Chapter 348 - 347: Direction of Exchange, Favoritism

Facing someone’s pure, boy-next-door smile, there was a moment when Xu Jiayi felt she may have been hallucinating.

But similar conversations and events had already happened before, more than once.

As the common saying goes,

"Familiarity breeds closeness."

The first time may have been a surprise, but the second time is always easier.

The same event did not just happen once or twice between them.

Yet another replay, Xu Jiayi didn’t have many thoughts.

She even believed that,

A Seventh Realm Monster is really not a big deal.

At this moment, looking at him, her only thought was,

Damn it, I fell for his act again.

The most depressing thing is,

Even though she knows he’s toying with her, she couldn’t get mad at all.

This isn’t all.

Her heart was beating wildly.

Of course,

The wild beating of her heart didn’t have much to do with Li Jing.

The primary factor was the seventh realm monster corpse placed in front of them.

A Seventh Realm Monster!

No matter if it was alive or dead,

How many people in the world have really seen one?

Xu Jiayi’s family had conducted business for three generations, having a foothold in Jianghai for over a hundred years.

They had encountered various precious spiritual objects and rare materials.

Materials from a Seventh Realm Monster weren’t completely unheard of for her family.

At the very least,

Her family’s store in North City Spirit Object Market holds a prestigious position, ranking in the top ten.

But a complete Seventh Realm Monster, even her retired grandfather who no longer manages the store, had never seen one.

Xu Jiayi studied appraisal.

She was certain,

Even if she brought in the arrogant professors of appraisal studies, few would have genuinely seen a complete Seventh Realm Monster.

The same would be incredibly precious.

The Seventh Realm Thousand-faced Fox Demon she was facing was on a completely different level from the previously mentioned Mister Long.

The essence of Mister Long was just a dragon horn.

This fox demon, on the other hand, was very much the embodiment of "every part of his body was a treasure".

All due to the immortality breath that only exists in those who have reached the seventh realm.

Looking at the severed body of the Fox Master on the ground, Xu Jiayi managed to suppress her fidgety heart, turned to look at Li Jing, her words undoubtedly sweeter than usual.

"Brother Jing, how do you... plan to deal with these?"

"The fox tail requires some special handling, we’ll exchange it with other spiritual objects equivalent to the ’heavenly treasures and earthly riches’. Preference goes to those of the Yin and Wind Attributes. With everything else, just deal with it as you see fit," Li Jing said.

"We have a long history, so feel free to do as you please. Material from the corpse should not be difficult to deal with if the Zhuge family is indeed trying to create immortal level mechanisms."

"No issue with the Zhuge family,"

Xu Jiayi nodded and said,

"If they are indeed creating an immortal-level mechanism, they would probably take all the materials derived from this fox demon. However, Brother Jing, you want to exchange the fox tail for ’heavenly treasures and earthly riches’, that could be a bit challenging."

Continuing, she said,

"Not that the nine fox tails aren’t worth as much as heavenly treasures and earthly riches, the Thousand-faced Fox Tail is remarkably rare. Trading two items for nine tails would not be a problem. However, when it comes to the level of heavenly treasures and earthly riches, these aren’t items one could just buy with money. Those who possess these treasures don’t usually part with them easily."

"That’s not a big issue, sooner or later someone will be willing to make the exchange."

Li Jing shrugged and said,

"Don’t rush to sell them, I’m not short of money at the moment. You could just hang the items in your store for others to see. If no one really wants to trade, at worst it could be kept there as a store treasure."

His comment of "I’m not short of money at the moment" made Xu Jiayi’s mouth twitch.

She had watched Li Jing change from being poverty-stricken.

No one knew better than her.

Although Li Jing was generous with his business deals and did not haggle over every ounce, he was never that affluent in the past.

Unconsciously, he had reached this level.

Looking back,

There was something she wanted to ask.

What was Li Jing’s actual strength now and how did he kill this fox demon...

Others might not know, but she was fully aware of it.

Although most of Li Jing’s gains came from his patrol work, the items he brought were mostly his personal gains from his solo adventures.

Previously, when he brought several Sixth Realm Monsters, Xu Jiayi was already incredulous.

Now, he even brought a complete decapitated Seventh Realm Monster, naturally she wanted to ask for more details.

However, her curiosity was eventually suppressed.

Aside from how impolite it was to pry into other people’s secrets, as a merchant, not asking for the origin of the items once assured they weren’t problematic was a principle.

Touching her red lips as she thought, Xu Jiayi looked up.

"Following your usual habits, Brother Jing, you would want treasured materials that can be used to nourish Spirit Weapons, right?"

"It doesn’t really matter."

Li Jing shook his head and said.

"Treasured materials usable for nourishing Spirit Weapons are naturally the best, but other types of treasured materials are acceptable too. Such things are hard to come by and can’t be too picky about. As long as someone is willing to barter with me, you just need to help me broker the deal."

"Alright."

Xu Jiayi replied.

"I might not be able to provide you with an appraisal report for a while, Brother Jing. A Seventh Realm Monster is not ordinary, and your Thousand-faced fox demon is certainly not a common fox demon. Although there are several senior appraisers in my shop, they do not have experience in appraising Seventh Realm Monsters and might make a mistake. To be safe, I should ask someone from the Appraisal Association to come over."

Then, she added.

"As for the commission, you don’t have to worry, Brother Jing. Given a chance to appraise a Seventh Realm, Thousand-faced fox demon, the Appraisal Association would probably fight over it. No one would be asking for an appearance fee."

"Okay, I’ll leave the matter to you."

Li Jing chuckled.

"Once the complete appraisal report is ready, send me the quote through Immortal Message so I have an idea. Regarding the commission, you don’t need to wave it off. Your business needs to profit, and I have had my fair share of benefits in the past. The usual commission of 10% is fine."

Xu Jiayi is a merchant’s daughter.

She always had a knack for number-crunching.

However, she also had a keen sense for judging people.

Having heard Li Jing’s words, she grinned and replied.

"Okay, we’ll take the usual commission. After this, when you buy goods from our store in the future, we’ll give you some discounts."

"Deal."

Li Jing nodded with a smile, paused for a moment and then said.

"Well, there happens to be a need I have."

Xu Jiayi was taken aback on hearing this.

Ever since their first transaction of a flawed flying sword, most of Li Jing’s visits involved selling things more than buying them.

At most, he would specify the need for Spirit Weapon materials when selling items.

He only occasionally purchased items, none of which were for his personal use.

So, it was indeed a rarity for Li Jing to express a need now.

Just as she was wondering about this unusual request, Li Jing spoke up.

"I need a batch of seeds for Spirit Grass and Spirit Plants, ones that can grow. I’ll pay with Spirit Crystals for a larger quantity."

On hearing his words, Xu Jiayi was slightly stunned.

Seeds for Spirit Grass and Spirit Plants?

And they had to be viable seeds?

What did Li Jing need these for?

Could it be that he was planning to change his profession and start farming?

With a puzzled look, Xu Jiayi responded.

"If you just want the seeds, Brother Jing, I’ll take the initiative to give you a batch of them."

Li Jing heard this and casually laughed.

"If you say so, I’ll gladly accept."

"It’s a small matter."

Xu Jiayi waved her hand and said.

"Wait a moment here, Brother Jing, I’ll go upstairs to get a sack for you."

"Alright."

Li Jing nodded.

A sack sounded like a lot.

But it wasn’t a big deal really.

On the Spirit Item Trading Market, Spirit Grass and Spirit Plant seeds are common goods.

They’re divided into viable seeds and non-viable ones.

Viable seeds are generally cheaper.

Because these types of seeds usually grow ornamental plants or lower-grade Spirit Grass and Spirit Plants to improve the home environment. Their medicinal value is small but they grow rapidly and are not picky about conditions.

Seeds of Spirit Grass and Spirit Plants with medicinal values certainly exist.

However, these kinds of Spirit Grass and Spirit Plants usually have extremely long growth cycles.

After a decade or two, they might not have matured and can be used. Many have extremely strict growth conditions and could die unexpectedly.

The lack of resources in the current world is largely due to the issues in growing conditions and cycles of valuable Spirit Grass and Spirit Plants.

As for non-viable seeds, they themselves have specific values which can be used in medicine or as alchemy materials, and their prices are comparatively much higher.

A sack of viable Spirit Plant seeds, at best, would cost several dozens to a hundred Spirit Crystals.

Such a small sum is trivial for him and a rich woman like Xu Jiayi.

...

Soon, Xu Jiayi brought down a sack of Spirit Grass and Spirit Plant seeds for Li Jing.

Having received his seeds, Li Jing didn’t linger around any longer on the Spirit Item Trading Market, leaving behind the fox demon corpse and choosing to depart.

After leaving the Spirit Item Trading Market, he found a secluded corner nearby to stand.

He glanced around to confirm that no one was close, then, with a thought, Li Jing opened his Little Universe and stepped within.

Since he had created the Little Universe, he hadn’t entered it.

One reason was that he was too busy, and the other was that besides the Spirit Seed that had barely sprouted, the Little Universe contained nothing but the items he usually stored in his storage space; there was no point in entering.

However, this did not mean that Li Jing had forgotten about the Little Universe.

He deliberately bought Spirit Grass seed and Spirit Plant seed, not for anything else, but mainly to improve the environment within the Little Universe.

Since it could accommodate living creatures, and he could even use it as a refuge in emergencies, he naturally needed to work on the environment.

For now, he would just plant some flowers and grass to prevent the Little Universe from being too bare.

The process of entering the Little Universe was similar to stepping into a subspace on the spot.

It’s somewhat different from entering a certain space through a spatial passage.

Once inside the Little Universe, Li Jing looked around.

Now with his Seventh Realm cultivation level, the range of the Little Universe, which had evolved from the Momentary Space, had expanded considerably.

It was roughly equivalent to one and a half medium-sized residential areas.

Compared to a large residential area, it was still a little small.

This bit of space, compared to the boundless living space of the Ancient God’s Descendants, was insignificant. But for Li Jing personally, it was already quite large.

With a thought, Li Jing summoned a sack of Spirit Grass and Spirit Plant seeds that he had already stored in the Little Universe, and casually opened the bag.

Then, he invoked his thought again.

Subsequently, the seeds in the sack automatically flew out and spread evenly around the Spirit Seed, falling into the ground.

The Little Universe itself was essentially Li Jing’s storage space.

Its ability to accommodate living beings was due to the growth of the Spirit Seed.

Here, he could move anything without lifting a finger.

Planting was a breeze.

It’s worth mentioning.

The land in the Little Universe appeared because of the germination of the Spirit Seed.

Originally, it was just a piece of space.

There was no sky, no land.

The appearance of any terrain was brought about by the germination of the Spirit Seed.

After planting, Li Jing invoked his thought to designate a separate area for storage, transferring all the items he had stored in his storage space and piled them together.

He didn’t have many things.

Apart from daily necessities, they were basically some basic Talisman Method creations and the "toys" he had picked up from the White Hawk Market.

After all, he didn’t cultivate.

He had never dabbled in the field of artifact refinement.

There was absolutely no need for spiritual pills and elixirs.

There was also no particular need to hoard spiritual materials and objects.

After transferring his stock, Li Jing looked around and, invoking his thought again, made the ground shift, creating a winding channel stretching across the entire Little Universe.

After preparing the channel, Li Jing left the Little Universe.

This channel was prepared for future water diversion.

Having planted, there must be water, right?

Otherwise, how would the seeds grow?

His Little Universe was still far from perfect, there were terrain features but no weather changes, and there was no presence of rain or streams for now.

He would have to figure out a way to divert water in the future.

The seeds he had just planted don’t need to be taken care of for now.

The seeds he bought back were not ordinary plant seeds after all.

The seeds of spiritual materials and plants that can be planted usually contain their own water, and the land in the Little Universe germinated by the Spirit Seed also contains a certain amount of water.

There is no sun in the Little Universe, so there isn’t evaporation.

The current moisture in the soil is enough for them to survive for a while.

When the water in the soil is all used up, he can consider drawing water from the outside world.

...

Back in the real world.

Li Jing didn’t linger on Jianghai street, activated Silent Shadow, transformed into a thunder and took off, embarking on the journey back to the capital.

It took just over ten minutes for him to return to the capital region.

Soon, he arrived near the Jiu Li’s house.

As soon as he landed, his Primordial Spirit caught the aura of Jiu Li.

He wondered when she had returned.

At the moment, she was on the second floor, presumably hard at work.

Yulian was in the living room downstairs, probably waiting for him.

Having sensed them, Li Jing glanced up at the second floor, but instead of knocking, he chose to take out his phone.

Since Jiu Li had honestly returned, it was best to let her be.

If Jiu Li knew about his visit, who knew what this cunning fox would think of next.

Then he would be stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Why bother making both sides unhappy?

Jiu Li is very devious, not easily frightened by the sight of Fox Master’s corpse.

Considering their familiarity with each other, she could guess that Fox Master was killed by him.

Previously, when Jiu Li received the threatening photo message, she had indeed contacted Li Jing for confirmation, but he had not replied.

This time, Li Jing came to take Yulian and "make a run for it".

Although Jiu Li’s nature meant she could not be obedient for long, some opportunities should not be given to her at all.

This fox, if you give her any leeway, she can take a mile.

Before "making a run for it" with Yulian, Li Jing thought it best not to speak with Jiu Li, lest she throws caution to the wind the moment Yulian leaves.

Pulling up Yulian’s Immortal Message number from his contacts list, Li Jing began composing a message.

"I’ve taken care of all the things that need to be done. I’m waiting for you outside on the street. Prepare or arrange anything you need, and then we can leave."

After sending the message, Yulian responded by coming out of the house instead of replying.

Greeting the person standing outside the door, she gave a gentle smile.

"I’ve taken care of everything that needs to be explained, we can leave directly."

Saying this, she shut the door behind her and took hold of Li Jing’s arm.

Yulian has always been quite the woman.

Being as intelligent as she is.

She understands this thoroughly.

Despite the surface neutrality between her and Jiu Li, Li Jing has always been on her side.

Since he’s on her side, shouldn’t she show some courtesy?

At this point, to be honest, she has become accustomed to being close to Li Jing.

Really.

Habit is a scary thing.

In the past, Yulian and Li Jing allowed their closeness to be perceived for the sake of working convenience, simply going through the motions in front of others.

Now, she’s grown accustomed to clinging to Li Jing.

It’s only when Liu Sisi or Chen Yuran are around that she keeps a certain distance.

This aspect is almost imperceptible.

Yulian herself wasn’t too aware, the act of reaching out her hand had completely become a habitual behavior.

As for Li Jing, he had fully adapted to this situation.

The women he was familiar with were all adept at being women.

They know how to use their advantages, are relatively open, and do not shy away at the slightest thing.

However, if it were in the past.

Facing Yulian’s closeness, Li Jing would have felt a bit uncomfortable.

Mainly because she naturally exudes charm, getting too close always makes one unintentionally think of her in strange ways.

It wasn’t until he mastered the Limit Breakthrough, still water like mirror, that he was able to resist being swayed.

Setting aside those random thoughts.

Seeing that Yulian had already taken care of everything, Li Jing didn’t delay and activated Silent Shadow, taking her away like a bolt of lightning.

The moment they had just left, a window on the second floor opened and Jiu Li sneakily poked her head out.

Looking left and right, there was no one on the street.

Jiu Li pouted her lips and retreated back in silence.

Normally she doesn’t pay attention to her surroundings.

However, Yulian — a fellow demon — could not be ignored if she chose to not sense her presence.

The moment Yulian opened the door downstairs, she was immediately aware of it.

She instantly realized that it was Li Jing, who didn’t reply to her messages, had come.

The sudden disappearance of Yulian’s aura confirmed this fact for her.

Only someone like Li Jing would have the ability to make a Great Demon disappear from another Great Demon’s sensing.

Seeing that the person had already left, Jiu Li was a bit unhappy.

Li Jing was too biased.

The two were fox demons; he could have given her a chance to probe Yulian, couldn’t he?

She could guess that the "death threat" sent by Yulian was Li Jing’s trophy.

But that’s not the point.

The point is Yulian’s attitude.

Despite her higher cultivation level and being almost twice Yulian’s age,

She felt inferior in front of Yulian.

If Yulian really gets angry, she’d be in an awkward situation.

Jiu Li always loved causing trouble.

However, she is not so reckless as to disregard the feelings of those around her. She’s just a little more cunning.

With Li Jing avoiding her, she naturally had no chance to probe Yulian’s attitude.

What else can she say?

To be on the safe side, she can only behave for the time being.

...