CHAPTER 413: 225, THE WARMTH AND COLDNESS OF HUMAN EMOTIONS_2

Over a hundred years to break through a small realm—this was common for ordinary cultivators.

"I have accumulated quite a bit of Azure Fire Wolf Spider’s silk, which could be sold or woven into magic clothes..." Xu Xing glanced at the Zhao female cultivator, his mind instantly formulating a plan to leave Xuan Turtle City and head for the Chu Kingdom.

Holding the Green Vine Token allowed entry into Xuan Turtle City. Holding the Green Cloud Symbol allowed one to join any sect in the Chu Kingdom, aside from the four major ones. The Green Cloud Symbol’s price was slightly higher than the Green Vine Token’s, at 800,000 Spirit Shells. A finished article of magic clothing could cost anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of Spirit Shells. The spider thread he possessed should be enough to weave two finished articles of magic clothing.

"I don’t know how to address Miss Zhao..." Xu Xing reined in his thoughts, cupped his hands towards the Zhao female cultivator, and managed a smile as he inquired.

Although he was traveling with this Zhao female cultivator, before she had revealed her origins and weaving skills, he had merely regarded her as a stranger he would likely never interact with again. Thus, he had only exchanged a few polite greetings with her and paid little else any mind.

"Zhao... Zhao Xian..." the Zhao female cultivator hesitated for a moment before revealing her name.

After speaking, she looked at Xu Xing curiously and asked, "And how may I address you, Sir?"

This time, Xu Xing had disguised himself as a low-level cultivator in the Immortal Foundation Realm, so his appearance was also extremely ordinary. Among their fellow travelers, although Xu Xing was present, the Zhao female cultivator had primarily focused her attention on the Old Monk. After all, she felt no particular need to interact with Xu Xing, and she wasn’t a very talkative person herself.

"Yao Dang," Xu Xing nodded, stating his alias without a change in expression.

After this simple exchange of names, Xu Xing and Zhao Xian found they had little more to discuss. Their expressions returned to normal, and after the Old Monk said, "Let’s be on our way," the two of them proceeded through the clouds.

At this moment, Xu Xing finally broke the silence, taking the initiative to speak to Zhao Xian. "Miss Zhao, I, Yao Dang, have some spirit spider silk on hand, all first-class spiritual objects. I wonder how proficient you are in your family’s traditional weaving techniques?"

He hadn’t spoken up earlier to guard against the Old Monk. Not that he feared the Old Monk harming him; after all, even the direst consequences were trivial to him, a True Monarch. But it was always best to avoid trouble if possible.

"Spirit spider silk..." Zhao Xian paused for a moment upon hearing his words, then replied with a hint of pleasant surprise in her tone, "For such Spirit Material, I must examine it first before I can make any decisions. Different types of spider silk are suited for weaving different items..."

Xu Xing asking such a question clearly meant he wanted to do business with her. From the moment she had left home, the funds in her Storage Bag had been dwindling, her income insufficient to cover her expenses. She was in dire need of earning some Spirit Shells for her future.

...

...

「Two days later, on the road.」

Xu Xing found a suitable opportunity, took out a length of spirit spider thread, and placed it in Zhao Xian’s hand for her to examine.

"This is... Azure Fire Wolf Spider’s silk..."

"It’s first-class spider silk."

"Incredible! This Azure Fire Wolf Spider actually reached the first-class level," Zhao Xian exclaimed, surprised as she scrutinized the transparent spider thread in her palm. This spider thread contained a faint trace of azure fire, which would emanate from the silk if stimulated with a bit of Magic Power.

"Is silk produced by the Azure Fire Wolf Spider more precious?" Xu Xing raised an eyebrow, asking curiously upon hearing her words.

"No, not that..." Zhao Xian hurriedly shook her head and explained, "The Azure Fire Wolf Spider is a Ferocious Beast. They rarely advance to the first-class level, not because evolution is difficult for them, but because the benefits of evolving aren’t particularly high."

"However, this Azure Fire Spider Silk can still be used for weaving. It’s just that, in terms of value, it’s somewhat inferior to other spider silks of the same grade," she continued.

"So that’s how it is..." Xu Xing listened and wasn’t disappointed.

He had already anticipated this.

Helping the Azure Fire Wolf Spiders he raised to evolve was something he rarely saw others do. This was enough to prove that helping this Spirit Beast evolve was an unprofitable endeavor.

He showed a look of relief and said, "Then, I’ll have to trouble Miss Zhao with this small matter. Once the weaving is complete and the finished products are sold, we’ll split the profits fifty-fifty."

The Azure Fire Spider Silk had no value unless processed.

Even if some shops were willing to purchase raw spirit spider thread, the prices they offered were typically extremely low.

A fifty-fifty split.

In fact, Xu Xing was still getting the better deal.

However, being calculating was part of the persona of the low-level cultivator Xu Xing was disguised as.

Bottom-level Cultivators always had to make every Spirit Shell count.

"This..." Zhao Xian hesitated for a moment, then nodded her elegant head. "I can help Brother Yao weave the spider thread. But as for the finished product... we’ll have to wait until we’re inside Xuan Turtle City."

Xuan Turtle City was located on the southwestern border of the South Yue Nation. Traveling together, it would likely take them about half a month more to arrive. To finish the weaving in that time, given her skills, she would inevitably have to rush and work overtime. A fifty percent share of the profits wasn’t worth her expending so much effort.

"Alright," Xu Xing nodded, having no objections.

...

...

「Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.」

The Old Monk brought Xu Xing and Zhao Xian to the outskirts of Xuan Turtle City and, according to their original plan, saw them separately into the inner city.

「Dinghefeng.」

「An outer hall, a room.」

Several burly men sat in the hall, while Xu Xing, Zhao Xian, and a dozen or so other smuggled workers stood in the middle, waiting to pay their final payments.

Soon, it was Xu Xing’s turn.

"The remaining ninety thousand Spirit Shells..." Xu Xing took out seventy-three thousand Spirit Shells from his Storage Bag and a Jade Pendant worth tens of thousands from his sleeve. He said with feigned reluctance, "This Jade Pendant was left to me by my mother before her death. If it weren’t for... having no other choice, I wouldn’t want to give this Jade Pendant to you."

He handed the Jade Pendant to the Old Monk’s nephew, Kong Xing.

Smuggling and human trafficking.

This was a business run jointly by the managers of Dinghefeng’s outer hall.

He had been introduced by the Old Monk, so the final payment was naturally due to the Old Monk’s nephew.

"The quality of this Jade Pendant is good, and it even contains an array technique..." Kong Xing took the Jade Pendant and examined it, nodding inwardly. Outwardly, however, he put on a fierce expression. "This Jade Pendant is worth at most twelve thousand Spirit Shells. You still owe me five thousand Spirit Shells."

"The terms are ’nine out, thirteen back.’ You owe me five thousand Spirit Shells. With interest accumulating, pay it back next month..." Kong Xing counted on his fingers, calculating how many more Spirit Shells he could extort from Xu Xing.

Too much, and Xu Xing might resort to a desperate struggle, benefiting no one.

Too little, and it wouldn’t be worth the confrontation.

"Extorting me?"

"What audacity."

Xu Xing frowned slightly.

However, he had already anticipated this.

It would be strange if the Old Monk and his nephew Kong Xing didn’t try to squeeze them a bit.

Pretending to be aggrieved, he took out a Jade Hairpin from his sleeve and handed it to Kong Xing. "This is the second heirloom my mother left me before she passed away. If it weren’t absolutely necessary, I, Yao Dang, wouldn’t..."

As he spoke, Xu Xing released a sliver of the oppressive aura of a Dao Pill Daoist, directing it straight at Kong Xing.

However, he controlled this wisp of pressure perfectly, not enough to crush Kong Xing outright or shatter his mind.

"A Dao Pill Daoist..." Sensing the profound and terrifying pressure emanating from Xu Xing, Kong Xing’s expression changed instantly.

However, at this moment, he dared not show the slightest abnormality, fearing others would notice.

He had used his network for this smuggling operation.

Once others found out that he had let a True Monarch sneak in, his only option would be death.

"This Jade Hairpin will count as your five thousand Spirit Shells. Be smarter next time. Don’t expect people to help you if you don’t have the money," Kong Xing snorted coldly, pocketed the Jade Hairpin, and walked over to Zhao Xian with an unchanged, emotionless expression to demand her final payment.

The smuggled cultivators were not fools.

Before actually entering Xuan Turtle City, none of them would have obediently handed over the full one hundred thousand Spirit Shells; they would only pay a portion upfront.

"Here’s the rest of the money," Zhao Xian obediently handed the remaining final payment to Kong Xing, not daring to show the slightest hesitation.

"These Spirit Shells are of inferior quality; I’m afraid they don’t add up to enough..." Kong Xing glanced into the Storage Bag. Seeing that the Spirit Shells inside were actually of good quality, greed flickered in his eyes, and he habitually prepared to find another excuse to extort Zhao Xian.

But then, he suddenly remembered Zhao Xian’s association with Xu Xing.

The two of them had traveled together.

"Forget it. I’m feeling generous, and it’s not much money missing anyway..." Kong Xing casually found an excuse, let Zhao Xian off, and returned to his seat.

...

...

"That was terrifying! I thought they were going to extort even more money from me..."

"These managers are all just Foundation Establishment Cultivators. When it comes to Cultivation, they’re not much stronger than us. If they can do it, so can we."

After Kong Xing and the other outer hall managers had left, the smuggled cultivators began to discuss animatedly among themselves.

In the Cultivation World, Cultivation was paramount. Kong Xing and his cohorts were merely Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Naturally, these smuggled cultivators wouldn’t readily submit to being extorted by them.