When Kong Ziyi refused, Fang Wenping smiled and said, "How could it be that valuable? This is just a local specialty from our Songhai Forest. It isn't worth many Spirit Stones. Catching them isn't difficult; finding them is the troublesome part."
Pine Squirrels had tender, rich meat carrying the fragrance of pine nuts. Even here, they counted as rare delicacies. A Pine Squirrel the size of a large dog like the ones before them could sell for nearly twenty Spirit Stones apiece.
These creatures truly were not very strong in battle, though their defenses were somewhat better. The key was that they were good at hiding, making them quite difficult to catch. Otherwise, they would be cheaper.
No matter what, Fang Wenping had prepared gifts worth nearly two hundred Spirit Stones for these unfamiliar visiting cultivators—over a thousand at the Supreme Clarity Sect. That was quite sincere.
But Kong Ziyi shook her head. "Fellow Daoist Fang, these are truly too valuable. I cannot accept them."
Fang Wenping could not help but laugh. "Fellow Daoist Kong, you already have a traveling residence. How can you call these little things valuable?"
"This traveling residence is not mine. It belongs to Fellow Daoist Feng," Kong Ziyi said. Seeing that he persisted, she could only deal him a direct blow. "These things indeed are not worth many Spirit Stones, but the key is... we do not have that kind of friendship."
Of course Fang Wenping knew she was right. If she had merely been an early-stage Supreme Clarity cultivator, it would have been one thing, but she was already at Mid Emergence from Dust. It was normal for her not to care about ten Pine Squirrels. So he smiled and said, "I only wish to make a friend. I ask for nothing else."
"Make