Poison Sac

After completing their luring task, the baiting team would become an attack team. The reserve team consisted of four eighth-level Qi Refining cultivators, each carrying a Second-Rank Low-Grade Puppet Beast. They would only join the fight when the group's firepower proved insufficient. The logistics team managed the talismans, pills, magical artifacts, and formation flags. Two artifact refiners and a talisman maker had joined this beast hunt. Han Changming also had to make talismans in his spare time, while the two refiners were responsible for repairing magical artifacts.

Once the teams had been assigned, the clan elders began explaining the beasts' abilities and habits.

Take Fire Cloud Shrimp, for example. These fire-attributed beasts mainly attacked by spitting flames and had strong defenses. They liked to eat red algae and low-grade demonic fish. The urine of female Fire Cloud Shrimp could attract males. Usually, people scattered red algae along the shore and across the beach to lure them onto land. This method had one prerequisite: knowing that the Fire Cloud Shrimp often appeared in a particular spot. If their location was unknown, scattering the urine of a female Fire Cloud Shrimp into the sea had a chance of attracting males.

Water- and ice-type spells could injure Fire Cloud Shrimp. Usually, people set up ice-attributed formations to kill them. If the shrimp weren't trapped by the formation, they had to be restrained with ice- or earth-type spells, then finished off with a heavy magical artifact.

There were simply too many kinds of demonic beasts for Han Changming to remember them all at once. Fortunately, the clan elders handed everyone a small booklet detailing the appearance, habits, abilities, and methods of killing more than a hundred kinds of beasts.

Of course, unexpected situations sometimes arose. For instance, if a second-rank demonic bird or another beast appeared while hunting Fire Cloud Shrimp, how should they respond? The clan elders had taught them how to deal with such things.

Han Changming couldn't help thinking that having a clan was still best. When Rogue Cultivators went out to hunt demonic beasts, they not only needed time to learn to work together, but also couldn't possibly be equipped with so many supplies.

When the Han Clan hunted demonic beasts, they brought Second-Rank Puppet Beasts, Second-Rank talismans, and Second-Rank formations, along with artifact refiners and talisman makers.

Rogue Cultivators also had to guard against one another, while a clan had no need for that.

Besides the beasts' habits and abilities, the clan elders had also taught them how to handle all sorts of unexpected situations, including attacks by evil cultivators.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Night fell, and Kuixing Market was ablaze with lights. The streets teemed with people, and the hawkers' cries never stopped. It was a lively scene.

In a private room on the second floor of a teahouse.

Han Changming sat inside with a different face. A plate of pastries and a pot of spirit tea sat on the table.

Before long, someone knocked at the door, and Ye Xin's voice rang out. "Fellow Daoist Hu, we're here."

"Fairy Ye, come in!"

Ye Xin pushed open the door and entered with Ye Xue.

"Here are the talismans you wanted. They're all first-rank, high-grade talismans." Han Changming took out a blue Storage Bag and tossed it to Ye Xin.

Every three months, Han Changming met the Ye sisters here to sell them talismans.

Ye Xin took the Storage Bag and swept it with her spiritual sense. A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Hu, this time you've brought twice as much as last time. We don't have that many spirit stones," Ye Xin said with a frown.

"How many do you have?"

Ye Xin and Ye Xue exchanged a glance, thought it over, then replied, "Twelve hundred. We can't manage any more than that."

"Twelve hundred it is. You can pay the rest next time. I'm planning to go into seclusion for a while, anywhere from a year to several years."

Han Changming didn't know how long it would be before he returned, so he planned to sell the Ye sisters a large batch of talismans and have them help gather poisonous herbs.

Ye Xin hesitated for a moment, then instructed Ye Xue, "Little sister, take out those Toad Pig Beast poison sacs. Fellow Daoist Hu trusts us, so we ought to give him something in return."

Ye Xue obediently nodded, took out ten green wooden boxes, and handed them to Han Changming.

"Fellow Daoist Hu, these contain the poison sacs of ten first-rank Toad Pig Beasts. They can be used in medicine and work much better than poisonous herbs. How about using them to cover the remaining balance?"

Han Changming opened the ten boxes and inspected their contents one by one. After confirming they were as described, he smiled and put them away.

The Amethyst Flying Scorpion liked to eat poisonous herbs and demonic beast souls. Demonic beast souls were easy enough to obtain; as long as you had spirit stones, you could buy them. Poisonous herbs were harder to come by. Wild poisonous herbs were already rare, and in the East Sea cultivation world, demonic cores were the primary ingredients in pills, with spirit herbs serving as supplements.

After giving it some thought, he took out ten pale-blue talismans and handed them to Ye Xin with a smile. "These ten Chain Water Sword Talismans are for you, as a deposit. From now on, if you get any poison sacs or poisonous herbs—or anything else poisonous—save them for me if you can. We can talk price."

"All right. We will," Ye Xin agreed.

They often bought talismans from Han Changming at prices lower than those on the market. Over the past three years, they had saved a great deal of spirit stones.

"Well, I have something to do. I'll take my leave." Han Changming rose and left.

Ye Xin and Ye Xue stayed behind and sat down.

"Big sister, judging by the way he talks and carries himself, he doesn't seem like a Rogue Cultivator. His talisman-making skills are good enough for him to open a shop and sell talismans himself, but he doesn't. Instead, he sells them to us at a low price. It's hard to understand," Ye Xue said, puzzled.

Ye Xin shook her head and replied coolly, "Whether he's a Rogue Cultivator doesn't matter. All that matters is that we save spirit stones. He sells us talismans cheaply, and we sell him poisonous herbs and information about demonic beasts. We each get what we need, that's all."

Ye Xue's eyes shifted. "Big sister, do you think he's taken a liking to you? Otherwise, it really doesn't make sense. You've only traded a few times, and he's already started a long-term arrangement with you."

At that, a blush rose to Ye Xin's cheeks. She scolded her, "You little rascal, you'll say anything! He probably has his reasons for not opening a shop. It has nothing to do with me. After every trade, he hurries off without even looking at me for long. You're the one who stares at him every time. Don't tell me you've taken a liking to him!"

"I haven't taken a liking to him. I just envy him. He doesn't have to risk his life; he can make talismans and earn spirit stones. Too bad I don't have that talent."

Ye Xue sighed softly, envy showing on her face.

They were Rogue Cultivators, and Ocean Listening Pavilion had raised its standards for accepting disciples, so they couldn't get in. Other than hunting demonic beasts, they knew no other trade.

"Men can't be relied on. You can only rely on yourself. Mother learned that the hard way. She raised us all by herself, going through hardship after hardship. This Ten Thousand Monsters Pilgrimage is our chance. Hunting more demonic beasts and earning more spirit stones—that's what matters."

"Got it. Men can't be relied on. If our sisters stand as one, we'll be strong enough to split gold. We'll make something of ourselves and honor Mother's memory." Ye Xue spoke with conviction, her gaze full of resolve.

A little while later, they left the teahouse and melted into the crowd.

Back at his lodgings, Han Changming let out the Amethyst Flying Scorpion and tossed a poison sac onto the ground.

The Amethyst Flying Scorpion didn't hesitate. It gobbled up the poison sac in a few quick bites, and some liquid splashed onto the ground, raising a wisp of green smoke.

After finishing the poison sac, the Amethyst Flying Scorpion let out an excited screech.