I Tame Beasts by Feeding

"I have to admit, I never imagined that the so-called Pavilion Master of the Odd Demon Pavilion would actually be you, Changsheng."

Li Yuntao clicked his tongue in amazement, finding it both incredible and a little hard to believe.

Over the past few days, as more and more Odd Demons appeared, the Odd Demon Pavilion’s reputation had soared accordingly—at least within the Wanxiang Sect.

Li Yuntao had also been paying attention to these Odd Demons. He couldn’t help but marvel at their unique qualities and the methods used to raise them. Even as the master of the Ten Thousand Beasts Tower, he had to admit his own skills were lacking in comparison. Because of this, the Ten Thousand Beasts Tower had purchased a good number of the Odd Demon Pavilion’s creations to study and investigate in secret.

Unfortunately, they still had no leads.

So when he learned that Yu Changsheng was the mysterious Pavilion Master, Li Yuntao was still in disbelief, and his mind immediately started buzzing with ideas.

"It’s just something I do on the side. Nothing grand, really."

Faced with Li Yuntao’s amazement, Yu Changsheng appeared very humble and waved his hand dismissively.

"It’s incredible. Some aspects of your Odd Demon Pavilion’s creations are so masterfully done that even I can only marvel at them. I have no idea how you manage to raise them, Changsheng."

"My Ten Thousand Beasts Tower may be a massive enterprise, but our research into Odd Demons truly can’t compare to yours. We have very few Spirit Beasts of this type."

Li Yuntao remarked with a sigh. He looked at Yu Changsheng, the corners of his mouth twitching as a meaningful glint appeared in his eyes. He chuckled and said:

"So, I won’t hide it from you—my Ten Thousand Beasts Tower has purchased and collected a good number of the Odd Demons your pavilion produces each month."

"Hmm..." A thought flashed through Yu Changsheng’s mind. He knew exactly what Li Yuntao was implying. His eyes shifted as he considered it for a moment. Looking at Li Yuntao, who was sipping his tea, he smiled faintly and said:

"I appreciate the high praise, Uncle Li. In that case, how about my Odd Demon Pavilion provides the Ten Thousand Beasts Tower with a batch of Odd Demons every month?"

"Oh?" Li Yuntao paused, surprised. He looked at Yu Changsheng’s serious expression, thought for a moment, then nodded with a smile.

"In that case, I won’t stand on ceremony. From now on, my Ten Thousand Beasts Tower will provide you with a batch of Spirit Beasts each month. In exchange, you will provide us with one Odd Demon each month. If you have no objections, we’ll consider it settled."

"Then I’ll have to trouble you, Uncle Li."

Yu Changsheng was overjoyed and agreed without hesitation. To the outside world, Odd Demons were precious and rarely seen.

But for him, as long as he had enough Spirit Beasts, he could raise as many as he wanted. It wasn’t difficult at all.

Now that Li Yuntao had made such an offer, what reason did he have to refuse? Whether it was a simple favor or a business transaction, it was beneficial.

For Yu Changsheng, there was no downside to this arrangement. Likewise, he knew Li Yuntao’s true goal wasn’t just one or two Odd Demons. He was simply using this as a way to forge a closer bond with him.

After all, establishing shared interests was the quickest way to bind two people together.

Besides, from the moment Li Yuntao learned that a Golden Core Cultivator was making trouble for his Odd Demon Pavilion and still came to help him out, Yu Changsheng knew he had to show his appreciation in some way.

And as the master of the Ten Thousand Beasts Tower, Li Yuntao was naturally a good judge of character. He had been keeping an eye on Yu Changsheng for a while. Whether for Li Minghan’s sake or for his own reasons, his actions today were deeply calculated.

Yu Changsheng understood all of this and wasn’t put off by it. Meanwhile, Li Yuntao’s appreciation for Yu Changsheng grew even more.

...

As the two of them discussed matters, Li Minghan sat to the side, observing. He watched them talking and laughing amicably, feeling slightly puzzled. He scratched the back of his head and silently drank his tea.

Before long, Li Yuntao took his leave, leaving Li Minghan behind.

"Phew... The old man’s finally gone."

Watching Li Yuntao leave, Li Minghan let out a long sigh of relief and stretched.

"I really can’t relax when he’s around," Li Minghan said to Yu Changsheng with a sheepish grin.

"Uncle Li is a good man." Yu Changsheng chuckled and shook his head. Then, a serious expression came over his face as he offered Li Minghan a formal, fist-in-palm salute.

"I really must thank you for coming to my rescue today, Brother Li. Otherwise, things would have ended badly."

"It’s nothing. I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing when you were in trouble," Li Minghan said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"But speaking of which, now that your Odd Demon Pavilion is getting bigger, having more business dealings with my Ten Thousand Beasts Tower will serve as a deterrent. Once others know, it’ll make them think twice, giving you a bit more security."

Li Minghan thought for a moment before continuing.

"Here’s what I’ll do. When I get back, I’ll use the Ten Thousand Beasts Tower’s name to publicize our partnership with the Odd Demon Pavilion. That should scare off some of the riffraff."

"Then I’ll have to trouble you."

Yu Changsheng nodded, not refusing the offer. He realized this was what Li Yuntao had intended all along; the older man simply chose to let Li Minghan be the one to voice it.

"It’s no trouble at all. If anything else comes up, just let me know. You don’t have to be so formal with me," Li Minghan said, shaking his head with a serious expression.

"Still..." Li Minghan paused, a confused look in his eyes. He let out a soft breath and voiced his confusion. "The fact that the cultivator who came today was a Golden Core... that’s really strange."

"Logically, the Odd Demon Pavilion, at its current scale, shouldn’t be big enough to attract the attention of a Golden Core Cultivator."

Hearing this, Yu Changsheng fell into deep thought, many thoughts flashing in his mind.

’That guy came prepared...’

’And he most likely already knows who I am. This visit was just a probe.’

Yu Changsheng became pensive as he recalled the earlier encounter.

’Could it be someone from the Yang Family...?’

Pushing the matter to the back of his mind, Yu Changsheng shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it. He poured Li Minghan another cup of tea, changing the subject.

He just shrugged and said to Li Minghan with a hint of resignation, "Who knows? For now, we’ll have to leave it at that. But with Uncle Li having made an appearance, there shouldn’t be any major trouble for a while."

"Right. Let’s leave it at that. If anything else comes up, make sure to contact me right away." Li Minghan nodded, his eyes glinting thoughtfully, but he didn’t say anything more.

"Alright."

"Oh, right." Yu Changsheng slapped his forehead. He waved a hand, retrieving two Storage Pouches from Yu Dahai and handing them to Li Minghan with a smile.

"Here, take these two Storage Pouches. They’re the ones I took off those Golden Core Cultivators. If I hadn’t been able to borrow Uncle Li’s prestige, things wouldn’t have been resolved so easily."

Yu Changsheng chuckled. He had already glanced inside the two Storage Pouches. There were only a few hundred thousand Spirit Stones and some Low-Tier Magical Treasures.

While not worthless, it was an unreasonably small amount for a Golden Core Expert to be carrying.

Yu Changsheng found this regrettable, concluding that the Golden Core Cultivator he’d run into must have been a pauper.

"Huh?" Li Minghan was taken aback. He scratched the back of his head, his eyes shifting in confusion.

"Why give them to me? You’re the one who shook them down for it, Changsheng. You should be the one to keep it."

Li Minghan waved his hands, refusing the offer. He wasn’t tempted by the two Storage Pouches in the slightest.

"There’s not much in them anyway, just take it. I happened to run into a broke Golden Core Cultivator. You went to all that trouble, I can’t let you leave empty-handed, can I?" Yu Changsheng said with a shrug and a smile.

"If you’re saying there’s nothing valuable in them, then I’m even less interested."

Li Minghan said, then paused before adding with a grin, "Besides, you know I’m not short on cash."

"Well..." Yu Changsheng was at a loss for words. He laughed, thought for a moment, then pushed one of the Storage Pouches toward Li Minghan while putting the other away himself.

"How about this? One for each of us. No more arguments, right?"

"Hmph. Fine, that works." Li Minghan considered it, and this time he didn’t refuse, nodding as he accepted the Storage Pouch.

The two chatted for a while longer, discussing some matters related to Beast Taming, before Li Minghan also took his leave.

After that, things returned to normal.

Cultivation, feeding the chickens, alchemy... playing with his beasts, basking in the sun.

The days passed one by one. No matter what undercurrents surged in the outside world, Yu Changsheng’s life remained pleasant. He lay low in the sect, focusing on his Beast Taming and Cultivation as his power grew, bit by bit.