Great Harvest

Huo Hai also knew that Ji Mu was somewhat afraid of Little Gold. No matter who it was, seeing Little Gold kill a Spirit Practitioner Realm Spirit Beast with a mouthful of venom would make them afraid. No matter how cute it looked, it made no difference.

Not wanting to provoke Ji Mu, Huo Hai casually fed Little Gold a mouthful of spiritual energy, then put it back into the pocket inside his sleeve. Once Little Gold was gone, Ji Mu finally let out a breath of relief. If she could not see it, she would not be afraid. That way of thinking was rather similar to Huo Hai's method of deceiving himself. Out of sight, out of mind.

"Huo Hai, was that the bug that poisoned the Hound King to death just now? Looking at it myself, it actually seems quite pretty." Beautiful, adorable things had an exceptionally powerful effect on women, even a woman as opinionated as Ji Mu.

If she had not known how dangerous it was, she probably would have pounced on it just now. Huo Hai shook his head. She was just like his younger sister. "It's fine. As long as there's no hostility, Little Gold won't attack. At home, it's practically become Yun'er's pet." Ji Mu knew who Yun'er was. She had not lost her memory like Huo Hai.

Besides, among the Huo Family's direct-line younger generation, there were only Huo Hai and Huo Yuner. They simply could not compare to the numerous descendants of other families. Naturally, the two of them drew the attention of all the major families. There was practically no one who did not know them.

Even Huo Yuner could treat Little Gold as a pet. It seemed that her relationship with Huo Hai was not even as close as his relationship with his sister. For some reason, a wave of sourness suddenly welled up in Ji Mu's heart. It would have been better if she had not dodged just now.

"So that's what it is. I never expected even the Star Gu couldn't bite through it." By then, Huo Hai had already turned his attention to the thing on the ground. Even when the Star Gu bit with all their strength, they could only leave a few marks on it. This was the hide left behind by the Hound King. For an Ironclad Hound, the toughest part of its entire body was its hide.

The Star Gu had found gaps in the poisoned Hound King's body and gnawed their way in. Yet they could not affect the hide itself. Even biting with all their strength, they could only tear off some fur, nothing more.

It seemed his luck this time had truly been good; he had managed to launch a successful sneak attack. If Little Gold had not bitten the sole of the Hound King's foot, where it had no hide for protection, it would not have been able to get its teeth into any other place. In that case, the losses would truly have been enormous.

If things had gone wrong, even his own life would have been under tremendous threat. Huo Hai felt a lingering fear, along with relief.

Hearing Huo Hai's words, Ji Mu finally came back to herself. The flush on her face vanished in an instant, as if nothing had happened. "So these beetles of yours are called Star Gu. What a strange name." Hearing what Huo Hai called the Star Gu, Ji Mu looked puzzled. They were just little bugs. Spirit Masters rarely paid them any attention, and the name did not mean much to her.

Very quickly, Ji Mu's attention shifted to the hide on the ground. "Your luck is really good. Ironclad Hound hide is extremely tough. With a little processing, it can be made into low-grade Profound Grade armor. With a suit of armor like this, you won't need to replace it before reaching the Spirit General Realm." Under the Star Gu's mouths, this hide had merely lost a little fur.

Huo Hai had already ordered the Star Gu to stop. He was quite interested in this hide as well. Once it was processed, his ability to protect himself would become even stronger. "What a pity. There's only one layer of hide. It can probably only make one suit."

Ji Mu rolled her eyes and said unhappily, "That's already plenty. Who said one Ironclad Hound's hide can only make one suit of armor? After processing, it can be separated into several layers. It can make at least five suits of armor."

Making armor from hide was not as simple as Huo Hai had imagined. It required a professional to separate it into layers. From such a huge Hound King, making five suits of armor would be more than easy. Hearing this, Huo Hai had an idea.

"Then could I ask you to help turn it into armor? Don't worry, I won't make you work for nothing. Of the five suits, I can give you one." Huo Hai's words immediately made Ji Mu's eyes widen. This was Profound Grade armor. Though it was only low-grade, it was still a rare treasure even among the major families of the Western Frontier, something that was extremely difficult to obtain.

This fellow was actually letting her make it so easily. "Y-you're giving something this precious to me? Aren't you afraid that I'll take it and refuse to give you anything afterward?" What exactly went on in this fellow's mind? Why was he always so different from ordinary people?

Huo Hai rolled his eyes. "Isn't using one hide to see a person clearly a good deal? Or do you not even trust yourself? Besides, if I can kill one Spirit Practitioner Realm Hound King, I can kill a second." Huo Hai was brimming with confidence.

That was right. With Huo Hai's abilities, this little thing truly meant nothing. Even without this suit of armor, Huo Hai's ability to preserve his life was still formidable. It had been obvious when he was attacked earlier. Those beetles were far from ordinary; they could even easily block the sharpness of Spirit-Breaking Arrows. This hide truly was not much to Huo Hai.

But what delighted her even more was that Huo Hai trusted her so much. Ji Mu walked forward with a smile. "All right, don't worry. I'll definitely give you four suits of armor. No matter who it is, no one will be able to snatch them from my hands."

Since Huo Hai trusted her so much, she could not disappoint him. Yet just as Ji Mu picked up the hide, she suddenly froze, then shook the entire dogskin. "Huo Hai, look, there's something inside. Wait, keep these bones too." Huo Hai looked inside and saw bones. The Iron Armor Hound King's bones had been left completely intact.

These bones were even harder than the Ironclad Hound's hide. The Star Gu could still leave marks on the hide, but on these bones, they could not leave even the slightest trace. He had not expected such a harvest.

They had both been misled by the Ironclad Hound's tough hide and had actually forgotten. For ordinary creatures, the bones were undoubtedly the hardest part of the body. These were excellent materials as well.

Ji Mu shook her head. "Huo Hai, I can't help you process these bones. Processing this hide is already troublesome enough; this will be even more troublesome." Bones differed from hide. They could be made into powerful weapons.

Armor was relatively rare, but weapons were still more popular with the masses. To process the hide yet hand most of the armor over to Huo Hai, one could imagine the pressure Ji Mu would face within her Lineage. If these bones were added as well, Ji Mu would have no way to keep them. They would definitely be taken by her Lineage. At that point, who knew what would become of her relationship with Huo Hai?

Rationally, Ji Mu knew that doing so would greatly benefit her Lineage. Yet emotionally, she simply did not want to turn against Huo Hai. Since that was the case, she might as well not bring these things back and let Huo Hai deal with them himself.

Huo Hai nodded. "No problem. If I sell these things directly, they should still be worth something, right?" Huo Hai did not intend to carry too much back. Selling them for Academy Points would be better. He did not know when he would gather enough for the Bone Tempering Pill.

Hearing Huo Hai's words, Ji Mu's eyes lit up. "How about selling them to our Ji Family? Don't worry, I'll definitely give you a price you'll be satisfied with." This was perfect. She could help Huo Hai while also helping her Lineage. At that time, things would be easier for her within the Lineage as well. A sale was a sale, so why not sell to her?

Huo Hai thought for a moment, then nodded. "All right. But I want to send some back to my Lineage. Also, you can only use Academy Points to buy what I sell you. I won't take gold, silver, or Spirit Stones." He did not lack those things. What he lacked was pills.

Ji Mu nodded firmly. "No problem. Once we get back, I'll speak to my Lineage. They'll definitely give you a price you'll be satisfied with." Since both the hide and bones belonged to one person, the pressure concerning the hide would be much lower. Academy Points were nothing to the Ji Family. The Ji Family had been established far longer than the Huo Family; no one knew how many Academy Points they had accumulated.

"Then let's sort up our things separately. I'll go look for the Academy Point cards." Huo Hai had not forgotten the real reason he had come here. He casually stuffed the bones into his luggage.

Huo Hai even threw out many things from his luggage that he no longer needed. Those things were nowhere near as valuable as the bones of a Spirit Practitioner Realm Spirit Beast, especially one that specialized in Body Refinement.

Very quickly, Huo Hai found the cards here. The more he counted, the more intense the joy in his eyes became. "Ten thousand points! There are actually ten thousand points! This time, I've gotten half of the Bone Tempering Pill." Huo Hai had not expected to gain ten thousand Academy Points from this battle, even more than he had painstakingly collected before.

Ji Mu was also stunned. "So many Academy Points? You've really struck it rich. But what exactly do you need so many points for?"

Ten thousand Academy Points were equivalent to one million Spirit Stones. Even for a family like the Ji Family, that was an enormous fortune. The entire Lineage might not earn that many Spirit Stones in several years.

If it had been anyone else, who knew whether they would have simply snatched them away? Ji Mu's eyes held only envy, not the slightest jealousy; her gaze was clear as water. Huo Hai could not read people's expressions, but he could still see the clarity in Ji Mu's eyes. He relaxed inwardly. It seemed she was someone worth befriending. Only then did Huo Hai finally accept Ji Mu as a friend.

Winning Huo Hai's acceptance was truly no easy matter. Huo Hai calculated the Academy Points in his possession. He was still a long way from twenty thousand. Not enough, still not enough. He had to continue. If only he could find another group like this.

Huo Hai stood up, his things already packed. "Let's go. We'll keep looking and strive to get enough Academy Points." Ji Mu clicked her tongue when she heard that. Even this was not enough? What exactly was this fellow trying to do? Could he have some exchange target in mind?