Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion-Chapter 64: Preparing for a Trade Run

After the new year, Fang Qingyuan took stock of his remaining Spirit Stones and headed to the Celestial Gate Mountain Marketplace to find work.

The ban on Black River Square had been lifted, but after the Tribulation Cultivators’ raid killed many Cultivators, even those from the surrounding White Mountain no longer dared to go there.

Instead, the surrounding marketplaces had benefited. Business in the Celestial Gate Mountain Marketplace had been much better than usual lately.

Fang Qingyuan, with Yinbao in tow, had originally intended to continue his ferrying business. However, the route from Celestial Gate Mountain to Black River Square was not doing well. Some days, he couldn’t even find a single customer.

Meanwhile, the other routes had all been bought up by powerful Cultivators. If Fang Qingyuan didn’t pay the fee, he couldn’t even think about getting a piece of the action.

These powerful Cultivators were all affiliated with major merchant houses and showed no deference to the Southern Border Beast Taming Mountain. Although the Beast Taming Mountain had a great reputation, Fang Qingyuan was merely an Inner Sect Disciple.

If Lechuan were to ask, it might be a different story. But for Fang Qingyuan to try and cut in without paying the fee? They would never agree.

After inquiring about the fee, Fang Qingyuan gave up on the idea of continuing his ferrying business.

Half of the Spirit Stones earned in a month had to be turned over. These people did give him a slight discount on account of him being a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, requiring him to pay only forty-five percent.

However, after deducting Yinbao’s food expenses and the docking fees at both ends, Fang Qingyuan wouldn’t have many Spirit Stones left even after a month of hard work.

With the ferrying business temporarily abandoned, Fang Qingyuan had no desire to take on any more sect missions either. With Tianshan Villa’s promotion imminent, Lechuan’s methods were becoming increasingly aggressive.

Fang Qingyuan had heard that two nearby Cultivator Clans had already been pushed to rebellion. Although they hadn’t caused much of a stir, several of the disciples sent to suppress them had been injured.

Fang Qingyuan, of course, wanted no part of such a dangerous affair. He just wanted to earn his Spirit Stones peacefully.

Therefore, Fang Qingyuan didn’t have many options. Fortunately, ever since Yinbao had advanced to Tier One Middle Grade, its body had been growing steadily larger. It could haul a lot of cargo now.

So, Fang Qingyuan went to the gathering point for Camel Beast caravans in the Marketplace to make some inquiries.

After finding a place for Yinbao, Fang Qingyuan stepped onto a street covered in Spirit Beast dung. The street was filled with all sorts of Camel Beasts.

There were smaller flying eagles and Hawks, as well as larger Royal Elephants and giant lizards. As for the even larger transport rays and Wind Breath Returning Soil Beasts, they could only be kept in the Beast Cages outside.

This was Fang Qingyuan’s first time here. Previously, he had always just shopped in the main Marketplace area. Even when traveling far, he would take a Flying Boat from the other side of the docks. He had never really dealt with the Camel Beast merchant caravans on this side.

But it didn’t matter. In a place like this, there was no shortage of brokers.

Seeing Fang Qingyuan arrive alone, and with an unfamiliar face, someone immediately approached him.

"Fellow Daoist, are you looking for a suitable caravan? Whether you want to travel with a large group or hire someone to run errands, you can’t go wrong with me, Bao Xiao’Er."

Fang Qingyuan carefully sized up the young, chattering Cultivator before him. This Bao Xiao’Er wasn’t old, but his face had an air of maturity.

His cultivation was at the First-Layer Qi Refining, his clothes were shabby, and he walked with a slight limp in his right leg.

Cultivators had numerous methods; even a missing limb could be regrown by stimulating it with Spiritual Medicine. For this Bao Xiao’Er to be soliciting business while dragging a crippled leg meant one of two things: either he had no Spirit Stones to buy Spiritual Medicine, or the leg was a congenital disability.

A body with a congenital disability couldn’t be healed with simple Spiritual Medicine. This kind of ailment was like a genetic problem from a past life, something one was born with. Ordinary Tier One Spiritual Medicine was useless against it.

As for the Spiritual Medicines that would be effective, every single one was far beyond what the Bao Xiao’Er before him could ever hope for. Therefore, Bao Xiao’Er was most likely a Loose Cultivator who had stumbled into the Cultivation Realm by a stroke of luck.

’He has no backing.’ Fang Qingyuan felt more at ease. He was afraid of being tricked by a group working together. Although he was a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, some people in the Marketplace wouldn’t care.

"I’m looking for a reliable caravan to join so I can transport some goods back here to sell. I wonder if Brother Bao has any suitable caravans to recommend?"

After Fang Qingyuan stated his needs, Bao Xiao’Er thought for a moment and then asked:

"Well then, Fellow Daoist, do you have a preferred route? We have connections for routes to the South Sea Chaotic Star Islands, the Southern Endless Forest, the western Desert of Death, and the northern Ten Thousand-Mile Grassland."

The places Bao Xiao’Er mentioned were all relatively unique Land Realms in this world. Cultivators who ran trade routes would typically choose one of these lines, operating on it for generations. As long as they established the route, Spirit Stones would naturally flow into their pockets like water.

Of course, the lion’s share of these places, the most profitable positions, were all monopolized by the major surrounding sects and powers. The merchant caravans Fang Qingyuan was looking to join were only picking up the scraps left behind.

Now, Fang Qingyuan was also preparing to take a bite. Since he didn’t want to live a life of constant danger, his only option was to work hard and travel.

Fang Qingyuan had already mulled over these places and made some decisions. First, he had to rule out the Southern Endless Forest.

There were two reasons. First, a group of Tribulation Cultivators had just fled into the southern forest last year. Even if Fang Qingyuan didn’t go inside, it wasn’t safe on the outskirts either. He never knew when that group of Tribulation Cultivators might roam out and cause trouble. That was too dangerous.

Second, the southern forest was only a five-day journey by Flying Boat from Celestial Gate Mountain. The price difference for goods was less than double, so the profit was too small.

’If I’m going out to trade, safety is important, but so is profit. If it’s safe but not very profitable, it’s better not to go at all.’

Next, the northern Ten Thousand-Mile Grassland was also temporarily out of the question. This was because the place was simply too far. The Southern Border and the Northern Grassland were separated by the Central Plains, a territory hundreds of thousands of miles wide. Fang Qingyuan didn’t want to spend a whole year on a single trade run.

With two places ruled out, that left the South Sea Chaotic Star Islands and the western Desert of Death. Fang Qingyuan had heard of both. After hesitating for a few breaths, he finally chose the western Desert of Death.

His reason for choosing the Desert of Death was simple: Fang Qingyuan was a coward. The Outer Sea had always been chaotic, even more so than White Mountain. Sect wars were frequent there, and the victors often chose to slaughter everyone on the opposing island, their methods incredibly bloody.

"Leave the island, but not the people." This wasn’t just an empty threat; it was a grim reality. In the Outer Sea, due to the culture of fighting, the Magical Artifacts and Cultivation Techniques used were all about maximum power. Demon Cultivators, Ghost Cultivators, Corpse Cultivators—you could find anything you could imagine, and even things you couldn’t.

Therefore, Fang Qingyuan wouldn’t dare go to such a chaotic region to do business, even with a caravan.

’Three of the four options are out, leaving only the western Desert of Death. The Desert of Death is rich in metal Spirit Ores, which are incredibly valuable and perfect for my Immortal Mansion Space.’

At this thought, Fang Qingyuan broke into a warm smile and said to Bao Xiao’Er:

"The western Desert of Death... I wonder if Brother Bao knows of any familiar caravans you could recommend?"