In the Southern Border, two young Cultivators entered Nanlin Square, the marketplace closest to the Endless Forest, one walking in front of the other.
The Cultivator in the lead, a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment practitioner, had a rugged appearance and a body of knotted muscle. He wore the classic, patterned kilt-like trousers of the Beast Taming Sect. A Tier Two Fierce Tiger, wreathed in flames, followed at his heels. One look was enough to know he was not to be trifled with.
In contrast, the Cultivator behind him was utterly unremarkable. He was only at the Qi Refining Fourth Level, was not handsome, and wore a low-grade Daoist Robe. From head to toe, he exuded an air of poverty.
These two were, of course, Huo Hu and Fang Qingyuan. It was the first time for both of them. After asking for directions, they stepped into an inn in Nanlin Square.
At the entrance, Huo Hu turned to Fang Qingyuan and said:
"You'll stay here for a few days. Just wait for me to come back. Don't wander around. If something happens to you, I won't be able to explain it to the Academy."
Hearing Huo Hu's arrangements, Fang Qingyuan nodded in agreement. Even without the warning, he had already made up his mind. 'No matter what, I'm not leaving Nanlin Square.'
Nanlin Square bordered the Endless Forest, and the people active here were all daredevils who lived on the edge. They were passionate about venturing into the forest for cultivation resources—a completely different breed from a Cultivator like Fang Qingyuan, who only wanted a stable life.
Moreover, besides the ubiquitous demon beasts, the Barbaric Wilderness of the Endless Forest also hid many who couldn't make it in the wider Cultivation Realm: Loose Cultivators, Demon Cultivators, or even other Demon Cultivators.
These types of Cultivators were wanted by the Great Zhou Academy for various reasons and had no choice but to flee deep into the forest to hide. But you never knew when one might emerge. If you ran into them, your cultivation journey would be over.
The previous head of the Precepts Hall had run into a Demon Cultivator who came out from the depths of the forest. More than ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators were instantly annihilated.
It was precisely because these Foundation Establishment Cultivators had died that a whole series of troubles had been stirred up later.
After he finished speaking, Huo Hu turned to leave. But just as he took a step, he seemed to remember something. He looked back and asked Fang Qingyuan:
"Are the Spirit Stones I gave you before enough for the inn?"
At these words, Fang Qingyuan's mind instantly flashed back to five days ago.
....
Back then, when Huo Hu had made such a generous offer, Fang Qingyuan truly had no reason to refuse.
All he had to do was follow Huo Hu on a trip, without even needing to lift a finger, and the mission would be complete. He might even win some favor with Huo Hu, the new head of the Precepts Hall. It was a chance to kill several birds with one stone.
On the other hand, if Fang Qingyuan had been stubborn and refused, not only would he have offended Huo Hu, but he could also forget about his Inner Sect Disciple evaluation for the next three to five years.
However, on a whim, Fang Qingyuan thought of his Camel Beast. If he was gone for ten to fifteen days, what would happen to it?
Besides, even if he went on the mission, the dock rental fee at Black River Square and the rent collected by the sect wouldn't be reduced by a single cent.
Because of this, Fang Qingyuan hesitated. Seeing that Huo Hu needed something from him, he tentatively brought it up, hoping Huo Hu would speak to the Academy and get half a month's rent waived for him.
But to his surprise, Huo Hu just laughed heartily after hearing this. He casually pulled out a handful of Spirit Stones, stuffed them into Fang Qingyuan's hand, and said:
"Consider these Spirit Stones payment for the rent. Entrust your Camel Beast to a friend. We'll be quick."
Receiving a handful of Spirit Stones, Fang Qingyuan's first thought was, 'This isn't enough.' But the sensation in his hand told him they were different from Low-grade Spirit Stones.
He looked down and was instantly dumbfounded. These weren't Low-grade Spirit Stones at all; they were clearly Middle-grade.
One Middle-grade Spirit Stone could be exchanged for over a hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones. Fang Qingyuan had previously toiled for more than a month without earning a single one.
But now, Huo Hu had just casually given him a handful.
Regarding this, Fang Qingyuan had only one thought: 'Are all the Huo Family members this rich?'
What Huo Hu had casually given away was, in his eyes, just some of his own pocket money. But in Fang Qingyuan's eyes, Huo Hu's generosity was boundless.
With a handful of Middle-grade Spirit Stones, forget just accompanying him on a trip to the Endless Forest—taking just a few of them to the Black Market would be enough to buy Fang Qingyuan's life.
At this point, how could Fang Qingyuan possibly refuse? So that night, he returned home, first entrusting his Camel Beast to Zhang Yuan's care. Then he spent the better part of the night just staring at the eight Middle-grade Spirit Stones, admiring them.
The next day, Huo Hu wrote a letter and, not even daring to see Lechuan, took Fang Qingyuan aboard a Tier Three Flying Boat. They flew continuously for five days, finally arriving at Nanlin Square.
His thoughts snapping back to the present, Fang Qingyuan heard Huo Hu's question and quickly replied:
"It's more than enough for the inn. I'm not staying in a fancy room anyway. One Middle-grade Spirit Stone can cover a stay of more than half a month."
Huo Hu laughed again, his rugged face beaming with happiness. He clapped Fang Qingyuan on the shoulder, then turned and mounted the Fierce Tiger beside him. With a WHOOSH, he charged out of the Marketplace and headed toward the Endless Forest.
Only after Huo Hu's figure had disappeared did Fang Qingyuan whisper:
"Have a safe trip, Uncle Huo. And have fun while you're at it."
....
Nanlin Square wasn't very large. This was because there were over a dozen similar marketplaces scattered around the perimeter of the Endless Forest.
These dozen-or-so marketplaces were mostly spaced over one hundred and fifty miles apart. Viewed from the sky, they looked like a string of pearls embedded along the edge of the Endless Forest.
Although Nanlin Square wasn't large, it offered a wide variety of goods, the most common of which were all sorts of demon beast materials.
"Boss, how much for these beast hides?"
Fang Qingyuan crouched in front of a stall, looking at a stack of beast hides laid out, and asked the price.
The hides were scattered on the ground, some still bearing bloodstains that hadn't been cleaned off. They looked very fresh, as if they had been skinned recently and not yet processed.
The stall owner had a ferocious face covered in coarse flesh. You'd sooner call him a butcher than a Cultivator, yet he was an Eighth-Layer Qi Cultivation practitioner.
Seeing Fang Qingyuan ask the price, he coldly spat out a number:
"Five Spirit Stones a piece."
'This price is a real bargain!' Hearing the quote, Fang Qingyuan's heart leaped with joy. Normally, the hide of a Qi Cultivating Demon Beast would be priced individually based on size, species, body part, and condition.
However, some Cultivators couldn't be bothered with such haggling. They just wanted to get rid of their goods quickly for Spirit Stones. But selling directly to shops meant getting lowballed, so some who weren't willing to accept that would set up a stall to try their luck.
Even if they didn't sell, it wouldn't be too late to take them to a shop afterward.
A demon beast hide like this had a shop buy-back price of four Spirit Stones. You could sell it at a stall for five, and after some rough processing, it could fetch six or seven.
But if Fang Qingyuan bought it and turned it into talisman paper, a single hide could sell for as much as ten Spirit Stones.
'As expected, things are cheap at the source.' Fang Qingyuan didn't haggle. He directly spent fifty Spirit Stones and bought the whole lot.
After stuffing the ten beast hides into his storage pouch, Fang Qingyuan's one-cubic-meter pouch was instantly filled to the brim.
Despite having spent another fifty Spirit Stones, Fang Qingyuan was overjoyed. Those fifty Spirit Stones now would turn into seventy, or even eighty, once he returned to Celestial Gate Mountain.
Today was the tenth day since Huo Hu had entered the Endless Forest. After Huo Hu left, Fang Qingyuan had settled down peacefully in the inn.
On most days, he would meditate and cultivate, while also purchasing some local goods to take back to Celestial Gate Mountain and sell for a profit.
By now, Fang Qingyuan had already spent five of the eight Middle-grade Spirit Stones, but Huo Hu had yet to return.
As for Huo Hu, Fang Qingyuan wasn't worried. 'Worrying is useless anyway.'
Just as Fang Qingyuan thought today would be another ordinary day, he heard Huo Hu's familiar laughter before he even entered the inn.
'Huo Hu is back!' Fang Qingyuan felt a wave of relief. Huo Hu's return meant he could go back to Celestial Gate Mountain. And once he was back, he would be an Inner Sect Disciple, and his benefits would double.
Thinking of his small courtyard and his Camel Beast, Fang Qingyuan quickened his pace. But just as he stepped into the inn, he saw someone else standing next to Huo Hu.
It was someone he recognized. It was none other than the ancestor of the Wei Family:
Wei Tong!