Starry Sky Professional

"According to the unwritten rules of wandering cultivators, Brother Fang, since you landed the final blow on this demon tiger, you deserve a share. What do you think?"

Chen Yi's somewhat clouded eyes swept over Fang Xing before he suddenly spoke up.

"Elder Brother!"

Chen Hongtian grew anxious upon hearing this. They had expended considerable effort on this beast; how could they possibly let an outsider take a share?

The exchange would mean a lot of spirit stones!

The Cangshan Five Brothers were not known for their charity in the world of immortal cultivation!

But Chen Yi shook his head, signaling with his eyes for his third brother to remain silent. In contrast, Hua Feiyue chuckled softly upon hearing the conversation, "Exactly... This young brother managed to kill the demon tiger in one strike. Clearly, his skills aren't lacking. May I ask which esteemed master you studied under?"

Her words clearly aimed at probing Fang Xing's background and origins.

"I belong to no sect or clan..."

Fang Xing replied with a light laugh. "As for the materials on the demon tiger, I won’t take anything. I've been away for a while and missed how the market has changed. How is Qinglin Bazaar now?"

With his drone picking herbs for him, he had little interest in the materials from a mere Tier-One demon tiger. His main goal was to gather information.

"In the bazaar, everything is as it should be... except that prices have gone up a bit. The Qing Xuan Sect elder issued the 'Beast Hunt Decree'; now, killing a demon beast earns you extra spirit stones..."

Chen Yi exhaled deeply, his aged face carrying a hint of a wry smile. "We were overwhelmed, which led us to take risks and hunt demon beasts outside..."

"I see..."

Fang Xing nodded in understanding, then asked a few more questions. After a while, he cupped his hands, "The mountains are high and the waters are long, until we meet again!"

With a flash, he disappeared into the dense forest, his figure vanishing after just a few movements.

"Elder Brother, why show such courtesy to a youngster?"

Chen Hongtian's eyes gleamed as he observed Fang Xing's movement technique. "I doubt this person is an immortal cultivator, not even innate..."

"Haha, Third Brother, you must be mistaken... Can an ordinary Postnatal martial artist kill a 'Crimson Flame Tiger' with one strike?"

Hua Feiyue's voice was soft and alluring, almost making one shiver.

Meng Yi and Shen Yuxin approached the Crimson Flame Tiger, taking out daggers and other tools, preparing to collect the beast materials.

As they turned the demon tiger over, they gasped in surprise, "Big Brother, look!"

Chen Yi approached and saw that the demon tiger's snow-white belly was charred completely black.

"This is... a lightning technique? A lightning attribute talisman?"

Chen Hongtian's eyes narrowed.

"No, it's likely... a blood-refined artifact!"

Chen Yi recalled the silver-clad youth holding a rod directed at them earlier and felt a sudden chill, "This person... is not to be provoked!"

A blood-refined artifact!

Even in the bustling Qinglin Market, it was an exceptionally rare and scarce item.

Anyone possessing it was invariably at the pinnacle of the Inborn realm, and, in combination with a blood-refined artifact, could interact as equals with mid-level Qi Refinement cultivators.

Yet this one appeared in the hands of a Postnatal martial artist!

What does this indicate?

If the other party hadn't simply stumbled upon it by luck, then they must have deep and formidable backing, not to be trifled with!

And judging from the earlier conversation, that young man was certainly not some lucky arrogant fool.

"Big Brother and Second Sister really know how to judge people..."

Chen Hongtian scratched the back of his head, "Thankfully, that person wasn’t interested in the demon beast's meat. Let's quickly gather the materials and leave immediately..."

"Hm, Third Brother, that's the most practical advice. We should not stay here for long," Chen Yi nodded, directing the four of them to skin and de-bone the Crimson Flame Tiger, each carrying away over a hundred pounds of meat, along with the tiger's hide, bones, and whip, departing swiftly...

From a distance, Meng Yi's excited voice could be heard, "This single demon tiger's materials are worth at least dozens of low-grade spirit stones. We've hit the jackpot this time!"

"Hehe... It's a pity the increase in beasts has led to a drop in beast meat prices in the market... Otherwise, we would have earned even more."

Once these people departed, the bloodied remains on the ground attracted a few hungry wolves, eagerly licking the residual scraps of meat.

Up on an unnoticed treetop, a kingfisher pecked at its feathers before fluttering away.

"It seems those five people didn't deceive me. They weren’t overly greedy either..."

Not far away, Fang Xing observed the monitors and nodded to himself.

"Qinglin Market doesn’t seem to regard this beast tide as a major issue, which makes it worth visiting. Perhaps I can rent a house there..."

It's undeniable that Fang Xing harbored a strong obsession with housing.

In his past life, he dreamed day and night of buying a house on Blueland, yet it remained a distant dream.

"If the property prices are low enough, perhaps I can acquire some land in Qinglin Market first?"

Fang Xing stroked his chin, deep in thought.

Qinglin Market.

The reason likely lies in the formation encompassing the entire market, imparting a strong sense of security.

As usual, Fang Xing entered the market and headed straight to the office set up by the Qing Xuan Sect.

The person in charge of the shanty areas was named Zhang, also known as Azure Sheep, sporting a goatee and always smiling at everyone.

However, when Fang Xing inquired about land prices, Azure Sheep's expression turned unusually serious, "Even though our sect owns a lot of land, none is available for sale... The houses in the shanty areas are only for rent, not for sale!"

"I see, my apologies for being presumptuous."

Fang Xing repeatedly apologized, though he was internally frustrated: 'Not for sale? Then what about those sprawling properties owned by the Zheng family? Aren’t they just exploiting us lone cultivators for our lack of power?'

'But if I were them, I’d also prefer a steady stream of income over selling the goose that lays the golden eggs...'

The scattered cultivators and martial artists renting houses must pay each month, and the turnover rate of tenants is exceedingly high, as they might perish any day.

In such cases, the Qing Xuan Sect can reclaim the property and profit once more.

"What about renting then?"

He took a step back, deciding to ask about renting options.

"For your information, young friend, the rental properties in our market are divided into three grades: superior, medium, and inferior.

The superior houses are within the market, covering an acre of land and boasting exquisite architecture…

The medium-grade houses are on the market's edge, lush with spiritual energy, and include small courtyards…

As for the inferior ones, they are at the foot of the mountain, akin to the shanties you’ve seen."

Zhang, also known as Azure Sheep, resumed his kindly smile, stroking his beard: "You need not inquire about the superior dwellings; medium-grade lodgings cost ten spirit stones a month, affordable only to those late-stage Qi Refinement experts or mid-stage cultivators with exceptional skills…"

At this point, he glanced at Fang Xing, his gaze slightly challenging.

However, Fang Xing remained impassive, well aware that acting impulsively would lead him into a consumer trap, turning him into a fool: "I’ll settle for an inferior shanty then!"

"The inferior housing costs one spirit stone a month, with an additional deposit of one.

These are yet to be occupied, so feel free to choose one yourself."

Zhang’s smile faded somewhat as he produced a thick booklet and handed it to Fang Xing: "The ones without red annotations are unclaimed; pick whichever you like."

Fang Xing carefully examined it, comparing it to the mental map of the shanty area he had captured with his drone.

There wasn’t much to select from, given that the conditions were uniformly poor and perilous!

Nonetheless, Fang Xing opted for a relatively secluded spot, considering ease of escape: "I’ll go with this one."

"Alright."

Zhang accepted two spirit stones and handed a brass key to Fang Xing, advising him: "Due to the beast frenzy, many wayward rogue cultivators have entered the market, making the place somewhat unstable.

Take care of yourself…"

"Thank you for the warning…"

Fang Xing cupped his hands in farewell and left the office: ‘Hmm, though Zhang is greedy… he doesn’t seem like a bad person.’

With the brass key in hand, he didn’t rush to his new abode; he decided to explore the market first.

During his stroll, Fang Xing realized the changes immediately.

"As expected, the prices for various beast materials have plummeted…

But the costs of daily necessities have soared…

After all, the farmers either sought refuge in the market or were devoured by beasts.

Who is left to till the fields or do the odd jobs?"

“Most of the market still operates on a barter system. If they were to encounter the financial schemes of the cosmic era, who knows how badly they'd be exploited? But... perhaps not. After all, some can just flip the table, like those three powerful factions. They'd probably smile as I accumulate spiritual stones, only to send their strongmen to overpower me in the end, and then borrow my head to quell any dissent.”

“Indeed, in such a chaotic land, talk of rejuvenating commerce is nonsense. A bigger fist is the real principle.”

With that thought, all notions of making money from business vanished for Fang Xing. He planned to simply buy a few pounds of spirit rice.

However, he was dismayed to find that, due to extensive fields lying fallow, the price of spirit rice had surged, reaching the extent of two spirit sands per pound, a complete doubling from before!

“Damn, this isn't robbery... no, not even robbery is this fast.”

“Might as well buy some monster beast meat to try something different instead...”

Fang Xing wandered between various stalls, when suddenly his eyes lit up; he had spotted Ding Hongxiu and her grandfather!

This grandfather and granddaughter duo were tending a spirit rice stall. Ding Hongxiu timidly beckoned customers, while Ding Bushan lay off to the side, occasionally taking a sip of wine.

‘Wait, I'm under my real appearance, they don’t recognize me...’

With this thought, Fang Xing approached the stall, “How much for the lotus fragrance spirit rice?”

“One spirit stone for six pounds!”

Ding Hongxiu replied, quoting the prices typical of freelance stalls, surely cheaper than shops to attract customers.

“A bit pricey...”

Fang Xing frowned, “It used to be ten pounds for a stone. I'll buy more if you give me a discount, or I might as well buy some monster beast meat to eat!”

“A major deal!”

Ding Bushan quickly set aside his wine gourd, coming over with a smile plastered across his red nose: “If the esteemed customer purchases fifty pounds or more, I can decide to give you a price break: how about eight stones for fifty pounds?”

“Fine, let's do it.”

Fang Xing waved his hand, sensing there was no further room for negotiation.

After the transaction, as they watched his departing back, Ding Bushan said to his granddaughter, “See that? That's a real young talent, just look at that robe, clearly no ordinary item, and spending big without hesitation, just to buy spirit rice. His spirit stone supply must be abundant... Ah, Hongxiu, you need to set your sights like this when finding a grandson-in-law for Grandpa. Don’t bother with those poor stall keepers like last time...”

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(End of Chapter)