Another day passed.
"Chirp!..."
As Xu Taiping cultivated, he suddenly heard the cry of a spirit bird outside the courtyard gate.
It must be Uncle Eagle bringing me the money.
Xu Taiping sprang off the bed.
When he reached the courtyard gate, he saw the same White-Headed Eagle from yesterday, just as he had expected.
"Slap!"
The White-Headed Eagle wasted no words. He tossed a bag of money straight to Xu Taiping, then said coolly:
"It sold for ninety-seven Merit Coins in total. After deducting my three, that leaves ninety-four. Count them."
"No need to count. Thank you, Uncle Eagle."
Xu Taiping cupped his hands and offered his thanks.
The spirit birds of Cloud Cottage Mountain had all entered blood pacts with the Azure Profound Sect. They would never stoop to such petty theft.
At Xu Taiping's gesture, the White-Headed Eagle's gaze softened considerably.
"Blow the flute if you need anything. I manage this whole area now."
The White-Headed Eagle spoke in an indifferent tone.
"Then I'm sorry for any trouble I may cause you in the future, Uncle Eagle."
Xu Taiping nodded.
"Hmm? Why is there the scent of a demonic beast in your courtyard?"
The White-Headed Eagle had been about to leave, but suddenly turned back, his eyes full of suspicion as he looked toward the courtyard behind Xu Taiping.
Uncle Eagle can actually detect the Demon Wolf's scent in my courtyard?
Xu Taiping was a little surprised.
Still, he had no intention of concealing anything, so he recounted yesterday's encounter to the spirit bird before him. There was nothing worth hiding, after all.
"How could there be a Demon Wolf on Sheep Deer Mountain?"
After hearing Xu Taiping's account, the White-Headed Eagle looked just as puzzled.
"You're a lucky lad, but stay away from Sheep Deer Mountain for the time being. I'll let the West Wind Pavilion know about this as well."
The White-Headed Eagle did not seem inclined to investigate the matter further himself.
"That would be wonderful."
Xu Taiping nodded gratefully.
It would certainly be good if someone from the sect could come and take a look. With his current cultivation, he could not handle any demonic creatures.
"By the way, are you planning to sell that Demon Wolf's corpse?"
The White-Headed Eagle asked another question.
"Yes, of course!"
Xu Taiping nodded without a moment's hesitation.
"Sell it to me, then. My youngest son is preparing for a breakthrough. That Demon Wolf may not be of a high grade, but it's more than enough to nourish the blood and vitality of us spirit birds."
The White-Headed Eagle explained.
"If you want it, Uncle Eagle, just take it."
Xu Taiping made the offer readily.
He did not mind using the Demon Wolf's corpse to make a friend of the White-Headed Eagle before him.
"How could I take something from a youngster like you for nothing? Especially something you risked your life for."
The White-Headed Eagle gave Xu Taiping a reproachful look, though his fondness for the boy grew a little more.
"How about this? If you sold the Demon Wolf's corpse yourself, it would probably fetch only ten or so Merit Coins. I'm willing to pay twenty. What do you say, lad?"
The White-Headed Eagle asked.
Upon hearing this, Xu Taiping returned to the courtyard without another word and dragged out the Demon Wolf's corpse.
"Take it, Uncle Eagle."
He laid the Demon Wolf's corpse before the White-Headed Eagle.
"Keep these safe, lad."
The White-Headed Eagle laughed heartily at the sight, then swept his wing, tossing twenty Merit Coins precisely in front of Xu Taiping.
"Also, the previous sect leader bestowed the name White Rainbow on me. You can just call me Uncle White."
As he spoke, the White-Headed Eagle seized the Demon Wolf's corpse from the ground, then shook out his wings and rose into the air.
"The sect leader himself actually gave him his name."
Xu Taiping murmured as he watched the White-Headed Eagle fly away.
"With these twenty unexpected Merit Coins, I have to pick a better martial art and a weapon that suits me."
Looking at the money pouch in his left hand and the twenty Merit Coins in his right, Xu Taiping displayed a rare flash of childishness, skipping happily back into the courtyard.
Back in the bedroom.
Xu Taiping put a Merit Coin straight into the Bronze Mirror.
"Xu Taiping of the Green Bamboo Abode, for what purpose do you seek me today?"
The mirror spirit's voice immediately rang out from within the Bronze Mirror.
"Lord Profound Mirror, I'd like to choose a few martial arts and weapons. Do you have any recommendations?"
Although he already knew that the mirror spirit was merely an unfeeling artifact, Xu Taiping still addressed him with great courtesy.
"Outer-sect rogue cultivator disciples such as you may purchase martial arts and weapons only from the West Wind Pavilion's armory. The martial arts and weapons currently available there have appeared in the Bronze Mirror. You may make your own selection."
The mirror spirit's voice remained utterly devoid of emotion.
"Thank you, Lord Profound Mirror."
Xu Taiping offered his thanks, then leaned over the table and began browsing.
I remember Purple Sun True Lord saying during his lecture that fist and palm techniques are the martial arts best suited to the Setting Sun Glow Art. They make the fullest use of the abundant true qi possessed by disciples who cultivate setting sun glow true qi. Once that true qi is circulating, every punch and palm strike can rival an ordinary person's full-force blow with a weapon.
Recalling Purple Sun True Lord's lecture that day, Xu Taiping unhesitatingly focused on the fist and palm manuals displayed in the Bronze Mirror.
In the end, he settled on a fist manual called Green Ox Fist.
According to the manual's description, after practicing Green Ox Fist, he could use it in conjunction with the true qi within his body to shatter mountain rocks with every punch.
In addition, Green Ox Fist had two ultimate moves.
One was called Ox Horn Crashes the Mountain. When unleashed at full power, it struck like a green ox crashing into a mountain, with eight times the force of an ordinary Green Ox Fist move.
The other was called Charging Ox Breaks the Formation. When unleashed at full power, its punches surged like a herd of charging oxen, each stronger than the last, never stopping until the user's strength was exhausted.
Overall, Green Ox Fist suited Xu Taiping's current needs very well, and it also paired well with the Setting Sun Glow Art's ability to replenish true qi rapidly.
Of course, the West Wind Pavilion's armory did contain fist techniques that were better and more suitable than Green Ox Fist. Unfortunately, most cost over a hundred Merit Coins, while Green Ox Fist required only thirty.
As a martial art meant only to serve as a stopgap for self-defense, Green Ox Fist could not have been more suitable.
Besides Green Ox Fist, Xu Taiping spent another ten Merit Coins on an archery martial art called Piercing Willow Arrow.
This martial art was relatively ordinary. It merely taught practitioners how to use true qi to improve their eyesight and steadiness, as well as how to infuse arrows with true qi to increase their power.
Simply put, it raised ordinary archery to the level of a cultivator.
But to Xu Taiping, buying a martial art like this for ten Merit Coins was an excellent bargain.
For instance, had he known how to infuse arrows with true qi last time, he likely could have killed that Demon Wolf without even needing the traps in the mountains.
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