Chapter 103 : Black-Hearted Merchant

Chapter 103: Black-Hearted Merchant

After carefully checking the condition of his Companion Beast, confirming that the Thunder Needle Weasel was not seriously injured but merely unconscious, Han Zheng let out a sigh of relief. His gaze then shifted to the handsome male cultivator before him, whose sword-like brows and starry eyes gave him an extraordinary bearing.

Yuankong County was neither too big nor too small, but the circle of young cultivators was fixed!

Yet Han Zheng had never heard of any prodigy in Yuankong County who had contracted a Golden Scale Fish. Could this person perhaps be a prodigy from an even higher level—the Fallen Dragon Manor?

“Fellow Daoist, how should I address you?” he asked curiously.

“Surname Chen,” Chen Beiwu replied, grabbing Iron Egg in one hand.

Through the resonance of their Companion Contract, he discovered that compared to fighting, Iron Egg much preferred satisfying its appetite.

‘Looks like in future training, I can take a different approach—find opponents that Iron Egg can eat.’ Chen Beiwu thought to himself.

Interest was the best teacher, capable of producing twice the result with half the effort.

As long as the opponent was “delicious” enough, Iron Egg might not even need his commands, and would take the initiative to hunt.

The more hunts it experienced, the more its combat experience would naturally improve.

‘Surname Chen!’ Han Zheng was slightly shocked.

His guess was most likely correct—there was no Chen family of cultivators in Yuankong County.

“Fellow Daoist Chen, my Companion Beast has already fallen unconscious, so today’s sparring…” At this point, Han Zheng revealed a trace of embarrassment on his face.

“Let the sparring end here,” Chen Beiwu said.

“Thank you for your understanding, Fellow Daoist.” Han Zheng cupped his hands slightly, then turned and hurried away with his Thunder Needle Weasel.

A Companion Beast was tied to one’s future cultivation path. Even if Chen Beiwu’s origins were extraordinary, Han Zheng had no intention of continuing.

After all, he only sparred to earn Spirit Yuan to purchase resources, in hopes of helping his Thunder Needle Weasel break through its bottleneck.

Yet today’s sparring had nearly shattered its Dao Heart.

“Gulu?”

Watching Han Zheng’s figure vanish, Iron Egg revealed a trace of regret in its eyes.

That Thunder Needle Weasel had tasted quite good—the moment it was swallowed, tiny electric sparks danced across its tongue.

The numbing sensation at first bite, followed by the spicy and salty explosion in its belly, made its taste buds come alive.

If not for its Beast Tamer’s strong command, it really would have been reluctant to spit out such a unique delicacy, whose taste pulled at its tongue like countless hooks.

At the thought, a glistening drop of liquid slid down the corner of Iron Egg’s mouth.

‘This greedy little fellow!’ Chen Beiwu chuckled soundlessly, glanced at the time, then stored Iron Egg into his Spirit Beast Pouch.

……

On the right side of the Beast Taming Training Hall, at the Lingnan Teahouse.

Chen Beiwu sat in a chair, browsing through the Immortal Alliance Official Website, checking if the long-sold-out Moon Dew and Green Vine Branch had been restocked.

【Moon Dew】: Sold out, price: 1000 Spirit Yuan.

【Green Vine Branch】: Sold out, price: 1200 Spirit Yuan.

Because of the differences in prices and Spirit Stone values between the two realms, the Moon Dew at the Black Rock Mountain Auction had been sold at 2800 lower-grade Spirit Stones—a price far higher than that on the Immortal Alliance Official Website.

However, the Official Website also had a drawback. When supplies were scarce, it would impose purchase limits, causing the prices in offline markets and second-hand markets to skyrocket.

【High price purchase of Moon Dew and Green Vine Branch. Contact if interested, serious offers only】

After posting this request on the second-hand market of the Ten Thousand Spirits app, Chen Beiwu glanced at the time.

It was still five minutes before 3 p.m.

After a while, a young man with dark skin and youthful looks walked over.

“Are you Fellow Daoist Chen?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

As soon as Chen Beiwu answered, the other immediately took out a jade bottle from his storage pouch.

“This is genuine Frostjade Queen Bee Honey, pure and without any additives—only 200 Spirit Yuan per jin.”

Hearing this, Chen Beiwu raised his head and looked at him. “May I test it?”

“Of course! Test it however you like. If the quality’s questionable, I’ll eat the bottle on the spot.” The young man spoke confidently.

Opening the jade bottle, a layer of honey crystal had formed inside. Lowering his head slightly, Chen Beiwu caught a distinct chill and a pine-needle fragrance.

“How about it? My family’s Queen Bee Honey is absolutely top quality!” the young man seized the chance to promote: “Right now, I’ve got five jin in stock. If Fellow Daoist Chen takes them all, I’ll give you a flat price—900 Spirit Yuan.”

Chen Beiwu’s eyes narrowed slightly as he infused his spiritual sense into the jade bottle, tapping it twice.

Immediately, the honey inside rippled, releasing strands of thick, sticky liquid.

“Mixing Frostjade Honey with Queen Bee Honey—Fellow Daoist truly knows how to do business.” Chen Beiwu’s voice was cold.

“Fellow Daoist, you jest! That was meant as a sample for someone else, I must have brought the wrong bottle. Let me exchange it for you now.” The young man slapped his forehead, reaching to take the jade bottle back.

Chen Beiwu seized his right hand and said calmly, “Eat it.”

The young man’s pupils contracted, his face stiffened with an awkward smile, and he feigned ignorance: “What are you talking about, customer?”

“Didn’t you just say that if the quality was questionable, you’d eat the bottle on the spot?” Chen Beiwu paused slightly, his gaze locking onto him. “Now I want to see you eat it.”

“This…”

Sensing Chen Beiwu’s pressure, cold sweat beaded on the young man’s forehead, and he couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

What was going on? The other clearly appeared to be just a Qi Refining cultivator like himself—how had he seen through it so easily?!

After all, as time passed, ordinary Frostjade Honey would gradually be assimilated by Queen Bee Honey, adopting its properties.

By then, even Foundation Establishment cultivators would struggle to tell the difference, only thinking that batch of Queen Bee Honey was simply of lower quality.

For this person to discern it at a glance—could it be he was a ranked Alchemist?

“Not going to eat?” Chen Beiwu pulled out his phone and began dialing the Law Enforcement Bureau of the Immortal Alliance.

Selling Yellow-Tailed Dendrobium was different from selling Queen Bee Honey.

Ordinary Yellow-Tailed Dendrobium was cheap. But if the proportion of Dragon Head Dendrobium mixed in exceeded a certain percentage—8% for high-quality, 60% for Dragon Head grade—the gift box’s value skyrocketed, sometimes becoming priceless.

Thus, even though the gift boxes Chen Beiwu sold via livestream contained nearly 10% Dragon Head Dendrobium—far higher than market average—the name still remained Yellow-Tailed Dendrobium Gift Box, sold at the low price of 9.9.

As for Dragon Head Dendrobium gift boxes, selling them directly was too much of a loss. At 30 Spirit Yuan per jin, it was far less profitable than bundling with ordinary Yellow-Tailed Dendrobium. Almost no merchants in the market were willing to sell this way.

But Queen Bee Honey was different—it was secreted directly by the Frostjade Queen Bee.

Its properties were distinct from ordinary Frostjade Honey: upon contact with air, it crystallized; when heated, it released a pine-needle fragrance; when consumed, it could dispel Fire Toxin and was an excellent medicinal ingredient.

Hence, its selling price was extremely high, far above ordinary Frostjade Honey.

To seek huge profits, unscrupulous merchants would often mix ordinary Frostjade Honey into Queen Bee Honey.

“I’ll eat it.” Gritting his teeth, the young man forcefully swallowed the jade bottle.

Seeing this, Chen Beiwu stood, preparing to leave.

“Wait, earlier I failed to recognize Mount Tai.” The young man hurriedly called out, then pulled two more jade bottles from his storage pouch.

“This batch of Queen Bee Honey is absolutely genuine. I hope Fellow Daoist can forgive me.”