Since Grade A honey commanded a slight premium, Boss Gao offered three extra spirit stones—just as he had for Sister Nan’s transaction.
Qi Ping naturally accepted.
One major advantage of dealing with a trusted merchant was the straightforwardness. No haggling, no underhanded tactics—just clean, efficient business.
“No problem! I’ve always trusted your pricing, Boss Gao.”
“Mutual benefit is the key to longevity. As long as you keep patronizing my humble shop…”
“And if you ever need high-value items, just ask. I know Greenrock Market inside out—I’ll find you the best deals!”
As he counted out the spirit stones, Boss Gao casually promoted his new side hustle: procurement services.
Thanks to his extensive connections in the market, he could source premium goods at better prices than most. The idea had struck him months ago when a regular client requested help acquiring rare materials.
Now, the venture was already profitable—even after kickbacks. For a Qi Refinement Layer 6 cultivator, it was a risk-free way to double-dip.
“Actually, I do have a request for you, Boss Gao.”
Qi Ping had planned to bring this up anyway. Sister Nan had already briefed him on the merchant’s new service during their journey—which was why he’d considered asking for help finding a suitable spirit beast.
In Greenrock County, beast-taming cultivators were rare. No major trading house specialized in selling spirit beasts, making it nearly impossible to find the right one locally.
Realistically, Qi Ping could visit the market ten times and still come up empty.
And that wasn’t even accounting for the travel risks.
“Oh? What a coincidence! What do you need, Brother Qi?”
Boss Gao’s eyebrows lifted slightly. Business was coming faster than expected.
“A spirit beast. Do you have any leads?”
“A spirit beast?”
The merchant’s surprise deepened.
Beast taming wasn’t simple.
Everyone knew a powerful companion could be a game-changer, and blood-contract methods weren’t exactly rare. Yet few in Greenrock County bothered with the practice—for two glaring reasons.
…..
Raising a spirit beast was like feeding a money furnace.
Most required more resources than the cultivator themselves—and that was before factoring in the initial purchase cost.
For the average Greenrock cultivator, every scrap of spirit stones was squeezed from blood and sweat. Who could afford to divert precious resources to a pet?
An underdeveloped beast was worse than useless—it’d die in one strike during combat.
This alone deterred over half of the county’s cultivators.
…..
Novices imagined:
-
Sign a blood contract.
-
Bond for a few weeks.
-
Gain a loyal, telepathic battle partner willing to die for them.
Reality:
-
Forced contracts rarely worked.
-
Communication was near-impossible with non-human-intelligent beasts.
-
Mid-battle, your “ally” might slack off—or even betray you.
-
Untamed beasts often caused disasters if left unsupervised.
A single misstep could doom the entire endeavor.
And the stronger the beast, the more defiant it tended to be—some even harbored innate hostility toward humans.
That’s why professional beast-taming sects existed.
From selection to bonding, training, and combat synergy—every step demanded specialized knowledge and techniques.
A skilled beast master could elevate even a mediocre creature beyond its bloodline limits.
…..
No wonder Boss Gao was stunned.
But a good merchant knew better than to pry. He simply needed to fulfill the request and profit.
After a thoughtful pause, he nodded.
“I do have channels. Though beast tamers are scarce here, I know suppliers. And with low demand, prices are actually cheaper than elsewhere.”
Qi Ping’s eyes lit up. He’d come to the right man.
“Any preferences?”
“Preferably avian-types. But I’m open to others if the value is right—especially smaller species…”
“Budget?”
*”200-300 spirit stones. Higher for exceptional quality, but I’d need time to gather funds.”*
He played it cautious. 200-300 stones was plausible for him and Old Man Zhou. Anything beyond would raise eyebrows—hence the “fundraising” disclaimer.
Boss Gao understood immediately.
“Age restrictions?”
Younger beasts were easier to bond but costlier.
“Adults are fine if the price reflects it.”
The merchant fired off several more precise questions, some Qi Ping hadn’t even considered.
Damn, he’s thorough.
“Understood. I’ll compile a list of options with pricing for you to choose from.”
“Much obliged, Boss Gao.”
“The honor is mine. For trusted clients like you and Sister Nan, I’ll go the extra mile.”
Long-term relationships were the bedrock of his business. Wasting time on flakey buyers? Not happening.
This procurement service leveraged his network—a win-win when trust was established.
……
After concluding their deals, Qi Ping and Sister Nan departed.
Boss Gao immediately began scouting for spirit beasts.
This was a lucrative commission. And given Qi Ping’s repeated emphasis on “value,” the merchant had a hunch:
A high-quality beast stuck in a hard sale?
That’d be the golden ticket.
