"Actually encountered the Ice and Fire Two-headed Wolf..."
Zhou Changwang lowered his head, appearing somewhat silent.
He knew that in the Cultivation Realm, demon beasts of the same level are often more powerful than cultivators.
And the Ice and Fire Two-headed Wolf, though a mid-level demon beast, is a strong one among them. Even high-tier cultivators like those at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer would find it a headache to encounter.
If this Ice and Fire Two-headed Wolf truly chased in the direction of his father, then the outcome is really predictable.
"Old Xu, these snow rabbits are quite lovely. How much are they?"
"Oh, it's Old Lin. Aren't you raising Tusked Pigs? Why, planning to switch to snow rabbits?"
"Hahaha, didn't my few Tusked Pigs just come out of the pen? The piglets don't require much attention, so I'm planning to buy some snow rabbits as a transition."
"Looks like you made a fortune, brother. Since you want them, I'll definitely give you a good price, just two pieces..."
The following conversation was blocked back by the Sound Insulation Technique.
Zhou Changwang was also startled awake by the sound and involuntarily looked at Brother Xiu's stall.
Two unicorn bull calves were tied to a stake, while three piebald little pigs lay in a wooden frame. These three weren't Tusked Pigs but Fragrant Meat Pigs, delicious and rich in spiritual qi, a favorite among foodies. There was also a nest of over a dozen snow rabbits, five little Bloodhoof Sheep, and a half-month-old Earth-penetrating Dog...
If it were before, he wouldn't even bother to look at these spirit beasts.
After all, money is a man's courage. Without money, you even walk with your head down.
But now it's different.
Over a hundred spirit stones must count as mid-level wealth among low-tier cultivators, right?
And his Spirit Field is about to harvest. It's not suitable to plant Linghe in the short term, so he naturally needs other means to generate income.
Fortunately, he recently acquired the Calming Technique, which can be directly used for raising spirit beasts...
However, as he looked at each one, the unicorn bulls grow slowly, taking three years to be ready for the pen. Fragrant Meat Pigs are delicate with a low survival rate. Snow rabbits reproduce quickly but require Blood Serum Grass for feed, which is an aquatic spirit grass that needs to be harvested in the wild, a risky endeavor. Bloodhoof Sheep are strong, mature ones comparable to the Third Level of Qi Refining; one kick could leave you half dead...
"This cultivation is really hard.
Even generating income is not easy."
Zhou Changwang sighed.
It seems that farming suits him better.
Just as he was about to leave, he also looked at the Earth-penetrating Dogs in the last basket.
While these Earth-penetrating Dogs are spirit beasts, even when they mature, they're just the size of a calf, with little meat. Unlike unicorn bulls, Tusked Pigs, etc., which grow large and robust, can be mass-reared and slaughtered for sale after maturing, exchanging for a significant amount of spirit stones.
Earth-penetrating Dogs are generally kept as domestic animals, mostly used for guarding homes. For example, the brothers Zhao Jie and Zhao Qiang in his Spirit Field, they keep a spirit dog to guard their Spirit Field and Medicinal Field.
If one knows some Beast Taming Technique, it could be used as a hunting dog to assist cultivators in hunting demon beasts in the mountains, but nurturing them would be more costly.
Therefore, raising spirit dogs is often a losing trade, not affordable for a typical loose cultivator.
"However, having a spirit dog is indeed quite useful.
This creature, with a keen sense of smell and high alertness, can often detect danger in advance and react instantly.
If I had a spirit dog before, I definitely wouldn't have noticed only when those two martial artists were about to attack.
The spirit dog would have given a warning and alerted to danger beforehand."
Zhou Changwang was still anxious about that incident with the two innate martial artists.
He was also clearer now; the renegade cultivators outside the marketplace are certainly not just those two.
This time, he managed to escape with luck. What about next time?
His Spirit Field harvest is imminent, and now, as a lone Spiritual Farmer Loose Cultivator with his father's disappearance and no support, he is seen as an ideal target by many renegade cultivators.
As Old Xu mentioned, every year after the harvest, a few Spiritual Farmer Loose Cultivators mysteriously disappear without a trace...
"At the very least, I could use the spirit dog to eliminate the rat problem in the Spirit Field, preventing the ripe spirit rice from being gnawed by spirit rats."
The closer it gets to the spirit rice harvest time, the more cautious the spirit farmers become.
The rat issue is a significant concern. The damage they cause to the Spirit Field is even greater than that of spirit insects.
They not only steal food but also hoard spirit rice in their burrows.
Just one small spirit rat can store ten to twenty pounds of spirit rice.
If spirit rats swarm, it's a disaster.
And catching them isn't easy, as they are not only fast but also excellent diggers, with holes intersecting extensively, making it hard to locate their hidden 'granaries'. Instead, it could ruin the Spirit Field, wasting its spiritual qi.
After a moment of thought, Zhou Changwang quickly made a decision.
Buy!
Just then, Brother Xiu agreed on a price with Old Lin, who took five pairs of snow rabbits and gave Brother Xiu fifteen pieces of Lower-Grade Spirit Stone before sauntering away.
Brother Xiu quickly pocketed the spirit stones and noticed Zhou Changwang still standing nearby, saying, "Go back.
I sympathize with what happened to your father, but in the Cultivation Realm, this is quite normal. It's not just your father as a martial artist, even those two Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators in the marketplace, don't dare to guarantee they'll die of natural causes.
In cultivation, cultivation, who can truly achieve immortality?
Most are just walking a bit further on the path to longevity."
"I know."
Zhou Changwang nodded, knowing the difficulties of cultivation.
Longevity? Becoming immortal?
The dreamers in the Cultivation Realm have long since perished.
Only in the first few days after his crossing did he expect such things.
Now, he treads softly, like walking on thin ice.
Survival is the most important thing.
It was rather unexpected that Brother Xiu would offer him words of comfort.
"So, do you have any other questions?"
Brother Xiu paused, then smiled warmly, becoming more enthusiastic.
"I want to make a deal with Brother Xiu."
Zhou Changwang smiled, then pointed at the basket of Earth-penetrating Dogs, saying, "I wonder how much Brother Xiu is selling the Earth-penetrating Dogs for."
"How many?"
Brother Xiu squinted, making his eyes even smaller.
"One!"
Zhou Changwang replied.
The familiar Sound Insulation Technique lowered, isolating the surrounding sounds, then he heard Brother Xiu's voice, "Ten pieces of Lower-Grade Spirit Stone.
For just ten pieces of Lower-Grade Spirit Stone, you can take an Earth-penetrating Dog.
Don't underestimate these few Earth-penetrating Dogs. Their bloodline is noble, descended from the Black Mountain Marsh. If raised properly and given the right opportunities, they might even evolve ancestrally, which would be remarkable..."
"I'll buy it for two pieces of Lower-Grade Spirit Stone."
Zhou Changwang interrupted.
"That's impossible.
These Earth-penetrating Dogs are very spiritual. They're bred specifically as hunting dogs, and it cost spirit stones when they were initially bred. I won't sell them for less than nine pieces of Lower-Grade Spirit Stone."
Brother Xiu hurriedly protested loudly.