My ancestors were spiritual plant growers, so it's not surprising that I hunt demons every day,

Hearing her father's indiscriminate and angry scolding, Cui Ying couldn't help but feel somewhat unhappy.

But having experienced the previous life, the displeasure in his heart quickly dissipated.

She looked up, a smile on her face, and asked with a cheerful tone:

"Father, do you know how many spirit stones I sold today?"

"Spiritual stone?"

Cui Zhengming was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized what he meant and hurriedly said in disbelief:

"Did you buy all of these with the spirit stones you obtained by exchanging spirit deer hides and those spirit herbs?"

"nature."

Cui Ying nodded and asked again, "Quickly guess how many spirit stones I exchanged in total?"

Cui Zhengming hesitated for a moment, then silently began to estimate the value of the various items.

After a long pause, he swallowed hard and tentatively asked, "One hundred spirit stones?"

Seeing Cui Ying shake her head, he asked, "Two hundred?"

"three hundred!?"

"Why don't you be a little bolder?"

Cui Zhengming slapped Cui Ying on the shoulder and said impatiently, "Why are you keeping me in suspense with your father? Hurry up and tell me."

Looking around at the empty surroundings, Cui Ying cautiously transmitted her voice, "A total of six hundred and fifty spirit stones."

"Hey, why did you hit me again?"

Cui Zhengming's hand trembled, and his eyes widened like saucers: "You little brat, when did you learn to lie?!"

Cui Ying didn't speak, since even a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator's divine sense could only be used to observe a distance of two or three zhang around themselves.

If it were those high-level Foundation Establishment cultivators, they would definitely look down on what they had.

He simply pulled his father toward the woods by the roadside. Seeing that the surroundings were relatively safe, he took out a handful of white spirit stones from his bundle.

"so much."

Cui Zhengming was taken aback at first, then slapped Cui Ying on the shoulder. Seeing her standing there blankly with a frown, he hurriedly grabbed her hand, poured the spirit stones back into his bundle, and then quickly glanced around:

"Are you stupid? Why are you taking out so many spirit stones? What if a passing rogue cultivator sees this?"

"Hehe, you didn't believe me, did you?"

Cui Ying smiled, her expression slightly smug.

Cui Zhengming stared intently at the bundle in her arms, asking incredulously:

"Your father knows how many spirit stones a spirit deer hide and spirit deer whip are worth, but can all those random spirit herbs of yours really be exchanged for that many spirit stones?"

"That's right, it adds up to three hundred and sixty-eight, not a single spirit stone more or less."

Cui Ying told her father this number for two reasons: first, she was worried that it would frighten her family; second, she wanted to keep some of the spirit stones for the future.

"Hurry up and give me the rest of the spirit stones. Why do you carry so many spirit stones on you, little girl?"

After Cui Zhengming finished speaking, he directly took down the bundle containing the spirit stones that Cui Ying had been carrying.

Cui Ying sighed and watched helplessly as her father took away the spirit stones she had prepared with a beaming smile.

"Quick, daughter, keep watch for your father while I pack the things away."

Cui Ying turned her head to the side, a slight smile playing on her lips.

Fortunately, she knew her parents well and had made preparations in advance; otherwise, she might not have been able to keep even a single spirit stone.

"One hundred and forty-five, one hundred and forty-seven, one hundred and forty-eight."

"Wasn't it supposed to be over three hundred? How come there's so little left?"

Cui Ying turned around and glanced at her father: "You've been filial to your parents, haven't you? You just saw it too, the basket is full of things."

Cui Zhengming looked at the heavy bamboo basket on his daughter's back, his lips twitching with anger. As he spoke, he stepped forward to pull his daughter back:

"No wonder your mother always insisted on not giving you spirit stones. More than two hundred spirit stones were exchanged for this junk. It's infuriating! Let's go return it."

As if knowing what her father was about to say, Cui Ying immediately took two steps back, blinked her eyes, and said sincerely:

"They were all bought with spirit stones from selling medicinal herbs, and they're all things that can be used at home. Besides, since they've already been bought, they can't be returned."

"You naughty brat."

Enraged, Cui Zhengming mimicked Wang's tone and cursed before grabbing a handful of spirit stones and handing them to Cui Ying, saying:

"Go back and tell your mother that she only sold one hundred and sixty spirit stones, understand?"

After accepting the three spirit stones with a hint of disdain, Cui Ying nodded in agreement and replied, "Understood, Father."

A smile returned to Cui Zhengming's dark face. He hid the spirit stones in various places on his person, then took the bamboo basket from Cui Ying's shoulder and carried it on his back before calling out:

“We’ve been delayed for so long, your mother must be getting impatient at home. We should go back now.”

Just as he stepped out of the woods, he suddenly stopped and looked at the black dog that had been guarding Cui Ying's side, saying:

"Where did this dog demon come from? Why has it been following you?"

Cui Ying didn't dare say that she had spent more than ten spirit stones to buy it, and said in a few words that she had just picked it up by the roadside.

Actually, after she bought the black dog demon, she discovered that it was badly injured and its cultivation level was pitifully low, so she decided to set it free.

But this dog demon was like a leech, following her wherever she went. Especially after she casually treated its injuries, it became even more impossible to shake off.

"These dog and cat demons that have gained some intelligence are everywhere in the village. Do you remember Luo Sanxiu at the village entrance?"

Cui Ying nodded. Of course she remembered Luo, the rogue cultivator at the entrance of the village, who was at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

This person was also a well-known demon hunter in Shuangling Village. Once, when he went into the mountains to hunt demons, he brought back a dog demon cub that had just opened its eyes and raised it.

Who would have thought that after that dog demon grew up, it would either sneak out to fight all day long, or go berserk and kill the family's spirit chickens and ducks. It even injured Luo Sanxiu's grandson several times, which angered Luo's sister-in-law so much that she chopped him up and ate his meat.

"Just remember."

"If you can't tame a small one, then you can forget about raising a fully grown demon. Besides, we have so many people in our family. If you don't kick it out, are you really planning to take it home and worship it?"

Listening to her father's words, Cui Ying looked down at the big black dog that had been guarding the edge of the woods, and after a moment of silence said:

"I'll keep it. Maybe it can help me when I go into the mountains to hunt demons in the future."

"Isn't that right, Ta Xue?"

The black dog demon opened its eyes and stared intently at Cui Ying, its jet-black tail wagging wildly.

"You'll raise it? What will you use to raise it?"

Cui Zhengming subconsciously asked a couple of questions, then paused, and suddenly said irritably:

"Forget it, it's just a stray dog ​​that's only recently become intelligent. If it dares to bite or scratch randomly, I'll beat it and eat it."

The implication is that this means they agreed.

Cui Ying glanced at her father with some surprise, not expecting him to agree so easily.

"Thank you dad."

She squatted down, rubbed the round, big dog's head, and said casually, "Ta Xue, did you hear that? If you dare to bite people and cause trouble, Daddy will kill you and eat your flesh."

The large black dog, which had been standing there blankly enjoying being petted, suddenly broke free from Cui Ying's hand, arched its back, and bared its teeth at Cui Zhengming.

"Wang Wang Wang."

From Leiyun City to Shuangling Village, it would take a full hour and a half for a cultivator to walk, until a brilliant sunset appeared on the horizon, and the father and daughter finally saw the outline of the village.

"Coming."

Even though it was evening in May, Cui Ying, despite her cultivation level, was still covered in sweat.

When the father and daughter arrived at their doorstep, Wang, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately came out to greet them:

"What's going on today? Why are you so late? Usually, a round trip like this should only take half a day."

Before the father and daughter could speak, they heard Wang gasp in surprise, then lower her voice and say:

"Honey, what's in your basket?"

Cui Ying glanced at her father, then simply stopped talking and followed him into the main room.

Cui Zhengming placed the heavy basket on his back in the center of the main room, panting heavily, and buried his head in his tea.

Wang glared at the father and daughter, and then she finally saw clearly what was in the basket. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Weren't you going to sell things? Why did you buy so much? This includes spirit herb seeds, spirit fruit tree seedlings, talisman brushes, secret manuals, and pills..."

Looking at the expressionless faces of the father and daughter, Wang was initially worried that they had left empty-handed, and was thinking about how to comfort them.

After she saw what was inside, a surge of anger welled up on her face. She slapped Cui Zhengming hard on the back and yelled:

"You just spent the spirit stones you earned from selling spirit rice like that? There are several people in our family, how could you be so heartless as to spend them like that?"

"Soon it will be the children's tuition fees, the land rent, and the next season's spirit rice seeds. It looks like the spirit stones we have at home are running out. Who told you to buy the array flags and all these pills? And the spirit tobacco leaves and immortal peach wine?"

"You still have money to buy a warm jade bracelet? Have you been hiding spirit stones behind my back? Or did some vixen make you buy these useless things?"