Hooked on Spending

Back home, Xu Feng wasn't in the mood for anything else.

After tidying up the house and checking the backyard, Xu Feng made breakfast and started training.

He spent the entire day training hard.

There was only one reason: he wanted to survive.

And to survive, he had to become stronger. It was that simple.

This was a world where no one could be relied on but yourself.

The strong preyed on the weak. Being weak was a sin, and if you were lousy, you had to train harder.

It wasn't until dusk that Lu Fei came by.

"Good. You're alive."

The first thing Lu Fei said after coming in was a relieved sigh.

She hugged Xiao Dan, then turned to Xu Feng and briefly told him how the battle had ended.

"Although we won, it was a costly victory. If Martial University hadn't sent a War God Grade powerhouse ahead of time to hold the line, things could've gone very badly."

"Still, even though the battle caused heavy losses, it's also an opportunity for you.

After the battle, the Trading Zone will be full of Mutated Creature carcasses, and the prices will definitely be low.

Make the most of this period after taking the medicine to replenish your energy.

Mutated Creature meat is highly nutritious, but Xiao Dan should eat less of it—just a little broth at most."

Xu Feng nodded. "I understand. I'll figure out a way to pay you back for the medicine."

Lu Fei glanced at him. "I don't need the money."

Xu Feng smiled. "That's up to you."

Lu Fei's lips curled. "Suit yourself."

"Will it be safe from now on?" Xu Feng asked before she left.

Lu Fei hesitated. "There won't be any major trouble, but I can't say the same about smaller incidents. Some of the Alien Race escaped, so they'll probably launch occasional raids. In any case, you still need to be careful."

Then she turned and left.

As soon as Lu Fei was gone, Xu Feng thought it over briefly, then immediately took Xiao Dan to the Trading Zone.

Other than getting stronger, Xu Feng couldn't think of anything else he could do.

Sure enough, the entire Trading Zone was packed with people.

Every shop was being repaired, and stalls selling all kinds of Mutated Creature hides and meat lined the streets. There were also plenty of secondhand goods for sale.

Xu Feng bought fifty pounds of Shadow Hunter Wolf meat for just a third of the usual price—one thousand yuan.

Then he took Xiao Dan to a stall selling secondhand weapons.

The day before, in the tunnel, he'd suddenly thought of something.

His skill with Flying Blades wasn't bad—in fact, it was even better than his swordsmanship.

But there was one crucial problem: his Flying Blades were made from ordinary alloy, so they couldn't pierce the hides of Beast Soldier-grade Mutated Creatures.

He'd overlooked this before, so he had to fix it right away.

"Boss, how much for these nine Flying Blades?"

"Three thousand each."

"Three thousand? Take a look around. There are secondhand weapons everywhere.

Even if these blades are made of C-Grade Alloy, they shouldn't cost this much. Flying Blades aren't exactly a commonly used weapon."

Xu Feng shook his head and turned to leave.

"Hey, hey, then what price are you offering?"

The boss hurriedly stopped Xu Feng and asked.

"One thousand." Xu Feng answered without hesitation.

"Not selling." The boss refused without a second thought.

Xu Feng shrugged and walked away with Xiao Dan.

Seeing how readily Xu Feng left, the boss hesitated. "Hey, brother, think about it again. That's too low."

"Twelve hundred!" Xu Feng took two more steps, then turned back with a frown.

"Too low. Two thousand—that's my rock-bottom price."

The boss sounded pained.

"Fifteen hundred, final offer. I don't feel like haggling, and you're not the only seller in this market."

Xu Feng frowned.

"Dad, that's way too expensive. That uncle over there only wants seventeen hundred, and his Flying Blades are newer!"

Xiao Dan tugged on Xu Feng's arm.

"Fine, fine, fifteen hundred it is. Ah, I'm taking a big loss."

"Then give me six. That comes to exactly nine thousand."

"Sure."

The boss hurriedly packed up the goods and handed them to Xu Feng.

But Xu Feng hesitated and looked at Xiao Dan. "You think those other ones are better too?"

The boss hastily said, "How about this? I'll throw in a whetstone!"

"All right, all right." Only then did Xu Feng pay.

Once the father and daughter had walked away, Xu Feng laughed, crouched down, and kissed Xiao Dan. "Good girl. Nicely done."

Xiao Dan flashed her little tiger teeth and giggled, happily linking her arm with Xu Feng's.

They walked and browsed the whole way, but Xu Feng's wallet was already empty.

Otherwise, he'd have loved to buy a whole lot more.

Everything was so cheap.

On the way back, Xu Feng passed Liu Yu's home and knocked on the door.

Creak—

When Liu Yu opened it, her eyes red, Xu Feng hurriedly asked, "What happened? Is something wrong?"

"Ah." Liu Yu sighed. "My sister and my niece didn't make it. The Beast Tide broke through the base's residential area, and a lot of people died.

I was lucky. After what you said that night, I found a few coworkers, and we stayed together. We fought for our lives, and that's how I made it through.

But my sister..." She broke down sobbing.

Liu Yu sank to the ground, tears streaming down her face.

Xiao Dan hugged her obediently and softly tried to comfort her.

Xu Feng didn't know what to say. He set aside a portion of meat. "I bought some meat. Eat a little when you feel up to it.

Life has to go on. You need to live well for your sister."

"Thanks."

After crying for a while, Liu Yu managed to pull herself together. After all, everyone who came to the Dimension Realm had been prepared for something like this.

"It's fine. We're friends." Xu Feng waved a hand and took Xiao Dan home.

Once home, it was the same as always: cooking, eating, and training.

The Shadow Hunter Wolf meat was nothing like the wolf meat Xu Feng had imagined. It was exceptionally tender and not stringy at all.

He stir-fried it with green peppers, made a pot of soup, and even fried some meatballs.

Life was hard, but he still wanted Xiao Dan to have a better experience.

After the father and daughter had finished eating, Xu Feng took a serving of ice cream out of the fridge.

This stuff cost even more than Mutated Creature meat.

"Let's celebrate that we made it!"

Xu Feng scooped up a spoonful and fed it to Xiao Dan.

"Yay!"

Xiao Dan happily bounced around the room.

Then she nestled into Xu Feng's arms. The two of them took turns having little spoonfuls, savoring the cold sweetness.

They'd eaten about a third of it when Xu Feng put the ice cream away in the fridge. "We'll have more in a couple of days, on your birthday."

"Mm-hmm." Xiao Dan stared at the fridge longingly, sucking hard on her spoon.

After everything was cleaned up, Xu Feng headed back to the backyard.

He continued training.

Ten that night.

Drenched in sweat, Xu Feng opened the panel and studied it carefully.

[Name: Xu Feng]

[Qi and Blood: 206c]

[Age: 40]

[Skills:

Nine Star Body Refining Art [Free Version] · Proficient (46/500)

Communicator Repair · Proficient (1/100)

Secret Blade Art · Master (2513/5000)

White Wolf Blade · Skilled (50/200)

Mind Movement · Beginner (35/50)

Pit Digging · Proficient (45/5000)

"My qi and blood increased by another four points. Looks like both the medicine and the wolf meat are really effective.

On top of that, my Nine Star Body Refining Art has reached the proficient level, so I'm training much faster than before.

If I can keep taking medicine, I'll reach the Warrior Grade level in less than half a month."

Xu Feng couldn't help sighing.

Spending money really was addictive.