299: trade

Xu Sanyan nodded silently; so that was it.

No wonder most of the Dog Clan were Three-Headed Dogs. It turned out that the first three blessings only required earth vein stone, and since earth vein stone was a renewable resource, they didn't feel as much heartache using it.

The dog god's essence blood, however, was a non-renewable resource, so it required strict control.

Xu Sanyan recalled another question and asked, "Clan Chief, this Junior has something I do not understand; I would appreciate your guidance."

"Hmm, go ahead."

"Can earth vein stone be used interchangeably between different tribes?"

Xu Sanyan remembered the Old Clan Leader saying earlier that earth vein stone was formed from the corpse of the dog god. If that were the case, could other tribes use it as well?

The Old Clan Leader glanced at him, her eyes holding a profound meaning, and slowly spat out two words: "They can."

"Whether it is earth vein stone or essence blood, they are merely a medium to form a channel linking to the 'god'. It is not the earth vein stone that bestows power upon you, but the 'god'."

"God..."

Xu Sanyan murmured softly. He held a skeptical attitude toward whether there truly was a "god" in this world.

"Although earth vein stone can regenerate, the cycle required is very long, so it must be used sparingly; it is not inexhaustible."

The Old Clan Leader emphasized the preciousness of the earth vein stone again, then brought the topic back, "Therefore, we can add at most one blessing. This is the bottom line for our dog god tribe."

Xu Sanyan weighed the options for a moment, "How many people are in the dog god tribe?"

"Six hundred and seventy-two."

Xu Sanyan raised an eyebrow, surprised, "That many?"

This old thing wouldn't have counted the infants too, would she?

Over six hundred Magic Treasures—even if he bought the cheapest ones, it would probably require hundreds of thousands of Spirit Stones. Where was he going to get that many?

If he were still the Demon Sect Saint, mobilizing Sect resources might not have been a problem. But now, he was in a phase of hiding and fleeing; the Spirit Stones on him added up to less than ten thousand. Where could he get so many Magic Treasures?

"That is too many." Xu Sanyan shook his head.

The Old Clan Leader calculated for a moment, then pointed at the short blade and said, "If they are all of this quality, only three hundred pieces are needed."

Although this short blade could not be considered a top-grade Magic Treasure, it was not bad either. If one were to spend Spirit Stones to forge it, it would likely cost hundreds, or even thousands.

Three hundred pieces would require nearly three hundred thousand Spirit Stones; the amount was simply too massive.

"One hundred pieces at most. Three hundred is too many. This item can be considered a treasure in the outside world and is definitely not easily obtained." Xu Sanyan bargained.

"That is acceptable."

The Old Clan Leader nodded. This price was still within reason; one hundred Magic Treasures in exchange for one blessing was acceptable to both sides.

"Good, then it is settled. I will have the Magic Treasures prepared before I come next time." Xu Sanyan stood up and cupped his hands.

In any case, this transaction was cost-effective for him.

One hundred plus Magic Treasures seemed like a lot, and indeed it was not a small amount, but it was still within his bearable range. Although he did not have enough Spirit Stones on hand, he could find a way.

He wanted the items, but lacked the Spirit Stones—what to do?

He would just have to make others suffer a little.

After the two finished discussing the price, Xu Sanyan stood up to take his leave. Walking out of the cave, he saw Xun An Cai crouching on the ground, drawing something with a twig. Hearing the sound, she looked up and hopped over to him.

"What did you and the Clan Chief talk about?"

"Nothing much, just made a deal." Xu Sanyan said as he walked.

Xun An Cai followed beside him and continued to ask, "What kind of deal?"

"You will know in a while."

"Hmph..." Xun An Cai pouted, very dissatisfied with this answer.

Xu Sanyan turned his head to glance at the cave, a hint of calmness showing in his lowered eyelids.

The reason he wanted to reach a cooperation with the Old Clan Leader had two purposes; obtaining the blessing was only one of them.

There was another reason, which was out of consideration for his own safety.

Because once he finished the second blessing, he would have to participate in the mission to surround and kill the leaders of the Snake Clan and the Bear Clan, and Xu Sanyan was afraid of being treated as a sacrificial pawn.

With this layer of cooperative relationship, the Old Clan Leader would also try her best to ensure his safety, because once he died, the cooperation would be forced to terminate.

Of course, even this was not entirely secure, but he had done his best. Such matters inevitably involved some risks, and he could only try to minimize the danger.

"What are you thinking about?" Xun An Cai reached out and waved in front of his eyes, her pair of big eyes full of clear, naive cuteness.

Xu Sanyan looked at her and smiled slightly, then casually wrapped his arm around her waist, "Nothing, let's go home."

"Oh..." Xun An Cai's body stiffened, a blush instantly spreading across her face, and she immediately became extremely well-behaved.

"What was that about the Tuo Beast the Old Clan Leader mentioned earlier?" Xu Sanyan asked casually.

Xun An Cai's hands were tangled together helplessly; she seemed somewhat unaccustomed to being held and hugged in public.

"Ah, it's just a type of wild beast. They usually gather in large groups and are very fierce, but every year at this time, they give birth to young. After giving birth, they become weak, which is perfect for hunting. All the nearby tribes will send people."

As she spoke, Xun An Cai became excited, "The milk of the Tuo Beast is delicious; wait until I get some back for you to taste."

Xu Sanyan was puzzled, "You kill the mother beast that has just given birth; what happens to the young?"

Wasn't this draining the pond to catch the fish? If this continued, in less than a thousand years, this type of wild beast would be on the verge of extinction.

Xun An Cai turned her head in confusion, "We don't kill the young."

Xu Sanyan changed his phrasing, "You kill their mother; what do the newborn young rely on to survive?"

Xun An Cai understood, "Oh, it's fine, other Tuo Beasts will help take care of them."

Xu Sanyan nodded, "Have you tried bringing the young back to raise and then killing them when they grow up?"

Xun An Cai shook her head, "We have tried, but they cannot be raised; they die a few days after being brought back."

"Hmm."

The two chatted as they walked and soon returned home.

Xu Sanyan looked at the scattered wood on the ground; this was what he had chopped when he came last time. He had originally planned to build a wall, but it was shelved because there wasn't enough time. Since he had nothing to do today, he might as well build the wall.

So, he picked up his long blade and began to trim the wood, with Xun An Cai helping on the side.

The wall construction was very rough; they just dug holes around the house, arranged the wood in order, and used the long blade to cut out a square opening to serve as a window.

The two were very fast, and by the time it was getting dark, they had finished building the wall. Although the gaps between the wood were large, it was still much better than the previous pavilion; at the very least, they wouldn't have to worry about being seen when they were intimate at night.

"You are truly amazing." Xun An Cai praised him with a face full of smiles; she was very satisfied with the renovated house.

Xu Sanyan looked at the crooked house, and for a moment, he was unsure if she was praising him or mocking him.

"I'm going to make food." Xun An Cai took a piece of meat from under the eaves and began to set up a fire to roast it.

Her only way of cooking was roasting, and she had no seasonings. It wasn't particularly delicious, but fortunately, the taste of the meat itself was good, so it wasn't hard to swallow.