When the fatty saw the Wind Chasing Tiger, his eyes lit up.
He waved for the Red-skirted Female Cultivator to leave, then began examining the Yao Beast from head to toe.
He touched the Wind Chasing Tiger's haunches for a while, then its fur, then pried open its mouth to inspect it.
Li Jing watched silently from the side, waiting for the fatty to finish before asking, "Fellow Daoist, what is your offer?"
"This Wind Chasing Tiger is quite good, and its fur is intact, but it's missing two tiger fangs.
I can offer 105 Spirit Stones.
What do you think?"
The fatty pondered for a moment before quoting the price.
Li Jing mused for a bit; the price was reasonable, so he didn't haggle and simply said, "Alright."
The fatty slapped his Storage Pouch, and a burst of spiritual light shot out, piling Spirit Stones like a small mountain on the table.
"Fellow Daoist, do you happen to sell Formations here?" Li Jing planned to buy a Formation Plate to take back, as Yao Beasts were rampant, and he couldn't sleep soundly at night.
Hearing there was more business, the fatty smiled at Li Jing and said, "Yes, we have trapping Formations, killing Formations, auxiliary Formations, and defensive Formations, everything you could want!"
"How many Spirit Stones for a defensive Formation?" Li Jing asked.
"For defensive Formations, the Jade Screen Formation is sixty Spirit Stones, the Arch Rock Formation is sixty-five Spirit Stones, and the Golden Armor Formation is sixty-two Spirit Stones!" the fatty said, smiling at Li Jing.
Li Jing's mouth twitched; that was too expensive, so he shook his head and walked out.
"Hey! Don't go! I can lower the price! Three less Spirit Stones, plus a ten percent discount!" the fatty shouted from behind, trying desperately to keep Li Jing from leaving.
Li Jing walked out of the Treasure Gathering Tower, thought for a moment, and then headed towards a nearby street.
There were small carts selling goods, and after the young girl sold a batch of items, fewer people remained, and she was propping her chin, bored, watching the passersby.
Seeing Li Jing approach, she happily said, "Fellow Daoist, have you decided what you want to buy? I can give you a twenty percent discount."
Yun Wan looked at Li Jing expectantly.
Li Jing nodded and asked, "Do you have any effective defensive Formations?"
"Hehe, of course I do."
Yun Wan raised her hand and flipped it, and Formation Plates appeared on the shelf.
"This is the Bamboo Screen Formation, priced at fifty-five Spirit Stones, and this is the Water Shield Formation, priced at fifty-three Spirit Stones... These Formations can all withstand attacks from below Mid-stage Qi Refining."
Yun Wan introduced them voluminously, speaking with great enthusiasm and a dazzling display of information.
Li Jing pretended to agree, nodding his head and looking tempted, waiting for Yun Wan to stop before saying, "Do you have any Formations that consume fewer Spirit Stones but still have decent defense?"
Upon hearing this, Yun Wan looked at Li Jing with some resentment; she had talked herself hoarse, and it turned out he wanted to buy that kind of Formation.
However, she still smiled sweetly, pointing to a Formation Plate and saying, "The Star Origin Formation, fifty Spirit Stones.
At night, it can absorb starlight to replenish its consumption; you only need to replenish one Spirit Stone every three months.
Of course, if it encounters an attack, it will also consume a lot of Spirit Stones."
Upon hearing the Formation's description, Li Jing immediately showed a look of interest.
This Formation perfectly suited his current needs; his dilapidated wooden hut couldn't withstand Yao Beast attacks.
"I'll take this Formation Plate then." Li Jing nodded, quite satisfied.
"Forty Spirit Stones, please."
Yun Wan handed over the Formation Plate, then slapped her Storage Pouch, and six Formation Flags appeared, which she also gave to Li Jing.
Then she took out a piece of paper and handed it to Li Jing, saying, "This is the Star Origin Formation's setup method.
The fellow Daoist only needs to follow the instructions."
Li Jing nodded, took out forty Spirit Stones and handed them over, and was about to leave when Yun Wan suddenly called out from behind, "May I know your name, Fellow Daoist?
That way, we can be more familiar if you come again!"
"My name is Li Jing!"
With sixty-five Spirit Stones still in hand, Li Jing planned to buy a Spirit Ox to take back; otherwise, it would be too difficult for him alone to cultivate such a large area of mountain forest.
After making a few inquiries, Li Jing crossed several streets and stopped in front of a pavilion.
The pavilion was low, and two strangely shaped exotic beasts sat in front of the door, exquisitely carved and lifelike.
On the plaque above the door, three large characters were written in a flowing script, like a soaring Dragon, Spirit Beast Pavilion.
Just as he was about to step inside, an old man's shout suddenly came from behind him.
"Fellow Daoist Li!"
Li Jing quickly turned his head and saw Yan Jian approaching with Huang Yan.
"Are both Fellow Daoists here to buy Spirit Beasts as well?"
"Precisely.
These old bones of mine aren't as energetic as you young people."
Yan Jian chuckled twice, then stretched with his hands on his hips, and a series of cracking sounds immediately emanated.
Li Jing's mouth twitched slightly, somewhat puzzled, and he said, "Fellow Daoist Yan, I see you're quite old.
Why aren't you enjoying your later years? Why are you still cultivating?"
"If a frog at the bottom of a well comes out and sees the vast world, would it still want to return to the bottom of the well?" Yan Jian smiled bitterly, shook his head, and spoke with a hint of melancholy.
Li Jing sighed, and the three of them entered the Spirit Beast Pavilion together.
The Spirit Beast Pavilion's furnishings were simple, with only tables for guests.
A middle-aged man in brocade robes saw them and immediately walked around the counter to greet them with a smile, "Three Fellow Daoists, do you need to purchase any Spirit Beasts?"
"Take us to see the half-Spirit Beasts that can be used for farming."
Yan Jian, being very experienced, spoke directly.
Half-Spirit Beasts are Yao Beasts that have not yet entered cultivation.
These Yao Beasts are stronger than mortal beasts but not as powerful as true Yao Beasts.
"Please follow me!" The middle-aged man led them into the back courtyard.
The Spirit Beast Pavilion's back courtyard was vast and picturesque.
Moss covered the rockery, and thin streams were embedded in the cracks of the stones, winding down the rugged ridges and converging into a clear pond.
Black Spirit Fish swam in the pond, like dots of ink, resembling a floating black cloth, occasionally flicking their inky tail fins, stirring fine ripples in the center of the pond.
"What kind of fish are those?" Li Jing asked curiously, pointing to the pond below the rockery.
"These are Black Spirit Fish.
They are very resilient and taste quite good, excellent when steamed.
One can be sold for three Spirit Stones.
Fellow Daoist, would you like to buy some to raise?"
The middle-aged man vigorously promoted them, looking eager to earn more Spirit Stones.
Li Jing waved his hand; even if he wanted to raise them, he had no place.
The middle-aged man pouted, then led them to a vast grassy area.
The grassland was divided into a nine-square grid by iron fences, and each square contained Yao Beasts of different appearances.
Old Daoist Yan Jian squinted his eyes and pointed into the distance.
Li Jing looked over.
There was a herd of oxen, yellowish-brown, seemingly not much different from common Yellow Origin Oxen.
"How many Spirit Stones for a Yellow Origin Ox?
Give us a fair price; all three of us want to buy one."
Yan Jian said slowly.
The middle-aged man saw Yan Jian's calm and experienced demeanor, clearly knowing the price of the Yellow Origin Ox, so he said, "Ten Spirit Stones per head."
Li Jing and Huang Yan were also there to buy Yao Beasts for farming.
Since Yan Jian had chosen for them, they had no complaints.
It was clear that Old Daoist Yan was seasoned, and avoiding a loss was naturally excellent.
The three readily paid their Spirit Stones and also bought several hundred catties of feed for five Spirit Stones before leading the three Yellow Origin Oxen out of the Spirit Beast Pavilion.
Li Jing inquired about the Yellow Origin Oxen from Yan Jian and learned that they were docile and extremely durable, easily capable of plowing twenty mu of land in a day.
In addition to buying Yellow Origin Oxen and feed, Li Jing also bought ten beast traps from the shopkeeper.
These beast traps were refined from profound iron; a First-tier low-grade Yao Beast caught in them would be unable to break free.