Chapter 28: The Sorrow of Kindred Spirits

Ying Chen even began to consider whether he should cut certain expenses. Yet, in the blink of an eye, he cast aside the thought, reasoning, “Blind thrift is not the solution—it will only hinder my cultivation. The proper path is to find ways to increase my income in the days to come.”

As the saying goes, when one is covered in lice, the itching becomes negligible; when debts accumulate, worry fades. After his moment of vexation, Ying Chen felt unexpectedly relaxed. He even used spirit stones to exchange for contribution points, redeeming spells such as Minor Yin Thunder, Five Turbid Primordial Devil Arts, and Five Ghosts Transport Technique all at once.

Of course, he still economized where he could. Minor Yin Thunder required only steady cultivation; the Five Turbid Primordial Devil Arts called for Five Turbid Qi, which could typically be purchased directly from the alchemy hall. Now, if it didn’t hinder his practice, gathering it himself would suffice—and if there was surplus, perhaps he could sell some, fitting nicely with his intent to expand his resources.

As for the Five Ghosts Transport Technique, the souls of robust men it required were easier to procure from the beast hall directly. Strangely, human souls could be bought in the beast hall, revealing that in the eyes of some at Crimson Water Cliff, people and beasts were hardly different, especially mortals.

Thus, the souls of strong men weren’t particularly expensive; crafting them himself was troublesome, and the beast hall’s “bulk processing” was far more convenient.

Having resolved his course, Ying Chen wasted no time and made his way to the beast hall once more.

The beast hall occupied a vast area, its towering walls enclosing the grounds, though they could not contain the intermittent screeches of fierce birds, the roars of wild beasts, shrill cries, wails, and mournful howls that drifted out, casting a chilling air over the place.

Entering through the main gate, the interior was shrouded in gloom, with no lamps or candles lit. Whether overseers or menials, all moved about like shadowy specters.

Luckily, upon seeing Ying Chen enter, someone approached, bowing and finally displaying a hint of humanity.

He asked with a smile, “Fellow cultivator, what brings you here today?”

Ying Chen returned the courtesy lightly and replied, “Do you have any souls for sale?”

The man grinned, exposing a mouthful of yellow teeth and a foul odor, of which he seemed utterly unaware. Laughing, he said, “When has the beast hall ever lacked souls? This way, please.”

He produced a lantern from somewhere and led Ying Chen through winding corridors to a shelf, pointing with his hand, “Here they are.”

Ying Chen looked up and saw on the shelf a row of small jars, resembling containers for ashes. Yet inside were “living” souls, some processed, some raw, each jar sealed with a talisman inscribed with details, some even noting the date of birth.

Noticing Ying Chen’s gaze, the yellow-toothed attendant explained, “These were born during inauspicious hours and days; they cost more.”

Ying Chen shook his head. “I only need the souls of robust men.”

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“Oh?” The attendant was slightly surprised, pondering, “Is fellow cultivator practicing ghost-raising or ghost-driving arts?”

“What of it?” Ying Chen neither confirmed nor denied, continuing to select from the shelf.

The attendant took no offense, merely rubbing his hands. “If so, I can recommend some good stock.”

“Oh?” Ying Chen raised an eyebrow. “What kind of good stock?”

“You know, the recent disciple trials just concluded.” The attendant chuckled. “After the trials, those who failed twice became servants, distributed among the halls and courtyards, some ending up here…”

Ying Chen’s eyelid twitched. “You mean the disciples assigned to the beast hall?”

“Servants,” the attendant corrected, then continued, “As you know, we have plenty of beasts in the beast hall, but unlike the alchemy or artifact halls, we lack drug-slaves and mine-slaves. So these servants…”

He shrugged. “Extracting their souls and refining them is indeed an option. Though they failed in cultivation, their souls are still better quality than those of ordinary mortals.”

Ying Chen had suspected as much, but hearing it so plainly, he was momentarily stunned.

He had always known the trials were cruel, but never had he felt it so directly. For a brief moment, he was moved with pity for his kind.

The yellow-toothed attendant noticed his silence and was somewhat surprised. Having survived in the beast hall, he was shrewd enough to guess Ying Chen was a disciple of the current generation. He quickly shifted the conversation, saying, “Please don’t take it amiss. If you’re not interested, just consider it idle chatter on my part.”

“These souls are all of good quality. Let me pick out a few for you…”

“No need,” Ying Chen shook his head. “Take me to see these ‘good stock’ for myself.”

The attendant’s eyes widened. “Ah, so you’re not as soft-hearted as I thought.”

Of course, outwardly he responded with a cheerful, “Certainly, this way. If you decide to buy, I’ll give you a discount…”

The beast hall was far less refined than the alchemy hall, but its business practices were much more straightforward.

The yellow-toothed attendant led the way, Ying Chen followed at a measured pace, his gaze deep and contemplative.

He did feel a pang of sympathy, but it was fleeting.

Moreover, low-level cultivators had unstable souls; once extracted, they lost all consciousness. What the beast hall produced was nothing more than a muddled, selfless soul, no different from a wild ghost—only somewhat stronger.

“I did not slay Boren, nor did Boren die because of me. To use them is no different from plucking grass or wood.”

After some winding turns, the attendant finally stopped, pointing to the upper shelf.

Ying Chen looked over and saw the jars were labeled with useful descriptions: “Qi Refinement Level Three, practiced Spiritual Sense Technique, soul slightly stronger,” or “Improper cultivation, soul damaged, lower quality.”

Ying Chen surveyed the selection, quickly pointing out five jars and asking quietly, “How much for these?”

“Fellow cultivator has sharp eyes,” the attendant flattered, then calculated, “This one is the best of the batch, this one has heavy resentment and became stronger after processing, this one…”

All together, not cheap.

“I promised you a discount, so I’ll round down.” He held up three fingers. “Three spirit stones.”

Five outer sect disciples, yet only worth three spirit stones, and Ying Chen still felt it was too expensive.

Compared to mortal souls, they were exceedingly costly, going beyond what Ying Chen had planned.

Seeing Ying Chen’s dissatisfaction, the attendant protested, “Three spirit stones—is that expensive? These are all cultivators in Qi Refinement. If we had kept them for labor, we’d have made more than three spirit stones!”

Ying Chen remained unmoved. “If they were truly useful, you wouldn’t waste them; you’d categorize them carefully, fully utilize them, and only then process the remains… You think I don’t know?”

“That’s not entirely fair…”

After some haggling, the yellow-toothed attendant finally cut the price again. Ying Chen felt the deal was reasonable and was about to agree.

Suddenly, a thought struck him.

“I know you use fire cells, water cells, steam torture, oil cauldrons… various methods to process beasts here?”

The attendant, unsure why Ying Chen mentioned this, replied, “We do.”

“In that case,” Ying Chen smiled, “could you collect some turbid qi for me—water, damp, fire, heat, poison, bruising, and the like?”

“In that case, three spirit stones would be quite acceptable.”