Stellar Profession Chapter 42: An Old Acquaintance - Novel Cool

Chapter 42: An Old Acquaintance

Chapter 42: An Old Acquaintance

Qinglinfang City.

"Unbelievable. This revenge plan turned out to be smoother than I could have ever imagined..."

Fang Xing looked at the silver-white laser gun in his hand and a smile curved on his face. "If I hadn't found him, I would have had to resort to using a 'Seeking Qi Talisman' or something similar."

It had to be said that these talismans from the cultivation world, while lacking in sheer destructive power compared to the ordinary weapons of the interstellar age, were extremely useful in other aspects.

Take this 'Seeking Qi Talisman' for example—with just a whiff of someone's qi, it could locate them within a certain range!

And then there was the concealment talisman he had used the last time, which had saved his life.

Otherwise, he might have been sniffed out and killed by Lance's little pet...

But if it had really come to that, he would have rather risked exposing his secret as a traverser and escaped into another world.

Fang Xing stepped out of his door and stretched leisurely.

Just then, the door to the house next door, which used to be occupied by Shen Guaifu, opened, and a burly man in black walked out.

Seeing Fang Xing, he was also taken aback for a moment, then bowed and said, "Greetings, fellow daoist. I am Yu Xia, the 'Demon Catcher', and I have just moved in. We will be neighbors from now on."

"So it's Fellow Yu,"

Fang Xing returned the bow and smiled. "I've been in seclusion, so I only knew that the Upper Sect sent people to clear the beast tide. How did it go?"

"So Fellow Daoist has been in seclusion these past few days..." Yu Xia parted his lips. "With a Core Formation cultivator taking action, we naturally achieved a great victory. A Core Formation cultivator from the Upper Sect and the old ancestor of the Zheng family joined forces to kill several second-rank demonic beasts in one go. Without their leaders, we were able to kill quite a few of the remaining first-rank demonic beasts, and thus the beast tide was resolved."

"So the beast tide has been resolved?" Fang Xing was a little dazed when he heard this, and he secretly marveled that this was indeed the cultivation world, where the outcome of battles was decided by the strength of the high-level combatants.

"Yes, the prices of ordinary living supplies can finally come down," Yu Xia continued. "But damn those demonic beasts for leaving too much material behind, causing the prices to plummet and affecting my livelihood..." As someone who called himself a demon catcher, Yu Xia naturally made his living primarily by hunting demonic beasts.

But far from sounding despondent, there was a hint of pride in his voice.

"Haha, the Upper Sect must have rewarded you handsomely for your contribution in suppressing the beast tide," Fang Xing laughed. "It should be enough to last you for a while. And don't worry, the prices of demonic beast materials will slowly rise again in the future."

"That's true," Yu Xia agreed. "It's a pity that you didn't join us, Fellow Daoist. However, in two days, the Zheng family will be holding an auction to celebrate the successful end of the demonic beast tide, and you must attend."

"An auction, you say?" Fang Xing cupped his hands.

"Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist."

With that, he strolled towards the street market.

...

"Demonic beast meat... Discounted demonic beast meat!"

"Top-quality Black Spirit Fruits, only one spirit sand each..."

"Beast hides, tendons, and bones at a huge discount..."

The market was as bustling as ever, and Fang Xing even noticed many new stalls that displayed a dazzling array of demonic beast materials. It was almost overwhelming.

"Hmm, I can stock up on various demonic beast meats. It's rare to see such a big price drop,"

Fang Xing mused as he browsed the stalls, nodding thoughtfully.

"Perhaps I should find an agent," he continued. "Someone to sell elixirs on my behalf, or to gather information in the market would be useful. I've been focusing too much on my martial arts training, and I'm a bit out of touch with the latest news. I only found out about the auction from someone else..."

Now that he had the laser gun for protection, he felt bolder in his actions.

With sufficient strength, he could recruit others to work for him without fear of betrayal—because he could suppress them with a mere flick of his wrist.

However, there was no need to rush into such arrangements; he could take his time and consider his options.

"At least, not until school starts,"

he thought. Once school began, Fang Xing would have less time to spend in this world, and every moment would be dedicated to cultivation. Having someone at his beck and call would be extremely convenient.

Fang Xing approached a stall selling demonic beast meat. "How much for your demonic beast meat?"

The stall owner, a stout man, was wielding a bone-chopping knife, and with a flash of the blade, he removed a bone from the meat, leaving no flesh on it. Without looking up, he replied, "Fifteen pounds for one spirit stone."

"How about a cheaper price? Thirty pounds for one spirit stone?"

Fang Xing began to haggle.

Having spent quite some time in Qinglinfang City, he had gradually become accustomed to the local customs and knew that if he didn't bargain, he would surely be cheated!

"You're joking," the meat seller scoffed, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Eighteen pounds at most!"

Seeing the man's cultivation level, he might even be a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator!

But Fang Xing, with his laser gun, was unfazed. "Twenty-five pounds!"

After some back and forth, they finally settled on a price of twenty pounds per spirit stone.

"Good, give me a hundred pounds,"

Fang Xing said as he took out five low-grade spirit stones, secretly deciding to cure the meat when he returned home. "Is this meat from a pig-like demonic beast?

"Give me the hind legs!"

"You're very demanding..."

The meat vendor was a little exasperated, but he obediently cut the meat as per Fang Xing's request.

After all, there were too many stalls selling demonic beast materials, and meat could spoil quickly. It was better to sell as much as possible.

"These hind legs are good; I can make ham when I get home..."

As a martial artist, Fang Xing could easily carry a hundred pounds. After browsing for a while longer, he decided to head back to his shack and enjoy his meal while cultivating, awaiting the upcoming auction.

On his way back, he passed through the 'Y' section of the shanty area.

As he walked by, he noticed several women with heavy makeup, leaning against their doorways, their eyes sharp as hooks, staring at every passerby.

Occasionally, a martial artist or two would approach, negotiate a price, and then enter the house, closing the door firmly behind them.

"Damn, openly soliciting during the day..."

Fang Xing spat disdainfully and touched his money pouch. "I only have one spirit sand here, but it's much cheaper than the low-grade spirit stone at Listen to the Rain Pavilion... But wait, the ladies at the pavilion are proper fairies who practice special enchantment techniques. These women here are martial artists... We martial artists rarely get the chance to be on top of a cultivator..."

As he walked, a commotion suddenly erupted up ahead.

Smack!

A figure was thrown out and fell to the ground in a disheveled state.

Fortunately, the attacker didn't intend to cause serious harm, and the man quickly got to his feet with a tumble, dusting himself off. "You damn whore... If you don't want to sell, then don't sell! Why hit me?"

"Hmph... Look at what you're offering. Do you think you can afford my services? Go drink your mother's bathwater!"

Hua Feiyue leaned lazily against the door, her playful rebuke filled with allure.

She wore a lotus leaf skirt, revealing a large expanse of snowy white, tender flesh. Her skin was indeed as smooth as jade, captivating and enchanting.

No wonder people misunderstood her intentions, given her attire and location.

After berating the man who had mistaken her half-open door as an invitation, she caught sight of Fang Xing from the corner of her eye and smiled coquettishly. "If you were as handsome as this young man here, I might consider it. I'd even give you half a spirit stone for free!"

The customer had a plain face, if not ugly, and he glared at Fang Xing, clearly resenting him as well, leaving Fang Xing speechless.

"What a groundless disaster," he thought to himself. But he smiled and said, "Miss Hua, you're mistaken..."

"Oh? How so?" Hua Feiyue giggled.

"I, myself, am a graceful and handsome man, full of charm and elegance... At the very least, I'm worth a whole spirit stone," Fang Xing replied naturally.

"Not bad, not bad at all. Here's a spirit stone for you!" Hua Feiyue beckoned with her finger.

Without hesitation, Fang Xing stepped into the doorway and kicked the door shut with a leopard's tail-like movement.

The disappointed customer could only curse and call them adulterers as he left, amid the disdainful and mocking gazes of the others.

...

"So... Are you really going to take care of your sister's business, little brother?"

Hua Feiyue's eyes sparkled with a hint of surprise as she watched Fang Xing kick the door shut. She asked with a playful smile.

"How did you end up in this situation, Miss Hua?"

Fang Xing scanned the room and noticed a half-eaten bowl of rice on the stove, which appeared to be ordinary rice.

"Sigh... I offended the Black Tiger Gang, and then I fell out with my boss. How dare I venture out to hunt? I can only stay within the market to ensure my safety... I've spent most of my savings, and the little I have left is for healing pills. What choice do I have but to be frugal?" Hua Feiyue's tone was somewhat resentful as she stared intently at the pork in Fang Xing's hand. "Little brother, you seem to be living quite the carefree life... You have demonic beast meat for every meal!"

"I'm just doing a small business, and things have been a bit better recently."

Fang Xing had initially intended to chat for a while.

But seeing Hua Feiyue's current state, he began to have other ideas.

After all, she was a congenital martial artist, but her initial judgment had been poor, leading her to fraternize with cultivators and ultimately suffer a crushing defeat.

Now, she had fallen so low that she was even considering selling herself... for meat.

"Being able to make a living in the market is the dream of countless cultivators and martial artists... What a pity..."

Hua Feiyue's thoughts seemed to wander, and her enthusiasm waned.

Perhaps, like her fifth sister, she should leave this place of heartbreak? Otherwise, if she stayed any longer, she might truly end up having to sell her body.

"Miss Hua, don't be discouraged. Here's ten pounds of demonic beast meat. Please accept it."

Fang Xing thought for a moment and decided to offer her a sweet deal first.

After all, it was his first visit, and it was customary to bring a gift. Hua Feiyue was now alone and vulnerable, but she was also resourceful and could potentially make a good shopkeeper in the future. Even if they didn't end up doing business together, a gift of demonic beast meat was insignificant, as it wasn't worth much anyway.

"Little brother..."

Hua Feiyue was truly touched, and her beautiful eyes sparkled with emotion. She giggled, "Could it be... that you've taken a fancy to your sister? But I don't have any spirit stones..."

(End of Chapter)

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