Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion-Chapter 37: Mountain Forest on a Winter Night
In the dimness of the winter night, the colors of the mountain forest deepened. With few stars and the Bright Moon hidden, it was the perfect night for murder and burial.
The sky had already darkened after the banquet. Fang Qingyuan had been prepared to spend the night at the Liu Family’s residence, but who could have predicted that he’d now be in the middle of the wilderness, fleeing for his life?
Fang Qingyuan sat on Lao Bai’s back, letting the beast run freely. His attention wasn’t on the pursuers behind him, but on the still-unconscious Huo Xiaolan, who was giving him a headache.
It was a miracle that Huo Xiaolan, a mere mortal, had survived a battle between Cultivators. Fang Qingyuan had fed her a Spirit Pill from his sect, which had barely managed to keep her alive.
However, if she continued to be jostled about like this, she would likely die before they even reached Celestial Gate Mountain.
Huo Xiaolan was a key witness in the Liu Family’s infant abduction case. He couldn’t let her die.
When it came to infant abduction, Fang Qingyuan couldn’t afford to be anything but cautious. In this world, if you were to ask what violated the taboos of the Great Zhou Academy the most, infant abduction would definitely be in the top three.
The patriarchal laws of the Great Zhou Academy stipulated that all sects and Cultivation Clans held various rights over the mortals living within their territories.
One such law stated that if a mortal under a sect’s domain was born with a Lifebound Spirit Root and could become a Cultivator, then that sect held sole and inalienable ownership of that person.
Take the Minshan Liu Family, for example. Fang Qingyuan had read the information left by the Wei Family, which mentioned that the Liu Family ruled over more than ten thousand mortals.
These tens of thousands of people lived and multiplied under the Liu Family’s protection. If a child born to one of these couples happened to be capable of cultivation, that child would automatically become a prospective Cultivator for the Liu Family.
Sects or clans from other Land Realms were forbidden from using any means to spirit that child away to their own ranks. To do so would be a violation of the Great Zhou Academy’s laws.
Once such an act was exposed, the consequences were dire. In a light case, the ringleader would be executed. In a severe case, the entire sect would be disbanded.
There were even past cases where Nascent Soul Sects were forcibly disbanded and their Nascent Soul Cultivators executed for infant abduction.
With such a painful price to pay, one would think no one would dare do it anymore. And yet, cases of infant abduction were never-ending. Every few years, the Great Zhou Academy would uncover another batch of perpetrators, announcing them to the world as a warning to all.
It was precisely because the consequences were so severe that the moment Huo Xiaolan uttered the two words ’infant abduction,’ Fang Qingyuan had immediately called on Lao Bai to flee.
And events had unfolded just as Fang Qingyuan had predicted. Liu Siwu, who had seemed completely unconcerned before, had attacked him without hesitation the moment he heard the two words ’infant abduction,’ showing no regard for Fang Qingyuan’s status as a disciple of Beast Taming Mountain.
’There’s just one thing I don’t understand,’ Fang Qingyuan thought. ’Sects abduct infants to ensure their own survival. The Liu Family is just a Cultivator Clan. Why would they need to do it too?’
Apart from the eight great super-sects like Beast Taming Mountain and the Qi Yun Sect, all other sects in this world—be they small sects with only Foundation Establishment cultivators or large sects with Nascent Soul Cultivators—could not escape one core issue: the sect’s survival.
This was because the Great Zhou Academy stipulated that for any newly established sect, the first three generations of Sect Leaders would be under its protection; other sects were forbidden from attacking them. After that period, it was a matter of survival of the fittest, left to fate and fortune.
Cultivators vied with heaven and earth for longevity; it was never a peaceful business. Conflict was inevitable, and warfare was commonplace.
Large sects were relatively safe. A Nascent Soul Cultivator could live for 1,500 years, so three generations of such leaders would guarantee at least two thousand years of stability.
The most dreaded scenario was when the first Sect Leader was a Golden Core master, but the second was only at Foundation Establishment. By the third generation, there might not even be a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and the strongest person in the entire sect would be a mere Qi Cultivation practitioner.
This situation was far from uncommon. Countless sects, in the end, would face complete annihilation the moment their third-generation Sect Leader died.
In such a situation, if you were the Second Generation Sect Leader and saw no one of promise within your sect, but then learned of a newborn genius in another territory—one with the potential to reach the Golden Core realm—wouldn’t your heart be stirred?
And that was how infant abductions happened.
’But why would the Liu Family abduct an infant?’
’Whose child did they take? How many? Is Liu Siwu the mastermind, or just a minor player? And what role did the Wei Family, who have already relocated, play in all of this?’
A flood of questions washed over Fang Qingyuan, his brow furrowed with worry. Gazing at Huo Xiaolan’s ever-paler face, he finally spoke.
"Lao Bai, find a place to stop. We need a break."
Hearing Fang Qingyuan’s command, Lao Bai changed direction and charged toward a large mountain nearby.
* * *
Liu Siwu rode his Magic Sword, flying far ahead of the others. He appeared calm on the surface, showing no anger at having lost track of Fang Qingyuan.
He wasn’t sure what he was feeling right now. ’Regret?’
’No, it’s more like sorrow. Sorrow that I won’t live to see the day the Liu Family becomes a Foundation Establishment Clan.’
’Once Huo Xiaolan shouted those two words, everything became irreversible. My current pursuit of that Beast Taming Mountain disciple is driven more by instinct than anything else.’
’How did I end up like this?’
Liu Siwu’s thoughts began to drift, uncontrollably recalling that night ten years ago: the great fire, the screams, the children, and the endless flight for survival.
How similar that day was to this one. The only difference was that the one fleeing for his life back then had now become the one doing the chasing.
Without realizing it, the light from Liu Siwu’s sword began to slow. Seeing this, Liu Tongshu, who was behind him, hesitated for a moment before mustering his courage to fly forward and ask:
"Uncle Siwu, was what that Huo Xiaolan said true? Did you really... abduct..."
Before Liu Tongshu could finish, Liu Siwu cut him off. He stared at Liu Tongshu and asked:
"What was your cultivation level ten years ago?"
Liu Tongshu was baffled. ’Why is he asking this now?’ But his Clan Leader had spoken, so he had no choice but to answer:
"Qi Refining Seventh Layer."
"Ten years... From the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer to the Eighth-Layer Qi Cultivation, yet you still show no signs of breaking through to the Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation to seek an opportunity for Foundation Establishment. Tongshu, you have disappointed me greatly."
Even though Liu Tongshu was a father of three, his face still flushed red at these words, like a child who had been scolded. He said to Liu Siwu:
"My aptitude is poor, Uncle. I have let you down."
But Liu Siwu just shook his head and began to reminisce.
"Your aptitude isn’t poor at all; you were just shy of having a Top-grade Spirit Root. Back then, I told you to go to the Wei Family Sect or Tianshan Villa, but you refused. You said you wanted to master our Liu Family’s dao of Talismans, to forge your own great path.
"At the time, we old men couldn’t bear to give such a promising seedling to another sect, so we gave in and let you stay. But looking back now, it was ultimately the wrong choice.
"If you had gone to the Beast Taming Sect, you wouldn’t have been stuck at Late-stage Qi Cultivation for ten years."
Liu Siwu grew garrulous, starting to reminisce even as they were hunting down Fang Qingyuan. As the light from his sword dimmed and slowed, the other Liu Family members were at a loss for what to do.
Suddenly, Liu Siwu seemed to snap back to his senses. He started, looked around at the young Liu Family Cultivators before him, and then, without another word, flew off in the direction of Minshan.
After Liu Siwu had flown away, the remaining Cultivators all looked to Liu Tongshu. He sighed and spoke to the only other Late-stage Qi Refining Cultivator among them:
"Tongwen, the two of us will go on our own. Tell the younger ones to head back."
At Liu Tongshu’s request, Liu Tongwen nodded. After sending the younger clan members away, the two of them rode their sword lights together, disappearing into the wintery mountain forest.
