Shen Yuan shook off the bloodstains on the long sword and then used his clothes to wipe it clean before putting the sword away in its scabbard.

"Take it."

He tossed the long sword to Shen Wenxing, cautiously walked to the Iron-spine Demon Wolf's carcass, confirmed time and again that the creature was truly dead, then approached to pull out the long spear.

"Ah Die, what's this?"

Shen Wenxing came to the front and noticed among the intestines of the Demon Wolf, there was an egg-sized orb emitting a weak light.

Shen Yuan used the long spear to scoop it out, examined it for a moment, but could only sense that the object contained a very strong energy.

"This thing probably is the source of the creature's power. Let's take it and keep it."

He tore off a piece of clothing and wrapped the object, then looked at the Iron-spine Demon Wolf's carcass.

"I wonder if this creature's meat can be eaten."

Shen Wenxing stepped forward to take a closer look, but couldn't tell.

"Why don't we take some back and try it on a dog?"

Shen Yuan nodded: "Let's take it all back."

"This place belongs to Hidden Dragon Mountain, and many ferocious beasts roam here."

"Leaving it here will surely attract other wild beasts."

"It's best if it can be eaten; if not, we can use it as fertilizer."

The father-son duo pierced the Demon Wolf's carcass with the long spear and carried it down the mountain.

By the time they returned home, dawn had already broken.

Fortunately, it's early winter, and they didn't encounter anyone on the way.

After dumping the Demon Wolf's carcass in the courtyard, Shen Yuan, weary and rugged, tore off his tattered clothes, boiled some water to prepare for a bath.

Hu Yufen heard the commotion, dressed, and came out of the room.

She just stepped out and saw the massive Demon Wolf carcass in the courtyard!

"What... what kind of monster is this!?"

Shen Wenxing was considering how to skin the Demon Wolf, heard his mother's exclamation, and stood up with a smile: "Mother, it's a Demon Wolf."

Hu Yufen, still startled, came forward, feeling nauseous at the bloody scene.

"Did you kill it?"

Shen Wenxing nodded: "I killed it with Ah Die."

"Your father is back!?"

Hu Yufen looked around the courtyard with delight.

"He's here."

Shen Yuan, holding a basin of hot water, came out of the house, chuckling: "First, find me some clean clothes."

After taking a hot bath and changing into clean clothes, Shen Yuan went to the courtyard, first carrying the cloth bundle from the Dragon Tamer's Mansion into the house.

"Ah Die, even if this creature's meat can't be eaten, its skin should sell for quite a lot."

Seeing his father come out, Shen Wenxing spoke up.

Shen Yuan nodded.

"The quality is indeed very good, and it's back covered in scale armor is extremely tough..."

"But selling it is futile; outsiders don't recognize this stuff."

"Let's keep it for now."

"Hey, Yufen." Shen Yuan turned to Hu Yufen, who dared not come too close, and said: "Can you get me some silver taels? I want to buy a dog from the village."

Hu Yufen was puzzled: "Why buy a dog?"

Shen Wenxing explained with a grin: "This creature is a Demon, Ah Die is worried its meat might be harmful, so he's thinking of buying a dog to test it."

Hu Yufen suddenly understood, turned around, and brought back two silver taels from the house.

By the time Shen Yuan arrived at Jinliu Village, it was broad daylight, and smoke rose from every household's chimney in the village of Common People.

After wandering around, unable to find a suitable dog for sale, he decided to ask Zhao Shuan.

Hearing Shen Yuan wanted to buy a dog, Zhao Shuan laughed: "Nowadays, just being able to fill one's belly is fortunate. Even if someone raises dogs, they're used for guarding homes, who would sell them?"

"If you want to buy one, you'll have to go to town to look."

"Just so, my wife asked me to go to town to buy some fabric for winter clothes for the children, want to go for a stroll?"

Shen Yuan thought for a moment, then agreed.

"Ah Yuan, help me hitch the ox cart, I'll go get money from my wife!"

Shen Yuan responded by fetching the old ox from the barn.

After hitching the ox cart, Zhao Shuan came out of the house, followed by Wang Ying who was shouting: "Why are you two in such a hurry?"

"It's not too late to go after breakfast."

With a warm smile, Zhao Shuan replied: "Don't you worry about that, with money in my pocket, how could I starve?"

"Ah Yuan, let's go!"

Zhao Shuan sat on the ox cart and called out.

"Sister-in-law, we're leaving."

Shen Yuan greeted Wang Ying and got on the ox cart as well.

On the path leading to Yunshui Town, the ox cart moved slowly.

"Ah Yuan, I went to the market in town the other day and heard that many Immortals have come to the Royal City. Is that true?"

To him, Shen Wenxing was the Steward of the Ascension Pavilion in Anyang County, so he could talk to Immortals.

He surely knew whether this was true or not.

Shen Yuan nodded: "It's true."

Upon receiving a definite answer, Zhao Shuan was a bit excited, "That's great!"

Shen Yuan frowned, "How is that a good thing?"

Zhao Shuan thought for a moment and said, "Immortals have great divine powers. With so many Immortals coming to our Yu Country, it must be a good thing."

Shen Yuan smiled bitterly and shook his head, suddenly realizing something.

Throughout the Yu Country, there should be no shortage of common people like Zhao Shuan, who believed that the arrival of powerful Immortals would bring good fortune to ordinary people, even fantasizing that with more Immortals, they could also obtain an Immortal Fate and become one of them.

But in reality?

After these Immortals of the Immortal Sect arrived, they would only trample on Yu Country's laws, destroying its existing order.

Not that Shen Yuan thought Yu Country was so good right now.

It's just that he felt more secure with order compared to the chaos of disorder.

The two chatted casually along the way and soon arrived at Yunshui Town.

After some inquiries, they found several dog vendors at the market.

Shen Yuan initially planned to casually buy a small dog to take back, but as they passed one of the dog vendors' stalls, he was attracted by a few pitch-black puppies.

These little guys looked only three or four months old, black all over as if soaked in ink, without a single stray hair.

Even when he squatted down to pet the puppy's head, the little guy stuck out a black tongue.

"Five Black?"

Shen Yuan picked up the puppy with a smile, and even Zhao Shuan found the little guy impressive, unable to resist the urge to buy one to raise.

"Young man, how much are you selling these dogs for?"

The seller was a youth of seventeen or eighteen, dressed as a hunter, looking somewhat different from those shrewd vendors.

"One… one for five… five hundred copper coins."

"What!?"

Hearing the price, Zhao Shuan widened his eyes in shock, pinching a puppy's ear and said, "This little mutt barely worth fifty copper coins, and you're selling it for five hundred!?"

"Why don't you just rob then?"

The youth, seeing this, didn't argue and directly snatched the puppy from his hand, "If you... if you don't want it, don't take it, I'm not forcing you to buy it."

Zhao Shuan glared at him and pulled Shen Yuan along, "Let's go, let's go! Ah Yuan, this kid looks honest, but turns out he's not."

"Hold on, Brother Shuan."

Shen Yuan carefully examined several little black puppies, picking out a male and a female, and asked the young man:

"What if I want two?"

The young man was slightly taken aback, then spoke, "Two for... I can give them for nine hundred copper coins?"

Shen Yuan didn't speak, gazing at the two little black puppies in front of him.

He really liked these dogs because in his previous life they had a loud name—Chinese Five Black!

"Nine hundred copper coins are fine, but you have to include a cage." Shen Yuan pointed at the bamboo cage beside him, pulling out a silver tael from his pouch.

The young man didn't expect this, and after a moment of hesitation, hurriedly handed over the bamboo cage.

At the market, Zhao Shuan kept complaining that Shen Yuan got ripped off, saying nine hundred copper coins could buy a dozen or twenty such puppies.

Shen Yuan didn't refute, carrying the cage and accompanying him to get some cloth, then headed to Jinliu Village.

After noon, he had a simple meal at Zhao Shuan's house before returning home to the Black Water Pool.

"Ah Die, where did you buy the dogs?"

Shen Wenxing had already skinned the Demon Wolf completely, and the meat was all prepared.

"This meat doesn't look or smell bad; I think it should be edible."

Taking the bamboo cage, he directly threw a piece of meat into it.

These two little guys were starving, and upon seeing the meat, immediately began to fight over it and devour it.

"Alright, just observe for now." Watching the little ones finish eating the meat, Shen Yuan chuckled with his hands behind his back.

If these two little black dogs showed no reaction after eating, then the meat should be safe to eat.

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