Chapter 154

Chapter 154: An Unbreakable Spirit Pact

Ji Zi Cang led Shen Sang Ruo and the others to Beast Taming Sect.

The sect was small. It had only a few hundred disciples, and the buildings and tools were simple.

With a slightly embarrassed look, Ji Zi Cang said: “Ahem, our Beast Taming Sect can’t compare to the Beastmaster Sect, so please don’t mind the rough setup.”

Beastmaster Sect, like Flying Cloud Sect, was one of the great sects in the Cultivation World. Its Beast Mastery Technique was among the very best.

There was also a history between Beast Taming Sect and Beastmaster Sect, since they practiced the same kind of arts.

Back when Shen Sang Ruo was at Flying Cloud Sect, she had heard Shen Dao Chen mention it.

These days, Beast Taming Sect was fading and could only keep going because of its Sect Master, Yuan Jin, who was also Ji Zi Cang’s Master. Yuan Jin’s skill in Beast Taming could match the Grand Elders of the Beastmaster Sect.

The Beastmaster Sect had tried to recruit Yuan Jin. They even offered to let everyone from Beast Taming Sect join the Beastmaster Sect together.

For a great sect with strict entrance rules, those terms could have lifted Beast Taming Sect in one step.

Yuan Jin had planned to join, but some details fell through. In the end, both sides parted on bad terms.

The group stopped outside Yuan Jin’s Beast Taming room.

“Please wait a moment,” Ji Zi Cang said as he knocked: “My Master is probably still busy right now.”

After a short wait, the door opened.

When the sound barrier dropped, a slightly irritable voice rolled out from inside.

A middle-aged man was speaking into an Image Transmission Stone as he barked: “Send it over. Let me see what is going on!”

On the other end of the stone, a vicious Demonic Beast snarled.

Ji Zi Cang explained in a low voice: “Some Beast Cultivators contact my Master when they run into Vicious Beasts that are hard to tame.”

“If a beast catches my Master’s eye, it gets brought to Beast Taming Sect, and he tames it himself.”

Just then, Yuan Jin set down the Image Transmission Stone and looked over.

His gaze first fell on Shen Sang Ruo and the Bamboo Bear, Zhu Miao, nestled against her.

Yuan Jin had seen countless beasts. He could tell at a glance that this little one came from the Phantom Mirage Domain. Seeing it act so close to a person, he looked a bit surprised.

Ji Zi Cang gave a quick report as he gestured toward the visitors: “Master, these Fellow Daoists saved me when I was being hunted.”

Yuan Jin already knew Lin Qian Yin.

Shen Sang Ruo and her two companions cupped their hands and said together: “Junior pays respects to Sect Master Yuan Jin.”

All three carried themselves with quiet strength. They did not look ordinary.

The woman in the middle was especially calm and poised with every move.

Yuan Jin straightened, putting away his earlier impatience as he said: “My disciple is rash. Thank you for helping him.”

Sensing that Shen Sang Ruo had another reason for coming, he kept silent and waited for her to speak.

Speaking neither fast nor slow, Shen Sang Ruo said: “I came to ask Sect Master Yuan to check whether this Bamboo Bear and I have formed a Spirit Pact.”

The black and white puffball pretended not to hear and kept nibbling bamboo.

Yuan Jin looked up and asked: “Are you a Beast Cultivator?”

She answered without hesitation: “No.”

Yuan Jin frowned.

Ji Zi Cang added at once: “It is strange, right, Master? Fellow Daoist Shen says there was no Bonding Contract ritual at all.”

Even so, everyone could feel a link between the person and the bear.

Yuan Jin lowered his eyes and said: “Let me take a look,” then swept them with his Divine Sense.

Sensing a faint thread between person and bear, he gave his verdict: “You have already formed a Bonding Contract with this Bamboo Bear. It is your Contracted Beast.” He stared at the black and white dumpling, clearly surprised.

That faint thread wrapped around Shen Sang Ruo over and over, almost tying her up like a rice dumpling, as if it was afraid she would run away.

If Shen Sang Ruo did not know about it, then only the bear could have done it on its own.

“Already contracted?” At that result, Shen Sang Ruo felt her heart drop.

Thinking of the Old Shaman’s fatherly eyes when he looked at Zhu Miao, a ripple of guilt rose in her.

Bai Ruo An spoke up: “But my junior sister said they never held a Bonding Contract ceremony.”

Shen Sang Ruo tried to hold her ground as she said: “Even the simplest ritual should need my consent.”

Yuan Jin studied Zhu Miao with his Divine Sense again and shook his head: “This Bamboo Bear is not like other Demonic Beasts. I cannot tell its age or its cultivation at all.”

“I have heard that some Great Demon beasts can force a Bonding Contract with a cultivator without the cultivator’s consent. That may be what happened to you two.”

“Great Demon beasts?” Shen Sang Ruo thought, [Who, this silly puffball?]

Everyone except Shen Sang Ruo and Yuan Jin looked shocked.

Shen Sang Ruo knew Yuan Jin was probably right. She had not expected that Zhu Miao had forced the contract.

She lifted the little ball by the scruff and fixed it with a cool, dangerous look as she asked: “Was this your doing?”

She remembered that, when they left the Phantom Mirage Domain, Zhu Miao had vanished into her sea of consciousness. It was likely the Spirit Pact had formed then.

With the truth out, Zhu Miao flashed a mouthful of white teeth. The smile looked very guilty.

Then, as if it had thought of something, it puffed up with fake confidence and flailed its paws.

Through the Spirit Pact, its thoughts came clearly into Shen Sang Ruo’s mind: [You told me to listen to you. If we make a Spirit Pact, I will be good and do what you say. This was your request!]

Such a reason made Shen Sang Ruo laugh from anger.

Yuan Jin took a slow sip of tea and said: “Creatures with black and white coats are the most scheming.”

Shen Sang Ruo’s voice turned firm as she said: “Undo the Spirit Pact between us. I promised the Old Shaman I would only look after you for a while. How did you turn into my Contracted Beast?”

Zhu Miao mattered too much to the Phantom Mirage Domain. If they could not dissolve the Spirit Pact, she truly did not know how to face the Old Shaman.

Putting herself in the Old Shaman’s shoes, she thought, [It is like handing over a fresh little cabbage, only to have someone else take it.]

[Fine. Even if the little cabbage hopped over to nuzzle me on its own.]

“Why undo it?” Yuan Jin asked in confusion: “Is it not good to have a Contracted Beast like this? Your cultivation speed will increase.”

To Shen Sang Ruo, this was all benefit and no harm.

Zhu Miao nodded hard, as if saying that being in a Bonding Contract with it would never make her lose out.

Shen Sang Ruo’s face did not soften as she said: “It is complicated. In short, I cannot be bound to it.”

When begging and acting cute did not work, the little ball got mad. It thought, [Am I some beast you cannot show in public?] It crossed its paws, turned its head, and played dead.

Anyway, its forced Spirit Pact could not be undone. Do whatever you want.

It also grumbled in its heart, [And that hateful Old Shaman. Hmph, just you wait.]

Far away in Wuqing Stockade, the Old Shaman suddenly sneezed and said: “Achoo, who is thinking of me?”

Sensing Zhu Miao’s inner grumbling, Shen Sang Ruo felt two dark lines slide down her forehead.

[So this Spirit Pact cannot be undone? Great. I am really stuck with it.]