Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Rong Shu Must Be Envious

Spirit beasts and demonic beasts differ by a single character, yet in many respects they are worlds apart.

At a lecture on Spirit Gathering Peak, Rong Shu had once heard a sect elder explain the differences between the two to the assembled disciples.

Spirit beasts, like cultivators, draw upon the spiritual qi of heaven and earth and turn it to their own use.

Demonic beasts, however, follow a separate path, cultivating demonic qi.

Nowadays most spirit beasts are raised in captivity by various sect powers; they are generally mild-tempered and inclined to get along with people.

Long ago, the Southern Wilds were teeming with spirit beasts. Then one day, a band of savage demonic beasts appeared from who knows where. Demonic beasts relish battle and breed faster than spirit beasts, especially the herd types that survive by banding together. In just a few decades, they severely compressed the native spirit beasts’ living space.

At first, cultivators of the Southern Wilds hoped to contract demonic beasts with stronger fighting instincts and so let matters take their course, but they later discovered that demonic beasts are extremely hard to contract; even when a contract is formed, they often turn on their master.

What is more, demonic beasts interbreed promiscuously, producing tangled bloodlines. Early on this shows little, but upon reaching adulthood, multiple bloodlines press against each other within the body and often drag down the beast’s potential, making advancement to higher realms difficult.

After that, the cultivators of the Southern Wilds began raising spirit beasts on a large scale to ensure a steady, reliable supply for future spirit-beast contracts.

Up to the present day, spirit beasts living in the wild are rare; most creatures outside are demonic beasts. Wild demonic beasts, their untamed nature unbroken, are fiercely territorial; they often attack passing cultivators, or else organize large-scale beast tides to assault nearby villages, cities, and other human domains.

Ahead, an excited voice piped up: “Third Senior Brother, you found another spirit beast, how amazing!”

A calm voice answered: “This is nothing.”

Hearing the commotion, Rong Shu looked toward the two figures ahead.

Qin Yuan truly had skill in beast-taming. In less than half a day, he had located more than a dozen of the runaway spirit beasts in succession.

Whenever he found a runaway spirit beast, Qin Yuan would first raise a handbell and shake it toward the beast’s direction.

The clear, pleasant chime could soothe a spirit beast’s emotions. If the beast quieted down, Qin Yuan would then collect it with a Beast Taming Pouch.

If the handbell failed, Qin Yuan would have the Blood Patterned Black Panther and the Azure Sky Falcon press from front and rear, releasing their aura pressure to cow the beast; once it was overawed, it would obediently enter the Beast Taming Pouch.

If a runaway spirit beast was particularly strong and pressure alone did not work, he would first beat it into submission, then stow it in the Beast Taming Pouch.

“Ruan Ruan, release the Golden Threaded Jade Scaled Snake; that spirit beast ahead is on the weaker side, so you can try having it spar,” he said.

“All right, Third Senior Brother,” Yu Ruan Ruan replied.

Yu Ruan Ruan released the golden serpent.

The little snake that used to lounge on her wrist like a trinket surged in size; rising upright, it now stood as tall as a ten-year-old child.

Under Yu Ruan Ruan’s command, the Golden Threaded Jade Scaled Snake went to fight the Red Eyed Spirit Spider ahead.

Qin Yuan watched from the side; minor cuts and scrapes were fine, but if a lethal wound was imminent, he immediately sent the Azure Sky Falcon to snatch one of the spirit beasts away.

After a brief, simple bout, the one that finally collapsed was the Red Eyed Spirit Spider.

“Third Senior Brother, I won!” Yu Ruan Ruan cried, delighted.

Seeing the Golden Threaded Jade Scaled Snake triumph, she hurried to claim credit with Qin Yuan.

Qin Yuan smiled and praised her: “Ruan Ruan is amazing, your command was excellent.”

Yu Ruan Ruan’s joy-bright gaze drifted, seemingly by accident, toward Rong Shu.

At that moment, though Rong Shu’s eyes were fixed on the spot where the beasts had just fought, her mind was replaying, over and over, the methods Qin Yuan had used to locate and capture spirit beasts.

She didn’t know whether she would ever use them herself, but learning more and knowing more could never hurt.

Noticing Rong Shu’s distant, unfocused look, Yu Ruan Ruan’s mood rose still higher. [Rong Shu must be envious. Very envious of my Golden Threaded Jade Scaled Snake. Even more envious of Third Senior Brother’s meticulous care for me, while he stays so distant and neglectful toward her.]

Yu Ruan Ruan turned her head, and with the corner of her eye she spotted a stalk of spirit herb. Her eyes lit up; walking over, she called out to Qin Yuan in excitement: “Third Senior Brother, there’s a spirit herb here too—”

Before she finished, the leaf-littered ground suddenly burst open as a snake-type demonic beast, its color the same as the dead leaves, shot out. Its mouth gaped, poisonous fangs bared, striking toward Yu Ruan Ruan.

Qin Yuan’s face changed: “Ruan Ruan, look out!”

“Ah!” Yu Ruan Ruan screamed.

From the sky, the Azure Sky Falcon dove like a bolt; its talons seized the snake-type demonic beast, then it soared high and flung the creature hard toward the distant ground.

As Rong Shu watched Yu Ruan Ruan’s face go pale with fright, she coolly analyzed in her heart: [Ordinary-quality spirit herbs may grow wherever like weeds, but high-quality spirit herbs attract the coveting of forest demonic beasts. Some will even stand guard by the herb before it matures and attack any outsider who tries to seize it. Just as the sect elder at Spirit Gathering Peak said. If I harvest high-grade spirit herbs in the future, I must proceed with care.]

In the end, Yu Ruan Ruan escaped unscathed.

Pained by her fright, Qin Yuan ended the day’s work and planned to resume the search for spirit beasts tomorrow.

Four days later.

Finding the missing spirit beasts was simple for Qin Yuan; it was just that there were two hundred runaways. The number was not small, so it took four days to bring them back.

Some of the spirit beasts had several new wounds on their bodies, and more than a dozen were found only as remains.

However, none of that had anything to do with Qin Yuan.

The mission’s issuer had, of course, accounted for such losses. Once Qin Yuan had found all the spirit beasts, the payment was paid out readily.

For missions issued by those outside the sect, the reward is usually collected directly from the issuer upon completion.

For internal sect missions, rewards are basically collected at the Task Pavilion.

After the mission ended, the three walked down the street.

Clinging to Qin Yuan’s arm, Yu Ruan Ruan said with a smile: “Third Senior Brother, we finished our mission, but it looks like Senior Brother Dai Zhou and the others haven’t finished theirs. Let’s play around Scarlet Sun City while we wait for them.”

“All right, we’ll do as Ruan Ruan says,” Qin Yuan replied, his gaze tender.

In fact, this had been his thought as well. If they returned to the sect, Ruan Ruan would surely cling to her master even more; out here, he was the only one at her side.

All at once, Yu Ruan Ruan seemed to think of something; she turned her head and looked back at Rong Shu behind them.