Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion

After the two of them were seated in their respective places as host and guest, Fang Qingyuan could finally get a proper look at the female Cultivator. At first glance, Ji Jiaqing was not a woman of stunning beauty. She was different from the female Cultivators one might find elsewhere; her features were sharp and cold. The combination of such severe lines made her seem difficult to approach.

But even so, her cultivation at the Late-stage Golden Core Realm was enough to imbue her with a unique allure. An icy beauty like her was all the more likely to ignite a powerful man’s desire for conquest.

"Dean Ji, you must already be aware of the reason for my visit. So, I’ll get straight to the point. To make this happen, what do you need from me?"

Fang Qingyuan didn’t like to beat around the bush, and according to his intelligence, Ji Jiaqing didn’t either. Rumor had it she had been too blunt, offended a superior, and was consequently assigned to this place to serve a term as Dean Steward.

"I’ve heard a few things from my subordinates, but I’m not clear on the specifics. Explain the details now, and only after I’ve heard them will I know what will be required of you."

When it came to official business, Ji Jiaqing seemed to grow invigorated. Seeing her excited expression, Fang Qingyuan’s heart skipped a beat. ’Is she about to demand an exorbitant price?’

Fang Qingyuan cautiously recounted the situation with Bear Wind, carefully picking and choosing his words. He made sure Ji Jiaqing understood the general situation but concealed any details he could, lest he give her any leverage over him.

At this point, Fang Qingyuan was subconsciously on guard against everyone.

"This is going to be difficult."

Ji Jiaqing put on a troubled expression, wrinkling her well-defined nose. This greatly displeased Fang Qingyuan.

He’d seen this kind of act many times before. It was nothing more than a prelude to raising the price.

Fang Qingyuan knew that handling this sort of thing would inevitably cost money. However, there had to be a justification and a limit to it. He couldn’t let Ji Jiaqing demand whatever she wanted.

"Naturalizing an Ancient Beast of the Wilderness is supposed to be a good thing. My Confucian Family has, since ancient times, advocated the principle of extending virtue even to animals. We believe these Ancient Beasts of the Wilderness can be civilized and should be treated like our own kin."

"But in recent years, a portion of the Cultivators in the academy have come to believe that Ancient Beasts of the Wilderness belong only to the Barbaric Wilderness and cannot be accepted into human society. This new ideology is gaining momentum aggressively. Your timing in trying to do this at such a critical juncture is quite unfortunate."

Fang Qingyuan was speechless. He stared at Ji Jiaqing, trying to discern from her expression whether she was just bluffing.

As if sensing his thoughts, Ji Jiaqing stated bluntly,

"Do you think I’m exaggerating? Hmph. There are over a dozen different schools of thought in our academy right now. What I just told you is the absolute truth."

"So what? If some oppose it, surely others support it. I just want to know one thing: in this matter, do you, the White Mountain Master, support me or oppose me?"

Fang Qingyuan asked point-blank. He had no desire to dance around the subject with Ji Jiaqing. The amount of Spirit Stones he had spent maintaining this relationship over the years gave him the confidence to be this direct.

Ji Jiaqing chuckled softly. "Of course I support you. As I said, ’extending virtue to animals’ is my faction’s viewpoint, and that will not change. You made the right choice by coming to us for this."

"Your faction?"

Fang Qingyuan looked puzzled. He knew the Great Zhou Academy was home to numerous factions and schools of thought. In terms of infighting, it was every bit as intense as the Beast Taming Sect, if not more so.

Sometimes, a heretic was considered more damnable than an outright enemy.

"You must remember, the one helping you this time is Gui Gu. In the future, when we have need of you, you will have to do Gui Gu a small favor. Of course, we won’t ask you to do the impossible. But when we do request your help, you cannot refuse."

Ji Jiaqing spoke with a serious expression. After listening, Fang Qingyuan’s own expression turned grave. He pondered for a long moment before finally giving a slow nod.

The matter with Bear Wind truly couldn’t be delayed any longer. Exchanging a vague, future promise for the freedom of Bear Wind to roam the human Land Realm seemed like a very worthwhile trade at the moment.

Seeing Fang Qingyuan nod, Ji Jiaqing relaxed considerably. She said nonchalantly,

"Since you’ve agreed, you can prepare the Spirit Stones. I need to go to the main academy to process the paperwork. I’ll have it all settled for you in half a year."

"Of course. But how many Spirit Stones will be required?"

"Fifty thousand top-grade!"

Fang Qingyuan shot up from his seat, saying in disbelief,

"Fifty thousand?!"

Ji Jiaqing retorted in surprise,

"A Mid-stage Nascent Soul Ancient Beast, plus several Golden Core Demon Beasts—is that not worth a price of fifty thousand top-grade Spirit Stones? It’s been this price for many years. If you can’t afford it, then let’s just pretend this meeting never happened. If you want to do things for our Gui Gu, you need to be qualified in the first place."

Fang Qingyuan was speechless. Fifty thousand top-grade Spirit Stones was an absolutely colossal sum for him right now. His personal net worth, combined with the assets of the Qingyuan Sect, amounted to no more than thirty thousand top-grade Spirit Stones—the total accumulation from the sixty years since he had founded his sect.

But as Ji Jiaqing said, the fifty thousand top-grade Spirit Stones were merely proof of his strength. If he couldn’t even come up with that amount, then dreaming of taming a Nascent Soul Ancient Beast was nothing but wishful thinking.

"Produce fifty thousand top-grade Spirit Stones, and I’ll get right on it. If you can’t, you can find another solution on your own."

Ji Jiaqing’s cold words sent a surge of fury through Fang Qingyuan. ’Were all those years of tribute fed to the dogs?’

"Hmph. If not for the relationship we’ve built over the years, do you think I would be this frank with just any Cultivator who came to my door? Besides, you aren’t spending this money for nothing. You’ll gain the friendship of our Gui Gu. One day, you will realize this is the most worthwhile investment you’ve ever made."

"The friendship of Gui Gu?"

Fang Qingyuan mulled over her words. After a long moment, he looked at Ji Jiaqing intently and said,

"Fine. Fifty thousand it is. I will deliver it to you in one month!"

Only after Fang Qingyuan had left with his disciple to begin the journey of raising the funds did Ji Jiaqing’s expression secretly brighten. She silently calculated, ’Once this deal is done, the merits I’ll have earned should be enough for a promotion to another Land Realm.’

At this thought, inside the room, a wide smile broke across Ji Jiaqing’s stern features.