Old Acquaintance (Monthly Pass Request at Month's End)

Green Forest Market.

"I never expected this revenge to go so much more smoothly than I imagined..."

Fang Xing looked at the silver-white Laser Gun he had brought back, a faint smile crossing his face. "If I hadn't been able to find him, I was prepared to use something like a Qi Seeking Talisman..."

It had to be said that while talismans from the Cultivation World were inferior to ordinary weapons of the Interstellar Age in raw destructive power, they were incredibly useful in other respects.

For example, with this kind of Qi Seeking Talisman, as long as one had a person's aura, they could find that person within a certain range!

And the Stealth Talisman from last time had practically saved Fang Xing's life.

Otherwise, Lance's little animals might have found him and killed him...

But if it had truly come to that, he would rather risk exposing the secret of his transmigration than not hide in the Other World.

Fang Xing stepped out of his room and stretched lazily.

Just then, the residence next door that had once belonged to Widow Shen opened, and a burly man in black walked out.

When he saw Fang Xing, he was taken aback as well. He then cupped his hands in greeting. "Greetings, Fellow Daoist. I am Demon Hunter Yu Xia. I just moved in, so we'll be neighbors from now on."

"So it's Fellow Daoist Yu..."

Fang Xing returned the salute and smiled. "I was in seclusion earlier. I only knew that the Upper Sect had sent people to suppress the Beast Tide. I wonder how the battle went?"

"So Fellow Daoist has been in seclusion these past few days..." Yu Xia grinned. "With a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator taking action, of course we won a great victory. The Upper Sect's Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator and Ancestor Zheng acted together, killing several Second-Order Demon Beasts in one go. With no leaders left, we killed quite a few of the remaining First-Order Demon Beasts, and the Beast Tide naturally came to an end..."

"So the Beast Tide has already been resolved?" Fang Xing was somewhat dazed upon hearing this, secretly sighing that this was indeed the Cultivation World, where the outcome of high-level combat decided everything.

"Exactly. The prices of ordinary daily necessities can finally come down. Damn it... it's just a pity there are too many Demon Beast materials now, so their prices have plummeted and even my livelihood has been affected..." Since Yu Xia called himself a Demon Hunter, hunting Demon Beasts was naturally his main profession.

Yet as he said this, there was no sense of dejection in his voice. Instead, he sounded somewhat proud.

"Haha, the Upper Sect must have given generous rewards for suppressing the Beast Tide. That should be enough to live on for a while. As for later, the prices of Demon Beast materials will gradually rise again eventually." Fang Xing laughed.

"Precisely. It's truly a shame that Fellow Daoist did not go with us... Still, two days from now, the Zheng Family is holding an Auction to celebrate the successful end of the Beast Tide. You mustn't miss it."

Yu Xia said.

"An Auction? Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist."

Fang Xing cupped his hands and headed toward the market streets.

"Demon Beast meat... Demon Beast meat at a discount!"

"Fine Black Spirit Fruits, just one Spirit Sand each..."

"Demon Beast hides, tendons, and bones at rock-bottom prices..."

The market was still as bustling as ever.

Fang Xing even saw many more stalls than before, their displays packed with all sorts of Demon Beast materials. The sheer variety was dazzling.

"Hmm, I can buy more Demon Beast meat, even stock up on it. It's rare for prices to crash this much..."

After making a round of the market, Fang Xing nodded thoughtfully.

"Maybe I should find an agent. Whether it's to set up a stall and sell spirit herbs for me or gather all kinds of information from the market, either would be useful. I've been burying myself in martial training alone, and my information channels are too limited. I only learned about the Auction because someone else told me..."

Now that he had a Laser Gun for protection, he was growing bolder in his actions.

Only with sufficient strength could one recruit others to work for them without fearing betrayal—because they could suppress it with a wave of their hand.

Still, there was no rush. He could make arrangements and consider it slowly.

"At the very least, there's no rush before school starts..."

Once school began, Fang Xing would have much less time here. Every second would need to be spent training, so having someone he could order around would be much more convenient.

Fang Xing stopped before a stall selling Demon Beast meat. "How much are you selling this meat for?"

The butcher was a burly man. He swung a cleaver, and with a flash of the blade, a bone was carved clean, not a shred of flesh left on it. Without even lifting his head, he answered, "Fifteen jin for one Spirit Stone!"

"Make it cheaper. How about thirty jin for one Spirit Stone?"

Fang Xing began bargaining.

After spending so long in Green Forest Market, he had gradually become accustomed to local customs. He knew that if one did not haggle while doing business here, they would definitely get fleeced!

"Are you joking? Eighteen jin at most!" The butcher glared, radiating a rather fierce aura.

Judging by his cultivation, he might even be a Qi Refining Late Stage cultivator!

Unfortunately, he could not intimidate Fang Xing, who carried a Laser Gun. "Twenty-five jin!"

After haggling for quite a while, they finally settled at around twenty jin.

"Fine, give me a hundred jin."

Fang Xing took out five Low-Grade Spirit Stones, secretly deciding that he would salt the meat once he got back. "This is demon pig meat, right? Give me leg meat, from the hind legs!"

"You sure have a lot of demands..."

The butcher was somewhat speechless, but he obediently cut the meat as Fang Xing requested.

There were simply too many stalls selling Demon Beast materials now. Meat would stink if left out for too long, so selling a little more was still better than nothing.

"This leg meat is pretty good. I can make ham when I get back..."

As a martial artist, Fang Xing could carry a hundred jin as easily as if it were nothing. After making another couple of rounds, he prepared to return to his shack, eat well and cultivate, then wait for the Auction.

On his way, he passed through Area B of the shack district.

As Fang Xing walked by, he occasionally saw several heavily made-up women leaning against their doorways, their eyes seemingly hooked as they stared fixedly at every passerby.

From time to time, one or two martial artists would approach. After agreeing on a price, they would enter the doorway and shut the door heavily behind them.

"Damn, every last one of them indulging in debauchery in broad daylight..."

Fang Xing spat, then could not help touching his money pouch. "It's only one Spirit Sand here, much cheaper than the one Low-Grade Spirit Stone charged at Listening Rain Pavilion... But that's not right. The ladies at Listening Rain Pavilion are proper immortals, and they've even cultivated special seduction arts. The ones here are all martial artists... Opportunities for us martial artists to properly press a Cultivator beneath us aren't exactly common..."

As he walked, a commotion suddenly erupted ahead.

Smack!

A figure was thrown out, landing on the ground in a miserable heap.

Fortunately, the attacker had not wanted to hurt him. The man merely rolled over and sprang to his feet, dusting himself off. "You stinking bitch... if you don't want to sell, then don't sell! Why did you have to attack me?"

"Hmph, take a look at what kind of trash you are before thinking you can taste this old lady! Go home and drink your mother's foot-washing water!"

Hua Fei Yue leaned languidly against the door, every smile and curse brimming with charm.

She wore a lotus-leaf skirt that revealed a wide expanse of her full, snowy-white breasts. Her skin was like congealed cream, and she was breathtakingly beautiful.

In a place like this, it was no wonder people got the wrong idea.

After scolding the fellow who had mistaken her for a streetwalker, the corner of her eye caught Fang Xing. She immediately let out a coquettish laugh. "If you were as handsome as this little brother, I might consider it. I'd even give you half a Spirit Stone for free!"

The customer's features were not exactly ugly, but they could only be called ordinary. He shot Fang Xing a vicious glare, clearly hating him as well, leaving Fang Xing rather speechless.

This was collateral damage, wasn't it?

He grumbled inwardly, but smiled. "Fellow Daoist Hua, that's not quite right..."

"Oh? What's wrong with it?" Hua Fei Yue giggled.

"I am as handsome as jade, suave and debonair... At the very least, I'm worth a Spirit Stone paid in advance." Fang Xing answered naturally.

"Fine, fine, I'll give you one Spirit Stone!" Hua Fei Yue crooked a finger.

Fang Xing immediately entered through the doorway and used a Leopard Tail Kick to slam the door shut.

The customer could only curse about adulterers and whores before leaving resentfully beneath the scornful, mocking gazes of the others.

"So... does little brother really intend to patronize big sister's business?"

When Hua Fei Yue saw Fang Xing kick the door shut, a strange glint flashed through her eyes. She asked with a coquettish smile.

"How did Fellow Daoist Hua end up in such a state?"

Fang Xing looked around and saw that there was still some rice in a blue-and-white porcelain bowl atop the stove. It was actually just ordinary rice.

"Alas... I offended the Black Tiger Gang and fell out with the boss. How could I dare go out hunting? I can only stay in the market every step of the way to protect myself... Most of my savings were spent, and the rest went toward Healing Pills. How could I not be struggling?" Hua Fei Yue's tone was somewhat resentful as she stared fixedly at the pork in Fang Xing's hands. "Little brother is living quite comfortably... You actually have Demon Beast meat for every meal!"

"I only run a small business. Things have been a little better lately, that's all."

Fang Xing had originally only planned to come over and chat for a bit.

But seeing Hua Fei Yue's current circumstances gave him an idea.

She was at least an Innate Martial Artist. It was just that she had been rather foolish at first, going around calling Cultivators her brothers, and in the end she had naturally lost utterly.

Now she had fallen so far that she was eyeing his body... meat.

"Having a livelihood in the market is the dream of so many cultivators and martial artists... What a pity..."

Hua Fei Yue seemed to think of something and truly became somewhat dispirited.

Perhaps she should leave this place of painful memories, just as Fifth Sister had done?

Otherwise, if she kept drifting along like this, she might really end up selling meat.

"Fellow Daoist Hua, don't lose heart. Please accept these ten jin of Demon Beast meat."

After some thought, Fang Xing decided to offer her a little sweetness first.

After all, it was his first visit, so he ought to bring a gift. And Hua Dajie was now alone and without support, yet she was socially adept. Perhaps she would make a good shopkeeper candidate in the future?

Even if their future business arrangement did not work out, giving her some Demon Beast meat now was nothing. It was cheap anyway.

"Little brother..."

Hua Fei Yue was genuinely somewhat moved. Her beautiful eyes shimmered as she covered her mouth and laughed. "Could it be... you've taken a liking to big sister? Too bad big sister doesn't have any Spirit Stones..."