The wolf looked at Shen Yuan with an exasperated look before collapsing on the ground. his body had finally given up once the adrenaline ran out.

It lay there whimpering on the ground, looking at the corpse before it with a longing.

"Someone from your family, I bet?"

Noticing its gaze, Shen Yuan looked at the corpse.

"You know there are two kinds of sufferings. One which makes you grow stronger after you go through it. Then there is another type of suffering, which is just... suffering. It has no meaning; it does not do you any good. You just fade away while feeling pain all the time."

"It is better to end such sufferings."

Shen Yuan slowly crouched besides the wolf, his hand slowly stroking its head.

"There is no point in going through pain that does not make you stronger."

The wolf did not understand a single word, but the empty look in Shen Yuan’s eyes sent chills down its spine.

Even if it wanted to move, there was no strength in its body.

"You, my friend, are going through... the first kind. So don’t worry, I won’t kill you when there is a chance for you to survive." Shen Yuan sensed the wolf’s body tensing ever so slightly and chuckled.

Shen Yuan proceeded to close the wounds that were life-threatening and bleeding the most with his own cleaning robes. He tore the cloth into long strips before wrapping them tightly around the scar-faced wolf’s body, slowing the heavy bleeding. One after another, he crushed healing salves from his personal stash and carefully smeared them over the deepest gashes.

The wolf remained completely still throughout the treatment.

Whether it was because it no longer had the strength to resist or because it had accepted Shen Yuan’s presence, even the beast itself did not know.

Once the bleeding was finally brought under control, Shen Yuan reached into his inventory again and took out several stalks of more expensive medicinal herbs. He crushed them into a rough paste before forcing them into the wolf’s mouth.

"Swallow."

The wolf glared at him for a brief second before doing exactly that.

The medicinal energy spread through its body almost immediately, suppressing the rampant damage inside its organs. It was far from healed, but at least it was no longer standing on death’s doorstep.

Only after confirming that its breathing had become steadier did Shen Yuan finally sit back on his heels.

"That should keep you alive."

Just as he was about to stand, the wolf weakly raised one paw.

Its claws pointed towards the enormous corpse lying nearby.

"..."

Shen Yuan looked at the corpse. Then back at the wolf.

Then back at the corpse again.

"...You want me to drag it over here?"

The wolf did not reply, but its emerald eyes never left the corpse.

it was then Shen Yuan finally noticed something. A strand of drool slowly slid from the corner of the wolf’s mouth.

Its tail gave an extremely weak thump against the dirt.

"..."

"..."

Shen Yuan stared blankly.

"You are dying, and all you can think about is food?"

He clicked his tongue.

"Little glutton."

Even though he complained, Shen Yuan still walked towards the enormous corpse.

The smell of fresh blood hung heavily in the air.

Now that the battle was over, he had the time to inspect the Silver Core Beast properly.

His fingers brushed against the massive wound left by his axe.

"Hm?"

Something shimmered beneath the flesh.

A faint silver glow pulsed from deep inside the beast’s neck.

Shen Yuan narrowed his eyes.

"So that’s where it is."

Using both hands, he reached into the wound without hesitation.

Warm blood coated his fingers as he searched through torn muscles.

It took nearly half a minute before his fingertips touched something hard.

Round.

Smooth.

He pulled.

With a wet tearing sound, a fist-sized silver crystal emerged from the corpse.

The object was almost perfectly spherical.

Silver mist slowly flowed beneath its transparent surface, swirling endlessly like tiny storms trapped inside crystal. Every few seconds, streams of wind qi circled around it before disappearing back inside.

Even merely holding it made the surrounding air feel lighter.

"So this is a Silver Core..."

Shen Yuan turned it around curiously.

He had read about beast cores too.

Cultivators could refine them into pills, Blacksmiths embedded them into weapons, and Formation masters used them to power arrays.

Even wealthy merchants were willing to spend enormous sums to purchase one.

This little ball alone was probably worth more money than he could earn in several years as a servant.

His eyes instinctively drifted towards his almost empty inventory.

A dangerous thought appeared in his mind.

I could sell it...

Just thinking about all the money he would make selling this thing made him almost fall into the temptation.

Awoooo—

Yet, the thought disappeared, right after it appeared in his mind. Shen Yuan knew this was too hot a product to sell without catching the eye of certain people.

If only there was a black market he knew of; he might have tried, but he did not know of such a thing.

He could sell it to Candy but was too unpredictable. He did not have her loyalty yet, and she answered to the head of the pavilion she worked at.

’I cannot take a chance with this.’ Shaking his head, Shen Yuan looked at the eager wolf looking at him.

More accurately...

It was staring at the Silver Core.

Its ears stood upright despite its injuries.

"..."

Shen Yuan stared at him for a full second. "Whatever. This was your prey and your family. You take this one, but I will use the next one we get."

With a small movement, he threw the core right before the scar-faced wolf’s mouth.

The crystal rolled twice across the dirt before stopping besides the wolf’s mouth.

There wasn’t even the slightest hesitation.

Crunch.

The wolf swallowed the entire Silver Core whole.

"..."

Shen Yuan slowly blinked.

"You..."