I'm Just a Beast Tamer

Mysterious Stele?

That description... didn’t it perfectly match the stele in his hand?

However, the booklet only contained this simple description. There was no other information.

For higher-ranked items like the Cultivation Jade Stones, the booklet even included illustrations—such as a Jade Stone in the shape of a Peace Pendant—to aid in identification.

The stele’s color, material, and the characters carved on it should have been highly distinctive features.

But the booklet made no mention of them.

’Leaving out the tadpole-like script is one thing—perhaps they’re worried it would scare people off, so they deliberately omitted it. But to not mention the material and color? That’s just wrong.’

’The fact that it’s not mentioned probably means the one searching for it doesn’t know the specific color and material either.’

’It means they know such an item exists, but they’ve never actually found it!’

Jiang Zuo mused.

This also served as a reminder: if he ever used the stele as a weapon again, he couldn’t leave any survivors.

The last time he’d used it, two people had escaped. He didn’t know if they had gotten a clear look at it.

In that case, it would be best for him to use it as sparingly as possible from now on.

Even if Jiang Zuo didn’t know the stele’s specific function, he knew its value was absolutely immeasurable.

If anyone found out he possessed it, they would likely hunt him down like madmen.

After burning the booklet, Jiang Zuo’s figure flickered and vanished into the night.

For the next month or so, Jiang Zuo traveled through the Dongyang Kingdom, sightseeing while gathering information.

If he wanted to lure the Cultivation Realm into sending people to seize the Life Essence Returning Skill, Jiang Zuo needed a suitable identity or candidate to serve as a decoy.

After all, even upon receiving the information, the Worldwide Bank would certainly conduct a preliminary verification first. They wouldn’t just report whatever someone told them up the chain of command.

If the identity or candidate wasn’t convincing enough, the people at the Worldwide Bank might just take matters into their own hands during the investigation.

Anything with a bounty on it is valuable. The big bosses behind the Worldwide Bank might not care, but their subordinates certainly wouldn’t treat a fortune like dirt.

After all, even if they made a move and failed, they could simply claim the information was faulty, and it wouldn’t be too late to then have the Cultivation Realm send someone.

Therefore, Jiang Zuo needed an identity that could both keep the Worldwide Bank in check and serve as a suitable lure.

Jiang Zuo soon found a suitable candidate in Jinghai County, within the Dongyang Kingdom.

Ma Daquan. Legend had it that in his youth, he was a bandit who ran with a gang. One day, he had a fortunate encounter in an ancient tomb, and his Cultivation subsequently progressed by leaps and bounds.

In just thirty short years, he had gone from a lowly gang member who hadn’t even reached the Skin Refining stage to a Martial Dao expert at the Great Success stage of Meridian Passage.

At the Great Success stage of Meridian Passage, few in the Dongyang Kingdom were his match.

Normally, he could have lived a life of wealth and glory just by accepting the court’s offer of recruitment.

But Ma Daquan refused, preferring to remain a bandit king in the wilds.

He had seized a large mountain not far from Jinghai County, declared himself its king, and extorted tolls from travelers.

At the same time, he also ran a gang in Jinghai County, engaging in all sorts of illegal enterprises.

The Dongyang Kingdom was not particularly powerful and had no Grandmasters among its generals. To eliminate Ma Daquan, their only option was to dispatch a large army.

But Ma Daquan was notoriously shameless and vengeful. If a large army were dispatched, he would surely flee and then find a way to retaliate.

With no better options, and seeing that Ma Daquan’s actions weren’t overly outrageous, the Dongyang Kingdom’s imperial court could only turn a blind eye and acquiesce to his behavior.

...

After a full day of carousing, Ma Daquan returned to his room, humming a little tune.

He’d lost count of the women he’d slept with, but he never brought any of them back to his room. Besides himself, anyone who dared to enter his room was a dead man.

"Who!"

The moment he stepped into the room, Ma Daquan sensed that an intruder was present.

Gazing at the figure in the room, who stood there quietly watching him, utterly unafraid, Ma Daquan charged forward to kill without a moment’s hesitation.

’No matter who this person is or what they want, striking first is always the right move!’

BAM! BAM! BAM!...

Ma Daquan’s fists moved like phantoms, instantly landing a flurry of blows on the man’s body.

He expected that after those blows, the man would be dead, or at least severely injured.

But a dull ache spread from his fists, and Ma Daquan looked up to see the intruder still standing there quietly, letting him strike at will.

Ma Daquan was aghast.

’How is this possible? I’m a Martial Artist at the Great Success stage of Meridian Passage!’

’Even a Grandmaster couldn’t take that many of my punches and remain completely unfazed, right?’

"Use your weapon."

Jiang Zuo said.

Even without Jiang Zuo’s prompting, Ma Daquan had already drawn the sharp dagger he carried on his person.

The dagger flashed with cold light as he viciously stabbed at Jiang Zuo.

But to Ma Daquan’s utter terror, each stab landed squarely on the man’s body. It felt like he was stabbing into muscle, but no matter how hard he pushed, the dagger refused to penetrate any deeper.

Jiang Zuo reached out, took the dagger from Ma Daquan, and with a squeeze of his palm, crumpled the entire blade into a metal ball.

Ma Daquan stared blankly at what was left of his dagger, wondering if he was dreaming.

"Sit down. I have something to discuss with you."

Jiang Zuo said calmly.

"Your Excellency, what is it you need this lowly one to do?"

As expected of someone who had clawed his way up from the bottom, Ma Daquan was highly adaptable. Knowing his life depended on this man’s whim, he immediately spoke with the deference of a lowly underling.

"Starting tomorrow, I need you to pose as a Grandmaster. As long as you do as I say, you’ll get to keep your life. If you try to run, or if this matter gets out, then you can kiss that life goodbye."