Red Fox Boutique

Zhu Jiusi: "???"

He immediately retracted the skeleton, fearing that if he stayed even one second longer, the skeleton would fuse with the Beast Nest.

If the Beast Nest couldn't move for twenty-four hours, he would be done for!

The power of the Heavenly Tribulation was not something an ordinary person... or an ordinary pig, could withstand.

Although he had two opportunities for Defiance, he couldn't waste them here.

He would set off as early as possible tomorrow morning, pause his cultivation for a day to focus entirely on traveling, and cover the required mileage before noon.

He would let the skeleton fuse for the entire day, then start running the day's mileage the day after tomorrow at noon; a single afternoon would be enough to complete the task.

The food detoxification would take a while longer, so Zhu Jiusi opened the Scroll and looked at the chat area.

Many people were trading for basic supplies, and after scanning the list, he discovered that the sales section had actually started selling Life Stones and Soul Jade.

However, the prices were exorbitantly high; an ordinary Path Seeker couldn't afford them even if they sold everything they owned.

Furthermore, buying directly from Journey Survival required converting basic supplies into gold, silver, and copper coins first, which resulted in a massive loss.

But Journey Survival coins were a necessity; judging by the timeline, secret manuals would surely start being sold after the next leaderboard update.

Journey Survival would not drive anyone to a true dead end; once someone obtained a secret manual, it would become a commodity.

Whether one could afford it or not, however, was entirely the Path Seeker's own business.

Journey Survival had a simple rule—obtaining items within a Secret Realm was always the cheapest option.

Exchanging for a cultivation technique in a Secret Realm required hunting 70 Green-Haired Zombies. If one wanted to buy it in the outside world, killing three times that amount wouldn't even accumulate enough resources for the exchange.

As Zhu Jiusi lurked in the chat, a private message came in.

Orchid Pavilion Scholar: "Repaying the debt! Do you want resources, or should I convert them into Soul Jade?"

Having been to the Journey Market, he was not short on resources. Since the sales section had opened up Soul Jade and Life Stone listings, it was time to pay back the debt.

He would pay back the principal first, and as for the number of times he had promised the Cave Master he would take action, he would just wait to be summoned.

"Resources, please. I have no use for Soul Jade," Zhu Jiusi replied.

Before the Scholar could transfer the resources, a trade request arrived from someone else.

Sword Seven Doesn't Learn Sword: Soul Jade × 5

Zhu Jiusi was stunned for a moment. Was this woman stupid? Trading Soul Jade to him? She was letting Journey Survival pocket a hundred percent markup on the exchange!

Even if she were cold and aloof, she shouldn't be doing something like this, right?

Just as he was about to ask, Sword Seven sent a single sentence: "Beware of people from District 33 teaming up to attack."

It was abrupt and lacked context.

Zhu Jiusi paused for a moment and asked, "Did they drop the Soul Jade?"

Sword Seven Doesn't Learn Sword: "Yes."

Zhu Jiusi turned to send a warning to the few people he was familiar with.

Dao Discussion Cards weren't that rare anymore; if one had resources, they could easily be exchanged. If anyone needed to, they should just run.

Zhu Jiusi looked at the Scroll, tilting his pig head in thought.

He had anticipated that after the merger, District 33 would immediately launch a sneak attack on the people at the top of the leaderboard here. Those sinister bastards from his past life had done the exact same thing.

But after being repelled in the first round, it didn't make sense for them to keep going.

Was the video posted in the group not enough to suppress people's greed? Were they really going out of their way to deliver resources to others?

Previously, there were too many people on the Monkey's path, so it hadn't been convenient for Zhu Jiusi to use the Cursed Map, and his gains hadn't been particularly high.

If anyone bumped into his path today, Zhu Jiusi wouldn't be so polite.

He closed his eyes in the nest and waited. Time ticked by, but no one came for him.

Zhu Jiusi felt quite disappointed.

The food trough had finished the detoxification process. He wandered out to eat a meal; other than the flavor being a bit blander, there was nothing unusual.

The night passed without incident. No one attacked him, and not even a single monster appeared. He was only woken up once in the middle of the night by hunger. The food processed by the trough was no longer filling.

He slept groggily until dawn, ate a little, packed up his nest, and set off immediately.

Channeling spiritual power into his four hooves, he charged through the mountain forest like a tank.

He had to be fast!

He needed to finish today's mileage at top speed so he could immediately let the nest fuse with the skeleton.

The faster he went today, the more time he would have for tomorrow. Journey Survival had too many variables; he had to leave himself plenty of time.

Zhu Jiusi ran for a while before suddenly coming to a halt halfway.

A strange scent was drifting from ahead.

His pig eyes couldn't see very far, but the smell was already thick.

It was the musky stench of a fox, deliberately masked with perfume.

And the distinct, muddy stench peculiar to turtles.

Zhu Jiusi stopped in his tracks, raised his binoculars, and peered ahead, but he could see nothing.

A pig's nose is far too sensitive; it can often pick up specific scents from over a dozen miles away, yet the eyes lag far behind.

Even the binoculars could only see for three miles.

If he couldn't see anything, it meant no other Path Seekers were converging on his path.

When Path Seekers converge, the distance between them is usually very short.

A market?

Zhu Jiusi felt a surge of joy; this fox scent was extremely similar to that of the Fox Waiter at the Journey Market.

He picked up his pace, running for nearly ten miles, and sure enough, he saw something through his binoculars.

It wasn't a market, but there were buildings on both sides of the road.

He had encountered special structures!

In Journey Survival, there are all sorts of facilities: eateries, cloth shops, pawnshops, blacksmiths...

He had stumbled upon shops.

Zhu Jiusi put away his binoculars and trotted over.

As he drew near, he suddenly spat: "Bad luck!"

On the left, an old turtle was slowly carving a stone tablet; the storefront bore a sign: Prime Minister Tombstone.

It was a tombstone seller!

Who would ever need this kind of thing in Journey Survival?

On the right side of the road, however, was a decent-looking shop: Red Fox Boutique.

Zhu Jiusi checked left and right again, and only after confirming there were no other Path Seekers did he head toward the Red Fox Boutique.

In Journey Survival, wherever shops appear, it is likely a place where paths naturally converge.

Shops likely do not appear on just one Path Seeker's road.

Others walking along their own paths would eventually arrive here as well.

There is no special environment on either side of the shops, just dense fog. Once you leave the shop and continue forward, you return to your own path.

"Welcome, honored guest, please come in!"

As soon as Zhu Jiusi approached, he heard a warm greeting.

Emerging to welcome him was a red fox wearing a vest, bowing low with one paw held across its chest in a salute.

"Honored guest, don't mind that the shop is still under renovation; we have every item you could need, I guarantee you... eh? Are you Mr. Cave Master?"

The fox caught sight of Zhu Jiusi, and its eyes lit up instantly.

"You know me?" Zhu Jiusi asked.

"Of course! My brother works at the Journey Market and served you, Mr. Cave Master, in District 66 last time!"

A familiar face, indeed!

This fox looked at least seventy percent like the previous one. But Zhu Jiusi knew they were both Path Seekers who had chosen the Divine Path upon entering Journey Survival.

The Divine Path is a bottomless pit; people with no relation are molded into "brothers," and they even believe it themselves.

Their cognition had been forcibly twisted.

Zhu Jiusi was grandly invited into the boutique. The interior was currently undergoing renovation.

The surrounding walls, counters, and shelves seemed to be alive, constantly squirming.

The renovation method was the same as how the pig trough integrated into his lair; no manual labor was required.

"What does Mr. Cave Master need? Rest assured, all items in this shop are five percent off for you!"

There was such a good deal? Zhu Jiusi smiled: "Why is that?"

It is common knowledge that Journey Survival is black-hearted; even the Scroll sales area made that clear. It was, by nature, a profiteer.

They were actually offering him a discount? Could it be they were raising the price first just to lower it?

That was exactly the kind of thing they would do.

The Red Fox appeared humble: "At the Journey Market, Mr. Cave Master helped my brother complete his task dozens of times over, which is how the Red Fox family earned the qualification to upgrade our general store into a boutique. So please rest assured, Mr. Cave Master, it is a genuine discount!"

Zhu Jiusi remained skeptical, but he appeared delighted on the surface, offering plenty of congratulations and praising the Red Fox until its ears stood straight up in excitement.

Only then, while the fox was feeling smug, did he ask: "What are we selling now?"

At the mention of business, the excitement in the fox's eyes instantly calmed: "There is actually one item that would be perfect for you, Mr. Cave Master."

Zhu Jiusi's ears flapped, showing he was highly expectant.

The Red Fox didn't play coy, offering a smiling service: "Feed Processing Warehouse!"

As it spoke, it pointed toward the counter.

The counter, which had been squirming, suddenly went still, and a grain-measuring bucket appeared on it, with a system panel below.

A Wild Boar that doesn't eat feed is not a good Wild Boar!