Tamer. Normally, he trained spirit dogs and sold them to Monster Hunters heading into the mountains to hunt. After the demon beasts came down the mountain, demand for spirit dogs had surged. He had caught the wave and made quite a profit.

Seeing that these Rogue Cultivators had no intention of buying Lizard Warriors from him, Su Qing immediately felt that talking to them was a waste of breath.

After warning them not to loiter in front of his courtyard for no reason, since there were Vicious Puppets inside and he would not be responsible for any deaths or injuries, he returned to the courtyard.

But before he had even finished breakfast—

There came a knock at the courtyard gate.

When he opened it, he found that Pang Feifan had returned.

"Do you still have Lizard Puppets for sale, Fellow Daoist? The more I thought about it, the more I felt it would be better to buy one and keep it on hand."

Pang Feifan rubbed his hands and gave an embarrassed smile.

He had been frightened by Lizard Puppets twice. While he found the puppets detestable, he also felt that having one to disgust others with would be quite wonderful.

Seeing that he had come to buy a Puppet, Su Qing, who had been somewhat displeased, immediately put on a smile and welcomed him into the small courtyard.

The moment he entered, Pang Feifan looked at the several Puppets arranged in the yard, clicking his tongue in admiration, envious beyond measure.

"You Puppet Masters really have it easy. A single Puppet earns at least eight hundred to a thousand Spirit Crystals, and it isn't even troublesome to refine. You can make one in three to five days, right? Unlike me—I put in Hard Work training a spirit dog, and without one or two months, it simply can't be used!"

Pang Feifan truly envied Su Qing. Half a year ago, Su Qing had still been a down-and-out drifter scraping by in the Spirit Field District. Yet in merely half a year, he was clearly about to become one of the people doing best in the Living Area.

Su Qing merely shook his head at his envy. Pang Feifan only saw thieves eating meat, never saw thieves getting beaten.

Ordinary Puppet Masters could not guarantee their Success rate. After all that hard work, they might even lose everything. If they did not keep updating their Puppets and only knew how to refine one or two types, then even if their Success rate rose, there would not be many orders.

In comparison, as a Beast Tamer, he only needed to raise Beast Cubs to maturity and suppress their beastly nature. Feed them well, house them well, and in the blink of an eye, he could sell them for a large sum of Spirit Crystals. There was almost no risk, and the Spirit Crystals came in steadily.

The two complained about their respective professions and praised the other for a while. Only after a cup of Spirit Tea had been drunk and their emotions had brewed to the right point did they begin discussing business.

"You mean you want to trade a Mutt for one of my Heavy Armor Lizard Warriors, brushed with three hundred jin of Profound Iron Essence, mighty and imposing, with strength enough to move mountains?"

Su Qing sprang to his feet, his face turning Qing, and demanded angrily, seemingly deeply enraged by Pang Feifan's barter request.

Pang Feifan seemed somewhat angry as well. Su Qing could insult him, but he could not insult his dog—no, his spirit dog!

"Not a Mutt. It's a Spirit Dog!"

"Out of a whole batch of spirit dogs, only one can be a Spirit Dog. Pang Zhizhong came to buy this treasure dog from me some days ago, and I refused to sell it even for over a thousand Spirit Crystals. Trading it for one of Fellow Daoist's inanimate Puppet Objects is absolutely not taking advantage of you.

"Besides, Fellow Daoist's Heavy Armor Lizard Warrior does not have the strength to move mountains. Fellow Daoist, you really know how to boast!"

Su Qing could not bring himself to provoke him further and said, "Does moving mountains matter? Look at this Puppet's thick, powerful thighs and its sharp claws and fangs. Once you send it out, never mind whether it is useful or not—its sheer intimidation alone can scare off a few Robber Cultivators!"

"So Fellow Daoist means I need to add money. Go on, how much?" Pang Feifan rolled his eyes at Su Qing.

"Five hundred Spirit Crystals. This treasure dog is really of no use to me. The only reason I can accept this trade is because I want to make a friend of Fellow Daoist."

"Three hundred, and we have a deal!" Pang Feifan truly wanted a Heavy Armor Lizard.

Su Qing hesitated for a while before slowly nodding.

"This is a Beast Ring. Fellow Daoist can leave a Spiritual Sense Imprint on it, and the Spirit Dog will recognize you as its master. But you must note that although this dog can stay inside the Beast Ring—

"It is a living creature after all. The inside of the Beast Ring is hollow and dark, and staying there too long will inevitably affect its growth. When convenient, Fellow Daoist should still raise it outside. Also, the Spirit Dog likes to eat..."

Pang Feifan was clearly a dog lover. As he handed over the Beast Ring, he gave one earnest instruction after another without end.

In comparison, Su Qing was far more straightforward. He released a Heavy Armor Lizard, handed him a set of instructions for use, and left it at that.

"Fellow Daoist, do not forget that the Spirit Dog contains a trace of Huodou bloodline. Feed it more fire-aspected beast meat, and perhaps it will bring Fellow Daoist a surprise in the future!"

Pang Feifan had already been escorted out of the courtyard, yet he still did not forget to turn back and call out his reminder.