Chapter Sixty-Eight: Again, Hearing Spirit Concealment

“So that’s how it is…”

Murong Yun nodded, deeply impressed.

“Though I’ve been to Xiangshou County many times, this is my first time truly understanding these old events from hundreds of years ago. Aside from a few ancient powerful beings and official records, there are probably very few people who could recount this matter in such detail nowadays.”

“Miss Ling Feng, do the masters of the Yin-Yang Division all read history like you?”

“Well, haha…”

It seemed she wanted to avoid the topic, and the girl shook her head with a smile, not committing to an answer. Bai’er tactfully changed the subject at that moment.

“By the way, are we heading straight to Cangyun Mountain?”

On this point, Vilyric and Ling Feng had already discussed.

“There’s no rush. Let’s take a stroll around the city first, gather some information, and talk after that. After all, at this point, it’s just speculation that Princess Ling might be linked to Peach Blossom Peak on Cangyun Mountain. We know almost nothing about her presence here or any other related clues. Charging up the mountain without a plan would be like a headless fly.”

“Exactly, haste makes waste.”

Not minding Ling Feng and Bai’er’s earlier actions, Murong Yun nodded. After some thought, he offered a suggestion.

“In that case, let me take you three somewhere. The timing is just right; he should still be there. If you’re looking to gather information, there’s probably no place more suitable in all of Xiangshou County.”

“Oh? It’s rare to see Murong-san being so straightforward. Since that’s the case, it wouldn’t hurt to check it out. What do you think, Vilyric?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

After exchanging views, the four immediately changed direction and followed Murong Yun to a certain spot in the city.

As the capital of Xiangshou County, Xiangshou City is undoubtedly one of the busiest places in the entire county. Although it doesn’t match the densely populated inland city of Yangyuan City, it has its own unique flavor.

On the streets, the most common businesses were related to spirit pets in all aspects.

From breeding and selling to medical care, nurturing, rescue, and even the proper funeral industry for spirit pets after their deaths, it encompassed nearly every aspect Vilyric could imagine or didn’t imagine.

Spirit pets, in essence, were just demons or the spiritual offspring of demons. Their relationship was like a big circle enclosing a small one; demons are not necessarily spirit pets, but spirit pets can always be classified under demons.

After all, the Ancient Spirit Realm doesn’t have that many chaotic intelligent races; apart from humans, there are demons. The spirits drawn from the essence of heaven and earth can at most be passed down for three to four generations before fading back into ordinary beasts. They can’t possibly reproduce into a genuinely scaled population.

This is one of the most apparent distinctions between the two continents.

Of course, there are many types of demons. To put it broadly, beings like the sacred beast Qilin and the ferocious beast Ya Zi are also demons; they are simply more powerful or more ferocious, possessing awe-inspiring strength, hence the titles of “sacred” or “ferocious.”

Spirit pets follow the same reasoning.

However, compared to most places in the Spirit Nation, the people of Xiangshou County treat spirit pets exceptionally kindly and harmoniously. If the former lived their lives independently, here in Xiangshou County, it was more about mutual assistance and support between humans and demons, or rather, between humans and spirit pets.

Although there is a trading industry, it is structured as a regular commercial industry. Compared to the slave-like conditions faced by poacher groups in the United Kingdom, the spirit pets here not only have a more comfortable living environment but also show none of the unwillingness or fear from forced circumstances. Most of the spirit pets Vilyric saw on the streets seemed to observe the passing customers with a discerning eye.

She even noticed that before a transaction was reached, both buyers and sellers needed to inquire about the spirit pets’ own preferences through special methods. If those spirit pets did not wish to be bought by the other party, it appeared that even if the price offered was high, sellers couldn’t force them.

“Heh, this place is rather interesting…”

Walking and observing, the Priestess commented softly on the surroundings, not forgetting to turn and look at the fellow who had supposedly been here several times.

“Murong Yun, do you know where these spirit pets come from? Are they captured in the deep mountains of Xiangshou County, or are they specially raised from a young age? But demons are quite difficult to cultivate artificially, right?”

At present, the spirit pets Vilyric saw were mostly of shallow cultivation or still in their juvenile phase, with at least over eighty percent of them lacking even the most basic ability to take on human form, resembling little cats, dogs, foxes, or other bizarre but clearly weak forms.

And those that were more mature and could more or less change into human-shaped demons were scarcely seen on the sales stands. Even when present, the number of customers was relatively few. The reason behind this was a mystery.

In response to the Priestess’s query, Murong Yun didn’t seem surprised and immediately answered with a gentle explanation.

“Of course, they aren’t captured. Spirit pet capturing is strictly prohibited in Xiangshou County and even in the Extreme State. If discovered, the punishment is quite severe. People can only actively seek opportunities in the wild that catch their eye.”

“As for what Miss Vilyric sees being traded and sold now, a portion of them are spirit pet offspring that lost their parents for various reasons and have been protected by specialized organizations.”

“Although they aren’t demons fostered by nature, having limited lineage, they possess a significant degree of spirituality, can cultivate similar mysterious abilities as normal spirit pets, and grow alongside their owners.”

“Usually, only children or young individuals with limited strength but ample wealth choose to come to the market to pick a partner spirit pet from scratch.”

“And another part consists of actual little demons who, after gaining spirituality, come here to negotiate with market owners for more cultivation resources or companionship.”

The White-clad Middle-aged Man smiled slightly.

“Of course, while referred to as ‘owners,’ in their eyes, it would be more akin to a partnership. Once a contract is made, it isn’t easily changeable. However, if a spirit pet really doesn’t wish to cooperate with its original master, it can pay a certain price to regain its freedom.”

“Those who have already transformed into human forms are basically here seeking new masters for various reasons after leaving or losing their companions.”

“Wow… so there are quite a few ways around this, huh?”

Though she commented this way, Vilyric actually quite recognized this kind of relationship. She and Xiao Guang were the same; although that little girl constantly chirped ‘master’ all day long, in truth, the Priestess didn’t see the Little Dragon Daughter as a subordinate but rather as the closest family, just like a daughter.

Even for later arrivals like Snow Wing or Ya Zi, if they didn’t wish to maintain the contract, Vilyric also didn’t plan to enforce it unilaterally.

Judging from the interactions here, it seemed people and spirit pets operated similarly.

Enjoying the roadside scenery, soon, Murong Yun led them to their destination.

In front of a grand, antiquated building, four large characters caught Vilyric’s eye, surprising her as she had just been immersed in the fascinating culture.

“Spirit Concealment… shopping mall?”

Realizing what the Priestess was pursuing, Ling Feng immediately explained.

“Vilyric, the Spirit Concealment Shopping Mall is a large financial organization co-founded by local residents of the Ancient Spirit Realm after being authorized by the Immortal Island. Not only here but also in other major cities in our Spirit Nation and even in three other countries, similar institutions exist under the same name.”

“Although the Spirit Concealment Shopping Mall has enormous influence, can rival nations, and spans across the seas, even the officials must give them some face, its essence doesn’t have a direct link with the Immortal Island. Even if you find the big boss of the mall, he won’t be able to take you up there; you’ll have to wait until the Immortal Island opens itself.”

The Black-haired Girl nodded.

“Yeah, I’m not actually trying to reach my goal through this mall. It’s just that in the past… never mind, it doesn’t matter. Speaking of which, what do they usually sell here? Rare treasures?”

Though she slipped the question out instinctively, Vilyric knew that her guess might not be accurate.

At this place, in some sense, the Spirit Concealment Shopping Mall couldn’t replicate the model from the other continent, which only sold heavy treasures; otherwise, there would be no reason for the bustling scene they observed now.

In other words, the buying threshold here is actually quite low.

Sure enough, Ling Feng soon shook her head and smiled.

“What do they sell… It’s hard to summarize. Rather than describing it, let’s just go in and see for ourselves.”

   

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