Originally, the juvenile Jade-Scaled Demon Spider had been sleeping inside its spirit beast cage, but the moment it sensed Qi Ping, it suddenly woke up.
Its body, carved from pristine white jade, sprouted eight tiny eyes that blinked curiously at Qi Ping. An aura of curiosity and friendliness radiated from the spider.
After observing it for a while, Qi Ping quickly confirmed that his Beast King Druid abilities could form a contract with this Jade-Scaled Demon Spider.
“A contract is possible… This little one seems to have a decent temperament and a healthy body.”
“It’s a viable option.”
Once he verified that the spider was suitable for a contract and free of issues, Qi Ping didn’t linger—he didn’t want to draw unnecessary attention.
At the moment, Boss Gao was haggling over the price with the shop owner. Qi Ping remained silent on the sidelines; bargaining wasn’t his forte. As long as the spirit beast was healthy and the price was fair (or below market value), he was satisfied. Whatever profit Boss Gao managed to secure was his own skill at work.
All in all, this was a win-win situation.
Qi Ping didn’t spend more than necessary, yet he gained access to the best spirit beast in the entire Bluestone Market—a crucial advantage for his future growth. The benefits were undeniable.
Meanwhile, Boss Gao leveraged his information and connections to earn a tidy profit.
The negotiation didn’t take long. Soon, Boss Gao and the shopkeeper settled on a final price: 1,380 low-grade spirit stones.
After confirming the Jade-Scaled Demon Spider’s condition, Qi Ping quickly moved on to the second shop.
Inside a rather luxurious trading house, he encountered a fluffy and utterly adorable Illusion Moon White Fox.
There was no denying it—the Illusion Moon White Fox was especially cute as a juvenile.
A crescent-shaped mark adorned its forehead, giving it a striking, almost mesmerizing charm.
When Qi Ping appeared, the fox tilted its head and blinked at him with pitch-black eyes that seemed to hold a hidden moon within their depths.
“This little fox seems to like me, but its personality is a bit tsundere…”
“Still, if I take it home and coax it for a few days, forming a contract shouldn’t be a problem.”
Qi Ping quickly assessed that this fox was also contract-worthy.
Before long, Boss Gao finished negotiations with the trading house, settling on a price of 2,050 spirit stones.
The little Illusion Moon White Fox was definitely worth the cost.
Next, Boss Gao led Qi Ping to a third location—but this wasn’t a shop. Instead, it was a private residence belonging to a young blacksmith.
The blacksmith was a towering, muscular man with a late-stage Qi Refining cultivation. The emblem of the Green Origin Sect adorned his robes.
Qi Ping and Boss Gao had to wait a while for him to finish his forging session.
This visit surprised Qi Ping a little—he hadn’t expected Boss Gao to have such connections. But then again, given Boss Gao’s standing in the Bluestone Market, it made sense that he had some pull.
“This Blaze Crow was brought out from a secret realm in our sect. Its bloodline was devoured by a sinister entity inside, causing its cultivation to drop to mid-tier Rank 1.”
“It has a good temperament, though. By sheer luck, it even helped me defeat that entity. Afterward, I used a top-grade Rank 1 Warm Jade Fruit to save its life.”
“But since I’m not a beast-taming cultivator, I wanted to find it a proper master who could help it recover. So, the condition for buying it is simple: the Blaze Crow must be willing to go with you.”
“Its bloodline was quite potent in its prime. At its peak, it might’ve been worth four or five thousand spirit stones.”
The blacksmith was unexpectedly talkative. Before Qi Ping or Boss Gao could ask anything, he eagerly shared the Blaze Crow’s backstory.
Soon, they reached the upper floor of the residence, where the Blaze Crow was basking in the sunlight on the balcony.
It was a completely black crow, slightly larger than a fist, with a flame-like mark on its forehead.
Under the scorching sun, faint traces of solar energy seeped into the crow’s inky feathers.
But the moment Qi Ping appeared, the crow abruptly stopped absorbing energy. Its sharp eyes turned toward him, studying him with keen interest.
It immediately realized—this was another attempt by the blacksmith to find it a new master.
But it wasn’t interested!
“Huh?”
“This two-legged creature… feels different.”
The Blaze Crow swiftly detected something unusual about Qi Ping. Without hesitation, it fluttered down and hovered in front of him, scrutinizing him closely.
The blacksmith’s eyes widened in surprise.
This had never happened before.
Several people had come to see the crow, only to be completely ignored. Yet the moment Qi Ping stepped in, the Blaze Crow actively approached him—and even seemed to like him!
Qi Ping, too, was taken aback.
“This thing is incredibly intelligent!”
A single glance was enough for Qi Ping to recognize the crow’s extraordinary potential. If he could form a contract with it, this creature would be an invaluable companion.
Personally, Qi Ping had always held a favorable view of crows.
In the myths of his past life, the Golden Crow was revered as a divine bird. In reality, crows were monogamous, known for their filial piety, and fed on pests—far from the ill omens most people believed them to be.
So the moment he saw this Blaze Crow, Qi Ping decided—this was the one he wanted.
Moreover, his Beast King Druid instincts resonated more strongly with this crow than the others.
“It seems very interested in you!” the blacksmith remarked in amazement. Then he added,
“This fellow is extremely clever. If it’s willing to go with you, the price remains 1,500 spirit stones—and I’ll throw in a spirit beast pouch as a bonus.”
The blacksmith could tell Qi Ping was genuinely interested. Having dealt with many people, he trusted his judgment.
“Thank you!” Qi Ping clasped his hands in gratitude.
Then he turned to the Blaze Crow and asked,
“Are you willing to come with me? I’ll do my best to help you recover.”
Unlike spirit beast cubs, creatures with fully developed intellects were far harder to contract if they resisted.
But to Qi Ping’s surprise, the Blaze Crow didn’t hesitate—it nodded immediately.
The decisiveness stunned the blacksmith once more.
Still, he said nothing. Finding a suitable master for the crow had been a lingering concern, and now it was resolved.
The rest was straightforward.
Qi Ping originally had about 1,300 spirit stones, so he sold a few items to Boss Gao to make up the difference. Once he handed over the 1,500 spirit stones, the blacksmith passed him the Blaze Crow along with a spirit beast pouch.
