I Tame Beasts by Feeding

"The master of the Ten Thousand Beasts Tower... Li Yuntao."

The sturdy cultivator furrowed his brows. Watching the newcomer, he slowly let out a breath, having clearly recognized Li Yuntao.

The newcomer was none other than Li Minghan’s father, the very person Yu Changsheng had just told Li Minghan to contact.

The sturdy cultivator fell silent, his gaze flickering. He suddenly bowed his head to Yu Changsheng and said in a low voice, "My apologies. I mistook you for someone else. Please forgive me."

With that, the sturdy cultivator turned to leave, giving Li Yuntao a nod.

"Did I say you could leave?"

Seeing Li Yuntao arrive, Yu Changsheng breathed a secret sigh of relief, his confidence swelling. He watched the sturdy cultivator’s retreating back and suddenly spoke up.

The sturdy cultivator froze and turned back to Yu Changsheng, his expression hostile.

"Fellow Daoist, you came here uninvited and disturbed the Odd Demon Pavilion’s business. To think you can just leave like this... that doesn’t seem appropriate, does it?"

Yu Changsheng spoke softly, his eyes boring into the sturdy cultivator from behind his mask.

"You..."

The sturdy cultivator had just gotten a word out when he suddenly felt his body grow heavy. A faint aura locked onto him, and Li Yuntao’s voice rang out at the perfect moment.

"The Pavilion Master of the Odd Demon Pavilion and I are the closest of friends. We’re all businesspeople here. Fellow Daoist, your actions today were indeed rather inappropriate."

The voice was calm, but the sturdy cultivator clearly caught the faint, threatening warning hidden within it.

The sturdy cultivator found the words on the tip of his tongue stuck in his throat. He took out a Storage Pouch, tossed it to Yu Changsheng, and cupped his fist, saying in a low voice:

"I have caused much offense today and disturbed the Pavilion Master’s business. I hope you will forgive me."

Yu Changsheng caught the Storage Pouch, glanced inside, and then casually tossed it to Yu Dahai, who had just finished brewing tea nearby.

"Now may I leave?"

The sturdy cultivator let out a sigh of relief and looked up at Yu Changsheng.

Yu Changsheng contemplated for a moment. He nonchalantly glanced at Li Minghan and Li Yuntao, then slowly shook his head and said flatly:

"Not enough."

"You!"

The sturdy cultivator’s brows knitted together, a flash of anger on his face. Just as he was about to erupt, Li Yuntao let out a soft "hmph" from the side. In that instant, an aura locked onto him.

The sturdy cultivator took a deep breath, and his clenched fist slowly relaxed. Feeling utterly aggrieved, he reluctantly took out another Storage Pouch. A pained look crossed his face as he threw it to Yu Changsheng and said in a low voice:

"This is everything I have on me. There’s nothing left."

Yu Changsheng caught it but didn’t look inside this time. He looked up, his gaze flickering as he stared intently at the sturdy cultivator. After a long moment, he nodded. "Fine. You can go."

The moment Yu Changsheng spoke, the aura Li Yuntao had locked on the man was released. The sturdy cultivator breathed a sigh of relief. After cupping his fist in a bow to both of them, he beat a hasty retreat and vanished in an instant.

The imposing aura around Yu Changsheng instantly dissipated. He pulled the mask from his face, revealing his true appearance. Cupping his fist in a bow to Li Yuntao, he said respectfully, "Thank you, Elder Li. Changsheng is eternally grateful."

"Changsheng? It really is you! So you’re the great ancestor of the Odd Demon Pavilion, huh? That explains it! I was wondering how a Golden Core Ancestor could just appear out of nowhere. It was you in disguise all along."

Li Minghan was surprised to see Yu Changsheng’s true face, but a moment later, he nodded in understanding. He clicked his tongue in amazement, looking Yu Changsheng up and down.

"I’ve got to say, I didn’t recognize you at all. If you hadn’t sent me that voice transmission, I never would have guessed it was you."

At this, a wry smile appeared on Yu Changsheng’s face. "It was a last resort," he said helplessly. "If it weren’t for these lowlifes constantly showing up to test the waters, I wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble."

With that, Yu Changsheng turned, took the teapot from Yu Dahai, and guided Li Yuntao to a seat, personally pouring him a cup of tea.

"I’ve long heard Minghan speak of what a remarkable brother he has," Li Yuntao said with a chuckle, a flash of surprise in his eyes as he looked at Yu Changsheng. "Seeing you today, you’re certainly as talented and dapper as he described."

"Minghan is just being too generous. In truth, he’s the one who has helped me out on many occasions."

Yu Changsheng gave a humble laugh.

"This good-for-nothing son of mine... if nothing else, he has good taste in friends. For him to hold you in such high regard means you don’t need to be so modest."

"To have such a level of cultivation at your age, and to have built this great Odd Demon Pavilion all by yourself, truly shows your capabilities."

"It’s just a small venture," Yu Changsheng said with a light laugh, pouring Li Yuntao another cup of tea.

"This is no small venture."

Li Yuntao shook his head, then shot an irritated glance at Li Minghan. "From now on, you should learn from Changsheng. Stop fooling around all day! Just think of all the resources I’ve given you, and your cultivation is still at this level."

"Huh?" Li Minghan was taken aback. He shrank back, looking wronged, and shot a reproachful glance at Yu Changsheng before falling silent.

Yu Changsheng gave an awkward laugh, not knowing what to say.

"However," Li Yuntao said after a moment of thought, "for this humble son of mine to have befriended someone like you, Changsheng, I hope you’ll look after him in the future. Consider it helping me keep him in line."

Yu Changsheng’s expression froze. Meeting Li Yuntao’s serious gaze, he swallowed and nodded.

"It’s not a matter of me looking after him. If anything, Minghan has helped me a great deal. No matter what, we’ll always support each other."

Yu Changsheng’s expression was utterly sincere as he said this.

Li Yuntao smiled. "Your words put my mind at ease. If you ever need anything, especially if something like this happens again, just let me know. I’ll do my best to help."

"But, speaking of which."

Li Yuntao’s tone shifted. He looked directly at Yu Changsheng, surprise and doubt flickering in his eyes.