Trade

Qingshan Town.

Looking at the small town nestled against the mountains, Xiao Ling glanced at the little beast in his arms and shook his head helplessly.

Afterward, he hadn't touched the Jellyfish Lizard's corpse. He hadn't even taken out its Magic Core. It wasn't that he didn't want it; there were some things he could swindle or cheat his way into, but others he couldn't take.

That was his own principle. But if someone tried to use his principles against him, all he could say was, "Sorry. My principles depend on who I'm dealing with."

"Chirp, chirp..."

The Purple Sable King pointed a tiny paw at the little beast in Xiao Ling's arms and chirped happily.

At that, Xiao Ling rolled his eyes. He hadn't expected the little fellow to ask him to feed Xiao Ba a drop of Earth Core Life Pulse Marrow so they could communicate more easily. It really didn't know the value of a hard-earned resource.

"No."

"Chirp..."

The Purple Sable King shook its little head and pointed at the jade ring on his hand again, indicating that the Earth Core Life Pulse Marrow was in there—and that he had plenty of bottles.

"That's mine. And you're mine too... Besides, Xiao Ba's still little... Let's wait a while..."

With that, Xiao Ling headed toward town. Seeing this, the Purple Sable King hurried after him and grabbed the hem of its master's clothes. The shadows of the man and beast stretched longer and longer in the setting sun.

"Greetings, Young Master Ling..."

Walking along the bluestone-paved street, Xiao Ling merely nodded calmly at the mercenaries who greeted him, then made his way toward Wanyao Pavilion.

He didn't go to Old Liu's General Store at the western end of town. Old Liu couldn't afford the goods he had.

After all, not everyone was the Shenqing Qishuang Heavenly Monarch.

After Xiao Ling left, the mercenaries began to chatter among themselves.

"Young Master Ling really is a godsend. The Wolf Head Mercenary Group hasn't dared make a peep lately."

"Right? I heard they appointed a new group leader. I wonder if he knows how his predecessor died."

"Well... probably not. Otherwise, why would he dare join the Wolf Head Mercenary Group?"

As the crowd talked, Xiao Ling arrived at Wanyao Pavilion. The moment he entered, he spotted the alluring young woman from last time, approaching him gracefully.

"Wan'er greets Young Master. Welcome to Wanyao Pavilion. May I ask if you're here to buy medicinal herbs or sell them?"

Yao Wan'er looked curiously at the white-robed youth before her.

"To sell. But I'm not selling herbs... Do you buy materials from second-tier and higher magical beasts?"

Xiao Ling smiled at the alluring young woman named Wan'er.

Yao Wan'er furrowed her delicate brows, then smiled and replied, "May I ask how much you have? I can buy it all at market price. How does that sound?"

Truthfully, she would have turned anyone else away long ago. But this young man was an exception.

After all, he was not only powerful, but had an extraordinary background as well.

At the very least, Wanyao Pavilion couldn't afford to offend him.

The Wolf Head Mercenary Group had lost its leader, yet still hadn't dared make a peep. If Wanyao Pavilion could build a good relationship with him, the benefits would be immense.

At her words, Xiao Ling's eyes lit up. True to his principle of never passing up a bargain, he took out the bone materials he'd collected one by one. He had no flesh to offer, since he'd devoured all of it.

Yao Wan'er smiled and accepted them. Without even looking them over, she had someone put them away, then brought over a box of gold coins.

"Young Master, there are five thousand gold coins in here. Please count them."

"Mm."

Xiao Ling put the money away with satisfaction, then looked at the alluring young woman and casually asked, "Will you be going out to gather herbs tomorrow? I happen to have some free time lately and was thinking of learning to identify medicinal herbs. Would it be convenient for me to go along and take a look?"

Yao Wan'er was slightly taken aback, then immediately smiled. "Then I'll thank you in advance, Young Master. With you there, we'll be much safer."

"You're too kind, Miss Wan'er. It's only mutually beneficial."

Xiao Ling smiled.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he bid Xiao Yi Xian farewell and left.

The next morning, as daylight broke, a knock at the door jolted Xiao Ling out of his meditation.

"Young Master, we're heading out to gather herbs in the Magic Beast Mountain Range today. Do you have time to join us?"

Yao Wan'er asked softly, her expression respectful.

When she'd told Mr. Yao about it the night before, he'd only said they should go gather herbs early. She hadn't thought there was anything wrong with that. After all, earning the young man's goodwill was a gain for Wanyao Pavilion.

The door opened from inside. Seeing the alluring young woman right in front of him, Xiao Ling quickly took a step back before smiling politely.

"Sorry for making you come all this way, Miss Wan'er. Let's get going."

He hadn't expected Miss Wan'er to be the daughter of Yao Fangzhu... Their looks didn't match at all.

Yao Wan'er came to her senses, her cheeks flushing. She nodded lightly and smiled. "Just call me Wan'er, Young Master. Calling me 'Miss' feels a little distant. We'll need your help watching over us today."

"Of course, Wan'er. Let's go."

Xiao Ling gestured for her to lead the way.

He intended to keep his distance from Wan'er. Her motives were clearly impure...

Still, if they could help each other, he didn't mind her borrowing his status. It was all fake anyway. As for exploring the pleasures of life, that was out of the question.

With Yao Wan'er deliberately setting the tone along the way, they looked very sweet together to anyone watching, like a young couple deeply in love.

The mercenaries who saw them were stunned, and couldn't help speculating about their relationship.

Xiao Ling raised an eyebrow. As Yao Wan'er cried out in surprise, he slipped an arm around her slender waist. The softness beneath his hand made his heart stir, and he spoke into her ear.

"I don't mind you using my status. We're helping each other, after all. But shouldn't I get some extra compensation?"

Yao Wan'er quickly understood. She was confident in her looks, but he clearly wasn't that kind of man. His warning just now proved as much: he'd only put his arm around her, without taking things any further.

Thinking of this, Yao Wan'er gave a charming smile. "Please forgive me, Young Master. Wanyao Pavilion does have a few hidden enemies. If you think I've gone too far, I can make it up to you. I... I've never let anyone touch me before."

Xiao Ling: "???"

He quickly withdrew his hand from her waist and changed the subject. "Let's hurry. We shouldn't keep them waiting."

With that, he headed for the edge of town.

He wasn't stupid. He knew exactly what she meant. But his heart wasn't in it. Besides, he'd already gotten his... ahem... compensation. He decided not to press her about borrowing his influence this time.

After all, he needed her help to find that cave. Compared with the opportunity waiting inside it, what she'd gained was only a small advantage.

Before long, Xiao Ling spotted Xiao Yi Xian and the others waiting at the town gate. He gave them a quick glance. This time, Wanyao Pavilion's group consisted of only a dozen or so mercenaries and five or six herb gatherers.

Clearly, Mr. Yao had arranged the small group specifically for him. Otherwise, they wouldn't have brought so few people.