Creating a paradise in an ant nest

Chapter 82 The Wilderness Hound, the Netherworld Cat

"This is a Crimson Gold Spirit Dog, a medium-sized spirit dog. When it grows up, its crimson and gold fur is very beautiful."

Four hundred spirit stones, plus ten catties of animal feed.

Like the Snowfield Spirit Mastiff, a money-back guarantee is offered if a contract cannot be formed.

All the spirit dogs and cats at our Spirit Pet Pavilion are handled this way: if you can't sign a contract, you can get a full refund within one month.

They dared to make such a promise because it was extremely rare for a contract to fall through.

"This is a saber-toothed serpent hound, a large spirit dog. Four hundred and fifty spirit stones—"

"Curly-haired Mongrel, small vigilante, two hundred spirit stones."

'

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The female cultivator introduced Liu He to twenty or thirty different kinds of spirit dogs in one go.

Next up is the civet cat.

"This is a tabby civet. When it grows up, its fur is soft and long, and its stripes are very similar to those of a spotted tiger. It is both majestic and beautiful."

Their gentle and obedient nature makes them the best-selling civet breed among us.

"This one has evenly colored fur, is of excellent quality, and is therefore a bit pricey at 480 spirit stones."

"This is a Golden Silk Orange, with a golden back and white belly, symbolizing a golden quilt and a jade bed, which is very auspicious. The price is 280 spirit stones."

'

Among the many spirit dogs and spirit cats, Liu He decided to raise a spirit dog first.

He prefers medium to large-sized dogs to small ones.

A medium to large spirit dog of good quality costs more than 400 spirit stones, and he still needs to keep some spirit stones to buy spirit plant seedlings.

If he had enough spirit stones, he would be willing to keep one spirit dog and one spirit cat.

Just then, he noticed a separate iron cage.

The civet in the iron cage was not as small as a cub; its appearance and physique were between that of a leopard and a large raccoon, with a body length of over a foot and a slender, strong body.

Its entire body is covered with short, golden-brown or reddish-brown down, and its fur has a faint amber sheen. Several dark red cloud-like stripes are arranged along its back. The tail is short and thick, with a jet-black tip.

Its most distinctive feature is its pointed, erect ears, with a tuft of long, jet-black hair at the tip that trembles slightly even without wind.

His facial features were sharp and cold, his eyes were surrounded by a ring of dark down, and his gilded vertical pupils were narrowed to slits, concealing a sharp edge. His fangs peeked out from his lips, gleaming with a cold, icy light.

"What kind of civet cat is this?"

He had never seen a spirit cat like this before and asked out of curiosity.

"It is a Netherworld Spirit Cat, the most powerful of all spirit cats. Adults can reach the seventh or even eighth level of Qi Refining. It is a rare breed of spirit pet, and its normal price is 1,200 spirit stones."

This Netherworld Ferocious Spirit is a special case; our Spirit Pet Pavilion will dispose of it at a low price of only two hundred spirit stones.

"Oh? What special circumstances? Tell me in detail."

Liu He wondered what kind of circumstances could make its price so low.

"This ghostly spirit is not a kitten that is one or two months old, but more than three months old."

It has been sold twice, and both times the buyers returned it because they couldn't agree to the contract.

This phenomenon is uncommon in other spirit cats, but it is more common in the Netherworld Spirits.

The wildness of the Netherworld Spirit Cat has not completely faded, which is why it possesses formidable strength and ferocity, making it the most unique breed among spirit cats. Most cultivators dislike it, but some have a particular fondness for it.

This one was particularly ferocious and was returned twenty days after its first sale.

The price was reduced to 700 spirit stones when it was sold for the second time. The buyer was a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator who wanted to find a bargain and had experience raising spirit cats, so he felt he could form a contract with one.

A month later, the buyer said that despite trying various methods, the contract still failed, and they had no choice but to return the item.

Upon learning the backstory of this ghostly spirit, Liu He muttered to himself, "Is it really that ferocious?"

Then he took a closer look.

Before he could get too close, the Netherworld Ferocious suddenly attacked, hissing and lunging forward, slamming a claw onto the iron cage. The fur on its back stood on end, indicating it was in a state of high alert.

No wonder.

Liu He understood why his two sales attempts had been returned.

The female cultivator added, "This is the third time it's been sold, and the price is so low that there will be no refunds this time. Only buy if you're looking for a bargain and are confident in the contract; otherwise, forget it."

"Okay. Let's go to the spirit dog section, I'll pick one."

Liu He listened to advice.

Since this Netherworld Ferocious Cat has such a bad temper, why did he want to buy it?

What he needs is an obedient, loyal spirit pet to accompany him, not a stubborn "stubborn" or "ancestor" that is difficult to contract.

Just as they were about to leave, a teenage girl saw the Netherworld Spirit and her eyes lit up as she quickly stepped forward.

"Father, come quick! It's a Netherworld Spirit Cat! These kinds of spirit cats are very rare."

She possessed the aura of the first level of Qi Refining, and it seemed she had only recently broken through.

Following behind her, a few steps behind, was her father, a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

The hound zone.

Liu He was making his final selection among the several iron cages.

Snowy Tibetan Mastiff, Red Gold Hound, and Saber-toothed Shepherd Dog — all are powerful and imposing medium to large-sized breeds.

He grabbed and hugged them one by one, picking and choosing.

"What's the situation with that wilderness hound?"

He noticed a wild dog puppy staring longingly at him from a short distance away.

There were several wild dogs in a cage nearby, playing and frolicking, but this one was kept alone.

"It's not in the best condition, so I'm selling it at a low price of three hundred spirit stones."

A normal Wilderness Spirit Dog costs four hundred spirit stones.

The price of spirit beasts is affected by their condition. Some top-quality spirit beasts are much more expensive than normal ones, and some mutated individuals can even fetch several times the price.

Items in poor condition are cheaper.

"Let me see it."

Liu He approached the iron cage, opened it, and reached out to grab the Wilderness Spirit Dog.

The puppy, covered in light gray fur, seemed a little scared, its eyes timid, yet it wagged its tail, whimpered, and licked Liu He's fingers.

The nun said from the side, "Its constitution is a bit weak, and it's smaller than the other puppies in its litter. It's also timid."

"7

The Wilderness Hound is a medium-sized hound, skilled at running and hunting, and has a brave nature.

"That's it."

Liu He held the Wilderness Spirit Dog in his palm with one hand and stroked the fur on its back with the other.

The puppy lay obediently in his palm, making purring sounds.

He bought this wilderness hound not because it was cheap, but because of a "fate." Of all the hounds, only this one felt a special connection with him.

Liu He took out three mid-grade spirit stones and handed them to the female cultivator, casually asking, "I wanted to ask, can human-grade spirit pills be fed to spirit dogs?"

"what?"

The female cultivator was clearly stunned.

She had encountered all sorts of problems while serving customers at the Spirit Pet Pavilion, but she had never heard of such a strange one.

"It's probably not possible. The elixir is a formula carefully researched based on the constitution of cultivators like us. Spirit dogs have different constitutions and are not suitable for taking it."

Who would feed a spirit dog with elixirs? That's such a waste.

"Fellow Daoist, if you wish to carefully raise your spirit dog, you can purchase our beast food. We have various kinds of beast food, including some specially formulated for spirit dogs, as well as some special resources that can aid in the evolution of spirit beasts."

Animal feed is an important source of income for their Lingdan Pavilion.

Buying a spirit dog or spirit cat requires a continuous stream of resources, such as animal food.

"Isn't buying a spirit dog supposed to come with free animal food? I'll use this one for now, I won't buy any more this time."

"Yes, buy a Wilderness Spirit Dog and get 10 pounds of general-purpose animal food for free. It can be eaten by both spirit dogs and spirit cats."

Our animal food is rich in nutrients such as spiritual energy. Just feed a small portion every day, and ten pounds will last for a month.

In addition, the Wilderness Spirit Dog also eats some common spiritual plants and fruits; it can smell them to determine whether they are edible.

The female cultivator accepted the spirit stones and gave instructions on various things to pay attention to.

Then he brought out a 10-pound bag of animal feed and a lightweight cage.

"I'll put it in the cage for you."

"No need for cages anymore."

"9

Seeing that the spirit dog was well-behaved and didn't make a fuss, Liu He held it in his arms with one hand and carried the bag of animal feed with the other.

He threw ten pounds of animal feed into the ant nest, enough for the Wilderness Spirit Dog to eat for decades.

Liu He led the Wilderness Spirit Dog towards the outside of the Spirit Pet Pavilion, with the female cultivator following behind him to see him off.

Passing by the Spirit Cat District, he saw the girl from earlier hugging the Netherworld Spirit.

"Don't be afraid, come home with me, I'll give you something delicious to eat."

The girl comforted the ghostly spirit.

The ghostly spirit, looking restless, was suppressed by the aura of the girl's father beside it.

The girl's father, seeing the ferocious nature of the Netherworld Spirit, kept advising, "Xiao Qing, forget it. You probably can't form a contract with this Netherworld Spirit."

"Dad, I feed it and let it live with me, so why can't we have a contract?"

As he spoke, he gently stroked the Netherworld Spirit a few more times.

The Netherworld Spirit's agitation had reached its peak. Suddenly, it broke free with all its might and pounced towards Liu He.

"Be careful!"

The girl's father was only concerned with protecting his daughter.

Liu He hesitated slightly when he saw the approaching Netherworld Spirit.

The Netherworld Cat might reach the eighth level of Qi Refining when it grows up, but it is currently just a cub that is a little over three months old.

With Liu He's cultivation level, a mere wisp of spiritual energy would be enough to kill him instantly.

His momentary hesitation led him to decide to show mercy, after all, this Netherworld Ferocious Spirit was a spirit beast of the Spirit Pet Pavilion and posed no threat to his own safety.

With lightning speed, he dropped the animal feed in his hand and grabbed the Netherworld Spirit by the back of its neck.

"Hiss! Hiss!"

The Netherworld Spirit was held in Liu He's hand, struggling and twisting violently, panting, and waving its sharp claws.

Its claws left several pale white scratch marks on Liu He's arm.

"Quiet!"

Liu He glared at it fiercely, suppressing it with a wisp of spiritual energy in his hand.

Perhaps sensing a serious threat, the struggles of the Netherworld Spirit gradually subsided.

But its eyes still showed a clear sense of defiance.

The sudden accident startled the people present. The first to react were the young male cultivator wearing the "Lingrui Immortal Sect" robe next to the girl, and the female cultivator behind Liu He.

When customers of Lingchongge encounter such a situation, it is considered an "accident".

The young male cultivator quickly stepped forward, grabbed the Netherworld Spirit, and locked it back in the cage.

"Fellow Daoist, are you alright?"

"We apologize for startling you; it was our fault."

The two Lingrui Immortal Sect disciples kept apologizing and offering apologies to Liu He.

"I'm fine, but what about my Wilderness Spirit Hound?"

Liu He's cultivation level was not high enough to be injured by a three-month-old cub, but he noticed that the Wilderness Spirit Dog had been scratched by the Netherworld Ferocious Cat's claws at some point. A two-inch-long bloodstain was cut on the skin under the light gray fur, and blood beads were seeping out.

"this----"

The young male cultivator was at the fourth level of Qi Refining, and seemed to have only recently arrived at the Spirit Pet Pavilion. It was unclear how to handle the situation.

As a disciple of the Lingrui Immortal Sect, the female cultivator knew the spell to heal spirit beasts. She first asked the young male cultivator to invite an inner disciple from the Spirit Pet Pavilion, and then used a healing spell to heal the spirit dog in the wilderness.

The wound healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, stopped bleeding, and left a shallow scar.

But the matter cannot be resolved so easily.

Liu He was waiting for their manager to arrive. His newly purchased Wilderness Spirit Dog had been injured by another spirit beast before it even left the Spirit Pet Pavilion. He needed an explanation.

He should give his Wilderness Spirit Dog a discount of several dozen spirit stones as an apology.

Or perhaps send more animal feed.

Soon, a late-stage Qi Refining disciple from the Lingrui Immortal Sect arrived quickly, led by a young male cultivator.

"Young friend, I'm sorry to have startled you. I'm the supervisor of the Spirit Cat section at the Spirit Pet Pavilion, and my surname is Li."

Li Ping looked apologetic; she had come to handle this matter.