Chapter 31: Is This Profiteering?

Xie Jiuniang didn’t recognize the young man in cyan robes, but in her previous life, the person who had saved her and taken away the Broken Sword had wielded a long spear.

Soon, seven more people arrived—the cyan-robed cultivator’s teammates. Oh, how convenient, another group of seven.

It was only the first day of the entrance exam, yet all sorts of strange characters had already appeared.

The two demonic crocodiles were swiftly dispatched through the joint efforts of both teams.

With her plan foiled, Sun Axing approached the other group. “This humble one is Sun Axing. Many thanks to you, fellow cultivators, for your assistance.”

The cyan-robed cultivator responded with a hint of aloofness, “It was a simple matter.”

Suddenly, one of his teammates exclaimed, “How strange! We’re quite far from any water source here. How could there be two demonic crocodiles?”

Cheng Huaixin’s group of four felt a pang of unease.

Xie Jiuniang’s eyes lit up. Well, well, things were about to get interesting! She timely expressed a hint of suspicion on her face.

Cheng Huaixin forced a wry smile. “I guess we’re just unlucky.”

Sun Axing followed up, “Could it be that the sect deliberately released them?”

The two of them discreetly observed Xie Jiuniang’s reaction. Seeing her nod in agreement, they silently breathed a sigh of relief.

The corpses of the demonic crocodiles were divided between the two teams, one per team.

Xie Jiuniang, having not contributed to the fight, could only watch from the sidelines.

By nightfall, Xie Jiuniang hadn’t mentioned leaving, so Cheng Huaixin’s group naturally didn’t bring up departure either.

The cyan-robed cultivator and his companions also stayed. They started bonfires and began roasting the fragrant, tender, spiritually-imbued crocodile meat.

Cheng Huaixin invited Xie Jiuniang to join them.

She didn’t decline. “I won’t freeload. I’ll treat you all to some Red Fruits.”

She took out four fist-sized, red-skinned fruits, giving one to each person.

Red Fruits, a type of affordable low-grade spirit fruit abundant in the Eastern Domain, were sweet, crisp, and popular among female cultivators and children. One spirit stone could buy five pounds.

Xie Jiuniang’s storage pouch had been stuffed with quite a few by her mother, allowing her to satisfy her cravings during the exam.

Cheng Huaixin and the others were secretly delighted. Interaction bred familiarity, and it was always good to establish connections.

A charming female cultivator from the cyan-robed cultivator’s side approached Xie Jiuniang with a friendly smile. “Little sister, eating only roasted meat can get a bit greasy. Could you sell some Red Fruits to your big sister?”

Xie Jiuniang’s eyes brightened. “Of course! One spirit stone for one fruit. How many would you like, big sister?”

The female cultivator struggled to maintain her smile. Was this profiteering?

Red Fruits usually cost one spirit stone for five pounds, but Xie Jiuniang was charging one spirit stone per fruit. One pound typically contained three to four fruits.

Xie Jiuniang grinned. “Big sister, the circumstances during the entrance exam are special. Once you miss this opportunity, you won’t find another shop like this.”

The female cultivator glanced back at the cyan-robed cultivator. Seeing him nod slightly, she smiled again. “Alright, I’ll take eight.”

“Great! Please come again next time.”

Xie Jiuniang cheerfully exchanged eight Red Fruits for eight spirit stones.

She turned to Cheng Huaixin’s group. “Do you want any?”

“No need. I have the one you gave me,” Sun Axing quickly shook her head. She wouldn’t be foolish enough to buy a Red Fruit for one spirit stone.

Cheng Huaixin and the other two also declined. It was better to save spirit stones for purchasing cultivation resources. Red Fruits were merely a snack to satisfy cravings.

Xie Jiuniang’s face showed a hint of disappointment, but she quickly perked up, having thought of a decent way to earn money. “Fellow cultivators, I don’t only have Red Fruits. I also have various medicinal pills, formation disks, talismans, and magic tools. The prices are fair, and I won’t cheat the old or the young.”

The cyan-robed cultivator’s eyes flickered. “Fellow Daoist Xie, what magic tools do you have? Could you display them for us to see?”

“Well, the magic tools are just average. Hmm… How about taking a look at the talismans instead?”

Xie Jiuniang laid out the bone knives and flying swords. These magic tools had been crafted in Yunmu City and were of the lowest grade due to material limitations. She had only sold a few in the Xian City market last time.

She picked up a delicate bone knife and promoted it. “Look at this knife. It’s so exquisite and sharp, perfect for slicing meat.”

She demonstrated by slicing a thin piece of crocodile meat with ease.

The cyan-robed cultivator wasn’t interested.

Sun Axing, however, was tempted. “How much is this knife?”

“Not expensive at all. Just ten spirit stones for one knife.” Xie Jiuniang wanted to open her business and had set a reasonable price, only two or three spirit stones higher than the market price.

Seeing Sun Axing’s hesitation, Xie Jiuniang added, “How about this? Considering that you treated me to roasted meat, I’ll give you a ten percent discount.”

“It’s still too expensive. I only want a knife for cutting meat,” Sun Axing said, raising the sword in her hand. The same sword she had just used to slice meat and kill…

Xie Jiuniang felt relieved, as the meat was still roasting and she hadn’t eaten any yet. “Alright, I’ll sell you one for seven spirit stones.”

Sun Axing handed over seven spirit stones and took the bone knife.

The business had opened, but only one knife was sold.

Xie Jiuniang wasn’t too concerned and put away her goods. Today was only the first day, and there were still many days ahead.

Suddenly, Cheng Huaixin’s blade slashed towards Sun Axing. “Watch out!”

With a swift cut, a small snake was sliced in half.

Xie Jiuniang jumped in fright. For a moment, she thought they were going to turn on each other.

Sun Axing nonchalantly used a branch to remove the snake’s corpse and tossed it into the nearby bushes.

Xie Jiuniang became more cautious and glanced at the surrounding dark forest. “Fellow cultivators, don’t you think it’s a bit too quiet around here?”

The cyan-robed cultivator finally spoke, “It does seem like something is approaching.”

When things were suspiciously quiet, there was usually trouble brewing.

Everyone instantly went on alert, drawing their weapons and turning their backs to the bonfire.

Xie Jiuniang quietly sliced several dozen pounds of the most tender crocodile meat, placed it in a large wooden basin, and stored it in her storage pouch.

Cheng Huaixin and the others looked at her in confusion.

Xie Jiuniang justified her actions. “You promised to treat me to roasted meat, and I already paid with four Red Fruits. Now that it looks like we won’t be able to enjoy the roasted meat, it’s not too much for me to take my share of the meat, right?”

A demonic crocodile weighed over a thousand pounds, so taking a few dozen pounds of meat wasn’t a big deal to anyone.

However, the little girl’s shrewd move still shocked them.

At that very moment, a sinister black shadow appeared in a flash, charging towards the Qi Refining cultivator standing at the edge, closest to it!

It was too fast!

It was a terrifying wild demonic boar with fearsome tusks. If it struck that cultivator, his chances of survival would be slim.

“Second Brother, be careful!” a female cultivator cried out in alarm, her eyes wide with fear.

But it was too late to save him!

Suddenly, a white light flashed by. It was a white bone knife, with a Binding Talisman attached to its handle, piercing the wild demonic boar’s neck.

“Bind!”

The Binding Talisman activated just in time. Its light enveloped the struggling demonic boar, which was still charging forward by inertia despite being on the verge of death, and immobilized it.

“Snort…”

A fully grown wild demonic boar’s charge was extremely terrifying. The Binding Talisman could only immobilize it for one or two breaths. What sealed its fate was the bone knife’s stab.

The blade had pierced its neck!

Its death was inevitable; it was only a matter of time.

As expected, blood gushed from the wild demonic boar’s neck. Its sturdy legs kicked a few times before it breathed its last.

Xie Jiuniang’s reaction had been incredibly swift, even faster than everyone else’s!

Not missing the opportunity to promote her goods, Xie Jiuniang said, “My bone knives are pretty good, aren’t they? They can pierce the skin of a fully grown wild demonic boar. Only twelve spirit stones for one knife.”

“Binding Talismans are a must-have for life-saving situations. First grade talismans for only twenty spirit stones each.” Xie Jiuniang felt she was offering a fair price.

As she spoke, she took out a container to collect the beast’s blood, which could be used for crafting talismans.

The others were shocked by her actions, but they also knew that Xie Jiuniang had saved a life. However, they found her persistent promotion of her goods quite awkward.

The price of the bone knives had even increased?!

Soon, they had no time to dwell on it, as several more wild demonic boars appeared.

“Snort, snort…”

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