Both Xu Hao and Han Xi walk back into the house and close the door behind them. Xu Hao enters the room to the left of his bedroom and begins searching for something. The room is full of various boxes and shelves for storing things, including basic tools and supplies.

  Watching him curiously, Han Xi wonders what he is looking for. ‘Does he have something here that can help me with my evolution? What kind of things do I even need for an evolution?’

  He pulls out a box that contains several frosthorn deer horns, taking them out. After, he puts the box back and walks out of the room, closing the door again.

  Bringing them down so Han Xi can see them, he begins to expin, “These frosthorn deer horns can be used as alchemic ingredients. We can bring them to the local alchemist to sell them for spirit stones.”

  Han Xi nods, ‘Right, but what are the spirit stones good for?’

  [Spirit stones are made of Qi and can be used as cultivation material. Additionally, they are also commonly used as currency.]

  ‘Oh, that makes sense. I wonder which we will be using them for.’ she thinks to herself.

  “Once we get the spirit stones, we’ll be able to use them to purchase some items that will be useful for your evolution, like pills and, hopefully, talismans.” Xu Hao expins.

  She nods at his expnation and the two start heading back out the door, closing it behind them. After, they start making their way back into the center of the vilge, towards where the alchemist is located. On the way there, they happen to pass by Elder Fu, who has 2 distinct paw shaped marks on his cheek.

  Noticing them, Elder Fu decides to stop and say hello. “Xu Hao, good morning.” His attention then moves down to Han Xi. “Honored Guardian… good morning.” He starts rubbing his cheek, giving her a side gre.

  His greeting causes Han Xi to let out a mischievous giggle, grinning back at him. ‘Good morning, Honored Launchpad~.’

  Elder Fu sighs, looking somewhat defeated. Meanwhile, Xu Hao notices the marks on his cheek and decides to speak up. “Umm… Elder Fu, you have a little something on your cheek.”

  “It's nothing; I don’t want to talk about it. Anyway, what are you two up to today? Seems you aren't going out to hunt, so do you have other pns?” he asks curiously.

  This causes Xu Hao to smile proudly. “No hunting today! Actually, Miss Han Xi here is preparing to evolve. Tonight even!”

  Elder Fu’s eyes widened in surprise. “Our Honored Guardian will be evolving tonight?! That… that is fantastic news! So much so, I might be willing to forgive what happened earlier. We should tell everyone in the vilge about this so we all can be in attendance!”

  Naturally, Han Xi giggles once more, showing no remorse. ‘If you’re hoping to make me feel guilty, I’ll have you know, it's making me want to do it again~.’

  Slightly concerned, Xu Hao decides to voice his concerns, “It would be nice to have everyone present… but Miss Han Xi is not normal. I am uncertain how safe her evolution will be. Call it intuition, but maybe it isn't the best idea to invite everyone.”

  “Nonsense! If things get too bad, we will simply retreat. Besides, she is just animal grade, I find it difficult to believe anything too bad will happen.” Elder Fu replies in a jolly voice.

  Sighing, Xu Hao replies, “Alright Elder Fu, if you say so. We will be doing it tonight when the moon is at its peak in the forest. Perhaps, around where the direwolf battle was held the other day. Is that ok with you, Miss Han Xi?”

  She tilts her head to the side, ‘System, do these conditions meet your recommendations?’

  [Yes, Host, that will be satisfactory.]

  Nodding her head, her tail starts to wag as she becomes excited for tonight. ‘I’ll finally be able to use magic starting tomorrow!’

  “Alright, I'll start letting all the vilgers know. If you need any assistance with your preparations, please, inform me.” he replies in a tone that instills confidence.

  The two start making their way towards the alchemist's shop, now standing outside of it. The shop is designed simirly to the surrounding buildings, with cobbled stone and wood being the primary materials of choice. Attached to the right side of the building, is a wide, open-fronted structure with a long overhanging roof. Inside, there are dispy tables meant to dispy their products, as well as a counter to purchase the goods. Behind the counter, is an old-looking man with a big smile on his face, watching the two approaching.

  “Hello, welcome back, Xu Hao.” the shopkeeper says in a friendly manner. He gnces down towards the ground and notices a small fox cub that is following him. His eyes widened a little, surprised to see their guardian showing up at his shop. “Oh my! Honored Guardian, welcome to my shop! What brings you two here today?”

  Both Xu Hao and Han Xi walk into the shop and stand in front of the counter where the old shopkeeper is. “We are here today to sell you some ingredients, as well as purchase a thing or two.” Xu Hao looks down at Han Xi and smiles, “Miss Han Xi, this is Huai Dan, our vilge's alchemist.”

  Han Xi jumps onto the counter so she can see what's going on. She gives Huai Dan a friendly smile and then looks back at Xu Hao.

  “We have several frosthorn deer horns we were hoping to sell here. Are you interested in purchasing them?” Xu Hao asks Huai Dan as he pces them onto the counter.

  Huai Dan inspects the horns carefully, ensuring they were harvested properly and not damaged in any way. “Hmm… these are excellent quality horns. Harvested perfectly and not damaged in any way. For all of these, I’d be willing to pay you 35 small spirit stones. Do we have a deal?”

  Han Xi’s head tilts to the side, contempting whether that sounds like a good deal. ‘I have no frame of reference how much money that is… I wonder if that is a lot?’

  Noticing this, Xu Hao comments, “Miss Han Xi, as I implied earlier, spirit stones are generally used as currency. 100 small spirit stones equals 1 medium spirit stone. 100 medium spirit stones is equal to 1 rge spirit stone. Lastly, 100 rge spirit stones is equivalent to 1 extra rge spirit stone. While 35 small spirit stones might not be a lot of money, frosthorn deer horns are basic alchemic ingredients, so it's a fair price for them.”

  He looks back at Huai Dan and smiles, “We have a deal, thank you as always, Huai Dan.”

  The shopkeeper takes the horns and brings them into the room behind his counter and returns with 35 small spirit stones in his hands, giving them to Xu Hao. “Of course, Xu Hao. It’s always a pleasure working with you. Now, what kind of things were you interested in purchasing?”

  Putting his finger on his chin, Xu Hao thinks about the types of pills that would be useful for her evolution. “I’m thinking maybe a vitality restoration pill, and maybe a minor body tempering pill. How much would this cost?”

  Listening to Xu Hao list off what he wants to purchase, Han Xi wonders what each of those pills do. ‘Hey, System. Does that guide thingy say anything about what kind of pills those are?’

  [Yes, Host. A vitality restoration pill can assist in accelerating your healing, while a minor body tempering pill will strengthen your bones, muscles, and tendons. Both are good options to have when evolving.]

  ‘I already have 2 health pills though… so I can probably do without the vitality restoration pill.’ she thinks to herself.

  The old shopkeeper walks back into the back room again and then brings the requested pills out, pcing them on the counter. “Here you are, Xu Hao. The left one is the minor body tempering pill, and the other is the vitality restoration pill. Both of these were just recently made, so they should be quite effective for low grade pills. How does 12 small spirit stones for both sound?”

  Han Xi approaches the vitality restoration pill and paws it back towards Huai Dan, shaking her head. ‘It feels like it would be a waste of money to buy this when I already have 2 perfectly good pills for this purpose.’

  Confused, Xu Hao asks Han Xi, “What's wrong, Miss Han Xi? Do you not want the vitality restoration pill?

  She nods her head, trying to convey his guess was correct, and then sits next to the other pill.

  Xu Hao sighs, not understanding why she would reject this very important pill. “Miss Han Xi, I’m not sure if you know this or not, since you are still only animal grade, but you will very likely take damage when going through your evolution. Having some kind of vitality recovery pill is important to ensure your survival.”

  Thinking about it for a moment, she decides that she only needs the 2 pills that are in her system inventory. She shakes her head and taps her paw next to the minor body tempering pill.

  Frowning, Xu Hao replies, “Alright, Miss Han Xi. If you insist while knowing that, I’m sure you have a good reason for it. Sorry, Huai Dan, just this minor body tempering pill, please.”

  Huai Dan’s eyes widen slightly, “Wait a moment, Xu Hao. Did you say these are for our Honored Guardian’s evolution?”

  “Yes, that is correct. Elder Fu is actually going around to all the other vilgers right now, informing them that Miss Han Xi is evolving tonight when the moon reaches its peak out in the forest.” Xu Hao says proudly, clearly showing pride in her achievement.

  “Well, in that case, here. Please, take both pills free of charge. It would be a great honor to contribute to our Honored Guardian's evolution. She has already done so much for our small vilge.” Huai Dan pces both pills in front of Xu Hao with a smile.

  Feeling conflicted, Han Xi sits down on the counter pondering something. ‘Something about this feels… familiar? But I can’t seem to put my paw on it. One part of me feels like I should accept this gift, as I am deserving of it. Yet, another part of me says I shouldn't and should still compensate him. What should I do?’

  Xu Hao makes the decision for her, as he shakes his head and pces the vitality recovery pill to the side. “Thank you kindly for your generosity, Huai Dan. However, we couldn't possibly accept such a gift, especially knowing your small shop is struggling.” He pces 6 small spirit stones onto the counter and pushes them towards the shopkeeper.

  Huai Dan shakes his head, pushing the spirit stones back. “I insist, Xu Hao. Our Honored Guardian protected our vilge from the direwolf, something that evil Shadow Demon Sect wouldn't even do, despite taxing us for “protection”. Honestly, I’m not even convinced they are a demonic sect, as they act more like a fiendish sect. Please allow me to contribute to her success.”

  Giving in, Xu Hao sighs, accepting both pills and the spirit stones, pcing them into his storage pouch. “Very well, thank you very much for your generosity. I look forward to seeing you during the evolution.”

  Smiling, Huai Dan nods and wishes them well. “Excellent, thank you for accepting my gift. I will see both of you tonight. Best of luck with your evolution, Honored Guardian.”

  Han Xi smiles back at the old shopkeeper, grateful for his gift. Both Xu Hao and Han Xi walk out of the shop and start making their way towards the inscriptionist’s shop.

  AnDwHaT5