novelapdf Chapter 23 A wolf cub named 66 has arrived at the Spirit Beast Park!
Chapter 23 A wolf cub named 66 has arrived at the Spirit Beast Park!
"Good heavens, you've even set up your stall right next to mine." Bai Yunsheng, the martial arts manual vendor, couldn't help but tease Meng De for being so informal.
"Foster care of spirit beast cubs? Do such arrangements still exist?"
"Where there is demand, there is a market." Meng De took out Yue Lin's and his companion's spirit beast pouches to show them off, and at the same time loudly proclaimed to the curious cultivators around him, "Professional spirit beast cub fostering. Thanks to the trust of Senior Brother Wang Sheng of Blood Lion Peak, these are the two spirit beasts that Senior Brother Wang Sheng has entrusted to me. Senior brothers and sisters, you don't need to worry."
"I am Meng De, a newly initiated disciple of Qingling Peak. I worked in the servants' quarters for ten years and am proficient in raising spirit beast cubs, especially those with personality problems. We offer professional personality correction services!"
"With just five spirit stones, you can give your spirit beast cub a head start!"
With Meng De's shout, the surrounding cultivators all cast curious glances at him. Many of them were puzzled and surprised after seeing Meng De's sign for fostering spirit beasts.
"Spirit beasts...do they offer foster care services now?"
Five spirit stones a month? You might as well rob someone!
"Who would dare entrust their spirit beast to you, an unknown nobody?"
"Hmm... Mengde... why does this name seem somewhat familiar?"
"Huh... isn't that the legendary handyman? I didn't expect him to be recruited as a disciple... If it's him, there's no doubt about his abilities..."
"Wang Sheng of Blood Lion Peak... I did see them making contact inside the Black Bee Palace just now. So they were fostering spirit beasts..."
"..."
As the surrounding crowd discussed the matter, the puzzle of Meng De's information gradually came together, and they were somewhat surprised to find that Meng De actually seemed to have the ability to take good care of the spirit beast cubs.
"What kind of spirit stones can you earn from this?" Bai Yunsheng, who was sitting at a stall next to him, listened to the discussions of the other people around him for a moment, then looked at the young man sitting cross-legged next to him with a curious gaze.
"As far as I know, a spirit beast cub costs more than three spirit stones per month on average. That's hardly profitable, right? And would anyone really entrust their spirit beast to you?" Bai Yunsheng smiled and continued, "But you seem to be quite famous. I think I've heard about your deeds. Why don't you come with me to copy spells and techniques, and we can expand our business?"
"Slow and steady wins the race, earning a meager living through hard work," Meng De replied softly. He glanced at the cultivators watching around him and then said to Bai Yunsheng, "Many people don't know how to raise spirit beasts and end up with very bad temperaments. But some people will eventually choose to give it a try."
"Hmm..." Bai Yunsheng fell silent for a long while upon hearing this, a slight glint appearing in the depths of his cloudy eyes. He suddenly asked, "Can a bad personality be corrected?"
"Yes, you can usually see the effects in three months." Meng De nodded silently. There must be many people on Spirit Beast Mountain who know how to raise spirit beasts, but... it's also possible that some clever people have ruined their spirit beasts.
"As far as I know, the price of an ordinary spirit beast cub is generally around one hundred spirit stones, which is about the price of a high-grade magic weapon. It would take a normal sect cultivator two years to save up that many spirit stones."
"One hundred spirit stones is just the initial cost. Feeding the spirit beasts will also cost a lot of spirit stones. If the spirit beasts are ruined, many people are unwilling to give up such a large sunk cost. If it is possible to correct the situation by spending a dozen or so spirit stones, I think many people would want to give it a try," Meng De replied.
Meng De and Bai Yunsheng did not hide their conversation from others. Although they spoke in low voices, everyone present was a cultivator with sharp ears and eyes, and their conversation was heard by all of them.
Meng De's words left Bai Yunsheng silent for a long time, because he realized that Meng De was right. For ordinary cultivators, if a spirit beast was ruined, the sunk costs would be too great.
The only sect benefit Spirit Beast Mountain offers its newly initiated disciples is the opportunity to contract a spirit beast. If they succeed, they can save a large sum of spirit stones that would otherwise be spent on purchasing spirit beast cubs. However, not everyone is able to raise a spirit beast well on their first encounter with it.
However, those who haven't properly trained their spirit beasts rarely take these problematic beasts into battle, hence there are few related rumors in the cultivation world.
While everyone remained silent, Bai Yunsheng suddenly looked up at Meng De and said, "Junior Brother Meng De, I have a spirit beast here. Would you like to take it?"
Bai Yunsheng's words immediately attracted the attention of those around him. Meng De also turned to look at the middle-aged man beside him. Although he couldn't see the other person's cultivation level, Meng De felt that the other person should be a cultivator in the late stage of Qi Refining.
"Let me make it clear beforehand, it must be a level one spirit beast cub. If its cultivation level is too high, I might be in danger," Meng De replied.
"Of course." Bai Yunsheng nodded, indicating that he understood the rule.
"The spirit beast in my hand is equivalent to the mid-stage of Qi Refining. As long as you are careful, junior brother, you will be fine with your current cultivation level." Bai Yunsheng could tell Meng De's cultivation level at a glance. Although Meng De was also in the mid-stage of Qi Refining, the spirit beast cub was still young and should not be able to defeat the meticulous Meng De.
"This spirit beast doesn't have any other flaws, but it has one that's quite problematic." As he spoke, Bai Yunsheng lifted up his right sleeve, revealing a hideous and terrifying tooth mark on his arm.
"Hiss..." When Meng De and the other onlookers saw the scars on Bai Yunsheng's arm, they couldn't help but gasp.
"Sigh, I'm not afraid of being laughed at by you all," Bai Yunsheng chuckled self-deprecatingly, then explained, "Many of you probably know me. When I first entered the sect, I was fortunate enough to form a contract with a high-level spirit beast cub, a Dark Silver Giant Wolf. At first, I was overjoyed and wanted to give the wolf cub any good things I had. But later, for some reason, the wolf cub became extremely possessive of its food. Whenever it was eating, it would growl if I got close, or even suddenly attack..."
Bai Yunsheng pointed to the gruesome wound on his arm: "This wound is from back then. Since that incident, I haven't known how to treat the wolf cubs. I've let them roam freely all these years, and their temperament has become increasingly unruly..."
"Some people say to just kill them, but that's easier said than done..." Bai Yunsheng couldn't help but shake his head. He dared not kill a high-level spirit beast cub so easily... otherwise he would have to die with the wolf cub.
"Hmm..." After listening to Bai Yunsheng's story, Meng De pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "It is indeed a sad story. Senior Brother Bai, I will accept this request."
"It's a deal!"
Bai Yunsheng's eyes lit up slightly, and he quickly handed the spirit beast bag and fifteen spirit stones to Meng De, fearing that the other party might go back on his word.
"Oh, right." Bai Yunsheng suddenly remembered, "The wolf cub has its own name, Liu Liu."