This town was known as Border City. It was situated at the junction of the eastern Guiping Beast Country and the central Jiuzhou Beast Country, with the Qiongya Beast Country on another side, belonging to a region governed by none of them.
Precisely because no beast country held jurisdiction here, Border City had become a haven for shadows, where all sorts of illicit business were conducted in broad daylight.
The closer they got to the bustling center, the more nervous Feng Yu became, his palm sweating as he held Little Jing’s hand. His cultivation was not low—Peak Level 18. Otherwise, he would never have had the guts to bring the young female out, and their family wouldn’t have been at ease.
But no matter how formidable one person was, there were always blind spots. He hadn’t expected that in this small Border City, even a random guard would have a cultivation of Level 17 or 18. It seemed as if all the High-level Beastmen were concentrated here.
And the Beastmen here weren’t like those in the city arenas who fought by the rules; every last one of them had been forged in bloody battles.
Little Jing chuckled and patted his arm. ’I’m a Little Jinlu, after all,’ she thought. ’I can turn misfortune into good fortune and come out of any danger unscathed.’
Thanks to Feng Yu’s powerful physique, he plowed through the crowd as if it were nothing, and they soon squeezed their way to the front row. They gazed at the several tiers of special cages on the stage, each one holding a Beastman or a Wild Beast.
They all sat listlessly, either lying down or squatting in their cages, allowing the crowd to scrutinize them.
Little Jing pursed her lips. She could sense that many of the Beastmen carried some degree of Blessings, which made her feel a sliver of delight even before she saw them clearly. It was like a little girl spotting a beautiful dress; the attraction was irresistible.
’I don’t have some kind of savior complex,’ she thought. ’I don’t have to save every Beastman in these cages. The luckier I am, the more I must abide by the laws of the universe and avoid interfering with the destinies of others whenever possible.’
’Besides, I don’t want to put myself and Feng Yu at risk for these strangers. Even if my luck is good, if I act recklessly, this superpower will gradually weaken and disappear.’
’Furthermore, everything in this world has its own path to follow.’
"Little Jing, should we buy you a few Beast Husbands?" Feng Yu whispered, covering his mouth and leaning close to her ear. He wrapped his voice in Spiritual Power to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.
Little Jing whispered back, "Let’s. But males with good abilities and talent are sure to be expensive. We can afford them, but we’ll easily become targets, which would be a huge hassle. Let’s see if we can find an overlooked bargain."
Feng Yu nodded. "Whatever you say, Little Jing."
As the crowd of onlookers grew, their urging prompted the Long Tusked Elephant Beastman on stage to chuckle and offer a few pleasantries. He then had his subordinates begin carrying the cages onto a large tiger skin, introducing the occupants one by one for the audience below to bid on.
"...This White Fox Beastman is a descendant of the Xiezhi Beast God, and though young, he has already reached Peak Level 16... The starting bid is one Level 16 Crystal Stone!"
The White Fox Clan had always been one of the most popular types of Beastmen on the Yongchang Continent. They were born exceptionally intelligent with superb talent, easily reaching Level 15 or 16 through Cultivation, and it was not uncommon to find many at Level 17 or 18.
Several females immediately started a bidding war. In the end, the male White Fox was won by a wealthy and burly female short-snouted pig beastman for the price of fifty Level 18 Crystal Stones!
Little Jing could see the look of utter despair on the male White Fox’s face. Horrified, she couldn’t help but tighten her grip on Feng Yu.
The Beastmen were auctioned off in a mix of high, medium, and low quality, with prices that varied dramatically. Yet, the market was hottest for the high-quality Beastmen; after all, mid-to-low-tier ones were a common sight everywhere.
Such Beastmen were not suitable as partners, but as servants. And only wealthy families used servants. In any case, an ordinary family would never spend this kind of money.
As a result, there were actually fewer mid-to-low-tier Beastmen up for auction than there were high-quality ones.
Little Jing only watched, never raising her hand to bid. Feng Yu didn’t rush her. He simply held her in a protective embrace, his eyes never leaving her, afraid someone might try something underhanded.
Being stared at so intensely by her Beast Husband made Little Jing blush. She shot him a glare and pointed to the Beastman who had just been brought onto the stage. "That one!"
Her words had barely faded when the Long Tusked Elephant Beastman began his introduction. "This is a Tiger Beastman. His Dantian was injured, causing his cultivation level to drop, but Tiger Beastmen are inherently formidable in Combat Power. The starting bid is one Level 15 Crystal Stone."
Upon hearing his Dantian was injured, the females who had been about to raise their hands lowered them in disappointment. Although life was relatively stable these days, conflicts between Beastmen were unavoidable. A powerful male could ensure a female wasn’t easily bullied and could also provide a good standard of living.
No matter where one was, people always admired the strong. A male with a crippled superpower was merely a second-best choice.
Just as the Long Tusked Elephant Beastman was about to call for the next item, Little Jing weakly raised her hand and asked worriedly, "Uncle, is that big tiger well-behaved? My little female has been nagging me about wanting a Tiger Beastman for a Beast Husband.
I’m afraid he’ll bully my brothers and me."
The Long Tusked Elephant Beastman looked at Little Jing, who was clinging to the arm of the Couple Brother beside her as if trembling in fear, and said with amusement, "He won’t. His Beast Mark is still intact, and we’ve also given him a special herb that makes his body go limp and unable to move.
As long as you form the partnership bond while he’s weak, he’ll join your family. At worst, he might beat you up a bit. Just admit defeat quickly and let him be the first Beast Husband. I guarantee the strength of your family’s males will increase by several ranks!"
Those who came looking for a bargain were usually from smaller families that lacked the ability to attract powerful individuals on their own, forced to painstakingly save up money to buy a formidable male here.
After hearing this, Little Jing finally nodded in relief. She very carefully took a Beast Skin Bag from her waist and tipped its contents into her palm. There was only a single Level 15 Crystal Stone.
She held out the Crystal Stone, yet seemed reluctant to let it go.
The Long Tusked Elephant Beastman had to tug slightly to pull the Crystal Stone from her grasp. Immediately, another Beastman opened the cage and hauled the Tiger Beastman out.
Aside from his pair of fierce, tiger-like eyes, the Tiger Beastman’s body was as limp as noodles, his legs dragging on the ground.
Feng Yu looked at the filthy, disheveled Tiger Beastman’s neck. His Beast Pattern was only at a mere Level 10, and given the injury to his Dantian, his level was likely still dropping.
He immediately caught the Tiger Beastman and supported his weight. They didn’t linger; with one arm supporting his future Couple Brother and the other holding Little Jing, Feng Yu once again broke through the encirclement and pushed his way out of the crowd.
They went to an inn and rented a suite. Land was plentiful here, so the guest rooms were individual stone houses built side-by-side, each with its own tiny courtyard.
Upon entering the courtyard, Little Jing first took a look around. The house had a central hall with a bedroom on either side. Only then did she take out several Array Flags to set up an Array.
Once the Array had isolated them from outside eyes and ears, Little Jing stretched comfortably and looked at the Tiger Beastman whom Feng Yu had left in the courtyard.
This Tiger Beastman was incredibly filthy, reeking of the foul stench that comes from not bathing for a long time. She took out a Dust Cleaning Talisman and bit off a piece. A faint, grassy, floral fragrance instantly swept through the entire Array on a gust of wind.
The Tiger Beastman, along with the clothes on his body, became spotless.
However, his hair was so long that all Little Jing could see was his slender, emaciated frame, so starved he looked like a rack of ribs.
She took out a comb, but Feng Yu immediately took it from her. "Little Jing, males look much cleaner with short hair. Don’t worry, I learned from my Fathers. My skills aren’t half bad..."