6: Chapter 6 The Snow Fox's Stress Reaction!

By the time Lin Fan walked out of the repair shop with those five thousand yuan in his pocket, the sky was pitch black.

He shoved his hand into his pocket, feeling the thickness of the stack of cash, feeling a bit uneasy.

He thought of the glasses temple wrapped in tape and suddenly felt like the money in his hand was burning him.

"He won't even take a solid gold coffin; this old man really has a temper."

Lin Fan muttered to himself and quickened his pace.

He had to heal the snake quickly. Once it was healed, he could become a Beast Armor Master, and then he could treat Old Mo better in the future.

Early the next morning, Lin Fan headed out with the money.

The Armor Beast supply stores were concentrated in the south of the city, which was quite far from his home and required two bus transfers.

As he stood at the platform waiting for the bus, his mind was still revolving around that eighteen hundred yuan.

Moonlight Grass cost six thousand eight hundred, and he only had five thousand.

He was still short by eighteen hundred.

Bargain with the store?

For items with clearly marked prices like that, he probably wouldn't be able to talk them down.

Borrow from classmates?

He'd be lucky if that bunch of classmates didn't laugh at him, let alone lend him money.

Just as he was thinking, the bus arrived.

Lin Fan boarded, found a window seat, and stared blankly outside.

The bus swayed for twenty minutes before reaching the stop.

Lin Fan got off and walked down the street.

This area was the concentration zone for the Armor Beast industry in Dongyun City, with various shops lining the streets.

Armor Beast supply stores, Armor Beast hospitals, Armor Beast training halls, Armor Beast grooming salons...

There was a huge variety, everything one could need.

He found an Armor Beast supply store that looked quite reputable and pushed the door open.

"Welcome!"

The clerk was a girl in her twenties who greeted him with a smile. "How can I help you?"

Lin Fan glanced at the various herbs and Materials in the counter and went straight to the point.

"Do you have Moonlight Grass?"

"Yes."

The clerk nodded. "How many stalks do you need?"

"One. How much is it?"

"Moonlight Grass is currently six thousand eight hundred per stalk."

As the clerk spoke, she sized him up. "Do you need it for detoxification?"

Lin Fan didn't respond, silently calculating in his head.

"Um..." He cleared his throat. "Can it be a bit cheaper?"

The smile on the clerk's face stiffened for a moment before she professionally maintained it.

"Sir, our prices are clearly marked; we don't bargain."

"I know, I was just asking."

Lin Fan gave a dry laugh. "Alright, I'll think about it some more."

He pushed the door open and left, standing by the roadside and looking at the passing crowds, feeling a bit troubled.

Short eighteen hundred.

Where was he going to get that eighteen hundred?

As he was thinking, his peripheral vision suddenly caught a familiar figure.

Across the street, a thin and small boy was holding a fluffy little beast, standing at the entrance of an Armor Beast hospital, looking inside helplessly.

Lin Fan looked closer and was stunned.

Xu Ziyan?

His deskmate.

Speaking of which, although the two had been deskmates for a semester, they probably hadn't spoken more than twenty sentences in total.

Xu Ziyan had a weak personality and usually spoke very little; he didn't move around much after class either, just sitting quietly in his seat reading or spacing out.

As for Lin Fan, he was talkative and foul-mouthed, but he didn't have any common topics with Xu Ziyan.

One was dirt poor while the other was filthy rich; what could they talk about?

However, Xu Ziyan wasn't annoying.

He wasn't like Qin Hao's group of rich second-generation kids who relied on their stinking money to lord it over others at school.

He truly was an honest person.

At this moment, Xu Ziyan was standing at the Armor Beast hospital entrance, holding that little fox with red eyes, looking like he was about to cry.

Lin Fan crossed the street and walked closer; it really was him.

Xu Ziyan looked up, saw Lin Fan, and was taken aback. "Lin... Lin Fan?"

"What's the situation here?" Lin Fan pointed at the fox in his arms.

Xu Ziyan opened his mouth, but before he could speak, his eyes turned red again.

"I... the Armor Spirit I just contracted, I don't know what's wrong. It's been acting strange since last night, comatose and not eating. I... I brought it to see a doctor, but..."

Lin Fan interjected, "You didn't bring enough money?"

Xu Ziyan shook his head.

"No... it's that the queue lasts until the afternoon, and I'm afraid it won't hold on..."

Lin Fan: "..."

Fine, he had overthought it.

Xu Ziyan's father was a famous Armor Beast material merchant in Dongyun City, said to be worth over ten million.

How could someone like that be short on money?

Lin Fan looked down at the fox in his arms, and his left eye grew slightly warm.

Lines of small text emerged.

[Species]: Snow Spirit Fox

[Rank]: 7

[Aptitude]: high-grade mortal spirit (Limit: mid-grade King Spirit)

[Attribute: Ice-type]

[Current Evolution Paths: 1. Devour Ice Crystal Fruit ×5, Snow Lotus ×3; can evolve into Ice Crystal Fox (high-grade Mystic Spirit). Rank requirement: 17.

2. Devour Profound Jade Lotus Root ×5, fully absorb the essence of sunlight for two hours at noon; can evolve into Profound Ice Jade Fox (high-grade Mystic Spirit). Rank requirement: 19.]

[Current Status: Post-contract stress response, spiritual energy in disarray, leading to coma.]

[Treatment Method: Needs to consume Spirit-Soothing Grass ×1, combined with Armor Beast Master Origin spiritual energy guidance; can recover within one day.]

[Armorization]: Hand

[Evaluation: This Armor Spirit itself is decent, but unfortunately the owner is too weak; improper operation during the contract caused the Armor Spirit to have a stress response.]

After Lin Fan finished reading, his mouth twitched.

Even this Armor Spirit could get stressed?

However, this Armor Spirit's potential was actually extremely good. He didn't know if his wealthy father had hand-picked it or if it was simply the boy's dumb luck.

What a pity. Compared to his own half-dead little snake, it was still a hundred thousand miles behind.

Lin Fan snapped back to reality and looked at the treatment plan; it only required one stalk of Spirit-Soothing Grass.

He pulled out his phone and searched for it.

Spirit-Soothing Grass, one thousand two hundred per stalk.

Immediately, his mind began to race.

Xu Ziyan held the Snow Spirit Fox, looking at him anxiously, not knowing what he was doing.

"Lin Fan... you... what's wrong?"

Lin Fan came back to his senses, looked at him, and suddenly smiled.

"Xu Ziyan, do you want to save this fox?"

Xu Ziyan nodded frantically.

"Then do you trust me?"

Xu Ziyan was stunned.

He looked at Lin Fan, then at the Snow Spirit Fox in his arms, hesitated for a few seconds, and then asked in a small voice.

"You... you can heal it?"

"I can't."

Lin Fan told the truth, "But I know how to heal it."

Xu Ziyan looked completely bewildered; what was he saying?

Lin Fan didn't explain and asked directly, "Do you have money on you?"

Xu Ziyan subconsciously touched his pocket. "Yes... I do..."

"How much did you bring?"

Xu Ziyan pulled out his wallet and opened it for him to see.

Lin Fan took a glance, and his mouth twitched.

There was a thick stack of cash in the wallet, at least five or six thousand by the look of it.

Damn capitalists.

Lin Fan took a deep breath, trying to make his tone sound less bitter.

"Spirit-Soothing Grass is one thousand two hundred per stalk. Buying one can heal your fox."

Without another word, Xu Ziyan counted out twelve red bills from his wallet and handed them to Lin Fan.

"Here."

Lin Fan took the money and was momentarily stunned.

That easy?

"Aren't you afraid I'll run off with the money?"

Xu Ziyan blinked. "Would you?"

Lin Fan: "..."

Fine, this kid is truly naive.

"Wait here, I'll be right back."