"I have an additional two hundred Stone-Clad Wolves currently stored within the spatial depths of my personal storage rune. Would the Armament Master Guild be interested in trading with me directly for those specimens as well?" Bai Xifeng asked, her voice flowing with a smooth, practised confidence.

A sharp, professional, and entirely business-like smile appeared on her face. It was the kind of cold, calculating smile that belonged in the high-stakes atmosphere of a royal negotiation chamber rather than on the youthful face of a wandering student.

Zhou Yaoting and Yi Shanyuan both turned to look at Bai Xifeng in visible surprise, their brows furrowing deeply as they struggled to process this new information.

"You mean to say... You still have even more of these rare wolves in your possession?" The man asked, his eyes wide as he leaned so far forward that he was nearly halfway across the table, invading her personal space in his eagerness.

"Yes. I personally hunted and killed approximately four hundred of them in total." Bai Xifeng replied casually, as though she were discussing something as entirely ordinary as the daily weather.

"Student Bai, did your contracted beast assist you during the heat of the battle?" Zhou Yaoting asked, his mind reeling as he struggled to keep pace with the shocking revelations she continued to drop so nonchalantly.

"Indeed. With a contracted beast of that high calibre, it would not be a difficult feat for her to wipe out a pack of that size in a single engagement." Yi Shanyuan nodded thoughtfully, unknowingly filling in the tactical gaps for the stunned Guild Master.

"What exactly are the two of you talking about?" The man asked, his confusion growing rapidly as he looked between the two teachers.

"Student Bai is the master of a powerful Lord Rank contracted beast." Zhou Yaoting explained, a faint but unmistakable hint of pride colouring his voice.

"A Lord Rank?" The man exclaimed in genuine shock, his pupils dilating as he looked at Bai Xifeng with entirely new levels of profound respect and strategic wariness. "No wonder you survived..."

With the revelation of such a terrifyingly powerful contracted beast, the mystery behind her survival and the overwhelming number of high-tier corpses she possessed suddenly became far more believable to the professionals in the room.

Bai Xifeng merely glanced at them in silence, her expression unreadable. She was fully aware that they had completely misunderstood the actual truth of the situation. However, since this misunderstanding worked so perfectly in her favour and bolstered her reputation, she saw absolutely no reason to offer a correction.

"Are you absolutely certain that you wish to sell those two hundred additional beasts to the Armament Master Guild?" The man asked again, his tone now grave, serious, and completely professional.

"Yes, I am willing to part with them. But the more important question is this. How much is the Guild willing to pay for such a rare, and now nearly irreplaceable, resource?" Bai Xifeng asked.

Her mind had already fully shifted into a cold, clinical negotiation mode.

"Five hundred taels for each beast." The man proposed carefully, keeping his voice neutral as he deliberately tested the waters with a low initial offer.

Zhou Yaoting and Yi Shanyuan immediately frowned at the mention of the price. It was painfully obvious to them that the man was attempting to take blatant advantage of Bai Xifeng, working under the false assumption that she lacked experience in commercial dealings. Zhou Yaoting was just about to open his mouth to intervene on her behalf when Bai Xifeng spoke first, her voice cutting through the air.

"Young Master Su... are you truly joking with me right now?" Bai Xifeng let out a soft, airy laugh the instant she heard the offered figure, though her eyes had already sharpened into dangerous, icy slits. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

The atmosphere within the room chilled almost instantly, the temperature seeming to drop several degrees.

Young Master Su stiffened slightly as he realised, with a sinking feeling, that his offer had not merely underestimated the material value of the beasts, but had also unintentionally insulted the formidable intelligence of the girl seated before him.

Although Bai Xifeng genuinely did not know the exact market value of the Stone-Clad Wolves before entering the room, she was extremely skilled at reading the subtle nuances of people’s expressions and physical reactions. From the slight tightening of Zhou Yaoting’s jaw and the flicker of annoyance in Yi Shanyuan’s eyes, she could already tell that the offered price was an insult for something of such extraordinary rarity and strategic value.

"Five hundred taels?" Bai Xifeng repeated smoothly, though her tone now carried a dangerously cold edge beneath its velvet surface. She chuckled softly, a sound devoid of warmth, before continuing, "For beasts whose hides are literally fused with one of the most sought-after minerals on the continent? A mineral whose only known primary source has now completely vanished from existence?"

Bai Xifeng leaned forward slightly, her eyes locking onto Young Master Su with predatory precision, like a hawk pinning down its prey.

"The refinement process alone for high-grade Xien Stone normally accounts for nearly forty per cent of its final market value. Yet here, nature itself has already completed the most difficult part of that refinement process for you. The hides can be forged into nearly impenetrable reinforced armour, the bones can serve as high-tensile weapon frameworks, and the embedded Xien Stone... Everyone is useful and valuable." Bai Xifeng paused briefly, her smile becoming faint and enigmatic. "Well, I believe both of us already know exactly what the desperate market will be willing to pay for Xien Stone by tomorrow morning because the source is gone."

***This novel is a contracted work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. If you do not read this novel on w e b n o v e l. c o m, that means it has been stolen. Thank you, from your shameless author, ZerahNeko*