Black-Spotted Tiger-Stripe Mantis!

Yang Yu strolled through the Shangjing City Antique and Bird Market. The street was narrow, lined on both sides with tightly packed shops, most of which were rather cluttered inside.

There were not too many customers here, but there were hardly few, either.

At least, looking along the kilometer-long lane, pedestrians dotted it from end to end. It was not crowded, but there was no shortage of people.

This was the pet section.

With modernization and rising living standards, many residents kept pets such as cats, dogs, birds, and fish. Where there were pets and a market for them, there was naturally a demand for supplies.

Of those visiting the pet section, relatively few came to buy pets. Most were there to buy pet food.

Of course, although this was the pet section, the street held at least a hundred shops, and a few oddities were bound to turn up among them... at that moment, Yang Yu walked into a shop named "Five Poisons Complete," whose exterior was bizarre beyond belief!

The entire entrance had been fashioned into an enormous skull that looked ready to devour anyone who came near, while the exterior walls were painted blood red.

With such a bizarre, terrifying storefront, every passerby except Yang Yu gave the shop a wide berth.

Creak—Yang Yu pushed open the shabby wooden door and entered the shop.

The moment he stepped inside, an incredibly strange odor reached his nose. It carried a rotten stench, as though mixed with the droppings of countless venomous insects, ants, and beasts.

Iron racks lined both sides of the shop, their high-strength wire mesh enclosing dense swarms of terrifying venomous insects that would make an ordinary person's scalp crawl at a glance!

This shop specialized in venomous insects, poisonous creatures, and all sorts of exotic bugs!

Between the rows of tall iron racks, an aisle stretched from the entrance to the back of the shop. At its far end, an old man with a small white goatee sat behind a battered desk, dressed in filthy, old-fashioned robes.

Although his face was aged and he looked about seventy or eighty, the old man was astonishingly vigorous!

Yang Yu could even sense that the vitality within his body was stronger than that of an ordinary person!

Clearly, this old man was no pushover!

But to Yang Yu now, the old man was merely somewhat stronger than an ordinary person. He probably had martial arts training... handling three or four burly men would be easy for him, but any more would be beyond him, and he would be helpless against modern weapons.

Hearing the door, the old man looked up from behind his battered desk and immediately spotted Yang Yu.

"Hm? You again?" The old man sounded surprised. His shop rarely received customers, so having the same customer visit twice in just over half a month was quite unusual.

The last time Yang Yu had come to buy a batch of venomous insects, ants, and beasts, the old man had been surprised as well.

People who bought large quantities of venomous insects and poisonous creatures in one go were uncommon.

That was why Yang Yu had left such a deep impression on the old man, who recognized him at a glance even after half a month!

Yang Yu nodded. "You have a good eye, sir. Since you still remember me, let's get straight to the point. Those black-striped mantises I bought from you last time were good. I was very satisfied. If you still have any in stock, I need some more."

Yang Yu's Giant Mantis Beast had been created by modifying a mantis bought from this shop. Now that his strength had broken through to a new level, he wanted to form a small squad of Giant Mantis Beasts, so naturally, he needed to replenish his stock.

That was also why, after arriving at the Bird-and-Flower Antique Market in Shangjing City, Yang Yu had not even glanced at the antique section and had instead headed straight into this strange shop!

"Black-Spotted Tiger-Stripe Mantises?" The old man frowned. "Those are rare creatures, and they're extremely wild, vicious, and highly venomous! Young man, what do you need so many Black-Spotted Tiger-Stripe Mantises for?"

"That's not something you need to ask. I have my uses for them," Yang Yu replied expressionlessly. "Name your price."

"Well..." The old man hesitated. "In that case, I'm running a business, so there's no reason to turn a customer away. I do still have some Black-Spotted Tiger-Stripe Mantises, but they're very rare. Most are caught abroad and shipped back here... I don't have many left, just ten. If you want them, we can make the deal right now."

"Ten?" Yang Yu frowned.

"That's a little too few."

"Too few?" A flicker of astonishment flashed through the old man's eyes.

"How many do you need?"

Yang Yu said, "At least seventeen or eighteen."

The old man shook his head. "There's nothing I can do on such short notice. The next shipment hasn't arrived yet. These things aren't easy to sell in the first place. If you want more, you can come back next month. There should be new stock by then."

"A month is too long to wait," Yang Yu rejected the suggestion, then asked, "Aside from your shop, which other shops nearby sell these Black-Spotted Tiger-Stripe Mantises?"

"None." Pride showed on the old man's face.

"Never mind nearby, you probably won't find a second shop in all of Shangjing City... I only entered this line of business for special reasons. Besides, many of the poisonous creatures and venomous insects I sell are incredibly rare species. Some are even unique mutant species found nowhere else in the world. If you want to buy them elsewhere, you'd have a better chance trying your luck outside Shangjing City."

The old man sounded certain, and the fluctuations in his aura had remained steady throughout Yang Yu's fate soul sensing. He did not seem to be bluffing or lying, so Yang Yu said no more.

He merely nodded and said, "Ten it is, then. Name your price."

The old man raised an eyebrow and held up one hand, spreading all five fingers three times.

"Fifteen hundred each."

"Fifteen thousand for all ten. I'll give you a small discount this time. This is a small business, so I can't offer any bigger discounts."

The last time Yang Yu had bought Black-Spotted Tiger-Stripe Mantises here, they had cost sixteen hundred each. This was indeed a little cheaper, so he said nothing more. He did not have much money left, and every little bit he could save helped.

Saving a hundred yuan each meant saving a thousand on all ten.

If he ate something cheaper, that money would be enough for one meal.

With the price settled, the rest went smoothly. The old man led Yang Yu to the innermost section of the third row of racks... a special case stood there, with ten Black-Spotted Tiger-Stripe Mantises housed in separate compartments!

Black-Spotted Tiger-Stripe Mantises were incredibly vicious. Even members of their own species would fight when kept together, until one had completely devoured the other, so they had to be kept entirely separate.

"They're all in here. Since you're buying the whole lot at once, I'll throw in this breeding case as well." Beaming, the old man reached out and accepted a stack of bright red banknotes from Yang Yu. He kept talking as he took them, his aged face positively blooming with smiles.

Business at his shop was poor, and a big sale was rare, so naturally, he was delighted.

Soon, he finished counting the money.

Yang Yu also freed the breeding case containing the ten Black-Spotted Tiger-Stripe Mantises from its place and lifted it in one hand.

The breeding case was not small and weighed at least fifty kilograms, yet Yang Yu carried it as effortlessly as though he were holding a feather. The strange sight made the old shopkeeper's pupils constrict!

"Would you like me to call a vehicle to deliver it for you?" The old man discreetly backed away two steps, his eyes flicking toward the breeding case in Yang Yu's hand.

"No need."

Noticing the old man's wariness, Yang Yu turned and left with the case.

When he reached the doorway, he stopped.

"Oh, right."

"Are any of these Black-Spotted Tiger-Stripe Mantises you sold me female?" Yang Yu asked.

"..."

The old man fell silent, only replying after a moment. "Of course there are, but why are you asking, young man? If you're planning to raise and breed Black-Spotted Tiger-Stripe Mantises in captivity, I'd advise you to give up. I've already tried it. It can't be done!"

"These little beasts are too vicious."

"In captivity, even if a female mantis manages to produce offspring, she'll eat the young outright."

"Is that so?" Yang Yu gave a mysterious smile.

"Then thank you for the warning." With that, Yang Yu walked out the door and disappeared into the bustling stream of people outside.

P.S. Thanks to the readers "Cold Declaration" and "Lone Night Owl" for their tips!