Chapter 109: Chapter 109: Red Sky Crane Blood

"Yes, Shopkeeper."

The Sun Family disciple immediately complied and returned to his post at the entrance.

"Shopkeeper Sun." Lin Changheng saw a middle-aged man with the air of a wealthy landowner smilingly approach him. He offered a slight smile and a cupped-fist salute.

At the same time, his gaze swept across the dazzlingly opulent interior, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

The most striking feature was in the center of the main hall: dozens of transparent crystal cages hanging in the air, each holding a different Spirit Beast of varying species and appearances.

"Chief Lin, whatever you need, just say the word!"

Shopkeeper Sun chuckled, gesturing at the vast storefront with a confident smile.

"The reputation of a Beast Taming Family is certainly well-deserved."

Lin Changheng offered a compliment before getting to the point. "Do you have any Demon Beast Essence Blood? Preferably of Muddy Evil Bloodline or higher."

"And the more, the better."

"I presume Alchemist Lin requires it for Alchemy."

Shopkeeper Sun nodded thoughtfully, believing he had guessed correctly, but he still wondered about the need for such a large quantity.

But while he thought this, it didn’t affect his actions. He enthusiastically led Lin Changheng into the reception room and had someone pour a cup of Spirit Tea, observing all the proper courtesies.

Hearing this, Lin Changheng just smiled faintly and sipped his tea, remaining noncommittal.

Shopkeeper Sun, thinking he was right, didn’t press the matter. After all, openly questioning a customer about their intentions was extremely rude, and he wouldn’t make such a mistake. "Chief Lin, please enjoy your tea and have a seat."

"Please, go ahead."

The shop was visibly busy, with a large number of Cultivators coming and going. Sun Family members bustled about, assisting customers with introductions to their wares.

The Xu Family’s Alchemy Shop had a decent flow of customers these days, but it wasn’t even thirty percent of what he saw here.

’Reputation precedes them. The Beast Taming Sun Family opening their first shop here has directly attracted a crowd of those with beast-taming needs, as well as Cultivators who came just to see what all the fuss is about. This is a form of foundation—fame and reputation are foundations in their own right.’

After Lin Changheng had finished a cup of Spirit Tea, Shopkeeper Sun returned, saying apologetically, "My apologies for the wait, Mr. Lin."

"No matter."

These days, refining a batch of Upper Grade Pills took at least five days, much of which was spent waiting for the Hidden Refining process, a true test of patience. To Lin Changheng, this brief wait was nothing at all.

"I just went to check our inventory. We have three types of Essence Blood from Demon Beasts with the Muddy Evil Bloodline for sale..." Shopkeeper Sun said, standing to the side.

"Three types?" Lin Changheng’s heart stirred slightly, but he showed no surprise, remaining quite calm. A pause like that usually meant there was a "but" coming...

And sure enough, Shopkeeper Sun began with "however." "We don’t have large quantities of two of those types—only three or four portions of their Essence Blood. They were killed after they ambushed and injured our people during an attempt to capture them for taming."

Lin Changheng nodded.

Over the years, he had gained some understanding of Beast Taming. The so-called Spirit Beasts were not born as such. Aside from a very small number that were naturally inclined to be close to Human Race Cultivators, most were the product of taming and raising.

"And the third type...?" Lin Changheng asked, cutting to the chase.

"For the third type, we do have a large amount of Essence Blood."

"It’s called the Red Sky Crane!"

Shopkeeper Sun nodded, a hint of pride in his expression. "That’s because it’s a Tamed Beast with the Muddy Evil bloodline, exclusive to our Sun Family."

’An exclusive monopoly?’

Noticing the "pride" on Shopkeeper Sun’s face, Lin Changheng knew the man was passionate about his family and that he knew just how to communicate with such a person.

He immediately put on a timely expression of surprise and admiration, his face practically screaming the words "As expected of a Beast Taming Family."

He had spoken a few times with Liu Fengjie, the leader of the Spirit Fox Beast Pavilion in this district, and had learned some things. The Flame-tailed Spirit Fox was an exclusive Tamed Beast of the Liu Family, requiring secret Beast Taming skills, knowledge, and experience to raise successfully.

The formation of such skills and experience was a long process, often taking generations of trial, error, and accumulation.

Evidently, the Red Sky Crane held a similar position for the Beast Taming Sun Family.

As expected, Lin Changheng’s "shock" provided Shopkeeper Sun with a good deal of emotional satisfaction. Feeling rather pleased with himself, his gaze toward Lin Changheng now held a bit more approval.

Lin Changheng seized the opportunity to ask deferentially, "Your family’s Beast Taming Skills are, of course, the pinnacle of the Song Territory, a fact that is almost universally acknowledged. I was wondering, are there many other types of Tamed Beasts like this?"

"Indeed!"

Shopkeeper Sun laughed. This wasn’t some big secret that couldn’t be shared; it’s not like someone could steal the knowledge just from hearing about it. "I wonder, has Fellow Daoist heard of the Flood Dragon Horse?"

"Don’t tell me the Flood Dragon Horse is also bred by your family?" Lin Changheng asked in surprise.

"The Flood Dragon Horse is a crossbreed of a Demon Horse and a Mortal Horse, so its price is low. The Demon Horse used for this crossbreeding is exclusively raised by our family and is called the ’Cyan Flood Dragon Horse.’ We have three or four other types of Tamed Beasts as well, each with its own purpose, but we don’t slaughter them for their blood."

Shopkeeper Sun’s explanation greatly broadened Lin Changheng’s horizons.

"Then do you have any Tamed Beasts with the Profound Spirit Bloodline?"

Seeing that Shopkeeper Sun was on a roll and showed no signs of stopping, Lin Changheng slipped in another question, wearing a curious expression.

This time, however, Shopkeeper Sun just laughed.

"What is it?"

"There’s something you may not know, Chief Lin. Once you get to the level of the Profound Spirit Bloodline, you rarely see large-scale breeding of Tamed Beasts. Of course, Beast Taming itself is not affected."

Shopkeeper Sun gave a mysterious smile. "As for the reason, well, that’s not something I can disclose to outsiders. I hope Chief Lin can forgive me."

"How could I? I am already incredibly grateful that Shopkeeper Sun has revealed so much. Why would I take it to heart, let alone hold it against you?"

Lin Changheng nodded in thanks, knowing it was best not to press the issue. He returned to the original topic, "I was wondering, how much Red Sky Crane Essence Blood does your shop have for sale?"

"Fifty portions."

"The family just sent a shipment to restock a few days ago."

Shopkeeper Sun answered truthfully, adding the explanation.

"Only fifty?"

Lin Changheng was taken aback, his expression changing slightly in disappointment.

Shopkeeper Sun naturally noticed this and said pointedly, "Brother Lin, this is a considerable supply of Essence Blood. Although the family produces more, we have two major Sects and one Noble Family who purchase it from us simultaneously. If it weren’t for the fact that this is a new shop in the New District that we’re trying to build up, you might not even be able to get this much."

"Is that so?"

Lin Changheng considered this for a moment. Realizing this blood must have some special qualities, he asked, "And what is the price?"

"Five Lower Grade Spirit Stones per portion."

Shopkeeper Sun held up five fingers.

That was two Spirit Stones more expensive than ordinary Muddy Evil Essence Blood.

"Is there a discount?" Lin Changheng asked casually.

"Chief Lin, it’s not that I’m unwilling to give you face, but it’s a Sun Family rule. You get what you pay for—that is an ironclad principle we cannot bend, so..."

Shopkeeper Sun spread his hands, his expression twisting into one of helplessness.

Lin Changheng remained silent, staring at Shopkeeper Sun for a few moments before suddenly breaking into a disarming laugh. "Haha, of course I trust Shopkeeper Sun."

"I’ll take all of it!"

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