Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: Two Years and a Significant Gift
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"Fellow Daoist Chen, are you saying you want twelve demon beasts, all late-stage first-tier, and all with high-grade second-rank bloodlines?"
Mazi's voice trembled slightly.
Boss Wang was indeed the largest demon beast dealer in the demon hunter's market, but the transactions Mazi usually handled were around two hundred spirit stones.
Previously, Chen Jianghe had wanted ten mid-stage first-tier demon beasts and two late-stage first-tier ones, for a total value of two hundred and twenty-eight spirit stones.
That already made him a major client for their demon hunting team.
Now, he had changed his order to twelve late-stage first-tier demon beasts, and most importantly, all of them had to be of high-grade second-rank bloodlines.
The total value of this order would exceed four hundred spirit stones.
"Do you have them?"
Seeing Mazi's shocked expression, Chen Jianghe asked with a hint of concern.
He didn't want too much contact with demon hunters.
The last time he went to the demon hunter's market, he had seen so many ninth-level Qi Refining cultivators who had perfected their body tempering.
He knew then that demon hunters probably did more than just hunt demon beasts.
They likely dabbled in other business as well.
Therefore, it was best if he could get all the demon beasts he needed from a single source.
"Yes, yes, yes."
Mazi quickly replied, "But I don't have that many with me. Please wait a moment, Fellow Daoist Chen. I'll go back right away. I'll have twelve late-stage first-tier demon beasts delivered to you within half an hour at most."
With that, Mazi hurried out of Qingping Lane and sprinted towards the northwest residential area. If it weren't for the rule in Qinghe Market City forbidding cultivators below Foundation Establishment from flying, he would have already taken to his sword.
Watching Mazi leave, Chen Jianghe breathed a sigh of relief.
It was best if Boss Wang's side could provide everything. He really didn't want to squeeze into the demon hunter's market again.
After Mazi left, Chen Jianghe didn't stay idle. He immediately went to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to purchase cultivation resources and talisman-drawing materials.
Ten True Spirit Pills, twelve Tidal Essences, as well as ten sheets of Black Porpoise Hide and ten boxes of Spirit Ink.
In total, he spent six hundred and twenty spirit stones.
The reason he bought ten True Spirit Pills was that he was confident he could advance his cultivation to the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining within the next five years.
By then, he would no longer need True Spirit Pills to enhance his cultivation.
His focus would then shift to body tempering and enhancing his soul and spirit, allowing him to achieve a perfected physique and a perfected spirit.
The twelve Tidal Essences corresponded with the body-tempering spirit pills, enough for the next six years of cultivation.
He wasn't short on spirit stones now, so he could buy them in advance.
The ten sheets of Black Porpoise Hide and ten boxes of Spirit Ink, along with the seventy-two sheets of Spirit Blood Boar Hide and two boxes of Spirit Ink he already had, were more than enough for the next three years.
Purchasing so many resources and materials, he was planning to go into seclusion.
He wanted to raise his cultivation to the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining as quickly as possible to free up time for practicing the spiritual art.
After buying everything he needed, he returned to Qingping Lane.
He saw that Mazi had already returned, and even Boss Wang had come personally.
"Brother Chen, are you really buying twelve late-stage first-tier demon beasts?" Boss Wang asked, a hint of disbelief in his voice.
In Qinghe Market City, there were some small-scale cultivator clans that survived by processing demon beast parts.
But most of them bought mid-stage first-tier demon beasts, disassembled them into parts, and then sold them at the Demon Beast Market.
They could make a profit of two or three spirit stones per beast.
It was rare for anyone to purchase late-stage first-tier demon beasts in bulk for processing, as it required a large initial investment.
Furthermore, the profit margin on a single beast wasn't very high—only three to five spirit stones. It wasn't as cost-effective as buying more mid-stage first-tier demon beasts.
"Of course. And from now on, I'll need you to deliver twelve late-stage first-tier demon beasts here every year, Boss Wang. They must all have high-grade second-rank bloodlines."
"Good, good, that's all easily arranged."
Boss Wang assured him with confidence, "Don't worry, Brother Chen. I'll make sure to deliver twelve demon beasts to you at the beginning of each year."
"Here are twelve late-stage first-tier demon beasts, all with high-grade second-rank bloodlines. Take a look."
With a wave of his hand, Boss Wang sent five unowned storage bags flying toward Chen Jianghe.
He scanned them with his spiritual sense.
Chen Jianghe nodded. They were indeed late-stage first-tier demon beasts, and all of them had high-grade second-rank bloodlines.
"How much will it be, Boss Wang?"
"Rest assured, Brother Chen, it's the lowest price. On the market, a late-stage first-tier demon beast with a high-grade second-rank bloodline goes for thirty-two to forty spirit stones."
"You've seen these twelve beasts, Brother Chen. They're all high-quality specimens."
"How about this? I'll give them all to you for thirty-five spirit stones each. For twelve, that's a total of four hundred and twenty spirit stones."
"What do you think, little brother Chen?"
Hearing Boss Wang's words, Chen Jianghe felt it was a fair price. Among the twelve beasts, only two were of medium quality; the rest were all high quality.
"Alright, I agree to your price, Boss Wang."
"Excellent. Brother Chen, you can take the demon beasts first, and we'll settle the spirit stones afterward," Boss Wang said with a cheerful smile.
Chen Jianghe nodded.
He moved the demon beast carcasses from the five storage bags into his courtyard.
Then he returned the storage bags to Boss Wang and took out fifty-six mid-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans.
"Little brother Chen's skill in the Dao of Talismans is becoming more and more exquisite."
After accepting the spirit talismans, Boss Wang first offered a compliment, then counted them. "A total of fifty-six mid-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans. That should be four hundred and fifty-three spirit stones and sixty grains of spirit sand."
"Subtracting the four hundred and twenty spirit stones for the demon beasts, I still owe you thirty-three spirit stones and sixty grains of spirit sand."
"Mazi, give little brother Chen thirty-four spirit stones."
Chen Jianghe accepted the spirit stones from Mazi, put them away with a smile, and after a word of thanks, he returned to his courtyard.
Boss Wang and Mazi also left.
But as they walked out of Qingping Lane, Boss Wang's expression changed. The smile vanished, replaced by a cold indifference.
"Spread the word. During the time Brother Chen and I are doing business, if any of Duan Ming's men dare to enter the market city and harass him, kill them as soon as they leave."
"Yes, boss."
Four hundred and twenty spirit stones—this was far more profitable than selling to the Demon Beast Market.
He could earn at least one hundred and twenty spirit stones.
And it was a guaranteed one hundred and twenty spirit stones every year. This established interest was enough for him to put some pressure on Duan Ming's band of rogue cultivators.
As the leader of the largest demon hunting team in Qinghe Market City, he also had a Foundation Establishment cultivator backing him and did not fear the Qingfeng Stronghold.
——
"Two-Legged Beast, you're really doing it!"
Xiao Hei tugged at the long fur on Maoqiu's neck, looking at Chen Jianghe in disbelief.
Twelve demon beasts, all late-stage first-tier with high-grade second-rank bloodlines.
He was really planning to help him become a second-tier spirit beast.
"Of course, it's real. The path of cultivation is long. I'd rather not see you get stewed into turtle soup prematurely."
Chen Jianghe said sincerely.
His words were filled with concern for Xiao Hei, as if he feared Xiao Hei might be turned into soup at any moment.
"Master~"
Xiao Hei's beady eyes blinked a few times. He felt as if sand had gotten into them, yet there was no wind.
He also had a strange feeling in his heart.
"Don't get emotional. Cultivating diligently is the best way to repay me."
Seeing Xiao Hei's moved expression, Chen Jianghe felt he couldn't keep up the act for much longer.
"How many demon beast hearts, organs, and flesh can Maoqiu eat in a year?"
Hearing Chen Jianghe ask about Maoqiu, Xiao Hei composed himself, thought for a moment, and sent a telepathic message: "It takes eight months to process twelve demon beasts."
"After I devour the spirit cores, cultivating the Three Revolutions Demon Ascension Art doesn't interfere with processing the beasts, but Maoqiu is different."
"He only has four months to devour and refine the demon beast hearts, organs, and flesh. Three beasts should be about right."
After hearing Xiao Hei's analysis, Chen Jianghe nodded.
"Three it is, then. You'll refine twelve spirit cores, Maoqiu will consume the flesh, hearts, and organs of three demon beasts, and I'll sell the rest for spirit stones."
"Okay."
Xiao Hei replied obediently.
Then he looked at the dazed Maoqiu and swiped at him with a claw. "Master is so good to us, and you don't even say thank you?"
"Chirp chirp~" (Did Master say something?)
Only then did Xiao Hei remember that he and Chen Jianghe were communicating telepathically.
"Does he have to say something for you to thank him?"
"..."
Chen Jianghe watched Xiao Hei's unreasonable antics with a faint smile and walked into his room.
Xiao Hei bullying Maoqiu had become a regular occurrence.
The bullying was real.
But so was his affection for Maoqiu.
Soon, the small courtyard returned to its rhythmic, fulfilling routine.
Xiao Hei and Maoqiu helped each other, processing the demon beast carcasses, disassembling the parts, and then sorting them.
During this time, Xiao Hei would devour one spirit core each month and then spend an hour every day cultivating the Three Revolutions Demon Ascension Art.
Maoqiu, on the other hand, worked tirelessly without rest.
Chen Jianghe was even busier.
He scheduled his twenty-four hours a day with meticulous precision, leaving not a moment for rest.
Three hours cultivating the Myriad Waters True Scripture, two hours practicing the Tidal Body Tempering Art, and seven hours drawing spirit talismans.
When his spiritual power was depleted and his mind was overly taxed, he would use the time for cultivating the Myriad Waters True Scripture to recover.
As for the seven hours of talisman drawing, he didn't spend all seven hours drawing every day.
Otherwise, he would have died from mental collapse long ago.
The time for resting his mind was also included within those seven hours.
He didn't dare to be like Zhou Miaoyun, who was willing to sacrifice her own lifespan to earn more spirit stones for her clan.
Of course, Chen Jianghe could understand Zhou Miaoyun.
What else could she do?
Having not married in her youth, she had no children of her own and could only focus on developing her natal family's clan.
One might say her life was tragic, yet the entire Zhou Clan listened to her.
It was more accurate to say that Zhou Miaoyun was the true head of the clan, rather than her brother.
Therefore, Zhou Miaoyun's sacrifices for her clan were worth it. If there was any imperfection, it was that she didn't have her own child.
She could only place her hopes of Foundation Establishment on her grandnephew.
Unlike Yu Daniu, who could pin his hopes of Foundation Establishment on his son, Yun Xiaoniu.
Although Yun Xiaoniu didn't bear his surname, he was of his blood.
Time flew by. Spring passed and autumn arrived.
Late September.
Chen Jianghe slowly opened his eyes. He released his spiritual sense and saw that both Xiao Hei and Maoqiu were in the middle of their cultivation.
He didn't disturb them.
With a thought, his spiritual power turned into a fine thread, retrieving three letters from the message box.
He glanced at the names.
There were messages from Jiang Ruxu and Ruan Tieniu, and a letter from Zhou Miaoyun.
He first opened Zhou Miaoyun's letter.
The letter stated that one of Zhou Miaoyun's nephews would be coming to Qinghe Market City at the end of the year to purchase a Calamity Dispelling Pill.
She hoped Chen Jianghe could help look after him.
Chen Jianghe understood Zhou Miaoyun's meaning. Her nephew was likely planning to break through in the market city after buying the pill.
Only after a successful breakthrough would he consider returning home.
Chen Jianghe had no reason to refuse.
In any case, Zhou Miaoyun was a friend, and he could certainly help a friend's descendant with such a small matter.
He immediately wrote a reply to Zhou Miaoyun.
Next, he opened Jiang Ruxu's message. It was an inquiry about the Beauty Retaining Pill.
She was asking in a personal capacity whether the Beauty Retaining Pill from the auction was put up by him.
If not, she wanted to know if he had an extra one on hand.
In short, Jiang Ruxu wanted to buy the Beauty Retaining Pill he possessed, but she didn't have the spirit stones at the moment and asked if he could hold it for her for ten years.
He did have a Beauty Retaining Pill.
But he couldn't sell it openly.
He could only trade it privately.
If Jiang Ruxu wanted it, she could have it, but waiting ten years was not an option. He could only promise to keep it for her if he didn't find a suitable buyer within ten years.
If he did find one, he would certainly exchange it for spirit stones in secret first.
Therefore, he chose to ignore Jiang Ruxu's message for now. When they met in the future, if Jiang Ruxu brought it up, he would subtly convey his intentions.
If she didn't mention it, he would pretend he never saw the letter.
Then, he opened Ruan Tieniu's message.
The contents made him overjoyed.
It turned out that Boss Wang had warned Duan Ming to stay away from Qinghe Market City for the next few years.
However, Duan Ming ignored Boss Wang, which made Boss Wang lose face. He had then united with dozens of other demon hunting team leaders.
They issued an expulsion order against Duan Ming's band of rogue cultivators from the vicinity of the Wandering Immortal Mountain Range.
If Duan Ming dared to show his face around the Wandering Immortal Mountain Range, he would be attacked by demon hunters.
Rogue cultivators could bully lone cultivators.
But demon hunters?
They really didn't dare to confront them.
Because rogue cultivators knew very well that demon hunters were even more ferocious and brutal than they were.
Rogue cultivators acted opportunistically, robbing lone cultivators who were caught off guard.
But demon hunters were different. They were the ones who truly put their lives on the line, doing a life-or-death job.
Most importantly, demon hunters didn't just hunt demon beasts; they also hunted cultivators in their spare time.
In other words, a demon hunter could easily become a rogue cultivator.
But a rogue cultivator would not dare to moonlight as a demon hunter. That was the difference between the two professions.
"It seems Boss Wang stands to make a lot of spirit stones from those twelve late-stage first-tier demon beasts."
Demon hunters valued spirit stones above all else.
They treated even a single grain of spirit sand as extremely important.
Because it was all earned by risking their lives.
Now that Chen Jianghe was providing him with such a large profit, he naturally had to protect him.
Time passed quickly.
The end of the year arrived.
Chen Jianghe took down the 'In Seclusion' sign from his courtyard gate, awaiting the arrival of Zhou Miaoyun's nephew.
As New Year's Eve approached, Zhou Miaoyun's nephew came to his door.
He even brought a basket of mid-grade spirit fruits, worth three spirit stones.
Afterward, Chen Jianghe took him to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, found Chen Ping, and got a discounted price of fifty-five spirit stones for a Calamity Dispelling Pill.
Then, he rented a training room in the southeast district for three hours, which cost one spirit stone, for Zhou Miaoyun's nephew to use for his breakthrough.
After breaking through to the late stage of Qi Refining, the nephew left Qinghe Market City.
By finding Chen Jianghe, he had saved one spirit stone in total.
Of course, Zhou Miaoyun's intention in having her nephew seek out Chen Jianghe wasn't to save that single spirit stone, but to let her nephew become acquainted with him.
Chen Jianghe naturally understood Zhou Miaoyun's thoughts.
But there was no need to refuse.
After all, getting familiar with him was useless. He had no power, his skills were mediocre, and he didn't go out.
A few more days passed, and it was the fifth day of the new year.
This year, Chen Jianghe had used one hundred and twelve sheets of Spirit Blood Boar Hide to draw fifty-five mid-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans.
His skill in the Dao of Talismans seemed to have hit a bottleneck.
Without a first-tier high-grade talisman-making inheritance, it would be difficult for his skills to improve further.
His success rate for drawing mid-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans remained at fifty percent.
On that day, Mazi came to make a trade.
He brought twelve late-stage first-tier demon beasts, all with high-grade second-rank bloodlines.
They were all of high quality.
And he still sold them to Chen Jianghe at the price of thirty-five spirit stones each.
The fifty-five mid-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans were worth four hundred and forty-five spirit stones and fifty grains of spirit sand.
After subtracting the four hundred and twenty spirit stones for the demon beasts, Mazi gave Chen Jianghe twenty-six spirit stones.
According to Boss Wang's instructions, since Chen Jianghe was a major customer, any loose change could be rounded up.
After Mazi left, Chen Jianghe had Xiao Hei and Maoqiu enter the spirit beast space, then packed up the demon beast parts and headed to the Demon Beast Market.
It took him four trips back and forth to finally deliver all the parts from his home to the Demon Beast Market.
The buyback price was decent. Excluding the main parts of the three beasts that Maoqiu ate, the remaining demon beast parts sold for an average of twelve spirit stones per beast.
Nine beasts amounted to one hundred and eight spirit stones.
Adding the seventeen spirit stones and sixty grains of spirit sand from the sale of the hides and spirit blood of the other three beasts, he recouped one hundred and twenty-five spirit stones and sixty grains of spirit sand from the four hundred and twenty he had spent.
This meant each spirit core cost him about twenty-three spirit stones, which was close to the twenty-two he had anticipated.
By his calculations, Xiao Hei had consumed two hundred and seventy-six spirit stones' worth of resources this year.
Maoqiu had consumed eighteen spirit stones and thirty grains of spirit sand.
Maoqiu's resources had been reduced.
But there was no other way. He had to prioritize supporting Xiao Hei in becoming a second-tier spirit beast.
As for Maoqiu, he would have to wait until after he successfully reached Foundation Establishment to consider his training.
He now had one thousand six hundred and sixty-five spirit stones and ten grains of spirit sand.
The cultivation resources on hand were enough for the next four years.
His current annual income from drawing talismans just about covered Xiao Hei's resource consumption, with a little left over.
However, he dared not spend this sum of over sixteen hundred spirit stones carelessly.
A while ago, when he looked for Chen Ping, he had already asked him to keep an eye out for news about Spirit Nurturing Pills and first-tier high-grade Spirit Nourishing Liquid.
He was to be notified immediately if any news of them appeared at an auction.
In four years at most, his cultivation would reach the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining. He had to start planning for the Spirit Nurturing Pill and first-tier Spirit Nourishing Liquid in advance.
Although he could go to the sect's market city to buy them directly, he didn't dare to leave Qinghe Market City rashly.
While there were flying ships traveling between the two market cities, which were generally safe, there were instances of ships being hijacked.
He had offended the Qingfeng Stronghold. Once he left Qinghe Market City, even traveling by flying ship would be unsafe.
He would not leave Qinghe Market City until he reached Foundation Establishment.
This was his bottom line.
Since he couldn't have the Spirit Nurturing Pill and first-tier high-grade Spirit Nourishing Liquid purchased for him from the sect's market city, his only way of obtaining them was through auctions.
It would certainly be more expensive.
But the advantage was safety.
Spending a few extra spirit stones didn't matter; he could always earn more later.
Besides, it was money spent on something crucial, so it wasn't a waste.
Time flew, and another seven months passed.
Yu Daniu sent Chen Jianghe a letter.
The letter mentioned the spiritual items in the storage bag that Gao Peiyao had given to Yun Xiaoniu when they last parted ways.
What he read surprised Chen Jianghe, yet it was also within his expectations.
"It really is a spiritual item related to Foundation Establishment!"