Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion

Fang Qingyuan’s face reddened slightly at Xiong Feng’s words. He didn’t have nearly enough clout to get the Yue’e Ancestor to pull strings for him—not even by going through the Jade Rabbit.

’Did he really think that bringing a few bags of tasty treats would be enough to bring this up with the Jade Rabbit? That being has cultivated for ten thousand years; what hasn’t it seen? A few paltry bags of tender sprouts and leaves are worth nothing. As if a Divinity Transformation Spirit Beast could be swayed by something so trivial.’

’The most likely outcome of trying to force the issue would be the Jade Rabbit sending him flying with a single slap, leaving him seriously injured and bedridden for over half a year.’

From the very beginning, Fang Qingyuan’s plan had never relied on the Yue’e Ancestor or the Jade Rabbit showing some unprecedented kindness. Only a Divinity Transformation could speak with a Divinity Transformation and negotiate a deal.

Golden Cores couldn’t get close, and Nascent Souls couldn’t get a word in. That was the proper standing of a Divinity Transformation Ancestor.

Neither Fang Qingyuan nor Xiong Feng had the bargaining chips to persuade the Yue’e Ancestor, nor could they even get an audience. But that didn’t mean Fang Qingyuan was out of options.

Fang Qingyuan’s hand, which was stroking Jinbao, paused for a moment before he continued.

"There are many Divinity Transformation Cultivators who could speak with the Yue’e Ancestor, but I’ve only had dealings with one of them: Tu Wuzhao, whom everyone respectfully calls the ’Black Heaven Bodhisattva.’"

"Her? Black Wind Valley is tens of thousands of miles away. You want to ask her to intercede? Besides, if you can’t even persuade the Yue’e Ancestor, how can you expect a Divinity Transformation Cultivator from another sect to plead your case?"

Xiong Feng was very confused. He didn’t understand why Fang Qingyuan had thought of her. What he didn’t know was that after the Jade Rabbit had told Fang Qingyuan about the Divine Incense and Candle Smoke Aroma clinging to him and Jinbao, Fang Qingyuan understood that Tu Wuzhao definitely had designs on them.

’In other words, Jinbao and I are valuable to Tu Wuzhao. A thing of value can always make its voice heard, and should at least be worth a moment of Tu Wuzhao’s time.’

At this, Fang Qingyuan shot Xiong Feng a look, signaling for him to be quiet. He stroked Jinbao’s head, trying his best to sense the Divine Incense and Candle Smoke Aroma on the young bear, and then called out respectfully.

"This junior, Fang Qingyuan, has a matter to discuss and requests an audience with the Black Heaven Bodhisattva! Please, Bodhisattva, reveal yourself!"

He repeated the call three times. Then, to Xiong Feng’s utter astonishment, the previously invisible and formless Divine Incense and Candle Smoke Aroma on Jinbao suddenly coalesced into a blurry human face.

The divine being’s features were indistinct, but its silhouette was soft and gentle, like a compassionate heavenly mother with a merciful heart, dedicated to saving all from suffering.

The moment the divine face appeared, the cave was plunged into a serene and silent atmosphere. All ambient noise vanished, as if the world itself were waiting for the divine face to speak.

This was the hidden measure the Black Heaven Bodhisattva had left on Jinbao that day, now actively triggered by Fang Qingyuan. Tu Wuzhao herself had probably never expected this.

"What is it?" an ethereal voice asked.

A shiver went down Fang Qingyuan’s spine. He didn’t dare delay and quickly summarized his thoughts.

A moment later, the divine face said only a single word:

"Understood."

Then it faded away, leaving the two bears and one human to stare at each other in stunned silence.

After a long moment, Xiong Feng’s shock finally subsided. He took another long, hard look at Fang Qingyuan. He couldn’t believe that a mere Golden Core Cultivator could stir up so much.

’A Golden Core Stage Cultivator asking a Divinity Transformation to handle his affairs... Are you sure you’re not just playing with fire? One wrong move and you could be damned for all eternity!’

At this moment, Xiong Feng was truly in awe of Fang Qingyuan’s nerve. With a figure like Tu Wuzhao as his backer, Fang Qingyuan’s capabilities had already far surpassed those of an ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivator.

Seeing the divine face disappear, Fang Qingyuan let out a long sigh of relief. Tu Wuzhao hadn’t outright refused. The fact that she had even shown herself meant there was a chance.

Although he didn’t know what conditions Tu Wuzhao would demand, the fact that she was willing to negotiate meant the battle was half-won. As for the price, Fang Qingyuan knew he couldn’t afford it himself. Only Jinbao’s biological father—Xiong Feng’s own elder brother—could pay it.

Fang Qingyuan saw his own role as that of a middleman, integrating resources and pulling the right strings. Without him to act as the liaison, Tu Wuzhao would never have taken the initiative to get involved in Xiong Feng’s affairs.

’My apologies, dear elder brother whom I’ve never met. But Xiong Feng and Jinbao are like family to me now, so it shouldn’t be too out of line for me to call you ’elder brother’ as well, right?’

"Has she left?"

Xiong Feng could no longer sense the Divine Spirit’s presence, but he had never experienced the bizarre nature of the Divine Dao before. Still overawed by the divine face, he found himself asking a mere Golden Core Cultivator for confirmation.

"She’s probably gone. Even if she hasn’t, a being like her isn’t interested in our mundane affairs. Think of what just happened as a long-distance call. The other party was of a much higher status, but the principle is the same."

Xiong Feng was bewildered by the concepts Fang Qingyuan tossed out so casually. He had only recently learned to speak the human language and couldn’t understand these new terms. ’Perhaps this is what high-level conversation among humans is like,’ he thought.

"So, the problem of finding someone to persuade the Yue’e Ancestor is solved. Assuming things work out, let’s move on to the third problem."

"Uh, you’ve really thought of everything?"

Xiong Feng was now starting to believe this could actually work. At first, he’d thought Fang Qingyuan was just trying to comfort him, but the manifestation of the divine face had made the probability of success seem very high.

"What, you thought I was bored and just messing with you? The third problem is your future cultivation ground. Even if Tu Wuzhao intervenes, the most she can do is get the Beast Taming Sect to let you make a clean break. But you can forget about this land of tens of thousands of square kilometers, and this Tier Four Spirit Vein."

Fang Qingyuan began to prepare Xiong Feng mentally. Hearing that his home of several hundred years would be lost, Xiong Feng’s face twisted in a pained expression. But after a moment’s calculation, he resigned himself to it.

The Beast Taming Sect would never let Xiong Feng keep this land. He had to move.

"I also have a preliminary plan for arranging for your large family. The Qingyuan Sect’s Third-Order Lower Grade Spirit Land definitely can’t meet the needs of so many Golden Core Bear Beasts, let alone a Nascent Soul Ancient Beast like yourself. Although your requirements for a Spiritual Land aren’t high, a Third-Order Lower Grade Spirit Land has limited resources and can’t support you all. You’ll need a Fourth-rank Spiritual Land at the very least."

"A Fourth-rank Spiritual Land? That won’t be easy to acquire, will it?"

Fang Qingyuan shook his head helplessly and said bluntly,

"It’s far more than ’not easy.’ Unless I can conquer an Immortal City from either the Spirit Wood or the Li Huo Alliance, there’s no way to get a Fourth-rank Spiritual Land in White Mountain. Otherwise, a Third-Order Upper Grade land is the absolute limit of what the Qingyuan Sect can aim for."

"Then why are you even talking about planning for a Fourth-rank Spiritual Land? Come on, from the look on your face, you obviously have a plan. Spit it out."

Xiong Feng couldn’t wait to hear Fang Qingyuan’s plan. Only with a Fourth-rank Spiritual Land could he continue to cultivate. A Tier Three Spirit Land was a place he could live, but it wouldn’t allow him to advance his cultivation any further.

"Forget about the Immortal Cities of the Spirit Wood and the Li Huo Alliance. They are guarded by Nascent Soul Cultivators and are very powerful. Even if you can fight them yourself, our Qingyuan Sect is just a handful of people; we can’t afford to provoke them. Therefore, seizing one of their Immortal Cities is the worst possible option.

The middle option is to spend Spirit Stones to rent a Fourth-rank Spiritual Land for you to use as your cultivation ground, while the other Golden Core Bear Beasts live with the Qingyuan Sect. But the rental fees for a Fourth-rank Spiritual Land are exorbitant. Over time, we wouldn’t be able to afford it.

As for the best option, that will have to wait for thirty years from now. It’s been over sixty years since the last War of Expansion. If we can earn enough merit points in the next one, we can exchange them for a Fourth-rank Spiritual Land, and no one would be able to say a word against it."

"A War of Expansion? Merit points? A Fourth-rank Spiritual Land? You’re thinking that far ahead? But the number of merit points needed to exchange for a Fourth-rank Spiritual Land must be huge, right?"

Xiong Feng was completely won over by Fang Qingyuan’s plan. With just a few words, Fang Qingyuan had laid out a path to settle his entire family: he himself would rent a Fourth-rank Spiritual Land to cultivate, the other Golden Core Bear Beasts would stay with the Qingyuan Sect, and then, in thirty years, they would solve the problem for good through the War of Expansion.

"Heh heh. The merit points needed for a Fourth-rank Spiritual Land are an astronomical sum. But according to the rules of the Great Zhou Academy, there are many details concerning how those points are awarded. When we go to war, we can use Spirit Stones to recruit enough Cultivators. When the points are tallied, they will all be credited to our Qingyuan Sect. I reckon hiring ten thousand Cultivators should be enough."

Fang Qingyuan chuckled, looking completely confident, but Xiong Feng was left speechless.

"Ten thousand Cultivators? Can you even afford to hire them? What kind of price would that take?"

"It’s just a matter of paving the way with Spirit Stones. Brother Xiong, you should know that when it comes to earning Spirit Stones, your little brother here has a special knack."

Unconsciously, Xiong Feng had been demoted a generation by Fang Qingyuan. The one who used to call him ’Senior’ was now calling him ’Brother.’ But Xiong Feng didn’t mind. Fang Qingyuan didn’t look like he was just bragging. Still, were Spirit Stones really as easy to earn as he claimed?