When Lin Yi got back to his neighborhood, he saw the two evil dogs again. But, the middle-aged man wasn't there. Whenever people passed by, the dogs would bark wildly and their barks were louder and more aggressive than before.
This scenario eased his mind a little. If the dogs were specifically targeting him, it would mean that Zhang Yuan Cheng had planned this dog matter very early on, and even trained the dogs to remember his scent.
Judging by the current situation, the appearance of these two evil dogs was likely a spur-of-the-moment decision.
Lin Yi slowly walked over. Upon seeing him, the two dogs paused for a moment before continuing to bark, albeit a little less loudly. Their aggression also seemed to have diminished slightly.
It appeared the animal affinity effect had worked. After all, he was currently wearing the title of [Junior Dung Cleaner].
Gazing at the frenzied barking dogs, he felt completely calm. With time, and the effect of his title, he would be able to fully tame these dogs and make them his own.
After taking care of the Spiritual Field at noon, Lin Yi headed to a nearby market to see if there was any monster beast meat for sale. Some middle and late stage Qi Refining Spirit Farmers, in order to obtain resources for cultivation, would venture into the deep forests where monster beasts reside to hunt, besides farming.
However, this was highly dangerous, as monster beasts also possess some level of wisdom and at times even hunt cultivators. One might end up becoming food for a monster beast if not careful.
Moreover, most successful cultivator hunters would sell their monster beast meat directly to trading companies for convenience. Only a small number of cultivators choose to sell it themselves to gain more profit, so he was just trying his luck.
Since it was noon and the spirit farmers had already finished their morning work, the market was more bustling than the last time he was there. Many stalls were set up in the small place.
However, the variety was somewhat limited, with most being talisman templates, and Spirit Rice, and a few even selling hens they raised, with only one or two booths selling common fasting pills and Qi-recovery pills.
Most Outer Sect Spirit Farmers possessed lower-grade spiritual roots and depended on farming to make a living. Managing to learn talisman making would already make them incredibly joyous. Most would not have the resources to learn alchemy or artifact refining. Hence, the presence of pills and spiritual artifacts was rarely seen in the market.
Walking to an obscure stall, Lin Yi's eyes lit up when he saw a large hunk of meat for sale, emanating a strong aura of Qi and blood. It was monster beast meat. However, there weren't many customers around.
Most monster beasts relied on Body Refining to survive and their bodies were filled with robust Qi and blood, which was necessary for cultivators practicing body methods. But for people who were purely cultivating, it was not particularly useful.
Besides the hunk of monster beast meat, there were also monster beast fur and bones on the stall. Judging by the appearance, it seemed to belong to a Tiger Demon.
Lin Yi couldn't help but swallow his saliva. He hadn't eaten tiger meat in his life, let alone the meat from a demonic tiger. He glanced at the back of the stall and saw a middle-aged man sitting cross-legged in cultivation.
From the aura radiating from him, he was at least at the Qi Refining Fifth Level. It was a mystery why he would set up a stall in the market.
"Excuse me, sir, forgive the intrusion, but how is the monster beast meat sold?" Lin Yi inquired politely.
The middle-aged man did not open his eyes but answered calmly: "First-order Monster Tiger, eight Spirit Beads a catty for the meat, four for the bones, minimum purchase of fifty catties."
Lin Yi's expression remained unchanged, but he was excited inside. In Qing Yun City, the meat from a first-order monster beast cost at least ten Spirit Beads per catty. However, there didn't seem to be fifty catties of meat on this stall, indicating that the man likely had a precious storage bag.
Considering this price, fifty catties would cost four Spirit Stones. After some thought, he spoke up again, "Brother, I cannot take that much. I can only take twenty catties of meat and five catties of bones. Can you make it a bit cheaper?"
He was now using Martial Body Refining, mainly to gain experience for his title. In the end, cultivation is still his main focus. Naturally, he could not spend most of his wealth on buying Monster Beast meat. As for the bones, he wanted to see which type was more cost-effective.
The middle-aged man frowned slightly, directly taking out a piece of meat from his Storage Bag, cutting twenty catties of it, and throwing out five catties of bones, "For you, one Spirit Stone plus sixty-five Spirit Pearls."
"Thank you, brother." Seeing that it had been reduced by fifteen Spirit Pearls, Lin Yi quickly expressed his thanks, pulling out a Spirit Stone and sixty-five Spirit Pearls from his pocket.
Afterwards, he carried the Monster Beast meat and bones back home with a light step. He first cut five catties of Monster Beast meat to set aside for frying. The remaining meat was all put into the pot, and he added some seasonings and began to boil it. He also used another small pot to boil a catty of bones.
In a short while, the aroma of the boiling meat wafted from the kitchen, making the raging baying of the two fierce dogs next door even more intense.
After half an hour, the bone soup was ready. Lin Yi poured a large bowl of bone soup and started to eat it with relish, finishing everything, bones included.
This taste was even more delicious than the lamb on Earth, and warmth surged within his body.
Lin Yi crossed his legs and began to cultivate Vajra Jue. After digesting the nutrients from the bone soup, he opened his status panel to check. He made a note of the increase in skill proficiency, then waited until the Monster Beast meat was cooked and ate a catty of it.
Comparing the two, he couldn't help shaking his head and laughing. Indeed, there was a reason why meat was more expensive. The power of Monster Beast meat's Qi and Blood could increase proficiency twice as much as the bones. It seemed more cost-effective to buy meat in the future.
Hearing the two ferocious dogs still howling, Lin Yi opened the door and peeked out, noticing that the middle-aged man had not yet returned. Then he threw the bones he had gnawed clean to the two dogs.
The two fierce dogs howled frantically at Lin Yi, but when they saw the bones thrown over, they hesitated and continued to howl without touching them.
"Hehe, my two good dogs are intelligent and will not eat food from strangers, even if it's Monster Beast meat. Don't waste your efforts," the middle-aged man suddenly walked out from his house and said mockingly.
"Oh, I have been presumptuous, apologies." Lin Yi said expressionlessly. He went over and picked up the bones. After all, they were bought with Spirit Stones, he could continue to feed them next time.
Having the Title Effect of [Junior Dung Cleaner], he would eventually succeed in feeding the dogs and gain their favor. However, he had to feed them covertly. If others found out, it wouldn't have a surprising effect.
Afterwards, he returned home, turned over ten catties of boiled Monster Beast meat into dried meat, and put it in a package.
After dinner and practicing the Creation Method, he took the package, got on the carriage, and headed to Qing Yun City. With these pieces of Monster Beast meat, he could surely break through the Vajra Jue today.
Although the Vajra Jue is a Body Refining Technique, it appeared in the skills category of his system. It seemed that only cultivators' Body Refining Techniques could appear in the Cultivation Technique category.
Lin Yi arrived at Xun Fang Pavilion in a familiar manner. The women at the entrance immediately greeted him with seductive smiles. "Immortal Master, you're here again. Why not join us tonight for a shared pleasure? Our skills are much better than that little girl's."