BXBX NOVEL Chapter 63 - 62: Reservation for Azure Water
Translator: 549690339
“There’s no time to waste. Daoist Wu, how about you take me to your good friend’s house now?”
Lu Xuan put down the wine glass he was holding and looked at Wu with expectant eyes.
“I’m not sure if he’s home right now… But seeing your urgency, Friend Lu, it seems you have an important matter at hand. I’ll take you there then.”
Seeing that Lu Xuan was so eager, and having plenty of free time on his own, Wu then took Lu Xuan with him, heading towards the home of the snake-catching Cultivator.
After approximately two quarters of an hour, the two arrived at a house made from gray-black stone.
The house was quite spacious. However, as they approached, they could feel a chilling aura.
As Lu Xuan followed Wu into the stone house, the cold ambience made his skin prick up involuntarily as if covered in goosebumps.
Upon entering, a blue-green python sprang out. It paused not far from the duo, hissing, its forked tongue flickering in and out.
“Little Green, return, it’s Uncle Wu.”
A slightly childish voice rang out from inside the stone house. Immediately afterwards, the voice shifted into a hissing whisper, the blue-green python in front of Lu Xuan turned into a streak of green light and zipped back the way it came.
A boy of around thirteen or fourteen years old walked out from the stone house. The python immediately slid into the boy’s sleeve.
Although the python was large, there was no sign that a python was hidden within the skinny body of the boy from the outside. It was as if the two were integrated as one.
Only then did Lu Xuan get a clear look at the boy. He was skinny, pale, his eyes squinted into thin slits, with unusually thin lips. When he smiled at the Wu surname cultivator, his slightly sharp teeth were revealed.
“Uncle Wu, my dad’s out, only grandpa and I are home.”
“I know. I came today for another matter.”
The cultivator surnamed Wu introduced Lu Xuan and the boy, allowing Lu Xuan to learn that the boy’s name was Yu Jie. The three generations of Yu family were living together, with the father often away, hunting snake-type demonic beasts for a living.
“Grandpa is in the backyard, keeping an eye on the young snakes!”
Yu Jie, as curious as he was, glanced over at Lu Xuan and diligently walked into the backyard to call out for his grandfather.
“Uncle Yu Tong, this is my neighbor, a Spirit Plant Master, named Lu Xuan.”
“Friend Lu, this old man is my good friend’s father, Elder Yu Tong.”
Lu Xuan greeted and paid his respects.
After following the old man into the house to sit, Yu Jie came in with three cups of hot tea and then carefully sat in the corner without making a sound. Looked at Lu Xuan with curiosity every now and then.
He regarded him with an expression that made Lu Xuan feel quite peculiar – it was akin to being observed by a poisonous snake. But there was no ill intent, just pure curiosity.
When he caught Lu Xuan looking back at him, he shyly lowered his head.
“Uncle Yu Tong, Yu Jie’s father is away, right?”
“Indeed. He went to the wilderness. When he returns, don’t forget to come and take the fresh snake bones and gallbladders.”
The elder replied slowly.
“There’s no need to hurry about that. This time, I brought my neighbor, a cultivator, here to visit Uncle Tong for another reason.”
The surnamed Wu revealed their purpose for the visit.
“I heard that Uncle Tong and his family have been snake catchers for generations, practicing unique secret techniques to hunt snake-like demonic beasts.”
“I want to ask, how do you usually deal with the blood of the slain snake demons?”
“Snake-like demonic beast blood?”
“Its use is not that widespread. Only when we encounter a cultivator with special needs or when the blood of the slain snake beast has certain value, do we bring the snake blood back.”
Lu Xuan nodded.
The old man continued to speak.
“Because the blood needs to be kept as fresh as possible and can’t be stored for a long time, we don’t bring it back often.”
“Usually, it is used by Alchemists as a material for making some special elixirs, or occasionally some cultivators will need snake devil beast blood for their cultivation practices.”
“What rank are the snake demons you usually hunt? Can you guarantee a stable supply?”
“Most are unranked or first-grade snake-type demonic beasts, and there are second-grade snake-type demonic beasts as well. As for the quantity, you don’t need to worry about that, we know a few snake habitats in the wilderness, where human traces are rare, and there are a lot of snakes.”
Hearing this, Lu Xuan nodded and felt reassured.
“That’s right, I need a regular supply of snake blood, preferably first-grade or above, second-grade would be even better.”
As for the third-grade, it’s not even worth thinking about. A third-grade snake demon is equivalent to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Even if one is found in the wilderness, the cultivator at Qi Cultivation Level Six who hunts it would just end up being fodder.
“For the second-grade snake-type demonic beasts, let me think, there’s one called the Azure Water Python. Its blood is red with a hint of green, it can be used to make a certain detoxifying elixir. What do you think?”
Yu Tong contemplated for a moment, then said to Lu Xuan.
“As long as you can provide it long-term, there should be no problem.”
After being watered with snake blood, the Flood Dragon Vine shows signs of change. Lu Xuan speculated that if he used a certain type of snake blood with a special property to cultivate it over a long period of time, besides promoting the rapid growth of the Flood Dragon Vine, it could also bring about unexpected changes.
“I can provide it long term, but the quantity won’t be particularly large. After all, there aren’t a lot of second-grade Azure Water Pythons and they’re a bit difficult to handle.”
“How much will it cost?”
Lu Xuan asked curiously.
“Ten spirit stones per catty, what do you think?” the old man asked tentatively.
Lu Xuan almost couldn’t control his expression. Not long ago, he bought a small bottle of Double-Winged Golden-Scaled Snake Blood from the Wanbao building for a whopping seven spirit stones.
Although the price was slightly inflated due to the reservation, buying less than a catty of first-grade snake blood for seven spirit stones versus buying a catty of second-grade snake demon blood for ten spirit stones, it’s clear which one is more cost-effective.
“The middlemen sure do make a killing…”
He couldn’t help but sigh in his heart. The snake blood had a very low inherent value, but after going through Wanbao Building’s hands, the price skyrocketed.
Buying raw materials directly from the producer, the Yu family, would save him a lot of spirit stones compared to purchasing through other channels. Moreover, the second-grade snake blood could be supplied consistently, which even made the normally stingy Lu Xuan unusually generous.
“Alright, that’s acceptable.”
He agreed directly.
The pleased smiles that broke out on the faces of Yu Tong and the young Yu Jie sitting next to him couldn’t be hidden.
When they hunted snake-type demonic beasts in the past, unless a cultivator specifically requested it, the returned snake blood usually didn’t fetch a good price. It often wound up unsold and had to be discarded. Only first-grade or second-grade blood could fetch a decent price.
Getting ten spirit stones a catty for second-grade Azure Water Python blood was a big increase in earnings compared to before. The small risk that came with hunting second-grade snake demons didn’t amount to much in the face of the benefit from the spirit stones.
Plus, with the valuable snake skin, snake bones, gall bladder, and venom of the second-grade Azure Water Python…
Even the ageing Yu Tong couldn’t help but want to return to his prime and take another stab at hunting second-grade snake demons.
The two parties struck a simple agreement. The Yu family currently did not have any Azure Water Python blood. Lu Xuan left five spirit stones as a deposit, and once Yu Jie’s father returned, he would bring the Azure Water Python blood and Lu Xuan would pay the remaining spirit stones.
Before leaving, the old man, Yu Tong, went into the courtyard and personally retrieved an unranked demon snake. He killed it on the spot and filled a whole bottle with its blood, insisting that Lu Xuan had to take it with him.
Despite Lu Xuan’s protests, he couldn’t refuse and wound up taking the bottle of snake blood..