Star Sky Professional

"According to the rules of loose cultivators, since Brother Fang delivered the final blow to the demon tiger, you're entitled to a share. What do you think?"

Chen Yi's somewhat cloudy eyes swept over Fang Xing and he suddenly spoke up.

"Big brother!"

When Chen Hongtian heard this, he couldn't help but get anxious.

After all the effort they had put into this demon beast, how could they just give a share to an outsider!

What a loss of spirit stones this would be!

They, the Five Righteous Men of Cang Mountain, didn't mix in the cultivation world out of charity!

Chen Yi, however, shook his head and used a look to stop his third brother from speaking.

On the contrary, it was Hua Feiyue who giggled and said, "That's right... This little brother could kill the demon tiger with one strike, clearly his martial prowess is not weak. May I ask who was your mentor?"

She was indirectly probing for Fang Xing's background and origins.

"I am of no sect or faction,"

Fang Xing laughed, "As for the materials on this demon tiger, I do not need to take a single piece. It's just that I've been delayed outside recently, and I had no idea the market has changed this much. Can anyone tell me what's happening in Qinglin Square now?"

He, with drones to collect herbs for him, had no use for the materials from a first-rank demon tiger.

His main purpose for showing up was to gather information.

"Everything is fine in the market... just that the prices of various resources have gone up a bit. The Qingxuan Sect elders have issued the 'Demon Hunting Order', and now killing demon beasts rewards extra spirit stones,"

Chen Yi exhaled deeply, his slightly aged face showing a hint of a bitter smile, "We're somewhat overwhelmed by the burden, which is why we ventured out to risk hunting demon beasts..."

"I see..."

Fang Xing nodded knowingly, asked a few more questions, and then clasped his hands saying, "Till the mountains flatten and the rivers run dry, we shall meet again!"

Immediately, his figure flashed, and he vanished into the dense forest, his silhouette flickering several times before disappearing.

"Big brother, why be so polite to a kid?" Chen Hongtian watched Fang Xing's movement technique and his eyes flashed, "This person, I see, is not a cultivator, not even innate..."

"Hehe, third brother, you're quite mistaken... Can an ordinary postnatal martial artist kill a 'Red Flame Tiger' with a single strike?"

Hua Feiyue's voice was alluring and seductive.

Meng Yi and Shen Yuxin, however, approached the Red Flame Tiger, drew their daggers and the like, preparing to collect materials.

Upon flipping the tiger over, there was a sudden exclamation, "Big brother, take a look!"

Chen Yi walked over and saw the demon tiger's snow-white belly, now charred black.

"Is this... Thunder Skill? A thunder attribute talisman?"

Chen Hongtian's gaze sharpened.

"No, I'm afraid it's... a Blood Refining Magical Artifact!"

Chen Yi thought of the silver-clad young man who had been pointing a stick at them and suddenly felt a chill, "This person... must not be provoked!"

A Blood Refining Magical Artifact!

Even in Qinglin Square, it was an extremely rare and seldom seen item.

Those who possessed it were all at the peak of the innate realm, capable of standing equal with Qi Cultivation middle stage cultivators with the aid of a Blood Refining Magical Artifact.

Yet, here was one in the hands of a postnatal martial artist!

What did this indicate?

If the other party hadn't luckily picked it up from a corpse, then they must have a deep background and be very formidable!

And from the earlier conversation, that young man was certainly not the type to be arrogant without cause.

"It's still big brother and second sister who can read people..."

Chen Hongtian scratched the back of his head, "It's a good thing that he didn't take a share of the demon beast. Let's quickly collect the materials and leave immediately..."

"Mhm, that last statement of yours is the most pragmatic, third brother. We shouldn't stay here long." Chen Yi nodded, directing the four to skin the tiger, extract its tendons, each shouldering over a hundred pounds of meat along with the tiger skin, bones, and others, and quickly departed...

From a distance, the slightly excited voice of Meng Yi could be heard: "The materials of this demon tiger are worth at least dozens of low-grade spirit stones; we struck it rich this time!"

"Hehe... It's just a pity the demon beast meat prices have fallen in the market recently... Otherwise, we would have earned even more."

After these people had left, the bloody remains on the ground attracted several hungry wolves, excitedly licking up the scraps.

And on a tree branch that no one paid attention to, a green bird pecked at its wing and flew away with a flutter.

...

"It seems those five people didn't lie to me, nor were they blinded by greed..."

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

"Qinglin Square doesn't seem to take this beast tide too seriously, so it's worth a visit; it's time to rent another house..."

One must say, houses were Fang Xing's obsession.

In his previous life, he had longed to buy a house on Blue Star; unfortunately, it remained a distant dream.

"If housing is cheap, maybe I can buy property in Qinglin Square first?"

Fang Xing stroked his chin, lost in thought.

...

Qinglin Square.

This place seemed no different from usual, if anything, it appeared to be even busier.

The underlying reason, it seemed, was the array that enveloped the entire marketplace, providing a strong sense of security.

As usual, Fang Xing entered the marketplace and headed straight for the office of the Qingxuan Sect.

The Qingxuan Sect official in charge of the shanty area was surnamed Zhang, with the Taoist name Qingyangzi. He had a small goatee and smiled at everyone.

But when Fang Xing asked about the land price, Qingyangzi's expression turned unusually serious, "Although our sect has plenty of land, not a single piece is for sale... The shanty area's houses are for rent, not for sale!"

"So that's how it is, I was too presumptuous."

Fang Xing repeatedly apologized, but he couldn't help thinking, 'Not for sale? Then how did the Zheng Family get such a large estate? It's just because they take advantage of us Loose Cultivators for being isolated and weak, isn't it?'

'But such a good business, if it were me, I'd want a steady flow of income, not to sell the goose that lays golden eggs...'

Those Loose Cultivators and Martial Artists who rented houses had to pay money every month, and tenants in these houses changed very quickly, as you never knew who would die on any given day.

Then the Qingxuan Sect could take back the house and make a profit from it once again.

"What about renting a house?"

He settled for the next best thing and asked.

"Let me tell you, young friend, our marketplace's rentals are divided into superior, intermediate, and low grade. The superior is inside the marketplace, occupying more than an acre, with exquisite architecture... The intermediate is on the edge of the marketplace, abundant in Spiritual Energy, with small courtyards... The low-grade ones are at the foot of the mountain, those shanties you've seen."

Qingyangzi returned to his smiling demeanor, stroking his beard, "You need not ask about superior Cave Mansions, the intermediate ones are ten Spirit Stones per month, normally only those at the Qi Cultivation Late Stage or those with a special skill at the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage can afford it..."

As he said this, he looked at Fang Xing, his eyes seemingly provocative.

But Fang Xing remained expressionless, knowing that getting caught up in the moment would fall right into a consumer trap: "I'll just take a low-grade shanty."

"Low-grade shanty houses are one Spirit Stone per month, with an additional stone as a deposit. These are the unselected ones, you can choose for yourself."

Qingyangzi's smile faded somewhat as he took out a thick booklet and gave it to Fang Xing, "Those without red annotations are ownerless houses, just pick any one you like."

Fang Xing observed earnestly and compared the available options with the shanty area map he had in his mind, captured by a drone.

Actually, there wasn't much to choose from, as the environment was uniformly poor and dangerous!

Nevertheless, Fang Xing tried to pick a location that was more secluded and convenient for escaping, "I'll take this one."

"Alright."

Qingyangzi accepted the two Spirit Stones and handed a brass key to Fang Xing, then cautioned, "Due to the Demon Beast tide, some unruly wild Cultivators have also entered the marketplace. It's not very peaceful here now, you must take care of yourself..."

"Thank you for the information..."

Fang Xing gave a bow and left the office, 'Hmm, this Qingyangzi is avaricious... but doesn't seem like a bad guy.'

Holding the brass key, he didn't rush to his new place but decided to take a stroll through the marketplace first.

During this stroll, Fang Xing immediately noticed a difference.

"Sure enough, the prices of various Demon Beast materials have plummeted... yet the cost of living supplies has soared... After all, if the farmers are not fleeing to the marketplace, they are being eaten by Demon Beasts, so who's going to do the planting and odd jobs?"

"With most of the marketplace still operating on a barter economy, if they encountered financial methods from the interstellar era, I wonder how badly they'd be harvested? Uh... that doesn't seem right either. After all, some can overturn the table, like those three big powers, who would probably watch me make a fortune with a smile and then send their strong ones at the last minute to rob me, and even use my head to quell their anger, right?"

"Indeed, in such a chaotic place, talk of revitalizing commerce is nonsense; it's the size of your fist that's the truth."

With this thought, Fang Xing abandoned any idea of doing business to make big money and instead prepared to buy a few pounds of Spirit Rice.

Then he despairingly found that due to a large number of Spirit Fields laying fallow, the price of Spirit Rice had gone up sharply, reaching two Spirit Sand per pound—which was double the previous price!

"Darn robbery... no, even robbers don't make money this fast."

"Instead of this, might as well buy some Demon Beast meat and try something fresh..."

Fang Xing lingered among the various stalls when he suddenly spotted Ding Hongxiu and her grandfather!

The grandfather and granddaughter duo were manning a Spirit Rice stall. Ding Hongxiu shyly called out to customers, while Ding Bushan lay nearby, occasionally taking a sip of his drink.

'No, that's not right. I'm in my true appearance now; they don't recognize me...'

A thought crossed Fang Xing's mind as he approached the Spirit Rice stall, "How much is this Lotus Fragrance Spirit Rice?"

"One Spirit Stone for six pounds!"

Ding Hongxiu replied. Prices at Loose Cultivator stalls are definitely cheaper than at the stores, otherwise, they wouldn't attract any customers.

"That's a bit expensive..."

Fang Xing frowned, "It used to be one Spirit Stone for ten pounds. I'll buy more if you give me a discount. Otherwise, I might as well go buy some Demon Beast meat!"

"Big business here!"

Ding Bushan quickly set aside his liquor gourd and came over, his nose reddened from alcohol but showing a smile, "If the gentleman buys more than fifty pounds, I can make the decision to give a discount. How about eight Spirit Stones for fifty pounds?"

"Fine, let it be."

Fang Xing waved his hand, knowing there was no better offer.

After completing the transaction and watching him leave, Ding Bushan said to his granddaughter, "Did you see that? That's what you call a young and handsome man. Just by looking at his robe, you know it's not Mortal Grade — generous in spending and planning to buy Spirit Rice to eat, surely rich in Spirit Stones... Ah, Xiao Hongxiu, you should shine your signboard a bit brighter. Next time grandpa looks for a granddaughter-in-law for you, it should be someone like him, not the poor types who run stalls..."