10: Chapter 10 Tavern Deal

Nie Ning waited quietly for several minutes, and only after confirming that the Long-Armed Ape had truly left did his body go limp, and he sat down on the ground with a thud.

At this moment, a large hole had been burned into the chest of Nie Ning's clothes, and the skin underneath was charred, with the scent of cooked meat even wafting up.

Not only was his skin burned, but his internal organs ached intensely, the burning sensation causing Nie Ning to wince and grit his teeth.

"What rotten luck!"

Nie Ning took a deep breath, unable to help but grumble under his breath.

The injuries from a while ago had just healed, and today he was injured by a Strange Beast; his luck really was something else.

He could only say he had been too careless.

He hadn't expected the Long-Armed Ape to actually possess the ability to control fire.

Combined with its immense strength, he hadn't been able to react in time at all.

Fortunately, his Strange Beast Body had strengthened his physique; had it been a normal Elementary Knight, they likely would have been killed by a single punch.

Fearing that the Long-Armed Ape might discover he was at the end of his rope, Nie Ning immediately forced himself to stand up despite the pain in his chest, picked up the dying Three-Colored Fox nearby, and turned to leave.

"Wuwah~"

Just then, a sharp fox cry rang out by Nie Ning's ear.

Nie Ning raised an eyebrow and turned to look in the direction the sound came from, where the weeds in the shrubbery were swaying slightly.

Seeing this, Nie Ning put the Three-Colored Fox into a bag, then gripped his longsword tightly and walked cautiously toward the shrubbery.

As his vision cleared, he saw a small Three-Colored Fox struggling in the grass, a hunting trap still attached to its hind leg.

"It's actually a Three-Colored Fox cub."

Nie Ning was slightly taken aback.

The nests of Three-Colored Foxes are very hidden, and they wouldn't easily let their cubs come out; it seemed this cub must have been brought out to learn how to hunt.

It was just unlucky that it had been caught by that Long-Armed Ape.

If it were before, Nie Ning wouldn't have excessively hunted such animal cubs; after all, sustainable development was the way to go.

But now, this Three-Colored Fox cub was injured, and the chances of it surviving weren't very high.

After pondering for a moment and looking at the injured Three-Colored Fox, Nie Ning decided to take it back with him first.

Although it wasn't as valuable as an adult Three-Colored Fox, it was better than dying here; perhaps it might catch the eye of some noble lady and be adopted.

Nie Ning then removed the hunting trap, tied up the Three-Colored Fox cub with a rope, and walked quickly toward the edge of the forest.

...Early morning.

In a tavern.

Nie Ning walked in, his face covered, carrying two small cloth bags.

His gaze swept across the hall, where only a few drunks were drinking and chatting.

Without stopping, Nie Ning went straight through the corridor on the left and opened a small door to enter another room.

Compared to the outside, the room inside was cramped, with only a Stooped Old Man sitting at a table, holding a magnifying glass and examining a gemstone.

Nie Ning placed the bags on the table, then spoke in not-so-fluent otherworldly language: "Have you found what I wanted?"

The Stooped Old Man looked up, glanced at the bags on the table, and then looked at Nie Ning with a grin.

"So it's you, kid. The things you want are really hard to find, and as for the price..."

As he spoke, the Stooped Old Man rubbed his hands together.

"There are two Three-Colored Foxes in here; that should be enough to buy what I want, right?"

Nie Ning opened the bag containing the adult Three-Colored Fox and asked.

Seeing that it really was a Three-Colored Fox, the Stooped Old Man couldn't help but take an extra look at Nie Ning.

Three-Colored Foxes are swift and extremely vigilant; even ordinary Elementary Knights find them hard to catch. He hadn't expected this kid to have caught two at once.

"This is what you wanted."

The Stooped Old Man didn't dawdle, taking a yellowed book from a box nearby and placing it on the table.

Nie Ning picked up the small book and examined it carefully; it was indeed what he needed.

Just as the Stooped Old Man wanted to take the bags containing the Three-Colored Foxes, Nie Ning suddenly pressed down on the bags.

The Stooped Old Man frowned slightly, his sharp gaze sweeping toward Nie Ning, and he asked with an unkind expression: "What is the meaning of this?"

"Three-Colored Foxes should be worth more than just this, right?"

Nie Ning said, his expression calm and unafraid.

Three-Colored Foxes are quite valuable; one is worth at least two gold coins, which is enough for a family of three to live for over three years.

Upon hearing this, knowing that Nie Ning was just trying to haggle, the Stooped Old Man put on a smiling face again.

"Now, now, this item wasn't easy to find. I went to great lengths to get it, so I have to get some compensation for my hard work..."

Nie Ning interrupted the old man's rambling: "Last time you swindled me out of a silver coin, the time before that you lied to me saying you could find Core-Passing Grass, and the time before that..."

"Stop, stop, stop! I have a bottle of secret spirit pill here. If you want it, take it; if not, give me back the book and find another buyer."

Seeing Nie Ning starting to settle scores, the Stooped Old Man quickly waved his hand and took out a small porcelain bottle, placing it on the table.

But Nie Ning did not take the pill, instead looking at the Stooped Old Man with interest.

"How about we have a fight like last time? My strength has improved a little bit recently. If I lose, these two Three-Colored Foxes are yours."

He had fought with this old man last time because he had been swindled.

However, because the other party was at the late Elementary Stage, he could only manage a draw without using his Strange Beast Body. Plus, places that traded knight items were hard to find, so Nie Ning eventually had to give up.

Upon hearing this, the Stooped Old Man's eyes flickered, and in the end, he softened.

His arm had hurt for two months after their fight last time; regardless of whether this kid's strength had increased or not, he didn't want to fight him again.

He couldn't win, and he couldn't afford to lose, so he'd better just pay to buy some peace.

"Fine, I'm afraid of you. Here's another bottle, now get lost!"

The Stooped Old Man said, waving his hand impatiently.

Nie Ning shrugged, a hint of a smile appearing in his eyes; he had finally scored a point against this old man.

But this was clearly not enough; this was what the other party owed him, and they hadn't even calculated the interest yet.

Seeing that Nie Ning had no intention of leaving, the Stooped Old Man immediately became vigilant.

"What else do you want? Don't think I'm afraid of you; I'm just afraid of people saying I'm bullying the young."

"Look at what you're saying. I don't want people saying I'm bullying the elderly either. You find someone to process this one first, and then I want to take away half the meat."

Nie Ning said, pushing the Three-Colored Fox that had already stopped breathing toward the Stooped Old Man.

After all, he hadn't eaten a Three-Colored Fox yet; perhaps it could increase his traits a bit, or at the very least, improve his Strange Beast Body. It was a deal he couldn't lose on anyway.

"You kid..."

The Stooped Old Man glared at Nie Ning, then immediately called someone to take the Three-Colored Fox away for processing.

Fortunately, the most valuable part of a Three-Colored Fox is its fur, so a little less meat didn't matter, lest this kid come back to cause him trouble when his strength increased in the future.

Seeing the other party compromise, Nie Ning found a place to sit down and began to chat with the Stooped Old Man.

This was also one of the few ways Nie Ning had to obtain information about the outside world.